Thinking Critically in Photography

Wow this video totally resonated with me on an incredibly deep level, both as an aspiring photographer and just as a person.

Your black and white landscapes are very nice. There's something about them that feels good. The tones, perhaps. Nice work

Just bought Mary Frey's new book from Baltimore Photo Space this morning 😊. Good luck with Chico. I've never even applied because I can't afford it. But there are some great folks there for sure. Tim Carpenter is amazing and kind and brilliant. Let me know if you ever need another set of eyes!

Been following your work and the channel for a few years now and I'm so happy to see this new chapter you're entering both personally and in your work. Took me a long time to learn vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness, and I'm inspired to see your honesty about your personal shortcomings and digging deeper into the reason you're making the work regarding your late father. Very relatable video for me so thanks for sharing and can't wait to see what's next. Cheers

You don't need to explain everything. Or put everything into words. Ask others what they think your photos mean. Why take photographs if you can say it all in words. Photographs have their own language.

Brian, what was that phone app I saw you using to pre-visualize your shot? I'd like to start using one so I can kind of get an idea in mind of what I want to shoot before breaking out the entire large format setup. Thanks. Lovely video too; I always appreciate your candor and style of speaking and shooting.

My dad passed away a little over a year ago and it's not been easy. I am definitely challenged by what you shared in the video regarding the importance of sitting down and thinking about specifically why I like taking the types of portraits I do.

👍

Thanks for sharing your heart. I can totally relate to taking/accepting criticism. It's a struggle.

outstanding video. Keep up the great work. You are humble and very inspiring.

You know, I feel the exact same. Last year I just put it down to working through ideas, recce of the places I’ll be shooting and working out what my project is. I had a mentoring session with Alys Tomlinson in January that’s really kicked me back into gear and I feel like the Chico review will do the same for you. Listening to people you admire will help you evaluate your work but it’ll be a leap forward in your practice.

I'll never understand how you manage to make such cool video stuff alongside these interactions, it's so tricky just to interact with folks and focus on finding an image, adding video to the mix is a whole other element and you always do it so seamlessly.

Very hyped to hear about your experience at Chico and see how it impacts your work!

The passing of your father. Brilliant insight. Not everyone gets there man. Our origins are important for all of us. You're photos are sublime, and beautiful all at the same time. What can I say and I'm from nowhere near where you live, not even in the same country. Well, I think they are...at least the ones you show us, lol. That's one thing. The other thing is your book has potential to become a classic part of your local folklore in years to come, so keep going.

I see a Bryan Birks video uploaded, I press play

read Sally Mann's book: Hold Still

Honestly, the fact that you go out and share your long term projects with us like this is awesome. I'd love to start up a channel featuring my photography, but it is just so intimidating to get your work out there. The most I can manage for now is just an instagram where I share a small portion of my work to very little notice. So, thank you for being a great example and still putting it all out there.

A wonderful video and photographic story!

It's a good morning when I can watch a video from you while having my coffee. Part of me wishes you were one of those content monsters who daily uploads but I also know that the impact of your videos would be lost if you did that. Thanks for quality and not quantity Bryan!

Props for being true to yourself and that honesty will bleed in to your images

Your videography is seriously next level and this combined with making such good pictures, you’re really skilled.

Great stuff. I hope things go well at Chico, man! I see that you've gone "Bryan Birks old school" at the opening of this video with the camera in the car pov, and then the camera rolling while you're meeting with your subject. I really dig this storytelling technique. With the driving shot, do you have the camera on a tripod behind you? and you're just using warp stabilization to smooth out the shot. as I said, I really dig it. And once again, good luck at Chico! Looking forward to hearing all about it.

Thanks for sharing and being so authentic man, your work is fantastic, and can only benefit from being more self aware.

This is a very complex subject. Criticism by people we respect is very good but we have to be careful that it does not affect ones creativity. There are many artists that listened to their own voice, in spite of others, thank goodness & that is why they were important. I very much appreciate your work & thoughts & hope you don't change your path too much because of others thoughts.

Is the thumbnail image yours? Curious why that didn't make the video. Unless I missed it.

Thank you for your willingness to be vulnerable. ❤

Photographers are struggling right now. Everybody is their own photographer now with 40 MP phone cameras. A lot of them are now making YT videos. Good pivot.

Thank you for this video this is very helpful personally to me! I am someone who takes photos as a past time and I tell myself that I am not serious about it and I should not try to dig very deep. But lately I am thinking more about it. Among many things I am drawn to 80s 90s pre liberalization architecture here in India. It is kind of stuff that is now crumbling and not even good architecturally. I am realizing it is like I am trying to save a time in my life in these memories. Co-incidently I also lost my father and this was like his time. He missed the whole internet era and along with it all of my achievements and I feel such a loss at that thought. I have never made the connection before but he is someone I inherit my artistic vision or taste from and I have very few photos of him. I seem to want to preserve a part of life that seem to be disappearing.

I sincerely hope you find what you are searching for.

Hey Bryan, love your work and love the vulnerability. It's been great watching you grow as a photographer and develop as a human being. Keep up the awesome work!

I respect your honesty and dedication to your art….

love the transparency here, and excited for what comes next

Anyone passionate about photography faces these problems, I'm not just name dropping here but, Robert Adams 'Beauty in Photography ' answered a lot of questions for me, opened my eyes a little and made me understand my self more and confirmed the fact, that art is objective. subscribed.

As an aspiring photographer I have really enjoyed watching your videos for the past few years. Congratulations on Chico! You have great talent.
I live not far from Livingston, MT so if you ever want a guide on where the good places are in Montana to shoot film let me know…

Thanks!

Best video I have seen on photography (and beyond) in a long time, maybe ever. Thank you!

Photography is such a personal journey, so it's refreshing to see someone willing to be so honest and vulnerable about their work. It's only recently that I've started to figure out the why of photography for myself and it's all been through self reflection and allowing other people's critique. Really looking forward to see how your project grows man!

Hi. Do you know about the channel "Critic House"? Not sure if he continue doing what i will say next but,...I dont know how the process is but you just bring some of your pictures to his channel, he invites photographers with already a good career, books, exhibition and so on. That day in his channel you would be "exposed" to honest critics that 3,...4 photographers will make about the pictures you submitted. If you survive this, your "problem" with critics will instantly be dissolved...i hope 🤞🏻.

I am starting to become more and more depressed. I discovered your channel a little while ago and have been greedily consuming your videos daily - but it won't be long before I have consumed them all and then have to wait for the next, like everybody else. Your photography, and your showcasing of other beautiful photography, has reignited my own love of photography. It's time to dust off my scanner and my beloved film cameras and get back to my lost love. Thanks so much man.

An honest and thought-provoking video. Thank you for sharing with us.

I've just started a project of shooting from where I'm from and the old and the new, slowly it became a project of the boring and mundane (that's what northern Sweden is) BUT what I didn't expect was how much of me is ending up in those photographs and I Can't wait to show them to the world later on this year.

Keep the good work Bryan!!

It's so weird right? We unfortunately live in a world where everything needs to be explained to us, we want others to take our hands and walk us through life. We fear the unknown, the uncertainty, the romance. I think that we sometimes need to stop seeing things with our logical and analytical eyes, stop trying always to keep things in control just because it feels safe. For some, this must be a very scary thing when we let our hearts do the things for us. It is hard to let it go so we feel the need to put words on every single thing that we see, touch or taste.... Photography is the art of letting things go and letting the heart wander without fear through the eyes of the photographer. We don't always need to explain ourselves, the pictures tell a lot already and I feel like the moment we try to put some words on them it just defeats the purpose of it.

i genuinely feel so mentally moved by this video, not just because of the delightful scenery bit inherently in how slow-paced and simple everything is. it's so indicative of what i love about the midwest and it speaks to what i'd love to do in my life. the stories of inability to handle criticism do hit home as well, even if i'm more saddened by it than anything, and overall there's a lot of truth and realism to what you say as you showcase your lovely photos

the problem is, that everybody is doing the same stuff, having the same look, taking the same photos...

Buddha was renowned for physically loitering around the country while continually mulling over all sorts of questions (aka “projects”) that would attract lots of listeners who gathered around him. He survived based on donations/begging.

Fast forward to 2024, it is a psychiatrict fact that loitering/ wondering and never-ending thinking about unproductive inwardly matters are all classic symptoms of a person undergoing acute depression.

The biggest issue plaguing any artist is being unemployed, financially struggling and constantly thinking non-stop of self-creating many things to occupy the pointlessly busy mind.

You mentioned about being questioned on why you shoot old cars and old people. And you mentioned “project”.

The question that a commoner will ask:
Who’s project?
Who gave you that project?
Are you being paid for that project?

We as artists need to never stop moving forward. Your work is great…keep it going forward.