what did I tell you about photography being frustrating?
a big wave came and...
I'm totally soaked
I broke my ND filter
hello everybody from Pacifica, in California, just south of San Francisco
I've been here for a few days but I had done almost no photography
I wanted to fix that big mistake today, and I think I did
it was hard, I had to gather all my strength this morning
because I was not feeling it, but I finally got my...
rear over here
and as it usually happens, it was totally worth it
okay, it's raining now, I was not expecting that
last time I was here was 4 years ago
I made an image that I really liked, that I included in my book ONE
by the way, copies available, link in the description
I made it from here, but the conditions were very different from today
it was a beautiful, clear, sunny sunrise
I made a long exposure of the Pacifica Pier
I wanted to repeat to repeat that photo today, but in different conditions
I think I got something that I really like
but that is not always the case
I'd argue that in photography, it's rarely the case that we come back with a good image
with one that we really love
and that makes photography so frustrating and at the same time so rewarding
so while I wait for the rain to stop, let's talk a little bit about frustration in photography
first of all, let me make clear that I'm not trying to lecture anyone here
if I'm talking about this today it's because this is the way I've been feeling these past few days
because... let's say it this way, the weather has been less than ideal for my photography
I've had nothing but sunny, clear, and in my opinion boring days
for photography
that, of course, doesn't mean that there aren't any good images to be made out there
I like to say that there is always at least one
no matter what you're doing, no matter where you are, no matter the weather
and I do believe that!
because I've experienced it myself
because I've made plenty of good images on those days where I was not expecting to make any
but I do acknowledge, at the same time, that it's very hard to to get motivated
it is in those moments that we doubt, that I doubt
I start asking myself
is it even worth it?
is it worth the investment in time, and probably money?
especially if you're driving
and the bad news is that when it comes to results
when it comes to making good images
it might not be worth it
you might head back home empty-handed
with no images to show for your effort and for your investment in time and again, probably money
the tricky thing here is that it's still worth it
this is what happens most of the time, though, at least to me
even though you might think otherwise, because you watch these videos
you see my very best images, and my very best moments out there
if you're watching a 20 minute long video of me, spending a day out photographing
you are not seeing the other 8 hours that I didn't record
or the 2 hours that I did record but still didn't make the cut
because they weren't good enough
so even though photography might look like something that comes easy
to photographers that you follow, to photographers that you admire
it's probably actually quite the opposite
we all struggle, we all doubt ourselves
or at least, I know I do
and actually "bad" days are more common than good days
by "bad" days what I mean is a day that we go out and we try really hard
we work really hard, we give it our best,
and still we don't get the results that we were expecting
I make the air quotes because that judgment we make of those days,
as a "bad days" is probably not accurate
it's still very satisfying to get out there and to work really hard
to know that at least you've tried
and that you are a slightly better photographer because of that
they say that even the longest journeys begin with the first step, and photography is no different
I always say that this is a lifetime journey
it takes a long time, there are no shortcuts, and we should not expect any
there's no way around it
this is a long journey, one that has to be made step by step
there is no way to avoid the inevitable situations that will eventually happen
the most frustrating part is that no one can tell you which path to take
because you have to carve your own, you have to make your own
you will doubt yourself a thousand times on the way there
and that is normal, that is okay, we are all there
if you make it past the frustrations and the obstacles
you'll find that there is a lot of joy, a lot of fun, a lot of excitement on that path
it looks like it's not raining as much right now
so I'm gonna head back out to see if I can find any more images here in beautiful Pacifica
but I have one last quick tip to give you... when we come back
what did I tell you about photography being frustrating?
a big wave came
I'm totally soaked
but the worst thing is that I dropped my ND filter and it's broken now
so I cannot even make the image I wanted
you think I'd learned after a few times, but obviously I don't
I lost the RX100 Mark 7 in Oregon, at Canon Beach, because of a wave
I didn't tell you but I lost my 6 and 10 stop ND filters in Pornic,
in France, just a couple months ago
and now I lost my last ND filter, the 15 stop, today due to another wave
so every time I do photography next to the ocean, something happens
I lose a camera, a lens, or a filter, or something
Adrian from the future here
it's been a week since that happened, and I'm still feeling the consequences
because I didn't tell you, but not only I dropped the filter
I also felt trying to save my camera gear
I'm still not sure about what happened, but I think I fell on my tripod
I hurt one of my ribs, it's still hurting a little bit, but it's... it's getting better
in any case, I wanted to take just a minute to
thank all of my patrons for their very generous support
all of this is possible thanks to you
today, I wanted to give a shoutout to David Mullin
a photographer from not too far away from Pacifica, California
he's from Sacramento, and he has some beautiful images
I like the most the ones in black and white, of course
around the Sacramento area, and other parts of California
so please go and check out David's work
I'm gonna leave the links in the description down below
thank you so much David for your support
and again thank you to all of the patrons for your support
oh man, I was not expecting to break my only ND filter, and to be totally soaked and wet
but this is how things go sometimes
was it still worth it, to come here this morning?
well, I can tell you that it's less worth it now, because I have an ND filter less
I'm actually out of them
so I guess I'm in the market for a new ND filter system
but... still worth it, still worth it
I'm still glad that I came here this morning, even though that happened
that is actually a kind of frustration, accidents happen, and accidents can be very frustrating
but again, they are part of the journey
and actually, sometimes those things make these moments more memorable
okay, I told you that I had one last quick tip for you
actually, it is for me, it is intended for me because I tend to forget this
but this might help someone else
it's about not taking a photography outing, like what I did this morning
as something that should produce tangible results
but instead to think of it as just one more step in this very long journey that we are all in
and even though most of those steps will have no results
they are the ones that are taking us closer and
closer to the next good image, to the next great photograph
anyway that's all for today
I'm gonna head back to the city, take a shower
and start looking for new ND filters, I guess
I hope you enjoyed the video
thank you so much for watching
and see you in the next one!