Don't Read This
For Official Photography Youtube Channel Use Only
[this is an internal document meant for Double Negative (a photography podcast by will malone) For titular eyes only.]
You ever seen a tail wag a dog? (rhetorical question of course because I'm only talking to myself)
But it’s crazy. It’s like a tail floating in the air, perfectly still, while the body attached to it flails all over the place. You’ve never seen panic until you see a dog realize their tail has actually been the one in charge this whole time.
How does the tail get control like this? (the tail in this case being…the current online distribution environment for photography information)
It’s a slow process, where the dog gets worn down over time. It starts with whining about how “No one will watch my videos if they aren’t about gear.” or “I gotta post every day to stay relevant.” and general fear around being forgotten or unnoticed. The love of the game slowly disappears in service hoping that you’ll one day get the chance to love the game, you just gotta get the right amount of engagement first. That’s when the happy look on your face turns to a teeth gritting emoji and incessant tail-wagging slows down to a halt.
The tail is now in charge. And the tail doesn’t have hands or eyes, so it definitely doesn’t care about photography.
(I’m the dog in this analogy by the way.)
I don’t really like flailing around at the mercy of my tail though (I've done far too much of it), so I’ve decided to put some rules in place to make sure that I stay top dog of Double Negative. Double Negative, if you don’t know (and again this is document is only for myself, so of course I know what it is. It’s just nice to repeat sometimes.), is primarily my photography Youtube Channel, but it can also be considered a state of mind. The real Double Negative is inside.
Rule 1: A video thumbnail ALWAYS needs to be a well-thought out photo. (Preferably a double-exposure of some kind.)
A thumbnail is essentially a photo that sets expectations for a video. If the thumbnail attached to any video about photography is half-assed, then what am I even doing? I claim to be a photographer, and put all this effort into recording and editing an entire video, and I rush through the photo that introduces it? If anything, the thumbnail should be the most rock solid part of the video. Never trust a photographer with a shitty thumbnail.
Rule 2: stop yelling
I have this painting in my office that artist Robert Schoolfield gave me years ago that says, “Confidence is silent. Shh…”
Everything is trying to get in our faces. Everyone is trying to grab people in the first 2 seconds and retain audiences by waving a chew toy to some viral pop song. I’m not Mr. Beast, and therefore, I’m not creating programming for dogs and cats (You have any idea how many cats and dogs there are in this country??)
Lowercase is fine. Horizontal photos are nice. Black and white is still elegant. I may be a dog, but I don’t make videos for other low attention span house pets. If you like what I make, great! If you don’t, that’s fine! Let’s just chill out with the sensationalism and inflation of everything as the greatest or worst thing of all time. (This camera is still garbage though!)
Rule 3: Only Do The Fun Stuff
Everything I love to watch or read is idea-dense. You can always feel when an artist is brimming with thoughts and ideas they are trying to jam in every crevice they can find. Got a story? Tell it. A rant? Go nuts. Jamming ideas into your photos or videos or whatever is a signal that you are interesting and interested. That there’s a reason people should be picking up what you’re putting down. Social media is too orderly, too predictable, and too baron of ideas. Follow your interests and vomit them out any chance you get, because it’s more fun that way. For everyone.
Rule 4: Leave the Nerd Junk to the Pros
Photo jargon and nerd talk is for photography teachers and professionals who get paid to inform me about what camera is right for my needs. Past that, gear and settings are the refuge of those who have nothing else to talk about. Or flailing dogs whose tails have gotten the best of them. Being an artist photographer implies an interest in this thing called life, which is an infinite resource when it comes to stuff to chat about.
Rule 5: Authenticity is just a marketing term
The only people that worry about authenticity are marketers who are trying to take a crummy photo on purpose to make it feel like your friend took it. Psychologically, we’ve been trained to think polished work is an ad, and the powers at be know that. Harsh flash, grain, film, bad smartphone photos, every sign of what you believe to be an authentic moment has or will be consumed by a company trying to sell us stuff. Authenticity as a weapon against AI? Please. AI can make great looking stock photos, you don’t think it can’t make shitty ones too?
Anything we deem authentic will just be another tool in the tool chest of the creative directors who are skimming your social media feeds for ideas. And trust me, you’re being crawled by AI and creative directors. Your photo very likely is hanging up on a mood board for a music video for a pop artist somewhere.
You’re getting crawled either way, so just do you. Don’t worry about how real it may or may not feel. Just make what you think is cool.
Rule 6: Be more transactional about social media
Social media will eat you if you let it. You’re already super addicted to scrolling past Little Caesar’s ads (they are just so hot and ready) and anything that starts with “BREAKING:”
Well, if you go to any local business networking group seminar on social media, they’ll tell you that social media is a tool. So then, why do I feel like the tool?
I didn’t need social media to start photography. It barely existed at the time. If social media disappeared tomorrow, I’d still be over here doing whatever it is that I do. Social media, in theory, is a great way to expand the reach of who can see my work, and yet, it mostly feels like an addiction I’m constantly having to fight. But I assure you, social media is only useful if we love it conditionally. If Instagram is helping, great. If it’s not, get rid of it. There’s no reason to use these tools if they aren’t helping us. It’s their job to serve us, not the other way around.
Rule 7: Travel is documented with Photos
The number one thing that the tail convinces us of is that our photos can only be seen with added stimulus. We need to flash our photos really fast across the screen in a short vertical video OR we have to document each and every step of the journey by filming our process OR we have to wave our cameras in front of…another camera and do the pee-pee dance.
If I claim to be a photographer (which I keep doing for some reason), then stills are my primary method of communication. Tell a good story with stills, figure out the video later. Worrying about filming and taking pictures at the same time doesn’t work. I don’t know why I keep thinking it’ll work, but it just makes both the photos and the video footage extremely dull.
Give each their own time. If it’s video time, let it be video time. If it’s photo time, let it be photo time. Splitting one’s brain in two is not only painful, but also a good way to start resenting the whole project.
Rule 8: Feel free to take a break
If you’re out of ideas, bail. Honestly, the best ideas come from doing nothing anyway.
Rule 9: Always be reading
Every time I open a book, be it a novel or a Calvin and Hobbes compendium, I’m always surprised by the outflow of ideas I have after the fact. Reading is like lubing up dry…gears or whatever (that’s a thing, right?). It just gets you thinking in a way that content on our phones does not. Even movies can’t hold a candle to books as far as getting the brain working. Read constantly, and the ideas will keep flowing.