Steal My Photos (please) | Stoke-Ness

Getting my photos stolen is the best thing to happen me.

This month

Medium Format film of the tropics, a cinema camera review and a song to power the rest of May.

Be stoked,
Isaac

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Photo Set

Medium Format Commercial Work

I was lucky enough to have a client request film photos for a recent architectural shoot. I could not have found better locations to shoot. Access to these types of houses is next to impossible, and the opportunity to shoot the format film on a commercial job is also slim. The photos turned out great, and I'm sure I'll be pinching myself years from now that I was able to shoot, medium format, film commercially.

I can't show the full set just yet, but here are some of the B-Sides.

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Gear and Tools

DJI 4D

Maybe the most useful piece of gear I’ve ever used.

This camera solves so many of the problems I have with video in one package.

Stabilization + a remote monitor + speed.

I can’t stress how efficient this makes a video shoot. Less time is wasted on multiple takes because of a bumpy camera move. Less time is wasted having a client review footage over your shoulder since they can watch it in real time. One minute gimbal balancing, easy lens changes, lidar autofocus, and a factory-built modular system keep things simple.

Recently, the camera has been used on the hit Netflix show Adolescence, on a movie Mel Gibson made, and on the new Brad Pitt F1 movie. It is legit.

Gear needs to be out of the way so creative concepts can come to life.

This camera does that better than any I’ve ever used. I wasn’t sure I’d like it, and now I can’t imagine a shoot without it.

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Photo/Video Technique

Stolen Photo Sales Technique

The client I have worked with the longest stole my images.

I have read the Huckberry email newsletter since around 2014. Imagine my surprise when, in 2017, I noticed they had featured several of my images without permission or credit.

I could have been mad, asked them to take it down, and told them they owed me money. Instead, I didn’t ascribe malice where ignorance was most likely.

“I noticed you featured my images in your newsletter. I am happy you share the same taste in creative work that I do! Thanks for sharing. Is there a way we can work together that more fairly benefits both of us going forward?”

I am praising their taste and setting up a strong boundary that they will know they’ve crossed. It’s a soft way of guilting them into working with me. And it works. They have worked with me since. It was the opening I needed to get to know them.
I have used this technique with too many clients and taught my students to use it as well. It’s 10x more successful than a cold email.

Don’t think of your photo as stolen; think of it as a free sample. Get ‘em hooked on your supply.

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Watch

I have followed Logan Patrick Nelson for years on IG as an MTB photographer. Turns out he should have been making YouTube videos because this video is amazing. He edits perfectly and has a personality that suits YouTube. Hopefully, he can make it a thing because I want to watch more of this.

PS, his second video in the series is also amazing

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Listen

I stumbled upon this jam recently. I don’t usually spend much time with Rap, but after having a bit of a Mura Masa kick, this song was the next step. I think you will like it.

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Reads

The Emerald Mile

Meg recommended this book after reading it nonstop. She said she was tense for days and that it reads like a Hollywood Blockbuster. I’m starting it this week.

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Parting thought.

We all know that good habits are what create productivity. Sometimes we forget that good habits start with believing the habits will help.

Choose to believe you will be successful, and your habits and activities will reflect that belief. The other side is to let doubt and criticism lead, and we intrinsically know it’s impossible to be successful if we don’t believe we will be.

Be stoked and have a great month,

Isaac

This newsletter, my photography, and my videos are all free but not cheap. If you want to help me continue to make things, you can subscribe to this newsletter.

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