I thought I was a good presenter because I'd been doing it for decades. I was wrong.
The day someone suggested I should film myself presenting (to address my distracting mannerisms) was the day I started working on my YouTube channel. I spend an evening or two a week on it.
Here's what I've learned after 2 years of YouTubing…
1) Hearing my own voice and seeing my own face while editing is surreal. I experience what it's like for someone else to talk to me.
2) My distracting mannerisms are worse than I thought. I often pause because my mind stutters and can't find the right word to say. It lasts 4 or more seconds (feels like a lifetime) and I often have to use the wrong word in the end just to keep going. It's like having an empty thesaurus.
3) My feedback is now from the public, and it ranges from high praise ("Beautifully said. Never heard someone talk about photography this way.") to personal criticism. I was called an “arrogant git” today. I guess that's the next thing I need to work on. It's emotionally taxing because people are saying aloud what probably used to be said when I wasn't in the room.
4) I've experimented with memorizing scripts, teleprompters and speaking with no prepared material at all. Different types of video lend themselves to different techniques.
5) Though I'm addressing my “ums” and my brain freezes, a lot of it is simply cut out while editing. It's kind of cheating and is probably slowing my progress.
6) My self analysis gets put into full practice when presenting in-person at photography and art clubs. It's clear that YouTubing has really helped with my speaking confidence.
Lastly, and the reason I think everyone should be a YouTuber, is that I get to explore new ideas, think them through, present them and have a record that I can look back on in the future.
And of course, “The best way to learn is to teach”.
As long as there are people who are entertained or informed by the videos, then its worth it.
Photographers only need this extra gear to start YouTubing
If you primarily shoot still photography, you’re in a great position to start a YouTube channel because you have most of the gear you need already.
Most cameras can capture video at 1080p, and either 24 or 30 frames a second. 4K recording and faster frame rates are nice but absolutely nonessential. In reality, the phone in your pocket will do a great job recording YouTube videos too. Common video wisdom is that the audio matters much more than visual quality anyway.
Which ever lens you have attached to your camera right now will probably do quite nicely.
Chances are you’ve already got a tripod and some light stands. I bet you have a shoot through umbrella in your closet somewhere too.
Disclaimer: If you buy through the affiliate links in this description, I may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. I appreciate your support!
What might you be missing?
The first thing I had to pick up to start my YouTube channel was a good external audio recorder. With a good recorder, you can capture much better sound than the internal microphone of your camera. Especially if you’re going to be so far away from it. I chose a Zoom H1 (cheap and cheerful) and later added a Zoom F1 to the collection because it had a belt clip.
Because I do a lot of talking head videos, I chose a lavalier mic to plug into the recorder. A lav mic will get more of your voice and less of the ambience of the room, which is exactly what I wanted. A wired one like the Rode Go is fine because it goes directly into the recorder in my pocket.
If you want a bit more of an ambient mix of what’s happening in the room or perhaps you have a couple of people talking and you want a really simple set up, a hot shoe attached mic like this rode video micro might be just what you’re after.
Lighting can be as complicated or as simple as you want to make it. Natural light from the window is free but you are at the mercy of cloud coverage and the time of day. The lights I use for my still photography are all strobes because I like having high powered lights to stop motion. So I had to pick up a good continuous light source that I use only for YouTube. I chose a litemons la200 bi because you can adjust the color balance and it had a Bowens mount that matches a lot of the reflectors I already have.
An audio recorder and a continuous light source might be all that you need.
An optional extra would be a Teleprompter that you can mount to the front of your camera and use a smart phone or tablet app to display a script in front of you as you present. It’s not for everyone because a lot of people will prefer to speak from memory, but that’s some thing that I really struggled with and a Teleprompter helped. It might be worth experimenting with regardless because you can get a serviceable Teleprompter for around $200 like this Newer X14 I purchased off Amazon.
A teleprompter may cover up your camera’s flip out screen, adding the need for an external HDMI monitor. You might want one of these anyway because they give you a larger display that you can mount closer to you than the camera.
And you are away! YouTube has been a way for me to organize and share my ideas with the world. I hope the process helps you with your goals too.
Having this website critiqued by Cory Vanderploeg
Cory Vanderploeg kindly gave my website a critique. I’ve already actioned many of his suggested changes, so please have a look through filnenna.com and let me know if you think it was an improvement!
The website is critiqued around 44 minutes in the video below.
From 0 to 1000 YouTube Subscribers in 9 months
I’m a bit of a photography nerd and I’ve learnt a lot about the craft over the years. Especially when it comes to vintage film cameras and making epic portraits and headshots.
My YouTube channel is a bit of an experiment. I wanted to document my own education (in the form of studying renaissance artists, techniques and other useful things for portraits like body language), and share what I’ve learnt with others. Here’s the story so far…
DISCLAIMER: If you buy through the affiliate links in this description, I may receive a small commission at no additional charge to you. I appreciate your support!
Why YouTube?
YouTube helps me get my name out there, show my work to a wide audience and share the knowledge I’ve gained. It also acts as a FAQ for my portrait sitters. Rather than explain my retouching methods haphazardly, I can simply point them to my video about it.
A very nice benefit is that learning is consolidated when you try to internalize and summarize an idea or technique for an audience. I pay more attention to a book I’m reading if I know I need to relay that information later. In that sense, making videos helps me out as much as my viewers.
Making videos
It was pretty easy to start - I have most of the equipment I need as a photographer. The only additions I bought were a continuous light (Litemons 200bi) and a voice recorder with lapel mic (the zoom H1). I use my backup camera (a Canon 6D mark2) as a video camera and film in 1080p. I use Davinci Resolve for video editing. Its a steep learning curve, but I get faster with every video.
I started with a video on how to treat digital scans of negatives, and I’m experimenting with tutorials and how-to videos, mixed with quirky videos on things like 3D stereoscopy and drone portraits.
1000 subscribers is significant because it is one of the thresholds to monetization. Along with getting 4000 watch-hours. Its quite a painful journey actually. When I was at 100 subscribers, I got some traction with a video about simplifying camera settings. Subscribers reached 350 a week later. And then….crickets. For months. And many low-view videos later, a video on the philosophy of photography as a hobby gained traction. This was my 33rd video. Over Christmas 2022 and the new year, the subscriber count went from 400 to more than 2000.
What’s next?
Knowing the YouTube ride is a turbulent one, I’m not expecting views to remain high from here. It will dip again as I experiment with various video ideas that may or may not gain traction. Coming up are videos on how to pick a your first film camera, and how you can use body language to signal the intent of a portrait.
The plan is to get to 100 videos in order to have meaningful statistics to study. Which types of videos perform well, which thumbnails get clicked on and what makes me happy as a photographer and a creator.
Thank you my first 1000 Subscribers!
I started a YouTube channel last year to talk about my photography philosophies and work on my public speaking. This January the channel reached 1000 subscribers who’ve responded kindly to the videos I’ve been releasing.
The videos with the most views cover how to simplify your camera settings and to recognize your interests in order to enjoy what really matters - taking wonderful photographs!
To everyone who’s subscribed so far, thank you! And watch this space for more engaging content over the coming weeks and months.
A new portrait-centric YouTube channel
Friends, I’m dipping toes into making YouTube videos and it’s a little nerve wracking. I’d appreciate all your feedback in this early stage.
The idea is to make informational videos to help both photographers AND those getting their picture taken. I’ll be looking at how to prepare for a session, and describing my workflows during and after a session so you can see the road to how the final images are made.
And who knows, the channel will evolve and shift to what people find useful.
You can get to the videos through the new video page on my website.