journal

The best content I've ever watched on YouTube: "The Atlantic Selects"

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Very, very rarely you will see me recommending content from YouTube like this.

However, some of the movies that The Atlantic is putting out in their series The Atlantic Selects are brilliant pieces of filmmaking and storytelling. I think they are the best content I've ever watched on YouTube.

These are two of my favorites, but I really encourage you to take a look at the other videos of this series. You won't be disappointed.

Don't aim for perfection

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A few days ago and while working on my YouTube channel, I came across some of the first videos I made.

They are just horrible.

I was partly aware of this when I published them, but at the time I was doing my best.

Today, I have better gear and I know more about video than I did back then. Most of this improvement happened because I started uploading videos and realized what was working and what could be improved.

If I had aimed for perfection I would have never published any video, post or image, ever.

We need to finish. A finisher gets better and better every time they put something out there. Only through practice can we improve.

I hope to come back to my current videos in a few years and see that, once again, they look horrible. That could only mean that my filmmaking skills improved.

White Balance in Black and White Photography

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Despite the lack of it, color is very important in Black and White Photography.

White Balance (or Color Balance) is one of most commonly used tools (it's actually two: temperature and tint) in color photography to modify the warmth and tint of an image.

It is overlooked by many when it comes to Black and White imagery, but we'll see why you might want to add this tool to your monochrome editing workflow.

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Galician Still Life: Bronica and Ilford FP4

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These are some of the images I've made of some objects with my Bronica and Ilford FP4. Watch the video here.

Camera gear I use to record myself and document my work

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Camera gear I use to record myself and document my work

I've talked about the importance of documenting your work before. I believe that documenting and sharing your processes and workflows can only help you to improve them.

One the mediums I choose to document and share my work is video. I've been uploading video content to YouTube for a few years now, and I've learned quite a few things on the way.

I will be sharing some advice, tips and tricks in the next few days. Today, we'll talk about the camera gear I use to make those videos.

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My 4 Tripods

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I have 4 tripods. I'll use one or another depending on the situation and the camera I'm using.

Disclaimer: I'm not associated with any of these brands and I bought all of these tripods with my own money.

Phone Tripod

I bought this one at a physical store in Chicago (Camera Store Company) and I don't know the brand or model. This is the tripod I use with my GoPro, and I love it! Much better than my old Gorilla Pod.

I can't find it anywhere online, so I'll recommend this Manfrotto for your phone, GoPro or small compact camera: Manfrotto Tripod for phones.

Fotopro FY-583

This ought to be my favorite tripod ever. Designed for phones and very light cameras, the build quality is pretty bad and it's not that stable. These are compromises you have to make when you want the lightest and most compact tripod.

Before this one, I was using a Gorilla Pod, which I found unusuable to record myself operating the camera. It's just too short and the low angles were pretty weird.

The Fotopro changed all of that, and I believe that my videos are so much better because of this. I can show footage of me operating the camera now, as well as footage from the environment I am in.

The only option I had before I found out about this tripod was to use a "real" tripod. I bring a lot of stuff with me (vlogging gear, analog camera, digital camera, lenses, film backs, drone, filters...) so a second tripod wasn't an option at all.

I've used it for stills as well. It's a tripod you can bring with you even if you aren't planning on going on a shoot. It's a "just in case" tripod.

Fotopro FY-583

IMPORTANT: I just found out about a newer version of this tripod, taller and more stable, designed for heavier cameras. I will be checking out soon! I might have to change my recommendation for best vlogging tripod.

Fotopro FY-483

Manfrotto BeFree

This Manfrotto was my first "serious" tripod. It's a travel tripod so the main goal here is to keep it light, while still offering stability and good quality.

I bought it for my digital camera, and when I bought the Bronica I thought I'd have to buy a bigger tripod. Turns out, it works just fine with the beast. I used it for a year and a half in several National Parks and cities, in every weather condition, and it's just amazing.

I love it so much that my current BeFree is the third copy I own, after losing the first one and destroying the second.

Manfrotto BeFree

Manfrotto 055XPRO3

This tripod is incredible. The ball head alone is worth every penny, it's a true marvel. You can do very cool stuff with the center column, which can give you those angles you need for product photography.

I used it as my only tripod for stills for a few months, but I soon realized that it wasn't the best option for hikes and long outings. That's why I bought my thrid BeFree a couple of months ago.

Probably not the best option as your only tripod, but it won't let you down if you decide to go for it. Really, really good tripod.

Manfrotto 055XPRO3