I want to thank you so much for sharing your work as well as mine. I see I am a little late to the party here, but wanted to share my immense gratitude for this carefully crafted video. You're making such warm portraits of what looks like complicated individuals. We will never know for sure but so much is coming through without you telling us more. Most importantly, it warms my heart that you decided to make these pictures, of these individuals, in the moment you did because, as you point out, you are likely never to get the opportunity again.
Great quote Greg I am gonna definitely take that to heart. Because you're right why in the hell am I doing this if I'm just gonna rush it and the picture isn't what I want.
“The person I don’t think I should be photographing - that’s the person to photograph”. This is a great quote. I will be quoting this quote from you forever now.
It still amazes me how you're able to walk up to a strangers house, knock on thier door & ask to take their portrait. I could never do that. And like you, I can't tell you how many times I feel like I'm taking to much time or the person is getting bored. Absolutely hate the anxiety. Glad I'm not alone in that feeling! Excellent reminder to practice slowing down. Thanks Bryan!
It was a little hard to go through the motions of “I’m getting this right” as the subject was clearly bored. But after a second or two of doubt you realize that they’re not going anywhere. That’s why it’s also best to explain that it’s a slower process from the get go. As for knocking on doors…practice makes progress. I’m still a little terrified every now and again. Haha
Rad to hear some quotes and see some of Greg's work in one of your wonderful offerings! His stuff is crazy good, his images have that untouchable feeling of looking into another world as opposed to seeing a photograph. Sickeningly good, just like your selection of portraits towards the end. Keep killing it matey. Curious to hear how you get along with the fiber paper
I didn't really "get" fiber paper until I started framing some prints. It's just much nicer and the archival properties are just an added bonus. I want my kid's kid to see my shit photos.
As ever, calm, quiet, meditative and kind. what a great video. And thank you so much for having dropped the sponsor dependency, as I believe you did. The flow is perfect on this one. Really inspires me to go out and do shoot with what I have. And print too... You are a breath of fresh air.
Love that quote. Been there too often where I get impatient and force the image. It rarely works out. I think I should put that on my camera as a reminder to be patient and get the image that I want.
Thank you so much for making this video. I may not suffer from a fear of talking to strangers but I do find myself worrying about wasting peoples time which leads me to snap photos the way I never intended to. I sacrifice my vision to not "waste their time" or make them feel uncomfortable. I plan on holding on to this as well and it'll hopefully lead me to make better art. Appreciate you
If you had a book of the prints that appeared in this video, I'd line up right away to order. Well done, Bryan - You summed it up perfectly in the last 20 seconds.
Large format portraits are always unique and I do like your work. It takes guts to approach strangers. One critique: watch for vertical lines proceeding from above the person's head. They are easy to miss when taking the shot (6:34). At 7:21 it's not much of an issue since the background is out of focus. Looking forward to your next video.
Amen on that last quote. 🙏🏾 Also, Film Photography Project sells something called an Archival Wash. It’s supposed to cut down the wash time for Fiber prints by half or more. Maybe something for you to look into as you start your journey with Fiber paper in your darkroom. Have a great week!
I've definitely looked into wash aids. I was going to use the Ilford method to save on water which is 5 min, wash aid for 10 minutes, and then 5 minutes again. We shall see!
I've been following since almost the very beginning. I've seen all your videos, have a print of your work, and see you grow as both a photographer and video maker. This video is you're best yet. I admire your moxie and willingness to push forward in the face of fear and self doubt. Bravo!!!
Thank you Russell! I needed to hear that. I thought "this video has no shooting in it...just me talking and photos...it's not enough." So I am glad you can still get something out of my ramblings.
Thank you for sharing this Bryan. I love to hear all of your stories, plans and projects. It is very fascinating and inspiring. Sincere greetings from Poland.
A fellow photographer said to me "It's like you're in grade school at a dance and you walk over to ask a girl to dance. The worst thing they can do is say no. That's it. No. " So I learnt to dance really well so they all said yes.
I need to drop my fear of asking people for portraits. I dream all the time that's what I want to do...to connect in a different way. Thanks for inspiring me to try.
You're such an inspiration and I eagerly await your next upload every time. I love the structure of your videos, and how much meaning you bring into each video. You're by far one of the most pleasant photography UA-camrs to watch imho
@@BryanBirks We all feel uninspired from time to time, but just know that whatever you put out next, and whenever that may be if you need a break to gather inspiration, I'll patiently be waiting to see/watch it :)
Bryan, your work is so so good. I'm really enjoying seeing video by video how your style is coming together. You should be really proud of what you're accomplishing and how you're accomplishing it. Been a joy to see. All this talk though about taking photos of people just making me regret every time I didn't have the courage haha. I gotta keep working on that.
I still have times that I regret. Just the other day I passed up an open door to a garage and I knew there was a guy in there. I circled back and everything was closed up. You just have to strike when you have the chance!
Another fantastic video, great images and an important lesson for myself. I don't even use an analog camera (let alone large format, but I wish...), only a FF camera with manual lenses. Still, I often find myself rush things because of people waiting or in fear of opportunities going away, so I can only imagine your own anxiety with more difficult focusing, all the tilting in different directions... Even so, your most average images are still something I'd be proud to call my own work and something to aspire to. You did help me "see" things in new ways and look for different compositions and just appreciate photography more, so it was about the time I finally comment and say thank you. Can't wait for another one. :)
I can see where Greg was going with his quote and I truly believe that we would have a lot more outstanding, inspiring work if people took more time to think about their pictures and we as photographers would more often NOT take that picture if we know something is off. On the otherhand I feel like we are missing out on a lot of good pictures, because the photographers themselves obsess too much about little details, that migh not even catch the viewers attention. I often obsess over little details in my photographs or videos work and feel like the work is worse because the colors are off, because the Footage is noisy or because I could not frame something the way I wanted to. But often times I end up showing the work to people and they don't even notice these things because they are just focused on the subject of the photo or video. And that goes for fellow photographers as well as my girlfriend who does not know a lot about this stuff. For example: I really like the photo of Mike sitting on the wheel and I would have never noticed that his feet are slightly out of focus - even if I were to notice it, I would not value the picture less. The question I would be asking myself is: Is this picture worse than not taking it at all? Considering the fact that you only took 4 frames of him and this one clearly shows the car the best and is the only one where you get a sense of Mikes surroundings with the house and stuff, I think it was the right decision to take the picture and the fact that his feet are not perfectly sharp is something you should not be too worried about.
I definitely agree about the photo of Mike. I think a photo of anything is better than a photo of nothing in that regard. I’m more so thinking that I took all this time to meet him, take the other portraits, get those exactly how I want, and then I end up botching something as easy as focus because of some anxiety about taking too much time…that’s what is kind of annoying. If you gave me the option of having no photo or that photo I would definitely choose having a photo though. Even if it’s slightly messed up in my mind. Appreciate the comment Marcel ✌🏻
Hi Bryan, having just ventured into the world of Portraits with 4x5, I'm terrified of opening up even to the maximum of my 5.6 lens, never mind f3.5 (what lens is that?) Still I did record the session, so I guess I need to get the video up and also the image printed bigger. 10x8 looked good can't wait to see a 20x16 or similar.
Excellent as always Bryan. I'm curious; How much longer it took to take Anthony's photo, from when you first noticed he was fidgeting, to when you were ready to release the shutter?
I would only say a minute or two but in the moment it seemed like an eternity. I kept focusing and then tilting, focusing and tilting, etc. I'm not sure what was up with my ability to focus haha but it finally snapped in and I clicked.
Dang, I have the same doubts about myself and my pictures, lately I felt like shit as majority of my pictures taken with Nikon FM2 had front focus (and I stashed ~20 rolls before I developed them). Got extremely frustrated, went through another roll just to realize that my camera is faulty... :S
Ah yes the lovely camera faults. Luckily I am too impatient (working on it) that I process everything right away so I’ll never have that problem. I would die if I had 100 sheets of 4x5 messed up. 😭
Usually you only need that for paid advertisements. I always get verbal consent but have never bothered with papers or a written statement. If anyone would have a problem with it I would definitely take it down.
For portraits I just love the separation that you get with shooting wide open and using movements. One of the main reasons I shoot 4x5 is to get a look that you can’t really imitate with digital or medium format film. Most of the time it’s only for portraiture though. I’m not shooting wide open for a landscape 99% of the time, maybe even 100%.
@@BryanBirks ok i understand :) i'm sorry english is not my native language, but i will try to comment this anyway, my apologies if i made some mistakes. in some of your last videos i had the feeling that your will to use this "constraint" of shooting wide open made you miss some pictures. Or at least you're struggling to "focus" on your photographs because you're struggling to focus on the focus itself :) as you say here at 7:20 it's your subject, the guy who you photograph who is loosing his focus. i understand your desire to get "this look", but as the great example of greg miller, i'm not sure the answer is in the pure technicity, which you might consider as a gimmick when you will master it. however, what you're building in the connections with your subjects will never be a gimmick and is the essence of your photographs... but that's just my opinion :)
RC paper lasts way more than a lot of people believe. I have had some handed down by to me that are in excellent condition. I am not sure where this information comes from.
I want to thank you so much for sharing your work as well as mine. I see I am a little late to the party here, but wanted to share my immense gratitude for this carefully crafted video. You're making such warm portraits of what looks like complicated individuals. We will never know for sure but so much is coming through without you telling us more. Most importantly, it warms my heart that you decided to make these pictures, of these individuals, in the moment you did because, as you point out, you are likely never to get the opportunity again.
Thank you for the kind words, Greg. Glad you enjoyed it. Big inspiration for me and many others. 🖤
Great quote Greg I am gonna definitely take that to heart. Because you're right why in the hell am I doing this if I'm just gonna rush it and the picture isn't what I want.
“The person I don’t think I should be photographing - that’s the person to photograph”. This is a great quote. I will be quoting this quote from you forever now.
I love Greg Miller's work. When I bought his Ash Wednesday book, he shipped it to me in an old 8x10 box and won my loyalty for life.
That’s fucking amazing. Haha love that.
@@BryanBirks it's one of those little touches that really makes a connection!
Man the closeup headshot of the motorcycle guy's son is so delicate and well done. Very well done Bryan.
Pleasantly surprised with that one myself. Thanks Aaron!
It still amazes me how you're able to walk up to a strangers house, knock on thier door & ask to take their portrait. I could never do that. And like you, I can't tell you how many times I feel like I'm taking to much time or the person is getting bored. Absolutely hate the anxiety. Glad I'm not alone in that feeling!
Excellent reminder to practice slowing down. Thanks Bryan!
It was a little hard to go through the motions of “I’m getting this right” as the subject was clearly bored. But after a second or two of doubt you realize that they’re not going anywhere. That’s why it’s also best to explain that it’s a slower process from the get go.
As for knocking on doors…practice makes progress. I’m still a little terrified every now and again. Haha
Killed it again. The quotes. The personal introspection and reflection. The quality of your work. Keep them coming.
Rad to hear some quotes and see some of Greg's work in one of your wonderful offerings! His stuff is crazy good, his images have that untouchable feeling of looking into another world as opposed to seeing a photograph. Sickeningly good, just like your selection of portraits towards the end. Keep killing it matey. Curious to hear how you get along with the fiber paper
I didn't really "get" fiber paper until I started framing some prints. It's just much nicer and the archival properties are just an added bonus. I want my kid's kid to see my shit photos.
I the extent to which you ponder your internal workings towards art-making. I think your work is better for it. Love it, Bryan.
I only hope to keep pondering and making until I can no longer ponder or make.
Fantastic work man, just wanna say I love the journey I've been watching over the last year or so. Inspiring video 👍
Thanks my man. Means a lot. Thanks for coming along for the journey ✌🏻
As ever, calm, quiet, meditative and kind. what a great video. And thank you so much for having dropped the sponsor dependency, as I believe you did. The flow is perfect on this one. Really inspires me to go out and do shoot with what I have. And print too... You are a breath of fresh air.
Man I am so the same way. I hate feeling like I'm wasting some ones time. I love that quote I'm going to remember it.
Great work, Bryan. You've got the right attitude. The more you approach, scary subjects, the easier it will become . Press on. KB
What a treat during my morning coffee
Pleasure to have you Devin ✌🏻
I have never taken any images with a film camera other than a Polaroid but I cannot stop watching yours!! Thanks for the information.
Appreciate it Oliver!
Love that quote. Been there too often where I get impatient and force the image. It rarely works out. I think I should put that on my camera as a reminder to be patient and get the image that I want.
Thank you so much for making this video. I may not suffer from a fear of talking to strangers but I do find myself worrying about wasting peoples time which leads me to snap photos the way I never intended to. I sacrifice my vision to not "waste their time" or make them feel uncomfortable. I plan on holding on to this as well and it'll hopefully lead me to make better art. Appreciate you
Just brilliant, taking yourself on and reaping the rewards. And, always fibre for printing, it's so much richer....
If you had a book of the prints that appeared in this video, I'd line up right away to order. Well done, Bryan - You summed it up perfectly in the last 20 seconds.
In due time! Thank you for the kind words Daniel.
This is SO great, wow! Love to hear your story behind the pictures, you describe so many dillema’s that also cross my mind often when i photograph.
@ 9:09. I like that idea. I wanna start doing that. For now I’m 4x5 printing to look at but I’d like to hang some 8x10. Good job Bryan…
Another „thank you“ Bryan. And I totally agree with the anxiety-hard-to-explain - thing!
Large format portraits are always unique and I do like your work. It takes guts to approach strangers. One critique: watch for vertical lines proceeding from above the person's head. They are easy to miss when taking the shot (6:34). At 7:21 it's not much of an issue since the background is out of focus. Looking forward to your next video.
Amen on that last quote. 🙏🏾
Also, Film Photography Project sells something called an Archival Wash. It’s supposed to cut down the wash time for Fiber prints by half or more. Maybe something for you to look into as you start your journey with Fiber paper in your darkroom. Have a great week!
I've definitely looked into wash aids. I was going to use the Ilford method to save on water which is 5 min, wash aid for 10 minutes, and then 5 minutes again. We shall see!
You are such a good photographer Bryan, you inspire me with your work to go out and shoot more. Beautiful pictures!
Thank you Alex!
after watching a bunch of gear videos this week, i really needed someone to talk to be about actually taking photographs. I needed this, thanks.
Happy to help, sir.
I've been following since almost the very beginning. I've seen all your videos, have a print of your work, and see you grow as both a photographer and video maker. This video is you're best yet. I admire your moxie and willingness to push forward in the face of fear and self doubt. Bravo!!!
Thank you Russell! I needed to hear that. I thought "this video has no shooting in it...just me talking and photos...it's not enough." So I am glad you can still get something out of my ramblings.
Thank you for sharing this Bryan. I love to hear all of your stories, plans and projects. It is very fascinating and inspiring. Sincere greetings from Poland.
Thank you. I will try and keep you interested and entertained. Cheers from Missouri!
A fellow photographer said to me "It's like you're in grade school at a dance and you walk over to ask a girl to dance. The worst thing they can do is say no. That's it. No. "
So I learnt to dance really well so they all said yes.
every time i watch your video, all make me feel peace. your works are soo good!!! charming
Thank you!
Great story and great photos! Greetings from Krakow (Poland). :)
Cheers Marcin!
Great work as always Bryan, Your images are so full of story. Even with the feet out of focus it was still a great image.
I need to drop my fear of asking people for portraits. I dream all the time that's what I want to do...to connect in a different way. Thanks for inspiring me to try.
I believe in you. Truly. It’s hard at first but it gets easier. Just have to start.
@@BryanBirks Thanks Bryan..Keep doing what you do so well.
我会永远支持你。 I'll support you forever.
Appreciate that very much!
You're such an inspiration and I eagerly await your next upload every time. I love the structure of your videos, and how much meaning you bring into each video. You're by far one of the most pleasant photography UA-camrs to watch imho
Thank you very much. I don't take comments like this lightly and it definitely helps push me along when I am feeling uninspired. Thank you again!
@@BryanBirks We all feel uninspired from time to time, but just know that whatever you put out next, and whenever that may be if you need a break to gather inspiration, I'll patiently be waiting to see/watch it :)
Man ALL these shots are great! Great story telling in all of them!
As always you convince me to go out and shoot portraits!!! Big respect for your work and effort. Thanks'
That is always the goal. Thanks for watching.
this is a channel that i really like all videos, great work
This was such a good video, I really enjoyed the images, and more so with the added context and reflections.
this is the best photo project ive seen this year， bravo
Thank you very much 🖤
I can't wait to see the book and expo that comes out of this project. I'm first in line to see this !
Heck yeah. Coming soon!
Hello Bryan. Another deep and very well made video. Thank you for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it, Roberto!
Really great shots. Beautiful work.
That last quote... hot damn.
I fully expect a portrait of that guy in Colorado in a future video from you compadre.
@@BryanBirks sir yes sir
Bryan, your work is so so good. I'm really enjoying seeing video by video how your style is coming together. You should be really proud of what you're accomplishing and how you're accomplishing it. Been a joy to see. All this talk though about taking photos of people just making me regret every time I didn't have the courage haha. I gotta keep working on that.
I still have times that I regret. Just the other day I passed up an open door to a garage and I knew there was a guy in there. I circled back and everything was closed up. You just have to strike when you have the chance!
Once again knocked it outta the park. Awesome work and so inspirational, even to an old guy like me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and work.
Thank you Chris. Really means a lot. Glad I can inspire "an old guy" like you!
Beautiful as always. Thank you bryan!
Appreciate it TJ!
love the quote at the end; love your work even more! thank you for always inspiring
Thank you Jay! My favorite quote of his for sure.
Great, insightful video, ta
Just a epic episode, man. Stunning shots, really inspiring.
Thank you 🖤
That’s awesome
Excellent!
Inspired. Amen.
🖤
Again, very inspiring stuff Bryan. You make me wanna get into large format. And people :) I'will check out Greg Miller for sure. Thanks!!
That is a good thing to hear. Appreciate it Aico!
As always, great work man.
Thank you Bryan :)
Thank you!
Thank you for this content, I needed this reminder and the insights here. Great work sir
Thank you. I think we all need this reminder especially with how fast the world moves lately.
Amazing stuff, Bryan! Thanks for all the stoke and sharing your valuable insights.
Thanks for watching sir!
Thank you for a great video!
Thanks for watching!
Excellent, this video makes me go out and photograph scary people!!
Scary people but not too scary. I don't want to end up on a list.
love this video bunches, so many great images and thoughts
Thank you Wesley. Pleasure seeing you shoot some portraits on Ribs' channel. Now come to St. Louis!
Great stuff Bryan.
Thank you sir ✌🏻
You are inspiring!
You’re too kind, Paul 🥲
Another fantastic video, great images and an important lesson for myself. I don't even use an analog camera (let alone large format, but I wish...), only a FF camera with manual lenses. Still, I often find myself rush things because of people waiting or in fear of opportunities going away, so I can only imagine your own anxiety with more difficult focusing, all the tilting in different directions... Even so, your most average images are still something I'd be proud to call my own work and something to aspire to. You did help me "see" things in new ways and look for different compositions and just appreciate photography more, so it was about the time I finally comment and say thank you. Can't wait for another one. :)
Thank you for the kind words Dejan.
Soooooo frickin good man. Keep it up!!
Thank you Zach!
This was inspiring. The collection at the end is so good
Thanks for watching 🤘🏻
I can see where Greg was going with his quote and I truly believe that we would have a lot more outstanding, inspiring work if people took more time to think about their pictures and we as photographers would more often NOT take that picture if we know something is off.
On the otherhand I feel like we are missing out on a lot of good pictures, because the photographers themselves obsess too much about little details, that migh not even catch the viewers attention.
I often obsess over little details in my photographs or videos work and feel like the work is worse because the colors are off, because the Footage is noisy or because I could not frame something the way I wanted to. But often times I end up showing the work to people and they don't even notice these things because they are just focused on the subject of the photo or video. And that goes for fellow photographers as well as my girlfriend who does not know a lot about this stuff.
For example: I really like the photo of Mike sitting on the wheel and I would have never noticed that his feet are slightly out of focus - even if I were to notice it, I would not value the picture less. The question I would be asking myself is: Is this picture worse than not taking it at all? Considering the fact that you only took 4 frames of him and this one clearly shows the car the best and is the only one where you get a sense of Mikes surroundings with the house and stuff, I think it was the right decision to take the picture and the fact that his feet are not perfectly sharp is something you should not be too worried about.
I definitely agree about the photo of Mike. I think a photo of anything is better than a photo of nothing in that regard. I’m more so thinking that I took all this time to meet him, take the other portraits, get those exactly how I want, and then I end up botching something as easy as focus because of some anxiety about taking too much time…that’s what is kind of annoying.
If you gave me the option of having no photo or that photo I would definitely choose having a photo though. Even if it’s slightly messed up in my mind.
Appreciate the comment Marcel ✌🏻
Nice video.
Thank you sir
Hi Bryan, having just ventured into the world of Portraits with 4x5, I'm terrified of opening up even to the maximum of my 5.6 lens, never mind f3.5 (what lens is that?) Still I did record the session, so I guess I need to get the video up and also the image printed bigger. 10x8 looked good can't wait to see a 20x16 or similar.
It’s a Xenotar 135mm. Great little lens.
Excellent as always Bryan. I'm curious; How much longer it took to take Anthony's photo, from when you first noticed he was fidgeting, to when you were ready to release the shutter?
I would only say a minute or two but in the moment it seemed like an eternity. I kept focusing and then tilting, focusing and tilting, etc. I'm not sure what was up with my ability to focus haha but it finally snapped in and I clicked.
Dang, I have the same doubts about myself and my pictures, lately I felt like shit as majority of my pictures taken with Nikon FM2 had front focus (and I stashed ~20 rolls before I developed them). Got extremely frustrated, went through another roll just to realize that my camera is faulty... :S
Ah yes the lovely camera faults. Luckily I am too impatient (working on it) that I process everything right away so I’ll never have that problem. I would die if I had 100 sheets of 4x5 messed up. 😭
Do you need to secure model releases or some kind of signed waiver for portraits like these that you also sell as prints on your website?
Usually you only need that for paid advertisements. I always get verbal consent but have never bothered with papers or a written statement. If anyone would have a problem with it I would definitely take it down.
hello, thanks for your work. i have one question: why do you want to shoot wide open in large format?
For portraits I just love the separation that you get with shooting wide open and using movements. One of the main reasons I shoot 4x5 is to get a look that you can’t really imitate with digital or medium format film.
Most of the time it’s only for portraiture though. I’m not shooting wide open for a landscape 99% of the time, maybe even 100%.
@@BryanBirks ok i understand :)
i'm sorry english is not my native language, but i will try to comment this anyway, my apologies if i made some mistakes.
in some of your last videos i had the feeling that your will to use this "constraint" of shooting wide open made you miss some pictures. Or at least you're struggling to "focus" on your photographs because you're struggling to focus on the focus itself :)
as you say here at 7:20 it's your subject, the guy who you photograph who is loosing his focus.
i understand your desire to get "this look", but as the great example of greg miller, i'm not sure the answer is in the pure technicity, which you might consider as a gimmick when you will master it. however, what you're building in the connections with your subjects will never be a gimmick and is the essence of your photographs... but that's just my opinion :)
🙂
Rise and shine, sir.
RC paper lasts way more than a lot of people believe. I have had some handed down by to me that are in excellent condition. I am not sure where this information comes from.
Yeah I can’t really find a definitive answer. As of right now I’m leaning back towards RC due to ease of use and less resources to process and wash.
Amazing photos!! What kind of film do you use ??I use 120 film and I’m doing a project about street people with tattoos !
4x5 Portra 160!
@@BryanBirks thank you!!!!