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Lesson Info
6. Creating Concepts
Lessons
Taking the Jump with Forrest Mankins
06:28 2Workshop Intro with Alex
02:15 3Tea with Mankins
05:47 4Failure
01:52 5Burnout
02:13 6Creating Concepts
02:55 7Planning
02:15 8Finding People to Shoot With
04:49Working with Talent
05:08 10Building A Team
01:17 11Shooting With A Team
08:48 12Film vs. Digital
05:26 13Editing - Referencing Film
23:03 14Editing - Finishing A Concept
03:12 15Presets
02:37 16$500 Challenge - Lake Five
04:41 17Learning Taste
04:08 18$500 Challenge - Land Cruiser
05:14 19Q&A with Alex
30:54Lesson Info
Creating Concepts
So, this is the most important thing to me. So we go back to the burnout. I was in the middle of that and I'm asking myself these questions. What if I could shoot anything? Like what would I do? And I thought, if I had exactly the right location that I wanted, the perfect light, props, model, everything, what would I actually do? So I challenged myself to think of just one photograph that I would make if I had everything going for me and I just wrote it down. And I wasn't thinking about what I could shoot right then in the wintertime in the Rocky mountains, but just anything. And I keep saying it, but anything is the key word for this exercise. It removes all limitations. It puts us into a mindset of control. And to me it implies this separation from reality which is important because I think when we're facing a burnout, or feeling challenged in general, we often feel as maybe we're not the one steering the ship. So after I thought of that first photo which was someone sitting sideways...
in a canoe, I thought of a variation, someone standing in a canoe. And obviously this is nothing super groundbreaking, right? But when you're faced with burnout, and kind of questioning everything to get any piece of ground back really feels like a big deal. And to me it felt like hope. So I started this list with all of the ideas I could think of, and I'm still doing that. If I see a location, or a certain type of light, anything that I think is cool, I just write it down. And I don't put any pressure on myself to decide if it's worthy or anything at all in the moment. The thought kind of is, if I feel compelled to write it down then maybe there is some potential there. The other plus of having a list is that you can go back at any time and review. There's no worry about forgetting anything. And if something is still appealing to you in a day or a month, then maybe it's worth pursuing. We're prone to doing the same things over and over. So keeping a list like this can give us direction and assignment. And from there we can go and pick what sounds best that day and make it happen. And I think of it like this, maybe you pick an idea that demands a sunny day and you go out and then the weather turns. I know that I've written down ideas that demand sunshine, and I have ones as well, that need rain. So when I'm feeling lost, having this list gives me something to reference. Whether it's a note on your phone or a little notebook you keep with you, taking the time to just write down brief outlines of your ideas can help you come back to photography with a new passion and direction.
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Ratings and Reviews
Mathieu Cladidier
A lot of philosophical insights but not much of practical tips to use! I love Forrest Mankins photos and youtube channel. I signed up for his workshop to get a bit more of an insider perception, which he delivered in his own style and which is great. However, at the end of the workshop, I have a hard time to really feel like it worth it. Maybe I was expecting too much of technical, really hands on tips. The whole thing is good overall, don't get me wrong but not as much useful as expected.
Matt Steindl
Creating a Moment Overall, this workshop had a ton of great insight into Forrest's process before and after creating an image. I learned a lot and really enjoyed the points he touched on with working with models and teams. I never had a workshop go into these sort of important details that forgotten at times. I wish the workshop had more "in the field" video content as it tended to get a bit cumbersome watching Forrest talk at the camera over and over again but regardless I definitely learned a lot and would purchase this workshop again in heartbeat.