Can a photographer maintain their passion and personal life without one overshadowing the other? Join us on JP Visual Voices as we unpack the Photographer's Dilemma, featuring the story of Dave, a 27-year-old photographer from Detroit who's caught between his love for capturing moments and the demands of his new relationship. You'll learn how to navigate the tricky waters of keeping professional commitments separate from personal expectations, especially when your loved one seems to blur those lines.
Explore the delicate balance of setting boundaries in personal relationships while preserving your creative zest. We dive into how Dave's girlfriend's constant requests for free professional photos are not just a strain on his resources but also on his enthusiasm for photography. This episode is packed with actionable advice on maintaining clear communication about your professional services and balancing your personal life without compromising your passion.
Finally, we engage in the heated debate of camera settings—automatic versus manual. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned shutterbug, you'll appreciate our detailed breakdown of the pros and cons of each mode, including insights on aperture and shutter priority. This is your chance to deepen your understanding and share your experiences with fellow photographers, fostering a community of learning and growth. Don't miss this enlightening discussion that could redefine your approach to photography!
Can a photographer maintain their passion and personal life without one overshadowing the other? Join us on JP Visual Voices as we unpack the Photographer's Dilemma, featuring the story of Dave, a 27-year-old photographer from Detroit who's caught between his love for capturing moments and the demands of his new relationship. You'll learn how to navigate the tricky waters of keeping professional commitments separate from personal expectations, especially when your loved one seems to blur those lines.
Explore the delicate balance of setting boundaries in personal relationships while preserving your creative zest. We dive into how Dave's girlfriend's constant requests for free professional photos are not just a strain on his resources but also on his enthusiasm for photography. This episode is packed with actionable advice on maintaining clear communication about your professional services and balancing your personal life without compromising your passion.
Finally, we engage in the heated debate of camera settings—automatic versus manual. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned shutterbug, you'll appreciate our detailed breakdown of the pros and cons of each mode, including insights on aperture and shutter priority. This is your chance to deepen your understanding and share your experiences with fellow photographers, fostering a community of learning and growth. Don't miss this enlightening discussion that could redefine your approach to photography!
What's going on, you guys? This is JP Visual Voices and I'm your host, widji, welcome. Welcome to the podcast. We're gonna jump straight to the question of the day am I the asshole? Alright, so I have a scenario here, right from David. I'm gonna just go ahead and read it off the email and then I'll give my personal input. You know what do you think? All right, let's get to it. Am I the asshole? It's the question. Million dollar question, guys, am I the asshole for waiting to break up with my girlfriend because of photography? What? Let's get to it, let's get to it.
Speaker 1:
Hi, ouija, my name is. My name is Dave, a 27-year-old photographer located in Detroit. Okay, shout out to you, dave, in Detroit. All right, I recently got into a relationship after being single for the past two years and a half. Mind you, your boys dress up nice. Okay, dave, dave, saying you know you're 27-year year old, from detroit, but that's beside the point.
Speaker 1:
I recently went to my homeboy to my homeboy oh, I guess he meant a party. I recently went to a party with my homeboy and when I got there, I seen this nice girl and we kind of locked eyes in the midst of looking at her and then she smiled at me for a little bit and I said to myself okay, that's my chance. All right, dave, so far I don't. So far. Everything's you know basic right now, you know. After that I went to the bar. I got us both a drink a gentleman and I went to her and offered a drink and she's smiling, just took it from me and we have been talking the entire time. We have been flirting with each other, laughing and having fun. Fast forward. We went on a few dates and you know have casual conversations and everything was still going good. In the midst of conversation I told her that I'm a professional photographer and videographer and her eyes widened and she started smiling even harder. So obviously I started feeling myself. You know what I mean, but unfortunately I don't. Don't. Not yet, dave, not yet. Fast forward.
Speaker 1:
A few months after we started dating, I found myself taking pictures of her with my camera every time we are going out. That's a little bit much. It could be simply go out to eat or go to the park or to a party. All right, let me start again. It could be simply go out to eat or go to a park, go to parties or go to a party. All right, let me start again. It could be simply go out to eat or go to a park, go to parties or go to the club.
Speaker 1:
The first thing she would ask me is bring a camera to take pictures of her because she's feeling herself. At first I found it cute because she wanted me to take pictures of her Again. Mind you, she looks really good, but eventually I find it annoying because, as a professional photographer, I don't want to be walking around with a camera in my hands if I'm not making any money from it, and especially for her to keep telling me to bring the camera each and every time we're stepping out somewhere. It makes me feel like I'm a noobie again. Damn, dave, it started. Good, jesusesus dave, what's going on? Man started. Good, my dog say. He's feeling like a newbie again. It's probably one of them things. Anyways, let me save my comments for after. Let me see where was I? Okay, like he said, it makes me feel like a newbie again, which there is nothing wrong with being new or just getting started. You want to take pictures of everything and you would kill to have somebody wanted to take pictures with you for your portfolio, her that.
Speaker 1:
It bothers me when she keeps asking me to bring my $4,000 camera $4,000 plus camera, $2,000 lens, $400 speed light to the park or to the club, or even to a party and I'm not making any money off of it just for her to take pictures for Instagram and social media. Wow, that's an expensive post, my boy. That's an expensive post every time I'm making any money. Okay, I find it a red flag because this is the beginning of our relationship and I'm wondering how long is this going to go until she realized that I get annoyed, or it's annoying. I'm almost to the point where I want to break up with her, but I do kind of like her, so, at the same time, I don't want to break up with her. So please tell me, what do you think I should do? Or have you ever been in a situation like this, to where you get annoyed by people, keep asking you to take pictures for free, even if they are your wife, husband, family member? Please help a brother out. David, all right, let's. Hopefully I can tell you what you should do, but right now.
Speaker 1:
So let's recap real quick, right? So this dude named dave he's a professional photographer, right? And he's saying that, basically, he went to a party with his homeboy. So I'm guessing the way he explaining he wasn't doing the gig there, he wasn't taking photos, he was just there you know what I'm saying Vibing, chilling, and then he met this girl that looks fine and they started talking. He bought her a drink, they started conversating and all of that. Long story short, they ended up dating in the future, right.
Speaker 1:
And in the midst of conversation they was having at that club, or, you know, at that party, he told her that he's a photographer and that she was, you know, happy and smiling hard like crazy. So they are dating and he found himself having to grab his camera every time they about to step out, it don't matter where they going. She wants to take them bum ass photos, them nice ass blurry backgrounds, them sharp, stupid sharp ass photos for Instagram, right. And then he's saying that his gears maybe the camera that he's using, his main camera is $4,000 with a $2,000 lens. He didn't tell us which type of camera is it or what type of lens, but he just said $4,000 plus $2,000, plus lens, with a speed light, you know, a flash on top of the camera, for him to just go ahead and take pictures of her. If we're doing the math, that's about six thousand four hundred dollars plus for, you know, instagram posts and social media, facebook and whatnot. So his dilemma is he's he gets annoyed because she kept asking him to take pictures every single time that they stepping out, all right. So now he doesn't know how to tell her that he's annoyed by it. And then so he's coming in here. He wants to break up, but he likes her, so he quote unquote doesn't want to break up with her and and then he's asking. He's asking actually, is he an asshole for wanting to break up? I'm guessing that's the question.
Speaker 1:
So if you have been, you know, listening or watching and listening for my YouTube viewers, you know, leave in the comment down below like what do you think Dave should do? What do you think of the situation of? Am I the asshole? Like leave a comment, let me know what you you thinking. You know, that's why dave is here, so let me know what's up. So this is my take on this. All right for me, dave. Let me talk to dave for me. I said yes, you are, and no, you're not. All right, let me explain why I say yes and no. Reason for my yes and no is because you know again, we ain't talking about the club scene, the club part, the party. You know y'all was vibing, y'all was talking that's regular stuff, right and then y'all started. You know y'all started going out and dating and all of that.
Speaker 1:
Since you're a professional photographer so you've been known that. You know, as a newbie, when you're just getting started, you want to take pictures of everything. You see. You know your little kids, nephews, nieces, whatever you happy. You want to take pictures of everything. You know. That's how you learn, that's how you grow is practice, practice, practice, they say. And then you are at the point where you pass that stage.
Speaker 1:
I'm I'm assuming that you making money off of it now and you know you got your social media presence or even a website. You know you got a name for yourself. So you're not no longer moving around doing this free stuff in a sense. Free stuff in a way, right. But now you met this girl telling you that she needs pictures. This is the very first time, in my opinion, that you started to take pictures of her. In a way you should have known, kind of like this is going to be tough reason. I'm saying that this is going to be tough because she's gas. You know I'm saying she's happy. But this is gonna get annoying you, a professional, we don't do free gigs, no more.
Speaker 1:
You could literally apply the stuff that you know from a professional camera to a, you know, cell phone. Let's say you got I don't know what type of phones dave has, but let's say you have one of them good, android or iphone or whatever phone that's out there is really good, right them, google phones and everything. They have portrait modes. You know about lightings already. You know. You know what I'm saying. You can tell the few spots.
Speaker 1:
So there's ways you can take a banger photo that would look better than somebody who's regularly using the phone camera to do pictures for IG. Not necessarily looks exactly like a professional, but it all depends, right? So you did the first photo. She happy, you're good. You did it the second time. You did it the third time.
Speaker 1:
Now she just got used to that's the word I was looking for. Now she just got used to you taking her pictures every time she's moving around and at first, like you said, it was cute, it was nice, she looks good, you're like. You know it ain't nothing, you're taking pictures of your girlfriend. You know what I'm saying, but eventually it becomes an everyday thing, to where to the point, you go into the park going, walking and talking, and you got to bring a camera, take a few shots. Here and there it gets annoying. Yes, it's a passion, photography is a passion, but it's something that you have to want to do, not something that you have to do. It's not fun anymore when you have to go around, take pictures and this and that All right. So basically, you got her to be this way because you didn't set it up from the get. Go Like you, don't roll like that. That's one to why I'm saying you the asshole, right.
Speaker 1:
The second thing is, instead of you wanting to break up with her, you could clearly tell her like hey, you know, like something, like you know I no longer do you know pictures for free. You know what I'm saying? Like I charge my clients, I charge, especially before her. You got all these gears. You created your own presence on social media. Now, yes, she's your girl, but you know it is what it is. Or if you want to take pictures of her on your own time and you can ask her if she wants to, or if, every time y'all stepping out, you want to take pictures of her, no problem. But you could literally tell her like I don't want to be walking around taking pictures every single time. Especially, I have expensive gears with me, it don't matter where, because if, if it falls, if it breaks, if I get robbed, it's on me, so you could talk to her.
Speaker 1:
Now the second part that I'm saying that I don't think you are the asshole because if anybody knows anything that you like to do, it's a passion, you love it, you like it is good. Every time you have to keep on doing it because you have to, the passion is gone. You know, I'm saying that they killing it. That's kind of like playing basketball for fun. You love doing it and all of that. And then to a point where your parent says I don't care what you do, you have to play basketball. It can becomes annoying and it's no longer fun. Now, if we're talking about professionals, it's different. They're looking out for you, but they're saying like, you need to have fun and you have to play basketball. That becomes annoying. So for that reason I don't think you're asshole.
Speaker 1:
And then another reason I don't think you're the asshole because before you, what the hell was she using to take her Instagram pictures. With what the hell was she taking pictures with? You know what I mean. How come now, all of a sudden, she wants to take professional photos at a non-professional environment? Or mentality you get what I'm saying? Or mentality, you get what I'm saying. There's no way I'm gonna, even with a cell phone, there's no way I'm gonna take a picture of you every single time we're stepping out because you just feeling yourself and then listen, before y'all get on the comments on me, listen, this, this is my personal opinion. I can take pictures of you, no problem, but every single time for me to feel like I have to do it, even when I don't want to do it, that becomes a problem. That's all I'm saying. I'm not saying that he can't take pictures of his girl or anything, but you know it becomes a problem. That's that's for me. So in that sense, I don't think you are an asshole.
Speaker 1:
And then, third, I definitely don't think you were asshole. Especially, you have to keep walking around. I don't know where you live. You know I'm saying, but I'm assuming by you saying you know, giving us the price of the gears, it's contacts, you know I'm saying so. Six thousand dollars plus to walk around with just for fun. It's not fun because if that camera fall, you six thousand dollars in a hole, you can repair it, you can replace it, but at least you a couple thousand or couple hundred dollars just for for a selfie well, not even a selfie at this point just for Instagram posts and TikTok and IG and all of that. Right, it's not worth it. You know what I mean. Again, you have a phone, she has a phone. I may not have the same phone. Figure out which phone, take better photos and then use that. Put your skills, the skills that you know, into that and then, you know, take pictures of her. So, yeah, so I don't think necessarily you an asshole, but again, that's me.
Speaker 1:
So now I'm leaving it to the, to the community, right to you guys. Leave your comment down below do you think dave is an asshole for that or not? Or you think she's the asshole? Right, that wasn't the question, but you know whichever one? Yep, that's our question of the day. Am I the asshole? So, all right, you guys. So welcome to jp officially. Welcome to jp. Visual voices, and I'm your host, weegee.
Speaker 1:
And yeah, as you can see, we've been starting our podcast a little different. I find it very intriguing talking about you know stories and then you know, if you've been following since day one I know this is the fifth episode, but make it sound like it's been a long, long time, but it's not but if you've been, know, listen to all five of them. I appreciate you and you know that I've been saying. You know we're going to add some fun a little, you know, a little twang to the, to the, you know, to the podcast. We're trying to be a little. It's not that different because so many people is doing that on their own. But you know, this is, this is my vibe. I like this style, I like doing it this way. So you know that's how I'm doing it. So again, I appreciate you.
Speaker 1:
If you are new here, welcome. It all depends on where you listening or watching us from. If you're on YouTube, hit the subscribe button like comment. You know, participate. Participate, especially if you're a photographer, a beginner photographer, or you love photography in general. Participate if you are listening in any of the audio podcast platforms.
Speaker 1:
Give us a rating. You know what I'm saying. Rate this podcast. Don't worry about what the other people are doing, you know. Drop your rating, leave a comment. You know, let's, let's talk, let's chat, let's exchange ideas and if you have am I the asshole scenario? Hit me up personally. I will. I promise I will reply. I will do my best to reply to every comment on the page, it don't matter where it's, at whichever platform that you can leave a comment to. You know, I will make sure I interact with you guys, giving you my opinion. But again, we would love all right, we would love to have a five star Five. That's what we're shooting for. But I also understand, if you know you ain't feeling me like that yet, you ain't feeling me like that yet to give me a five star. So I'm willing to settle four and a half four, but I want, I would like to have a five star, because by rating me to a five star, it lets the algorithm know that some people are interested in this podcast and refer it to somebody you know. So, like I said, again, welcome back, welcome back, appreciate y'all. If you're new, welcome to the show. If you are not new, welcome back.
Speaker 1:
Right, let's get to the question of the day. So, quick recap we're talking about you know you planning, thinking of starting your photography business? We went and talked about where you can get your gears from for cheap. Whenever you talk about exactly what type, what kind of gears, again, I already said whatever I tell you guys, y'all gonna change it. So start with whatever you can, whatever you have, whatever your pocket can afford. Start with that and then you know we'll get to the, to the next ones. But start with whatever you can, all right, and I think the last one. We talked about the triangle, the exposure triangle. You know shutter speed, iso, aperture, or you know, however, order that you put it in.
Speaker 1:
Today we are going to talk about should you go automatic or manual? All right, this is the question should you leave the camera on the auto settings or should you put on the m, which is the manual settings, and then set it up yourself, especially as a beginner? All right, so getting started with photography, a lot of times you buy a camera. You see all these nubs, all these buttons on this camera, right, and then you wondering what they means. I'm not gonna lie to you, bro. I'm not gonna lie to you. Let me look at you straight in the face. I'm not gonna lie to you. I only know about the auto and the m, automatic and manual. All I know is auto do is the automatic settings.
Speaker 1:
It calculates everything for you. To quote unquote give you the best settings based on your lighting for your picture. It assumed this is what your picture should look like, based on the camera. For example, you could be in a dark situations, in a dark room. If your camera is on auto, your shutter speed might be like 60, your iso might be like two, three hundred, and then your aperture might be at one, four, one, eight, whichever one is the lowest that your camera can get. Now let's say you in the daytime, you outdoors or something, and then it's bright. You put it on auto, shutter speed could be a hundred, right, iso could be at 24, 800, and then, instead of the aperture being at the lowest number, it probably could be at f6, as f 5.6 or f8, f7, all right, when you take a picture, you got the proper exposure based on your specific camera.
Speaker 1:
But what is that doing if you shooting at f8? Let's imagine you outdoor, right, and then the camera already assumed this is what your setting is or should be, so it already set it up. Now you shooting at the camera, put it at F8 for you. Let's just stick with F8. It means that this mic, me, this background, is going to be sharp as hell. All right, ain't nothing wrong with it, you just don't look. The pictures are just missing something. All right, but again, if that's the vibe you're going for, because there's times where you need everything in focus, we're going to get to that eventually, and then there's times where you want your subject to be in focus and the rest to be out of focus.
Speaker 1:
Now your camera already assumed, let's say, you outdoor, right, put you at F8, everything is sharp. You don't want that. A lot of times, you don't want that especially you spend money on a better lens. You want to shoot at. A lot of times you don't want that especially. You spend money on a better lens. You want to shoot at. A lot of us, when we're getting started, we want to shoot at f8 as possible and then we walk around that. But if not, f8, f1.8, and then we work around that instead of shooting at f4f. You know higher than than anything like that, because that's what you know we've learned from youtube.
Speaker 1:
Now again, automatic is switching. Everything is switching the shutter speed, the iso and the aperture for you automatically and said this is what your picture should look like, based on your specific camera. Now you put it on the m, which is the manual, and then that's where you go and adjust each one of your settings. What I mean by that is that's when you go and set up your shutter speed. Let's say again we're gonna start the way I started last time. You're gonna go in there and put it at 1.8. All right, you go, put it in 1.8. You're good, you lie, I want to shoot at 1.8. And then you said, okay, I want to go to my shutter speed now, because I want to see the, the motion, oh, not even the shutter speed yet, let's say for outdoor.
Speaker 1:
Let me give you a scenario for outdoor first. So you start at 1.8, everything is bright. You go to your iso, which is you put the lowest number usually, which is 100. Everything gets a little darker. It all depends on the day. You know. Imagine it's a sunny day, so everything is bright. You put it, iso 100 is a little darker. And then you go to your shutter speed. That's where you adjust it to get the composure, the composition that you want. That's where you adjust it to get the vibe, the look that you want, all right, or vice versa. That's when you adjust, you know whatever you want in there between the shutter speed, iso and aperture. Again, the scenario at nighttime or indoors or something like that that's where you go in there manually adjust it.
Speaker 1:
This is what I would recommend to anybody who's getting started. That's how you learn. If you're learning something, you want to learn from zero, from ground up. You want to learn exactly why you should put your shutter speed higher or lower, put your ISO higher or lower. You don't want the camera to just be like this is good for you and then boom, you just take that. Don't let your camera decide which settings is best for you. You choose that you like. You know what. I want to know what this button do. Once you set it up, once you press it, you should be happy. Okay, I know this button do. Once you set it up, once you press it, you should be happy. Okay, I know this button do this and that you don't want the camera to automatically pick your settings for you. That's not how we roll. So I do definitely suggest that you put your camera into manual mode.
Speaker 1:
Learn the exposure triangle. I don't know why I could send the triangle first, but you know what I mean. Learn the ISO, shutter speed and aperture. You learn these things. It don't matter where you go, because that's the basic of photography is learning lighting and I don't mean the artificial lighting and the natural lighting first, how you set up the lighting, the exposure in your camera to take good photos, to take good videos and you may hear me keep on saying videos is because I also do videos, as you know, we're doing right now. But that's one thing. A lot of people we graduate to we've mastered the photography aspect of things. So business and all of that, and then whatever we learn, we put that into videos and videos. There's a lot more involved. The basic of things stays exactly the same, all right.
Speaker 1:
So again, don't let your camera pick and choose your settings to automatically be like this is the shutter speed you should be at, this is the aperture you should be at. No, let let you know, do your thing, do your thing, learn, experiment, mess it up, take blurry photos, take sharp photos. To you know I saying Just work around with it, master that. Now there is one thing I suggest to leave in automatic your autofocus. Leave your autofocus in automatic. Man, the autofocus is so good right now, and most of the cameras that most of you guys will end up getting anyways. It's crazy.
Speaker 1:
The autofocus just because reason I'm saying that to leave it on is because with the autofocus you have more time to be creative, unless again, you have mastered the rest of the stuff. Now you're trying to be creative and you're trying to control exactly where your camera focus is on, then, yeah, you can put it in manual focus and do your thing. But if you're just getting started the autofocus, just leave that on. Don't put it in manual focus, because you have to remember, if you have the camera right here, right, you're taking a picture of the camera and then you have to manually focus into what you want. This is going to be long and especially you just learning. Nah, only thing you have to do is put the camera where you want it to and then half press the shutter button to focus and focus and then, boom, you take a shot. As long as you learn again, your, your exposure triangle, you're good.
Speaker 1:
I haven't met anybody that's like, yeah, I shouldn't aperture priority or I shouldn't shutter priority and ISO priority. I don't know anybody to do that. It's either you're on automatic or you're in manual. That's it. So, with that being said again, today's debate was about should you be on automatic or should you be on manual. So we're going to leave it here, guys. We won't stop it right here. Let me know Do you shoot all your photos and videos on manual mode or automatic, and do you use any of the priority modes which is the aperture shutter priority or do you just do your thing? Let me know and comment down below, which one you are learning and which one you're currently using. All right, so this camera and that camera. We'll see you on the next one.
