Undone is done

[Andrew - EOSHD]

"Talking about products I don’t actually care about but that I think will draw more views or earn me a bunch of money. I don’t want a portion of my house to be essentially be a shrine to cameras.”

Turns out he didn't give a shit.

[eatstoomuchjam]

Nice Storyblocks ad read in the middle of a video where he claims to be retiring, but then says he's just not going to make (as much) camera content as before.  And then claims that the brands never paid him for reviews - guess he bought all those fancy Aputure lights himself and reviews calling the Amaran Halo series "UNBEATABLE" had no gear or money changing hands, 'cuz, y'know Amaran Halos are the pinnacle of video lighting technology...  (Saw a couple used on set, they were fine - didn't seem bad or anything, but "unbeatable?"  Yeaahhhhh Ooooookaaaayyyy)

Also, the part where he says that he will now feel free to take gear given to him by camera brands because he's "retiring" from reviews.  🤣🤣🤣

Ohhh, and then he says he will make paid "showcase" videos for brands, but will limit it to short form content.  Wow.  What a "retirement."  

 

[Andrew - EOSHD]

I half expected him to retire into YouTube Apple product reviews, as that would bring in much more dollars than pixel peeping Sonys.

[fuzzynormal]

I vacillate between being a cynic and a nihilist, so where on the spectrum would "F these kinds of dudes in this BS society" fall?

[newfoundmass]

It's always strange how these folks always end up hating the box they put themselves into when they never had to put themselves in that box to begin with. The only thing stopping people like Gerald from CREATING fulfilling art is themselves. 

Having been a viewer of his since the start, he DID start out being passionate about cameras. But his transition from a guy who clearly loved cameras into a soulless content creator who acted as a promotional arm of the camera manufacturers wasn't something that happened overnight, nor was it something that his viewers didn't voice in the comments. It was a choice that he made, and inevitably it was going to end like this. 

There are so many people who started out around the same time who didn't put themselves into that box. Whether it was young Simon Cade/DSLRGuide or the Film Riot guys, just the first two to come to mind from the OLD days who are still around, they all started out with a similar trajectory but used their YouTube channels as a launch pad into creating art that they wanted. That isn't to say you can't criticize what they ARE creating today, but they are out there creating and, from the looks of things, enjoying it. Their work with cameras didn't just stay within the four walls of an apartment or house, but out in the real world, where they could express and create. 

I genuinely hope that Gerald finds something that he is passionate about and creates stuff that makes him feel good. Everyone deserves to be happy and fulfilled by what they are doing.

[EduPortas]

1 hour ago, newfoundmass said:

It's always strange how these folks always end up hating the box they put themselves into when they never had to put themselves in that box to begin with. The only thing stopping people like Gerald from CREATING fulfilling art is themselves. 

[...] 

I genuinely hope that Gerald finds something that he is passionate about and creates stuff that makes him feel good. Everyone deserves to be happy and fulfilled by what they are doing.

That's bc the man is not an artist nor a journo.

He's just some dude who speaks English (this is relevant) and got really passionate about cameras during The Great MILC Video Expansion of 2014-2024.

Since this is a hobby for him and not a job, the passion just ran out.

 

 

[newfoundmass]

2 hours ago, EduPortas said:

That's bc the man is not an artist nor a journo.

He's just some dude who speaks English (this is relevant) and got really passionate about cameras during The Great MILC Video Expansion of 2014-2024.

Since this is a hobby for him and not a job, the passion just ran out.

 

 

I mean, to the extent he creates videos he's an "artist" even if it's not art that you enjoy. It's not the most creative, but it is what it is. He COULD have explored more creative artistic expression, especially as he had the means to do it given the access to equipment (both owned and loaned) he had, but he chose not to. 

[kye]

I think it's a loss for us, as he was doing independent testing of things that no-one else was, like DR, and commenting on various combinations of modes and features, especially which combinations of modes and features couldn't work together.  This is all information that the other people don't bother with because their 'reviews' are really just product showcases or first-looks.

As much as the camera journalism and independent review ecosystem is in a sorry state, it just got worse.

[EduPortas]

42 minutes ago, newfoundmass said:

I mean, to the extent he creates videos he's an "artist" even if it's not art that you enjoy. It's not the most creative, but it is what it is. He COULD have explored more creative artistic expression, especially as he had the means to do it given the access to equipment (both owned and loaned) he had, but he chose not to. 

 

I'm sure the owner of this site would object to that statement LOL

Camera reviews are not art. They are content.

There's a huge gap that exemplifies why this sort of youtuber just fades away. At no time during the past 10 years did I see one of his reviews and said "wow, now that's art right there". There's no soul, just data. Clicked on a video, saw it, and 5 minutos later forgot all about it.

It's NOT his fault, it's just he's made from a different material than artists. I repeat, it's NOT a deficiency, it's just his way of presenting his videos: cold, clinical, analytical, operational.

Curiously enough, his pal from Camera Conspiracies has had some very artistic videos where he actually shows some soul. His technique is dreadful, but you can see HIM and his EMOTIONS through the video.

Cheers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[newfoundmass]

23 minutes ago, EduPortas said:

 

I'm sure the owner of this site would object to that statement LOL

Camera reviews are not art. They are content.

There's a huge gap that exemplifies why this sort of youtuber just fades away. At no time during the past 10 years did I see one of his reviews and said "wow, now that's art right there". There's no soul, just data. Clicked on a video, saw it, and 5 minutos later forgot all about it.

It's NOT his fault, it's just he's made from a different material than artists. I repeat, it's NOT a deficiency, it's just his way of presenting his videos: cold, clinical, analytical, operational.

Curiously enough, his pal from Camera Conspiracies has had some very artistic videos where he actually shows some soul. His technique is dreadful, but you can see HIM and his EMOTIONS through the video.

Cheers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Content is art. Not all art is equal, but it's still art. 

It's like arguing that the people who write instruction manuals or textbooks aren't writers. They are, but that doesn't mean they're Stephen King.