MAKING SHIT, TAKING RISKS & LEARNING THROUGH THE INTERNET

Sorry for the huge delay for a new blog post! I set a mantra for this blog and my YouTube videos that I wouldn't write or make something  for the sake of it and rather, i'd put out things when I had something to say. 

Now we're mostly all politics'd out. My Facebook has spent 8 weeks filled with political posts both left, right and Trump. My spirit to Instagram is at an all time low.  Statistically, I've never posted as little as I do now - not for lack of having stuff to post but, the truth is, i just don't seem to care enough about watching likes roll in and moving onto the next post to wash, rinse and repeat.

OK SO I'M OFFICIALLY 'OLD' and all these social platforms are getting on my gravitationally cowering tits. But one isn't. YouTube. YouTube and the splintering blogs that come with it are centered around people making shit. And (other than discovering it's perfectly OK to start a sentence with and) i think it's because the ideals of YT align with mine, that of 'making shit' and putting it out there even if you get torn to shreds. It's brutal even for the best of the best on YouTube. But at the heart of it, the visual story does the talking not the retrospective instagram post blurb and hashstag festival that follows.  

OK, here's some people coaching from Senor Harris. 'Rather than posting an insta photo, and holding your knees rocking as those LIKES dribble in like a toddler munching their first breakfast, go and make more content.. make loads. Set one story you'd like to tell and be critical towards it, how you want to approach it and then go for it. Plan to make one thing for absolutely no reason this month. Devote some money to it if it needs it. Ask friends questions about how to approach it or what they would do differently. Then go make it real. 

At the heart of creating or 'making shit' is taking risks. Instagram posts and posting doesn't feel like making shit to me any more, nor a risk. it feels like marketing yourself, not being creative. It feels like flavouring bullshit about a visual and hashtagging it in equal measure to a lukewarm audience. My website sits there for people to view as reference to my work.. why do i need to put out a more convoluted portfolio on Instagram for public approval? The only risk here is me watering down my style and look and feel. Here are some of my good week to week risks:

1. When i send off my music videos treatments to my agent, i feel like i've driven into a horrible limbo where i've put myself, my thoughts, and my heart out there to be smashed to pieces.

2. When i make a YouTube video, i feel like i've buckled my head into a guillotine waiting to be ripped in two. Or if i make one and it never goes out and i still feel like a knob for having talked to a camera in an empty room for 5-10 mins. Try it. It's fucking weird and something i don't think i'd get used to. 

3. A) Leaving behind my digital cameras for a shoot and committing to film B) When i put film in my film camera instead of an SD card (in my digital) and tell a band what to do, i feel like i've risked their time over something that i could fuck up the development for. A risk for the reward of work that sits tightly within my style. 

4. Cooking something new every day for the next 42 evenings. 

But the reason i take these risks is they make me feel something. They extinguish any complacency or comfort from the creative i'm undertaking and i feel like i'm learning. I really, at the heart of these things, want to feel fear and the payoff for that fear that flavours the activity and makes it more exciting. 

When aspiration is important. 

I've found searching YouTube to watch reviews, travel vlogs,  personalities and practical real life videos about things i'm sparking interests in a game changer. Some videos on YT are so inspiring they full on kick my ass into trying new things and putting myself out there . Here are some things i've taught myself or been inspired to do and want to do through watching videos on YouTube. 

1. How to develop colour and black and white film

2. How to reduce body fat ratio through diet and exercise

3. Everest Base Camp (how to train for it, what to bring and what to expect (vlogs) ) 

4. Which cameras and lenses suit my working style and which to ignore.

5. Photoshop (i taught myself photoshop and retouching off YouTube)

6. Lightroom, InDesign & Premiere Pro ( These are all part of my day to day working life)

7. Scanning film well

8. How to load film into 16mm cameras and shoot on 16mm cameras. 

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Things I want to learn or do inspired by YouTube in 2017/18

7. Learn to shoot Large Format Photography

8. Go to Bali, Sri Lanka & Patagonia.

9. Buy and learn how to fly a drone. 

10. Improve shooting on 16mm for personal projects. 

--

So effectively, some of the most important income earners for me have been self-taught and inspired from learning through YouTuber created content. That sounds strange and it feels weird to have not put more back into YouTube. I will be making more shit for YouTube, when i have something to say. I'm fairly outspoken so expect a prolific wave of creative!

It's taken me a while to aggregate why I've gone off certain social media and yet still love using others. Here are some of my favourite channels, documentaries and blogs which i've found unbelievably amazing or inspiring over the last couple of months. 

Big love
Dan

Eric Kim (He is outspoken and spouts a lot of shit, but also a lot of good stuff) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJOL6q7RhSJbhwTQAaJOwiQ  

http://www.35mmc.com/

http://www.japancamerahunter.com/

Sawyer Hartman - Really great cinematic travel and photography vlogs https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpsHnULJAkwwckxzdmspKDw

Eduardo Paves Goya - Informative, real world photography vlogs

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR-I25_yEl_frEZ26I9ty-w

Oysays - Photography - really creatively put together

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVwBcb_MDEHD7plaPrI_rlQ

Big Head Taco - Photography - so informative and objective - real world reviews

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfB68azfesws3hLpJ-L-8Ag

Erik Conover - Lifestyle and travel vlogs. Amazing drone work 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu8ucb1LRJd1gwwXutYDgTg

Casey Neistat - It's not cliched to enjoy his work.. it's brilliant and informative

https://www.youtube.com/user/caseyneistat

FILM OF THE MONTH SHOOT-OUT - CINESTILL 50 VS FUJI PRO 400H

HMMMMMMMMM you have 40£ to spend on a film for your next job. You want to mix it up a bit. What do you do? DON'T go to Boots or Snappy Snaps.. you'll end up spending 40£ on one 24 exposure box of cheap Kodak film. Seriously, if i had more resources, i'd boycott Snappy Snaps and their killing film pricing. 

Blind rage over. Let's get into where you spend your cheeky film stock money. You're probably used to bombing it on Kodak Portra 400. But just like wearing the same shirt for 7 days straight, people will eventually expect (or hope) that you make a change. TREAT yoself to some stylistic exploration as Kodak Portra is such a popular look, neutral look...get yourself out there, flirt with something else rather than joining the insta-Portra homage (and that's because it's great, and neutral) but i don't grade the same every job and want to fit look and feels to briefs. 

SO like my OMP's (one minute posts), here is a new format called FOTM (Film Of The Month).

This month. it's between Cinestill 50 (left photo) and Fuji Pro 400h (Right Photo).  I don't want these shoot-outs to be too technical...there's loads of stuff out there for that but here's my two cents shooting them in a professional portrait environment and a more chilled out and about environment ..as you'll want both right?

Cinestill 50 is Portra on crack - it has just a little bit more attitude and feels much less neutral..it's saying something. It has a motion picture, zealy, timeless look and i think that comes from a slight tweaked blue in the skies and residual greens that sit in the blacks. Fuck, i got technical. IT'S TRUE THOUGH LOOK ^.  Cinestill 50 is Vision 50D film for any motion picture kids out there and therefore it shouldn't be worlds away from Portra..but kinda just is..and i fudging love it. Hells yeah cinestill 50. It goes green when you underexpose it and i love that. Here's a few examples of it underexposed. 

And here (below) it is exposed slightly over - you can see how the green rapidly reduces and you get a really lovely tone across it. There's lots of room in the shadows to push it and pull it given that it's a fine grain film and that room carries into editing. I actually prefer it  to Cinestill 800T which is much more of a stylised choice for me but also a love. I think Cinestill 50 might be my new 35mm go to. 

Cinestill 50 gets a 10/10 for colours, push and pull ability (i've pushed it to iso 400 happily and would consider pushing it to 800) It only gets a 6/10 for value as it's currently 12-13£ a roll for a 35mm. When it comes out as a 120mm film, it will be the only film i ever use. 

OK onto FUJI PRO 400H - Available for both 35mm and 120mm. Weirdly, i barely shoot this film on 35mm. I think the grain structure bothers me at the 35mm size as it's a sharp and contrasty film. At 120mm / medium format, it's a little more open as a look that you can contrast HARD and it holds it so well. I bloody love this film. 

Here are some examples. I have bashed up the contrast in all of them as it just takes it and looks better (imo) for it. 

As you can see, the colours are bold and punchy, desaturated but strong in the green colours which is trade-mark 400h. It really suits a Nikon digital shooter as a film as it carries the green weighting across - just an opinion. I love the way it has a dryness to the shot and the way it has a slightly paler approach to skin tone than portra. It's for the Tim Burton fans. If you're going for a pastel look, use Portra but if you want a sharp and can-be-made-punchier film, Fuji Pro 400h is the one.

OK, so we've reached decision time and i've talked about Portra like i'm getting over a film break-up...i just won't shut up about her. But that's because it's a golden standard and these films go a different direction. First things first, i'm stoked with the results from both these films. I actually think they will remain as my two main stocks as i really love the cinestill 50 for timeless looks and the Fuji look for punchier, general looks.  

BUT it is a film shoot out and i am blown away by how different Cinestill 50 makes my photography feel and how reliable it is. I may add that i was shooting it happily until 9pm on low shutter speeds and i still got amazing results out of it. It's an all day film despite the 50 iso mark. 

Big love to Cinestill 50.. you are the film of the month

D x

PLS LIKE

The blog post lands roughly 120 views. The typical engagement on this post is 6-20 engagements. That's a fairly solid relationship between stats. Typically you'll 'engage' 10% of your audience on an average post. I really used to care how many likes my posts would get and know all that really matters is that i enjoyed making the work and the people i met through it. 

OK boring stuff over. Let's talk about social numbers and what it can mean for the creative industry. Last night, a good friend of mine told me about him losing a video commission. He lost it, not off his creative work, but off his social numbers or lack-thereof. I get it, marketeers want to minimise their risk and guarantee their views, likes and engagement. BUT i also don't get it. As someone who has been on both sides of commissioning art, that is a risky approach and shouldn't be something aspiring artists have to deal with.
SCENARIO  Let me set up a situation that we all know. Person A loses the job based off social numbers. Hypothetical Person B who wins job makes terrible but passable creative with a HUGE AUDIENCE. Now, let me create a hypothetical situation and pretend that that piece of work created was Kendall's Pepsi ad. Simply, we can see the negative outcome of valuing guaranteed outreach above all else without thoroughly acid testing the commission to get the best idea, director and casting for the commissioned creative.  Why do you want to have a big ass audience to push out your polished turd of a campaign. That just means a lot of people are going to see your terrible work, Mr Marketeer. Work comes first. IDEAS come before. Great brief before that.  I can't stress this model enough to newbies coming through. Don't aspire to have big numbers, aspire to make kick ass work and, if the bigger numbers are a result of the kick ass work.. it's a nice to have. Man, this is a vanilla Mr World 'World Peace' post. 

My fear and worry is when that numbers game floats over into us film-makers and photographers and it becomes a broadly accepted T&C to winning a job 1) on top of having a great book 2) having won the competitive pitch. I mean, give me a shit tonne of hoops and i will jump through them like it's the Olympic final but we already do jump through an Olympic number of hoops to survive as creatives so DEAR SOCIAL NUMBERS, off you fuck. 

I don't feel like this is as fully fledged a post as usual but man, i hate this 'like' culture. 

Pls like x 

5 REASONS TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY A LEICA

Ok.. you're hooked. You are absolutely hooked on photography. You scan for reviews of cameras like a frenzied calorie counter spies his next diet - the only problem is you want everything. You have, as one of my favourite photography writers Eric Kim said, 'GAS' or Gear Acquisition Syndrome'. Now GAS doesn't sound like the most pleasant thing to have. It's cool,  i'm here for you. 

Here are some easy steps to beat G.A.S

1.  Hide your wallet
2. Hide your money
3. Hide your money with your partner
4. DO NOT hide your partner. 
5. Every time you get G.A.S shoot a new subject matter with your existing equipment.
6. Set your ebay and paypal passwords to something completely non memorable
7. Buy a Leica 
8. [silence] 

Before point 7 happens read the following. It might save you a few thousand $$$$

So my first opinion of this piece comes down to the holiest of holy G.A.S moments every photographer will fight - Whether or whether not you get yourself a LEICA. It's the quintessential Chanel handbag of cameras, the Kobe beef of food. It's THE bougee choice but you deserve it right? Right...Wrong. Now the following is going to be like an immigration test where if you answer anything NO you're deported back to the land of no-Leicas. I'll do explanations after. Not knowing the answer counts as a no. Here we go!

QUESTION 1. Do you like focusing rangefinders? Yes or No

QUESTION 2: Do you have time to focus in your preferred subject matter? Yes or No

QUESTION 3: Do you shoot stopped down? Yes or No

QUESTION 4: Do you have the money for a lens? Yes or No

QUESTION 5: WIll you be un-phased shooting it in public despite it's cost? Yes or No

Ok - you're still here.. your G.A.S is strong. Well done. Question 1 is important.. rangefinder focusing is very different to focusing on an slr..it can be awkward and slow for a lot of people an it plain doesn't suit some folks. Question 2.. it takes me about 10 to 15 seconds to nail focus on a Leica if i'm being precise rather than zone focusing - do you have that time in your field? If you are a street kid.. iso 1600 it and F8 it and go on with your bad self.. everything is in focus you hero of your own world. Question 3. This refers to film Leicas more commonly which is what most people can afford - Shooting wide open is not really what the film Leicas were made for.. it's a brutal process. Digital Leicas.. get your wide open on.. this is a different story. I personally feel that film Leicas were made to be shot stopped down. Question 4. I really think it's important to have enough money for a Leica lens if you're going to invest in Leica film bodies. After all, its really the lenses that make the image here and the camera is for ergonomics and the tool that facilitates. I think the zeiss glass is maybe too sharp at times and a little digital with its render and the voigtlanders are great but the prices have really creeped up - do yourself a favour and buy used Leica glass. Question 5. Don't buy one of these guys if you're not going to shoot it (unless you're a collector...you do you mr collector person.. you're great, i love your work.)

Ok, you've got this far. The next thing is, if you still want a Leica, go to a store that stocks them and try it out for yourself. It's a huge commitment buying into an M system so try before you buy. Leica supported shops are normally looked after by passionate, independent camera stores and you'll learn loads about them. I love going to Aperture UK and http://www.richardcaplan.co.uk/

Whereas you'll get good prices on camera bodies most places, I buy and will buy my used Leica glass in Japan as there's just so much of it in mint condition and at a solid price

For first time Leica kids, I thoroughly recommend shooting on the Leica M3 if you don't mind not having a meter or the Leica M6 TTL as they are amazing value at under 1K and will last you a lifetime. Make sure you do your research on which frame-lines each camera can bring up and whether it matches with the lenses you want to buy. 

Any questions on Leicas, do drop me a message.. i love my M6 TTL and i shoot it every week but i didn't always love it and it took a very long time to get to grips with it. If you're willing to put in the time, you're golden and everything will click. It's not an instant results camera but that's the challenge and the beauty of a Leica

D xx

STOP WASTING MONEY ON FILM

If you're going to shoot film in 2017, you're going to have to be smart. Smarter than the wise-guys who call you out for doing so 20 years after the birth of digital, 10 years after the birth of the SD card, smart enough not to bankrupt yourself over your aesthetic of choice, your choice to slow down. That's what it is right? As well as the way it feels, it's the pre-meditation of slowing down, it's all of these things that 2017 intrinsically isn't. Film photography serves as a direct contrast with the modern world and modern worldly efficiency driven technologies and yet, as we know, that's why it works for so many of us. So here I am on your side. But i'm here on your side asking you to get smart about your film. Challenge yourself to save money with it. Set yourself things to learn about extra parts of the process and maybe even reduce the costs of doing it. I went for it in 2017 ( and these are all things i've learnt since the turn of the year)

• I bulk load motion picture film
• i home develop C41 colour and B/W processes
• I have a dedicated 35mm Pakon and 120mm Epson V550 scanning set up and everything that, once you've paid your set up costs, slims down the cost of the shooting film process.. and this is what i mean by stop wasting money on film. 6-12£ a roll and then 10-15£ a dev and scan for 36 shots is killer. This year, I hit a wall where it wasn't feasible to shoot on film when i wanted and needed to for client jobs in the music world. I took a stance that i would need to re-evaluate my equipment, sell a few things and make my workflow work for modern day film-shooting so i could avoid those 15£ dev and scans. I sold my 70-200mm Nikon and bought a pakon scanner and all the things i needed to make it work. Now there are plenty of shoots where i buy stock (normally Fuji pro 400h ) but even then i shop around as thoroughly as I can. I average out 5 rolls a shoot. That's 35£ in film stock and would be around 60£ in dev and scan elsewhere. If my shoot fee is 350£ not including transport and food, that's clearly not that feasible. I said to myself i need to stop wasting money on this as there are ways in to make it a viable option when it will always be my preferred option to shoot analogue.

Set yourself a challenge to reduce your film costs. If you're a portra 400 kid, try and find a 'b team' stock for your more everyday shooting like kodak colour plus. If you are spending all your money on developing, shoot six films and to spend 95£ on a starter developing kit and chemicals and learn from there. 

https://parallaxphotographic.coop/shop/paterson-film-processing-kit/https://parallaxphotographic.coop/shop/tetenal-colortec-c-41-developing-kit-1l/

My cheat sheet for saving money on film photography is the following (ranging up in difficulty and comes with fun level commentary):

1. Have a premium stock and a b grade stock (level of fun.. low)
2. scan yourself (level of fun really low on a flatbed for 35mm. Level of fun on a Pakon hella high)
3. develop yourself ( if you like cooking, you'll like developing) 
4. scan and develop yourself (get your cook on then get patient)
5. buy cassettes, a bulk loader and some bulk film (actually so mindless i can roll 20 rolls whilst watching all the geordie shore i can handle)
6. do it all and shoot film for basically under 1£ a roll all in! (you are officially rich!)

Big love and thanks for reading blog post one!

Dan xx