Montana Through Local Eyes | Stoke-Ness
This month
I’m sharing a photo set of my western themed homeland, the cheapest gear to make your videos, and how to get your creations seen without selling out.
Be stoked,
Isaac
New Photo Set
This month I am sharing a set from this summer at my brothers ranch during his branding + images from a ride with Jessie Halstrom on the Bitterroot River.
Gear and Tools
Variable ND
So you want to shoot video on your regular photo camera to have it look a bit better than just your phone. It sounds complicated and everything you read says you need so much gear your head spins.
If you are just starting then the first thing I think you need is a Variable ND filter. It’s like sunglasses for your camera. Let me explain.
A ND filter will allow you to change the exposure a different way than your typical shutter/aperture/ISO. It will make your video look better with the bokeh (blurry background) high end cameras have. You can achieve this by keeping your shutter speed double the video FPS while also allowing you to have your F stop wide open. It’s the easiest way to make your camera look better.
I use This One and like it.
Photo/Video Technique
Focus on Shareable
I heard a chat with the CEO of Instagram, Adam Mosserri, recently where he mentioned that the Feed on Instagram is not the place where everyone engages with the app anymore. What surprised me was that it wasn’t Reels either.
It’s Stories and in the DM’s.
My takeaway is that IG is putting promotion and resources behind stories and DM’s more than other parts of the app. This means creating a good hook on your photos and videos, whether that is captions, VO, or just good, remarkable imagery that makes people want to share it with their friends is more important than ever.
For instance, I teased a location on a recent Reel that was/is nearly unreachable. It was shared 85 times and seen by 60k people, 2x my average. I focused on what was the most intriguing part of the story for someone that would make them want to send it to a friend. In this case it was a place that not many knew about and tugged peoples desire to explore unknown places. As a bonus this Reel was a teaser for a longer format film I made and after I shared it, my long form video views went up by 100%.
My recently best performing photo posts had a BTS story of hiking that I shared at the same time as the post. People saw the story and then saw the post.
You don’t have to jump on trends and copy peoples work, just adjust the target format of your creative work for where people hangout and you have a better chance of getting your work seen.
Who I am Following
Gustav Wilking
I was instantly captured by his big landscapes with a grit and power that made me long to know the story of the characters in them, real or invented.
Music I'm Diggin'
Search Engine Podcast: How do I find New Music now that I’m old and irrelevant?
I know that discovering new music once you are in a rut is hard. Especially once you are over 25, research shows that people stop discovering new music.
I’ve recently listened to a new podcast called Search Engine with host PJ Vogt. It was enlighnting and even added a few options to find new music that are better than your broken Spotify Discover playlist.
Videos, Movies, and TV
Electric Dirtbike
I’ve never been so thoroughly convinced I want a completely different version of what I have then I was after watching this video. Even if you don’t ride motos, this video will entertain you and make you want to start.
I’ve been trying to justify another moto purchase in my mind ever since.
Reads
Vanishing Breed by William Albert Allard
I’m on a journey to learn from the masters of photography. I want to know the how, why and feelings behind the best photos created. In my journey I have recently picked up three photo books by William Albert Allard.
The book that really stood out was Vanishing Breed, portraits of the west. Taken over the course of a career from 1968 through the 90’s it really shows a way of life that might not exist and instead of a romantic, over glorified style that is all over tv these days, it shows intimate real scenes that have art and feeling.
10/10
Parting Thought:
I often think empathy is a superpower. It allows you to let go when people have wronged you, create things that resonate with others, and build stronger relationships with people you love. If you want to be better at all things, learn and cultivate empathy. For yourself most of all.
Be stoked and have a great month,
Isaac
This newsletter, my photography and my videos are all free, but not cheap. If you want to help me continue to make things you can buy my all new Pitch Deck Kit HERE or buy me virtual coffee.
Don't have the funds to buy a coffee at the moment? Then sharing this newsletter with someone you think would like it is the next best thing. Thanks!
