Ep 36 - YouTube Success and Landscape Passion with Adam Karnacz

This week I'm talking to Adam Karnacz about  his work and motivations along with a  range of other topics I hope you’ll find interesting.

Venturing to remote locations, Adam strives to inspire a diverse following to explore the art of photography, adventure and the human condition. Drawing on his philosophical approach to life, Adam’s photography goes beyond technique or literal representation of a scene to tell a story that resonates and inspires.

For some years photography, whilst still an important part of his life, remained a hobby as, in 2005, Adam joined the Police, moving to London and starting his career on the beat in the Metropolitan force.  It was during these eventful and challenging years that Adam developed a philosophy of life which feeds into everything he does today both as a person and a photographer. 

After a number of years of budget cuts and growing disenchantment with the direction policing in Britain was taking he began to contemplate the possibility of a change of career and so in 2014,he decided to give up his role as sergeant and moved to West Yorkshire in pursuit of a more affordable lifestyle with greater and easier access to the countryside, which he felt was important both for his future plans and for his own wellbeing and that of his young family.

During the next four years, he set about building up his photography into a business that was viable enough to support his family.  A large part of the early success of his business was building up his YouTube channel, First Man Photography, to the point where he was reaching tens of thousands of people every week with his videos. These videos started off as tutorials but very quickly developed into a sharing of his experiences, his love of the outdoors and landscape photography, and in fostering that love in other people.

As of March 2022 the First Man Photography YouTube Channel had almost 150k subscribers, over 250k views a month and 1.5 million minutes watched per month.

What sets Adam apart is the philosophy on life and on mental wellbeing that he weaves into much of his commentary and his work.  He is a storyteller, crafting his journeys through the landscape into meaningful and fulfilling experiences which he shares with others through both his finished artworks and his films.

Above all else Adam’s passion and enthusiasm for photography is infectious and he works tirelessly to encourage a love of the landscape and nature in others.  His skill set is wide and covers a broad spectrum but at the core of everything he does is the desire to tell stories, lift up those around him, take on challenges and inspire a diverse following to explore the art of photography, adventure and the human condition.  

We discuss how his career and motivations have developed, his passion for seeking out the stories behind his work, the work he has done  to educate himself about how the economy and energy sector works and how that relates to the current trend around NFT’s and why he won’t sell his work as NFT’s  along with a lot more!

I hope you enjoy the show!

You can find Adam's work here:
Website: https://www.firstmanphotography.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Firstmanphotography

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamkarnacz/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/firstmanphoto

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdamKarnacz

Theme music: Liturgy Of The Street by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

#podcast #landscapephotography #OutdoorPhotography #LandscapePhotography #YouTube