The complete video archive has been migrated to a new provider, and all Patreon videos are working again.

On August 20, Vimeo disabled playback for all my videos (2.500 in all) despite our ongoing communication about resolving the bandwidth issue.

Exactly eight days ago, on August 23, I received final confirmation that I would not be allowed to continue using Vimeo.
Technically, I could have upgraded to an enterprise subscription at $500/month, giving me 25x more bandwidth than I have ever used, but I just can't afford that.

I was then given a document containing migration links that would expire after only one week. That left me with a very short window to rescue and relocate years of work.

I have spent the past week working almost non-stop on this, and now the emergency is over: the entire library has been moved, the videos are safe, and playback has been restored.

The remaining job is to recover and recreate the closed captions and subtitles wherever possible. There are some technical implementation problems, and I’m working on an automated solution rather than manually uploading and attaching subtitle files to around 1,000 videos.
That should be in place within a week or so.

Once that is solved, I will also update my online courses with new video links.

A clearer Patreon direction from here

Going through years of older posts has made me think carefully about what I want this Patreon to become next.

I realized that over time I had lost sight of one of my core reasons for starting a Patreon: helping Photographers grow and become better at what they do.

What I mean is, I have provided so much information, tips, tricks, and tutorials, but it's not easily accessible because of the sheer number of posts, and I have not structured everything as well as I could.

Instead of publishing every day, I will commit to approximately five posts per week. That is still plenty of new work, but it gives me more time to ensure the quality and purpose of each post won't suffer because I feel obliged to publish daily.

I will also:

• Create accessible collections that make the archive easier to explore

• Finish cleaning up the tags, which is already mostly done

• Make the strongest older work easier for newer members to discover

• Focus even more on my particular skills and unique insights in photography

• Communicate that knowledge more clearly and offer something genuinely distinctive

• Clean up my Patreon shop and work out how to structure shop posts better

There will, of course, still be plenty of striking art-nude photography.
Creating images that resonate is at the base of everything I do.

But I also want to share more of the thought process that goes into creating it:
lighting, working with models, psychology, visual storytelling, problem-solving, and turning an idea into a finished image.

Vimeo literally pulled the rug out from under me, which was a hard blow, and believe it or not, I received the notification on my recently deceased mum's Birthday.
But I've overcome it as quickly and efficiently as I could.

All the videos are back, the archive is safe, and I’m turning the disruption into a more focused, organized, and valuable Patreon.

When one door closes, another one sometimes opens.

I apologize for the disruption, and I'm so grateful for all your patience and support.

Thanks,
Thomas.

Poll for the future

Now is a great time to tell me what you would like to see in the future, if you have anything in mind. All suggestions are more than welcome.
I've included some suggestions; please feel free to share other ideas in the comments.