Social Media Q&A with Alex
Lesson 26 from: The Photographic Style & Aesthetic WorkshopBenjamin Hardman
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Social Media Q&A with Alex
Lesson 26 from: The Photographic Style & Aesthetic WorkshopBenjamin Hardman
Lesson Info
26. Social Media Q&A with Alex
Lessons
M0: Orientation
1Series Hello & Introducing Benjamin Hardman
01:43 2Coffee with Alex - Benjamin's Story
22:38 3Benjamin's Workshop Introduction
01:39M1: Gear & Prep
4High-Resolution Setup
07:26 5Lightweight Gear Setup
05:33 6Backpack Breakdown
11:38Aerial Photography
05:51 8Gear & Clothing
07:26 9Research & Preparation
06:18M2: Shooting & Editing
10Seals of Glacier Lagoon
06:56 11Editing: Adobe Lightroom Basics
40:59 12Capturing Glacial Detail
08:23 13Editing: Macro Detail
15:17 14Exploring on Foot
09:47 15Editing: Image Stitching
17:18 16Photographing the Elusive Reindeer
07:21 17Editing: Subjects in Sunset Light
16:58 18Documenting Iceland's Jagged Peaks
06:21 19Editing: Atmospheric Mountains
14:56 20Mountain Drone Photography
10:50 21Editing: Aerial Abstraction
17:20M3: Finding Your Style, Curation, and Social Media
22Benjamin's Style
03:30 23What Inspires Benjamin
02:40 24Creating Your Own Voice
03:01 25Curation: Computer to Phone & UNUM
10:16 26Social Media Q&A with Alex
08:47M4: Running A Creative Business
27Benjamin's Story & Business Tips
05:23 28Presenting Professionally
01:39 29Printing Your Work
12:29 30Staying Inspired
01:02M5: Wrap Up
31Workshop Takeaways
06:03 32Workshop Summary with Alex
32:50Lesson Info
Social Media Q&A with Alex
(wind blowing) Social media, for me, really started when I moved to Iceland in 2015. In the beginning, it was simply just a way that I could share my images, the reason I moved here, capturing these landscapes, things I'd never seen before, and sharing those with my family and friends back home. I could have never dreamt of, you know, where this has taken me over the years and the opportunities that have come out of it. The biggest thing overall is, you know, the community side of Instagram. It's a phenomenal way to meet people and connect with like-minded individuals who share similar passions. And of course, one of those people is Mr. Strohl-man himself, Alex, and I thought talking about social media, what better way than to bring him into this segment. And we just, you know, say some stuff. Say some stuff, so Hardman, hello. Hello everybody back there. Good seeing you. Yes, yes. You've been working hard. Oh yeah, a few days of intense stuff going on back here. I've learn...
ed many things, actually. (laughing) That's good. Yeah, I've been sitting in the shadows watching Ben work. It's been impressive. Mm-hmm, eating croissants back there. You know, we have a good croissant station, an Aeropress and tea. Just gonna gain some weight here, actually. (Alex and Ben laughing) It's good. So, I would like to know how you use Instagram particularly. Good question, all right, good. Well, you know, as I was eating my croissant, I heard you touch about community and I think that's the word that defines Instagram. You know, it might have been eroding lately, I'd say, with the changes, et cetera. So this is kind of, I like that we're doing this because it gets us to talk about a new version of, I mean, what we've been saying, in Adventure Workshop, I talk about practices a year ago and I feel like things have changed, so this is a good opportunity. V2. Yeah, it's like a V2, thanks for bringing it up. I'd say that for me, yeah, community has been big because that's how I met most of the people I know in the States now. For those of you who don't know, I'm based there and that's where I met you and people who've actually become friends, like it's- Montana. Montana, that's where we- Oh yeah. It's always been about, for me, keeping a journal. Like, Instagram's been a way to just journal about my thoughts, I have many thoughts and can be a bit overwhelming if I don't have an outlet to put 'em out. So, it doesn't really reflect, the photos are obviously the most important part, but that day when I'm posting a photo, maybe it's from, you know, a week ago or two weeks ago. And maybe I'm just talking about how I feel that day. So, it's not always linked to the photo. It's more like an outlet for just ideas and sometimes some advice. I used to be like, oh, the guy who posts every day and, you know, always trying to be out there shooting, but I felt like it's kind of no longer necessary. I mean, how do you feel about that? Like, do you think that, you used to post every day for a while, too. Yeah, so in the beginning, like, I had years of material that was just waiting to be put on the internet. I feel like you have that on, yeah, this guy's got photos on tap, though. (Ben laughing) When you see his hard drives, like, oh, I haven't posted that, haven't posted that. A lot of photos, that's for sure. Yeah, you're lucky. On that note, I've never followed this structure of, you know, keeping up to date. You know, posting what you're doing today and yesterday, so- Chronologically, you mean? Yeah, chronologically. You haven't done that. I don't think I've ever had a period of doing that on my Instagram. It's always, like for me, photography is about reflecting. It takes me a little bit of time to process my images in my mind before I even beginning to work on them. I couldn't follow that strategy if I wanted to, I think. Just be too rushed for me in the way that I work. Instagram is a gallery space, a way for me to showcase my best images to the world. I feel like I wanna sometimes expand the narratives and some photos are not, you know, perfect on the grid or, you know, won't look perfect as they are, but I feel like they allow me to expand the narrative because I see it a bit more of a journal instead of, I mean, there's no right or wrong here. It's just different perspective, so- That's why we're here talking. Yeah, I guess if people don't know how they do it, the point would be like to match it to how you see life- And how you shoot. How you shoot, yeah. And how you see life, like, are you more a perfectionist like Mr. Hardman or (laughing). You know, or you're not a perfectionist, like me. The journaling aspect, you know, it's a way for you to get your story out there or how you're feeling, and you know, as you've touched on, when we're talking about this segment, you know, like a way, depending on how your emotions are on a given day that can affect like, you know, how your story will come out or the image you'll post. Yeah, for sure, or even the edit. Instagram is also a good, kind of jumping somewhere else, but it's a good way to meet people. Like, it's a good reason to go meet, not even just people to go shoot with, but just meet a farmer or some people who you would never go and meet in other conditions because you don't have a reason to just go and knock at their door. So I feel like taking photos and sharing them on Instagram or whatever social platform, I guess, you wanna share them, is always a good reason to go out of your way and meet somebody. So, for me, that's the biggest thing is it gives you a reason to do it. Yeah, I think that that's one of the real big takeaways from this is just that, you know, as a platform, Instagram really just gives you a platform of motivation to strive towards, like, to give you also a little bit of a schedule, even if it's not about posting chronologically or posting every day. It just gives you a little bit of drive to make stuff happen. There's a drive, yeah, yeah, yeah. But again, if there was no Instagram, you, okay, I won't assume, but I think you would be out there shooting anyways. Oh yeah. That's the difference. So yeah, I mean, for me, the drive comes from like, so no matter what, I'm out shooting. I'm getting the shots, I'm having those experiences because that's what just fuels me as a human. But, sometimes I have like a bridge to cross about actually sitting down and going into phase two, being the edit, and digging into the 1,000 photos that I shot and finding one that I resonate with, on, like, a next level. And I think occasionally that knowing that, you know, there is this kind of desire to want to put something on the internet every now and then, it's just a little bit of a motivating factor, just like coffee is for me sometimes. (laughing) Oh, when? To get that done, and it is a reflection of the perfectionist in me and that I have trouble being done with a photo. I feel like I'm never really done, but you know, I have to call it quits at some point. Yeah. (laughing) Oh. But no, I agree, Instagram is like the, I think it should just be the bonus, you know? Go out there, have these experiences, and I guess it's just not doing it for the Gram. Yeah. You know, it's more like, have the experience and then if you feel like you'd wanna post it, then it's a bonus and then you get to share with people, but it shouldn't be the drive. Yeah, you should never go out and shoot specifically for the intention of posting it. I don't think that works. I wouldn't be able to recall a time where I've specifically gone out to capture an image for Instagram. My goal is just to merely have the best images I can produce on file for whatever given situation it is, just so I can go out and have those experiences, because again, that's what fuels me as a person. For a job though, sometimes, you might have to do that. Yeah, yeah. For a project, you know- But then- For the assignment, you've got to get something to post and- For sure, definitely. But then, like, maybe the job is the motivation, not strictly- Instagram. Instagram itself, yeah. That's true. But I definitely think every now and then, just getting beyond the actual shoot and diving into the edit, because that for me, is quite a mentally, like, challenging situation, just knowing there's like the last piece of the puzzle waiting to be placed, and that being, you know, sharing this with the world on Instagram, it's a nice little kick for me to kind of get through an edit sometimes. You spend a while editing. Yeah, my takeaway is to go out and shoot and you don't have Instagram as the reason you're going out and shooting, going out to do the shoot, as same as Alex. We agree, don't do it for the Gram. Don't do it for the Gram. Of course, the next tier is for me, that sometimes for me, it's a little bit of motivation to smash out an editing session, but it would never be the reason that I go out to take the photos in the first place. So you kinda use, yeah, you use the use the bonus of Instagram, like, the fact that you can post it and share with people and have interactions, as big or small as they may be, you always have interaction. You just use it as fuel, which is very smart. Yeah, it's fuel. But the experience, that's the main fuel. Fuels me as a human. Love that. (Ben laughing)
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Ratings and Reviews
Matt Grandbois
Very Informative & Awe Inspiring Both Benjamin and Alex have played huge roles in my photographic style development over the years and it is great to hear first hand exactly what inspires and drives Ben to keep pushing his creative boundaries. Personally, I love his minimalist approach and it was super insightful to watch him explain how he developed that style and how he actively produces photographs in a cohesive manner. 10/10 recommend this workshop to anyone looking for a very unique and profound perspective with the intent of expanding your creative horizons.
Alec Brown
First Workshop The first workshop I have ever purchased. I've always been hesitant to invest in a workshop, however this went above and beyond my expectations. Fluid in progression, great insight and a super relaxed learning curve full of information. I feel this has prepared me to take my own personal photographic journey to the next level. Executed to perfection. Nice work guys! 10/10 recommended.
Janelle Dransfield
Moving to Iceland now...? Loved this workshop! I really liked the way the modules are split up, and the way you watch Benjamin go out on location for a shot, then immediately sit down and watch his editing process for that specific shot. So much editing to learn too, since he doesn't use presets! The workbook is also super thorough, so printing it out allowed me to pay close attention and just add little notes here and there. The Iceland road guide is also SO helpful and in depth. Can't wait to use it. Also loved that Ben talked about printing your own work. Would be cool to maybe see something from Wildist in the future that goes even more into depth on that (calibrating your own printer, working with a print shop, dropship sites, etc.) Awesome course. Thanks, Hardman.