Apologies if this gets asked allot. Absolutley done with watching my regular YT photography channels, I just don’t give a shit about new gear anymore, awful clickbait thumbnails & titles are getting worse, and the tribal nature between big brand fanboys in comment sections is boring. I want to remove myself from this part of the photography world to stop that feeling of always needing to upgrade.
Any YT channels out there just focusing on the process & art of photography?
The Photographic Eye - Others have mentioned it, for good reason. All about the art, spirit and philosophy of photography. His videos are a fun way to discover great photographers of the past who are worth studying.
Newcastle Photography College - My favorite recent discovery. Love to find small YouTube channels with great content.
Australian photographer and instructor. Great tutorials on lighting and off-camera flash. I don’t think there’s a single gear review on his channel lol.
He’s one of those photographers who’s done it for so long he has an amazing mastery of light. He’s done photo shoots with flashlights, cheap lamps, reflectors and windows and gotten good pictures.
Take & Make Great Photography with Gavin Hoey - Playlist under the Adorama channel. He does promote Godox lighting gear (which I recommend anyway), but not aggressively, just through excellent demonstrations. I feel like I owe Gavin money for how much I’ve learned from him about off-camera flash.
The 505 Podcast - Three young creatives sharing the business side of being a creative. One is a photographer for DJs, one is a sports videographer for the NBA and one is a commercial car photographer/videographer.
They’re fun, cool and a blast to watch. Being an old fogey, I don’t understand all of their modern slang. So if you’re a young person, you’ll get more than me, ha ha.
If you sort the videos by “Oldest,” it’s a step-by-step course in how to become a full-time creative.
Shoot Your Shot Podcast - Duo, one’s a filmmaker/travel creator and the other is a photographer. One of the hosts said her goal was to “spill the tea” that other content creators won’t talk about.
The Moe and O Photo Show - Omar Gonzalez (the “O” in the show) is my favorite photography YouTuber. Great teacher, great sense of humor, fun personality.
In the podcast he and Moe get to do more in-depth discussions compared to the quick videos on Omar’s main channel. Omar is a bar mitzvah and portrait photographer, and his passions are street, travel and bird photography.
They’re childhood best friends, and it shows in their banter.
There is gear talk, but I think they have a reasonable attitude toward gear. They don’t make you feel like you need to have the newest camera or your pictures will suck.
Cassidy Lynne - Wedding photographer. My favorite episodes are where she shares embarrassing horror stories and confessions that photographers have submitted to her. Things that have gone wrong during photo shoots.
The Frugal Filmmaker - I recommend sorting the videos by “Popular.” This guy was the MacGyver of creators.
Mark Holtze - This is a gear channel–about vintage lenses. It can be a fun rabbit hole to go down. How to get unique, quirky looks by using old lenses.
###Videos
Individual videos, not channels, but I thought they were too good to not share. Insights from people at the top of their game.
Chat with FAMOUS Wedding Photographer Joe Buissink - Joe gets paid up to $50,000 per wedding and he shoots on an old camera (Canon 5D Mark III), so you know it’s not about the gear.
He does share about how he pitches clients and positions himself as a high-end photographer. But he shares so much more: about the mindset of how a photographer at that level thinks and stays inspired (hint: it’s not YouTube, Instagram or social media).
Michael Muller - Out of the Box - I cued it up to my favorite example of a personal project. He shares how he used a personal project to break into shooting superhero movie posters for Hollywood studios.
Platon reveals power through his portraits of global leaders. For someone with his giant reputation, I expected an aloof genius type. I thought he was hilarious.
The self-talk he gave himself when he broke the rules on the magazine’s demand for nice elegant headshots of a U.S. President to do his signature crazy wide-angle shot is one of the most inspiring things I’ve heard. Dare to be yourself.
1960: How did Orson Welles make Citizen Kane? - I cued it up to my favorite part. Welles’ answer to the interviewer’s question totally caught me off guard, ha ha. It’s such a great motivator when I’m feeling doubtful, imposter syndrome, etc. Turn your weaknesses into strengths.
Hope this helps.