Thomas Heaton

Julian Elliott said:
Adding fuel to the fire.

As I said in an earlier post, you have only got to hear Mr Heaton when he signs off at around 5 minutes. He is shattered! That is not good and why on earth he did such a thing is still beyond me.

I guess that Greg and I are in the minority but I'd prefer to be in the minority that still has their bodies intact.

It be interesting to know how much sleep he had the day before he left. And to reiterate again. It's not difficult to get accommodation up there in January/ february and surely getting a decent night's sleep is better than getting up at 130AM to drive for four hours or so.
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Amen
 
Just for the sake of balance and not wishing to get into it with anyone...

Whilst I agree with the sentiment that the mountains can be more dangerous than people realise, I hardly think Heaton is doing this for attention. If that was his aim I'm sure he would be doing slightly more daft things that getting up early to get a photo. As clearly proven by this thread a lot of people would think nothing of the way he does what he does anyway.

In the same breath as saying how dangerous the mountains are or can be you are also saying how accidents can happen to anyone, anywhere even if they are well prepared. I'm not sure what point is being made here? Should we never leave the house with our cameras lest we trip and hit our heads?

There are far more dangerous pursuits that people regularly do than getting up early and walking up a hill to take some pictures.
 
Just because 1.30am is early for you it could be the norm for the next man. You're just making assumptions that he (or anyone else for that matter!) isn't up to it because you're not or because you don't do it.

You do come across as a little bitter towards people who have made it in any other kind of way than your ideal.

Ironically, in your Trotternish thread you asked someone to accept the way you shoot... perhaps it's time to take your own advice on board bud.

You can always write 'told you so' on one of his YouTube vids if he falls off the edge of a mountain due to setting off at 1.30am...
 
No assumptions from me, just seems like every chance you get, you bash people for 'doing stuff for likes' or taking risks. If it works for them then so be it.

Glad you're happy with how you're progressing.

I wouldn't call it an argument, more of a discussion mate. I'm a lover not a fighter. :kiss:
 
I really enjoy Thomas Heaton's videos. I think he does a lot to inspire a lot of people to get out and shoot and you constantly see him battling with himself whether to go out in bad weather etc. I feel there is a huge over reaction as to whether he is safe in the mountains or not. He dresses for the conditions, is fit, plans thoroughly and if anybody who has done any walking/climbing in Glencoe has not said "I'm knackered" then I would be very surprised. As someone else noted, how could anybody know his movements before getting up at 0130am to drive the 4 hours to Scotland so people should stop jumping to conclusions.

Please keep up the good work Thom.
 
mal robb said:
I really enjoy Thomas Heaton's videos. I think he does a lot to inspire a lot of people to get out and shoot and you constantly see him battling with himself whether to go out in bad weather etc. I feel there is a huge over reaction as to whether he is safe in the mountains or not. He dresses for the conditions, is fit, plans thoroughly and if anybody who has done any walking/climbing in Glencoe has not said "I'm knackered" then I would be very surprised. As someone else noted, how could anybody know his movements before getting up at 0130am to drive the 4 hours to Scotland so people should stop jumping to conclusions.

Please keep up the good work Thom.
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I think that overall what he does is good. I found his wild camping video of interest as it's an area I have looked into in the past. He is inspiring BUT I think that particular video is misguided and there was no need for him to be doing a 4.5 hour drive.
 
Julian Elliott said:
.......there was no need for him to be doing a 4.5 hour drive.
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Strangest comment of the year that one. How else was he mean to get there??? I'm pretty sure EasyJet aren't yet fling from Newcastle to The Lakes.

I've met Tom on a number of occasions. I shot his wedding earlier in the year in fact. He's fit, experienced and plans every venture to the most minute detail. In terms of risk assessment, what little risk he's taking can be considered very minimal.
 
Read through this, whilst I completely agree that mountain safety is of paramount importance and should never be overlooked, chastising the guy for driving through the night based on mere assumptions is a bit silly, as mentioned there could be any number of reasons why he's done this, he could have been perfectly rested ahead of his journey, he could have been constrained to these plans because of other commitments, no one knows. I work nightshifts regularly and this wouldn't be a stretch for me, as i can often plough on comfortably til lunchtime the following day without sleep if necessary, often that's when it catches up with you, and that's without 'rest' ahead of a shift. But then that's me, some of my colleagues who work shifts would never be able to do this sort of thing and would be at deaths door by 6am because their sleep requirements are different to mine. Every individual is different and what's right for one person is completely useless to the next.
 
If you read Tom's book it has a section on safety in there. I'm sure he takes it seriously.
 
Julian Elliott said:
He had a guide so not exactly taking a risk. And from some of his comments it's a tourist attraction.

I know I am in the minority but we will see. It only takes once!
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Of course he's taking a risk, but it's a managed risk and he's mitigating the likelihood of something going wrong with appropriate controls (the guide in this case as an example). The hazard (lava field) and the severity of potential injuries (burns, death etc) are all still present.
 
Julian Elliott said:
He had a guide so not exactly taking a risk. And from some of his comments it's a tourist attraction.

I know I am in the minority but we will see. It only takes once!
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Sorry, but how does having a guide remove the risk. It's a lava field, it changes all the time.
Sure it may reduce the risk but there will always be a risk, even Tom was saying that in his video.

I'm glad I don't live my life wrapped up on cotton wool. I've tracked Rhino and Elephant on foot whilst in SA. it was an experience never to be forgotten, but we were with a ranger so I guess there was no risk.
 
ecoleman said:
Sorry, but how does having a guide remove the risk. It's a lava field, it changes all the time.
Sure it may reduce the risk but there will always be a risk, even Tom was saying that in his video.

I'm glad I don't live my life wrapped up on cotton wool. I've tracked Rhino and Elephant on foot whilst in SA. it was an experience never to be forgotten, but we were with a ranger so I guess there was no risk.
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You are being guided by people who do it all the time. Who have knowledge of the area and the animals.

As I said, I know I am in the minority but there you go.
 
Julian Elliott said:
You are being guided by people who do it all the time. Who have knowledge of the area and the animals.

As I said, I know I am in the minority but there you go.
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And all that does is reduce the risk. It most certainly does not remove or eliminate it - even highly experienced people are fallible and make mistakes. Whether it reduces the risk to an acceptable level depends on your perception of what an acceptable risk is.
 
After much research and deliberation I've done the same journey Heaton did in his Glen Coe video, in winter and around the same time, except I was a 2 hour drive as I live in Glasgow and I was up at 3AM. I spoke to him about this hill and he said he done it in 25mins - that's hella fast! I did it in about 45mins up the same steep ridge. As people have mentioned before we don't know the circumstances surrounding the video except for what's in the video so everything is assumption. One thing I will say is that I believe Heaton would take great care on hills/mountains as he's an avid boulderer and climber so I'm certain he'll know a thing or two when it comes to hills. This combined with his fitness levels would certainly explain 25mins to get up that hill.

Also he's probably just as knackered on a normal day because his backpack weighs about 20kg+. Think about it, he's got a full tripod, 5D MKIII, 70-200 f/4, 24-70 f/2.8, 16-35 f/4, drone, Canon G7XII, voice recorder, spare clothes, walking poles, filters/holders, food, water and whatever else.
 
YoshiK1 said:
After much research and deliberation I've done the same journey Heaton did in his Glen Coe video, in winter and around the same time, except I was a 2 hour drive as I live in Glasgow and I was up at 3AM. I spoke to him about this hill and he said he done it in 25mins - that's hella fast! I did it in about 45mins up the same steep ridge. As people have mentioned before we don't know the circumstances surrounding the video except for what's in the video so everything is assumption. One thing I will say is that I believe Heaton would take great care on hills/mountains as he's an avid boulderer and climber so I'm certain he'll know a thing or two when it comes to hills. This combined with his fitness levels would certainly explain 25mins to get up that hill.

Also he's probably just as knackered on a normal day because his backpack weighs about 20kg+. Think about it, he's got a full tripod, 5D MKIII, 70-200 f/4, 24-70 f/2.8, 16-35 f/4, drone, Canon G7XII, voice recorder, spare clothes, walking poles, filters/holders, food, water and whatever else.
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And whenever you watch his videos he's set his Go Pro up on a tripod and walked past for a shot then returned to go get the Go Pro (or in one video a kind passer by fetched it for him). That must add some miles to his shoots.
 
The most dangerous thing in this thread was @minnnt admitting to wearing Matalan joggers on a public forum!

I can't believe a thread that started out discussing a seemingly nice guy and decent photographer has descended to this. A man went for a drive and walked up a hill, made a throw away comment and now @Julian Elliott considers him the greatest threat since the cuban missile crisis.

I have massive respect for the mountains, in my younger years I spent half my life in them, so I fully appreciate the points @gregww1 has made. However I am sure there is more of a risk living and working every single day in any one of the country's large towns or cities and we are not discussing that...
 
@Craig_85 I think that is ever so slightly a huge exaggeration.

There are some of Thomas' videos that are great. I do like the wild camping one and it gave me food for thought as it's something I would like to do myself.

I now feel that the discussion one whether or not it's dangerous has run its course. Every post on this just goes to and fro.
 
YoshiK1 said:
Also he's probably just as knackered on a normal day because his backpack weighs about 20kg+. Think about it, he's got a full tripod, 5D MKIII, 70-200 f/4, 24-70 f/2.8, 16-35 f/4, drone, Canon G7XII, voice recorder, spare clothes, walking poles, filters/holders, food, water and whatever else.
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And to think I complain to myself that a tripod, D750 and 2 lenses is too heavy....
 
Craig_85 said:
The most dangerous thing in this thread was @minnnt admitting to wearing Matalan joggers on a public forum!

I can't believe a thread that started out discussing a seemingly nice guy and decent photographer has descended to this. A man went for a drive and walked up a hill, made a throw away comment and now @Julian Elliott considers him the greatest threat since the cuban missile crisis.

I have massive respect for the mountains, in my younger years I spent half my life in them, so I fully appreciate the points @gregww1 has made. However I am sure there is more of a risk living and working every single day in any one of the country's large towns or cities and we are not discussing that...
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Everything that is wrong with Social Media and Forums, all wrapped up in this one comment. Nobody is right here, not David, nor Julian they are only opinions.

FWIW, I consider everyone out on the hills to be a total prat until they prove otherwise to me...much like I consider all other road users to be completely incompetent until they don't crash into me. It's a philosophy that has served me well over the years :ROFLMAO:
 
I really like Thomas Heatons work, however, as he's become more successful, I've noticed that he has a lot more product placement. His channel has almost become one big advert. You can't blame him mind, he even admitted that he brings in £400 - £500 a month on his channel alone.

I've noticed that he doesn't tend to talk about settings etc anymore, its all about plugs.
 
Badger8 said:
I've noticed that he doesn't tend to talk about settings etc anymore, its all about plugs.
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Settings are often useless details. Go to the same scene, same time, the same settings and filter won't necessarily produce a good result. Learning how to use the settings to match conditions is more valuable.

He's been clear when he's been given freebies etc, not all YouTube channels would do the same or reveal how much they earn on YouTube.
 
Not enjoyed his videos as much recently - not sure if I just liked him climbing mountains and taking sunrise / set shots - I know he needs to change things around and keep it fresh but his recent trips haven't really done it for me.

His latest video mentions large format cameras - not something I really have an interest in but will keep an open mind and see how it progresses.
 
Badger8 said:
I really like Thomas Heatons work, however, as he's become more successful, I've noticed that he has a lot more product placement. His channel has almost become one big advert. You can't blame him mind, he even admitted that he brings in £400 - £500 a month on his channel alone.

I've noticed that he doesn't tend to talk about settings etc anymore, its all about plugs.
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So he's just meant to go out every week and create free content for you to watch from the comfort of bed?
£400-£500 is nothing if you think about the expense of flying to various locations, accommodation, time shooting the video, editing etc.

So what if he makes a bit of money from advertising or product placements.

I watch his channel because he DOESN'T talk about settings. Settings mean nothing. What he does do is inspire me to get my arse out of bed in the morning on a weekend or to grab the camera and go for a walk after work in the evenings.
 
Dave Semmens said:
Not enjoyed his videos as much recently - not sure if I just liked him climbing mountains and taking sunrise / set shots - I know he needs to change things around and keep it fresh but his recent trips haven't really done it for me.

His latest video mentions large format cameras - not something I really have an interest in but will keep an open mind and see how it progresses.
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Does it really matter what he shoots with. His videos have never been about the gear or settings.
He could shoot with an instamatic for all I care.
 
I really enjoy Toms vids. Clearly a huge amount of work goes into filming and editing them.

I think he may be trying to follow the trend of some of the top landscape togs by taking these very isolated images of random tree branches and bits and bobs. That's not my cup of tea I'm afraid, much prefer his more scenic stuff but that's what I am in too anyway.

I follow a few other photographers on YouTube, some very good and some not so good, but they all inspire me to get out and do more and I enjoy all of their enthusiasm none the less.

Simon Baxter has just put his second video up. Really enjoy his vids and images too
 
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I feel his latest videos are a bit more lacklustre these days with (as mentioned previously) more and more product placement in them such as his ebook. On that note the ebook does have some decent information and stories in it but it's all over the place and lacks flow and completeness.

Each video he makes is no longer a story and is just like he's filming them to keep consistency and views rather than his original focus of telling us the story and enjoying the landscape.

Ive also noticed he's moving more and more to copying Ben Horne in both his photography and equipment. Ben Horne is an excellent photographer and for a while now I know Ben inspires Thomas but it's now bordering on watching the same content and if that's the case I'd rather watch Ben.

I'm sure Simon Baxter is a friend of Heatons as I think I remember him being in one of his videos at the end. I think Simons videos are good and he's doing what Thomas used to do before all of the advertising so my attention is now aimed towards Ben and Simon.
 
I have been following Thomas Heaton on you tube and enjoy his vlogs. I suspect that he is trying to come up with more original programmes which is difficult in weekly broadcasts.
 
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