How this will improve your photography...

Teo Crawford
25 Mar 202417:07

TLDRThis video discusses the aesthetic trend found on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which emphasizes the beauty in everyday life. The video explores the bittersweet nature of this trend, highlighting its positive impact on the viewer's ability to appreciate the mundane. The speaker shares how this trend has personally influenced their photography, encouraging them to be more present and actively seek out beauty. They discuss the importance of consistency in photography and how the art of noticing can lead to capturing unique and interesting moments. The video concludes with a showcase of the speaker's recent photography, demonstrating the application of these concepts in their work.

Takeaways

  • 📸 **Embrace Aesthetics**: The trend of focusing on the beauty in mundane surroundings can inspire photographers to find and capture the aesthetically pleasing moments in everyday life.
  • 🎶 **Musical Accompaniment**: Videos in this trend are often paired with melancholic music, enhancing the emotional impact and setting a tone for the viewer's experience.
  • 🌅 **Notice the Mundane**: The videos aim to highlight the unique beauty in ordinary scenes, encouraging viewers to appreciate the overlooked aspects of their daily lives.
  • 📈 **Increase Engagement**: The effectiveness of these videos is evident in the number of views and likes they receive, showing that the intention to showcase beauty resonates with audiences.
  • 🤔 **Mindful Living**: The script suggests that many people are so caught up in the fast pace of life that they miss the beauty around them, which is a call for more mindful and present living.
  • 📹 **Consistency Improves Craft**: The speaker shares their personal experience that consistency in photography naturally improves their skills over time.
  • 🔍 **Seek Out Beauty**: The trend serves as a reminder to actively look for beauty rather than being distracted by the digital world, which can detract from practicing photography.
  • 🏞️ **Document Your Surroundings**: The speaker's photography project of documenting their home city is an example of how focusing on one's immediate environment can yield a rich body of work.
  • 📷 **Capture the Moment**: The importance of having a camera ready to capture fleeting moments of beauty is emphasized, such as the end of a snowy day or the foggy atmosphere of a city.
  • 🎥 **Behind the Scenes**: The speaker shares behind-the-scenes photography from a film project, demonstrating how photography can complement and document other creative endeavors.
  • 🌄 **Light and Atmosphere**: The impact of lighting and atmospheric conditions on photography is discussed, with examples of how these elements can transform a scene.

Q & A

  • What is the main theme of the trend discussed in the video?

    -The main theme of the trend is the art of noticing the unique beauty that surrounds our mundane lives, which is often captured in aesthetically pleasing yet ordinary moments.

  • How does the video describe the trend's impact on the viewer?

    -The trend serves as a reminder to be present and appreciate the beauty around us, which can be both sweet and sad as it highlights our tendency to overlook the stimulation around us due to over-stimulation.

  • What is the role of music in these trend videos?

    -Music in these videos often adds a captivating and melancholic tone, enhancing the emotional impact and making the viewer more receptive to the message of noticing beauty in the mundane.

  • How does the speaker relate the trend to their personal photography practice?

    -The speaker uses the trend as a motivation to become more present and aware of their surroundings, actively seeking beauty to capture in their photography, which in turn improves their art.

  • What is the significance of the '30-day challenge' mentioned in the video?

    -The '30-day challenge' was a personal initiative by the speaker to become more consistent with their photography, which helped revitalize their practice and is connected to the trend of noticing beauty in everyday life.

  • How does the speaker's photography reflect the theme of noticing beauty?

    -The speaker's photography is a collection of moments and scenes that they find interesting and beautiful, which aligns with the trend's emphasis on finding and appreciating the beauty in the mundane.

  • What is the importance of being consistent in photography as per the speaker's experience?

    -Consistency in photography naturally improves the craft over time, as it allows the photographer to continually practice, experiment, and develop their unique style.

  • How does the speaker's approach to photography encourage others to practice more?

    -By sharing personal experiences and examples of how the trend influenced their photography, the speaker encourages viewers to take their cameras with them more often and to actively seek out beauty in their environments.

  • What is the role of Squarespace in the speaker's work?

    -Squarespace is the platform the speaker uses to build and maintain their website, where they present their photography and film projects, making it an essential tool for showcasing their work.

  • How does the speaker describe the impact of over-stimulation on our ability to appreciate our surroundings?

    -The speaker suggests that over-stimulation has numbed us to the point that we become bored with our surroundings and miss out on the beauty that is present, leading to a sense of longing and dissatisfaction.

  • What is the speaker's intention with the video in terms of the viewer's perspective on the trend?

    -The speaker aims to provide a balanced perspective on the trend, acknowledging its positive impact on their personal growth and photography while also recognizing the negative aspects of over-stimulation and the loss of presence in our lives.

Outlines

00:00

🎨 The Aesthetic Trend of Embracing Mundane Beauty

This paragraph discusses the trend of aesthetic videos on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok that highlight the beauty in everyday, mundane scenes. The videos often feature ordinary moments set to melancholic music, aiming to encourage viewers to appreciate the subtle beauty around them. The speaker reflects on the dual nature of this trend—its sweetness in reminding us to be present and the sadness stemming from our modern tendency to overlook the beauty in our surroundings due to overstimulation and distraction. The paragraph also ties this trend to the importance of being observant and present in improving one's photography skills.

05:01

📸 Consistency and the Art of Noticing in Photography

The speaker shares personal experiences with photography, emphasizing the impact of daily habits on the consistency of their craft. They discuss how the aesthetic trend on social media has influenced their approach to photography, prompting them to actively seek beauty in their environment rather than being passively distracted. The paragraph includes a showcase of the speaker's recent photography, ranging from cityscapes to nature scenes, all captured with an intention to document their life and perspective. The speaker also credits a 30-day photography challenge for revitalizing their consistency and improving their skills over time.

10:01

🏞️ Capturing the Beauty of Light and Nature

This section of the script delves into specific instances where the speaker has captured beautiful light and nature through their photography. They describe the process and thoughts behind several photos, including a skiing trip, a foggy cityscape, and a collaboration with a friend on a short film project. The speaker also discusses challenges such as camera light meter issues and the artistic decisions made during post-processing. The paragraph concludes with a reminder of the importance of the 'art of noticing' and its role in enhancing one's photography.

15:02

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Visits and the Joy of Fog Photography

The final paragraph recounts the speaker's visit to their family in Zürich, where they continued their photography practice. They captured foggy scenes, which were a significant part of their earlier work, and shared their excitement about the conditions and the resulting photographs. The speaker also reflects on the value of carrying a camera at all times to capture unexpected moments. The paragraph concludes with a thank you to supporters on Patreon and an invitation for viewers to check out the speaker's print shop and other offerings.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Aesthetic Aram

Aesthetic Aram refers to a trend in social media, particularly on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where videos are made to highlight the beauty in everyday, seemingly mundane objects or scenes. It's about finding and appreciating the subtle beauty in the world around us. In the video, the speaker discusses how this trend can influence a photographer's perspective by encouraging them to be more observant and appreciative of the beauty in their surroundings.

💡Content funnel

The term 'content funnel' is used to describe the flow of trends and content across different social media platforms. It suggests that a trend may start on one platform, like TikTok, and then migrate to others, such as Instagram and eventually YouTube. The video script mentions this concept to illustrate how trends spread and influence the type of content that creators produce.

💡Montage

A montage is a sequence of short video clips edited together to create a cohesive narrative or to convey a particular mood. In the context of the video, montages are used to compile aesthetically pleasing yet ordinary moments, such as the morning sunlight or birds in flight, to evoke a sense of beauty and life.

💡Melancholic music

Melancholic music refers to pieces that evoke a feeling of sadness or wistfulness. In the video, such music is used alongside the visual montages to add depth and emotion to the content, enhancing the viewer's engagement and the overall aesthetic experience.

💡Art of noticing

The 'art of noticing' is the practice of being attentive to the details and beauty in one's environment. The video emphasizes the importance of this practice for photographers, suggesting that it can improve their ability to capture compelling images by training them to see the beauty in everyday scenes.

💡Overstimulation

Overstimulation refers to the state of being excessively stimulated, often by modern technology and media, to the point of feeling overwhelmed or desensitized. The video discusses how overstimulation can lead to a lack of appreciation for the beauty in our immediate surroundings, which is a theme that photographers are encouraged to counteract through mindful observation.

💡Photography consistency

Photography consistency means maintaining a regular practice of taking photos, which is suggested in the video as a way to improve one's photography skills over time. The speaker shares their personal experience of how focusing on consistency revitalized their photography practice.

💡Beauty in mundane

Finding beauty in mundane or ordinary things is a central theme of the video. It encourages viewers to see the aesthetic value in everyday life, which can be a source of inspiration for photographers looking to capture compelling images.

💡Street photography

Street photography is a genre that focuses on capturing candid images of people and everyday life in public places. The video mentions this type of photography as one of the practices the speaker engages in, highlighting the value of observing and documenting urban environments.

💡Ski area photography

Ski area photography involves capturing images in and around ski resorts, often featuring the natural beauty of snowy landscapes and the activity of skiing. The video includes examples of such photography, showcasing how the speaker uses the changing winter conditions to create visually striking images.

💡Light metering

Light metering is the process of measuring the light in a scene to determine the camera settings needed for a proper exposure. The video discusses challenges with light metering in snowy conditions, where the camera may underexpose the shot due to the high reflectivity of the snow.

Highlights

The trend of aestheticizing the mundane on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok encourages viewers to embrace the beauty around them.

Trend videos often feature ordinary scenes with a captivating, melancholic soundtrack, highlighting the unique beauty in everyday life.

The center-aligned text in these videos emphasizes the art of noticing, aiming to make viewers more aware of their surroundings.

The trend serves as a reminder to slow down and be present in life, rather than being constantly distracted by technology.

The speaker discusses the negative aspect of the trend, which is the realization that many people have lost the ability to appreciate their immediate environment.

The trend is seen as a positive influence on the speaker's photography, helping them to become more consistent and present in their craft.

Consistency in photography naturally improves the skill over time, as demonstrated by the speaker's 30-day challenge.

The speaker's personal style of photography focuses on capturing interesting and beautiful moments they encounter.

Photography is presented as a collection of little bits of beauty, encouraging viewers to seek out and capture these moments actively.

The speaker shares their photography from the past few months, showcasing the impact of the trend on their work.

The use of different lighting conditions, such as foggy days and the blue hour, adds depth and atmosphere to the speaker's photography.

The speaker's work includes documenting their home city, aiming to create a body of work that reflects their perspective on the city.

Street photography and capturing people in action are common practices for the speaker, adding a human element to their work.

The speaker discusses the importance of composition in photography, using examples of how cropping can enhance a photo's impact.

The speaker's photography is influenced by the desire to capture the beauty that is often overlooked in favor of the beauty seen in others' lives.

The speaker encourages viewers to take their cameras with them more often and practice the art of noticing to improve their photography skills.

The video concludes with a call to action for viewers to engage more deeply with their environment and practice photography to capture the beauty around them.