So I bought a journal, a guided journal thats asked me; Whats my goal? Summarise three things you want to achieve.

I know I want to be a photographer, and adventurer, and i want to have a wide and positive influence on people.

I want to see this beautiful world we live in, and admire it in all its fascinating complexity.

I summarised that I want to be like the Anthony Bourdain of photography. (RIP)

I’ve been on this mission for a couple of years now. This trip up Ben Nevis is an intermediate step in the right direction.

I can see from my camera presentation, my photography and my physique that there is a lot for me to work on.

But it’s within reach to become a youtube/ social media photography personality, with a wide positive influence.

After editing this video, and thinking about all aspects of what I’m delivering here, what I’m trying to put together, I’d grade myself a D.

But the exciting thing is, I can clearly see what it will take to become an A grade photographer, and photography personality

So in this vlog, as mediocre as it is, I’m going to ruminate on the things i have to work on, and how to get them right. This is a journal after all.

Video link here https://youtu.be/knS-1sufdFI

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There is so much more I can do, that I haven’t even started on yet.

Step one, lose 8kgs. The morning of that video I weighted in at 86.5kgs. Its now been 4 weeks since and I’m down in the 82 range. No one wants to watch a chubby, lazy looking slovenly dadbod panting around the world taking photos. Step up the diet discipline, work outs, and proper sleep.

Every video should have 4 good time lapses. Every time I stop for a sit down, a stretch, gear reshuffle I need to set up a gopro for a lapse. When I’m out like this I actually have two gopros with me. The best ever gopro mount is a clip. you can clip two go pros on your bag straps, but with different settings.

I’m shocked to say that this blog was filmed with a gopro 8. Its stable as a rock, great colour, and shockling good audio? Who knew. I also have my sony a7siii which ill bring for future endeavour, but gopro for the win for combinations of timelapses.

Cinematics. I’m talking dramatic drone scenes, shallow shallow depth of field dslr work, Macro videography close ups. I love the essence of these places I get to see. And the essence is the detail, and the big picture. The whole theme of the place as seen from wide done shots, and the texture of the place as seen under the macro micro scope. I admit this takes time, and literally doubles the time of a hike. Butt hats the point, take the time, trial and error shots until you get them right. There hours between stops to dream up your next cinematic sequence, so pay attention to your surrounds.

Every video should have 3/4 cinematics. People love the romance of a story, some drama in presentation, and some exaggeration of the norm of an outdoor walk. I love it. So I’ll indulge it. I don’t know why I feel like I’m indulging myself in a selfish way when I put time into that kind of creativity? Maybe it’s the millennial in me?

The places I seek out are beautiful, the times of day I set out to enjoy these places are beautiful. So show its beauty through my eyes.

Now… why do this?….

The bloody VIBE.

I was thinking about my lack of vibe. What I love about Casey Neistat, Jon Olsson and even athena mellor are their vibes.

I’m blessed blessed blessed to have got the chance to take my life in this direction from such a young age. I need to spread that vibe, A simple good feeling.

I have this heavy burdenous feeling hanging over me that there is so much I’ve yet to ‘get right’ in my production, and coordination of of these expedition videos. I have told myself that once i get this production to a better, more satisfactory level I’ll be happy.

Well i’m almost there, I’m a happy soul, I should let a lot more of that out. I’m ambitious, and I have my work, and an artist is never happy and all that. But, I do love the process, and the variability, and the privilege of time resource and space to explore - that can and will be delivered. Smiles are easily accessed if you take some pressure of yourself. And your smile can change someones day… or life.

Infotainment. Get some facts and include them

Personalities, include more people.

Tones, lets get some luts, and some lightroom looks up in here for some emotional themes.

SFX, i really liked the music in this video, and wasnt as hard as i thought to get a hold of. I’ll add in some sound design to add dimension to the users experience and some theatri-cism to the presentation here.

So overall, as i said this was a D grade delivery. But a lot to learn. Importantly, I see how it’s a stepping stone to a B grade delivery, and then later even better,

I see myself doing this kind of thing for the rest of my life, so the more I get it right early, the more enjoyable the journey will be.

There is so much pleasure to be taken from the trajectory this journey is curving towards.

No one reads these early vlogs, but I’m glad to keep a journal, sort out ideas and feelings in my mind, and chip away at the progress. I’m a horrific typer, I hope it gets better.

:)

Alex James

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top of the uk, touched it, then a group of louts infringed my moment of glory

don’t forget the selfies… 💪

you’d smile too if you saw sun in scotland, in december

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A return to the location of my lockdown!

Ive come back here because I know it well. Here I can put into practise my new equipment, workflow and test myself against the weather while not risking getting lost in the wilderness, in the winter in northern Scotland, where I’ll be in a week or two.

Video link here https://youtu.be/knS-1sufdFI

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During lockdown I walked these hills about 60 times in the 90 odd days I was here. It was my fitness regime while gyms were closed. And I always wished I could bring my amazing camera, and videogrpahy camera up here easily,

I wanted to be able to bring my photography camera and blogging camera with me anywhere, anytime, any weather.

When I left this location after lockdown I set to work on getting my media mobility coordinated. I wanted to be able to effortlessly get up and go. And shoot the world around me, and bring viewers friends and family along for the ride.

The world is beautiful. And the hasselblad cameras make it look like a renaissance water painting. I try and make the images look ok as well, and I know my way around photoshop.

So here on this vlog are the first times I can show these pentland hills in all their beauty. They’re simple enough regional parkland hills. But to me they’ll always be especially beautiful as they were a place of healing and evolution.

reviewing these photos again, I can’t believe how beautiful Hasselblad can make the hills and the weather look. It’s truly satisfying shooting with that camera, and fulfilling to share the images here.

But not just the images, the adventure, the story is just as important and oftentimes more meaningful to both the creator and the audience. This time I was able to easily bring a little videogrpahy camera - the Sony ZV1. On a little gorilla pod thing.

I was really please with the audio on this camera given how windy and horrible the conditions where. I was mumbling through the face covering and the wind was ripping over the top of the hill at about 30-40knots.

Its a convenient little camera, but lacks the ability for easy cinematography.

For that I have the sony A7Siii locked and loaded and ready to take up the next day.

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So good to get out and do a classic 16km hike. Photos and videos TRULY effortlessly included.

And, now so importantly, it’s effortless to have a throughput. A place to publish all this. To record and index these moments and adventures.

I know that I’m unemployable in the real world. So I better get good at this.

With the sense of adventure, equipments and some traction on this platform, the sky’s the limit.

What is the sky in this metaphore? Inspiration and escapism. I love photography because it really can make me gasp and have emotional reactions. I love photography because it takes my mind away from my own issues, and distracts me from my own bad feelings.

I dreammmmm to be able to provide the same to others. Now and then, when inspiration and escapism are needed.

Alex

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