B&h Photography Podcast

Today, we discuss tennis photography from two distinct points of view. Our first guest is an independent photographer with twenty years of tennis photography experience to his credit, and later, we’re joined by representatives from Drawbridge Digital, the company that is present for all three weeks of the 2018 U.S. Open, creating and managing the still photography used on U.S. Open.org. and archived by the U.S.T.A.  On the first half of the show, we welcome Chris Nicholson, a veteran of our podcast, and a multi-faceted photographer whose tennis work has been published in Wired, Men’s Health, Golf Digest, Tennis Magazine and the New York Times. We speak with Nicholson about the opportunities available for freelancers and even amateurs to shoot tennis matches and high-profile players. We discuss techniques, settings, and gear that will make your job easier and your photos better. After a break, we are joined by photographer Jen Pottheiser, and Reid Kelley of Drawbridge Digital, and we explore their massive unde

Edvard Munch noted that “colors live a remarkable life of their own after they have been applied to the canvas” and, on today’s episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we dip our brushes into the palette of art and color theory and, then, we explore practical (and beautiful) applications of color through the eyes of a cultural documentarian and a fashion photographer. We start our conversation with photographer, artist, and Leica Ambassador Adam Marelli, who muses on color theory from a painter’s and a photographer’s point of view and endures our novice questions on the subject. We discuss a few basic terms, learn about Michel Chevreul and Josef Albers, and then get into questions about his use of color, about film color compared to digital, printing, and Marelli’s understanding that colors are never static, and should not be considered such when creating images—look for the subtlety between colors, he suggests.   In the second half of the show, we welcome Natasha Wilson, a Los Angeles-based fashion and

It’s no news that the print newspaper business is going through tough times and that newsroom staffs, particularly photographers, often bear the brunt of cost-saving moves. Day rates have stagnated, staff jobs are scarce and, in some cases, entire photography departments have been laid off as video, citizen-provided material, even security footage, is often preferred over news photographs on many digital news platforms. Many factors are involved, but the trend has been clear for some time and, hitting close to home, in July 2018, The New York Daily News eliminated all its staff photography positions. On today’s episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we welcome Todd Maisel, a renowned New York City photographer and one of the veteran staff photographers at the Daily News to have lost his job in the most recent round of layoffs. Maisel brings a lot of flavor to our discussion, and his years of experience as a freelancer, a staff photographer, a videographer, and a publisher make him the perfect guest to o

There is no doubt that a film photography renaissance is in full swing… just ask anyone under the age of 25. And to be fair, there are many wonderful artists—of all ages—who have never stopped using film as their primary photographic format. To anyone who grew up shooting film and then made the transition to digital, it’s a bit curious to see such a resurgence in a medium that has long been listed as “critical,” if not simply dead.  At the B&H Photography Podcast, we still shoot with film cameras and enjoy the processes involved, but the guests on today’s episode are putting money (and time and energy) where their mouths are and have opened up a physical store (in addition to their online business) selling film and film cameras.   Brooklyn Film Camera, located in Bushwick, Brooklyn, sells film and film cameras --from 35mm to medium-format, disposables to underwater, pinholes to Polaroid. They are one of a few shops in the world to offer expert restoration services for Polaroid SX-70 and SLR 680 camera sy

Our B&H Photography Podcast FUJIFILM X-H1 Sweepstakes is still going strong and, in a nod to FUJIFILM, we speak with a few X-Photographers during our show but, in general, we break a bit from the norm and “interview” each other about our own affinity for taking pictures. Allan, Jason, and I each take a turn at describing what it is we love about photography. I tried to fashion the question to avoid the idea of “what do we love photographing?” or “what kind of photos do we like?” to concentrate on what it is about the act of photographing that gives us that sensation of joy, of satisfaction, of love. Yes, it’s hard to find the right words, but we do our best, and to help us out, we have asked three FUJIFILM X photographers to add their thoughts to the subject.    We speak first with street photographer (and podcaster) Valérie Jardin who riffs on “being in the zone” and the need to make every shot count. Then, we speak with Bryan Minear, a Midwest-based freelance landscape and lifestyle photographer for

In recognition of our B&H Photography Podcast FUJIFILM X-H1 Sweepstakes (and because we were at Podcast Movement 2018 this week) we are presenting an encore episode of our Dance Photography episode with the incredible Lois Greenfield and FUJIFILM X-Photographer Omar Z. Robles.  Follow the link above to enter our sweepstakes for a chance to win a FUJIFILM X-H1 Camera with the FUJINON XF35mmF2 R WR Lens or the FUJIFILM X-E3 Camera with the FUJINON XF23mmF2 R WR Lens and enjoy this insightful conversation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Are dance and photography natural enemies? Of course not, but one art form is about the still, captured moment, and the other about choreographed movement and fluidity, yet anyone who truly understands photography knows the importance of timing, grace, and harmony, and a dancer must also recognize the relevance of rest and static. Sculpture, or perhaps gesture, is their common bond and our two guests know well the significan

We are excited to announce the B&H Photography Podcast FUJIFILM X-H1 Sweepstakes! The B&H Photography Podcast continues to be one of the most popular photography podcasts available, and to thank our loyal listeners, and entice new subscribers we have partnered with FUJIFILM for this incredible sweepstakes, in which two lucky listeners will receive a complete FUJIFILM mirrorless camera system. For entry instructions and rules click on this link.  The grand prize in our sweepstakes is the FUJIFILM X-H1 Camera with the FUJINON XF35mmF2 R WR Lens, and our second prize is the FUJIFILM X-E3 Camera with the FUJINON XF23mmF2 R WR Lens. One winner for each prize will be randomly selected from all valid entries. The rules and instructions for entering the sweepstakes are below. Good luck and good listening!  

Anecdotes with insight are an important part of any good conversation, and we certainly heard some wonderful anecdotes from our guests at the OPTIC 2018 Conference. For today’s episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we have cherry-picked a few stories from our conversations with Brian Smith, Seth Resnick, Vincent Versace, and Simon Lewis and have added a segment, with Panasonic Marketing Manager Darin Pepple, to round out the episode. Brian Smith is a Pulitzer-Prize-winning photographer most recognized for celebrity portraiture, but his work comfortably crosses all genres and his list of awards is impressive, including a World Press Photo Award. He is a Sony Artisan of Imagery, Profoto Legend of Light, Adobe Influencer, and X-Rite Master Coloratti. As a luxury lifestyle, destination, food, architecture, and interior photographer, Simon Lewis also understands that versatility is a crucial component to being a successful freelance photographer and, as his anecdote makes clear, some tenacity helps, too. His

 Sometimes you just have to shake your head and say, “Wow, it was a good day.”  When you have the opportunity to sit and chat about photography with Keith Carter, Douglas Kirkland and Joyce Tenneson, things can’t be all bad. On today’s episode of the B&H Photography Podcast we return to recordings made at B&H OPTIC and Depth of Field Conferences and present segments of our conversations with these three photo legends—and we are not using that word lightly when speaking about these artists.  Unique and prolific in their respective genres, each bring a sense of humility and sincere respect for the artistic process and the medium to which they have given so much. With Keith Carter we compare music, sculpture, and literature to photography and hear of his mother’s early influence on his career. With Douglas Kirkland we also chat family and how a humble upbringing brought him to photography and the glamour of Hollywood. We also find out where and when Doug Kirkland's and Allan Weitz's photo careers interse

The spot where still photography, video, animation, and drawing on your shoes meet is where you can find Sam Cannon and Matthias Brown. They may not always be together at that spot, but they’re sure to be within shouting distance. On today’s episode of the  B&H Photography Podcast, we discuss the role that still photography plays in their work and how they see the distinctions between still and moving images, as well as between old and new technologies. Matthias Brown is also TraceLoops, an “animation experiment centered around hand-drawn, physical animations that experiments with the creation and perception of movement.” He specializes in stop-motion, black-and-white animation and his work has been commissioned by Converse, MTV, Purina, Warby Parker, and others, and his fine art work has been displayed at the Tate Modern. Sam Cannon is an artist and director who works between still photography and video and focuses on the “manipulation of time, space, and the female form.” Whichever format the final ima

Model Jayne Moore and photographer Michael Sanders join us on this week’s episode of the B&H Photography Podcast to discuss the creative and collaborative process between model and photographer on a fashion campaign.  From “go-sees” and casting via Instagram to the rhythm of a shoot, working with on-set teams, lighting insights, and the dos and do nots of professional interaction, we discuss the P.O.V. from both sides of the lens. The thread that runs through our conversation, though, is how a photographer and a model work together to create the best images to please themselves and their clients. Jayne Moore is represented by IMG Models, and has appeared in Elle, Cosmopolitan, and Marie Claire and in ads for Calvin Klein and L’Oreal, among many others. She has worked with photographers such as Annie Leibovitz, Dean Isidro, and Pamela Hanson, and brings to the conversation an incredible insight, not only to the work of a model, but also to the fashion industry in general and to the role a photographer sho

On this week’s B&H Photography Podcast, we welcome three members of the Kamoinge photography workshop and, through their collective eyes, we discuss African-American photography of the past sixty years and the role that Kamoinge has played in nurturing and presenting that photography. We also discuss the making of their current exhibition and the artists involved, called, “The Black Woman: Power and Grace,” which is at the National Arts Club through June 30, 2018. To speak on Kamoinge and the exhibit, we have with us photographers Russell Frederick, Delphine Diallo and Jules Allen. Mr. Frederick is the current vice-president of the collective and provides some historical context and a sense of the mission of the group, which was formed in 1963. Mr. Allen discusses a few of the important figures in the group’s history, including Beuford Smith, Roy DeCarava, and Ming Smith; and Ms. Diallo reflects upon the appeal the workshop held for her when she arrived in Brooklyn, as well as thoughts on the obstacles w

For this week’s episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we return to our conversations from the 2018 OPTIC Conference, hosted by B&H Photo. We spoke with so many wonderful photographers and will present these talks over the coming weeks but, today, we focus on the street photography of two very distinctive photographers. Our first guest is Sisse Brimberg, a veteran adventure and travel photographer who has more than thirty stories for National Geographic to her credit. Much of her work is devoted to historical and cultural stories, but our chat focuses on the informal portraiture she does in the streets, marketplaces, and country roads around the world. Brimberg relates how she is always “seeing” photographs, how she interacts with her subjects, mirrorless vs. DSLR, and how to know when a photograph is worth taking. We also discuss her late husband and shooting partner, NatGeo photographer Cotton Coulson, and how her approach to work has changed since his death. After a short break, we speak with

Hosted by B&H Photo, the 2018 OPTIC Conference for Outdoor and Travel Photography was a wonderful opportunity to speak with a range of great photographers, and we did just that. We sat down with a diverse mix of shooters, including Joyce Tenneson, Xyza Cruz Bacani, Keith Carter, and Sisse Brimberg. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will present these conversations, but today we start with National Geographic staff photographer Mark Thiessen, who, in addition to running the photo studio at NatGeo and shooting many stories for the magazine, has continued a twenty-year personal project on wildfires. To know his subject better, to be safer, and to get closer to the action, Thiessen became a certified wildland firefighter and travels to active fires each year to photograph the fires, as well as the property destruction and human toll taken by these wildfires. We speak with Thiessen about his experiences, tools and techniques for photographing fires, and about his other work for National Geographic. C

From huge ensemble photographs to celebrity portraiture, advertising high-rollers, and about every movie and television poster you’ve ever seen, Art Streiber anchors the spot where Hollywood and the magazine industry meet. His versatility and production acumen are well-recognized, and our conversation ambles easily through a wide range of subjects, but what remains evident-- in addition to his quick wit-- is that Streiber is a professional problem solver. Big concept, small budget? No problem. Giant set piece with 150 A-list subjects? We’ll figure it out. Just you, me, a camera and a hotel room window? Done.  Streiber learned early that being a jack-of-all-trades does not correlate to a master-of-none and that the answer is always, "Yes." With Streiber, we speak about soaking up the magazine aesthetic through his family’s business in Los Angeles, about early rejections, understanding the story behind a photo concept and how the image “bears the burden” of telling that story. We also talk about his work with V

What makes a photographer follow their moral compass and photograph the stories they feel need to be told, no matter what the personal costs? Furthermore, how do they do so without the support of a news outlet or even an agency to distribute that work?  And then, what if they decide to shoot primarily with black-and-white film?! On today’s episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we speak with Greg Constantine, who made and continues to make these decisions. In this affable conversation, we find out what prompted Constantine to pick up a camera and how he made the subject of “statelessness” a recurring theme in his work. We also learn why he continued to shoot film, even after digital became the more affordable and accepted format, and why the more established route of assignments for news outlets was not the best path for his storytelling. We also discuss the financing of his work through a combination of grants, commissions, and out-of-pocket spending, the obstacles to exhibiting documentary photography

The two-day Depth of Field Conference, hosted by B&H, was an impressive gathering of wedding and portrait photographers, each sharing their unique talents, styles, and techniques with a receptive crowd.  We had our microphones ready to speak with some of the photographers before and after their presentations, and offer here our conversations with four exceptional photographers. We chose these four not only because their work is impeccable, but because they possess distinct views on the aesthetics and business of wedding photography. We start with Andy Marcus, of Fred Marcus Studios, one of the preëminent wedding-photography studios in New York, whose clientele includes celebrities, CEOs—and even Presidents and their daughters. With Marcus, we discuss keeping a family business running across three generations, how to work huge weddings, keeping A-list clients satisfied, and the importance of consistency. Next, we are joined by Sara France, of France Photographers, who has taken her business from a “girl w

Appropriately, this is our Mother's Day episode, and our title borrows Maya Angelou’s description of her mother from “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” Photographer Elinor Carucci struck us with some of her own perfect power during this week’s recording of the B&H Photography Podcast. I doubt much stands in her way, but there's a calm too—born of family support, nurtured by maturity, and assured with the confidence that comes from presenting yourself to the world, warts and all—in other words, from “putting yourself out there.” Our talk today is about her photography, particularly her fine art work as represented in her books, Closer, from 2002, and Mother, from 2013. Both works are an exploration of motherhood and family, the first centered on her own mother and, the later book, on herself as a mother, and her children. We do speak about her photographic style and technique, we talk about editing decisions, camera settings, lighting, macro lenses, and how to recreate “spontaneous” moments, but the heart

B&H Photo recently hosted the two-day Depth of Field Portrait, Wedding, and Event Photography Conference, in New York City, and invited many talented, experienced photographers to speak and show work. The conference also included representatives from most of the major camera, lens, and lighting companies. We set up our mics close to the main stage, grabbed vendors as they passed by and spoke with them about their latest and greatest offerings for photographers and videographers. For this week’s episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we have edited together a sampling of our conversations with the following manufacturers: Nikon, Pentax/Ricoh, Westcott, Sony, Sigma, Luxli, Canon, LG, TogTees, Godox, Leica, and Adobe. It’s a long one, but we have blended a bit of elucidation with some humor and, hopefully, created an informative and enjoyable show. Join us, por favor. Guests:  Lindsay Silverman, Nikon (01:16) Ken Curry, Ricoh/Pentax (03:15) David Piazza, Westcott (08:16) Lavonne Hall, Adob

The simple theme for today’s episode of the B&H Photography Podcast was to be “how to speak to people in the street when you’d like to take their photo.” For this conversation, we invited two of the best street portraitists in New York—Amy Touchette and FUJIFILM X-Photographer Ruddy Roye, both incredibly talented photographers (and writers!) whose work has appeared in the New York Times, New Yorker, Time, Esquire, and many other publications.  They are both also very active on Instagram, with work that seems ideally suited for the best that medium has to offer. However, as good conversations often do, ours takes a winding road. We discuss personal and family histories, gentrification, race, and a range of subjects, all along tying these ideas to the fundamental aspects of engaging with people, often strangers, to produce passionate and compassionate street photography. We ask our guests how they approach people, how they describe their work when asking for a photograph, and about the importance of body