I tried a monopod to improve my ICM landscape photography. It turns out that the flexibility of being handheld is much better. All photography in this video was shot at St Mary’s Lighthouse. 10% off your first Squarespace website or domain:
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40 responses to “I Thought a Monopod Would be Better for My Photography. Nope.”
That last image is dog shite. Just looks out of focus. 😀😀
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i love your video titles so much
like the journey and as been said; everyday is a school day
The final image takes me to what might be a pair of sailing ships in the distance.
I can't seem to get my comment to stick. I post it, it appears, then when I refresh it disappears. What am I doing wrong?
Do really like the last one, as previous post said impressionist style. Not having tried this myself has inspired me to experiment. Suppose the more you do as with everything you identify the technique and best lighting conditions that work, then you develop your style, as you have clearly mastered in your landscapes.
As the video went on I was coming to the conclusion that ICM is an interesting idea but probably not for me. But that final image was outstanding and unexpected.
Agree the last one is getting there but not a top shot .
Yeah – that final image . . . . .
Heaton, you know there is a focusing button on the video camera, try it some time. You stopped photographing the lighthouse, you should have just stopped photography full stop. Any apology or retraction for promoting illegal parking and camping? I thought not, so on we go with the comments.
Every day is a drab photography with you.
I bin better photos than you are taking in this episode, but keep trying to might one day reach the heights of Gavin, AKA Fototripper, you should take note as his partnership with his witty and talented wife and visitors.
How come you never have any, no mates Heaton probably explains it.
As they say give a monkey a camera and time and you will eventually get a good image, something you have not yet managed to do.
Sorry I was a bit late with my weekly comments but out photographing the storm yesterday, lovely sharp images, all the blurred ones went in the bin, take note.
At least no illegal parking or camping, rally missed camping and cooking with Pompous Heaton, always a next time, sadly.
Like the mood of these images…childhood visits to coast and rain-blurred vistas for me, at any rate. 👍
Interesting stuff Tom. Have you tried actively ZOOOMING in or out while taking these kinds of shots.? You can create some interesting effects .
Hello Mr. Heaton, Like your work. I don't do Photography, but I do Videography. I use a Bogen Manfrotto 3218 MonoPod. It's tall (good for me at 6'4") and rather heaver built than the unit you're showing. It doesn't have a Tri-Pod on the lower end as your unit does, just a simple single Rubber Tip, so no need for even a small flat surface area. I have added an Adjustable Strap, which I put round my neck, using one or both hands to hold the Camera/TriPod combo in tension from the neck, allowing for very stable control of my Camera. Using the MonoPod "Free Hand" as you do, or just the Camera for that matter, simply failed to work for me. Insuficient control/stability for my use. Much easier than toting a full sized TriPod around. I've been using this system for 25+ yrs when I need a simple, quick, and mobile Camera mount with very decent stability. Something to consider.
That final image was, indeed, very abstract and impressionist – really well done. I've been doing more and more ICM lately because it just feeds my soul. Also, I let go of that tendency to keep looking for the perfection of the image rather than the feeling of it – with ICM, the feeling takes precedent. I've tried multiple exposures and blending but I find that my best images are single exposures. But it does take more a few dozen clicks per composition! Thanks for taking us on your journey – can't wait for what comes next!
Good for self defence only
I like that last one and the one with the sweeping rocks (can rocks be sweeping) leading up to the lighthouse.❤📷.
It's great to experiment and it's the randomness that can bring the most joy.
Not a fan of this minimalistic stuff, you've been going down this path for some time now. Sorry.
👌👌👌👌📸📸
I think the final image was successful, but don't give up your regular photography.
Hmmmm… not sure if the last two experimental "crazy expressional photography" works ! But always good to experimental 🙂 but there's always a steady all in one squarespace 🙂 … Still great videos 🙂 M ☘️
Absolutely love that last image! For me the one at 6:34 just isn’t quite blurry enough but that’s just my thoughts. Keep experimenting!
Well despite like you feeling like I'm disconnected from the final image I have produced a reasonable ICM. The hit and miss approach of ICM is so counterintuitive to most photographers who are at heart technicians of their craft. That last shot though is beautiful and like the one I shot you should be proud of.
I'm different, while all are interesting images, I like the one with the grass mixed in. Makes it feel like an old antique scratched print.
Looking forward to more of this journey. 🙂
I tried some ICM a few weeks ago with some dead rushes at sunset. Likewise I used multiple exposures but I had to combine them in post. Which I find better as you can adjust the opacity to your liking. Got a nice dreamy image form it too.
Yes! Final image was lovely. Like a moody Tirner.
👍
The line that really struck me was "although I like some of the images I'm making, I don't feel as if they're fully mine."
I think know what you mean. When I say I'm "being intentional" I mean that I have a vision in my head of the final image before I push the shutter. Playing and learning with new techniques is often a matter of trial and error to see what I get, and then feeding that back into my next attempt, so even if some turn out it still feels random, more to do with luck than intention.
I've tried ICM a little bit, but not enough to cross that boundary where I can envision the image before I make it.
Have you tried zooming in and out? I would think that is considered ICM or maybe should be called intentional lens movement? Has that technique become cliché?
I tried a mono pod a few years back when photography local places and could never get on with it for the things I like to shoot, it was like I would rather have nothing and go hand held or have my tripod with me all the time, now it's used as a office camera stand when filming.
Worth a try but not my cup of tea sorry.
I like to see what you start with and then the end result. Great in my respect. Greetings and have a good weekend in advance. Martin
I don’t want to sound like a “Thomas Heaton fan boy”, BUT I really like both the monopod and final image. They had that nostalgia feel, like looking through my grandparent’s photo album. The last one reminded me of a scene looking through a window at the ocean, as a child, on a stormy day.
Stop trying to be an artist, I am begging you! Be yourself.
I very much liked the image of the lighthouse and rocks, I felt compelled to pause the video to really look the image. I also liked the final image, I liked the tones and minimalism; it reminded me of the style of Turner's paintings. Good stuff Thomas.
Thomas, please what monopod was you using please
Sometimes the subtle or mundane light is all that's needed to make a stunning minimalist image. Its not until one slows down to see it.
I laughed when you said "Not surrounded by the Rocky Mountains" since I live 90 minutes away. I constantly wish I lived somewhere with trees, fog, and vegetation similar to I see on your channel and others. I've never found the mountains inspiring though many here do. The grass can be green on the other side.
Aaaaaargh, the last one reminds me of William Turner. Marvellous!!!
The second to the last image, the one with the lighthouse in the upper left corner, the last shot of the ten image sequence should have been a zoomed image. That might have given you the abstraction you were looking for.