The Burden of YouTube
Toward the end of February was the last time I published a video on YouTube. The silence since is a marked departure from the normal three videos created every month. Since then there have been many inquiries asking when I will start posting videos on YouTube again. I don’t want to say never but it does feel that way. I started making videos thinking it might be fun. And I stopped when it wasn’t.
Making videos, even with the simple approach I employed, takes time to create. It meant having an idea of something to say before the ride, a rough plan for the footage needed, some mental practice regarding what I would say while riding, and then editing it into something tolerable to watch.
An unexpected audience built around the videos. Larger than twenty years of publishing blog posts. A friend asked if the audience size mattered, if the monthly check from YouTube mattered, if I was enjoying myself? And the answers were “No.”
I create things for myself. To unravel chaotic thoughts and situations, to explore the questions that rattle in my head. If others find enjoyment or utility in them that’s gravy, but not the goal
So for now I’ve put YouTube on hiatus.
The Blog
It took a couple years with sparse attention to the blog to realize a couple things. First, I can’t blog and make videos. And second, writing (and blogging) has more value for me. I like to write and it is easier to figure things out on the page than through making a video. And it is far easier to shoot still pictures during a ride than video. Shooting videos took more away from the ride than I was willing to give.
So now I am posting here every Monday and Friday morning. A goal and rhythm that works for me.
Returning to Film
There’s more time to ride, write, hang out with friends, play with the dogs, bother my wife, and generally live a more expansive existence. And still have time for more. And almost out of no where I’ve started shooting film again and getting my darkroom going. There’s some maintenance necessary on my sink so for now I’m sending film to The Darkroom to be processed and scanned. Eventually I’ll be doing everything here.
After years of using a digital camera I forgot how different the experience is when shooting film. With no screen to instantly evaluate the image, and a clear understanding that there is a real cost to pressing the shutter button, I find myself working more deliberately. I pay attention to what I see, how I compose, and whether I decide to shoot the picture. With a digital camera the process can be almost mindless in a “spray and pray” way.
The Tools
So far I am using a Pentax MX SLR 35mm camera with a variety of lenses. I’ve been shooting Kodak Tri-X black & white film and am happy with the results. Just carrying the camera around and noticing the details of my life.
And I have an Intrepid 5×7 view camera standing by for something I have in mind when the weather is right. And the darkroom is ready to go.
Future Projects
When I retired I made an outline for a book I wanted to right. Fifteen chapters for something that’s part riding memoir and part sharing some of the lessons I’ve learned over the past 20 years on the road. I’m currently working on chapter 7. With YouTube set aside I have more time for a project like this.
And eventually I would like to do something with the photos I’ve made.
And that’s the way it is with me in Central Pennsylvania. A little older but the road ahead looks open.
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I have the same feelings about youtube. I’ve had a channel for quite some time and I have been on and off again with posting videos. I do it for fun and I have met many new friends in person from that channel. That alone made it worth while. I still publish videos occasionally, but I figure my kids and grandkids will have some videos of my life. Love the photos! I have a Pentax Spotmatic that my father bought while in Vietnam! I had it cleaned, adjusted, etc many years ago, It is loaded, but I haven’t had it out in over a year. Be safe, happy shooting!
I think you’re right about grandkids being able to have a closer look at their grandparents someday. If they’re interested. My YouTube channel and blog reveal a lot about me.
The Spotmatic was the camera to die for when I was in high school. The MX is a smaller, smoother version and I’m enjoying it.
Thanks for sharing you experience with YouTube. I think there are a lot of people like us.
I welcome the change! I did get adjusted to the videos eventually, but I still always preferred the blog. I guess it’s just my preference as a words person. And I might even get that book now that I’ve been lusting after for years! Good luck and happy blogging!
I agree with you- video shmideo–go and write your book and get some great photos..they can all be combined…video is a pain ..too much emphasis on it these times… Love the b&w film too..
People certainly like watching videos. The audience traffic differences between the blog and YouTube is breathtaking. Good thing it doesn’t matter to me.
Things are flowing more smoothly now that I’ve put YouTube to bed. Maybe you will see a book someday.
I have long admired Takumar lenses and though my first 35mm camera was a Miranda, the subsequent Spotmatic 500 was the fave. I later worked as a still photographer at a TV Station and most of my initial work was carried out with a Pentax 6X7 kit and though that lump was a tad unwieldy for handheld editorial material, I loved those lenses too. Glad to hear the blog is back and I understand the video thing only too well. I moved from still photography to Television News and Current Affairs videography and understand the work involved in producing a cohesive item for broadcast. I’m mightily impressed with some of the material I see on the Tube and understand just how much work has gone into some of this material. I’m with you Steve, I’d rather ride!
I had a 6×7 system at work for a while. It was a cumbersome camera and the shake from the mirror created some unsharp images. I returned to a Hasselblad 500 CM and was happier.
My first SLR was a Honeywell Pentax H1a. No meter, 1/500 fastest shutter speed, and a sharp Takumar lens. I loved that camera but eventually surrendered it and built an expansive system around two Olympus OM2n cameras.
You’re right, there is some exceptional stuff on YouTube. And thinking back to my Betacam days I think how much easier it is to create videos now. But I still would rather ride…
Miss your YouTube videos… totally understand the reasoning… look forward to your posts here…your YouTube posts are a good part of the reason why I sold my tall heavy dual sport motorcycle and bought a scooter a couple of months ago… my bad knees helped with that decision also…thanks for what you do.
Hopefully you’ll find something here that has value to you. The YouTube videos were interesting and fun to make for a while but they just don’t fit into my current goals.
Have fun with your scooter on your new adventures. Riding is great fun. Worrying about a too tall and too heavy motorcycle isn’t fun.
Hey Steve, being practical you could always make one video a month… However, I totally understand, my friend. I miss your videos but still I will be reading and commenting your articles. Ride safe buddy!
Totally agree Mario. I thought Steve came across so relaxed and conveyed his thoughts on the surroundings and ride perfectly. I really miss his videos.
Hopefully I can reproduce the relaxed feeling in my writing!
I”ve thought about making one video a month. Or an occasional video. But so far it’s just not excited me.
I have to say I much preferred the blog to the YouTube channel. I have a very quick reader and with the blog I can consume it at my own pace whereas with the YouTube videos I had to set aside a certain period of time in order to watch them.
I still occasionally work with a Pentax me super and I completely understand the perspective of needing to be more deliberate with film. Years ago I got to the point where I wasn’t getting my camera out of the bag unless somebody was paying me. Digital however reignited a love of Photography in a desire to just shoot to be creative. My go-to now is a Sony A7.
I had a similar experience with digital photography after a hiatus with film. Like with you it reignited things and I did some good work. And now a similar thing is happening with film. I guess everything does change.
I’ve seen enough YouTube channels to see the difference when a lot of work is put into the filming/editing/”massaging” of videos and greatly enjoyed yours. But completely understand the management of personal time for personal rewards. Looking wlforward to more blog posts!
YouTube was work and began to feel like a job. I’m retired and don’t want to return to that state of being if I don’t have to.
Let me just say it: I really miss your YouTube videos. Your calm, thoughtful personality made them truly special. Since I make videos myself, I know how much tedious work goes into them when you hold yourself to a high standard of quality. Still, having seen your videos, I now read your blog posts with your voice in my head, and that makes them a completely different experience.
That said, I really enjoy reading your blog and look forward to many more posts.
I’m glad you liked my videos and am sorry I have to disappoint you now. I learned a lot about myself while making them. And maybe I will create more someday. But for now I just want to write, take pictures, and ride. Producing videos is a whole different kettle of fish.
I’m glad to actually see an increase in blogging. The videos were a chance to see you in action. Together they let us see your world and the rides in them.
I’m much more relaxed when creating blog posts. I may seem relaxed in the videos but they can be intense and at time frustrating to create.
What lens do you have for your 5×7 new camera? I forgot you had that camera. If you shoot a 5×7 inch negative and develop it, I can take a photograph of it and give you a digital file so you can print it
The lens I have for the 5×7 camera is a Caltar II 210mm F5.6 Multicoated lens in a Copal No. 1. shutter. I’m getting closer to using it for a project. The Darkroom will process and scan it. But I suspect by the time I am ready to start shooting I will have my darkroom functional and will be process and print myself. Contact prints on Ilford Multigrade II Classic Fiber-based paper.
I will always be grateful for your videos, Steve.
They let me see a different side of riding. About a decade ago I became curious about riding and started to explore the internet and print media. Enjoyed learning about the technology but ended up turned off by the prevailing culture. Your work offered a glimpse into the simple pleasures of riding for oneself rather than for the herd and the industry. Maybe we’re the real rebels for having rejected that external validation in favor of personal satisfaction in another way.
Thanks to that realization, I found a preloved Vespa and got my motorcycle endorsement last year at the age of 68. I’ve had a great time exploring this season and I look forward to as many more as I can get away with.
Your YouTube legacy will carry on, but if you’re feeling that it’s time to move on, then do so. Be true to yourself.
Pete Davis
Southern Maine
Thank you Pete for your kind words about my videos and for sharing your experiences leading up to finding your Vespa.
I agree with you about the herd and the industry. They’ve led to ever bigger, more powerful, expensive machines. Not unlike the trend with four-wheeled vehicles. It became less about the actual experience of riding and more about satisfying some itch of the mind and ego. At least that’s what I’m choosing to believe. Regardless, you and I are riding for ourselves, rebels in a world of sheep! *GRIN*
Southern Maine. My wife and I used to visit a couple times a year. Always staying at the Beachmere Inn in Oqunquit.