Adam Savage's Problem with Internet Photos

Adam's been thinking about this rant for a while: a common issue with photos of objects and projects he finds on internet forums is how poorly they relay critical information at a glance. Using a paint weathering tutorial as a demonstration, Adam shows what he means when he wants to "see" an object through the camera lens and what he thinks about every time he takes a photo to share.

Disclaimer: Tested may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through the links here.

Shot by Adam Savage and edited by Norman Chan
Music by Jinglepunks

Join this channel to support Tested and get access to perks:

Intro bumper by Abe Dieckman

Thanks for watching!

#adamsavage #weathering #photography

[tested]

Disclaimer: Tested may earn an affiliate commission when you buy through the links here.

[kenfutv]

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever gotten about lighting a picture of a shiny object is not to light it but instead light what it sees. Or said differently, light what it will reflect.

Don’t know who needs to hear that, but it’s advice that has served me well for many years.

[chris_dietz]

"He's painting a helmet" "yes he is" "I thought he was talking about photography" "shh I'm trying to learn"

[kevinconnery]

Even before asking if a photograph lets the viewer properly see the object, I've found that asking what you *want to communicate* before even picking up the camera/phone is extremely useful. Even if the answer is as simple as 'show the object as it is', the first question really helps frame Adam's post-photo question.

[chhunter]

It is common for me to see listings for computers and other electronic equipment that do not show the back where all of the ports are located. When buying something like that, knowing what I can plug into it is often the most important thing.

[timparsons]

I want to see the photo that finally sent Adam over the edge.

[waytired]

Adam in full Adam mode that we love him for. Norm after seeing this raw footage: man how in the world am I going to edit this?

[Mackenziekingphoto]

A couple of old school photography tricks ( from a very old school photographer) 1. View the image in black and white. If you can still understand the shape and form then it usually works 2. Turn the photo upside down. If it still makes sense then you should be good to go 🙂

[Consequator]

Next video: Adam Savage fixes squeaky shop stool wheels. I keep thinking there is a small dog running around lol.

[archstanton]

You'll still get someone asking where the pencil is after they receive whatever it is you sold 😂

[TinkeredDiesel]

Most eloquently put and kindhearted rant I think I’ve ever heard.

[asc]

Adam, this is so great. I am a music professor and get great results with my students by selecting one single note and asking them "how do you want that note to sound?" And then we deep dive on all the possibilities and aspects of the sound of that one note. It's a very basic exercise but with great implications for what we often ignore, overlook, or take for granted. So much of your content overlaps with my field, and last year, I required all of my students to watch your video on measurements/gauge blocks! Love the content, and appreciate your work.

[glennac]

I’m an advocate of “Banana for scale.”

Also, many people don’t realize they need to tap on the screen to focus the camera at that point of the object. As a result, there are so many out of focus pics.

[steelcutoaths]

Man, taking me back to my days in college photography classes. I think the advent of digital photography has greatly impacted photography, as you were saying. One thing I came away with from my classes was that for every 100 digital photos, you might get 1 or 2 that you actually like. When I look at film images, I’m struck by just how much thought and time went in to making sure each shot was what you wanted (at least prior to developing it). It’s such an interesting shift, in my opinion. I haven’t had the chance to play with film since taking that class (I also don’t have an SLR), but I think it would be fun to play around. I’m not photographing items for sale or auction, but it cannot be under-emphasized how important good pictures of objects are for online display.

[xliquidflames]

I ran my mom's online shop for the costume jewelry she was making and selling. This kind of stuff drives me crazy. When people take photos of things, it's like they don't care if the person looking at the photo can tell what it is. I always included something for scale and multiple angles of everything. Otherwise, it's like looking at NASA photos from a satellite over Mars or the Moon. That rock could be the size of a grain of sand or it could be the size of a house. When people report on NASA photos, they always leave off the scale that NASA always includes on the originals. Although, you do have to remember to say in your post that the pencil or the coin or whatever it is you're using for scale is not included with the sale. I had someone message me and say I forgot to include the quarter in their order of a bracelet. I checked the page and, yep, I forgot to put, "Quarter for scale, not included." So, I had to send them a freaking quarter. Well, I probably didn't have to but it just wasn't worth the argument. Thank you so much for addressing this and maybe people will listen. Although, I think you may be shouting into the void, a little. The people watching this video are not the people who need to hear it. That venn diagram probably has zero overlap.

[KeithStevenson]

As a professional photographer, I found that one of the simplest ways to improve someone’s cell phone photography is to make sure their lens is clean. I used to work at a newspaper and I had to drill the reporters on cleaning their lenses before they shot. There was always oil or pocket fluff on them and cleaning it off made the pics so much more clear and usable.

[pendaco]

Playing this video in the background thinking; "Hey does Adam have a new parakeet?"
That chair needs some lubrication sir! 😂

[wtfwft]

I'm a cataloguer for an auction house and this video is extremely relevant to me. Thanx!

[thirenthman]

Adam is the virtual mentor I always wanted but never had.. and I suspect that I am not alone in that. Thank you Adam for sharing all your knowledge and wisdom.

[daakmaar]

My 2 biggest takeaways from watching these videos: 1) Adam voices his explanations in a way that I’m able to apply the philosophies to things I’m doing. 2) When Adam uses a “$5 word, ” he does so in a context that gives me at least a general sense of the definition. Neither of these should be seen as trivial. They’re both amazing skills & deserve to be celebrated.