What Did I Miss In The Amazing Photography Of Harry Callahan?

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  • Опубліковано 14 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 138

  • @ThePhotographicEye
    @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому +18

    Thanks for watching, I really appreciate you being here.
    In the video I make a bit of a broad sweeping statement about 'amateur' photographers which didn't come out right at all.
    It was a half formed idea that seized hold of my pea sized brain and made me look like a twit.

    • @Sven-R
      @Sven-R 3 роки тому +2

      I think most of your regular viewers understood what you wanted to say. Not that amateur photographers are 2nd class photographers, but quite often the expression is used that way to describe someone as not taking photography seriously or just being "not good enough" to call them just photographers.

    • @SusanReadGuthrie
      @SusanReadGuthrie 3 роки тому +1

      No worries. You thread the needle well.

    • @terrywbreedlove
      @terrywbreedlove 3 роки тому

      My brain is a damaged walnut

    • @cmeluzzi
      @cmeluzzi 3 роки тому +3

      No worries. I see myself proudly as an amateur (the one who loves something one does), as opposed to professional (the one who gets paid to work). The word has indeed multiple meanings... :)

    • @rgssaurus930
      @rgssaurus930 3 роки тому +1

      I don't even qualify as an amateur, and I don't think you placed amateur in a bad way.
      This said, great insights on photography, in fact you're the only one I've watched stating that we need to be open to different ways to see, and not let our background limit what to photograph or how.

  • @iaincphotography6051
    @iaincphotography6051 3 роки тому +8

    I love the quote by him regarding photographic clubs, I will go along with that 100%, they stifle creativity,

  • @Roman_4x5
    @Roman_4x5 3 роки тому +4

    underrated channel! Finally someone has guts to talk about photography instead of the technology behind it.

  • @markshamilton
    @markshamilton 3 роки тому +9

    The Photographic Eye has to be one of the best photography channels on YT keep up the wonderful content.

  • @CindySmithPhotography
    @CindySmithPhotography 3 роки тому +5

    This is where you shine, this analysis of other photographers work💜

  • @antman5474
    @antman5474 3 роки тому +6

    photography is so fucking personal it's beyond words,

  • @gregh2322
    @gregh2322 Рік тому

    Fascinating. Decades ago when I took an interest in photography I was always drawn to Harry Callahan's work. Now I understand why.

  • @joegalka3378
    @joegalka3378 3 роки тому +2

    You must love what you do because you do it so well!!

  • @esanford
    @esanford Рік тому

    Thanks for doing Harry Callahan. He is one of my favorites. Not in the beginning. I continuously looked at his image and asked the question... "what is Harry saying?" Examining his work answered that question for me.

  • @A1phaki100
    @A1phaki100 3 роки тому +1

    This is the photography content I’m here for 👍💛

  • @robertgrant3844
    @robertgrant3844 3 роки тому

    Okay, I’m back. Could not stay from my favorite photography philosopher. Thanks for the intro to Harry Callahan.

  • @alexmaridashvili
    @alexmaridashvili 3 роки тому +3

    Thank you for this story! I cannot say I understand and feel everything I saw in Callahan's work, but some of them really touched me. I have a long way ahead and your channel is a precious opportunity to expand the horizon.

  • @cmeluzzi
    @cmeluzzi 3 роки тому +2

    Waw, I'm thrilled. This is one of the best videos on the channel! Loved the way you presented this great photographer and his work. Cheers!

    • @ThePhotographicEye
      @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому

      This was kickstarted by our chat this morning.
      Glad you like it and thanks for the nudge.

    • @cmeluzzi
      @cmeluzzi 3 роки тому

      @@ThePhotographicEye Haha, I wasn't sure if it was a coincidence or what. I hope people would enjoy the format and grow the channel even more. The channel's content is consistently high level, something hard to find on UA-cam.

  • @Dstonephoto
    @Dstonephoto 3 роки тому

    Holy cow, congratulations on your subscriber count; 42k! It’s a testament to the quality of your teachings!

  • @JavierGutierrez-yl2fs
    @JavierGutierrez-yl2fs 3 роки тому +1

    Camera clubs... are important to define what you DON'T want in photography... This is the reason why many are leaving Instagram, 500px , Youpic, etc. Great Video and great photographer!! Thanks a lot!!

  • @buyaport
    @buyaport 3 роки тому +1

    I love being an amateur photographer, as it provides me with all the freedom I want. My mother was a professional photographer, and it is a tedious job.

    • @ThePhotographicEye
      @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому

      Indeed it can be, especially if you end up photographing things you don't really care for.

  • @peterferguson5111
    @peterferguson5111 2 роки тому

    Hello Alex from Southern Ontario, Canada. I've been spending this cold January watching your videos . . and just want to say thank you, for all of them .

  • @minibuns5397
    @minibuns5397 3 роки тому +1

    Harry’s work is inspirational. Thank you, for the professional perspectives.

  • @almostgreen9498
    @almostgreen9498 3 роки тому

    Thanks!

  • @studiokaufman
    @studiokaufman 3 роки тому

    It’s amazing to discover a photographer who is doing, has done, what I am trying to do. Harry Callahan is inspiring. Thank you.

  • @ChrisDefalcoblues
    @ChrisDefalcoblues Рік тому

    Excellent ,very informative as usual,thanks

  • @seanfagan6727
    @seanfagan6727 3 роки тому +1

    Wonderful analysis. Keep up the great work.

  • @johndexterphotography1658
    @johndexterphotography1658 3 роки тому

    He is my favourite photographer that you have covered so far in your wonderful videos.

  • @johnjacob7287
    @johnjacob7287 Рік тому

    Absolutely wonderful.. thanks for sharing 🙏🏽

  • @breathestrongcycling3672
    @breathestrongcycling3672 3 роки тому +10

    What I get paid for is my profession....in everything else I'm an amateur and happy to be so. Amateurs are often the most passionate while professionals are often the most disillusioned...long live amateurism! 💪😁

    • @andy_an_outdoors_guy
      @andy_an_outdoors_guy 3 роки тому

      amateurism is indeed wonderful!

    • @ThePhotographicEye
      @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому +1

      "professionals are often the most disillusioned"
      Agree 100% -

    • @iaincphotography6051
      @iaincphotography6051 3 роки тому

      I worked as a pro for 10 years and loved it, and now all these years later I am still madly in love with photography and all its genre's. A friend who still works as a pro only ever uses his camera for work. He is good at what he does but has no love for it these days, which is sad.

  • @grahambeal6754
    @grahambeal6754 2 місяці тому

    Thanks

  • @RichardMaguire110
    @RichardMaguire110 3 роки тому

    Oh yes I am with Harry Callahan on photography clubs. I last went to one in 1989 and never again. Thank you for this video I have ideas for looking for more photographs.

  • @jimwlouavl
    @jimwlouavl 3 роки тому

    Beautiful new room as a backdrop for another great video. Thanks.

  • @AlinPurcaroiu
    @AlinPurcaroiu 3 роки тому +1

    Hi Alex ! I was a little obsessed with Callahan's aesthetic in art school and found another interesting clue! Eleanor, 1947 and Weed against sky, Detroit, 1948.

    • @ThePhotographicEye
      @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому +1

      Well spotted! Just goes to show how these little exercises pay off with our seeing.

  • @terrywbreedlove
    @terrywbreedlove 3 роки тому +2

    Thank you I have never heard of him. Now i need his book.

  • @modman409
    @modman409 3 роки тому

    Thank you, thank you, Thank you Alex for finally giving us a channel that is truly about all aspects of Photography, And introducing us to such a wide variety of Photographers and styles. You have certainly woken up a large portion of my creative brain cells. Please keep up the good work, and thanks again.

  • @chrispatmore8944
    @chrispatmore8944 3 роки тому +2

    I proudly call myself an amateur because I take (not make) photos out of the love of doing it. Sometimes I get paid for it, and I don’t always love doing that.

  • @washingtonradio
    @washingtonradio 3 роки тому +2

    What strikes with Callahan's work is never lost the feeling of photography what is around him at the time. To often, we forget to photograph what is around us daily but want to shoot the grand vistas, celebrities, etc. But often our more intimate knowledge of the local surroundings, people we interact with regularly, etc. can actually give us a better idea of how to approach our photography.
    I think the idea that beginners in particular will photograph many 'boring' subjects that more 'serious' photographers do not is on point. The reason they are 'boring' is our personal familiarity not that they are intrinsically boring. How many interesting photos of family, friends, pets, etc could see if bothered to look do we miss?

    • @stanb.5261
      @stanb.5261 3 роки тому

      Not only that, he was Always willing to experiment and challenge himself with not only what he was seeing, but how he was seeing it...

  • @ratgirl13
    @ratgirl13 3 роки тому

    Harry’s best staircase photo is the one with the five people going up the steps, it’s a neater composition than the other two although, I bet he wasn’t too concerned about that and probably liked all three. I enjoyed your video Alex, keep up the great work man, you rock!

  • @thegreatvanziniphotos5976
    @thegreatvanziniphotos5976 3 роки тому

    So many great ideas to play with here. Thank you.

  • @davidmcculloch8490
    @davidmcculloch8490 3 роки тому

    Wow! I watched this video for a second time today. Probably the greatest advice is to be open to different ideas, rather than slavishly following our preconceptions. As for camera clubs, I've had my fill of competitions because they encourage photography to formulae and stifle creativity by concentrating on don'ts.

  • @saxmangeoff
    @saxmangeoff 3 роки тому

    I was getting more and more bothered by the potted plant behind you, so I was delighted when you eventually revealed that it was intentional to make a point. Well played, sir!

  • @mje1625
    @mje1625 3 роки тому

    Wonderful discussion about Harry Callahan! Thank you! You may want to consider a video on one of Harry's students, Emmet Gowin, who had a student by the name of Sally Mann.

  • @aes53
    @aes53 3 роки тому

    So my tenure at photography school was not as long-lived as yours as it lasted only a year but I was at the Rhode Island School of Design where Harry Callahan and Aaron Siskind taught. I wish I could say I had a lot of contact with Callahan but I didn't, as I recall he was away on sabbatical the year I was there (though they did get Minor White to fill in which wasn't a bit bad). I did talk a bit more with Aaron Siskind, who was very interesting and very personable. I always liked Callahan's earlier Chicago work the best. The grass through the snow images was always my favorite (I bid on the one a 6:17 at an auction in the late 1980s but I was not successful). You've caused me to go back and look at his images again in more detail, maybe figured out what I missed by leaving so soon.

  • @bunnybabybevytv6434
    @bunnybabybevytv6434 2 роки тому

    thanks for the greenization sir.

  • @almostgreen9498
    @almostgreen9498 3 роки тому

    Profound observations. Deeply helpful. Thanks

  • @CoseOne
    @CoseOne 3 роки тому

    Thank you! That was awesome! It is really an eye opening video!

  • @simondixon5724
    @simondixon5724 3 роки тому

    I really enjoy your videos and get a lot from your talks., cheers from NZ

  • @michaelobrien8219
    @michaelobrien8219 3 роки тому

    great take on Harry Callahan - thank you

  • @Liisa3139
    @Liisa3139 3 роки тому

    I'm drawn to demolition and constructions sites and they are often places with strange rubble. I have done some "abstract" photography on them. Not my favorite pics, but thank you for reminding me of those possibilities and showing how the ideas can be taken further like in Callahan's photos.

  • @TheBiggervern
    @TheBiggervern 3 роки тому

    I’ve not commented much but just wanted to express my thanks for your series of videos on photography and photographers. Your content and delivery is impeccable.

  • @JH-qv3xv
    @JH-qv3xv 3 роки тому +2

    I'm sitting here editing / critiquing some of the work I have done over the past couple of months - What timing you have. Thanks

  • @richardstollar4291
    @richardstollar4291 3 роки тому +1

    Thank you - very interesting.

  • @Corakimick
    @Corakimick 3 роки тому

    Thanks I'm really enjoying your vids

  • @cliveeariss880
    @cliveeariss880 3 роки тому

    Wow that was interesting, and some ideas there to try for sure, I am off to China town London this coming weekend, so I may see some compostions, and subjects in a different way.
    There is one thing I always do and thats never worry about time, and taking time to soak up what is around me, thank you once again, wonderful talk, all the best..Clive.

  • @Cliffy-my4oo
    @Cliffy-my4oo 3 роки тому

    Thankyou so much for introducing me to this brilliant photographer Harry Callaghan ...his images really resonate to me on a level that is completely different to any other photographer I have so far discovered...I will certainly be exploring his work..Do I "feel lucky "!?!...Keep up the great videos ..🙏

    • @ThePhotographicEye
      @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому

      Glad to hear it Cliffy. Thanks for watching and enjoy Harry!

  • @dianeseddon
    @dianeseddon 3 роки тому

    This video cost me money - I just bought Harry Callahan - the book ! Brilliant video, thank you.

    • @ThePhotographicEye
      @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому

      Hope you enjoy it!

    • @dianeseddon
      @dianeseddon 3 роки тому

      @@ThePhotographicEye I hope so too !!!! - it wasn't cheap....... though I did research the images first, and I do like what I see.......

    • @dianeseddon
      @dianeseddon 3 роки тому

      The book arrived yesterday- thank you - it's brilliant..... !

  • @IainHC1
    @IainHC1 3 роки тому

    I really enjoyed this video....... It's made me think a lot!! Thank you :-)

  • @berserk989_
    @berserk989_ 2 роки тому

    Awesome content! I discovered Harry's work trying to find Trent Parke's inspiration for his Dream/Life book(Ray K Metzker - former Harry's pupil). I think it's time to add some of his works to my shelf :D.

  • @simongould1255
    @simongould1255 3 роки тому

    very interesting thank you

  • @daemon1143
    @daemon1143 3 роки тому

    A lot of Callahan's work leaves me cold, but I like his weeds, they put me in mind of Clarke's cutlery.

    • @ThePhotographicEye
      @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому

      Had to think about that for a second, but yes there are many similiarites.
      Also the rock series by BCC is very wonderful, and gentle, photography

    • @daemon1143
      @daemon1143 3 роки тому

      @@ThePhotographicEye I love the rocks, but I see them as much about texture as about form, whereas the weeds are nothing but form. I'd take the rocks every time if I had my pick.

    • @ThePhotographicEye
      @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому

      @@daemon1143 Tell you what, I'll buy a few original prints of BCC and HC, put them on the wall, see which speak to me the most... All I need is a small slush fund, unlimited travel ticket to see the prints in person prior to purchase and a pair of Raybans.

    • @daemon1143
      @daemon1143 3 роки тому

      @@ThePhotographicEye Sounds good, you let me know when you've got the other stuff sorted, and I'll throw in the Raybans.

  • @RobJorg
    @RobJorg 3 роки тому

    Thank you. good video

  • @innstikk
    @innstikk 3 роки тому

    Inspirational! Reminds me of the experimenting I did learning photography. Of course not at this level, but that I hadn't learnt the rules so everything was allowed. I think I was happier photographing then...

  • @CFM.
    @CFM. 3 роки тому

    in what video(s) did you discussed the camera club topic? i would like to watch it. thanks in advance.

  • @fellowcitizen
    @fellowcitizen 3 роки тому

    Thanks for the access-to-mysterious-things, I'd been struck by HC before, and had forgotten to explore him properly. Great commentary and imagery ;-) 'When Camera Clubs Go Bad' isn't that the sequel to 'I Was a Teen-aged Full-Framer!'?

  • @andy_an_outdoors_guy
    @andy_an_outdoors_guy 3 роки тому +1

    I really love these videos covering photographers ( no matter how well known) and their works.

  • @RS-Amsterdam
    @RS-Amsterdam 3 роки тому

    Know the rules and go break them is my motto !

  • @wallywo7392
    @wallywo7392 3 роки тому

    Excellent as ever, thanks for introducing this photographer. Question: if you could have only one photography book, what would be? Thanks

    • @ThePhotographicEye
      @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому

      Glad you enjoyed it.
      Well, David Bailey's 'If We Shadows' was my first monograph (or Avedon's Autobiography - I can't clearly recall).
      It would have to be either one of those as they would remind me not only of the photography, but how much it was going to impact my life going forward (I was in my early 20's)

    • @wallywo7392
      @wallywo7392 3 роки тому

      @@ThePhotographicEye cheers much appreciated

  • @TheMountainman38
    @TheMountainman38 3 роки тому +14

    This has to be one of the most interesting photography channels I've found. Just what I like, thankyou.

  • @rezaVfx
    @rezaVfx 3 роки тому

    It's a shame that photography is dying. Every where you look for photography all you get is sexy women, birds, landscape,...
    Everyone gets a camera and use it for wedding, fashion, sports,...
    Thankfully there's still ppl like you to slow it down👌

  • @NakedInSeattle
    @NakedInSeattle 3 роки тому

    All I can say is....thank you!

  • @trevor9934
    @trevor9934 3 роки тому +12

    With no specific reference to you or this video, I think the term "amateur" needs to be returned back to its original roots - which are from the Latin Amat - to love. In the Victorian sense, it was used to describe those who pursued an activity for the love of it, rather than for profit. Many of the early photographers had to be amateurs: certainly the very first inventors were not able to earn money from a technology that had to be brought to a viable level. They were, in fact, often people of independent means, with education, talent and the time to devote in developing (no pun intended) their art for its own sake. Were it not for amateurs, photography would have had a different path.
    Sadly, 'amateur' has been perverted to mean those whose efforts are, in some way, second rate; and that has done no favours to those who are practising for enjoyment, and not engaging for profit as their main purpose. Really 'Amateur', deserves to be returned to its original Victorian roots, to allow a term for the vast mass of those who so engage today. We need to use one of the many terms available to express an evaluation of poor performance or commitment.
    The big difference between an Amateur and professional is the driver. For the professional it is to produce products and services for a market that is prepared to pay for them - thus their driving imperative is not inward, but outwards to the taste and value sets of others. Their work demands utter consistency and reliability, something that is not necessary for the Amateur striving to learn, develop and experiment. The Amateur is not driven by external pressures: for them the goal is one of self fulfilment and achievement without financial reward. They are their own clients and that has its own merit.
    As to camera clubs: I have expressed my reservations about the fixations of camera clubs on what I consider a pretentious love affair with photography as an "Art", to the detriment of education and inspiration; and on comparing images on a competitive basis where there has to A winner and losers. Yet, past a certain level of competence, it is purely a matter of opinion. It crushes the spirit of those starting their photographic journey. My experience with such clubs is that there may be many members, but really the engagement in competitions is often limited to a cadre of relatively competent and competitive individuals. I am seeing camera clubs diminish in size, while ageing in demographic, and that questions their relevance to the needs of the current generation of initiates.

    • @ThePhotographicEye
      @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому

      That's a fair point and one I think I would like to touch on in another video.
      Thanks for watching

    • @julietcollins8892
      @julietcollins8892 3 роки тому +1

      Thanks Trevor, I really enjoyed reading your piece. You've helped me to feel more confident about calling myself an Ameteur Photographer. As a member of a camera clubs, yup agree with all your comments. I know how to 'win' such as take a sharp macro pic of a bug or a mono hdr image of an old ruin, or the good wildlife shots, but rarely do these images make the soul sing. So really good to read your comments Trevor.

    • @trevor9934
      @trevor9934 3 роки тому

      @@julietcollins8892 Thank you for your kind words, it is humbling to know that my expression can help someone else in any way. When we do things for either love or money, there is honour in both, but they are different agendas. When I took photos for a living I was simultaneously an amateur, and I shot images that made my eyes smile without regard for what others thought: and I NEEDED to do that to have the continued passion to do my own work. If all of the amateurs gave up it would be a disaster for the photographic industry - and that goes for R&D, manufacturers, service providers and influencers. In a way, when one becomes an amateur, we become the consumer: the client to the professionals who provide our gear, education, and other services.

  • @thatdeafguyuk
    @thatdeafguyuk 3 роки тому +1

    Hi, could you switch on the auto English captioning option please? Thank you.

    • @ThePhotographicEye
      @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому +1

      Hi, that's odd, they should be on by default. I will see what's going on - I've not changed anything from normal on this side.

    • @thatdeafguyuk
      @thatdeafguyuk 3 роки тому

      Thank you 👍🏻

    • @ThePhotographicEye
      @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому

      I think what happened is that they hadn't been processed by the AI at the time you watched it.

  • @ZappaBlues
    @ZappaBlues 3 роки тому +1

    I also have a bit of a problem with the way the words amateur and 'Pro' are often used.

    • @ThePhotographicEye
      @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому

      I do too actually. In this instance it came out totally wrong, and completely miss the mark of what I was trying to get across.

  • @jamesoliver6625
    @jamesoliver6625 3 роки тому

    A true amateur photographer is at once the hardest AND the easiest photographer to achieve. Many if not most working professional photographers never achieve the epitome of visual distillation simply because to do what they love they are by design required to entertain and accommodate the client, and no matter how many times the client says to the photographer to "do your one thing" the secondary mind/eyes are still involved in the process. The hardest thing is to observe visually and not overlay what you see with why you think you see what you think you see and have that influence the taking of the photograph which is for better or worse the essence of what you are taking the photograph for when working commercially. If you love (ama...) the visual experience and making (...teur) then to be pure in that is a very very hard thing to do.

  • @alangardner8596
    @alangardner8596 3 роки тому

    Just wondering that if I found an unknown photo by Harry Callaghan and put it on my portfolio as being a photo of mine would anybody take any notice of it?
    If the same photo was published as an unknown Harry Callaghan I'm sure it would have a different kind of reception?

  • @jamesm9560
    @jamesm9560 3 роки тому

    This is too crazy of a style. I'm having a hard time understanding it. But I will try to digest this over a few days. Cat's Eye View, compression, he's a teacher who doesn't want to teach.... Very enigmatic. Hard to get.

    • @ThePhotographicEye
      @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому

      Thanks for watching. Harry was actually a devoted teacher most of his career, and would often do the same assignments he set his photography students.

  • @vladimirpevzner6037
    @vladimirpevzner6037 3 роки тому

    Hi! How are you all? I thout about something funny now, but may be it may be useful. I think the photographer need to be "painter that don"t know to draw". I mean somebody who see a picture in his mind, but can not to send what he see to the paper. Like me: I don"t have any connection between my mind and my hands to draw what I see or what I want to tell to the paper it must to look like. So, I try to make a picture with camera. It is HARD, UNGRATEFUL and UNSUCCESSFUL(in more of cases) work. But I go on to try! Thats why,I feel happy when I find correspondence between my idea and my photograph. and gether with it I keep in mind to catch the moment of unusual happening around. I use "Nikkormat FT2"(1975 year) and "MIR"(1959 year) cameras my digital instead. And I understand now what does it mean " hard work"!! But I am absoluttely happy with it!
    sorry for long letter.
    Best wishes.

    • @ThePhotographicEye
      @ThePhotographicEye  3 роки тому

      Hahah, yes, I would love to be able to draw and paint, but I can't.
      So photography it is :D

  • @jamesm9560
    @jamesm9560 3 роки тому

    I like shooting birds. Do you have any wild, wildlife photographers you might highlight and tell a story about in the future?

  • @sigmagamer364
    @sigmagamer364 3 роки тому

    the thumbnail lol

  • @twwtb
    @twwtb 3 роки тому

    You say, "pot plant". I do not think that word means what you think it means. At least it means something different in the US.

  • @pokeandbeans
    @pokeandbeans 3 роки тому

    We studied Harry Callahan in school and I still believe he's highly overrated, now this is aa personal opinion but he very often threw out the basic tenants of photography and produced seriously unbalanced images with no real point of view, I think his composition tends to be on the poor end

  • @carllawler2837
    @carllawler2837 3 роки тому

    Create, don't copy ...

  • @ekevanderzee9538
    @ekevanderzee9538 3 роки тому +1

    This channels is just an excuse to tax deduct a growing book collection.

  • @philipgilligan_art
    @philipgilligan_art 3 роки тому

    Harry Callaghan???……. “Go ahead punk make my day”
    Or am I thinking of a different Harry

    • @philipgilligan_art
      @philipgilligan_art 3 роки тому

      @@robertdimartino5794 i was making a joke Robert for those of us old enough to remember Dirty Harry :)

  • @Rob.1340
    @Rob.1340 3 роки тому

    Thank you 👍😎

  • @MarkInterrante
    @MarkInterrante 3 роки тому

    Thanks!