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Lesson Info
10. Building Your Story Arc
Lessons
Intro
1Workshop Intro
03:18Foundations
2Gear
12:14 3Gear - My Camera Bags
08:00 4Mastering Camera Settings
07:41 5Blue Hour, A How-To
10:45 6Photos That Move Us
07:19Visual Storytelling 101
07:51 8Endurance In A World Of Sprinting
06:27 9Keeping Your Ideas Fresh
08:31 10Building Your Story Arc
06:44 11Shooting More: Action Plan
02:01 12Conveying Emotions
07:52In the Field
13The Assignment: Himalaya Pre-Pro
12:08 14In the Field: The Himalaya Defender Shoot
20:29 15The Assignment: Canon Pre-Pro
10:25 16In the Field: Canon USA Shoot
15:06Editing
17Keywords & Organizing Images
06:42 18Commercial Grading
04:47 19Masking & Radial Filters
12:33 20Perspective Correction
05:39 21HDR (Hand-Held)
03:37 22Black & White Edits
07:00 23Before & Afters
01:33 24Moody Grading
13:15 25IG Export Settings
04:00 26Web Export Settings
02:44 27Clone Stamping & Patch Tools
05:51 28Grading in Lightroom
06:45 29Hand-Held Panoramas
03:41 30Radial Filters Pt 2
02:38 31Delivering Files to Clients
12:33 32Archiving & Organizing Images
10:15 33My Favorite Software
03:44Business
34Let's Talk Business
01:03 35Building A Desirable Portfolio
11:17 36How to Contact Clients
12:00 37Prospecting: Finding Brands That Fit You
04:16 38Getting Clients To See Our Value
10:16 39Paid to Travel the World
14:48 40The Art of Making Moodboards & Treatments
08:09 41Keys To A Fulfilling Career
07:40 42Three Things You Need To Know Before Pitching
06:19 43Finding Your Value Proposition
08:02 44Media Kit: A Walk Through
08:06 45How I Built My Audience
07:46 46Social Media Landscape
07:32 47Module Recap
03:08Bonus - Everything To Know About Filters
48Do You Need Lens Filters?
09:36 49Filters in The Field
12:40Bonus - Find Your Path
50Find Your Path
07:44Bonus - How To Print Your Work
51Why Print or Sell Photos
23:21 52Preparing Photos for Print
06:44 53Reviewing Major U.S Printers
06:57Lesson Info
Building Your Story Arc
(light music) Listen, I know that the purpose of being in adventure photography is to be out and tell stories about events, people, places we find interesting. And it may sound a bit counterintuitive to start looking at our own lives as a story arc, but it has become a requirement, I think. Why? Well, with the advent of social media and the democratization of camera phones, everybody can be a storyteller, and that's great. It has kinda leveled out the whole field because gear no longer makes a huge difference. That also means the space is pretty saturated, especially at the entryways. Near the top, I'm sure it's much more quiet, but there's talent rising every day, every minute. Look at the adventure photographers that you admire most. They're all broadcasting their own stories as part of the whole thing. They have to. When they endorse a brand, when they talk about a cause on social media. So, why wouldn't you do the same thing with your own existence? In the end it is what makes us...
different and unique. So how do we begin? Well, I have two little exercises that we're gonna do. And they're designed to get to know yourself better and to offload whatever's on your mind. Okay, so the first exercise, I call it finding what you value. So clear 30 minutes in your day, maybe now. Take a sheet of paper, simple, and a pen and start writing away all the things that you like and that you value. If you don't know how to start, use prompts such as, I value this. I like doing this or I like spending time with so and so. Just go with short sentences or even bullet points. Just get it all out. We can get to analyzing in the second step. (electronic music) Okay, let's move on to step two. (electronic music continues) The point here is that we have our list, and we wanna find common threads, connections between point and point, right? If you wrote that you like hiking and mountain biking, you can connect these two, because maybe it just means that you like being outside. Or if you wrote that you like having your own schedule and going on spontaneous trips, it probably means that you value freedom. Just keep going until you've narrowed down your list to five to eight big ideas. Step three, this one is a bit, takes a bit more time, but it's equally important. So I want you to ask your friends and family about yourself. We're often the worst to judge our own self. That's the reason why I created this exercise. The goal here is to learn about you from the people that know you most, your parents, your siblings, your best friends, and the peers you spend the most time with. What do they think you like? What do they think you value? And what do they think these trends are? If they're a bit confused about these questions, just explain to them that you're trying to understand yourself better with the goal of refining your own story arc. If they're keen, just offer to do it for them as well. When you have their answers, take them and go back to step one and see how well it matches. See how well you know yourself. Then with the results, you go ahead and craft your arc in simple bullet form or sentence form, however you prefer. Here's my story arc. Number one is self-development, becoming a better version of myself. I just think of it as the hero's journey. That, to me, is what drives my life. I just wanna become better at the things that I value. Now here's some of my themes. Alternative living, remote places, finding peace, and what is my experience, chasing those things. Being free. I just crave freedom. Doing what I love. What makes me excited? Another big one to me is living life in nature. That's one of the big ones for me. It's the foundation of most of the things I do. And it's tough to talk about these things 'cause they're so personal and intricate, but if you don't have that, it's gonna be hard for you to go out and make meaningful stories. Another thing that I value a lot is doing things differently that we talked about earlier and challenging the status quo. That's something that I'm really excited about. And lastly, which kind of holds it all together, is to live a life of adventure. So these points that I've just gone through, hopefully you found these for you as well through the exercise. I'd be really happy if you did. These are what drive my life. They're the reason I exist. And it's incredibly powerful having this in front of you in a place that you can see them daily. Like I said earlier, in front of your desk or whatever. Because I was clear about what I value and I had this list in front of me, it's probably one of the reasons why you started following me on Instagram. When you saw my feed, there was a clear path with a consistent storyline, and that made me stand out from all the other people. So I hope that you will pause right now, if you haven't already, and take the time to do this exercise. Because it will affect the trajectory of your career, I think. Let's get tactical. There's a few more story arc building techniques I'm gonna go over. Number one, travel. So finding yourself through travel is something I highly recommend. It's not a magic trick where you go on a trip to India and kinda come back with the truth, like in the movies. It is, however, super important to expose yourself to other cultures. I've used this a lot personally and I still do. Sometimes I hit a rut and going on a trip will help kinda soften things. I'll gain new perspectives and start shooting again. If you're the bold kind of person, just go as far and as wild as you can. Whatever will challenge you, just do that. If you, on the other hand, haven't traveled that much, try the next country over and just build on that. The point is to see new things and talk to people from different cultures. It's one of my favorite things to do on a trip is to ask taxi drivers, shopkeepers, guides about their daily lives. If you have a genuine interest, they will open up and you will learn much more about the place you're in than you learn reading the "Lonely Planet." If you've been jet-setting most of your adult life, here's something you can consider. I found that sometimes, the best trip can be in my own backyard, as simple as that. Going from smashing geography in a plane to riding my bike for a week through forgotten trails can be so much more fulfilling, so much of a deeper experience. So I hope you'll consider that. You don't have to be going to the other side of the world to get these kind of experiences. It can just be in your own backyard. (camera clicking)
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Ratings and Reviews
Jon
Not What I Was Expecting Let me just start by saying that the workshop was very good. There were lots of things that I learned and many insights I took away. Perhaps the greatest bit of wisdom imparted to me was not anything Alex said but how he approached every subject he talked about. I felt that he was talking to me as a friend, very personal and open book. This was both a blessing and a curse as the course tends to meander around and is not as structured as others I've taken. Alex's passion for the highest quality, and craftsmanship in every aspect of his business, is very evident. From the premiums he charges, to the attention to detail in client deliveries. This is where my review is going to give some hopefully constructive criticisms. For someone so focused on a premium experience I was a surprised to find the course a bit sloppily assembled, and the videography and editing lackluster. This is coming from a videographer and someone with a lot of experience in online training. A few short examples to illustrate my point include: repeating segments of the edit (in some instances the exact same segment), poor framing. Colors changing between cuts, and my biggest pet peeve, not leaving photo examples on for long enough to see them. These are all small things, but they add up, and along with the topics meandering, left me a bit disappointed. I'm curious who you would say this class is aimed towards. Amateurs, mid-level, or experts? The assumption of who you are addressing changes throughout the course. I feel like with a bit of work from an instructional designer, and some editing cleanup, you could help hone this course to be one of the best out there. I feel like I need to do a more in depth review than will fit here, to actually explain this well. Let me know if that would be helpful to you. One other note: When I signed up for a workshop on Adventure Photography, I honestly thought it would be more field focused. The field examples were all shoots for products, and not shoots documenting an adventure. I guess I had just hoped to learn that side of the storytelling process more. Getting into the nitty gritty of being wet, cold, and dirty, and still shooting bangers. The section on filters (going out and building the snow cave) was more what I thought this course was going to be. Anyhow, with all that said, I still found it valuable and worthwhile. To summarize, the course feels a bit unpolished and in some ways unfinished though there is still great value. I've taken Jimmy Chin's Masterclass on adventure photography and it felt very structured and highly polished. I purchased "Adventure Pro" on the "finish in a month" discount. I would have felt ripped off if I had paid full price with the course in its current state. Thanks for reading and I hope my criticisms come as helpful. As I've already mentioned I'd be happy to further elaborate.
Topher Hammond
One of the best photography investments I'm only 1/4 of the way through Alex's course and I feel like I already have a loose plan on how I can move forward in my own career as a photographer. I felt like my work was lacking a specific feeling. The way that Alex articulated ideas on how to convey emotion in your imagery and building that overarching story arc for your own life narrative were super helpful to focus on how to make my work better. Super looking forward to the rest of this course. Thanks Alex and team!
Sergi Mas de xaxars Rosell
Great Workshop I learned quite a lot with this workshop. Because I'm in the industry for 5 years now, there were a few things I already knew. On the other hand, Alex showed me different and more effective ways to improve my business. I like the way he gives the lessons, always in a personal and close way. This is the knowledge I wish I had when I started. Totally worth it!
Student Work
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