hi I'm Adam and welcome back to first man photography now we've got a lot to do and
a lot to talk about today but I've hit the first challenge already which is this stream
but I've somehow gotta get across it it's really deep though I'm gonna be up to my knees
if I just walk through it at any spot it's pretty fast running as well so I think one
wrong move and I'm gonna be stacking it straight into the water I'm just gonna have to do it
I don't particularly want wet feet right at the start of the walk though all right here
we go Let's uh already
there we go see if we can find the PATH now scare some sheep off put them across I don't
quite know where the path is though [Music]
before we get going today though this video is sponsored by Squarespace if you need a
domain name a website or an online store make your next move with Squarespace all right
we go
[Music]
foreign
I just discovered my second problem of the day which is uh my battery has just run out
I'm normally really well prepared with batteries but today I decided I'm only going to come
out with two because I thought that would be enough normally I have three and then the
first one just died already because I hadn't charged it so I don't know what's going on
there I will put the uh this fresh one in and hopefully you don't have to worry about
it too much if this is fully charged which it looks like it is but what I wanted to talk
about today was the concept of Heroes because I think it's very interesting and I think
it applies to photography and particularly certain photographs and you'll know what I
mean you'll know that one image in your portfolio that's just an absolute Banger that hero image
that everybody likes however and this is true with everything to do with Heroes it's a bit
of a strange concept because it can in a way it can be damaging because if we always are
searching for that image there's a very big chance we're gonna miss out on a lot of other
things good photos that otherwise you wouldn't have found and with photography and particularly
with landscape photography I think it's important to come and just explore with no expectations
whatsoever I've never been here before today it's in the Peak District obviously I've been
here before but not to this particular spot and my plan is to go up there and as I was
walking up I thought I'd come up to this little small little mud before I have to do the sort
of second leg up there and just came across this scene that's just in front of me here
I really love the intersecting lines of the hills there's two things that's sort of jump
to mind one is an artistic element of the lines so the lines kind of going through the
scene there a really very interesting they're intersecting and what that does is provide
a kind of layered image which gives you a nice sense of depth the light's pretty flat
but I think that's going to work for the scene as well because it lets those layers do the
talking essentially it's also going to be one of those photos that's not going to be
a hero shot but it's gonna be very worthwhile it's going gonna be fulfilling and I know
I'm going to be happy with it f11 115th of a second ISO 100 and I'm zoomed fairly well
in maybe about 60 millimeters there let's ah switch hands and take a quick look at that
just yeah that's really working for me it's going to have a moody dramatic edit to it
as well to bring out that Moody feeling we've got now it's supposed to brighten up later
on I'm hoping for a nice Sunset doesn't really feel like that's going to happen at the moment
a few hours to go yet but I am excited for the rest of this shoot
[Music]
all right [Music]
I'll just stopped briefly before I do the last little bit to the top the excuse is that
I need a time lapse but talking about the concept of Heroes it applies obviously most
obviously two people as well now do you remember Paul G Johnson he's my hero I've not seen
him for a while though and I don't think he's been seen on YouTube for some time I hope
he's doing okay but one time we were out together in the Lake District and kind of sharing a
little bit of my anxiety with him I sort of said this people at the top Echelon of landscape
photography people like Charlie Waite would never really want anything to do with me some
kid who went to a school in working class redcar and would maybe not have so much in
common with those types of people but strangely later that day probably about half an hour
later in fact I got an email from managing director of light and land asking me to come
to London to meet Charlie wait because they wanted to work with me which I ended up doing
then for a few years all I don't do tours anymore but that was mind-blowing going down
to London and meeting him I was meeting one of my heroes and he turned out just to be
really genuine guy when I first started working with him they wanted me to go and along and
go on one of the tours that the other leaders were running so I kind of said this the tour
that Joe Cornish was leading would be a good one because he'd been a hero of mine for so
long since I was young because he's very famous for photographing the area where I grew up
I went down to the big District where I am now in fact and sort of invited myself along
on his recce which fell a bit cheeky at the time and probably probably was but he was
very gracious very welcoming we parked up and he sort of looked at me and said just
so you know I move fairly fast around the hill and I'll never forget that because it
made me super nervous and to be honest I've struggled with Fitness over there since I
injured my back but being about 25 years older than me I thought there's no way I can show
any sign of weakness here so I powered it up the hill behind him and just about made
it but I think elevating anyone to that kind of level doesn't do any unjustice it doesn't
do anything good for you and it certainly doesn't do anything good for them because
they are just a person and if you meet your Heroes and they're great it's probably just
because they're a good person if you meet your Heroes and they're a complete [ __ ]
it's probably because they're just generally a complete [ __ ] but in my case everyone
I've met in photography who I've looked up to has been so gracious and so generous with
their time and supporting and I just love it but I have to think back to that occasion
particularly recently in this being fit and being able to hike up that mountain without
so much trouble is an important part of being good at landscape photography at least if
you want to go exploring anyway and that's certainly the type of landscape photography
I I like doing so I've been working hard on my fitness recently I'm still struggling because
of my back but I'm just about keeping it going I've lost now over two Stone which I'm feeling
good about getting up here has been a little bit easier but mental boost that that's given
me is really powerful I'm determined to do it I'm determined to do it because it's going
to make me better at my job and better at landscape photography because there's been
times in the past where I've not gone and done that extra little bit of exploring just
up the top of there because my back's hurting I'm not fit enough and I'm tired and I just
want to go home because I'm mentally and physically defeated
[Music]
oh did I just say it was getting easier ah there's absolutely nothing about this that's
easy 20 kilos on your back so much harder as well but I do love these rocks that are
welcoming me at the top I just need to navigate my way through them without falling and then
I'll be at the top
false Summit [Music]
foreign
[Music] walking along the top for a little while now and I've hit that catch 22 moment.
what I would like to do is go over to that Ridge right in the distance there and see
the view beyond that that was the plan today but I've been enjoying it too much and taking
my time and I think I've run out of time to get over there see that view do something
with it and then get back to where I got to the top because I found a really nice composition
over there when I got to the top which I think is going to be my Sunset shot the Sun is going
to be in a really good place for it I think and we now have see that some beautiful blue
skies but yeah I think I'm gonna head back towards the light just let the light guide
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use the offer code first man to get 10 off your first purchase ah and just two seconds
later the sun bursts from behind the cloud look at that oh that's so nice that finally
got that spring sun on my face oh that's so nice and such a positive boost for the end
of the day all these rock formations just come alive when the sun is on them I'm excited
excited about it
now normally when I make these videos I follow the same workflow because it's difficult there's
video to do there's photography there's the planning of the Walk navigating everything
it is an awful lot but by following this workflow that I've developed over the years through
constant repetition it works out all right normally what I do is set the camera up and
take a photograph first it's always photography first just to be sure I've got something in
the can the image you end up seeing is often the one you actually see me taking but I've
usually already got one just so I don't miss that moment and that's just what happened
as the light is then suddenly changed because the clouds coming over in massive Banks very
quickly and I didn't have time to film any footage or talk through it or actually get
the shot I wanted because these rocks that I'm sat on at the moment were bathed in gorgeous
warm light but the background there was really dark and Moody and I think that's an occasion
when front lit landscape photography works really well it's that contrast between the
bright front-lit subject and that darkened beautiful background and I under exposed the
image on purpose to make the Rocks a little bit darker and to make the background even
darker just to set that contrast off so so much the camera is on the tripod there photographing
the rocks that were now sat on I think it's a nice image anyway but I then put the wide
angle lens on I think that was a bit of composition if I'm honest I'm hoping the light's gonna
come back but at the moment I'm not sure I'm gonna wait a while I've got a little bit of
time
enough
[Applause] [Music] still waiting the light is not there at the moment big Bank of cloud
all the way across not sure it's gonna happen it's also got coals so coat on gloves on even
though it is the middle of April I'm ready for some warm spring weather I thought that's
what I was going to get today so I'm currently feeling a little bit disappointed but I peek
around that rock still is a little little band of Hope just above the Horizon where
the sun could get through but
I don't know I reckon it's 50 50.
[Music] I'm ready for the image I'm ready for the shot if it happens but whilst I've
been sitting here just give me some time to think and I got contacted the other day by
a veteran who had served in Iraq in 2003 and had suffered terrible PTSD and still does
and tried to commit suicide several times he'd found my videos and made inspired him
and encouraged him to continue doing photography and he said that photography has basically
saved it because he can go out get that exercise be creative and it's one of the only times
he can forget the trauma that he witnessed and that he suffered it's brought him back
from the precipice they are the real heroes yes veterans but also people that struggle
day in day out with genuine trauma people that show courage and bravery in the face
of really difficult things and things that cause a lot of fear people that can overcome
the odds and survive and press on and keep going and show that resilience they've served
their country they've served their Community they're the people that are quiet about it
they're the real heroes they're not the ones making a big song and dance about it and those
people inspire me but we can't all be like that can we we've just gotta get on with our
own lives and that's the thing as well I think you've got to be the hero in your own story
and for me tonight on this Edge looking at where the sun is somewhere behind that cloud
I feel very grateful for being able to do this the power of Photography it is absolutely
inspiring even on days but it doesn't quite work out anyway I'll see you again very soon
bye
[Music]