Where Did The Comments Go? - and Episode 25 of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres

Things going wrong is just a part of life.

We learn what we can so that hopefully we can avoid them happening again, and then move on.

But after 2 dozen episodes of Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres, I keep thinking I've surely learned enough for the podcasts to run more smoothly.

Yet last night, completely inexplicably, I couldn't seem to find the comments people were leaving.

I don't know if it's something to do with Facebook's new layout, although it's been like that for a few weeks now.

Or perhaps it's because I launched the video from the Event page rather than my Kim Ayres Photography Facebook page – but then I'm sure I did that last week and didn't have the same problem.

It's one thing to work it out when you have time, but the sudden pressure when you're live broadcasting is immense. Each extra few seconds runs the chance of losing more viewers.

After a while I started to wonder if I should just make my apologies and forget about the comments and move on with the show. But the comments are now an integral part of it, and contribute a great deal to my enjoyment of doing the podcasts.

It's not like I'm being paid to do them.

Oh of course there are loose ideas about it them helping me to build an audience, reputation and brand, but first and foremost I have to enjoy them – otherwise what's the point?

And for me, the biggest satisfactions come from the sense of a) I'm helping people, and b) the opportunity it gives me to connect with others in these socially distanced times.

So no, I couldn't really contemplate the idea of not being able to see what people were saying, and be unable to respond to them.

Eventually I grabbed my tablet to access the video through that in order to see the comments.

For the YouTube version below, I think I've had to edit out about 6 or 7 minutes or me scrambling about trying to find solutions, mumbling into my beard, and apologising to anyone watching.

Technology is such an amazing thing when it works, and such a curse when it doesn't...

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0.00 - What's coming up
2:28 - Introduction to the photo shoots I did with artist, Maggie Ayres, who also happens to be my wife
10:50 - Creating a new shoot under Lockdown
20:25 - Photograph at the Shed Café
30:03 - The struggle to find the comments
34:12 - Critique of images submitted to the Facebook Group, "Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres"
50:40 - How important are titles for photographic images?
1:11:00 - Adjusting shutter speed and aperture to capture bright light
1:22:50 - Coming up next week

If you found this interesting/useful/entertaining, then please consider supporting these podcasts and blog posts via buymeacoffee.com/kimayres

Also consider subscribing to my YouTube channel -  https://www.youtube.com/kimayres  – to help me build the numbers.

And, or course, if you would like to submit a photo for feedback, or just ask a photography related question, then do join my Understanding Photography with Kim Ayres  Facebook group and I will put it into the following podcast:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/240842990388815/