Time for Video!

Hey, everyone!

This year has been a rough one, to say the least. I had more work and plans scheduled for the year than ever before, but after March hit, almost everything went away. One of those plans was to start making videos. With things continually going poorly, I’ve kept pushing it off, but now I’m pushing myself to finally start. And once I start things, I’m good.

For years I’ve been asked why I don’t make any video content. The truth is getting in front of a camera and making it all about me has never been my thing. I like to focus on my work and keep all attention there. I don’t take myself seriously, but I do take my work very seriously, and want others to as well. Getting into video can effect that, just like making this blog can. I started this blog because there wasn’t anything like it and I saw how my unique experiences could help others, help I wish I’d had. Also, partly to push myself to finish my Major City project, as it was definitely something I wanted to quit and give up on countless times.

As you can see, there are no ads and I don’t even really promote it on my social media. I wanted to keep it somewhat separate from my work in a way. At times, I even thought about closing the blog, as I ran into instances where it hurt me when it came to work opportunities and impressions before seeing my work. Also, the blog has been a ton of work in itself. I’m happy it grew so much and appreciate all the love, but that has created even more time dedicated to answering emails and messages for related advice and other requests. I enjoy helping, but time without money, after already having to live by the means I do for all this, has been difficult. 

I have decided to keep it up, though, and I’ve also decided to add video content. Content will be more for people that follow my work and I’m not interested in becoming a YouTube personality, I wouldn’t even want that. The videos won’t be highly edited or filled with trendy topics and flash. They will be focused on content, though, and not being concerned with views will go a long way towards that. I want the content to be unique, unlike other related content out there. I want it to be helpful, things that I’ve found helpful in photography over the years, from my personal experience and teaching and mentoring others. Content that would have been valuable to me. I also want it to be candid, genuine, interesting and fun. I like to get creative, so I have lists of series and topic ideas. And of course, there will be some content related to my major city work and this blog. Everything will evolve over time, but I’m happy to finally get started. 

Different videos and series covering:

• Photography. Street, Documentary, Interesting Photography. No strict box, other than what I find interesting, and with more of a focus on unposed/unstaged photography.
• Me. Covering any topics that I find helpful or interesting when it comes photography.
• All the 105 cities I covered during my Major City Work (photography related, not travel related)
• No crazy edited high tech videos. Focused on the content and topics, while keeping things candid and relaxed.
• Focus on the Photo. All about the interest of photos, little about the gear.
  • Unless Fuji or Leica decide to send me all their gear, then maybe a couple videos :)
• No Gimmicks. No formulaic trendy street photography videos. Genuine videos on candid and interesting photography, how good photos are made, and all that connects to my work and life related to photography.

What’s in it for me? Well, hopefully it will be fun doing this and I enjoy helping others in ways I wish I’d been helped, but also I hope it will connect others more to my work and projects. And now that I have online mentorship programs going, along with more workshops again once the pandemic passes, I hope this will help there too. In the near future, I have plans for creating special video content highly focused on learning and improving your photography, much of which will be interactive, that will be available soon too. 

Anyway, hopefully, this gives you some idea of what’s coming. For more, you’ll just have to follow along and see :)

Thanks for reading and all the best, 

Forrest

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