10. GM 14mm F1.8 Review for Photo and video + astrophotography
This video is in my top 10 list because I had a LOT of fun making it. I love getting to go on roadtrips with Dan with lenses not typically used for portrait photography. This helps me push my creativity to create something new and different. Bonus points, this was during autumn in Australia. We made the most of the beautiful red leaves while we were there! Dan took some portraits of me with the GM 35mm f1.4 + Sony A7III. I also used the 14mm f1.8 GM for astrophotography and later turned it into a TikTok which was really fun!
9. 35mm vs 50mm vs 85mm - which prime lens should you buy?
What should be my first lens for portrait photography? Is one of the questions I get asked the most. I decided to make this video comparing 3 of the most popular prime lenses for portraits. 35mm vs 50mm vs 85mm. I used all three lenses on location at a portrait photoshoot to demonstrate the similarities and differences. I also share my opinion on what situations I would use each of these lenses.
8. GM 50mm f1.2 Review + creative photoshoot
This portrait photoshoot was one of my favourites of the whole year! I got to work with Lili and Lidija who are both absolutely amazing and made the whole shoot super fun. We had one of the most beautiful days of lighting I can remember in all of 2021. That soft, dreamy back light is to die for! I wish I could shoot in lighting like this every day. Not to mention, I was reviewing the Sony 50mm f1.2 GM lens which is a DREAM of a lens. I made a video as to why I'm not switching to this GM yet - I already have a perfectly good Zeiss 50mm f1.4 and it's my least used prime lens. But this is still a lens I think about haha it also makes me excited to think about a potential GM 85mm f1.2 in the future!
7. 24mm composition tips for portrait photography
Although 24mm is an unconventional focal length for portraits, it is a fun lens to use every once in a while. I absolutely loved this portrait photoshoot we did during blue hour with Serena. I captured some of my favourite portraits on this day with low light and car headlights on in the background. The styling we had was super simple, but it added to the moodiness of our photos. There will be a few more composition tips videos in my top 10 videos. This was my favourite series I created in 2021!
6. Sony A1 photo and video review
Reviewing the Sony A1 feels like a lifetime ago already, it's one of the first camera reviews I created for the year. The Sony A1 is an extremely impressive camera and I knew I needed to do something a little different for this review. It was interesting getting to try new things such as bird photography to show off the capabilities of this camera. Since this review, I have been really interested in capturing birds, wildlife and landscapes with a telephoto lens. I didn't realise it at the time, but using the A1 was the start of a new road in photography for me. If you had told me a year ago I would be working on my skills as a wildlife photographer I wouldn't have believed you. But here we are now!
5. 85mm composition tips for portrait photography
My next favourite compositions tips video is with the 85mm focal length. This is a gorgeous focal length for portraits and I shared some of my favourite ways to capture images with this lens. I also have a composition tips video when using a 50mm focal length as well. This year in 2022, I want to create more in depth compositions tips and dive into some tips with zoom lenses too! I've covered all the main prime lenses I use already in these tips videos.
4. Sony A7 IV Photo and video review
The Sony A7IV was an extremely anticipated camera for me, so this review video I created definitely makes it into my top 10! I have been using the Sony A7III for 3 years now. It's an extremely capable camera that I've used to do fashion photography, wedding photography, portraits, travel, landscape and even vlogging. However, over the years of reviewing newer Sony bodies I started to feel like I could make use of the newer features in my main photo camera. I pre-ordered the Sony A7IV as soon as I could and filmed an unboxing video when I received my copies! I'm really excited to start a new year with a new camera.
3. Tips to improve your natural light portrait photography
In this video I shared my tips and tricks to doing portrait photography with only natural light. I love using natural light and most of the time shoot only with available light and natural reflectors in my location to create my portraits. I share tips for the 3 most popular natural lighting scenarios: shade, direct light and back light.
2. 35mm composition tips for portrait photography
Compositions tips for portrait photography with a 35mm focal length was the first tutorial of many to come in 2021! 35mm is my favourite focal length to use, so naturally this was my first composition tips video. I realised this was such a fun way to be able to share my thought process of the images I capture during a portrait photoshoot. I was really excited to see that you all responded to it so positively as well. I share lots of before and afters - sharing how I would shoot a portrait vs what a photo looks like including all the elements I try to avoid.
1. How to shoot in manual mode for beginners
We’ve reached my favourite photography tutorial of 2021! How to shoot in manual mode for beginners was one of the first photography tutorials I ever filmed for my YouTube channel 4 years ago. I was in Gdansk, Poland , standing in Dan's family's backyard to film that video against a lush green background. I was SO nervous and it took me about an hour to film a quick 10 minute video. I kept stumbling on my words, forgetting what I was saying, rewording things as I go and in general being super nervous. I've always wanted to re-do that video with some examples of what I was explaining and this is what I created. I'm very proud of this video for a few reasons. The reason I started a YouTube channel was to help photographers who are starting out. On my channel, there are no questions that are too easy or hard to answer. Everyone is at a different point of their photography journey, and I want to be there along the way! With this video, I am also able to see the growth of my confidence and ability to teach photography on YouTube. I've definitely come a long way from that person who was super nervous to film a video!
Thank you so much for your support in 2021 and over the years. I truly appreciate every single person who watches one of my videos or leaves a comment, likes, purchases one of my Lightroom presets, follows me on Instagram, sends me messages or emails. YOU are the reason I am so pumped every time I make a new video and I’m just as excited for creating more photography videos in 2022 as I was when I first started my YouTube channel. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support. As always, if there’s anything you want to see please ask me! I read every single comment and message you send and always keep your suggestions in mind for future videos to create.
I hope you all have an amazing 2022!
