You assume Im capable of taking a single nice photo?

haha jokes on you! my photos are either underexposed, overexposed or out of focus

I've been shooting for a decade, but I feel like I'm lost identity wise. This is a great reminder, beautiful video.

If nice photos make you happy, go nice. I don’t care if im nice or something else and dont care after 19 years. It's probably a random mess of daily enjoyment and absolute boringness for most others. This is what it was for most before social media ruined that fun for this new generation. Embrace the nice if you're having fun!

“Nice” is basically palatable to non-artists. Life’s too short to take photos that are expected, we have to capture photos that inspire us

Dude you made the perfect point nailing the focus on the background 👌🏻

Photography is like a mirror, it's not about the mirror itself but what's in front of it.

I feel like I found this video at the perfect time. It has really resonated with me. Thanks.

Hang on - you say you take boring, nice photos... but then someone hired you because of your unique vision and style?

Finding your own style is so valuable. There are certain photographers that just have their own style and you can spot it quickly. Such good advice here.

Good points. Being too perfect leaves us distracted. The pictorialists were onto something. But if when people start looking for shadows instead of light and feeling instead of perfection. Everything changes.

Good u pointed this out, can recognize myself in this.

Very true. I realized this in filmmaking about 5 years ago. Once I took ownership and did things in my own style, my career took off. Now I run the video department and do almost everything "wrong" but have never had so much fun or been more successful. For example, I don't use a gimbal. I shoot either handheld or on a tripod. I don't use rule of third. I lean heavily on macro shots. I mix up music genres that don't normally fit well together. I color grade in a unique way that no pro would do for a Netlix show. I operate only on instinct. I never use shotlists. etc etc. The point is, at a certain time in your life, you gotta just be you and the world has to either be okay with it or not. I'd say as a male it equates to becoming a grown man.

Just take YOUR photos YOUR way. If others don't like 'em - tough! It ain't rocket science.

Great video, love your work. Photography improves when you adopt the mindset of taking photos for yourself, not trying to take a picture you think will be viral on IG. I have been shooting since 1979 and with a SLR since 1988. I am a multi discipline photographer. I feel shooting less photos, slowing down gets you more interesting shots.

You're right, and it's ok to experiment. What helps me is spontaneity. That's related to my personal project/concept but when you got less time to think it sometimes lead to surprising results. Just have to get better at it now.

I agree it seems that the waves of thinking "I really am getting this figured out now!" after every little breakthrough is somewhat universal for most photographers. At the end you touched on that having a clearly identifiable style is a big thing. While I agree somewhat, Ive found for myself trying too hard to have a 'distinct' style can become a little contrived. What I find more important is to just keep following whatever keeps me interested which I think will naturally lead to a style as more of an emergent property. Enjoyed your thoughts :)

I think a better way of putting it is: photography, is like a language, and "rules" are tools that we use to communicate photos. Every photo opportunity is a puzzle, and a learning opportunity. We have many different ways to solve that puzzle, and the results are both subjective and real.

one of the best content I have seen recently. brutally honest - love it!

Man, I've been shooting for like 10 years and always falling into ruts - and have a degree in photography too. I think this lesson was more valuable than anything I learned in my 3 years at Uni.

Great discussion Max, spot on. It’s easier said than done I think, especially while traveling, to avoid those touristy shots. Enjoyed the one-on-one format too. 👏

4:08 shared experience. I feel when i first started I had such high ambitions that the rules didn't matter really - everything I was doing was just me. Once I learned the 'rules' everything felt like it was just a template.

Less nice photos…. More your photos =) Love it!!! Great video ty

'Nice' Video 😀

true af. i used to think about taking *only* nice photos basically for external validation, but now i just shoot anything that's interesting and made me want to lift my camera up no matter how "not nice" it looked.

It's funny, found you through looking up this old Olympus Trip 35 that I had lying around for ages, looking to get into photography. Consistently, I find several of your videos, like this one, is just as applicable to my music (which I have been doing for the past 10+ years). This is really great, honest artistic advise.

Could not agree with you more! Awesome video.

I am because of we. TRUTH ARE HIS WORDS. I bought my first camera exactly 1 year ago. Some people go outside every now and then, I go inside every now and then. I carry a slide with me, I now frame throughout my day, asking how the image makes me feel. My camera case is strapped on my belt. Our lives are worth documenting and I do. I seldom see what others see, maybe because I have no television,email,social media accounts and time thieving acquaintances- I shoot/view dozens of images per day- LIFE HAPPENING THE WAY I FEEL IT. Photographers,instructors, artist and I myself believe and express the images are remarkable. Be true to you. Shoot for you,share with us. Heal,be well,create,be you and LOVE US

I love how his tattoos just blend with the shirt he's wearing.

Thanks for this video, this is exactly what I needed to hear!

nice motion in your shots!

I think most people would agree there two kinds of nice photos, the ones where something interesting is happening makes you end up staring at it for a while. The other is the one you put as a wallpaper and then forget about it the day after.

One thing I think you are missing about getting noticed. Noticing photographers is not even a priority for most folks. Artistic type stuff, while nice, is not a necessity of life so it takes a back seat to the practical concerns. Speaking of practical, photographers tend to be more emotionally motivated and, similarly, are responsive to nostalgia. An awful lot of shots are, in one way or another, evocative of that. That, though, doesn't really register with people who are, either by inborn nature or necessity of life, more practically minded about things. Photography largely appeals only to other photographers which is really rather like a dog chasing its own tail, in a manner of speaking.

seen a few on this theme lately. good one. photo is like sport in many ways. you need to know how to handle the ball, to make offensive and defensive moves, to pass, to communicate to a teammate you're open, to confuse your opponents. those are the rules. but great players dont just run the drills. they do the drills until they're reflex, then they get out there against players who also know the drills and they all try to fake each other out

Wisdom just when I needed it 🙏

What do you think about Fujifilm X-T20 and 18-55mm lens? What lenses are still good, up to about $200-300

When I'm shooting an assignment I like to start with the safe, expected photos, then get more creative. Risk failure after I've banked a safe few.

Thank you. Good words.

This is a great reminder thanks! 👏🏻

I think rules are important. You need to know them by heart. When you know how to set your camera up for what you envision in your mind withouth having to think much about it, you're at a proper stage to think about "style." I wouldn't play them against each other.

Agree with the creating your own lane and doing something different

just found your channel. great stuff Max!

Not gonna lie, indeed a nice video. Love how relaxed you are. Can you perhaps tell me, what microphone do you use in this video? Peace

much appreciated!

Great vid and great photos. A bit of constructive feedback: It felt like you reiterated the same point several times through the video in much the same way each time. I’d have been interested to hear more about that experience with the cover photo for example, and you could have used more of a storytelling approach to getting your point across. I’ve subscribed and looking forward to your future vids, keep it up 👍

Photography is visual poetry so there will naturally be a lot of repetition with imagery and symbols. What separates a “nice” photograph from a great photograph is the ability of the photographer to see the world from an under-appreciated perspective and be vulnerable enough to pursue making the image.. as long as the photographer captures a unique perspective/message there is no need for style.. the idea that a photographer must have a style is one of those hidden art world rules that is completely absurd.. I’d rather look at images made by a group of people learning photography than look at images where a photographer “interprets” a group of people/community from an outsiders perspective.. the best photographers see something beautiful and then make an image to record that beauty.. the way in which an individual sees the world is the only style that is needed to capture a great photograph

I get bored with the same ole stuff sometimes too, but like you said it’s hard for me to know which rule to break to mix it up 😅😂

What is the cam? It looks so grainy and nice. How do you edit

• Doesn't take nice photos, because everyone else does • Holds lav mic in hand because everyone else does

Though I agree with what you're saying, learning the "rules" is a must though to be able to find your own style. MOST photographers with a distinct style still uses compositions made by rule of thirds. For example your photo at 3:05. That's 100% rule of thirds. 3:08 is just a snapshot with your editing style to it. 3:13 is also rule of thirds. ETC. But as I said, I agree with you need to develop your own style, but getting there is by learning all the "boring" stuff first.

Yeah. There are a lot of photographers that do beautiful work that looks the same.

Just about like with anything else in life, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath."

good video ,,,,, :)

I'm an old guy and grew up learning film and got a degree in fine art photography. What I see nowadays is exactly what you described. The "nice" stuff. Landscapes, perfectly composed. Portraits with beautiful people with that perfect rim lighting etc. etc. It's boring. It seems like a lot of modern photographers have gotten away from the real psychology of the human being and just gone for glitz and glamour. If you're going to do a landscape, make it your own. Put some people in it. Wrap them up in cheese cloth or something. MAKE your photos. Everyone nowadays just TAKES photos. Anybody can do that.

Im watching this from about 100 metres away from that cinema 😅

i love this

❤❤

Uhmm. okay. I have no problem with straight clean work executed by following rules. I never have a hassle to do something extraordinary. I like the boring very much. Makes life so much easier.

I think there is a balance between a Nice Photo and a Crap Photo. I see so many people take nice photos but I also see others take crap photos of some rubbish in an alleyway or some graffiti sprayed abandoned building. Just a waste of film/electricity. While others try to copy others edginess not taking the time to think "Ok yeah this person is famous but why? Is this any good?". I operate this way. ALWAYS mind your backgrounds and take whatever you want but never take a photo simply for the sake of taking a photo. Have some reason to shoot the shutter button, film, digital or even cellphone. Anyways nice vid

W take

why is the focus on the wall and not at you

Take pictures of nothing. Lots of spontaneous images. And you will evolve into your owns style. Reqires lots of practice, stamina, critical sense and introspection. Works for me but may not work for you... 😊

Now a days everyone is a "photographer"

Required viewing...

ok

stop taking photos in general. No one needs your photos (other than AI models).Most of the scenic "nice photos" are already replaced by a flood of AI generated crap on Instagram, and PEOPLE LOVE IT. People who see themselves are "artists" produce mediocre crap that needs a tone of justification of "what artist meant to say was..." (which means: it's crap). Photography as a hobby needs a big reset. I myself am in a purge phase. I decided that certain chapters in my life and photography as a hobby/activity are closed now, there is no need to come back to this, so I am purging my archives of weddings, events, fashion and stage. I can approach it without projecting emotions which cloud the judgement of most photographers "it's good because I made it","It's good because I remember what I felt when I took that photo". Now the emotions are gone, I can judge them for what they are, and delete most of them. Started with 150k of photos (from 20 years of activity). Down to 19k now, and still counting. Where I can, I develop my RAW images to JPEGs and ditch the originals - let's be honest, if there is any revolutionary formula for any given photo, I would have used it by now, no need to keep RAWs forever). It's a very liberating process.

Distracting, pointless muzak.

Idk I don't care man, when I see something nice I'll just capture it not fake it.I've done car shoots that were staged and it does look nice.. But it isn't special.

People should demonstrate a mastery of their craft. The rules of composition, lighting, technique, are there for a reason. You can break these rules, but your images will look "bad" and not in a "good" way. There are masters of this craft who break the rules in interesting ways. But 99.99% of you wont be able to do that, because you can't even take a technically "good" photo in the first place. You'd be better off focusing on interesting subject matter, rather than trying to be creative with uninteresting things and trying to pass it off as avant garde.

Sounds like (and looks like) someone can't take good nice photos. Sour grapes much?

Seeing a lot of what looks like accidents from my 80’s 110 le clic camera. If that makes you happy, good! Run with those scissors! 🫶