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InTentToBe
@intenttobe
Visual creator based in the UK
Introducing InTentToBe
One day, James drove to a forest that he didn’t originally intended to go to. Thick fog covered the hiking route and the view, but decided to hike anyway. This is where his niche started to develop and his creative journey evolved in parallel with exploring forests.
Discovering a niche and sticking to it, has been a huge turning point for James. His day job gives him lots of creative variety, so he prefers to focus on his niche for his personal work. Instead of a content-first approach, his work is a result of hiking and exploring freely: “Someone once said that there will always be an audience for you but it might take some time for them to find you.”
When you look at James’ Instagram, you’ll see many reels from forests with their sound and deep green colors. You may already guess that his main activity is creating videos; it’s where he can tell a story in a completely different way compared to photographs and it challenges him to think better about what to capture and how, before pointing the video camera. Many years in the forest have been a catalyzer for the improvement of his craft – gathering knowledge, finding the right gear, and establishing a workflow all adapted to his niche/subject.
Peaceful and productive are words you’ll hear from James regularly since they shape his days: “Each day I always try to do something that helps me achieve a personal goal or learn something new. Maintaining peace in my life is the number one reason why I visit the forests”. In the interview, we learn about James’ workflow and outdoor adventures, as well as his post-processing.
“Always try to find a narrative in what you do in order to create that emotional connection that will resonate with your audience” is the tip he finishes the interview with. We can relate that to something he mentioned earlier about experiencing the continuous cycle and evolution of life through the year in the forests. We can conclude from this that, if you want to connect with your audience, you need to connect with your subject.
You can read the full interview with InTentToBe below!
Interview
Welcome! You have a clear niche and focus for your photography/videos. What brought you to visual creation? And then, how did you get to such a specific subject for your work?
First, I would like to thank you for reaching out and asking me to take part in this interview. There is a great community out there, and it’s great that you promote it, helping people connect and sharing knowledge.
I have always been interested in filmmaking and photography but also enjoy the technical side. Finding my niche was by total accident. In the winter, I drove to a completely different forest I originally intended to visit and found myself covered by a thick fog.
I decided to hike anyway, and as the day progressed, the sun started to break through and created an otherworldly atmosphere. Around this time, I also discovered how good an iPhone 12 Pro could be and began recording these forest scenes. I then started to explore the forest more and more in all weather and began developing my style from there.
"Through spending thousands of hours in the forest filming on different cameras, lenses, and weather, I found what worked for me and achieved the results I had in my mind."
Can you tell us something about the journey you’ve made to reach the point where you are now as a (professional) video creator? What have been some major challenges and what have been some highlights that boosted your growth?
My journey evolved in parallel with going to the forest and exploring. The exploring part is always the most important with filming being a medium in which I can share these places with other people. The challenges I came across were unrealistic things I had imposed on myself like posting twice a day. So I cut back to only posting once a day which can at times still be a little challenging but my workflow and approach now are as simple as I can get it. I can usually capture enough content in one day that will be enough for 2 weeks of posting. Winter can be difficult in regards to the weather and how short the days become. Normally though, I would spend anywhere between 2-5 hours out and about as frequently as I can. The actual shooting part doesn’t really take up much time at all. Waiting around for the sun to come out, scrambling over rough ground and looking for a particular composition makes up the largest part of capturing something.
"In regards to highlights, I think discovering what my niche was and sticking to it was a big turning point."
I do still like to try different things within that niche but I don’t stray too far – It is not wanting to move away from my niche, it is not wanting to modify the way I produce it. The exploring and hiking always come first and my content comes as a result of that. I wouldn’t want to change that to a content-first approach.
My everyday work is another creative outlet where I get to experiment in completely different sectors but my Instagram account and the content is entirely focused on the above mindset. As soon as it feels like “work” then I would stop, I am hyper-aware of falling into that trap.
"Someone once said that there will always be an audience for you but it might take some time for them to find you."
What is your ultimate goal with your videos/content?
I would like to create something with many of the other like-minded people who I have been lucky enough to connect with. Not sure what that looks like right now but it is something I am definitely open to and willing to explore.
How do you generally work with goals/goal setting and how do you manage to work toward them and keep on track?
That is a very tricky question to answer as I tend to just jump in at the deep end and see what happens. I guess I tend to formulate an idea or narrative in my head, pull it apart and then put it back together which usually gives me a clear plan of how to achieve it. I don’t like to be too regimented in my approach as so many times I have come up with a plan and then completely change it on the day because of weather or other things I didn’t expect to encounter so being adaptable and agile also helps.
From one day to another, you stopped sharing photographs on your feed and only share reels. What made you decide to solely share reels from that moment on and what has been the effect on your brand/growth as a creator?
I do like photography but I just felt it didn’t help me to tell the story I was experiencing at that moment. I am also not a big fan of editing a photo until what’s only a slight part of the original photo; it was like a false sense of achievement that I hadn’t been able to capture an image straight from a camera that I was 99% happy with. Concentrating on creating film allowed me to share these places in a completely different way. It also forced me to think differently about what was being captured and how, as it is a lot harder to fix your image in post-procession. I was more focused on improving my framing and exposure.
In your captions, you ask some good and reflective questions. What is your approach to/philosophy of life and how do you see that back, in your opinion, in the content that you create?
I like that we have the ability to make an emotional connection with people around the world. It is amazing that I am able to share these places and experiences I am lucky enough to see and enjoy. If I am able to enhance someone’s day by making them feel peaceful or inspiring them to get out into nature and experience it for themselves, I am happy. I do also like finding people who, through their particular artistic preference and way of thinking, resonate with me and my content. I love to share knowledge, and provoke something within people. Though I love learning from others as much.
What lessons have you learned about the Earth’s nature? How do you combine that knowledge with the technical side of photography?
There are great places everywhere in nature. One of the most profound things I have had the opportunity to experience is the continuous cycle and evolution of life through the year in the forests.
When you combine this with the changing light and weather, the opportunities to capture something beautiful increase. As you spend more time in particular areas, you learn where the light is at its best and where the best place is to explore.
The gradient of the area can play a crucial part in making something look more dynamic. Many of the forests I visit have very steep valleys or banks. These natural structures help me create unique compositions when shooting upwards and into the sunlight.
When you have all this knowledge, you can start to visualize what a scene might look like depending on the focal length you use.
What is your favorite gear to use when shooting in the forest?
Vintage lenses and diffusion filters are part of my favorite gear. Modern mirrorless cameras and lenses can be incredibly sharp edge to edge, and while some people like this, I feel it takes away quite a lot of character/expression from your film. I like having soft edges, highlight blooms, wild flaring, bokeh, and a lot of vintage lenses that allow you to create something with a lot more personality. I primarily use the Super Takumar prime lenses (35mm F2, 50mm F1.4, 85mm F1.8), and when I photograph at f2.8-f3.5 have this very natural-looking feel and help to create that 3D pop.
"I see many people falling into the trap of thinking their gear needs to be the latest and greatest to achieve good results, but one of my reels, which has 5 million views, was filmed on a lens that cost £25."
How do you approach the editing of your reels? What are your most needed tools, and what helps you to achieve the final result?
I keep my workflow as simple as I possibly can. I found that if you concentrate on understanding the basics – like how to expose and frame your image – there is very little you need to do in post-production. I started using an iPhone 12 pro to create all of my reels and then moved to use a mirrorless camera only this year. I applied the same principles with the iPhone as I do with the Sony A7 IV.
My settings for any camera I use are 60p, 1/120 shutter speed, and base ISO (800 for the Sony A7 IV). I keep these constant and use a variable ND to achieve the desired exposure.
I have a Zhiyun Crane M3 for extra stability, the gimbal has a portrait mode, and while having a small form factor, it can cope with all the different lens combinations I use. I have modified mine slightly and added a carbon extension tube as it can be hard on the wrists, and this extra length makes it easier to hold and use in portrait mode.
Regarding the audio, I use a Rode Wireless Go II and always forget it picks up the sound of the gimbal motors – something to consider.
While filming, I aim to find an interesting foreground to add that parallax and sense of movement to the shot. The busier I can make my frame, the better. And in this regard, I always try out different focal lengths.
90% of the time, I shoot in 1080p. With the sony A7IV, there is a super 35mm crop mode. So with each lens, you can experiment at two focal lengths.
In post-production, I do very little apart from adding an S-LOG 3 correction preset and doing the minimum color grading/correction to finalize the edit. I like it when the only thing I touch is the contrast or shadows. I interpret the footage from 60p to 30p or 25p to help create smooth footage.
Peaceful and productive seem to be words that are important to you and you wish to others. How do you maintain your peace and how do you, as a person and a creator, manage your productivity?
Maintaining that peace is the number 1 reason why I visit these places. It is very important to spend as much time as I can out in nature to recharge mentally as well as to experience those unexpected wonders of the forest. Each day I always try to do something that helps me achieve a personal goal or learn something new. Maintaining the productivity of my content creation again revolves around keeping my workflow as simple as possible. I hope you all have a peaceful and productive day 🙂
What do your outdoor adventures look like when you decide to go out shooting or exploring? How do you prepare, scout, and travel around?
My set-up relies on mobility (although my bag can be on the heavy side), so I am ready to shoot anytime. I try to hike around 50-100 miles each month around new and known places making mental notes of what times the light is at its best in a particular location I come across.
I discovered many of these places by accident, following animal trails, scrambling up and down things, being knee-deep in bogs, and just being out there in all weather and all seasons.
The forests in the UK that I explore are not on the same scale as those found in different areas of the world. I can go off the beaten track without worrying about getting lost, but I always track my route on various apps – if I get lost, I can backtrack.
Wearing the correct clothing makes a big difference in being comfortable all year round. Getting wet is going to be something you will need to get used to, especially in the UK, so I have a dry bag in my backpack (you can use a bin liner to achieve the same result) to make sure my equipment will be 100% dry even if I fell into a river.
What has been one of your most remarkable experiences in a forest so far? What made it so special?
When you spend a lot of time in the forest and see how it works as an ecosystem, then that is the most remarkable experience. Seeing a blue beetle making its way across the forest floor is as beautiful as the rising sun cascading down through the forest canopy.
Nowadays we see so many young talented artists pursuing a career as (full-time) travel/landscape photographers. What four pieces of advice would you give them?
1) Spend as much time as you can out exploring in all seasons and all weather. There is no shortcut to finding these moments/places/experiences. You have to be out there looking for and discovering them.
2) It is ok to fail. Failing is how you learn and develop your knowledge and understanding of all the aspects that make up photography and filmmaking. Don’t be afraid to try something new or something you are not an expert on. Just give it a go and continually learn from your mistakes.
3) The camera isn’t the most crucial part of your photography or filmmaking arsenal. Understanding how to expose and compose your image is the most important, then lenses and the camera. If you know how to frame and expose your images, then you can use any camera to create beautiful content.
4) Always try to find a narrative in what you do to create that emotional connection that will resonate with your audience.
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