Dani Rayner

Friends - sending a big hello and even bigger thank you. I can’t quite believe it, but we’re now a little community of 1000+ people 🥹❤️

If you’ve been here since the beginning, a few months ago - THANK YOU - and if you’re newer here, WELCOME!! It’s so lovely to have you here 🙏✨

I’m new to YouTube video filming and editing… but giving it a go, and learning in realtime. My promise is to try and make each video a tiny bit better than the last (we’ve come a long way if you scroll back… maybe don’t scroll back 🤣) I hope that together we can build a kind and uplifting space for adventure, nature and camera lovers to share their passions, insights and love for the outdoors 💚

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that I’m currently on my bucket list solo trip to South Africa, on safari with the Nikon Z50ii and Sigma lens. All I can say is WOW!! (the experience, the animals, the lens… not my photos 🤣) I can’t wait to share stories with you soon.

Lots of love,
Dani xx

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1 week ago | [YT] | 49

Dani Rayner

Next video incoming… and it involves a VERY BIG lens 📸😬

Excited to share it with you in the next couple of days!! Watch this space ❤️ xx

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 20

Dani Rayner

editing today - fuelled by LOTS of tea and sunny skies!! video 20 is on the way… and if you like crazy outdoor adventures, this one is for YOU 💚

question: is it helpful for me to schedule the video as a “premiere” when it’s ready? I’m not sure if it’s useful to have a scheduled launch date/time. if not, I’ll just pop it live randomly.

can’t wait to hear what you think 🌿🫶

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 10

Dani Rayner

📢💚 NEW VIDEO TOMORROW

Saturday morning editing session complete… video exporting is underway. Woohooo!!

The next nature adventure will be with you tomorrow (Sunday 8th March) at 4pm UK time. We’re heading together to Walthamstow Wetlands to try some birdwatching and find a bit of peace in the city 😊

Really excited to hear what you think. Let me know! xx

1 month ago | [YT] | 12

Dani Rayner

YouTube fam... slightly crazy update. I've been shortlisted for 2026 "Future Presenter" by the Edinburgh TV Festival!! I'm totally thrilled, and wanted to share the news with you first. This weird, wild, wonderful new life chapter is honestly nothing without you being here. Thank you so much for all of your encouragement over the last 5 months. It really means the world 💖

While I'm here - quick video update: I'm nearly there with the next wildlife photography adventure edit!! Hoping to post at the weekend. I'll schedule a 'premiere' thing again, so you know when it's coming 😊

1 month ago | [YT] | 17

Dani Rayner

Quick snap from filming this morning!! Big smiles for wildlife photography on a beautiful sunny day 💚

Can’t wait to share the episode with you soon. I’ll edit it together as fast as I can 🌿🫶📸🦌

1 month ago | [YT] | 31

Dani Rayner

I've received a few VERY funny messages about the latest video. I know the before / after video isn't groundbreaking, but I tried my best I PROMISE 😂😂

if you haven't watched the video yet... let me know what you think (skip to 13 mins for the "big" garden reveal)

stage one of the 20-stage balcony garden project is underway 😉 hope you enjoy!! x

1 month ago | [YT] | 9

Dani Rayner

Okay, I’m pretty scared to post this week’s video. It’s a personal one.

In a weird turn of events… I accidentally posted a rough cut of the video live yesterday. I uploaded a WIP version for my family to view (I’m nervous about it)… and got a notification a few minutes later that someone (not my family) had commented. Quite the shock!!

BUT - happy ending. To the person who commented, if you ever see this… thank you!! I don’t have your username saved, but you know who you are 😊 You were the first to find the video, and your beautiful note on it really touched my heart. I’ve been on the fence this week about whether to post the video at all, and your comment inspired me to get it out there. It was the very unexpected encouragement I needed 💖

I’m committed to sharing the highs and the lows of this crazy journey, and how it connects with stuff in my equally crazy past - and with that… (the finished) video 16 is incoming on Friday.

Bracing myself, but really looking forward to hearing what you think xx

PS. In case it’s helpful for anyone else on the YouTube journey… if a YouTube video is unlisted, but tagged in the backend as part of a playlist - it goes live publicly within that playlist. Please learn from my daft mistakes ;)

1 month ago | [YT] | 19

Dani Rayner

A BIG thank you to new friends (hi!! 👋) and wonderful old friends too… we’re now a community of over 500! WOW. 🥹

The 500 milestone means ‘nothing’ in terms of YouTube (in case you’re interested, see picture 2 for “monetisation eligibility” - there’s no gatekeeping here)… BUT the 500 milestone means a *massive* amount to me personally. I started this channel 15 weeks ago as a big, scary leap into the unknown… being new to YouTube, filming, editing, and trying to figure my life out again from scratch. Together, we’ve come a really long way!!

Each week, I’m doing my *very* best to learn more about filming, sound recording & video editing, to try and improve video quality for you. I have a long way to go, but if you’ve been here since the beginning… you’ll know that things have changed a bit 😂

Thank you SO much for sticking around. I can’t tell you what it means to see likes and comments and subscriber notifications pop up. I wish you could see my face on the other side of the screen 💖

Excited for all of the adventures to come!! In the works… nature escapes (UK & beyond), gardening, hiking, dry suit diving… and some reflections on what it feels like to be chasing a dream in realtime. Here we go!

Lots of love,
Dani x

Pictured: me at my “new” standing desk (aka a little table on top of my desk). I was spending SO many hours sitting down editing the videos that I thought my bum was going to fall off. I’m now MUCH happier (as you can see) with a bit of room to move 😊

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1 month ago | [YT] | 17

Dani Rayner

friends… I can’t WAIT to share this week’s video with you. I think it’s my favourite yet 😬💖

I’m working really, really hard on editing it. It’s a complex filmmaking project (you’ll get what I mean when you see it) but I’m almost there!! As ever, it will be with you on Friday morning 🙏 expect..

✅ wildlife spotting
✅ nature photography
✅ some fun history behind a pretty *incredible* secret nature spot

While I’m here with you… a few thoughts from my heart today. Sharing in case this resonates at all with anyone out there!!

I’m learning in this strange YouTube journey that my effort “in” to YouTube video-making (the hours spent planning, filming, editing, uploading a video) does not equal the “reward” out (views, likes, subscribers, etc). And honestly? On this solo YouTube project, it can be a sliiiightly depressing realisation. The thought process is: “why did I spend 30+ hours on a video, if that video didn’t get “seen” or “liked? what’s the point of creating these little bits of art? where is it going? why am I doing this at all? Dani - quit!!!! go and find a REAL JOB.” Those thoughts come to me, most weeks. Probably, most days.

BUT!! I’m also learning that there is GREAT joy in the tiny YouTube creator journey. My aim is to focus on enjoying the process… the learning, the weekly creating, the thrill of pursuing my dream. And most importantly…. my aim is to focus on YOU!! My big, brilliant “reward” right now is the few comments that I get on the videos each week. That makes the many hours of work worth it. It means SO MUCH to hear that the videos I’m making help you to reconnect with nature for a few minutes. Everything else is secondary - and I’m working hard to detach myself from other alluring YouTube-shaped outcomes ;)

SO. Regardless of how this next video “performs” … I am SO proud of it!! And I can’t wait for you to see it on Friday.

Hope it’s a fabulous rest of week for you, until then. Lots of love 💖

3 months ago | [YT] | 14