Don't know that many, as I tend to be more focussed on the joy of doing photography myself than looking at the work of others, but I do like the works of Jimmy Nelson: very strong portraits in fitting surroundings.
I really don't know but I have bookmarked Carr Clifton, Charles Cramer, and Guy Tal's websites in my browser. I go look at their work on occasion. I know there are lots of others that are awesome to. Even this Mark guy I follow on UA-cam. 😉
It's an obvious answer but I really like the work from Ansel Adams. I have a number of his photo books and love to browse through them and study his compositions.
All those 'great' photographers are only great because people have identified them as such. In reality they have produced some great images of course but I bet there are thousands of unknown photographers who produce images just as good, if not better.
Excellent video Mark. I am a retired physician so continuous education has been a way of life for me. I am just an average intermediate photographer who is trying everyday to be the best I can be at my photography. I get inspired and educated by photographers like yourself. I can be quite critical of my own images but don't really care what others may think about them. I, luckily, don't have to rely on my photographs to feed my family. But I do rely on them to bring me joy, to make me keep learning, to keep me active, and to let me be creative. Please keep educating and inspiring me Mark.
If Ansel Adams were alive today, I wonder if he'd have made it as such an iconic photographer. One of the reasons he is so known is that he pushed the bounds of photography, making some of the first images of our American landscapes, and being one of the first to develop darkroom techniques that pushed the limits of making prints from film. But Adams worked at a time when photography wasn't accessible to the masses. Today it is. It's easier to rise to stand out when you are competing in a field of 1000. It's harder to stand out as unique when you are one out of a million or more.
First…. I hope you’re as nice a guy as you seem in your videos. Second… my son once had an orchestra director who told his students to never try to be the best or to be great. He said they should strive everyday to “be better.” Hearing that has had a profound effect on my photography life. It seems you understand that too. Thanks Mark. Great video.
Hi Mark. Thank you for this video. In a way, it gives me more hope knowing someone else has said it and not just myself to myself. I don't have a very big support behind my love of photography so your message today is very encouraging to me. I'm from North Dakota and find what people take for granted to photograph. At least I try among other pretty things too of course. Thank you from my heart for your encouragement. ❤️ Hugs.
I love that you gave Clyde Butcher a shout out in this! Clyde isn’t just a great photographer but also one of the friendliest people I’ve know and serves as a great voice for the Everglades.
Thank you. I really appreciate all of the positive reinforcement in enjoying photography and improving each day. To be better than I was yesterday. Great boost to my confidence and desire to learn more.
I LOVE editing photos 😂 I have a lot to learn about it but I love it…. And you’ve been a great help in this aspect and others! The main thing I love about landscape photography is that it gets me out at all times of the day to experience things that many others don’t. Thanks Mark for all that you 👍
I wholeheartedly agree with your concluding statement. I read the essay "El Dorado" by Robert Louis Stevenson when I was in high school. It profoundly impacted my approach to life. I recognized that the end was not the goal, but the enjoyment of the pursuit was the goal, wherever it should lead. Stevenson wrote it much more eloquently than I, "It is true that we shall never reach the goal; it is even more than probable that there is no such place; and if we lived for centuries and were endowed with the powers of a god, we should find ourselves not much nearer what we wanted at the end. O toiling hands of mortals! O unwearied feet, travelling ye know not whither! Soon, soon, it seems to you, you must come forth on some conspicuous hilltop, and but a little way further, against the setting sun, descry the spires of El Dorado. Little do ye know your own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour."
Hi Mark...... I echo the previous comment. I'm also retired and you have been a great inspiration for me! Keep up the great work! as always, thank you!
This was the best sentence I heard from you and it was very helpful: I guess perhaps greatness isn't just for the select few that actually do attain it but instead it's found in The Quiet resilience of those who really dare to chase down their passions with unrelenting focus because it takes a little bit of guts it really does just chase down for a lifetime. Thank you so much.
Can’t agree more with you this week! Having taught college level art for 40+ yrs, I absolutely know that an understanding of “design/composition is a fundamental asset of good pictures-in any media. A suggested place to fortify that is an older, great, book: ‘What Is Art?’ By John Canaday.
When people finally get to editing their photos, then from a great composition comes great lighting and coloring in post processing. Even Ansel Adams dodged and burned his photos in post-processing in the darkroom. The best photographers are also great photo editors as this is an art form. Thanks for this video to explain it.
Thanks for another great video. Live for the journey not the destination. The journey is long and if embraced for its intrinsic joy it will provide a life of fulfillment. Destinations are uncertain and relatively short lived even if achieved.
I appreciated this video so much, you told the real meaning of photography: having fun, improving by little steps every day, facing the challenges with no fear of failure ... I take photos of landscapes and macro/close up but I know I still have many things to learn ... thank you for your precious advices ...
Hi Mark, I really enjoyed your video that I came across and found it very inspirational. I'm now retired and am getting back into photography again more fully. I'm looking forward to looking at your other videos.
I'm enjoying this video, I'm a newbie photographer since 2020. I love to learn and i'm old so retention is a little challenging at times but I've learned a whole lot in 3 years.Thanks for all your inspiration.🙏
You are not only a great photographer, you actually give something that works for everyday life. I wanted to be a good landscape photographer but I happens to be a traveler too. I want to share my thoughts and views and share what I have learnt so far with other. Thank you so much Mark.
Mark, I would like to thank you for the encouraging words that you put out on this video. I have watched you for almost a year now and have enjoyed every single one of your UA-cam videos. I am a newbie, I retired four years ago and need something to do. So watching your channel and a few other channels that I watch have really helped my photography. Thank you!
Very good points Mark! I very much appreciate your likable and honest style 🤩 Greatness does not necessarily mean eminence, celebrity! Even if you are able to take great photographs it is unlikely you will get the same reputation as Ansel Adams for example. Nowadays there is much more concurrence than it was the case in the pioneer era of photography. You would need an entire marketing agency to become a famous photographer 😜 But celebrity is not my aim. But to become better from shooting to shooting and learning from the masters, without trying to copy them, is a very satisfying experience indeed.
Another spot on video Mark. In practice, sharing and allowing others to "pick my brain" (in the marketing field) has been a net positive for me. It's lead to relationships, awareness, mentions, recommendations, conference speaking gigs, and yes, referral business. It genuinely endears people to you when providing value with no expectation of return. As for ongoing learning, I practice a 3x5x50 approach. That's 3 hours/day, 5 days/week, 50 weeks/year, that I displace mindless activities for things that improve my knowledge, understanding, or skills. That's 750 hours per year. It is unlikely that anyone shooting and editing for 750 hours in a year would not result in significant improvement. Love your videos.
Another excellent video - with an intriguing tale as to how you got into Landscape Photography. I found it very helpful to study the approaches to photography of people like Stieglitz, Strand, Edward and Brett Weston, and Ansel Adams. Reading their letters, written articles, and daybooks in the case of Edward Weston, were even more eye opening than their photographs. All seem to have had false dawns, and black dog moments, until they got lucky in some way. Which usually meant being in the right place at the right time. I also started out using wide angled lenses, but now really value the short telephoto. I am not too bothered if I miss photographing a great sunrise or sunset. I just like to watch it, if I am in the wrong place. Many thanks
Thanks for this video! Your message is what I needed to hear at this moment. I'm going for it with photography! It brings so much to my heart and it's changed the way I view the world. Thanks for what you do.
Love the this video!! I really have tried focusing on not just being wide angle. I’ve tried to do macro, product and other photography. I feel it helps me understand my camera and lens more and what to look for in shots. I love editing to, seeing a shot and just thinking how I want this to look that I feel will make it look the best!
If I had to pick only one, Ansel Adams, though I'm currently looking at the landscape work of Don McCullin. Experimentation is such a great way to get your brain out of a rut. Recent experiments range from shooting film on vintage cameras to trying a really high key B&W effect on a shot I just took, to digging out some really old stuff I did on point-and-shoot cameras over a decade ago and trying new edits on it.
I agree with your premise however one thing I have noticed and I sell a lot of images now is zoomed photos don't sell. People don't put their wall so I'm trying to create a market for my customers the wide angle stuff still is what sells. Maybe this is just Australia though where people are very traditional and I now do enjoy taking photos with my drone and with my Zoom lenses as well and I agree with everything you send. It is also difficult for many people because people have families kids jobs unless you're a full-time professional photographer it is difficult to dedicate a significant amount of time to all of those things has to be done in staged processes. It' has to be realistic and managed.
Some good points in this video. I use Canon gear, and I use the RF 24-105 for about 75% of my photos. This seems to be the focal range that my eye sees, so it has become what I "expect" to see in my photographs. This lens gives me more range of focal lengths in the perspective that tends to favor landscape photography. However, I also carry my 70-200 and 100-400 with me most of the time, and I do use them for some landscapes. I also have a 14-35 that I use when it's warranted. I also love editing, and often plan for it while shooting. As I get better at editing, it's so much easier to work it from RAW to finish, knowing what masks to use for certain effects, etc. And several techniques came straight from your videos, so Thank You for that.
Spending time watching your videos is time well spent Mark. I'm on my second photography journey after taking a fifteen year break from 20+ years of wedding and portrait photography. Now I'm just doing what I enjoy instead of having a client to please. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. :)
be a couple of years ago now, you were talking of waterfalls and basic water and how it flows, I had been trying this for some time and the rewards were slow. You indicated 4 of a second is enough to hold the white outs back and still give movement, it worked like a demon, so now I can use the aperture to gain or loose what I want and hold my speed unless I want something different, the power of passing on 'this is what I found' rather than this is what you should do. Priceless, thanks for the journey.
Great points Mark, personally as a newspaper photographer experimenting with different styles is a constant, I have to get something publishable from every assignment no matter what the light, conditions or subject matter. Most of all though I credit my youtube channel for pushing me to try other formats, genres both film and digital. I'm no expert in any particular photographic field but I'm pretty confident I can get a decent result from whatever I shoot, it's a daily battle / challenge to improve every shoot. I love it.
Wow, just WOW! Well said, sir. As a child, I saw adults try to make themselves more important by diminishing others. As I became an adult, I found better friends who taught me similar to what you're doing. Helping to make others more powerful does not diminish me, and in the process I usually gain their respect. But even if I don't, I am no less than what I was. "The rising tide lifts all ships." I like that. I will remember that and share it with others. Thank you for sharing that and lifting this little boat. Now I just hope my camera gear doesn't get wet.
Good video. I may never even be good at photography but it allows me to keep my mind busy learning and trying to be better at something where I can see a bit of progress once in a while. Progress is what drives me, no matter how slight.
I love playing with my photos in post. But I belong to a group where several members brag about their pictures being straight from the camera. Always made me wonder if I was doing something wrong. I try really hard to get the photo I want in the camera. But I love making it pop in post. Thank you for the encouragement.
Hey Mark. Thanks for the video. I think one of the reasons you so many people follow you and love your UA-cam channel and your tutorials is that you are not only a good photographer but you are also a great mentor. Mentoring is another skill set that that requires continuous improvement to become good at and it is obvious that you have learned these skills along the way. One of my favorite photographers is Mark Klett - check out The Black Rock Desert and some of his other work.
Been stumbling across your videos lately when learning Lightroom techniques. I finished this one and checked and couldn’t believe I hadn’t subscribed already! Love your content 🙏🏽
Love this, Mark. As a dedicated hobbyist whose occupation is in another field altogether, it doesn’t make sense for me to compare myself to someone who is devoting all their waking hours to this art form. Instead, I have made the choice to compare my new work against my old work. Am I improving? Am I winning the race against myself? IMO, it’s the only way to sustain the momentum needed to improve significantly over time, because it’s too demoralizing to constantly measure myself against people with years or decades more experience.
I enjoy watching your videos Mark. I've been an amateur for many years. I'll never be a "great" photographer, mainly shoot for myself and have been pleased with many images that I've taken, but like others have mentioned, have put them on the computer and thought if I'd only done this or that it could have been that much better. You always have some great topics and insight to photography. I really like how relatable and candid you are in you videos too. Keep up the great work!
Can't agree more with the love of editing. Photography feels sometimes like trying to extract raw gems on location, already thinking and excited about the jewels we can/may carve out of them at home :) It used to be messy with chemical and red light, a bunch of buttons seems a lot less intimidating to me. Thanks for the video, as usual :)
Needed this video! thanks for posting this. I forgot about the part that I really got better and better. not God like better at least better than what you are yesterday!
A very good video, agree with the sharing knowledge and thank you for sharing your knowledge. I have only been following you for a few months but have learned so much. Thanks again.
WOW! Fantastic video! Your passion with photography is amazing. That is one of the reasons I really love your videos. I'm really considering doing a one-on-one session with you. I almost booked the other day. You are spot on with your points. Honestly, I have been lazy about learning more about editing. I really need to learn Photoshop. I think I've got Lightroom down pretty good. Thanks too you! What you talked about composition is I absolutely spot on. I am learning that as well. I have purchased several ebooks on the topic. I know I'm all over the place but I appreciate everything that you do for us. I'm also going to be teaching my very first in the field photography workshop this summer. I'm excited!
Great video Mark, and so very true... being so subjective, photography, as with any artwork, is something you just continue to try to improve on, day after day... thanks for sharing 👍
Thank you for another great video. On your point of experimentation without the fear of failure. I found one of my popular photos I got was in Yellowstone at Lamar Valley last winter. The sun was low and made for long shadows of the hills and trees in the snow. There was a spot that caught my eye. My usual is the 16-35, but it was not a good choice in this case because the area was far. I thought, "Let's bring out the long zoom 100-400 and see how that looks." Got it framed how I like with a lens I don't use a lot in landscape. On top of that, I don't usually do black and white photos. There was not a big difference in the light of the sky to the snow, so I tried it in black and white. It came out really well! It turned out to be one of my favorite photos in my portfolio, and it was all done as an experiment.
Hi Mark, thank you for this video. It gave us a lot to think about. I’m glad I’m not the only one who enjoys post-processing. It is not your focus, but have you considered doing a video for people who go on tours and things they can look for? The reason I ask is many times you don’t have the time to compose or look for a composition. Thanks again for your videos. Concerning your original question: I enjoy your images and I also admire Joshua Cripps images.
Mark I thought you were nuts saying how excited post-processing was to you ...but then I realised that I enjoy doing *landscape* post processing ... but since I mostly do people studio portraiture - I have to deal with their body image problems , end use case , personal taste and so on It's a &^%^&% nightmare! - Landscape I just need to please myself .
I enjoy the editing process because I shoot in RAW and RAW photos are dull looking at the outset. It's fun to bring out the photo you had in mind through the editing process. I started out with film SLR cameras in 1980, and you were basically stuck with what you picked up at the photo processor. The ISO was set in the film you chose and there were only 12, 24, or 36 shots to take. So, you had to get it right the first time. You also had to pay for extra prints, crops, or enlargements.
Inspiring Mark ❤ personally speaking I think you are utterly brilliant photographer and I learn something new from you each week no matter how small. I am a better photographer for it ❤
When it comes to editing, finding a look you like and learning to reproduce it is the key. But most photographers could do with far less post-processing, in my opinion. By all mean, develop your skills, but remember: just because you know how to do HDR, that doesn't mean you should.
You keep inspiring me! If you ever want to do some Landscape photography in Idaho, Please let me know! We have Mountains, big Canyons, miles of Lava Rock, and more! Keep it up man!
I always wondered some of the youtube videos have a negative slant. Why not this title: How to be a great photographer. One Photographer youtuber told me that metrics showed him that negative titles attract more viewers! Your videos are always very good
That is an excellent philosophy and one I tend to follow, as well, for I am never 100% "wowed" by my results and always striving to learn more. A friend of my dad's (both pro photographers) once complimented me for an image taken out in the west Texas scrub on a stormy, gray day when everything looked rather bleak. He said I did a good job at making something out of nothing and I suppose that is what I always attempt, for I always try to shoot for the conditions and simply make the best of whatever hand is dealt. Have I returned from nearby Theodore Roosevelt NP or other regional jaunts with a card full of "meh"? Yep... Those are often the days I experiment with settings and just try to make the best of things. As for post-processing, I still do everything in Photoshop and my work flow is probably not the most efficient compared to others but it has improved dramatically over the years. I have had some great successes with post processing but I have also ruined a LOT of gorgeous light in PS! lol But, it's all about experimentation... I enjoy your vids simply because I'm always able to glean something new or find new ideas that might streamline what I am doing. Thanks for sharing!
Good stuff Mark; thanks. In your journey to advance your post-processing skills, would you be willing to share a couple of the most impactful sites/resources that were helpful to you in this area (other than Mark Denny Tutorials .. goes without saying, right?). As you say, I believe this is one of the areas of 'becoming a great photographer' that is essential; there are just so many resources to scan to help take some of the intimidation out of the process. And focused direction here from a source that I trust would be helpful.
Hi, interesting video. I think it has to be Ansell Adams, although not all of his work is that inspiring to me, his best work is awesome though. When you say today is the best time for experimentation, you mnissed out on one thing that is so important now. Back in the 80's when I got started, the exhorbitant costs of film and processing were severely limiting to a young family man trying to enjoy photography as a hobby. Today I can take my D850 and shoot hundreds of shots without a care in the world. The gear is expensive as are computers and software, but once you have made the investment, you can then go out and shoot to your hearts content. Cpmpared to the days of film, this is a massive incentive to follow your advice. Keep up the good work.
I gotta look into Galen Rowell complete work being that he is from and began his photography journey at the same high school as I did but 20 or so years before me.
✅QUESTION: Who's your all-time favorite photographer?
Don't know that many, as I tend to be more focussed on the joy of doing photography myself than looking at the work of others, but I do like the works of Jimmy Nelson: very strong portraits in fitting surroundings.
I really don't know but I have bookmarked Carr Clifton, Charles Cramer, and Guy Tal's websites in my browser. I go look at their work on occasion. I know there are lots of others that are awesome to. Even this Mark guy I follow on UA-cam. 😉
It's an obvious answer but I really like the work from Ansel Adams. I have a number of his photo books and love to browse through them and study his compositions.
Peter Lik, Jerry Uelsmann, Kevin McNeal
Jim Richardson
All those 'great' photographers are only great because people have identified them as such. In reality they have produced some great images of course but I bet there are thousands of unknown photographers who produce images just as good, if not better.
Excellent video Mark. I am a retired physician so continuous education has been a way of life for me. I am just an average intermediate photographer who is trying everyday to be the best I can be at my photography. I get inspired and educated by photographers like yourself. I can be quite critical of my own images but don't really care what others may think about them. I, luckily, don't have to rely on my photographs to feed my family. But I do rely on them to bring me joy, to make me keep learning, to keep me active, and to let me be creative. Please keep educating and inspiring me Mark.
If Ansel Adams were alive today, I wonder if he'd have made it as such an iconic photographer. One of the reasons he is so known is that he pushed the bounds of photography, making some of the first images of our American landscapes, and being one of the first to develop darkroom techniques that pushed the limits of making prints from film. But Adams worked at a time when photography wasn't accessible to the masses. Today it is. It's easier to rise to stand out when you are competing in a field of 1000. It's harder to stand out as unique when you are one out of a million or more.
First…. I hope you’re as nice a guy as you seem in your videos.
Second… my son once had an orchestra director who told his students to never try to be the best or to be great. He said they should strive everyday to “be better.”
Hearing that has had a profound effect on my photography life. It seems you understand that too.
Thanks Mark. Great video.
Thanks for checking out the video Jason! Glad you enjoyed it.
Hi Mark. Thank you for this video. In a way, it gives me more hope knowing someone else has said it and not just myself to myself. I don't have a very big support behind my love of photography so your message today is very encouraging to me. I'm from North Dakota and find what people take for granted to photograph. At least I try among other pretty things too of course. Thank you from my heart for your encouragement. ❤️ Hugs.
Of course! Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Keep clicking 👍👍👍
I love that you gave Clyde Butcher a shout out in this! Clyde isn’t just a great photographer but also one of the friendliest people I’ve know and serves as a great voice for the Everglades.
Thank you. I really appreciate all of the positive reinforcement in enjoying photography and improving each day. To be better than I was yesterday. Great boost to my confidence and desire to learn more.
Love hearing you enjoyed it!
I LOVE editing photos 😂 I have a lot to learn about it but I love it…. And you’ve been a great help in this aspect and others! The main thing I love about landscape photography is that it gets me out at all times of the day to experience things that many others don’t. Thanks Mark for all that you 👍
Great to hear this - thank you!
I wholeheartedly agree with your concluding statement. I read the essay "El Dorado" by Robert Louis Stevenson when I was in high school. It profoundly impacted my approach to life. I recognized that the end was not the goal, but the enjoyment of the pursuit was the goal, wherever it should lead. Stevenson wrote it much more eloquently than I,
"It is true that we shall never reach the goal; it is even more than probable that there is no such place; and if we lived for centuries and were endowed with the powers of a god, we should find ourselves not much nearer what we wanted at the end. O toiling hands of mortals! O unwearied feet, travelling ye know not whither! Soon, soon, it seems to you, you must come forth on some conspicuous hilltop, and but a little way further, against the setting sun, descry the spires of El Dorado. Little do ye know your own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour."
Sick
Hi Mark...... I echo the previous comment. I'm also retired and you have been a great inspiration for me! Keep up the great work! as always, thank you!
Many thanks Mark. I always enjoy your videos. Enriching but easy to digest! I've certainly improved as a result of some of your shared knowledge.
This was the best sentence I heard from you and it was very helpful: I guess perhaps greatness isn't just for the select few that actually do attain it but instead it's found in The Quiet resilience of those who really dare to chase down their passions with unrelenting focus because it takes a little bit of guts it really does just chase down for a lifetime.
Thank you so much.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Extremely inspiring! Thank you for the Pep talk I need that! I enjoy your channel.
Thank you, Mark. You motivate me to pick up my camera and go take some photos.
Can’t agree more with you this week! Having taught college level art for 40+ yrs, I absolutely know that an understanding of “design/composition is a fundamental asset of good pictures-in any media. A suggested place to fortify that is an older, great, book: ‘What Is Art?’ By John Canaday.
When people finally get to editing their photos, then from a great composition comes great lighting and coloring in post processing. Even Ansel Adams dodged and burned his photos in post-processing in the darkroom. The best photographers are also great photo editors as this is an art form. Thanks for this video to explain it.
Real Talk, Thanks Mark.
Thanks for watching Amanda!
Thank you Mark - you are an inspiration!
Thanks for another great video. Live for the journey not the destination. The journey is long and if embraced for its intrinsic joy it will provide a life of fulfillment. Destinations are uncertain and relatively short lived even if achieved.
I appreciated this video so much, you told the real meaning of photography: having fun, improving by little steps every day, facing the challenges with no fear of failure ... I take photos of landscapes and macro/close up but I know I still have many things to learn ... thank you for your precious advices ...
Feels great knowing you enjoyed it!
truly inspiring video for me, Thank you Mark , learned a lot !!
Hi Mark, I really enjoyed your video that I came across and found it very inspirational. I'm now retired and am getting back into photography again more fully. I'm looking forward to looking at your other videos.
Great video, thanks Mark!!
I'm enjoying this video, I'm a newbie photographer since 2020. I love to learn and i'm old so retention is a little challenging at times but I've learned a whole lot in 3 years.Thanks for all your inspiration.🙏
Thanks Mark. That's beautifully said.
Thank you!
Hi Mark. I for one am very grateful for the “sharing” that you do, I have learned very much. Thanks, sincerely, for your efforts.
Enjoyed this video, some great advice Mark.
I took my Bryce Canyon photo next to that EXACT same tree. How cool.
You are not only a great photographer, you actually give something that works for everyday life. I wanted to be a good landscape photographer but I happens to be a traveler too. I want to share my thoughts and views and share what I have learnt so far with other. Thank you so much Mark.
Knocked it out of the park with this one Mark. This video and this week's newsletter especially resonated with me. Thank you.
Hi Mark, great video, as usual. More or less, a coaching video about being a landscape photographer. Thanks
Great video. Really enjoyed this weeks
Awesome to hear this!
Great video! And excellent advice!
Mark, I would like to thank you for the encouraging words that you put out on this video. I have watched you for almost a year now and have enjoyed every single one of your UA-cam videos. I am a newbie, I retired four years ago and need something to do. So watching your channel and a few other channels that I watch have really helped my photography. Thank you!
Glad to do it and thanks for watching!
Very good points Mark! I very much appreciate your likable and honest style 🤩
Greatness does not necessarily mean eminence, celebrity! Even if you are able to take great photographs it is unlikely you will get the same reputation as Ansel Adams for example. Nowadays there is much more concurrence than it was the case in the pioneer era of photography. You would need an entire marketing agency to become a famous photographer 😜
But celebrity is not my aim. But to become better from shooting to shooting and learning from the masters, without trying to copy them, is a very satisfying experience indeed.
Another spot on video Mark. In practice, sharing and allowing others to "pick my brain" (in the marketing field) has been a net positive for me. It's lead to relationships, awareness, mentions, recommendations, conference speaking gigs, and yes, referral business. It genuinely endears people to you when providing value with no expectation of return. As for ongoing learning, I practice a 3x5x50 approach. That's 3 hours/day, 5 days/week, 50 weeks/year, that I displace mindless activities for things that improve my knowledge, understanding, or skills. That's 750 hours per year. It is unlikely that anyone shooting and editing for 750 hours in a year would not result in significant improvement. Love your videos.
I absolutely agree. I am constantly learning and discovering new ways to shoot.
Another outstanding video keep them coming 🙏
I'll do my best:)
Another excellent video - with an intriguing tale as to how you got into Landscape Photography. I found it very helpful to study the approaches to photography of people like Stieglitz, Strand, Edward and Brett Weston, and Ansel Adams. Reading their letters, written articles, and daybooks in the case of Edward Weston, were even more eye opening than their photographs. All seem to have had false dawns, and black dog moments, until they got lucky in some way. Which usually meant being in the right place at the right time. I also started out using wide angled lenses, but now really value the short telephoto. I am not too bothered if I miss photographing a great sunrise or sunset. I just like to watch it, if I am in the wrong place. Many thanks
Thanks for this video! Your message is what I needed to hear at this moment. I'm going for it with photography! It brings so much to my heart and it's changed the way I view the world. Thanks for what you do.
Love the this video!! I really have tried focusing on not just being wide angle. I’ve tried to do macro, product and other photography. I feel it helps me understand my camera and lens more and what to look for in shots. I love editing to, seeing a shot and just thinking how I want this to look that I feel will make it look the best!
If I had to pick only one, Ansel Adams, though I'm currently looking at the landscape work of Don McCullin.
Experimentation is such a great way to get your brain out of a rut. Recent experiments range from shooting film on vintage cameras to trying a really high key B&W effect on a shot I just took, to digging out some really old stuff I did on point-and-shoot cameras over a decade ago and trying new edits on it.
I agree with your premise however one thing I have noticed and I sell a lot of images now is zoomed photos don't sell.
People don't put their wall so I'm trying to create a market for my customers the wide angle stuff still is what sells. Maybe this is just Australia though where people are very traditional and I now do enjoy taking photos with my drone and with my Zoom lenses as well and I agree with everything you send. It is also difficult for many people because people have families kids jobs unless you're a full-time professional photographer it is difficult to dedicate a significant amount of time to all of those things has to be done in staged processes.
It' has to be realistic and managed.
Some good points in this video. I use Canon gear, and I use the RF 24-105 for about 75% of my photos. This seems to be the focal range that my eye sees, so it has become what I "expect" to see in my photographs. This lens gives me more range of focal lengths in the perspective that tends to favor landscape photography. However, I also carry my 70-200 and 100-400 with me most of the time, and I do use them for some landscapes. I also have a 14-35 that I use when it's warranted.
I also love editing, and often plan for it while shooting. As I get better at editing, it's so much easier to work it from RAW to finish, knowing what masks to use for certain effects, etc. And several techniques came straight from your videos, so Thank You for that.
Very enjoyable and your final comment really confirmed yet again what a nice person you are. Thanks for sharing yourself.
Spending time watching your videos is time well spent Mark. I'm on my second photography journey after taking a fifteen year break from 20+ years of wedding and portrait photography. Now I'm just doing what I enjoy instead of having a client to please. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. :)
Glad to do it and thanks for watching!
be a couple of years ago now, you were talking of waterfalls and basic water and how it flows, I had been trying this for some time and the rewards were slow. You indicated 4 of a second is enough to hold the white outs back and still give movement, it worked like a demon, so now I can use the aperture to gain or loose what I want and hold my speed unless I want something different, the power of passing on 'this is what I found' rather than this is what you should do. Priceless, thanks for the journey.
Thank you so much for sharing, you are right, what a great world it could be, if everyone shared what they learned.
Fantastic video. Thanks for sharing it!
Glad to do it and thanks for watching!
Great points Mark, personally as a newspaper photographer experimenting with different styles is a constant, I have to get something publishable from every assignment no matter what the light, conditions or subject matter. Most of all though I credit my youtube channel for pushing me to try other formats, genres both film and digital. I'm no expert in any particular photographic field but I'm pretty confident I can get a decent result from whatever I shoot, it's a daily battle / challenge to improve every shoot. I love it.
Wow, just WOW! Well said, sir.
As a child, I saw adults try to make themselves more important by diminishing others. As I became an adult, I found better friends who taught me similar to what you're doing. Helping to make others more powerful does not diminish me, and in the process I usually gain their respect. But even if I don't, I am no less than what I was.
"The rising tide lifts all ships." I like that. I will remember that and share it with others. Thank you for sharing that and lifting this little boat. Now I just hope my camera gear doesn't get wet.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Glad to see you still use your Aspen circular ball head. I FINALLY got mine last week!
Good video. I may never even be good at photography but it allows me to keep my mind busy learning and trying to be better at something where I can see a bit of progress once in a while. Progress is what drives me, no matter how slight.
I love playing with my photos in post. But I belong to a group where several members brag about their pictures being straight from the camera. Always made me wonder if I was doing something wrong. I try really hard to get the photo I want in the camera. But I love making it pop in post. Thank you for the encouragement.
Hey Mark. Thanks for the video. I think one of the reasons you so many people follow you and love your UA-cam channel and your tutorials is that you are not only a good photographer but you are also a great mentor. Mentoring is another skill set that that requires continuous improvement to become good at and it is obvious that you have learned these skills along the way. One of my favorite photographers is Mark Klett - check out The Black Rock Desert and some of his other work.
100%... enjoy the journey and don't fix on the destination as it is always changing !! Great messages in this Pal...
Some are born to move the world, to live their fantasies. But most of us just dream about the things we'd like to be... great video as always. :)
Glad you enjoyed it!
Been stumbling across your videos lately when learning Lightroom techniques. I finished this one and checked and couldn’t believe I hadn’t subscribed already! Love your content 🙏🏽
Thanks so much!
Love this, Mark. As a dedicated hobbyist whose occupation is in another field altogether, it doesn’t make sense for me to compare myself to someone who is devoting all their waking hours to this art form. Instead, I have made the choice to compare my new work against my old work. Am I improving? Am I winning the race against myself? IMO, it’s the only way to sustain the momentum needed to improve significantly over time, because it’s too demoralizing to constantly measure myself against people with years or decades more experience.
I enjoy watching your videos Mark. I've been an amateur for many years. I'll never be a "great" photographer, mainly shoot for myself and have been pleased with many images that I've taken, but like others have mentioned, have put them on the computer and thought if I'd only done this or that it could have been that much better. You always have some great topics and insight to photography. I really like how relatable and candid you are in you videos too. Keep up the great work!
To be better today then you were yesterday. 🔥🙏🏽
You are very enjoyable to watch/listen to.
Makes me wonder… just maybe ??
Thx for the motivation.
Inspiring thoughts, observations and sentiments, a wonderful approach to you journey. Thanks a lot.
Awww Mark! You're adorable! Yes!! Let's work together and thanks for these videos!! 🙌😄🙌
Glad you like them!
Can't agree more with the love of editing. Photography feels sometimes like trying to extract raw gems on location, already thinking and excited about the jewels we can/may carve out of them at home :)
It used to be messy with chemical and red light, a bunch of buttons seems a lot less intimidating to me.
Thanks for the video, as usual :)
Needed this video! thanks for posting this. I forgot about the part that I really got better and better. not God like better at least better than what you are yesterday!
A very good video, agree with the sharing knowledge and thank you for sharing your knowledge. I have only been following you for a few months but have learned so much. Thanks again.
Thanks for another great video! Your passion for photography is infectious!
That means a lot Steve - thank ya my friend!
WOW! Fantastic video! Your passion with photography is amazing. That is one of the reasons I really love your videos.
I'm really considering doing a one-on-one session with you. I almost booked the other day.
You are spot on with your points. Honestly, I have been lazy about learning more about editing. I really need to learn Photoshop. I think I've got Lightroom down pretty good. Thanks too you! What you talked about composition is I absolutely spot on. I am learning that as well. I have purchased several ebooks on the topic. I know I'm all over the place but I appreciate everything that you do for us.
I'm also going to be teaching my very first in the field photography workshop this summer. I'm excited!
Thanks my friend! Yeah if you want to schedule one just let me know
Great video Mark, and so very true... being so subjective, photography, as with any artwork, is something you just continue to try to improve on, day after day... thanks for sharing 👍
Glad to do it and thanks for watching!
Thank you for another great video. On your point of experimentation without the fear of failure. I found one of my popular photos I got was in Yellowstone at Lamar Valley last winter. The sun was low and made for long shadows of the hills and trees in the snow. There was a spot that caught my eye. My usual is the 16-35, but it was not a good choice in this case because the area was far. I thought, "Let's bring out the long zoom 100-400 and see how that looks." Got it framed how I like with a lens I don't use a lot in landscape. On top of that, I don't usually do black and white photos. There was not a big difference in the light of the sky to the snow, so I tried it in black and white. It came out really well! It turned out to be one of my favorite photos in my portfolio, and it was all done as an experiment.
Great encouragement Mark! Thanks for sharing!
Happy to do it!
Thanks for sharing Mark as always!!
Glad to do it and thanks for watching!
Hi Mark, thank you for this video. It gave us a lot to think about. I’m glad I’m not the only one who enjoys post-processing. It is not your focus, but have you considered doing a video for people who go on tours and things they can look for? The reason I ask is many times you don’t have the time to compose or look for a composition. Thanks again for your videos. Concerning your original question: I enjoy your images and I also admire Joshua Cripps images.
Mark I thought you were nuts saying how excited post-processing was to you ...but then I realised that I enjoy doing *landscape* post processing ... but since I mostly do people studio portraiture - I have to deal with their body image problems , end use case , personal taste and so on It's a &^%^&% nightmare! - Landscape I just need to please myself .
This is what I call, sound, intelligent advice. Great video mate, I'm always learning as backyard photogragher myself. 😁👍
Glad to do it and thanks for watching!
I enjoy the editing process because I shoot in RAW and RAW photos are dull looking at the outset. It's fun to bring out the photo you had in mind through the editing process. I started out with film SLR cameras in 1980, and you were basically stuck with what you picked up at the photo processor. The ISO was set in the film you chose and there were only 12, 24, or 36 shots to take. So, you had to get it right the first time. You also had to pay for extra prints, crops, or enlargements.
Very well said, Mark. Very well!!👏🏻👏🏻
Thanks so much!
Your #2 exactly describes me. I love editing my photos and can't wait to go home after a trip to do it.
It’s the best!
Great video❤
I am in my first year of landscape photography and am learning so much. If I were to add another tip: have fun!
Inspiring Mark ❤ personally speaking I think you are utterly brilliant photographer and I learn something new from you each week no matter how small. I am a better photographer for it ❤
Thanks so much 😊
When it comes to editing, finding a look you like and learning to reproduce it is the key. But most photographers could do with far less post-processing, in my opinion. By all mean, develop your skills, but remember: just because you know how to do HDR, that doesn't mean you should.
Great video👍
inspiring and informative as always , thanks
A great perspective on photography. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Glad to do it and thanks for watching!
Mark- i need you to send me some of that love for editing. Absolutely hate it until I'm done with it 😂
You keep inspiring me! If you ever want to do some Landscape photography in Idaho, Please let me know! We have Mountains, big Canyons, miles of Lava Rock, and more! Keep it up man!
I always wondered some of the youtube videos have a negative slant. Why not this title: How to be a great photographer. One Photographer youtuber told me that metrics showed him that negative titles attract more viewers! Your videos are always very good
Thank you!
Thanks!
Amazing - thank you!!
I'm with you... I have to force myself to stop editing photographs and go to bed.
The photographer that had the most influence on me was Galen Rowell.
That is an excellent philosophy and one I tend to follow, as well, for I am never 100% "wowed" by my results and always striving to learn more. A friend of my dad's (both pro photographers) once complimented me for an image taken out in the west Texas scrub on a stormy, gray day when everything looked rather bleak. He said I did a good job at making something out of nothing and I suppose that is what I always attempt, for I always try to shoot for the conditions and simply make the best of whatever hand is dealt. Have I returned from nearby Theodore Roosevelt NP or other regional jaunts with a card full of "meh"? Yep... Those are often the days I experiment with settings and just try to make the best of things. As for post-processing, I still do everything in Photoshop and my work flow is probably not the most efficient compared to others but it has improved dramatically over the years. I have had some great successes with post processing but I have also ruined a LOT of gorgeous light in PS! lol But, it's all about experimentation... I enjoy your vids simply because I'm always able to glean something new or find new ideas that might streamline what I am doing. Thanks for sharing!
Good stuff Mark; thanks. In your journey to advance your post-processing skills, would you be willing to share a couple of the most impactful sites/resources that were helpful to you in this area (other than Mark Denny Tutorials .. goes without saying, right?). As you say, I believe this is one of the areas of 'becoming a great photographer' that is essential; there are just so many resources to scan to help take some of the intimidation out of the process. And focused direction here from a source that I trust would be helpful.
Hi, interesting video. I think it has to be Ansell Adams, although not all of his work is that inspiring to me, his best work is awesome though. When you say today is the best time for experimentation, you mnissed out on one thing that is so important now. Back in the 80's when I got started, the exhorbitant costs of film and processing were severely limiting to a young family man trying to enjoy photography as a hobby. Today I can take my D850 and shoot hundreds of shots without a care in the world. The gear is expensive as are computers and software, but once you have made the investment, you can then go out and shoot to your hearts content. Cpmpared to the days of film, this is a massive incentive to follow your advice. Keep up the good work.
I gotta look into Galen Rowell complete work being that he is from and began his photography journey at the same high school as I did but 20 or so years before me.
I like editing too.
Greetings from Australia. Thank you. Sub'd in, mate 🙂
Awesome - thank you!
Ouch, that hurts. 😂