In this episode, we sit down with New York-based photographer and content creator Brandon Woelfel (@brandonwoelfel) to discuss his personal journey as well as the growing pains of being modern creator and photographer. Brandon shares how fine art led him to taking photos, adapting to the ever-changing social media landscape, gaining confidence in one's own work, educating in the space, and even leveraging AI.

Whether you're a photographer, filmmaker, TikTok star, podcaster, or just starting your creative journey, this conversation is full of insight, motivation, and practical advice you can use right now. Episodes drop every other Thursday. Hit subscribe and join the B&H Creators community for more unfiltered conversations with creators shaping today's culture.

Guest Bio: Brandon Woelfel

Brandon Woelfel is known for his dreamy portrait photography. His creative use of lighting and color lend a unique sense of intimacy to his portraits that makes his work instantly recognizable. He's also the author of two photo books, Ultraviolet and Luminescence.

Credits:

• Host & Creative Producer: Deanna Testa
• Creative Producer: Elena Maidebura
• Creative Editor: Larissa Mattei
• Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein
• Executive Producer: Richard Stevens

 

Although they cater to different senses, photography and music share much in common. In both these arts, timing, rhythm, and mood are key. It's been a while since we've mixed photography and music on the show, so we're particularly excited about today's chat with two photographers who share a passion for documenting musicians and their fans—in particular, devotes of punk and indie rock.

From early memories of being truly moved by music to practical tips about photo access, image rights and restrictions, plus the complexities of organizing your work for a book, the conversation doesn't miss a beat.

So, turn up the volume as Bootsy Holler reminisces about dropping into the Seattle music scene in the early 1990's to capture the raw energy of her favorite bands, now compiled in the book Making It: An Intimate Documentary about the Seattle Indie, Rock and Punk Scene. And Chris Ortiz describes how the house parties he captured at a punk commune in Kansas served as the foundation for his skills as a music photographer with a keen eye for differentiating himself in the photo pit.

As Chris points out when it comes to preparing for a show. "It goes back to knowing that music and knowing the band, and being able to sit back and say, Yes, I am a fan of the band, but I also am professional, so this is what I'm going to look for when the band comes out."

Guests: Bootsy Holler & Chris Ortiz

Episode Timeline:

• 3:20: Bootsy Holler recalls her early days dropping into the Seattle music scene, photographing garage bands and dive bars.
• 9:41: Chris Ortiz talks about his start in photography, and his time photographing house parties at a punk rock commune in Lawrence, Kansas.
• 12:01: The difference between documenting live music and making portraits of musicians, where you need to develop a rapport with your subjects. 
• 17:32: A tip of the hat to Chris as a longtime podcast superfan, plus what he's learned from listening to our 10-year archive of shows.  
• 20:20: Bootsy's early stylistic influences and its effect on her art and music photography.
• 25:54: The earliest memory of being truly moved by music and the songs Bootsy and Chris were listening to when they truly got it.
• 31:56: Applying the inner feels of music to photographing a concert and connecting with the rhythm to grab key moments.
• 39:00: Negotiating access, shooting from the photo pit vs the side of the stage, plus differentiating your pictures from other photographers' work.

48:00: Episode Break

• 48:56: Chris talks more about current dynamics for gaining access when shooting music and concerts. 
• 53:44: Current limits on concert photo usage and restrictions on contracts offered by some artists and entertainment companies.
• 58:28: Legal parameters related to pictures in Bootsy's book, plus the difference between concert pictures and portrait situations.
• 1:02:26: Bootsy's nine-year process of assembling a book, working with a designer for big picture decisions, plus leaving room to break the rules.
• 1:08:09: Finding publishers, choosing between options, plus the importance of owning the rights to your images.
• 1:10:20: Bootsy and Chris name the band at the top of their bucket lists to photograph.  

Guest Bios:

Bootsy Holler has spent 30 years capturing the essential personality and emotions of her subjects. Best known for her work as a portraitist, Bootsy's journey began with intimate depictions of herself and friends at the center of Seattle's pivotal music scene during the early 1990s. These formative years at both ends of the lens cemented her style as well as the methodology behind her empathic and journalistic approach. Bootsy's work has been recognized by the Society of Photographic Journalism and twice selected for the Critical Mass Top 50. Her photos have been exhibited and published internationally and are included in the permanent collection of the Grammy Museum. In 2019 she published the monograph, TREASURES: objects I've known all my life. Most recently, her book Making It: An Intimate Documentary about the Seattle Indie, Rock and Punk Scene, was released by Damiani books.

Stay Connected:

• Website: https://bootsyholler.com/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bootsyholler/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shop.BootsyHoller/ 
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BootsyHoller 

 

Chris Ortiz has enjoyed a relationship with photography since age six, when he learned the basics from his stepfather. He's specialized in music and documentary subjects since 1998, shooting with both digital and medium format black and white film. After earning a bachelor's degree in art history, Chris obtained an MFA in photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Select documentary projects include Portraits of Latinx Identity, and We Are All We Have Tonight, featuring portraits and personal narratives from punk rock enthusiasts, describing each subject's connection to the scene. Additionally, Chris works as news editor for the Prescott Daily Courier, covering area news and events. 

Stay Connected:

• Website: https://www.chris-ortiz.com/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fastboyent/

 

Credits:

• Host: Derek Fahsbender
• Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman
• Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein
• Executive Producer: Richard Stevens

 

The photo world is filled with remarkable young and up-and-coming talents. They often don't get the visibility they deserve, so we created Next Frame—a new monthly series aiming to shine a light their way. These bite-sized episodes are equally inspired by the guests we speak with and the invaluable contributions of local creative arts programs that have played a key role in their development.

We're launching this series with photographer, filmmaker, and boxing & music aficionado Josh Nass, an alumnus of Baltimore's Wide Angle Youth Media programs. From nailing his Photoshop skills while still in middle school to trading in his boxing gloves for a camera during college and beyond, Josh regales us with practical tips about both the successes and challenges all young creatives must face as they transition from trading pictures for access to molding media skills into a profitable career.

Looking back on his early days chasing both music and fashion scenes, Josh notes, "Your main role as a photographer—especially with talent and famous people—you know, I thought I was just making them look cool, but I'm making them money. I'm marketing them for their next tour, for their current tour. Looking back, I've learned a thing or two about how to get users' attention online."

Guest: Josh Nass

 

Episode Timeline:

• 2:04: Baltimore/DC-based photographer Josh Nass talks about first picking up a camera to fill his time after hanging up his boxing gloves.
• 3:40: Leveraging social media to get on stage and photograph his favorite Caribbean singer, then trading free pictures for ongoing access.
• 7:25: Navigating one's comfort level as an up-and-coming photographer, plus making a distinction between comfort with gear and social ease with subjects and clients.
• 9:08: Making pictures of cool moments, creative editing decisions to draw out the cool factor, and being first to deliver the files are all key to Josh's success.
• 14:02: Street hustling at New York Fashion Week to gain access to photograph top artists and celebrities, and the tough lessons Josh learned in the process.
• 19:06: Josh's connection to Baltimore's Wide Angle Youth Media and the formative role their programs have played in his early photography success.
• 22:50: Being referred by Wide Angle for a Comcast commercial, and the backstory to what transpired behind-the-scenes. 
• 29:49: Josh weighs future career options and whether he'll choose to pursue photography full time. 
• 35:40: Essential advice for emerging photographers: Prioritize building your skills and don't overvalue your work early on. Plus, a look at Josh's first big paid gig for a Keke Palmer concert and marketing campaign. 

 

Guest Bio:

Josh Nass is a Baltimore/DC-based freelance photographer and a senior at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he's pursuing a bachelor's degree in information science. As a high school graduate of The Baltimore School for the Arts and a participant Baltimore's Wide Angle Youth Media non-profit, he's honed his subject-based style to give each of his shoots, whether its celebrities, musicians, athletes, or models, a unique "wow" factor.

 

Stay Connected:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook

Wide Angle Youth / Comcast Video

 

Host: Derek Fahsbender

Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman

Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein

Executive Producer: Richard Stevens

This episode of the B&H Photography Podcast was originally published on July 29, 2021. We revisit it today to mark the passing of the podcast torch from creative producer John Harris to Jill Waterman, a creative content writer for the B&H Explora blog, who appears as a guest with Davies. Harris will continue to be an avid listener to the show, and we hope he'll also grace us with his voice on occasion as a future guest. 

Photographer Sally Davies embodies a remarkable creative spirit, and we think that spirit also resides in the homes of the 72 New Yorkers she photographed for her colorful book of environmental portraits, appropriately titled, New Yorkers. If this spirit does not exist and Davies is not in tune with it, how could she have captured the essence of her subjects and their abodes so efficiently, in some cases in just minutes?

We answer that question and many others in this discussion about the making of her book. We are also joined by Jill Waterman who has been photographed by Davies, and has written about her work. Our conversation gets to the heart of Davies' fanciful project, and touches upon its themes of inclusiveness and of gentrification, but also digs into the process of photographing in cramped quarters with little time, and of the surprisingly difficult task of getting people not to smile for a portrait.

We talk about Davies' decision to eschew light stands for on-camera flash and to use a Sony mirrorless camera and Zeiss 18mm lens. We also talk about the importance of creative freedom and rejecting preconceived expectations. Davies photographed a wide range of New Yorkers for this series and did not refuse a single person suggested to her, but when it came to organizing a book, edits needed to be made, and we discuss this process, as well. Davies is well-known for her street photography, and we mention her projects on neighborhood storefronts and vintage cars, but this series of interior portraits is as "New York" as it comes. Join us for this engaging conversation.

Guests: Sally Davies and Jill Waterman

Photograph © Sally Davies

For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see:
www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

On this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we continue our coverage of the 2022 OPTIC Conference with two highly invigorating segments about exploring the world after dark.

Our first guest is Susan Magnano, who specializes in luminescent night painted portraits. Our chat is revealing on many levels, from the balance of careful orchestration and randomness inherent in her portraits to a mention of the OM Systems OM1 as Magnano's newest secret weapon. After delving into her playful yet powerful arsenal of lighting tools, we gain insight into her multifaceted career—from beginning at a local newspaper to her currently thriving wedding photography business, and her upcoming schedule of intensive photo workshops.

After a break, we welcome Sigma Ambassador Jack Fusco to discuss his unique blend of astrophotography with idyllic nocturnal landscapes. During our conversation, Fusco distinguishes astro work from deep sky photography, weighs the differences between DSLRs, the latest in mirrorless cameras, and even mobile phones such as Google's Pixel 6 Pro, (check out Fusco's Pixel 6 Pro photos here). In addition to elaborating on his favorite Sigma lenses for nocturnal imaging, Fusco provides insights about advanced accessories such as star trackers, all the while offering encouragement to anyone seeking to embark on a new adventure chasing the stars. Please join us for these otherworldly conversations about photography at night. 

Guests: Susan Magnano and Jack Fusco

Photograph © Susan Magnano

For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see:
www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

On this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast we return to the 2022 OPTIC Conference for two enjoyable and pragmatic segments about macro photography. While both photographers we speak with are well-rounded professionals, their not-so-secret joy is crawling around in gardens and woods, making beautiful close-up macro photographs of insects, plants, and the tiny wonders of nature.

 

Our first guest is Chris McGinnis, who specializes in spider and insect photography and is an OM System Ambassador. Our chat with McGinnis is incredibly elucidating, not only about OM System lenses and cameras, but also about computational photography and his macro techniques with flash.

 

After a break, we welcome Sigma Ambassador Heather Larkin to discuss her macro work with flowers and to learn a bit about her specialty portrait work. Primarily, we discuss the wealth of macro subjects available in your own backyard and garden, but we also learn of the latest Sigma macro lenses and a few very specific tips for approaching your subjects and maintaining focus. Join us for these insightful conversations on macro photography.

 

Guests: Chris McGinnis and Heather Larkin

Photograph © Chris McGinnis  

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

On this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we are pleased to welcome photographer and director Brandon Tauszik and journalist Pendarvis Harshaw to talk about their recently completed project, "Facing Life," an effective blend of form and content, whose principal image format is the cinemagraph and whose content speaks to one of our society's most pressing issues: prison reform.

 

Our discussion takes on both aspects as we learn how cinemagraphs are produced and how Tauszik uses this process to create resonating portraits that blur the line between still and motion photography.  We also come to understand the motivation for these two creators to address the changing landscape of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and profile the joys and struggles of eight people recently released from life sentences. Our conversation brings together the technical and creative aspects of this imaging process, including Tauszik's thoughts on portraiture and the specific gear and techniques for making these hybrid images, as well as the issues of mass incarceration and "mass integration."

 

We also come to understand the working relationship between Tauszik and Harshaw—who is primarily an audio journalist and author—and how they met their subjects and developed their stories over several years. While this project may ultimately find its way into galleries or print form, it was devised as an online project and we see, in "Facing Life," eight stories that succinctly and compassionately blend form, content, and presentation to tell important contemporary stories.

 

Guests: Brandon Tauszik and Pendarvis Harshaw

 

Photograph © Brandon Tauszik

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

https://www.facing.life/

On this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we are pleased to present a conversation with photographer Camille Seaman, and pleased to do so from the halls of the OPTIC 2022 Photo Conference, which we have certainly missed over the past two years.

 

Seaman was a keynote speaker at the 2022 OPTIC Outdoor, Wildlife & Travel Photo/Video Conference, which is hosted by B&H and held from June 12-15, 2022, in New York City. Please check the above link to find an archive of the conference's presentations, but settle in now for an enjoyable and inspiring conversation with Seaman that we recorded in person after her keynote address. 

 

Seaman's photographs have been published in National Geographic, Italian Geo, TIME, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Newsweek, Outside, and American Photo, among many others. She frequently leads photographic workshops and is a TED Senior Fellow, Stanford Knight Fellow, and a Cinereach Filmmaker in Residence. It is her work photographing Earth's two poles that first captured our attention and her "portraits" of icebergs, specifically. She has published two books on the subject, including 2014's Melting Away: A Ten-Year Journey through Our Endangered Polar Regions. But her subjects also include extreme weather in the Midwest, the peoples of Tibet, and Native Americans.

 

Our talk was insightful, at times emotional, and her personal story is as inspiring as her photography. Join us for this wonderful chat, and in case you were wondering, the title for this week's podcast is from a quote by Seaman's mentor Steve McCurry, and holds much significance for her—as we discovered in the course of our conversation.

 

Guest: Camille Seaman

 

Photograph © Camille Seaman

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

The 2022 OPTIC Outdoor, Photo/Video, Travel Imaging Conference or just "OPTIC 2022" is live and in-person again and we are excited to welcome the event's director, David Brommer, to the program. Brommer will give us a sense of the updated conference, which after two years online is now a fully hybrid in-person and online event. Of course, we at the B&H Photography Podcast look forward to being back at the live events and talking with the many photographers who speak and present their work. 

 

This year's OPTIC Conference runs from June 12–15, 2022, and includes presentations by Chester Higgins, Camille Seaman, Joe McNally, and many others. There are also opportunities to try the latest gear in specialized environments, expert-led panels, portfolio reviews, a sunset cruise, the OPTIC Challenge Print Competition, and OPTIC Signature Photo Walks sponsored by Lindblad Expeditions. Online participants can check the selection of available webinars.

 

After our brief chat with Brommer, we present a very important encore episode—important in the sense that it was our first recording at OPTIC, back in 2016, and because we interviewed three incredible photographers and really began to understand the potential of our podcast. Our guests were Michael Kenna and, in another segment, Paul Caponigro and his son John Paul Caponigro. Each of these photographers offer wonderful insights into their creative processes and to speak with father and son artists is always a treat. Join us for this enjoyable conversation and register for OPTIC 2022 here.

 

Today's episode is sponsored by Audio-Technica. Check out their AT2040 Hypercardioid Dynamic Microphone, ideal for podcasting!

 

Guest: David Brommer  

 

Above photograph © Camille Seaman

It's been a minute since we spoke about drones on the B&H Photography Podcast. The last time we did, it was about drones in news photography and before that, drone work in landscape photography. But today we welcome back to the show one of our earliest guests on the podcast, Randy Scott Slavin.

 

Slavin is an aerial photographer and drone operator, as well as a motion director and still photographer. He started his company Yeah Drones in 2013, at the dawn of drone use in film and commercial work, and his clients include Showtime, Netflix, ESPN, Saturday Night Live, and CNN, among many others.  Slavin's work crosses all genres from advertising to film, working with small teams and big crews, and he understands drone use from the photographer's perspective as well as a flyer, racer, and builder of drones.

 

With Slavin, we discuss his recent projects, his workflow, and how he decides which drone is best for each assignment. We also talk about drones and cameras for large professional shoots and those geared more for advanced amateurs. We discuss new technologies and the recent improvements made in navigation, cameras, and batteries and ask which manufacturers are competing with DJI in the drone marketplace. Join us for this informative conversation.

This episode is sponsored by Logitech for Creators, and their Blue Yeti USB Microphone.

 

Guest: Randy Scott Slavin

 

Photographs © Randy Scott Slavin

Is artistic creativity passed down through generations of a family? How is style and wisdom garnered? How can a father and son collaborate to grow their work individually and as a team?  These are just a few of the questions we posed to Moshe and Eddie Brakha, otherwise known as Brakha x2, during this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast.

 

Moshe Brakha likes to say that he was "born in Israel and reborn in Hollywood," and both his early music and celebrity portraiture, as well as his later advertising and editorial work, sure have the vibe of Tinseltown. The elder Brakha built a thriving photography practice that includes not only portrait work but also high-profile advertising campaigns such as those for SKYY Vodka, Martini & Rossi, and Motorola. Eddie Brakha began collaborating with his father after graduating from film school and has expanded their work with new ad campaigns and fine-art series. They have also directed music videos, public service announcements, and "motion" campaigns for Dockers, Sharper Image, and others.

 

The style of the Brakhas' work is very distinctive, but individually and as a team, they continue to experiment and try new methods. As such, we discuss how to evolve creatively when your style is successful. We also learn about their working relationship, which talents each brings to the table, and how clients and subjects react to having them both on set. Finally, we talk about their incredible lighting schemes, Moshe's retrospective at the Grammy Museum, Eddie's film project, and always being prepared before you go on set. Join us for this enjoyable conversation.

 

Guests: Moshe Brakha and Eddie Brakha

Above Photograph © Eddie Brakha and Moshe Brakha aka Brakha x2

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

http://brakhax2.com

 

In 1966, a twenty-one-year-old French woman bought a one-way ticket to Vietnam, where the American military involvement was becoming a full-scale war. The young Catherine Leroy was an admirer of photographer Robert Capa and the "reportage" she grew up seeing in Paris MATCH magazine, but she had little photojournalism experience. Despite that, and despite her particularly small physical frame, Leroy began as a freelance "stringer," photographing the growing conflict in Vietnam. For the two years that she was working there, she was the only female photojournalist covering the war.   Our guest on today's B&H Photography Podcast is author Mary Cronk Farrell, who recently published "Close-up on War: The Story of Pioneering Photojournalist Catherine Leroy in Vietnam." The book chronicles Leroy's time covering the Vietnam War and her evolution from an ambitious newbie to a respected conflict photographer with images appearing in LIFE, The New York Times, and her beloved Paris MATCH.

 

With access to Leroy's personal letters, Mary Cronk Farrell not only details Leroy's time in Vietnam, she provides her young readers with an understanding of how the news photography business worked in that era, she mentions the 35mm Leica and Nikon gear Leroy used, and she shares insight into the war itself and the emotional and physical wounds it inflicted on her subject.    

 

The late Catherine Leroy's photo career continued after Vietnam and she photographed conflict and news stories throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Her work is preserved and promoted by the non-profit Dotation Catherine Leroy (Catherine Leroy Fund), where interviews with her and many more of her images can be found. https://dotationcatherineleroy.org/en/

 

We also thank Pelican for its support of this episode, and encourage you to check out Pelican Air Cases and to visit the Pelican product page on the B&H Photo-Video website.

 

Guest: Mary Cronk Farrell

Above Photograph © Dotation Catherine Leroy

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

 

This is a fun conversation, very informative, and gets the creative chemistries gellin'. Our guest on today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast is Rhiannon Adam  and if there is anyone who knows more about instant film photography, I don't want to meet them.  She brings a wealth of researched knowledge about the history of the Polaroid company and also simple but effective techniques to improve your instant film photography practice, whether via FUJIFILM, Mint Camera, or Polaroid.

 

Our conversation generally follows the framework of Adam's 2017 book "Polaroid: The Complete Guide to Experimental Instant Photography," which has been updated and republished in 2022 as a paperback version. The first part of the book (and our conversation) relates the story of the "Polaroid" camera and the inventions of its founder, Edwin H. Land, a.k.a. Dr. Land, which include polarizer sheeting. We learn of the race to market the various instant cameras and films until the SX-70 took the world by storm in the 1970s. We also learn of patent wars between Kodak and Polaroid, the ultimate demise of the Polaroid company and the rebirth of the brand through The Impossible Project, and eventually its return to selling camera and film products.

 

After a break, we talk more specifically about various instant films and cameras, both new and vintage, and we also highlight several of the many techniques detailed in Adam's book and methods to improve your instant photography. From emulsion lifting and manipulation to fingerpainting, scratching, and even microwaving instant film, we discuss creative instant film processes and some noted artists.

 

Guest: Rhiannon Adam

Above Photograph © Enrique Freaza

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

Above Photograph © Matt Emond

Summertime is the season for travel. With that theme in mind, in today's show, we're taking you on a short trip around the block to revisit a few of our favorite encounters from B&H's 2025 Bild Expo.

During two days in June, we engaged with the many thousands of Expo attendees who converged at New York's Jacob Javits Center for the show. From our sleek podcast console/recording station adjacent to the Bild stages, we shared our favorite listens and offered advice to the many inquisitive creatives wanting to start up a podcast of their own. Amid all the noise and excitement, we also found the chance to record short interviews with a few of our visitors who had inspiring stories to tell, three of which we're presenting today.

So, sit back and enjoy these conversations with Philadelphia-based photographer, entrepreneur, and community organizer CJ Wolfe; New York-based filmmaker, producer, and podcaster Maria Clinton; and Canadian-born, globetrotting visual engineer and environmental activist Benjamin Von Wong.

 

Guests: CJ Wolfe, Maria Clinton, & Benjamin Von Wong

Episode Timeline:

• 2:32: Philadelphia-based photographer, entrepreneur, and community organizer CJ Wolfe talks about how a camera changed his life, leading him to found Immortal Vision Studios, and a related creative agency.
• 7:58: Reminiscing about how CJ's early love of coding inspired him to customize MySpace profiles for his friends as a youth.
• 12:58: CJ's creative goals for the future and the inspiration to get his studio on wheels to expand.
• 14:34: CJ talks about business shifts and the new ideas he gets from interns—rather than thinking, look to AI.
• 21:27: New York-based filmmaker, producer, and podcaster Maria Clinton riffs about generational shifts in the realm of content creation.
• 27:00: The underlying question of who you're creating for and why?
• 29:05: The difference between content creation and filmmaking.
• 32:21: Maria talks about The Little Souvenirs podcast, the types of stories she and her co-host tell, and where you can find the show. 
• 33:45: Bild speaker, visual engineer, and environmental activist Benjamin Von Wong reminisces about his previous conversation with the podcast and the challenges he faced back then about continuing his journey as an artist.
• 38:06: Ben's recent projects, and his theory of activating change by finding the nexus of the right place, the right time and the right people. 
• 43:02: Ben's accidental path to becoming an environmentalist, plus the need to shift his activism from a burden of duty to a place of love.
• 46:28: Ben talks about how community involvement has evolved within his work, to create engagement greater than the sum of its parts—what it takes to fix the world.
• 50:18: The economics of large-scale production and how fundraising has changed Ben's relationship to his art by helping him believe in his own work.

 

Guest Bios:

CJ Wolfe picked up a camera eight years ago, while pursuing college studies as a student-athlete. Since that time, he has made an impact both globally and within the Philadelphia creative scene, where he first got his start. A true staple in the city's culture, CJ has influenced sports, music, and lifestyle through his creativity behind the scenes and, most importantly, behind the camera. Wolfe has produced work for Red Bull, Footlocker, Ethika, Block Inc, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Baby, Meek Mill, and Allen Iverson to name a few. Throughout his journey, Wolfe recognized a major gap in Philadelphia—a lack of safe, inspiring spaces for photographers to refine their craft, showcase their talents, and build professional networks. In response, he founded Immortal Vision Studio in 2020, which has grown into a cornerstone of the city's creative community. Now operating two boutique studios totaling 6,000 square feet and booking over 2,000 appointments per year, Wolfe has built Philadelphia's most trusted rental powerhouse for photo and video production. Wolfe also has another layer to the business besides studio rentals and community. Immortal Vision Agency—a creative firm producing high-impact content for brands and businesses—bridging the gap to provide professional opportunities and elevate talent from his hometown to the world stage.

Maria Clinton is a New York-based filmmaker, podcaster, and educator.  Her past freelance clients include About.com, Hudson Group, and various nonprofit organizations. As a filmmaker Maria's work focuses on finding and sharing untold stories that shed light on underrepresented groups of people, shattering stereotypes and reconstructing narratives. She co-directed the Emmy-Award winning documentary short The Love Bugs—about an entomologist couple who amassed the world's largest private collection of insects. As a podcaster, Maria is co-creator and co-host of The Little Souvenirs Podcast. She and co-host/writer Kimberly Mallory discuss a variety of topics with their guests including life's moments that gift us impressionable little souvenirs. They believe each episode is a reminder to celebrate the moments that matter most. It's time to enjoy the journey!

Benjamin Von Wong's work lies at the intersection of fantasy and photography and combines everyday objects with shocking statistics. It has attracted the attention of corporations like Starbucks, Dell, and Nike and has generated over 100 million views for causes like ocean plastics, electronic waste, and fashion pollution. In 2018, he was named one of Adweek's 11 content branded masterminds. He is also a creative advisor for the Ocean Plastic Leadership Network and the Sustainable Ocean Alliance.

 

Stay Connected:

CJ Wolfe

• Website
• Instagram
• Tiktok

 

Immortal Vision Studio

• Website
• Instagram
• Youtube

 

Maria Clinton

• Instagram
• The Little Souvenirs Podcast

 

Benjamin Von Wong

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• X
• YouTube
• Benjamin Von Wong on the B&H Photography Podcast: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/building-and-maintaining-your-web-presence-alex-vita-ben-von-wong 

 

 

• Host: Derek Fahsbender
• Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman
• Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein
• Executive Producer: Richard Stevens

 

In September 2017, we dedicated an episode to a conversation about one photograph—an image made by photographer Richard Drew, on September 11, 2001, in New York, which has come to be called "The Falling Man."  It was an insightful recollection and analysis of an incredibly painful image,  and on today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we will again discuss one photograph to try to understand it better.  

The photograph is titled, "The Drowning," and it was taken in August of 2020 during another national crisis, albeit a very different one. Photographer Cornell Watson created the series "Behind the Mask," "… for the times we pretend to be strong when we are dying from the weight of racism."

 

Each image in the series is a carefully created and powerful allegory, but "The Drowning," for reasons we will discuss in the episode, has a quiet power that has not waned since we first saw it. To learn more about this photograph, we are fortunate to have Cornell Watson join us, as well as photographer, author, and educator Tara Pixley. With Watson we chat about his motivations, inspiration, and his collaborative process, camera, and lenses, and workflow on the day of the shoot. We consider the reception of the image and discuss the life of the entire series.

 

In addition to her work as a visual journalist, a college professor, and curator, Tara Pixley is also a board member of the National Press Photographers Association, a member of the WPPI Advisory Board, and a co-founder of Authority Collective. Pixley is the ideal voice to provide us with aesthetic insight into the strength and significance of "The Drowning," as well as the cultural and chronological contexts of why this image is an important artistic contribution from 2020 that echoes years of injustice and calls us to be more understanding and compassionate.

 

We'd also like to thank Cara Finnegan and Michael Shaw of "Reading the Pictures" for their contribution to this episode.

 

Guests: Cornell Watson and Tara Pixley

 

Above photograph: © Cornell Watson

 

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the individual guests and do not necessarily represent the views of B&H Photo.

Our conversation on this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast is about the challenges that the practice of photojournalism faced during, and in the wake of, the monumental year, 2020.  With the Coronavirus pandemic and the protests following the murder of George Floyd news photographers and editors were faced with situations few had ever experienced. To their credit, the institution as a whole, worked through it, adapted their workflows, and continued to produce honest journalism in the face of many dangers.   Our guests to discuss this topic are Lauren Walsh and Danese Kenon.  Author, Lauren Walsh is a past guest on our show and her recent book "Through the Lens: The Pandemic and Black Lives Matter" addresses the challenges for photojournalism brought by the Covid pandemic and the protests and politics of 2020. It is a wonderful collection of interviews with noted photojournalists and editors who worked through the events of that unprecedented year.

 

Danese Kenon is the Managing Editor of Visuals at the "Philadelphia Inquirer" and has held many positions as both photojournalist and editor at publications such as "The Indianapolis Star", "The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette" and "Tampa Bay Times". Kenon, who is interviewed in Walsh's new book, lived the events we are considering and brings her first-hand perspective to our conversation.

 

With Walsh and Kenon we first discuss the procedures brought to photojournalism by the coronavirus, how photographers were able to safely cover this story and how editors supported that mission. We then address the new challenges brought by the large-scale Black Lives Matter marches and the dangers, not only of disease, but of clashes between protesters and police and violence directed directly at the media. We talk about simple workflow changes, such as how photographers got access to photography and protective gear, how a living room or even a car became a de facto newsroom, and how editors scheduled and safeguarded their photography staffs. The courage as well as the emotional toll taken on photographers and editors who had never worked in such conditions before is also part of our conversation and we ask about establishing new training and support methods. Finally, we discuss the work that was produced, how shooting styles and relationship with subjects adapted and how photographers and editors collaborated to create honest and nuanced documents of this unprecedented year.

 

Guests: Lauren Walsh and Danese Kenon

Above Photograph © Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

Courtesy of Lauren Walsh/Routledge Press

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The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the individual guests and do not necessarily represent the views of B&H Photo.

(This episode of the B&H Photography Podcast was originally published on January 20, 2017.)

 

 

We are living in a Golden Age of landscape photography. Digital cameras and improved software enable the kind of imaging that until recently was only possible via the budgets of large publications and the talents and ambitions of a few select photographers. Ambition and talent remain, and with enhanced dynamic range and color algorithms, higher sensitivity settings, simplified stitching and compositing software, and a network of websites to display work, impressive landscape photography is abundant; however, there are new masters and the skill set of current practitioners includes not only those of the photographer, but also of the savvy digital graphic artist.

 

With the ability to pull details from shadows, augment colors, and combine distinct files into a single image now easier than ever, we must ask—is it acceptable to represent nature without natural characteristics, to merge photos from different focal lengths into one image, or add a blazing sunset to a foreground taken hours or days apart? Can images composed in such a way even be defined as photography and does an ethos, akin to that in photojournalism, apply to nature photography?

 

These are some of the questions we pose to two incredible landscape photographers, Adam Burton and Ryan Dyar. We spoke with them separately, but prepared a similar set of questions, and asked them to walk us through their in-camera workflow and post-process techniques. We spoke about their approach to a scene, their use of "grad-filters" and plug-ins, acceptable degrees of enhancement, and strove to understand if there is indeed an ethics to landscape photography.

 

Guests:  Ryan Dyar and Adam Burton

Photograph © Ryan Dyar

For more information on the photographers and the gear discussed in this episode, please see the B&H Photography Podcast home page.

It has been a hope of ours for some time to speak with photographer Stanley Greenberg and, considering he's made three books in the past three years, there is a lot to talk about. Greenberg is known for his large-scale series on subjects like the New York City reservoir and water systems, on giant particle accelerators, telescopes, and dams. His recent projects, however, are an interesting blend of urban exploration and 19th-Century history. We speak briefly about his 2019 book, CODEX New York,  and the typologies he identified walking the whole of Manhattan, but we concentrate our conversation on his work, Springs and Wells - Manhattan and the Bronx,  and after a break, we discuss his latest book Olmsted Trees. 

 

Greenberg, who started his professional life working in city government, is a Guggenheim fellow and no stranger to prestigious grants and commissions. He's also no stranger to libraries and the research that informs his work. It was during a research visit to the New York Historical Society that he came across a book written and photographed primarily in the 1890s. The Springs and Wells of Manhattan and the Bronx (1938) is a survey made by James Reuel Smith, who located, described, and photographed hundreds of water sources throughout New York City, often traveling by bicycle. Greenberg commented: "My first response was that this had to have been done by a crazy person. [But] five minutes later, I knew I was going to map out all of his sites and photograph what was there now."  And this is what he did, often also by bicycle. His 2021 book blends the work of Smith with his own contemporary photos from the same locations.

 

In the second half of the podcast, we discuss the project Olmsted Trees, which Greenberg photographed with a Hasselblad medium format digital camera after using Sony and Leica M cameras for CODEX and Springs and Wells and 4x5 film cameras in previous work. For this series, he photographed the oldest trees of the great public parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. These images are a study in black-and-white, in texture and form, almost portraits, that ask you to soak up the power of the trees themselves and consider the genius of the parks' design. Join us for this enjoyable conversation and find more of Greenberg's work here.

 

Guest: Stanley Greenberg

 

Above photograph © James Reuel Smith. Courtesy of Stanley Greenberg

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

Artist Pete Eckert began to lose his sight at age twenty-seven. That's the time he began to study photography. In a few years, Eckert would be completely blind, but his photography practice continued, and numerous exhibitions and high-profile assignments later, he is still creating unique and personal images―and we are fortunate to welcome him to the B&H Photography Podcast.   We start our conversation learning a bit about how Eckert lost his sight and then dive right into discussing the ways he learned photography, the modifications he made to his gear, including his Mamiya medium format camera, and the manner in which he works, whether in studio, streets, or nature.  Eckert is clear that his photography is not meant to pass for or mimic photography by a sighted person but to create images that tell his story and communicate his perceptions. One glance at his long-exposure, impressionistic images should make that clear.

 

After a break, we talk with Eckert about his commercial photography assignments, and we learn how he created work for Volkswagen, Swarovski, and Playboy magazine, and how he produces commercial assignments compared to his personal work. We also discuss the value of photography competitions, the groundbreaking "Sight Unseen" photography exhibit, and why Eckert's photography was featured on an episode of the television police drama NCIS. Join us for this fascinating conversation.

 

Guest: Pete Eckert

 

Above photograph © Pete Eckert

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

 

Except for the new flagship Olympus OM SYSTEM OM-1 Mirrorless Camera, there haven't been a lot of big camera announcements thus far in 2022, so we thought for this episode of the B&H Photography Podcast we'd start an introductory conversation about photo accessories and the wide range of tools and toys available to improve your photography or just make it easier.

 

Along with our guest, B&H Explora writer and photographer Todd Vorenkamp, we made an outline of the most important accessory categories, and we speak about the photo disciplines for which each are used and what is important to understand when purchasing these items for your specific photography practice. We discuss tripods and camera support, straps, bags, and gear protection, lens filters, lens adapters, remote controls, and more.  Because this conversation is primarily concerned with outdoor and natural light photography, we don't get much into accessories for the studio, but we do touch on flash photography and light modifiers.

 

Thanks to the insights of Vorenkamp and our host, Allan Weitz, we also learn ways to avoid unnecessary or inferior accessories and even little hacks to make your accessories perform better.  Join us for this informative episode.

 

Guest: Todd Vorenkamp

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

With much thanks for a listener's suggestion, we invited Pete Isgrigg back to the B&H Photography Podcast for an incredibly informative conversation about memory cards, external hard drives, and other digital image storage solutions. Isgrigg, who previously joined us in 2019, is from the Channel Marketing team at Western Digital (WD), which is the parent company of SanDisk and G-Technology, all very well-recognized names in the digital storage field. Isgrigg brings a wealth of knowledge to the conversation, and we start with simple terminology and the basics of SD cards, but then we discuss the latest memory card formats, capacities and speeds, and card readers, as well as best practices with memory cards in your photography practice.

 

During the second half of the program, we focus on digital image storage and hard drives and we ask Isgrigg to explain SSD and HDD and the various interfaces and ports. We also get very practical advice on which devices are better for long-term storage and which for everyday use, and how best to keep your files secure and available. It's hard to imagine a more helpful conversation so thank you, Pete, and huge thanks to our listeners. Keep the suggestions coming!

 

Guest: Pete Isgrigg

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(This is an encore presentation of an episode first published in November, 2018.)

 

When we finished recording this episode, Jay Maisel asked us which podcast episode was our favorite. It didn't take Allan a second to answer, "This one!" While we now have recorded more than three hundred, there is no doubt that this episode of the B&H Photography Podcast is very memorable. Once we turned the mics on, nobody wanted this conversation to end and, indeed, it runs longer than 80 minutes, but it is worth every minute. When listening to Jay Maisel and Stephen Wilkes talk, time doesn't fly—it soars.

 

The reason we have two such remarkable photographers and long-time associates on together is because Wilkes made a documentary about Maisel, called Jay Myself and with Maisel and Wilkes we discuss the making of the film and their personal and professional relationship that has lasted for 40 years.

 

At the heart of the film is Maisel's former residence and studio, the six-story, 30,000 square-foot Germania Bank building that he bought, in 1967, and sold in 2014 for a tidy profit. This massive space, almost as legendary as Maisel himself, must be emptied before Maisel is to move, and Wilkes was there to capture this undertaking. The movie touches upon themes of mentorship, mortality, visual creativity, and the changing face of New York City, but along with the remarkable space he created, the film focuses on the life, work, and legacy of Maisel himself. It is a loving tribute from one photographer to another, one friend to another.

 

Our conversation is filled with the type of creative insight and humor that these towering figures in contemporary photography can bring. Join us for this fascinating conversation.

 

 

Guests: Jay Maisel and Stephen Wilkes

Photograph © John Harris

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

Our guest on this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast is food photographer Christina Peters, and we start with a discussion of Peters' macro food photography. We learn about her work with medium and large format systems, including FUJIFILM cameras. We also explore focus stacking, tilt-shift lenses, and when and why she might choose her Canon full-frame system over larger formats. Peters' work runs the gamut from large commercial jobs with major brands to editorial, portrait, and restaurant work, as well as the unique challenge of photographing pet food. Choice of lighting is also a topic we cover, and Peters offers practical advice for newbies considering a first lighting kit. 

 

In the second half of our conversation, we talk about The Food Photography Blog and The Food Photography Club, both founded by Peters and designed to "help foodies and photographers improve their photography and get higher-paying clients." We also acquire some perspective on Peters' professional trajectory and learn why she now prefers to work with smaller, healthy food clients, compared to the fast-food giants.  

 

For our listeners, Peters has put together a resource page loaded with practical information and the link to her Recommended Gear Page on the B&H Photo website.

 

We also thank Pelican for its support of this episode, and encourage you to visit the Pelican product page on the B&H Photo-Video website.

 

 

Guest: Christina Peters

 

Above photograph © Christina Peters

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

https://www.christinapeters.com/index

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Pelican/ci/4457/N/4232860887

On this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast we talk to an old friend about a new book; two-time past guest Amy Touchette joins us to discuss her book of street portraits. She also brought a friend with her - none other than photographer, Larry Fink. Is it fair to call Fink a photo legend?  We think so, and clearly the people at the Center for Creative Photography seem to think so, because they just acquired his complete archive of work including images from the 1950's to the present, from his acclaimed series "The Beats", "Social Graces", "The Vanities" and others.

 

While this is a roundtable conversation, we start with a few questions about Touchette's book "Personal Ties: Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn", which she shot over the course of summer strolls through her New York neighborhood. We learn why she started photography in 2001, about her working process with a Rolleiflex twin lens reflex film camera, and why her personal interaction with her subjects/collaborators is paramount in her photography practice. We also talk about crowdsourcing, editorial collaboration, and why Fink wrote the foreword for Touchette's book.

 

Larry Fink's sixty years of photography work is well-recognized, but his harmonica playing, less so.  We hope to remedy that with this episode, but while at it, we learn how he created an extensive archive of vintage prints and "hustled" to find a home for his life's work. We learn of his Mamiya medium format camera with bellows, his preferred photo paper, and mull on the difference between our two guest's aesthetic style. We also talk about an insider vs. outsider perspective, about the nature of portraiture, and the "revelatory excitement that defies the logic of what a frame could be". 

 

Join us for this playful yet insightful conversation and have a look at this link for portraiture and WPPI related specials.

 

Guests: Amy Touchette and Larry Fink

Photograph © Amy Touchette

For more information on our guests or the gear discussed in this show, please visit https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

"That which unites us is far greater than what divides us." The first four words of this sentence are subtitle, and subtext, for "Path of Liberty," an immersive outdoor photo and media experience on view through fall 2025 at Freedom Plaza on Manhattan's east side.

The creative groundwork for this project was a mammoth effort involving an extensive crew both on the road and behind the scenes. In today's podcast, we catch up with two principals of this project's creative team—creative director Daniella Vale and director of photography, Scott Beardslee—to learn more about their daily lives during two months spent traversing the country by van to interview a broad group of everyday Americans.

From the founding idea of capturing the diversity of people across America to the curiosity and resilience of the crew when working on the road to the complexities of orchestrating the many sensory elements for an immersive experience in exhibition, our discussion is rich with creative insight.

As Daniella shares during our chat, "I always tend to make three films. There's the film I write, the film I shoot, and then, usually, I rearrange everything and make a totally different film in the edit. So, I've gotten pretty accustomed to non-attachment and rolling with things. That's where the magic happens too."

Guests: Daniella Vale & Scott Beardslee

 

Episode Timeline:

• 3:28: The inspiration behind Path of Liberty and Daniella's role as creative lead.
• 6:59: Daniella and Scott's respective backgrounds in photography and film, plus being curious and distinctions between finding the moment vs creating the moment.
• 12:02: Daniella and Scott's first introduction in the New York film world.
• 15:14: Building the crew for Path of Liberty and the challenges of traveling and conducting interviews on the road.
• 21:35: Daniella describes the three films she makes in the process of writing, shooting, and editing, plus the importance of learning to adapt on the fly.
• 26:54: Memorable stories from the Path of Liberty road trip.

30:56: Episode Break

• 31:30: We all want to be happy, but there's a difference between freedom and taking advantage of freedom
• 34:42: Daniella discusses her time in Japan, and the cultural contrast between American individualism and societies that put the group over the individual self.
• 41:00: The gear Daniella and Scott traveled with and how it affected the project.
• 47:59: The interview process with portrait subjects, plus making natural portraits in the moment.
• 58:32: The Path of Liberty installation in midtown Manhattan, the pride of subjects gathered from across the America, plus the complexities of the post-production process
• 1:05:39: The immersive aspects of the installation—from the sound design of the audio to the visual continuity between the photographs and the on-site terrain.
• 1:14:19: Scott and Daniella offer career advice for developing as a creative—leave room for being curious.

 

Guest Bios:

Daniella Vale is a New York City-based photographer, film director, and producer. Her creative passions began early, influenced by her uncles in Pittsburgh's avant-garde film movement. While attending university in Tokyo, Daniella worked on photography and documentary projects. She later moved to Bollywood, where she collaborated with Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment and Cannes-winning director Manish Jha. In New York, Daniella has worked for brands such as VICE, MTV, Google, and Prada, and with talent such as Alicia Keys, Deepak Chopra, and Lucy Liu. Her portfolio includes work in fashion, branded content, docu-series, and narrative films across various global locations. Career highlights include participating in the 2018 Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner and being featured in Allure magazine for her directing work. And of course, most recently, Daniella headed up the creative team for the immersive outdoor installation, Path of Liberty: That Which Unites Us, which we're here to talk about today.

Scott Beardslee began his career in photography, working as a 1st and 2nd assistant. Yet his passion for narrative filmmaking soon inspired him to take a different career route, focusing on shooting films, commercials, and music videos. Upon graduation from San Francisco State University with a film theory and production degree, he pursued cinematography and later attended graduate school at The American Film Institute in Hollywood. Before he became serious about filmmaking himself, Scott worked as a gaffer for many established A.S.C. cinematographers. Currently, Scott is a Director of Photography in the Union Local 600, working on commercials, music videos, and television.

 

Stay Connected:

Path of Liberty

• Website
• Instagram

Daniella Vale

• Website
• Instagram
• Youtube
• Vimeo

 

Scott Beardslee

• Website
• Instagram
• Vimeo
• Tiktok

 

Host: Derek Fahsbender

Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman

Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein

Executive Producer: Richard Stevens

On today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast we welcome two members of the New York chapter of the American Society of Media Photographs, otherwise known as the ASMP-NY and we discuss their evolving role as a trade organization for photographers, as well as a recent photography exhibition they sponsored.

 

Our guests are Liam Alexander, President of the New York chapter of ASMP, and Harper Bella, ASMP-NY board member and co-curator of the exhibition "Uncovering the Laws of Perseverance".

From Alexander, we learn a bit about the history, structure, and benefits of the organization and discuss his initial reasons for joining. We also talk about the group's mentorship programs, photo law counsel, and recent initiatives to include a new generation of artists, whether that means reaching out to photographers from underrepresented communities or opening the organization's membership criteria to include "new media" makers, who don't necessarily operate within traditional media outlets.

 

In the second half of the show, we speak with Harper Bella about the impressive show she co-curated and how it was born from the anger and up-rise sparked by the George Floyd murder and then nurtured through difficult yet fruitful conversations with other ASMP-NY board members.  We also learn about her curatorial process, the disparate photographers involved, and the varied artistic responses to the idea of protest, including healing as a form of resistance.

 

Join us for this interesting conversation and learn how this photography trade organization, founded in 1944, is listening to its community and adapting to the new media and cultural landscape.

 

Guests: Liam Alexander and Harper Bella

Photograph © Harper Bella

https://www.asmp.org/newyork/

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It's worth the time to see the work of photographer Mandy Barker before listening to this episode. Take a glance at the B&H Photography Podcast homepage or Barker's website to get a sense of the simple but imaginative images she creates; it will certainly enrich the experience of hearing her speak about photographing plastic garbage, which is what she has found to be her calling. 

 

Of course, we're being a bit facetious with that comment, but as we discover from our conversation with Barker, it really is the issue of marine plastic—the plastic waste that litters our oceans and beaches—that brought her to photography and continues to push her to create captivating images with the intention of bringing awareness to this increasingly severe problem.

 

The colorful and almost playful images she creates with marine plastic belie the tremendous damage this refuse is doing to ecosystems around the world, and in some cases, in the most remote of islands and coastal lands. And it is this ability to create likeable images that draws people to her work, as seen in National Geographic, The Guardian, and VOGUE, and in her books, including 2019's "Altered Ocean."

 

With Barker we speak about her transition from graphic design to photography, about sketchbooks and process, and about the relatively basic Canon gear she uses. We also learn about the value of working with scientists on intense overseas expeditions and the incredible stories of lost or discarded items that have traveled across the globe. Join us for this fascinating conversation.

 

Guest: Mandy Barker

Photograph © Mandy Barker

This weekend's football game is bigger and better than most games―you might even say that it's a super game. It certainly is one of the most photographed sporting events of the year, and with that in mind, the B&H Photography Podcast welcomes two photographers who know their way around the sidelines. Our guests are football photographers Al Bello and Callena Williams.

 

Al Bello is a veteran sports and news photographer who has covered countless football games, including previous big bowl games; he is the former Chief Sports Photographer for North America at Getty Images; and his current title is Special Sports Correspondent at Getty. There's not much Bello hasn't photographed, including the Summer and Winter games, underwater photography, and even medium format film portraits of athletes but, if you're a football fan, you'll never forget the incredible photo he made in 2014 of Odell Beckham's fingertip touchdown catch. We ask Bello about getting his first ultra-telephoto lens and playing sports in college, and he offers some very practical and football-specific advice on how he approaches each play, but also talks about taking advantage of good background and light when you have it.

 

After a break, we speak with Callena Williams, the team photographer for the Dallas Cowboys. Williams, who previously worked for the Carolina Panthers, has a different role than a sports photographer like Bello, and we learn about her photo responsibilities that fall outside the field of play, as well as how she works the games. We also talk with Williams about her Canon gear choices and incorporating graphic design duties into her work for the team. Join us for this timely episode. Go team!!

 

Guests: Al Bello and Callena Williams

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

 

Photograph © Al Bello/Getty Images

There are many talented people who work at B&H Photo, and the connections to photography and photo history run deep. We have welcomed many "staffers" to the B&H Photography Podcast over the years, and today we are particularly excited to speak with two members of our team on the B&H Explora blog.

 

We start our conversation with Howard Gotfryd, Senior Copy Editor at Explora, and learn about the incredible photography career of his late father, Bernard Gotfryd. Gotfryd Sr. emigrated to New York after World War II and ultimately found a job as staff photographer at Newsweek Magazine, a job he performed for three decades. We discuss the twists of fate and hard work that got Gotfryd to Newsweek and talk about his most noted assignments, including photographing Robert F. Kennedy, Nina Simone, and The Beatles. We also discuss his camera systems and home darkroom, and come to understand the complexities of keeping an archive of more than 10,000 negatives intact and manageable.

 

In the second half of our program, we speak with writer and photographer Jill Waterman. Waterman writes for the Explora blog and has also created an epic photo series about New Year's Eve.  For thirty-seven straight years, she has photographed New Year's celebrations around the world, documenting each with her Nikon FM camera on black-and-white 35mm film. Waterman has traveled to cities and villages in Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Europe, and throughout the United States, and she describes the various celebrations she has covered and the motivations to keep this personal documentary project alive.

 

Guests: Howard Gotfryd and Jill Waterman

Photograph by Bernard Gotfryd

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

We try to maintain a global perspective at the B&H Photography Podcast and speak with photographers from around the world, but we are New Yorkers at heart and it's hard to deny the love we have for our city and its history. With that in mind, we are pleased to welcome photographers Anders Goldfarb and Larry Racioppo to the show―two photographers, both born in Brooklyn, who have taken the face of our ever-changing city as their subject.

Each photographer has extensive archives of New York neighborhoods, landmarks, and communities, and both have recently published new books of their work. Goldfarb's book, Passed Remains, is a look at the Greenpoint and Williamsburg neighborhoods prior to the gentrification of the 2000s and Racioppo's latest book is titled Coney Island Baby, which chronicles the changes to that storied locale from the 1970s to the present.

We learn of Goldfarb's process of bicycling through the quiet corners and industrial cityscapes of his then-neighborhood and photographing with a Rolleiflex twin lens reflex camera. He describes his work as both a "survey and a statement." With Racioppo, we learn of the many visits he made to Coney Island over the years to photograph―covering the demise and demolition of the 1970s through its reincarnation in the 1990s. He also discusses working as a photographer for the New York Department of Housing Preservation and Development and provides a glimpse at the life of a working artist in Brooklyn in the 1970s and '80s. Our wide-ranging conversation includes the challenges of the square format, Nikon rangefinders, texture in a photograph, self-publishing, and the delight of mystery.

Guests: Anders Goldfarb and Larry Racioppo

Photograph © Larry Racioppo

For links and more information :
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Conflict photography of the past twenty years is a subject we have discussed in previous episodes with photographers, psychologists, and scholars, but our very welcomed guest, photographer Peter van Agtmael adds his well-articulated thoughts on the subject, including his own motivations and challenges while covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the ramifications of those wars here in the United States and elsewhere. On this episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we reflect on the mindset of a young man wanting to bear witness to history and the evolution of his thoughts after many assignments and embeds. We also learn about aspects of his work, from the intra-personal to the technical and how these have also changed over the course of an almost two-decade career.

 

The work of van Agtmael has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, and The New Yorker; he is a Guggenheim Fellow; a winner of multiple World Press Awards; and a member of the Magnum Agency. He has also authored several books of his work, which take a deeper narrative and conceptual dive into his images from this same general body of work. He is not alone in this endeavor, but it is this balance, this ability to conceptualize his work within the news sphere and in the nuanced context of a personal photo book that is quite interesting. Quiet images from ten years ago have a tragic power today.

 

His most recent book, Sorry for the War, a subtle and powerful exploration of the disconnect between the United States home front and the actual wars themselves is the main topic during the second half of the show, and we discuss the differences between this and his other books. We talk about the editing process, collaboration, and the formal decisions that go into making a book that is meant to be a historical as well as a personal statement.

 

We also take a minute to talk about gear choices, the aesthetics of technical limits, and about other stories he is working on. Throughout, van Agtmael offers insightful answers to the very complicated questions posed by and of contemporary photojournalism. Please join us, and also check out his work with the Arab Documentary Photography Program.

 

Guest: Peter van Agtmael

Photograph © Peter van Agtmael

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

http://www.petervanagtmael.net/

http://arabdocphotography.org/

 

The B&H Photography Podcast is kicking off the new year hot. For our first episode of 2022, we welcome photographer Joe McNally to discuss his career, his working methods, and his exciting new book, The Real Deal: Field Notes from the Life of a Working Photographer.

 

Joe McNally is known to many as a "photographer's photographer," skilled in many genres and able to work across the lines of photojournalism, long-form photo essays, portraiture, sports, dance, and even fashion photography. He has worked for National Geographic, Time, LIFE, and Sports Illustrated, and his commercial clients include FedEx, Adidas, Epson, and many more. He is also a Nikon and Capture One ambassador, a World Press Photo Award winner, and an Alfred Eisenstaedt Award recipient, but as he mentions in our conversation, he started at the New York Daily News as a copyboy, "the wretched dog of the newsroom."

 

Our conversation is easygoing, and we talk with McNally about the beginning of his career and early assignments. We discuss the evolution of photo technology (he shot the first "all-digital" story for National Geographic), and there is much to be gleaned about lighting, gear choices, and custom camera settings. We also talk about self-confidence, research, big budgets, and general thoughts on how to succeed in the ever-changing photo business. McNally also spins a few tales about his more adventurous assignments and the risks and rewards that come from them.

 

In his new book, The Real Deal, McNally candidly shares stories, lessons, and insights he has collected along the way. This is not a dedicated how-to book, nor is it a navel-gazing look back at "the good old days," because those never really existed anyway. This book is as welcomed and as enjoyable as our conversation. Join us.

 

Guest: Joe McNally

Photograph © Joe McNally

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The B&H Photography Podcast team sends a huge end-of-the-year thank you to our listeners around the world and to the many guests who joined us for our weekly conversations. There's little need to overstate the difficulties of the past year, but we're all still here, still taking pictures, and we're still making this podcast week in, week out. It truly has been a gratifying and unflappable pleasure to produce this show and hopefully it continues to provide some insight, some inspiration, and a few good stories.

 

Despite the adjustments of remote recording, or perhaps because of them, we expanded our circle of photography to include conversations on photomicrography, on the fine art nude, on skate photography, and photo "how-to" books. We spoke with artists and economists about NFTs, discussed protest photography and issues of community and migration. We had episodes on food and wedding photography, bird photography, the freelance business, and, as always, we did our gear episodes, including the seventh annual Cameras of the Year show. I encourage you to take a look back at the wide range of subjects we covered this year and let us know your favorite episodes, as well topics you'd like us to take on in the new year.

 

Finally, and although this episode is not from 2021, we end the year with an encore presentation of our conversation with rock-n-roll photographer Mick Rock. Sadly, we lost Mick in November, but we're solaced by the memory and pleased to present this chat, which was recorded at his home, in Staten Island, and is certainly one of our all-time favorite episodes.  Thank you, Mick, and thank you again to our listeners. Happy New Year.

Photograph Courtesy of the Collection of Bill Shapiro

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/the-2021-year-in-review-and-mick-rock-encore

We split our time on this episode of the B&H Photography Podcast between one book and many books.  In the first half of the show we learn about an inspirational new book, Among Peers: The United States of Young Photographers, which profiles the work of student photographers from several workshop programs in the United States. We conclude the episode with an overview of the many wonderful books from 2021 that were featured on the podcast.

 

To discuss "Among Peers", we welcome the publisher Michelle Dunn Marsh of Minor Matters Books and photography consultant and former director of the Lucie Foundation, Lauren Wendle. As we find out, the book was a creative collaboration between the two, born during the Covid quarantine, and devised to celebrate the work of young photographers and their mentors, who kept the various programs open and operating throughout the difficult past two years. We learn of their process to fund and edit the book and about the photography mentoring programs themselves. Students from the following programs are represented in the book: NYCSalt, First Exposures - San Francisco, Literacy Through Photography - Houston, Las Fotos Project– Los Angeles, YoungArts – Miami, and Youth in Focus – Seattle. Consider supporting these non-profit organizations.

 

After a short break, we run down a list of new photography books we presented on the podcast this year including books as diverse as those by Todd Bigelow, Barbara Mensch, and Mona Kuhn.  Join us for this inspiring episode. 

 

Guests: Michelle Dunn Marsh and Lauren Wendle

Photograph © Jaylen Esparza, Las Fotos Project, Los Angeles

With the launch of the incredible James Webb Space Telescope just hours away, we thought it a good time to republish our conversation with Chris Gunn, the official NASA photographer for this project. The original episode was published almost two years ago when the construction of the telescope was nearing completion. If you are intereted in space research and imaging, also check our episode from 2016 with a chief imaging expert from the Hubble Space Telescope mission.

Imagine the privilege of being present at the creation of one of the "wonders of the world," and then imagine being asked to document the magnitude—and the details—of that creation. Our guest on today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast has just that privilege and that responsibility and, as he puts it, this telescope may "change the way we understand our universe."

Chris Gunn has been a NASA contract photographer for almost twenty years but, for the past ten, he has dedicated himself to the James Webb Space Telescope and documenting the construction and eventual launch of this spacecraft, which will replace the Hubble as NASA's most powerful telescope. We speak with Gunn about all aspects of his job and, specifically, about the gorgeous medium format images he creates that are made available to the public. Gunn is responsible for documenting the construction process, which includes portraits of scientists, as well as macro shots of screws, and he relates how he has "taken the extra step" to evolve as a photographer, incorporating medium format photography and detailed setups. Gunn must be prepared to shoot any style of photo and he discusses his daily responsibilities, how his gear has evolved over time, the lighting he chooses, and his interaction with the hundreds and technicians and scientists he works with regularly.

We also discuss marketing yourself as a photographer and the specific challenges that make his job like no other, including working in giant "clean rooms," accepting that your work is immediately in the public domain, and incorporating the aesthetics from science-fiction films. Sitting in on this recording is our own member of the B&H Space Force, writer Todd Vorenkamp. Join us for this fascinating episode in which we learn about this incredible spacecraft and the work that goes into documenting its creation and check out our 2016 episode, in which we speak with the imaging scientists from the Hubble Telescope mission.

Guest: Chris Gunn

Above photograph © Chris Gunn

"Live From New York, it's Saturday Night!" That single sentence has become a catchphrase for devotees of comedy and popular culture over the past 50 years—generations of fans who willingly turn their attentions from the height of weekend revelry to the televised antics of Saturday Night Live. Week in, week out for more than two decades, a single photographer has conjured visual magic behind the scenes, creating inventive and irreverent portraits that air for three seconds each as so-called "bumpers" that transition to and from the show's commercial breaks.

In this week's podcast, SNL's photographer in residence Mary Ellen Matthews regales us with details about what's undoubtedly the world's best photo gig—a position she's held for 25 years. From the fateful phone call she got in 1993, inviting her to assist the show's founding photographer, Mary Ellen offers candid insights into her journey from mentee to team leader. Along the way, we pull back the curtain on the creation of some iconic images and learn what it takes to be "in the driver's seat [with] a whole busload of very important people to take care of."

"My job is to make this easy and fast," she notes. "And I don't want anyone to be overthinking anything because they've got enough to worry about with all the sketches and all the pre-tapes and their responsibilities to the rest of the show, which is the most important thing."

Guest: Mary Ellen Matthews

 

Episode Timeline:

• 2:58: Living the dream as SNL's resident photographer while being creative under stressful deadline pressure.
• 4:50: Mary Ellen's early immersion in photography, at the side of her hobbyist father.
• 7:02: Arriving in NYC, early work for a record label, and the call to assist SNL's founding photographer in residence, Edie Baskin.
• 12:02: SNL's transition from film to digital, plus the cameras Mary Ellen shoots with today.
• 15:46: Conceptualizing the weekly portrait shoots and collaborating with subjects.
• 20:16: Behind-the-scenes of a dicey photo shoot, plus SNL's weekly production timeline.

27:35: Episode Break

• 28:22: Beyond portraits, the images Mary Ellen shoots as props for SNL sketches—sometimes with a 4x5.
• 33:20: The scheduling of SNL portrait shoots and getting portrait subjects to have fun.
• 36:44: Testing for shoots, the atmosphere on-set, and flying by the seat of your pants.
• 40:15: Communicating with a celebrity's team to get everyone on the same page about shoots and concepts.
• 42:40: The general workflow of SNL portrait sessions: from shoot preparation to editing and post-production.
• 45:17: Advice for emerging photographers looking for work or applying for an internship.

 

Guest Bio:

As a top entertainment portrait photographer, Mary Ellen Matthews is specialized in creating iconic images of well-known personalities—from pop stars to sports legends to rock gods. Since 1999, she has been photographer in residence at Saturday Night Live, where she's responsible for creating the distinctive look of the show's still images. Through her exuberant presence that puts subjects at ease, her creative and playful styling on set and intensive fine-tuning in post, Matthews produces unique and recognizable portraits under the manic deadlines of live TV. What's more, in 2010, she began directing SNL's video clips, including the show's opening title sequence.

Recent clients include Peacock, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Studios, and Prime Video, as well as publications such as Variety, Rolling Stone, Marie Claire, and the Spanish edition of Harper's Bazaar. Most notably, in March 2025, Matthews's first book, The Art of the SNL Portrait, was released to mark the 50th anniversary of this revolution in late night TV. 

 

Stay Connected:

• Instagram:
• Saturday Night Live Instagram:
• Saturday Night Live on YouTube:

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• Host: Derek Fahsbender
• Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman
• Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein
• Executive Producer: Richard Stevens

We return to our annual Cameras of the Year conversation for today's installment of the B&H Photography Podcast and, as usual, we welcome a member of the B&H staff who knows these cameras as well as anyone. In addition to being a pro photo sales specialist at the B&H SuperStore, Llinelva De Castro is a wedding and portrait photographer and former proprietor of a family photo studio, in Queens, NY. We are pleased to hear her insights on these featured cameras and to get her sense of the public's reaction to this new gear.

 

In the running for "2021 Camera of the Year" are certainly the new flagship mirrorless offerings from Nikon, Canon, and Sony, but there are some surprises when it comes to the cameras we each liked best this year. The Canon EOS R3, Nikon Z 9, and Sony a1 take much of the spotlight of our conversation, but we also discuss new mirrorless, point-and-shoot, and medium format cameras from Panasonic, Sigma, Pentax, Olympus, and several from FUJIFILM. Our conversation also includes mention of new drones and phones, thoughts on the trajectory of the camera industry, and a look back at our favorite cameras from the past five years. Please check out all the photography equipment at the B&H Photo website and in the comment section, let us know your favorite camera from 2021.

 Guest: Llinelva De Castro

To take photographs on ships or to work in ports and cover maritime transportation requires a full range of photographic know-how, including portraiture, landscape, product, aerial, architecture, corporate—even adventure-photography skills. And that's just on the first day!

 

On today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast we discuss this type of industrial and corporate photography, which at its core is rooted in documentary and visual storytelling. We welcome to the program photographer Nick Souza and writer and photographer, Todd Vorenkamp.

 

Nick Souza translated years of photojournalism and sports photography experience into a career as corporate industrial photographer. He has traveled the world on assignments for companies including Maersk, DHL, Kalmar, Konecranes, Sperry Marine, and many others. A specialist in maritime transportation, his photographs have been exhibited at The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. With Souza we discuss the practical tools needed to stay safe and capture compelling imagery for clients. Souza is a Nikon shooter who will not apologize for his love of zoom lenses, including the 24-70mm and 200-500mm NIKKORS.

 

Todd Vorenkamp is a photographer, writer, and an adjunct instructor of photography at Dakota College at Bottineau. He is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, a former merchant ship deck officer, and a former US Navy and Coast Guard helicopter aviator. His photo work has been published in Maritime Executive Magazine, Rotor & Wing, and Vertical Magazine, among others. With Vorenkamp we talk specifically about working on huge aircraft carriers and merchant ships and we learn how to maintain creativity on long ocean journeys. 

 

Join us for this fascinating and very practical conversation, supported by Pelican.

 

Guests: Nick Souza and Todd Vorenkamp

Photograph © Nick Souza

 

The title for this episode of the B&H Photography Podcast is taken from a comment made by guest Tonika Johnson, describing the moment she recognized the effect her work could have on citizens of her hometown of Chicago. I'm certain that our other guests have had a similar moment when they see that their artistic work has gone beyond just the oohs and ahhs of aesthetes and afficionados and truly helps to educate and change the world for the better.

 

On today's program, we speak about photo projects that are used to address social problems and to bridge gaps between diverse people. In addition to Johnson, we welcome photographer John Noltner, the founder of A Peace of My Mind, and Michael Skoler, Communications Director at Weave: The Social Fabric Project.

 

From Skoler we learn of the founding of Weave by the Aspen Institute and its mission to enable "weavers" to create connections between varied people, to act as good neighbors, and to "heal" communities. A Peace of My Mind, which has collaborated with Weave, uses photography and portraiture to foster discussions on peace and its many interpretations. Through exhibitions, workshops, and even his new book, Noltner's visual storytelling sparks conversation and, hopefully, brings new understandings on diversity and tolerance.

 

In the second half of the program, we focus on the work of Tonika Johnson and her Folded Map Project, which provides a unique method to compare historically segregated neighborhoods in Chicago and, ultimately, to bring the residents of these neighborhoods together. We speak with Johnson of her work as a photo teacher and activist and learn how this project had been gestating since her high-school days. Join us for this inspirational conversation.

 

Guests:  Michael Skoler, John Noltner, Tonika Johnson 

Photograph © John Noltner

Our guest on this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast is physician and astrophotographer, Robert Gendler. The distinguished assignments, numerous international accolades, and five published books are an indication of the significance of the work of this self-described amateur. His mosaic of the Andromeda Galaxy has been used to create 3D IMAX films and is considered the largest image of a spiral galaxy ever taken.

 

With Gendler we discuss his craft and career. We talk of his early days creating deep sky images from a suburban driveway and how his process and gear has evolved over the years. We talk a bit about telescopes and binoculars and clarify some of the terminology used in astrophotography. We learn of important figures in the field and just how difficult space photography was in the pre-digital days.

 

Our conversation in the second half of the show focuses on Gendler's recent work creating large mosaics of galaxies and nebulae, often from hundreds if not thousands of unique exposures. We get a sense of how the colors are determined and how he mines data from the Hubble Heritage Team and other the amateur and professional archives to create these beautiful images.

 

This episode of the B&H Photography Podcast was supported by Pelican.

 

 

Guest: Dr. Robert Gendler

Photograph © Robert Gendler

On this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast we welcome the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Lensbaby, the special effects lens manufacturer. Lensbaby was started by Craig Strong in 2004 and quickly established a name for itself. Over the years, they have added lenses, optics systems, and accessories to grow their brand while maintaining their emphasis on creative expression and embracing imperfection.

 

With Strong, who worked as a staff and freelance photographer before co-founding Lensbaby, we discuss tinkering to create a prototype, founding the company, growth decisions, and motivation.  We also talk about dealing with successes and failures in the very competitive camera and lens business.

 

On the gear side, we ask questions about the research and development of lenses, the various mounts available with Lensbaby lineup, and we get a sense of what is on the horizon for the company in 2022.

Guest: Craig Strong

Photograph © Allan Weitz

On today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we are pleased to welcome Peter Cohen and Bill Shapiro to discuss "vernacular" photography and the historical and cultural significance of snapshots and other images that fall outside the realms of fine-art and commercial photography. 

 

Peter J. Cohen is recognized as one of the country's foremost collectors of vernacular photography and portions of his collections are now included in institutions such as Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, MFA Boston, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Morgan Library, and SFMoMA.

 

Bill Shapiro is the former Editor-in-Chief of LIFE Magazine and the founding Editor-in-Chief of LIFE.com. He is the author of several books, including Gus & Me, a children's book he co-wrote with Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, and What We Keep, from 2018. Shapiro is also a curator and has written about photography for The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Esquire, and others, including an article for Texas Monthly, which contains images referred to in this episode.

 

With our guests we discuss the joy of collecting old photos, of discovering themes, creating romantic stories, and of the beauty of the photograph as object. We also consider the surge of interest in vernacular photography from museums and other institutions, the marketplace distinctions among these and fine-art photos, and most important, what these images can tell us about our country and cultures.  Join us for this enjoyable and insightful conversation.

 

Guests: Peter Cohen and Bill Shapiro

Photograph Courtesy of the Peter J. Cohen Collection

We want to celebrate our guest Alexis Cuarezma in this encore presentation and also note what great info this episode offers for those interested in portrait lighting, especially for dance and sports photography.  Alexis' career has been growing steadily  since he joined us in 2019, he recently presented at the Eddie Adams Workshop and will be speaking at ImagingUSA in January 2022 and at the very interesting Pas de Deux Dance Photography Conference in Austin, Texas in February, 2022. Enjoy.

 

On today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we welcome California-based advertising, sports, dance, and fashion photographer (and director), Alexis Cuarezma, who packs a considerable amount of practical and creative insight into our hour-long conversation. Ostensibly, Cuarezma was joining us to talk about his lighting techniques and, while he does dive deep into lighting schemes, we discuss so much more. Cuarezma is generous with is thoughts on production, composition, models, gear, self-promotion, and marketing really anything that he understands to help him in his burgeoning photo business.

Just a glance at his work, and one will realize why Cuarezma is here to discuss lighting techniques, he has shot for Sports Illustrated (including six covers),Fortune magazine, Ring magazine, the New York Times, and his clients include Nike. Cuarezma emphasizes his belief that getting it right "in-camera" is the key to his success, not just for the sake of the final image, but for his creative process. Researching, planning, arriving early, being hands-on in every phase of the work, and understanding that your vision, when properly executed, will win over a client, is the other key to his success.

With Cuarezma we discuss his decision-making process when creating a portrait; each of the small problems that needs to be solved to create the desired look that works best for his particular subject. While comfortable renting the needed gear to fulfill each project, he also discusses the gear he owns and uses, including Profoto B1 lights, Rosco Gels, and his Canon 5DS R. Join us for this insightful and very educational episode.

Guest: Alexis Cuarezma

Photograph © Alexis Cuarezma

Today's episode is an encore presentation of the show originally published on March 19, 2020. If you were otherwise preoccupied that week, we recommend you take a listen to this conversation about photographer Jim Marshall and the film "Show Me the Picture", a documentary on his life and work as a rock-n-roll photographer.

 

The film is now streaming on AppleTV/iTunes and if you are in Boston, MA on November 13, The Leica Store Boston is hosting a special screening of the film, followed by a conversation with author and the film's producer Amelia Davis and editor Bill Shapiro (coincidentally our guest on next week's new episode). There will also be a book signing of the companion book, "Jim Marshall: Show Me the Picture". The event is free but its necessary to sign up on eventbrite.

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Today we discuss some of the most recognized images of rock-n-roll history.

 

Our first guest is photographer Amelia Davis who is the owner of Jim Marshall LLC, the living archive of the prolific photographer Jim Marshall, most known for his images of jazz and rock musicians of the 1950's through the 1970s.  If you are familiar with photos of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Johnny Cash, or the Allman Brothers Band, then you are certain to know his work. Marshall not only covered the Monterrey and Altamont festivals, but was the only photographer invited by the Beatles to cover their final concert. Marshall also documented the Civil Rights movement and the Haight-Ashbury scene in San Francisco.

 

With Davis, we discuss how she came to be the proprietor of the archive and how she protects and manages the collection. We also talk about Marshall, the man, and why he was seemingly able to photograph "everyone" in that era.  Davis is also part of the production team behind the new film "Show Me the Picture: The Story of Jim Marshall", which is well worth seeing to get a better understanding of Marshall's motley personality and his incredible body of work.

 

After our chat with Davis, we welcome photographer Elliott Landy, who is producing a book of his images on the seminal rock group, The Band. Landy was the official photographer of the famed 1969 Woodstock music festival and responsible for unforgettable images of Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, and others.  

 

Guests: Amelia Davis and Elliott Landy

 

Photograph: Courtesy Jim Marshall Photography LLC

 

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/exclusive-jim-marshall-film-screening-leica-gallery-boston-tickets-191284486047

We were expecting this episode to be a great one and it did not disappoint.  The B&H Photography Podcast team welcomes photographer Lester Sloan and his daughter, author Aisha Sabatini Sloan, to discuss their new book, Captioning the Archive: A Conversation in Photographs and Text.  The book is a conversation about photography and photojournalism, but more a conversation between father and daughter, one that had been taking place for years, for a lifetime, and finally put to print.  

 

Selecting images from his long career as a Newsweek staff photographer, as well as his personal projects dating back to 1960's Detroit, Sloan and Sabatini Sloan provide extensive "captions" to these images, offering not only details about past events but personal reflections from both of their perspectives. The book is also an intensive contextualization of the images with the benefit of hindsight and of insight. Backstories from a life in photojournalism, of photos of Nelson Mandela, of David Hockney, of Steven Spielberg, of political turmoil and day-to-day assignments, and the right questions posed to fill in the deeper meaning around a photo taken.

 

"I took pictures of everything that happened." – Lester Sloan

 

Unfortunately, in the weeks before we recorded this episode, Sloan's archive of original slides and negatives was damaged in a flood.  The damage to some of his most important originals is extensive and a Kickstarter campaign has been established in an attempt to repair, restore, and digitize the collection. Please consider donating.

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Lester Sloan began his photography career as a cameraman for the CBS affiliate in Detroit, then worked as a staff photographer in Newsweek magazine for twenty-five years, documenting the 1967 uprising in Detroit, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the OJ Simpson trial. Lester was a contributing essayist with NPR's "Weekend Edition" the recipient of the prestigious Neiman Fellowship and was the on-set photographer for Spike Lee's 1996 film, Get on the Bus.

Aisha Sabatini Sloan is a writer whose work has appeared in anthologies such as Dear America, Truth to Power, and The Paris Review. Her 2017 book, Dreaming of Ramadi in Detroit, was chosen as the winner of the "1913 Open Prose Contest", she is the recipient of a 2020 National Endowment for the Arts Award and this year she received the National Magazine Award for her essays in the Paris Review.

 

Guests: Lester Sloan and Aisha Sabatini Sloan

Photograph © Lester Sloan

A listicle is an article comprising a list.

A listicle is any piece of digital content that's formatted as a list.

A listicle is an article comprising a list, usually with some kind of extra detail added to each item.

What we have here, then, is a podsticle.

 

Today on the B&H Photography Podcast, we catch up with the new photography gear that has been announced over the past few months. Attention goes to the Canon EOS R3 and Nikon Z 9 as big deal mirrorless reveals, the Nikon still scant on details, but what's clear from these releases is the continued shift away from the DSLR format for these manufacturers. FUJIFILM, Pentax, Olympus, and Sigma added mostly updates to existing cameras over recent months, while Panasonic and Sony offered new models aimed at vloggers and streamers. An odd couple of Sony a7R series updates also made our list of new cameras, a list that will surely have many additions by the time we host our "cameras of the year" episode, in December.

 

The second half of the show is dedicated to lenses and accessories. Canon's funky new RF 5.2mm f/2.8L Dual Fisheye 3D VR lens is highlighted and we mention several new Canon RF lenses, including the Canon RF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM. FUJIFILM introduced two new fast aperture lenses to go with the X-T30 II camera announcement and a beautiful 18mm f/1.4 R WR lens. Nikon put out several lenses for the Z system, including the affordable NIKKOR Z 40mm f/2 lens. Of the other manufacturers, all of whom released new lenses recently, Tamron was the busiest, with five entries. Also of note is Sigma's new "Sports" designated 150-600mm f/5.6-6.3 DG DN OS telephoto zoom lens available in Leica L, Canon EF, Nikon F and Sony E mounts and the Venus Optics Laowa Argus 35mm f/0.95 lens.

 

We conclude the gear update with new light systems from Profoto, Godox, and Aputure, and we also mention webcams, drones, and new tabletop tripods from Joby.

Industrial expansion has left an indelible mark on our natural world, fundamentally altering landscapes and ecosystems for the sake of material progress and modern convenience. This transformation has created an environmental challenge of unprecedented scale. In today's show, we'll connect the dots between the raw materials that make up our planet and the industrial forces visually altering our contemporary landscape in a chat with a photographer who's documented these profound global changes firsthand for the past 50 years.

Applying visual principals rooted in abstract expressionist painting, Edward Burtynsky has explored a wide range of photographic tools in his image making—from large format film to high-res digital cameras mounted to the most sophisticated of drones.

Included among our many discussion topics are his distinctive approach to translating a 3-D landscape to the flat plane of a photograph; his various methods for capturing aerials using either a helicopter, fixed wing aircraft, or various types of drones; and the early business epiphany that led him to open a photo lab as an income stream, rather than work as a camera for hire.

As Burtynsky shares during our chat, about the connection between nature and industry: "You know, materials are an incredibly key part of modern society. And yet we need to go to sources in nature, where these materials are found. And I'm just reconnecting a reality that we still live in a material world, and our cities are built of molecules that came from somewhere, and I'm taking you to those places that are vast and huge."

Guest: Edward Burtynsky

Episode Timeline:

• 2:58: Burtynsky's early interest in abstract expressionist painting combined with the magic and rituals of composing images with a large format camera
• 5:28: Planning for aerial views, the shift from using a minerals map in the past to Google Earth today, plus Burtynsky's shooting preferences between a helicopter and a drone and shooting open air.
• 10:22: Burtynsky's approach to translating a 3-D landscape to the flat plane of a photograph.
• 17:17: The planning and research behind Burtynsky's work vs the need to pivot in the field.
• 19:45: Adapting to technology over a 50-year career, and how it's shaped Burtynsky's process—from large format film to high end digital on a drone.
• 23:16: Episode Break
• 23:59: Burtynsky talks about permissions to access mines and industrial sites and how this has changed over time.
• 31:44: A wrong turn on the highway in 1981 and the photos that led Burtynsky to an epiphany about human-altered landscapes. 
• 35:48: Burtynsky talks about forming his photo lab Toronto Image Works as a ballast to provide income in printing for other photographers while pursuing personal fine art photo projects.
• 43:38: Burtynsky's retrospective exhibit at the ICP in New York, his thoughts about the future of technology, plus recent collaborations with a young artist working in Artificial Intelligence.

 

Guest Bio:

 Edward Burtynsky has spent more than 40 years bearing witness to the impact human industry on our planet. Regarded as one of the world's most accomplished contemporary photographers, Burtynsky's work is included in the collections of more than 80 museums worldwide and featured in major exhibitions around the globe.

Born in St. Catharines, Ontario in 1955, Burtynsky's early exposure to a nearby General Motors plant and ships navigating the Welland Canal in his hometown captured his imagination, helping to formulate his ideas about the scale of human creation he would later capture in photographs. These images explore the collective impact we as a species have on the surface of this planet. A select list of Burtynsky's many distinctions include the inaugural TED Prize, the title of Officer of the Order of Canada, the International Center of Photography's Infinity Award for Art, a Royal Photographic Society Honorary Fellowship, and the World Photography Organization's Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award. Burtynsky currently holds nine honorary doctorate degrees, and in addition to his work in photography, he was a key production figure in the award-winning documentary film trilogy Manufactured Landscapes, Watermark, and ANTHROPOCENE: The Human Epoch. All three films continue to play in festivals around the world.

Stay Connected:

• Website
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Linktree 

 

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• Host: Derek Fahsbender 
• Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman
  • Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein
• Executive Producer: Richard Stevens

To create a "collective portrait" of any set of people is difficult, but to do so with twenty-five world-renown women artists is a monumental challenge―one that our guests have undertaken and, based on their wonderful book, Portrait of an Artist: Conversations with Trailblazing Creative Women, have accomplished. Equally as impressive is that the book's author, Hugo Huerta Marin, weaved a personal narrative into this series of interviews and photographs he made of artists he admired, such as Yoko Ono, Cate Blanchett, Inez Van Lamsweerde, and Orlan.

 

On today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we speak with Marin about this seven-year project and we also welcome the book's editor, Anna Godfrey, of Prestel Publishing. The two discuss the selection of subjects, interview techniques, and innovative book design. We also discuss the Polaroid portraits Marin made for the book and the role photography plays in the work of several of the artists profiled. Join us for this insightful conversation on the influence of groundbreaking women artists and on the persistence and collaboration needed to build this collective portrait.

If you are in New York on October 28, 2021, Marina Abramović and Hugo Huerta Marin will host an intimate conversation about creativity, identity, success, and legacy at the global launch of Portrait of an Artist: Conversations with Trailblazing Creative Women, at Fotografiska New York. Tickets are available here.

Guests: Hugo Huerta Marin and Anna Godfrey

Photograph: FKA twigs © Hugo Huerta Marin

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

This week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast provides a lesson we all can use: how to be better businesspeople while we are being better photographers. Much of this advice comes from our intriguing guest, photographer and educator Todd Bigelow.

 

A longtime pro, Bigelow has freelanced for the likes of Sports Illustrated and The Los Angeles Times, among many other editorial and commercial clients, and he is a contributing photographer to the prestigious agency Contact Press Images. He is also the founder of the Business of Photography Workshop, an adjunct professor of photography and photojournalism, and the author of The Freelance Photographer's Guide To Success: Business Essentials, which is the basis for our conversation today.

 

With Bigelow, we discuss growing a client base, the ratio of time and labor between the business and the craft of photography, and how to let your archive work for you. We also talk about negotiating rates, contracts, and handling copyright infringements. Bigelow uses many examples from his own career to highlight his points, and Allan adds some examples of his own.

 

Join us for this enjoyable, motivating, and helpful conversation about photography business essentials.

 

Guest: Todd Bigelow

Photograph © Todd Bigelow

This week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast is a wonderful way to usher in autumn and we hope it inspires our listeners to get out into the forests, fields, and streams to photograph what they love. It is also an episode that hits all the marks, as we talk about the gear, technique, science, ethics, and passion of photography―in this case, centered on fly fishing photography. Our guests, Jess McGlothlin and Toby Nolan bring all of the above, and a ton of experience, as we flow like a river through this hour-long conversation.

 

Jess McGlothlin is based in Missoula, Montana, but has photographed from the Arctic Circle to the Peruvian Amazon. Her story-telling approach, often coupled with her own writing, has found a home in a range of genres and formats, from commercial to documentary. Her credit list includes brands like Patagonia and YETI Coolers and publications such as Field & Stream, The New York Times, Men's Journal, and Southern Culture on the Fly.

 

Toby Nolan was born in Dublin, Ireland, bases his fishing and outdoor sports photography in Bend, Oregon and travels the globe for assignments. His editorial work can be found in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The FlyFish Journal, and The Drake Magazine. His commercial clients include Under Armor, Ironman Triathlons, and Travel Nevada.

 

Did you know that Billingham camera bags developed from bags made for anglers? And today's talk runs the gamut, discussing the unique aspects of fly-fishing photography, and a diverse set of tools from brands like Canon, Aquatech, and DJI.

 

Guests: Toby Nolan and Jess McGlothlin

Photograph © Toby Nolan