Micael Widell Newsletter #49
Captain's log
My April was a pretty good month. Although I was disappointed that this winter has been so very long and cold, and when spring finally came, it only lasted for like 2 days. I am still waiting for warmer weather, so that I can do what I love the most: photograph live insects outdoors. Looks like the warm weather should finally arrive next week.
My new Youtube Channel
In other news, I decided to start a new youtube channel. The reason for this is that I sometimes feel like making videos that are not about photography.
Earlier I have posted these on my main channel. But I feel like they should have their own place, because I do realize that most people who follow my main channel are there for the macro photography content, and nothing else.
So if you want to hear my thoughts about death, or fear, there is now a special place for that :)
Medium Format Macro Photography
I also tried doing macro photography with a Fuji GFX Medium Format camera in Portugal. It has always been a dream of mine to try a medium format camera, and now thanks to MPB I got to borrow one.
New Indoor Camera Rig
I also invested a lot of money into a really good dedicated indoors video setup. This will give my videos slightly better image and sound quality, but above all it will simplify my workflow a lot.
I now finally have a setup where I can just press record and start talking. And I have tuned everything so that I get perfect crisp footage and sound straight from the camera, with zero need for post processing (LUTs and such). Such an awesome feeling.
If you are curious, the kit is a Sony ZV-E1 with XLR-K3M handle (which enables me to get sound from an XLR microphone directly into my camera) and the awesome Sennheiser MKH416 microphone. You can see the result of using this setup in this video.
Less focus on Patreon
I am going to stop posting bonus videos every month on my Patreon. There will still be some exclusive content now and then, but not according to any specific schedule. I explain the reasoning in this video if you want to learn more. Basically I now earn a living from Youtube via other means than Patreon, so Patreon is no longer strictly necessary for me to stay afloat. I then rather put more energy on content that can reach thousands of people.
All in all, April was a pretty nice month. Now I'm looking forward to insect season to begin for real in Sweden, after being delayed by a month or so :)
/Micael
Inspiring photos from Instagram
Here are some photographs I have found on Instagram recently that I really love and find inspiring. Click the username to visit the photographer's instagram profile and follow them.
@peter.brannon
@macro_by_rory
@ak_diffuser
@explorewithdara
@liam.jnd
My Published Videos since the last newsletter
- Medium Format Macro Photography with Fujifilm GFX 50S II
- Why I'm Starting a New Youtube Channel
- Speed-Editing YOUR Macro Photos with the Loupedeck+
- Autofocus in Macro Photography? Thoughts on Olympus OM-1
- 5 Reasons Photographers Should Post on Youtube
- April Patreon Q&A
Goodbye for now
Thank you for reading this far, and see you in a month! Feel free to follow me on YouTube, Instagram and Twitter in the meantime. If you like my work, please consider supporting me on Patreon. And lastly, feel free to tell your friends about this newsletter, and to reply to it if you have feedback or comments :)
/Micael