Hi everybody welcome to another episode
of Exploring Photography right here on AdoramaTV.
I'm Mark Wallace and in this
episode I'm gonna count back my favorite
10 episodes of AdoramaTV.
that I've created it was about ten years ago when
Abraham Steinberg called me and said ...
hey Mark... we'd like you to create something
called AdoramaTV,
and since that time I've created
four hundred and something
videos maybe 500 videos right here on
AdoramaTV, but there are 10 that really
stand out to me because they were really
fun to make...
I think the teaching was great
or there's something about them that
made them special, and so without
further ado I'm gonna count down my
favorite ten.. starting right now number
10... 'The Exposure Triangle'...
this video has over 1.3 million views but
that's not the reason it's on the list...
it's on the list because it breaks down the
relationship between aperture, shutter
and ISO and easy to understand terms.
if you want to transition from beginner to
advanced photographer this video will
get you there.
No.9: 'Fruit on a Table' ....
I love breaking things down step by step and
that's what this video is all about.
I take a very boring scene and then change
things in a way that will help you
really learn about the nuances of
lighting, at first I thought this video
was way oversimplified, but people kept
talking about this video and how much
it's helped them, so that's why I think
it deserves to be on the list..
No.8: 'Quito Night Photography'..
this was a really fun video to make,
and it goes on the list because it does a
great job of showing all the work that
goes into getting just one good shot... all of
the things that have nothing to do with gear,
or camera settings, things like the
planning and the scouting, and the setup
and waiting for the light...
my day began by exploring the city,
I walked the streets,
listened to the sound for inspiration,
began thinking I would shoot images of
people and so I spent time in Plaza
Grande just watching the
locals and getting a sense of the space
as I watched the crowds I decided it
would be better to shoot the scene from
above, so I began to look for a higher
vantage point...
as I climbed I began to
see the city from a distance and decided
a scenic photo would be even better, so I
began to look for even higher ground, and
the bonus is at the end of the night I
got a great photo number seven open
shade portraits sometimes I get negative
feedback about my expensive lighting
gear but this video goes on the list
because it shows that you can get great
results with nothing but natural light.
Sophia the model was terrific,
I liked the post-production and the
photos are some of my favorite.. this
video teaches a technique that any
photographer can learn.. and Wow now that
we know how that works I'm going to
shoot a few pictures and show you my
results..
No 6: 'Cinematic Portraits'.... when I
asked my friend Nikki Nikki if she
wanted to make some emotional looking
images, she asked me if she could fake
cry in the photos, and that's when I knew
this video was going to be a winner.
We were able to take a few very simple
principles, and put them together in a
way that created a photo that was bigger
than the sum of its parts... we had a great
time in the studio creating this look,
and it goes on the list because it was
fun.. it does a good job of teaching how
to put things together, and the photos
look great....
No 5: Fake Golden Hour this video goes on the
list because it shows how easy it is to
use a flash and a gel to create a
totally new look.
When we shot this video
it was super hot outside, and we were
being blinded by the Sun that was
bouncing off the deck... you can see Aimee
the model hopping around because it's so
hot, and she keeps closing her eyes to
keep from crying. I'm not so sure why she
didn't just wear shoes, but despite the
hard light and the hot deck we got a
great image, and it's a lighting setup
that can save your bacon if you just
have to shoot in the middle of the day.
No 4: Silver Screen Magic... this
video goes on the list because it's a
really simple lighting setup, and a
really simple prop, and the results are
always great, sometimes the simplest
ideas are the best.
This is a video I send to photographers
or inspiration all the time...
if you've got a great model and
almost any type of flash and a window
screen, you can make these images yourself.
No 3: Africa Big Five...
these videos go on the
list simply because I hope they inspire
you to go outside and admire the many
magnificent animals that live around us.
this two-part episode was really
wonderful to shoot, and it does a good
job of explaining all the gear and
techniques you should use to photograph
wildlife, but mostly look at those
animals... check this out!
Right over there, there's a rescued Rhino
with his horn that was taken off by
poachers and they've saved him and are
doing some preservation and rescue work
here...
It's very amazing so we're just on
day 1 scouting and seeing what's
available, and already I'm a little bit
overwhelmed...so let's go, and let's let's
see how close we can go to these amazing
animals... okay?
Try to get a little bit closer yeah?
Can we get closer?
We're gonna go see lions...
at the end of the first episode I got very
close to one of the Lions,
now I know there's a
fence between me and the lioness, but
don't kid yourself, it would not have
stopped the lion at all.
After the fact I realized that what I'd done
was not very wise, so don't do what I did...
you might not survive,
but I have to say getting so
extremely close to the wild lions was a
once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Look at these photos, they were shot with
a 50 mm lens, it's insane...
I hope you watch these episodes and
decide to try some wildlife photography yourself...
you won't regret it.,
well that's my top eight,
before I tell you my final two...
I'm curious what you think,
so leave me a comment in the
comment section below which videos did I
get right...which videos did I get wrong...
which videos should I remake, which
videos have I not made that I should
make before I die no... you let me know in
the comments below
All right well the last two really I
think are tied in my mind, but I had to
choose one favorite...
so let's move on and
then I'll show you my
No. 1 favorite video of all time....
No.2: Patagonia Photoshoot Disaster...
the storm is going to hit so I'm out of here...
So hard I can't stand on my feet it's
actually blowing me down twice...
let's go 100 miles an hour...
As hard as getting up was...
getting down might be even worse.
in this video everything goes wrong, I
have bronchitis, I get blown off the
mountain, I injure my knee, the clouds
cover the mountain, and I don't get the
shot that I planned.
This video gets second place because it's
real in real life things do go wrong...
plans do change...
we don't always succeed for photography.
It''s, it's a lot the same way.
If you want to become a professional or
shoot weddings or whatever it is you
want to do...
I've got a set of goal then just stick to it.
When things get hard, then you're out of money,
get low on spirits or whatever it is...
you got to keep going, keep practicing, you
know, learn new things...
just don't stop, maybe you're going slow
it's all right it's not where you're going, you'll
finally get there, just don't give up.
No 1: Prime Lens Photo Challenge...
there are so many things I like about this video...
it's a photo challenge with Gavin Hoey,
one of my favorite people, and it's in
Paris one of my favorite cities...
it's all about trying new things, it's just a fun
video...
it's an interesting setup, there's
one rule... use the same prime lens for a
day, and that's it, but having that
parameter was liberating.
I didn't have to bring a camera bag or
lenses or lights or meters...
it was like being a kid again,
just take the camera, and have fun.
The things I learned while making this
video have spilled over as lessons onto
many other videos.
Things like street photography,
shooting reflections,
hyperfocal focusing composition,
low-light photography, and I'm sure a lot
of other things...
Does this video deserve to be the number
1 Mark Wallace video on AdoramaTV...
I think so, what about you?
Leave a comment, let me know what you
think... well this has been a lot of fun,
thank you so much for indulging me in my
Top Ten list... don't forget to subscribe
to AdoramaTV, and turn on the bell so you
get notifications of new videos, because
they're coming out all the time...
also check me out on instagram because i post
a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff.
You don't want to miss out on that,
and you get a little sneak peek every once in a
while of videos that I'm making right
here for Adorama.
Thanks again for joining me and
I will see you again next time.