The most IMPORTANT HABIT in PHOTOGRAPHY
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- čas přidán 1. 07. 2023
- There are lots of different things we can do to improve our photography, but this one is the most important.
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The inspirational factor of this video is a 10 out of 10 Nigel! Another bonus of dragging your butt out of bed before sunrise in the summer is there's a better chance to see some amazing wildlife during this time. Regardless if you photograph wildlife or not, seeing a fox family or deer family while you're looking for compositions is always a joy and makes the early rise worth while.
A more advanced photographer friend of mine always tells me that being out with the camera is the importance! Getting a nailed shot is a bonus!
You certainly can't get any shots from your bed or couch! 🫡
Excellent. Basic but an excellent reminder.
So beautiful morning thank you!
A lesson well taught, Nigel. Not being an early riser by nature, there are only three forces that ever consistently motivated me to haul myself out of bed in the dark hours: photography, outdoor activity like climbing or paddling, and drill sergeants. I have definite preferences among them. Shooting early has always been a personal test. It's so rewarding, being out when the day and light are fresh. If I'm not wanting to be out then, I have to ask myself what's going on that stops me and what I'm going to do about it.
I couldn't agree more Nigel! Only yesterday I was out & said to myself "I've got to get out earlier to catch the right light." But yes, so difficult to get my backside out of bed. Thanks for the kick in the butt
Thx for your inspiration. May I mention a subtle point - we talk often of "improving" our photography, but I rather like to think of "expanding" my photography, in the same we way talk of "expanding" our knowledge, since "improving " our knowledge would imply in a sense what we knew already wasn't right, but it was. Similarly, our old photography skills were not necessarily wrong or inadequate, nor the vacations we may have taken or the books we have read inadequate or wrong. Rather, as with knowledge, and vacations, and books, we want to expand and widen and extend what we have done in photography, and some of that could be rightly called improving but some and much of that could be more correctly be called expanding.
Two lessons in one today: So true on setting the alarm early and the feeling of guilt as I watch from the comfort of the bed at 930am Sunday morning is real 😂 The vlog was also a useful reminder to avoid bright white objects in the frame 😊
Very good advice. I'm only 6 months into my photography journey and I go out to take pictures even when the light is harsh. It can be fun to try and make the best of what's in front of you.
Sometimes I can't go outside because of my asthma, so I take pictures of my wife, our dogs, plants or even pegs on a washing line instead. Lighting indoors can be really difficult, so it's really good practice and also helps me stretch my composition muscles a bit.
Some really good compositions Nigel. Many thanks. I think the message is “Get Out”
I've noticed that your videos often coincide with how I'm feeling at that moment....morning motivation has been a huge challenge recently. Great advice and feeling motivated to get out tomorrow at horrible o'clock to catch some North Devon morning light. Loving the 'Luskentyre' book which arrived very recently....beautiful and motivating...Thanks
This is what i needed. Been suffering from a creative slump lately..and since i work shifts, it's even worse, because i can't really get out really early or late without compromising the energy i need for my shifts. But i'm going to try. Thanks for this inspiring video!
Thank You Nigel for another OUTSTANDING video!!! If there has ever been a video that I needed to see at this time, it is this one. I am struggling creatively right now and this is such a motivator to just get out with the camera because you never know what you'll find. Thank You again!!!
Inspiring video as usual Nigel, thank you! I have been struggling with my photography the last weeks because of the harsh light. Staying in bed was always more tempting, but your video is a kick in my butt to indeed just go out and enjoy being in nature in the early hours with the camera. And who knows what I will see then!
Another great inspirational video Nigel, thank you. Of all the things I have learned from you, the one stand out improvement I have made is to include more foreground and less sky in my images.
Great video, yes have to make the effort to get up early !! Just got your book this week , The Spirit of Luskentyre,looks great, looking forward to going through it .
I always used to wonder why photographers were forever complaining about bright blue sunny skies given how rare those days are over here and then I took up photography and now I see why!
This is another excellent and motivating video. You always make the best of the conditions you’re presented with.
Thanks for the Video that is so inspiring. I'm in the South Island of New Zealand and its winter here. Its cold but the light is amazing this morning. I weather watch constantly and now know the signs of what would be great light the next morning. Its wonderful to get out on the Cold frosty mornings. I'm waiting for your book to come before I head off to Australia. I do love your response to nature. Keep inspiring everyone.
Thanks Nigel! Inspiring.
Definitely! Best advice! Lovely shots too!
Yeah your completely right. That is the most important thing to just get out. It is working for me. I'm really not the best photographer but i got some photos that made me very happy. And every time i find something new !
By the way love the image at 14:37!
As always a brilliant video thanks. Know what you mean at this time of year is hard with the harsh light. Last night we were away in North Norfolk and after dinner went out for the sunset but got a good hour in before and it was brilliant so many subjects in the area to focus on. Even the boss was happy sitting in the car snoozing waiting for me :)
Wise, inspiring and motivational words in today's video :)
And we always can find beauty wherever we are.
Great timing for this video. Certainly struggling to get out and find good compositions. Went out Saturday evening and it fuelled my creativity and can’t wait to get I it again this weekend. As always loving the videos Nigel 👏
I hear you Nigel. I was up at 4am a few weeks ago for the summer solstice so that I could capture the sun rising and lining up perfectly with the Clifton Suspension bridge in Bristol. It was a magical moment and I was all on my own...and...I got the shot.
Thank you. I’m on holiday in Cornwall, frustrated with no sunsets after the glorious June so took myself out tonight and on 1 side got a rainbow and some lovely golden hour rays through storm clouds
I hope you found the other boulders on legs its an amazing place I filmed there some time ago. It's amazing.
Another good one Nigel. Thanks.
Really found that interesting how using a longer lens drew the background in. Always look forward to your Sunday morning video, Thanks!
Wow, such a beautiful video. Very good quality recording, and I 100 percent agree! Thanks so much.😊
Talking about getting out, those legs need to be allowed out a bit more! 😂 It’s a reminder to all of us, thanks for a very mindful video Nigel
Thank you!
Hi Nigel, Photo of the big stone - in such cases it is useful to get close and look for details with a wide angle, for example
Even if you don't get any stunning photos with an early start, in this increasingly busy world there's something special in being able to enjoy the landscape without another person in sight. If nothing else the exercise and tranquility are great for your personal wellbeing
Loved these photos:). Thanks for sharing!
Know exactly what you mean, never been an early morning person, but your advice and images show why one should make the effort.
As you say one has no idea whhat you will find thanks Simon. (if only for the kick up the back side)😉
If you enjoy erratics come to Calgary. Multiple glaciations have scattered erratics the length and breadth of Alberta. Not to mention photographing the Rockies. One of the biggest ones, the Okotoks erratic - the size of a multi storey building and weighing thousands of tonnes - was carried over 400 miles from Mt Edith Cavell in Jasper National Park to the town of Okotoks, south of Calgary.
At one point about 20k years ago, our city was under 100s of meters of ice. Today, the glaciers have retreated to the continental divide on the Alberta - BC border. But they’ll visit again.
With their sheer abundance, I haven’t focused much on our erratics. Thanks for the inspiration.
Could not agree more. It’s all about being there. Being present in the moment. If one is there, then everything else comes. A bit of my personal philosophy.
8:38 looks very much like a Dolman. Beautiful location Nigel, thanks for sharing again
Stay safe 🇦🇺
Loved today's video. You are so right about getting out repeatedly to develop an eye for composition. I've visited the same sites over and over and have discovered different perspectives each time. Question: Are you using any special filters for these early morning shots?
Beautiful photos. But you are right, so hard to get out early!!
In January I went on a 2 wk trip...in my car...and on the way back it broke down...been stuck ever since. I get some use of my mom's car but I live in Phoenix, so needless to say...as of late, there's no going on any outings for photography (it's just too damn hot for me, I HATE THE HEAT) so even mornings and evenings are too hot for me, I cannot wait until the weather cools off. I didn't want to depend on using her car unless it's absolutely necessary, getting the essentials, so I am motivated so much to do photography that I bought an electric scooter for those outings w/a little bit of money I got for school (not enough to get a decent car and I'm not working right now) so I hope to at least get out when it gets cooler in the mornings...photography motivates me that much!
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks!
I like the fact all your final shots are different sizes, you don't just stick to 16x9 or 4x3, you choose what's best for the picture. I tend to print mainly A4, and possibly restrict myself for the final sizing.
When you're chronically overtired and on vacation to actually do a landscape photography road trip it's so hard to get out of the insanely comfy warm bed in the summer when the a/c has the room a nice temp and the bed is like a cloud. I say this as I'm headed home from a two week road trip sitting at the gate at the airport.
Nice and calm video. Great advice. Only thing I dont have simular obvious scenery close to where I live. At least its very different from the english landscapes
This couldn't have come at a better time. After 5 years of being stationed in Germany and loving my photography adventures to the Lakes District, Iceland, Faroes, Dolomites and other amazing locations I have moved to the Southeast United States. Since my return I have so struggled to get out and explore with my camera. I am I believe in a mild state of depression in regard to my photography. The Southeast U.S. isn't as exciting as a lot of locations in Europe. The humidity and heat are an easy excuse to not go out with my camera and explore. Its lack of direction I have found. However, todays VLOG and your past project on the beach makes me believe that an identifiable project may assist my motivation. Thinking of chasing as many waterfalls in the southeast and see what I can find. if nothing else it will give me direction and maybe in the process I will find new locations on the side. But getting motivated and getting out of bed and not hitting the snooze is a good start. Thank you Nigel
I just moved back to the southeast US fromEurope and share your mood. What part of the south east are you in. I am located in SC. Maybe we can motivate each other?
I think that the more you get out the more you develop as a photographer, the instinctive feel for the equipment, the eye for composition and even more important an understanding of the light, that's where the real magic lies.
Good points. Thank goodness dawn is a bit later at my latitude. Spirit of Luskentyre has arrived in Virginia. 😀 Looking good. Carry on. 👍🥂
Yeah - too early here...
It's 106 degrees on a Sunday afternoon in Tucson, Arizona. Even so, I like to play the Find Something game. As in, get the camera and just find something to shoot.
Enjoyed the video Nigel. But could you give more information on the tripods and settings used please . Thanks
I find if I take my camera with me even if the chances are low I will get a photo I get into the habit of looking for photos, Also, I find going somewhere with the explicit idea of taking photos helps me be creative once I get there.
Again great video Nigel, the struggle from a photographer, get out of bed on a free day😊, one thing; did you now say at 5:10 in your video that you use a slower iso and a faster iso😮?? You mean shutterspeed? , but again a great video , thank you for that! Ps: git your book exactly on my birthday 😁😁 great work!
Nigel, great video..
Can I ask what L bracket you use on the Z 8 ?
Agreed !!
It’s so true, the last ten years I’ve been in full time employment so the will to get up for sunrises is zero!! I’m finally a self employed photographer now so I can get out doing what I love, how do you find these locations? Is it research or do people advise you where to go?
The struggle is real. As a natural night-owl, the early mornings are really a tough challenge. I figured I could sidestep the blahs by shooting B&W and embracing the harsh light, but it's just not the same. I'll have to master setting a very quiet alarm and slithering out of bed without waking my wife! BTW, I've been noticing for a while that you are not using the hip belt of your backpack. Does that help your back (I know your back issues are not run of the mill)?
Speaking as a busy father of three with a full time job I cringe at the idea of anyone not having motivation to go out! I have to carefully carve the time out to practice my photography. I carry a camera on my drive to and from work in case i get an opportunity to stop and grab an image. I carry my Ricoh GRIII everywhere i go, just in case.
If you lack motivation just think what you would do if you didn't have the time?😊
where did you get that Z8 L bracket? i haven’t seen any available online
@NigelDanson. What L bracket are you using on the Z8? And are you satisfied with it?
Nigel, why You don't use MC - 50 external trigger ?
Like before watching
Nice video again. Which tripod are you using?
How do the walls in Britain work? In the US, they mean "keep out". But in Britain they seem to have built-in steps, or carousel walk-throughs, or other means of getting past them. Don't they delineate private property?
Please help me understand, what are these places? Aren’t they private property? If climb over rock fences like that , I’ll be transpasing in my country.
The UK has public footpaths set out all across the country which anyone is entitled to walk on. The areas in the video are all accessible unless it's farmland.
sheepy friends at 5:30 did you try and incorporate them into any photos during the day?
Nice vid! Do you live in UK? Is that the Hadrian Wall?
Just wondering Nigel: you went out to take pics of these 'erratics' strewn about on a hill and also didn't mind taking pictures of the man-made stone walls; but I don't think I ever saw a picture from you of one of the many thousands of neolithic monuments that the whole of the UK is literary covered with. Is there a reason for that? Can imagine that some of the better-known neolithic sites (like Stonehenge or Avebury) aren't appealing because of all the tourists, but there are so many more that can make interesting subjects for landscape photography imo.
Were you focus stacking these images Nigel?
that is a san francisco Giants hat, must be a baseball fan
4am and the Sun is up
Landscape photography in summer in Alaska is especially challenging as any sort of sunset/sunrise occurs at a brutal hour (like 1-2 am) if at all, depending on your exact latitude. The best I can hope for is a good storm to cause for some interesting light. I've been teaching myself how to look for other types of compositions, like macro and telephoto, to find things that look interesting in harsh full sun.
I think the ones where you excluded the sky completely were the most atmospheric
Yes - that is true but on some it wasn't possible. Basically it would have been good to have some clouds
I love the idea that you sleep in your baseball cap. Be prepared! :)
Exactly!
What L bracket is that for the Z8?
Looks like Smallrig, but my searches show it is not yet available.
I notice the lack of a UV filter on your cameras in most of the videos. Reason?
why do you always shoot on iso 64 and not 100?
Train the brain - is what it's all about. There's no such thing as "talent" except OC persistence in getting to the 10,000 rehearsals as possible. Most of the 10,000 will be less successful.
There are no shortcuts. Just Fotographing Do It (JFDI). Look, think about what you see, the perspective, leading lines, relative proportions, imagine the camera's shot from its position, take the shot, look at it, learn. Repeat, consciously, 9,999 times.
Normal eyesight and brains [1] rely on two eyes and with that assessment of distance and speed of moving objects towards us.
We don't see like a camera. We need to learn to see as babies and toddlers and infants. But still don't see like a camera.
A photographer's challenge is to learn to see the world in the way a camera sees it: in 2D while looking at it in 3D with two eyes.
[1] people who are functionally blind in one eye may have learnt to see in 2D and use perspective changes for example to guesstimate the speed at which a ball or car is coming towards them. And as (some) people with autism spectrum disorder draw differently they will see differently.
Most people: meh it’s a field with a bunch of rocks. Nigel: it’s an opportunity to get out and play with the light. And just enjoy being out. The rest of us: yeah some pretty good images out of that field with rocks.
Glacial Erratics!
what is that animal in the background at 5:29
Sheep
It's not called mourning light for nothing, is it?
Does wearing the hat to bed make it easier to get up? I am willing to try anything.
I’m the first view
Everything is changing around you except your cap, you even wear it in your bed. That means love.
@nigeldanson, you should have really stepped away from your instincts and taken a self portrait on that stack. It would have shaken your soul and your photography. You and your wife would have laughed, and it might have been the best photograph you took all year. Try it. I'm not a landscape photographer, but I have enjoyed your input for many many years. You owe that one for you. The rest are just grass and rocks perfectly set up in their mediocrity. Who would give a crap about that or pay for it? I certainly wouldn't, but I guaranty that you would look back with great smiles of yourself planted on a cairn of sorts. As we all are, truly.
Wish you go to the point of your videos straight away. To much details that are not related to the title/topic of the video.
Cheers
PLEASE DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR TITLE !
I just realise that i didnt watch a video of you since long time just because your video's title are horrible !
I explain. When i see your miniatures and title it's always the same : Do that, don't do that, stop using this, ...
So i never click because it tell nothing about what i will watch if i click. If i don't know what i'm going to watch i don't click.
So just name it trail in the forest, beach photoshoot, Bad weather photography, ....
Since you don't do that i will not watch your videos anymore i think.
Nigel, Do you have Instagram account? I can’t find it