We filmed a prenup video last Wednesday, and it was the first time @randomli and I were the focus of a professional photo and video shoot. Even though it doesn't seem that way, the two of us are really camera-shy. We're so used to being behind the camera all the time, that it feels so unnerving to be front and center. It's not as if we're any good behind it either. Seeing professionals at work has made me realize how different they take photos compared to amateurs. I felt like I was a novice when I caught a glimpse of how they were filming it.
The truth is, I've always had a resentment for people who take pictures and film video for a living. They're always so snobbish and so full of themselves. I know it's not proper to generalize them, but almost all of the photographers that I have encountered were total douchebags. With those checkered scarves, bag full of lenses and DSLR cameras that are worth more than most laptops. They have an air about them that makes them feel like they're a cut above the rest, like we should be thanking them for allowing us to breathe the same air. Ugh!
The production crew we worked with were different though. They were very accomodating, and the only strict instruction they gave was for us to let loose. None of those manufactured poses, or artsy fartsy death defying shots. It was all natural, and we didn't feel like we posed even for a second. Well, we did pose at times, but it's all in a playful environment. To be honest, it felt very similar to the way I film outings or vacations.
"Make love to mountain!" I would instruct. "Oh man, you just ate raw vinegar," I would say to simulate a sour expression. "You just won the lotto after you stubbed your toe." Those were the kinds of instructions I would normally give to my subjects. More often that not, it elicits natural reaction and genuine laughter.
As I mentioned, I used to be camera-shy, mainly because when I was a kid, people forced me to smile a way they wanted. To be honest, they still do, but now I have the good sense to live my truth. Society has a way of dictating standards, and deviating from those would almost always mean that something's wrong. It isn't. A different angle doesn't mean it's wrong, a different pose doesn't mean something's inconceivable. I hated posing because I was always chastised for being my natural self. It made me seem inadequate, and that I had to adhere to norm that are, well... not normal for me. I always hated it when every micro pose was dictated, and that the photographers weren't satisfied until I bend over backwards to their will. As a storyteller, I'm incensed that they have megalomaniac tendencies as well, as I feel that's a quality reserved for my people. But, then again, most photographers and videographers consider themselves as storytellers as well, so I'll forgive them for that.
The whole experience made me think back to a phrase that I feel I've coined (don't quote me on that though)—"All it takes is emotion." Initially, when I thought of that, it was sort of a defense mechanism against people who use fancy DSLR cameras to shoot High Definition photos while I was stuck with my measly camera. Then, it moved on to high-end mobile cameras while I was stuck with my medium-grade one. You see, I'm too thrifty for my own good, so I get left behind on the latest gadgets and trends. But, it quickly became about technicality.
Rule of Thirds, exposure, aperture adjustments—these are just a few terms more seasoned photographers throw around. As you can tell, I don't fancy myself as an uber-technical photographer. No offense to those who are. Personally, I feel like a good picture is a good picture. You'll feel it in your gut, no matter the lighting or the overexposure, or the quality of camera and its resolution. But, that's just me. I'm the guy who feels like the story the photo conveys is its most important aspect. Every other element is inconsequential as long as it tells a powerful story.
I feel like some times, that gets lost in all the fluff. Sometimes, the technicality stands in the way of appreciating a good photo. I had the chance to watch a TV show called Photo Face-Off where in amateur photographers compete against each other and one professional photographer. I've seen good photos get demolished by reviewers because they didn't meet standards. Standards, mind you, that aren't even strictly objective, no matter how much they try to pass them as such. Heck, some photos are even better than the professional's! Yet, they deem the professional's photo as superior most of the time. I don't get it.
Now, I'm not saying that all of my photos are amazing. Far from it. I'm not even saying that my photos are any good. What I am saying though is that everyone should just chill the hell out and appreciate photos for what they convey. If everyone focused on color balance this, saturate that, everyone will lose sight of the subject. Yes, even if they follow the Rule of Thirds.
This is the same thing I tell my fiancee when we're comparing photos. She's too focused on making it look perfect, while I just click and move on. A pragmatic photographer with a "that'll do" attitude is what I call myself. Again, I'm not saying my photos are better that hers, but I definitely have more fun taking one shot as opposed to taking twenty shots of the same thing in an attempt to get it perfectly.
The same thing applies to other aspects of life, whether it's writing, art, finances, programming and architecture (definitely don't have a that'll do attitude in finances, programming and architecture!) While it takes a lot of effort to make something amazing, don't get too caught up with technicalities. Pepper in some feelings in there to give it life. But, if you're in the business of making things look perfect, then I'm fine with that too. Without you guys, there won't be a benchmark to compare others' work with. All I ask is that you don't have to be a douchebag about it. If you want to move people, you first have to move yourself. I really don't know why I said that last bit. In my mind, that made perfect sense, but when I wrote it down hmm... Oh well, that'll do.
Also, little did I know that my previous post was my 200th so yay! I'm officially a bicentennial minnow haha! I don't post as often as I should, and I don't post multiple times a day (except for that one time which I still feel horribly about) so it took a while for me to reach this point. But, now that I'm here, what can I say? ... First of all, thank you to the Academy for this honor. Thank you to the Hollwood Foreign Press for giving me the opportunity. The critics, oh man, who could forget the critics!? To my fellow actors, all of you are amazing. Thank you to my mom and dad for giving me life and nurturing me. And, most of all, thank you to my fiancee @randomli, for being my rock. Okay, they're playing me off, so I just want to say one last thing before the orchestra gets too loud. The capacity to learn is gift; the ability to learn is a skill; But, the willingness to learn, man.. that is a choice; So learn, each and every day, from any source you can, as much as you can. Good night!
Needless to say, all photos are mine.
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These photos are really awesome. As a newbie I think you did an awesome job. And try to cut your shyness 😁, you are really awesome. Though the mountain is looking nice than this girl (kidding) 😋
Hey! That's my fiancee you're talking about haha! Camera shy-ness isn't that much of a problem for me anymore these days, but thanks for the reminder. I really appreciate all the compliments, man :D
welcome, and don't say your Fiancee that I told mountain is your better than her, otherwise she could kill you for upvoting me (ha ha kidding kidding)
Too late, I already showed the comment before your reply. I upvote thoughtful comments so she understands why I voted. You're on your own with her wrath, my friend hahaha!
Ugh smiling and posing, I always hated it for the same reasons! I have a tendency to look off to the side when getting a group picture taken when it's posed and photographers hate that, but I tend to like the one where I'm laughing at something in the distance while everyone else is staring straight ahead, hahaha!
(definitely don't have a that'll do attitude in finances, programming and architecture!) I LOL'D! You wouldn't want to hire a company called G-nuff construction after all!
I'm with you, most of my shots are a one off because I don't have the patience to take tons, I really have to like what I'm looking at to take several!
Out of all the photos I've seen of you, it seems like this is your signature shot, sis! Hahaha! I find it hard to fathom how people feel like you're going to be genuinely happy after you've been instructed to pose a certain way.
G-nuff construction haha! I'd hate to have an office located in one of their buildings!
Right?? If you like the thing you're taking a photo of, by all means take as many angles as you want. But, if you're constantly taking a photo because you're not satisfied, then I don't think you really "feel" the subject you're capturing. See! Another commonality. This is why I have no doubt that you're my sis who can't miss!
where to start :P
I've always had a resentment for people who take pictures and film video for a living. They're always so snobbish and so full of themselves
hahaha i have the same issue and i don't believe we are biased or we it is too generic, i tend to think statistically we are right. Most of the oldest photographers i know have a temper than my photos rules everything else is garbage and young photographers from let's say 18 to 25 have that air of '' i am different than all of you'' ''that's art you cant judge my style you don't know'' etc etc which is plain bullshit and as you said to whether you have a 1000$ camera or your mobile camera a good photo is a good photo.
If i like it i like it and that's all and if i don't i don't and i will plainly said so. The worst part is some photos that are basically nothing like only a shoe or grass and they will start telling what that symbolize and what hides behind that photo, the whole universe story :P
Those douchey types just give their profession a bad name, I feel. If the good ones want to redeem the reputation, then they should overpower the clutter. Right!? A good photo is a good photo, no matter how you slice it.
Sometimes those kinds of photos do, but it's almost always not taken by someone who wears those plaid scarves haha!
Two things... One, yeah. I feel like I have a lot of family and others' family who have an idea in their head of what a "real" smile looks like, and will force you to make what they think of as a genuine smile when you're taking a picture. It's why I like big group shots, because they can't single you out to make you, just you, make the "right" face.
And the other is: I think a lot of photography is about the choosing. We can take so many pictures now, and everyone can. Even a professional photographer is going to be blown away by a picture taken accidentally beautifully by an amateur.
It's ironic how they think it's a "genuine smile" when it's the farthest away from it. I do think that no matter how a smile looks, the emotion behind that (whether it's forced or whatever) shines through. You haven't seen my parents. Even in a large group they'll still find ways to criticize how I pose.
I do agree with your sentiment there, man. I guess we have advancements in technology to thank for that. Those unplanned shots are usually the best. It brings out that sort of natural look. I appreciate your sentiments regarding this, Brendan. Thanks for sharing them! :D
We just have to make lots of choices to give the world the opportunity to present us with happy accidents.
Can you throw me the rope? It seems I can't get out from this *deep, deep hole that you dug up.
Here, this rope is made of promises kept.
Awesome! I'm sure that it can handle my weight. After all, promises aren't meant to be broken. Aren't they?
Correct.
Sounds like you had a solid camera crew on your side pare! You two look great & it's really nice to see you all having an awesome time :) Will be sure to follow & support your fiancée @randomli as well. Y'all will make a power couple both on Steemit & in life! Best wishes until your big day
Oh we did! It was a very fun shoot :D She's a bit busy with her work, so she hasn't posted much on Steemit, but I do wish that your prediction would bear fruit! Thank you for the well wishes, kapatid! :D
Speaking of, I stumbled upon someone who looked like you yesterday. He had glasses though, and I couldn't bring myself to ask him for a picture as proof. I just told my fiancee that the cashier looked like Angelo haha!
Damn that's crazy! You have no idea how many people have told me that from all over the world hahahah :P
At least you have a face that people remember. Mine is usually forgotten minutes after meeting someone... while I'm still talking to them! Hahaha!
Not much else to say. You are a gifted storyteller, man. This is a wonderful post. And the pictures are just great!
I am happy for you. Experiences like these are the ones that make life worth living. :)
Thank you for the compliments, man! I appreciate it :D I do try to take these experiences in and leave mental pictures of all of them.
Beautiful photos brother 🙏🏼
Especially liked the foggy 'murky' forest and the vibes from your crew, positive energy flowing, love it! 🙌🏼
Good post overall, enjoyed the commentary part as well ✌🏼
Otherwise, if you're into travelling, vlogs, fitness, self-development etc feel free to check out my channel, in any case keep up the good work and I'll see you around!
Woohoo! Thank a lot, man! :D I loved shooting the foggy forest too. It was way foggier in person, and I was surprised it registered well digitally. I'm glad you enjoyed the commentary, because that's what I gave much thought on haha! Will definitely check out your posts after I finish going through the comments here. Thanks for stopping by!
Yeah looked great, while I'm not a photographer myself (at least not at your level) I can imagine fog is a hard shot, as you say registered very well digitally 🙌🏼
Haha what can I say but... all it takes is emotion ;)
So, you two enjoyed it, I see. With a camera that doesn't have the resolution of DSLR, you can never make the same thing, this is clearly shown in post production. But a good photographer can catch the demeanor of the person or a good angle, and does not force people to smile and this is usually not the case with amateur photographers of private social occasions like festivities and other.
Oh, there are many more people on this planet with attitude that we should be grateful they allow us to breath the air they do. - I liked this one especially.
Ah yes! I should've told you that your comment was foretelling the coming of this post. But yeah, I do agree that it's the photographer that should adjust to the subject instead of the other way around. I feel like that separates the good from the great.
First I must say that your photos are pretty good, it shows that you like that art of photography, second you have a lot of reason with regard to naturalness vs poses, I agree that a picture looks much better when the smile or the moment It is not fake and definitely that is what you look for in a photo, to capture a memory of a lived moment is not to capture an act, so I congratulate you for your work. Great post!
I feel like photography and writing are a means to an end. First and foremost, I love telling stories, so I think that's what translate to the page or image. I do appreciate the compliments and for you taking the time to leave a comment :D
Yeah emotion is the thing which has kept all human beings so close to each other or so away from them.... But a great bunch of photos you have shared mate... just a pure beauty of nature represents :) Tanks
I heard that it's what separates us from the other species. Thank you for the compliments! I appreciate it a lot :D
My pleasure bro :) Stay blessed
Right back at ya! :D
I haven't got the patience to take more than one or two photos of the same thing - which is why my photos are serviceable but nothing flash. But yours are awesome!
Thanks, Deb! What I do is I try to empathize to whatever subject, be it living or non-living, and try to feel how they would feel about the photo I took. As you know, I'm an empath, so it's not that hard to do. But, my storytelling skill comes into play here as well I guess.
Great write-up; thankfully most of the photographers I know are really down to earth and don't have that ego surrounding them, but I do know what you're talking about. I also try to avoid the camera as much as I can - I think my mom conditioned me to be like that because she has an obsession of taking pictures so it created in me a desire to avoid them at all costs lol
I hope you plan on posting the video at some point, it would be great to watch! I'm sure it will turn out great!
p.s sorry i've been slacking on my comments lately, haven't been on steemit much the past few days; the weekends always seem to do that to me.
Yeah, I do think it's case-to-case basis. Or, probably a matter of location. If the other photographers act like that in the close vicinity, then a novice would probably emulate it as they progress. I think we had the same upbringing. It was only when I was at the latter months of college did I learn to just let loose and not mind the camera pointed at me. There are still times when I'm deathly allergic of it though.
We'll see haha! If it does turn out great, I would definitely post the link here haha! The video guys would upload it on Facebook or YouTube regardless.
Don't sweat it, brother! You've already made my shortlist of evergreen supporters. Weekends have the same effect on me, so I totally understand.
It's the same thing in other types of art as photography. I've seen a lot of technically perfect (well I think it's perfect, the artist sometimes thinks otherwise) art which aside from being very aesthetically pleasing I find otherwise really boring because there doesn't seem to be much else to it. There's reaons people sometimes like the sketches more than the finished pieces ;D
Haha! You might be on to something there, mate! Even when someone checks all the boxes, if something was done without being injected feelings in, it really translates to the viewer. I'm sure that even the untrained eye would be able to spot it. The sketches are honest, and peels back all of the modifications that would've been done to it. One could easily see the feeling poured into it through the raw lines. As an artist, I'm sure that you've encountered this many times!
I agree with your photography concept. I don't overdue trying to get one perfect shot. Although I don't use the phrase "you just ate raw vinegar" but I may have to start....
and I was expecting to see some of your actual photo shoot images in this post.... maybe they will come, or your aren't just camera shy but are also shy to post!
With your upcoming Florida trip, I feel like you should get used to that new phrase. Would definitely like to see some vinegar face pics from you soon. As for the photo shoot, are you referring to behind the scenes footage or the actual output from the professionals? If it's the former, then it's because I didn't have my phone with me the whole time haha! However, if it's the latter, they said we can copy the raw footage next week, so fingers crossed they turned out well without the post processing.
Output from professionals.
The behind that scenes most likely wont have you in front of the camera either!
I will make sure I take at least one vinegar face picture in Florida!
I'm holding you to it, Darryl!
Ah man, I can't believe I missed another of your posts. Excuse the lesser vote, my vote power is diminished and I'm trying to restore it back to a useful amount. I haven't read through this yet, so no witty and relevant things to say (except - nice post).
I'll be back once I have read through it later on.
The vote weight matters not, I'm just happy to see your delightful comments on my posts, mate! Looking forward to your thoughts when you read through this later :D
a Fuji X70 or a G7x Mk2 would be the perfect fit for you two :) The G7x if you like taking more videos :) Now, we're excited to see the output on the big day!
You guys are going to see the world premier! Hahaha! I'm not sure if we're going to be able to see that beforehand. We might be able to watch it for the first time the same time as you guys haha! Noted on the camera recos, thanks! Will check it out if I ever get the budget haha
be wary of the onion-slicing ninjas. they can be sneaky!
Haha! I'm going to drain the well before the big show. No, that's not a euphemism. Or is it?
Lol. From our experience, the well never dries :p it's more akin to an unpredictable waterspout.
We shall see. We shall see! I feel like I need to pack tissues in my pocket haha!
Wow, this is literally the exact same experience I had as a child. To the point where i got told constantly i never smiled. Except if i didn't it was because they all drilled it into me i wasn't doing it correctly. You can't win as a shy introverted child around adults who are extroverted, and have no real connection to the way children think.no problem.
I have no button on it now, although I don't jump in front of the camera, I do need to be coaxed, but I'll do it. And well done on your photos, both formal ones and the the ones you took and shared here. They look fine to me.
As for reaching 200 posts - yay well done. I'll need to check what number I'm up to. You're probably out in front of me again, creating a great wave for me to catch and surf. Because that's how you roll.
Anyway, made it here eventually. My apologies again. Don't ever hesitate to mention a post to me in a comment if I haven't seen it. I know that's probably not your style, but my number one supporter is permitted special treatment :)
See? Never question why we get along so well. I feel like not all shy introverted children suffer the same fate, but I'm willing to wager it's a high percentage.
As for the compliments, thank you kindly my good man. What can I say? The emotions are strong. As for the posts, you're way ahead of me, mate! A full months worth of daily posts, in fact! It seems this time, I'm the one catching your wave. I wouldn't have it any other way ;)
If a post goes unnoticed a day before its payout, I'll mention it for your notice. Other than that, missing it is fine :)
Whenever I hire a photographer I ask that the photos be natural, that they capture the true essence of the people. I like it
That's great! I'm glad that there are more professional photographers like that.
I was amazed by the excellent photography and the power of thought.
Thank you! I appreciate the compliment :D
Indah saya suka postingan anda jika ada waktu kinjungi blog saya saya sudah folow anda
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Awesome!