Ben Horne Feb 2023 8X10 Death Valley

[Bob Wagner]

Ben is so laid back and mellow watching his videos relaxes me. I don't mind the B roll, but what I find most interesting in videos like his are discussions of the thought process behind the composition. Lately he has mentioned venturing into B&W. That should open up a whole new world of possibilities for him

[kevinjp]

Ben also co-hosts a weekly podcast called Creative Banter that's worth checking out. It's not strictly about photography, but a lot of it is and Ben goes into a little more detail about his overall process and approach. He talks some about his giving B&W a try.

[Tin Can]

ben horne # 5

https://youtu.be/vc-6OEJ5uus

[Gabe]

Very formulaic videos. Most start with predawn tea at the back of his 4Runner. Lots of walking footage. Occasional self congratulation for picking up trash. Maybe it’s just me wanting to see more actual photography and less b-roll musings.

Lately I must agree, the formula is getting a little tiresome. I've watched his videos on YT for years, as I like seeing his process of actually taking the images, and also discussion of the results, but yes the videos could be half as long if most of the B-roll was left out.

[John Layton]

There must be some magic ratio between providing for a vicarious experience and simply providing information. Would be nice if content providers could provide more tools (and/or tailor their content - which some do to a degree) to allow viewers to simply get down to brass tacks if that's what the viewer wants.

[Salmo22]

There must be some magic ratio between providing for a vicarious experience and simply providing information. Would be nice if content providers could provide more tools (and/or tailor their content - which some do to a degree) to allow viewers to simply get down to brass tacks if that's what the viewer wants.

I follow a few YouTube content creators that include a table of contents (chapters) with their videos that provides a brief (2-3 words) description of each video segment and the time (in minutes and seconds) of where that segment is located within the video. The best at this make the segment time a link that you can click on to take you precisely to that particular segment without having to scroll - very convenient. Like many, I've been watching Ben a long time. From my viewpoint, the B-roll content has become very predictable and takes up a significant percentage of the entire video. I typical end up scrolling through the B-roll to find the actual taking of images. I enjoy Ben's discussion of his process and creative motivation with each scene. I also enjoy when he shows the scanned image to come full circle from setting up his tripod to print-ready.

[Alan Klein]

Taking photos is more than taking photos. It's the whole process of preparation, getting out, getting there, walking around, setting up and then shooting, packing up and returning. It's more a travelogue than instructions on how to shoot. That you could see in someone's home. People like travelogues.

I've noticed some of the most popular YT's are these guys who drive out into deep snow in the woods, set up their tents and cook a meal on a wood fire. Then you watch them eat it and go to sleep. They wake up, pack up the tent and drive home out of the deep snow. That's it. Very popular. A million hits. Even I watch them even though I have no intention of going camping in a tent in snow.

[Salmo22]

Taking photos is more than taking photos. It's the whole process of preparation, getting out, getting there, walking around, setting up and then shooting, packing up and returning. It's more a travelogue than instructions on how to shoot. That you could see in someone's home. People like travelogues

Clearly Ben has a strong following that suggests his B-roll travelogue stuff is popular with the majority of his viewers - especially those sending him money. I'm just not in that majority. I'm not looking for instructions. I don't shoot color. That being said, I do enjoy Ben discussing his creative process and I'm interested to see where his black and white images fit into his portfolios. After this last video, I posted a question to Ben regarding whether or not he intends to print his black and white images in a traditional darkroom, or scan and edit as he does his color work. I hope he will respond as I'd enjoy seeing him insert a little darkroom work into his videos.

[Ben Horne]

I know there are those on this forum that seem to dislike what I do for various reasons, and I suppose there's nothing wrong with that, but it does seem strange to me. I'm a fellow photographer and forum member here since 2009 (though with a different username in my early days) That all being said, the videos are formulaic because they reflect my actual process in the field, and I'm very much a formulaic person. Aren't we all when it comes to large format? The videos reflect my actual experience in the field. They're not something I create for entertainment, or as tutorials. If they were less formulaic, they wouldn't reflect the true experience.

I don't tell other people what to do or how to do things because I see that as talking down to the audience. I simply show the process and explain why I did what I did. As such, I don't consider the clips of me hiking or exploring as "B-Roll" which seems to imply they are just filler. It's all part of the greater story, and my favorite moments in the field are often the ones when I'm exploring and searching for potential subjects. To those who say they want to see more of the photography, well, I record the entire process of taking the photos, which is often very brief. Sure, those moments are fun, but there's far more to these trips than just clicking a shutter. And I also don't understand the comment about picking up trash being "self-congratulatory"? I've visited Death Valley every year since 2009, and every year I pick up quite a few mylar balloons. I pick them up and have kept every single one of them as part of a long-term project to raise awareness of the issues they have on the environment. California recently passed a bill that will ban mylar balloons by 2031. Every fall I spend time cleaning up trash I find alongside the road in Zion not because I'm being "self-congratulatory", but because seeing it there makes it difficult for me to concentrate on photography. It's like trying to get work done on a messy desk. I need a perfectly clean desk before I can have the proper mindset. Picking up trash honestly makes me feel better and allows me to be more productive in the field.

[Tin Can]

Ben, you know I like your images and methodology

Don't ever change!

Keep on keepin on!

I know there are those on this forum that seem to dislike what I do for various reasons, and I suppose there's nothing wrong with that, but it does seem strange to me. I'm a fellow photographer and forum member here since 2009 (though with a different username in my early days) That all being said, the videos are formulaic because they reflect my actual process in the field, and I'm very much a formulaic person. Aren't we all when it comes to large format? The videos reflect my actual experience in the field. They're not something I create for entertainment, or as tutorials. If they were less formulaic, they wouldn't reflect the true experience.

I don't tell other people what to do or how to do things because I see that as talking down to the audience. I simply show the process and explain why I did what I did. As such, I don't consider the clips of me hiking or exploring as "B-Roll" which seems to imply they are just filler. It's all part of the greater story, and my favorite moments in the field are often the ones when I'm exploring and searching for potential subjects. To those who say they want to see more of the photography, well, I record the entire process of taking the photos, which is often very brief. Sure, those moments are fun, but there's far more to these trips than just clicking a shutter. And I also don't understand the comment about picking up trash being "self-congratulatory"? I've visited Death Valley every year since 2009, and every year I pick up quite a few mylar balloons. I pick them up and have kept every single one of them as part of a long-term project to raise awareness of the issues they have on the environment. California recently passed a bill that will ban mylar balloons by 2031. Every fall I spend time cleaning up trash I find alongside the road in Zion not because I'm being "self-congratulatory", but because seeing it there makes it difficult for me to concentrate on photography. It's like trying to get work done on a messy desk. I need a perfectly clean desk before I can have the proper mindset. Picking up trash honestly makes me feel better and allows me to be more productive in the field.