Changes To My Podcast. And How Do We Get Started In Photography Today?

Photography Explained Podcast Episode 139 - Changes To My Podcast. And How Do We Get Started In Photography Today?

Right - here is the answery bit
People get started in photography today by taking their new phone out of the box, turning the phone on, and taking photos. That is how people get started in photography today. Which is slightly less than when I got into photography all those years ago!

More on this in a bit. But first, I want to tell you what I am going to change with my podcast, and why. And why it will be much better of course.

I have mentioned this before, after 130 ish episodes of my podcast I have been thinking about things. I missed an episode, then one was late, and I realised that I do not have the time to do everything that I want to do, including my podcast. So, some things have to change.

What’s next?
Episode 140 - What Does The Future Of Photography Look Like?

Transcript

Hi and welcome to Episode 139 of the Photography Explained podcast. I’m Rick, and in each episode I explain one photographic in plain English in less than 10 minutes (ish) without the irrelevant details. What I tell you is based on my lifetime of photographic experience. And not Google. 

In this episode, changes coming up to my podcast, and lots more thoughts on last weeks’ episode, in particular how do we get started in photography today?

Right - here is the answery bit

People get started in photography today by taking their new phone out of the box, turning the phone on, and taking photos. That is how people get started in photography today. Which is slightly less than when I got into photography all those years ago!

More on this in a bit. But first, I want to tell you what I am going to change with my podcast, and why. And why it will be much better of course.

I have mentioned this before, after 130 ish episodes of my podcast I have been thinking about things. I missed an episode, then one was late, and I realised that I do not have the time to do everything that I want to do, including my podcast. So, some things have to change.

I dearly love my podcast, and hope that you do too. I have received some great feedback, but not so much in way of the questions from listeners for me to answer. 

And then there is of course the podcast survey, which you can still help me with - just head over to Photography Explained Podcast.com/survey. It won’t take you long I promise, and your answers will help me to understand what you want from my podcast, dear listener. Yes you.

 So this little lot got me thinking. And this is what I am going to do. Don’t worry, I will be brief with this bit, before I get on to the thing from last week that I want to explore much more.

Fortnightly publishing

I will be publishing new episodes fortnightly. Yes, I am going from weekly episodes to fortnightly episodes. That is change number 1.

Publishing on a Friday

Yes, I am moving from Tuesday to Friday, starting with the next episode which will be published on Friday 14th October 2022. Blimey, seems like a long way off!

Longer episodes

Podcast episodes will be longer. More in the 20-30 minute range. See 10 minutes just isn’t enough to do justice to things the way that I want to.

I have found episodes getting longer and longer anyway. The idea when I started my podcast was episodes lasting less than 10 minutes which I recorded and uploaded without editing. That didn’t work, but this evolution is perfectly natural.

 I will still explain one thing in 10 minutes or less, but will then expand on that and add more info to give context and share my experiences with you. Don’t worry, this will all be relevant to the subject in question. Oh ok then, I will be digressing all over the place but the stuff I digress onto will be related and hopefully entertaining.

Less often, longer, and most importantly of all, of a higher quality, with a fuller explanation, but still without the irrelevant detail. That is the changes that I am going to make to my podcast. And no this is not the beginning of the end for my podcast – far from it. This is the beginning of the next phase of my podcast.

Like I say I genuinely love creating my podcast, but I also want it to the best that it can be. I know, I think about this stuff too much sometimes…..

And the content will change too. I am going to pick up on previous episodes, just like I am going to do in this episode shortly, for one reason. When I have finished recording an episode I find there are loads more things that I wish I had said – I think this is just a result of the way my brain works. So I am now going to include them in the next episode, in a sort recap/ further discussion. And while I am doing this I will give you the opportunity to add your thoughts.

So something for both of us.

Higher quality

Going fortnightly takes the weekly pressure off me. And longer episodes give me the space to do what I really want to do, and the space to be more me. And also to talk in a more relaxed way without the feeling that I have to get this over and done with as quickly as possible.

And going fortnightly gives your ears a break too….

Let’s just see how this goes ok? Any thoughts appreciated as always – just head over to the podcast website, photographyexplainedpodcast.com.

What if everyone says, “no Rick we want to hear you weekly?”

Well, in the extremely unlikely event of that happening I will revert back to weekly of course…..

OK – that is that done – thank you for bearing with me. Now on to the thing that I wanted to talk about. This is the good stuff, this is what came into my head after I recorded the last episode.

Here is, the talky bit

I wanted to pick up one thing from the last episode and talk about it some more. What do all those folks who first experience photography through phones think of photography? How do we get started in photography today?

Well this is what I said in the last episode

“Well they are going to look at cameras and think that this is so old school.” That is what I said last episode, and there is so much more to this than just that statement.

See this fascinates me, and it was not something that I had thought about until the other episode. 

Let’s look at me and how I got into photography

I started off as a teenager, a young teenager at that. I was a whippersnapper for sure (I am saying that as I love the fact that Word queries this word on inclusivity grounds and wants me to change it to either “younger person” or “inexperienced person”). Sorry, back in the day when I was a mere whippersnapper, I got into photography.

I have no idea where this came from. No one else in my family was into photography. It was just me. My parents bought me a camera, which I was very fortunate to be given. And not too long after that I had my very own darkroom, where I used to process my own films and do my own prints. Badly it has to be said, but I learnt lots.

When I left school (not a great success it has to be said) I went to Art College, enrolling on a Foundation Course in Art and Design, where I studied all sorts of arty type stuff, finishing with a whole term dedicated to my chosen art, which of course was photography.

When I say all sorts of stuff, I mean one week of each of the following

• Knitting and weaving – yes really – I hated that
• Painting – I hated that
• Ceramics – I hated that
• Graphic design – I tolerated that but was rubbish at it
• Photography – my one week of sheer bliss and enjoyment

And the other weeks? Stuff I have erased from my memory.

I didn’t last long in the arts world though, just about making it to the end of the summer term, and after leaving I got a job labouring on building sites– I needed the money for beer and to live my life as a 19 year old.

So my photography career, first time around, started in about November, and was over by the end of May the year after!

But photography stayed with me to varying degrees over the years before I got back into it properly in about 2000. That was when I studied, worked hard, practised, took courses, created my own website. And learned from many of the great tutors of the time. I went to all sorts of photography shows and seminars. I worked and worked and eventually got myself qualified as an actual professional photographer.

Yes, a “real photographer” - it’s ok – I am using air quotes – you just can’t seem them.

I have been for some years, and still am now, a proud Associate of the British Institute of Professional Photography, having the letters ABIPP after my name.

See I really have worked hard at this to get to where I am now. Years of hard work, diligent study. All that good stuff.

Why am I telling you this?

 Simple.

The modern day equivalent is this?

Get a new phone. Open the box, take the phone out, take photos. All done, you are up and running.

Am I oversimplifying things? Not at all. For most people, this is what they do. For most people, they do not know any different. This is now the natural way for people to get started in photography.

Open the box, take the phone out, take photos.

Why does this matter?

Well first off, I am not criticising, it is just how things have evolved. This is the world we find ourselves in now.

If you can take photos that you are happy with using your phone do you need anything else? Do you need a camera? Do you need a PC to edit your photos on? Do you even have a PC?

And as for aperture, shutter and ISO, the exposure triangle - well who knows? If you are taking photos with your phone only, you are not bothered with any of that stuff. You might have never even heard of them.

And that is just the beginning, there is a whole world of stuff we know as photographers that people who take photos with phones will not know. And might never know.

Photography these days is in a completely different, instant, constantly connected form. And the photos that you can take with phones are amazing these days. Let’s not forget, the photos you can take with a phone in 2022 can be to an amazing standard.

Am I jealous of today? 

Yes and no. I have learned so much over the years that I am so grateful for. But I said it in the last episode – if I could do a commercial shoot with my phone only I would do it. Why wouldn’t I?

But the tech is not here yet, not for what I need. So whilst there is an immediacy to photography these days, there is still learning that needs to be done to improve, to progress, to take better photos. To take photos to a professional standard. But the gap is closing.

Photography has changed.

Photography today is an activity that is pretty much instantly available to the majority of people. I know that there are people not fortunate enough to have phones, but photography is more accessible today than ever.

 And the software on phones, and other mobile devices, is pretty amazing too.

The question is how to engage people these days to develop, to grow their photography. How do we get people who are happy taking photos with their phones to learn about composition and light? How do we get to these people?

That is the challenge for today, for all those good folk who work in all areas of the photography and media industries.

We need to get that message out to people who are after all happy with what they have, and what they are creating. If we do not, how will they ever find this stuff out for themselves?

Or have I got this all wrong? Is everything that we as photographers know now going to fade away to nothing in the future. If you can take great photos with a phone without ever having to even know about aperture, shutter, ISO, exposure triangle, all that stuff – will you ever need to know in the future?

Maybe not.

Will cameras just end up being phones that take better photos? Back to the future – next episode.

 So that is what I wanted to say. And blimey, I feel better for getting that lot off my chest!

What do I do?

I create a podcast. And I have lots of other things that I do. So that is why my podcast is going fortnightly. Quality over quantity. And longer episodes which give me the time to share what I want to share with you all. Like in this episode.

More of me, which I hope is a good thing for you my dear listener….

And with all that I do I try to educate folk in photography, all the stuff that I have talked about here. And I do this telling you what you need to know and no more.

Next episode

Episode 140 - What Does The Future Of Photography Look Like?

Well I touched on this in the last episode, so I am going all in next episode, which I will publish in 2 weeks’ time. Yes, 2 weeks from this episode.

And talking of future episodes – my survey is still out there

My Photography Explained Podcast survey is still on the podcast website – just a few questions that should take less than a minute to answer – just head over to Photography Explained Podcast.com/survey. And thanks for your help.

Got a photography question you want me to answer in plain English, in less than 10 minutes (ish), without the irrelevant details. You do? Great - just head over to PhotographyExplainedPodcast.com/start.

This episode was brought to you by, erm, a cheese and pickle sandwich and home crisps, prawn cocktail, sat here in my home-made, acoustically cushioned recording emporium. I forgot to say, I have had a rejig of my recording space, giving me more room for the cushions, which has worked nicely and made recording much more comfortable as there is more room for me.

I’ve been Rick McEvoy, thanks again very much for listening to my small but perfectly formed podcast (it says here), and for giving me 10 (ish) minutes of your valuable time. OK, I am going to have to stop saying 10ish minutes – I will come up with something for the next episode.

Take care, stay safe

Cheers from me Rick