Episodes
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Professional tree planting is back breaking piecework—a combination of high intensity sport and industrial labor that requires both technical finesse and remarkable physical and mental endurance. Using techniques more often associated with high-performance athletes, experienced planters (commonly known as high-ballers) leap up and down through uneven and debris-strewn terrain, armed only with a shovel and 30-kg bags of seedlings on their backs.
In recent years, tree planting has become a rite of passage among young Canadians not afraid of hard work and dirt under their fingernails. As seasonal work, it attracts many students from Canada’s southern cities. Due to the brutal physical demands, most are under 30 years old. Out on the cut block inclement weather is common, and the swarms of biting insects are legendary.
Working in—rather than on—the land for months on end, and sharing an isolated camp site creates a solid bond among planters. This has molded into a subculture of sorts, which is the subject of today’s show.
My guest for this episode is Canadian photographer and filmmaker Rita Leistner. Rita documents communities living in extreme conditions, typically investing months or years in a project. After spending a decade as a tree planter during her youth, Rita returned to the forest in 2016 to document a new generation. In 2021, she released her results as an Art Trifecta, featuring large fine art photographs, a 256-page photo book, and the documentary feature film “Forest for the Trees.”
Equally in her element in forests and war zones, Rita’s photographs and her writings about photography, art, and war have been published, exhibited, and collected worldwide. She is represented by the Stephen Bulger Gallery for art, and by Green Planet Films for film.
Guest: Rita Leistner
Above photograph © Rita Leistner
For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/picturing-world-cultures-rita-leistner-canada
And if you haven’t already listened, check out all episodes from our Picturing World Cultures podcast series here.https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/promotion/picturing-world-cultures
Episode Timeline:
2:02: The backstory to Canadian tree planting as a business
5:21: Rita’s interest in photography and her early days as a tree planter.
12:43: Comparisons and contrasts between Rita’s early tree planting experiences and what she found when returning to the forest to document this subject.
18:21: A typical day in the life of a tree planter and the actual planting process
26:31: How Rita landed on her distinctive photographic style of capturing fast moving planters with a PhaseOne camera and Profoto lighting.
32:40: Rita talks about how the young planters responded to her sudden presence in the camp.
36:17: Rita’s lighting set up with Profoto B1 lights and coordinating with an assistant to carry all the gear.
41:56: Episode Break
43:10: Rita talks about power consumption, batteries, generators, workflow, and more when working in remote locations.
45:03: Inclement weather, dirt, and bugs when shooting both stills and video footage out in the wilderness.
48:41: The lighting details behind Rita’s enchanted forest nighttime images and timelapse footage.
53:38: How the work of tree planters is perceived by both the logging industry and environmentalists, and the effects this has on the planters themselves.
1:03:47: How Rita’s Tree Planter project has affected her sense of Canadian identity.
1:06:04: Rita Leistner answers our PWC Visual Questionnaire.
Guest Bio: Rita Leistner is a Canadian photographer and filmmaker who creates portraits of communities living in extreme conditions, typically investing months or years in a project. After spending a decade of her formative years as a tree planter in the Canadian wilderness, she returned to this theme to document a new generation of planters from 2016 to 2019. In 2021, she released the project as an Art Trifecta, featuring fine art photographs, a 256-page monograph, and the 91-minute documentary film Forest for the Trees.
Additionally, Rita has been captured by insurgents, assaulted, and shot at, and she has run into gunfire to get a photograph. She has published four books of photography including Unembedded: Four Independent Photojournalists on the War in Iraq (2005), widely considered one of the most influential anti-war books to come out of the Iraq conflict. Rita’s photographs and her writings about photography, art, and war have been published and exhibited worldwide, and are in major corporate and museum collections. From 2010 to 2016 she served as Associate Professor in the History of Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the University of Toronto. She is represented by the Stephen Bulger Gallery for art, and by Green Planet Films for film.
Stay Connected:
Rita Leistner Website: http://ritaleistner.com/
Forest for the Trees Website: https://www.forestforthetreesdocumentary.com/
Rita Leistner Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ritaleistner/
Rita Leistner Twitter: https://twitter.com/ritaleistner/
Stephen Bulger Gallery Website: https://www.bulgergallery.com/artists/45-rita-leistner/overview/
Green Planet Films Website: https://greenplanetfilms.org/products/forest-for-the-trees?_pos=1&_sid=90a01a45d&_ss=r
Canadian photographer Lorraine Gilbert: https://www.lorrainegilbert.com/
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Cozy up to a ringside seat for a behind-the-scenes tour of the wildest shows in sports entertainment, during our insightful chat about the still photos produced for World Wrestling Entertainment, (otherwise known as WWE).
In 2023 alone, the WWE photo team traveled the globe, covering close to 170 live events, and producing 2.6 million stills to serve the organization’s various platforms.
You might—incorrectly—assume that WWE’s still images are generated from video screengrabs. Well, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
In this week’s podcast, we get the full scoop about stills from WWE’s Vice President of photography, Brad Smith, and Senior Director of photography, Rich Freeda.
Among the many details we unpack: The learning curve required for shooting a WWE event, the importance of showing all aspects of the spectacle in pictures, and the delicate dance between still photographers and TV camerapeople, who are tethered together and both wearing headphones while capturing a show.
In addition to live event coverage, the photo team creates high-level studio portraits of WWE Superstars, which necessitates complex studio set ups at each venue. Given the relentless schedule of three live shows weekly, two of which are traveling, studio gear is circling the country all year long. As Rich Freeda puts it, “We could be a Consumer Reports testing lab.”
And when it comes to the type of photographers best suited to covering WWE shows, Brad Smith sums things up nicely. “[At first,] I instinctively thought, if we’re going to hire new people, they have to be sports photographers. And now I don’t think that at all. I’ll tell you who I’d rather have. I’d rather have a photographer who’s a tour photographer for Bon Jovi than somebody who’s the Yankee’s photographer, because they understand that event is the important thing.”
Psych yourself up for WrestleMania 40 with our WWE episode from the B&H Photography Podcast!
Guests: Brad Smith and Rich Freeda
Above photograph © Rich Freeda/WWE
For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/still-photography-the-wwe-with-brad-smith-rich-freeda
Stay Connected:
WWE Still Photography Page: https://www.wwe.com/photos
Brad Smith Website: https://www.bradsmithcreative.com/
Brad Smith on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradpix/
Brad Smith on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Brad-Smith-Creative/
Brad Smith on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nybradsmith
Rich Freeda Website: https://www.richardfreeda.com/collections
Rich Freeda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richfreedaphoto/
Rich Freeda on Twitter: https://twitter.com/richfreedaphoto
Rich Freeda WWE Profile: https://www.wwe.com/videos/the-photography-of-wrestlemania-with-rich-freeda-making-wwe
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Where will you be on April 8, 2024? If you don’t already know, you’d better figure it out fast, particularly if you’ve got an interest in observing—and ideally photographing—the awe-inspiring phenomenon of a total solar eclipse.
To get you up to speed on essential eclipse details, tune in to our chat with science writer Rebecca Boyle and Gabriel Biderman from B&H’s Road Marketing team. Boyle shares tidbits about Earth’s silvery sister gleaned from research for her book Our Moon, while Gabe discusses preparations (and practice!) for your eclipse photo session, plus strategies for juggling multiple set-ups.
To celebrate the total eclipse back in 2017, B&H teamed up with Atlas Obscura for a two-day festival in Eastern Oregon’s Snake River Valley. This year, the party’s expanding from two to four days! We end the episode with details about the 2024 Ecliptic Festival, held alongside the Valley of Vapors music festival in Hot Springs, Arkansas, smack in the Eclipse’s umbra.
Immerse yourself in this rare astronomical occurrence while rubbing shoulders with celebrated scientists, legendary musicians, artists and photographers galore, plus benefit from dedicated space—and tools—for star gazing and tracking the path to totality and back. The sky’s the limit!
Guests: Rebecca Boyle & Gabriel BidermanTop shot © Gabriel Biderman
For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/ecliptic-visions-with-rebecca-boyle-gabriel-biderman-atlas-obscura-bh
Stay Connected:
Atlas Obscura Ecliptic Festival: https://ecliptic.atlasobscura.com/
Atlas Obscura Website: https://www.atlasobscura.com/
Rebecca Boyle Website: https://rebeccaboyle.com/
Rebecca Boyle Our Moon book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/611468/our-moon-by-rebecca-boyle/
Rebecca Boyle’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/by.rebecca.boyle/
Rebecca Boyle’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/rboyle31
Rebecca Boyle’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rboyle31/
Gabriel Biderman’s Website: https://www.ruinism.com/
National Parks at Night Website: https://www.nationalparksatnight.com/
National Parks at Night’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nationalparksatnight/
National Parks at Night’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/natlpksatnight
National Parks at Night’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nationalparksatnight
National Parks at Night’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NationalParksatNight -
There are many different ways to look at culture, and today we take a geographic approach, to distinguish people who live in rural mountain and hilly settings from those of the wider plains and urban areas.
Our focus is the country of Romania, where we’ll explore the rustic landscape of small farms, hand tilled fields, and local communities that still identify with the working methods and traditions of the past. Along the way, we’ll follow the cyclical work of farmers and shepherds, gain insight into the Orthodox faith, explore vibrant holiday celebrations, and reveal unique rituals with pagan roots.
In this fourth installment of our monthly series, Picturing World Cultures, we speak with Daniel Rosca, a Romanian photographer and travel guide specialized in photographic, cultural, and genealogical tours.
As a child, Daniel experienced the age-old traditions of rural Romania first-hand during time spent on his grandparent’s farm. Following university studies, he spent four years abroad, working in youth development, consulting, and corporate social responsibility. After living in Brussels, Warsaw, Istanbul, and Cairo, and travelling to another 40 countries on four continents, Daniel decided travel should become his full-time job.
He chose to return to his homeland in 2011, where he founded Romania Photo Tours and True Romania Tours, to help curious travelers immerse themselves in—and capture images of—old-world Romanian culture.
In summary, to quote the motto of his photo tour site: Veni, Vidi, Click!
Guest: Daniel Rosca
For more information on our guest and the gear he uses, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/picturing-world-cultures-daniel-rosca-romania
And if you haven’t already listened, check out all episodes from our Picturing World Cultures podcast series here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/promotion/picturing-world-cultures
Episode Timeline:
2:07: The blend of various cultures and influences that make up Romanian culture, geographic distinctions between regions based on mountains, hills, and plains, Romania’s historic regions, plus the country’s widespread agricultural focus.
9:41: Common misconceptions about Romania: dispelling inaccuracies about Dracula and Romania’s communist past, plus Romania’s current strengths in tech, IT, and engineering.
12:34: Special considerations, both general and cultural, when photographing people in different regions, making pictures of the Roma, military, or police, plus Romania’s strict policies that prohibit driving after even a sip of alcohol.
17:44: Romanian agricultural traditions of scything, haymaking, horse carts, blacksmiths, shepherding, plus the art of traditional egg painting.
23:24: Forging a human connection with local villagers and craftspeople, etiquette and logistics when making pictures, plus the issue of obtaining model releases for portraits.
30:14: Daniel’s go-to photo gear: Nikon Z6 mirrorless and a 24-70 mm f/2.8 lens, the benefits to carrying a flash, plus recommendations for packing and benefits to traveling light
34:08: Episode Break
35:10: Romanian Orthodox churches, regional differences in appearance, rules of etiquette and respectful behavior when photographing, plus the many denominations of Orthodoxy, and details about holiday schedules.
44:42: Meaning of the word Orthodox, distinctions between Orthodox and Catholic faiths, plus Romania’s Lutheran heritage, and fortified churches of Transylvania.
47:11: Romanian bear dance festivals of Moldova over New Year’s, the festival’s pagan roots, tips for getting good pictures by interacting and considering the background first, plus other year end celebrations
54:20: Romanian Easter traditions, a candle lit in Jerusalem on Easter morning and flown to all Romanian Orthodox churches, breaking the Lenten fast, plus Romania’s little-known focus on vegan foods.
1:00:58: Romania’s Dracula lure, distinguishing true cultural history from the literary myth, useful resources for more background about Romania, plus details about Daniel’s genealogical tours.
57:22: Daniel Rosca answers our Picturing World Cultures Visual Questionnaire.
Guest Bio: Daniel Rosca is a Romanian photographer and tour guide specializing in photographic, cultural, and genealogical tours. As a child, he spent a lot of time at his grandparent’s subsistence farm and experienced many of the traditions of rural Romania. After university and four years abroad, he realized how interesting rural Romania and its traditions are and decided to return to his native country to help curious travelers discover them as well.
Before setting down roots in travel, Daniel worked in youth development, consulting, as well as in corporate social responsibility for Microsoft. After living and working in Brussels, Warsaw, Istanbul, and Cairo, and travelling to another 40 countries on four continents, he decided travel should become his full-time job, in the country where he feels most connected. He founded Romania Photo Tours and True Romania Tours in 2011. In summary, to quote the motto of his photo tour site: Veni, Vidi, Click! Where click is not only about clicking the shutter, but also about clicking with the culture.
Stay Connected:
Romania Photo Tours Website: https://romania-photo-tours.com/
True Romania Tours Website: https://true-romania.tours/
Romania Photo Tours Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/romaniaphototours/
Romania Photo Tours Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/touroperatorRomaniaPhotoTours
True Romania Tours Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrueRomaniaTours/
Romania Photo Tours X: https://twitter.com/photo_romania
True Romania Tours X: https://twitter.com/TRomaniaTours
True Romania Tours Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/trueromaniatours/
Romanian photographer Sorin Onisor: https://www.instagram.com/sorin_onisor/
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How much can you edit a photo before it stops becoming true? That’s the question CNET tech reporter Stephen Shankland recently asked in the opening lines of his story, How Close is that Photo to the Truth: What to Know in the Age of AI.
The article, which examines digital photography and advanced smartphone image processing in the era of AI, reaches beyond the polarizing visual minefield of generative AI by delving into aspects of this technologythat’s been quietly pre-baked into most every camera on the market these days.
The sophisticated processing under the hood of your digital camera is our jumping off point for a wide-ranging discussion with Shankland that touches on many aspects of the digital workflow, before scaling the slippery slopes of generative AI.
A few of the many points we cover include: Comparing the three primary generative AI platforms and discussing their differences, an assessment of AI manipulations and deepfakes, the ways in which a proliferation of camera phones can serve as a buttress against fakery, and the factor of a social contract in weighing the veracity of an image.
Today’s AI landscape seems to be morphing by the minute, a reality that’s reflected here with bonus content! Barely a week after our original discussion, Open AI’s new text to video application, Sora, was released to a tidal wave of interest, so we got Shankland back on mic. Stay to the end to hear our first impressions of this new technology and listen closely to discover how an AI bot got the last word in our chat.
Guest: Stephen Shankland
Top shot © Allan Weitz, https://www.allanweitzdesign.com
Episode Timeline:
2:22: How much can a photo be edited before it stops “becoming” true? Plus, the digital processing that goes on under the hood of your digital camera.
7:06: The sophisticated processing in your camera phone and how the resulting images compare to pictures made with a 35mm digital camera.
13:02: How much digital editing is too much and what’s the least amount of image adjustments possible before a photograph stops “being true.”
18:22: The matter of generative AI manipulations and deepfakes, the democratization of altering images, and how the proliferation of camera phones can serve as a buttress against fakery.
23:24: Comparing the three big generative AI platforms Stephen has worked with—Open AI’s Dall-E, Google’s ImageFX, and Adobe’s Firefly—and discussing how they differ, plus Allan’s impressions about working with Adobe Firefly, and how much of an AI-generated image is truly one’s own.
31:58: Prompt engineering, the bias of training data, the role of having fun when assessing the creative aspects of generative AI, and the factor of a social contract into reading the veracity of an image.
40:22: Episode Break
41:30: The potential for career opportunities in prompt engineering, new educational programs to arise from these new technologies, plus reasons why illustration is the creative area most threatened by AI.
48:27: The democratization of creative tasks due to computer technology, and the value of having a unique style or vision to creative success, plus the advantages of AI for stylistic
52:08: Ethical considerations, intellectual property rights, and copyright concerns in relation to AI generation.
57:03: In-camera authentication, content credentialing, and following the provenance of an image to be assured of its trustworthiness, plus whether this technology will ever show up in camera phones.
1:04:24: Episode bonus: Stephen’s first impressions of Open AI’s new text to video application, Sora.
Guest Bio: Stephen Shankland has covered technology, computing, and digital imaging as a principal writer and reporter for CNET since 1998. He’s also a professional photographer who’s particularly intrigued by new trends in AI. Stephen stumbled into journalism as a fledgling science reporter covering the Los Alamos National Laboratory. His first, and biggest, scoop was about radioactive kitty litter discovered at the town dump.
Stay Connected:
Stephen Shankland’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stshank/
Stephen Shankland’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/stshank/
Stephen Shankland’s Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/people/Stephen-Shankland/
Stephen Shankland’s Flickr:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/shankrad/
Stephen Shankland’s MuckRack:
https://muckrack.com/stshank
Stephen Shankland’s CNET profile:
https://www.cnet.com/profiles/shankland/
Stephen Shankland’s CNET article on AI: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/features/how-close-is-that-photo-to-the-truth-what-to-know-in-the-age-of-ai/
Open AI’s Chat GPT: https://chat.openai.com/
Open AI’s Dall-E: https://openai.com/dall-e-2
Open AI’s Sora: https://openai.com/sora
Panasonic Lumix Cameras: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/panasonic-lumix-mirrorless-cameras/ci/39961
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How did a space-age invention become ubiquitous in today’s digital imaging landscape? Learn all about it here in our latest podcast, featuring pioneers of photography and digital imaging.
In 1993, noted physicist and engineer Eric Fossum led the invention of the CMOS active-pixel image sensor as part of his work for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Then, as part of JPL’s mandate to seek commercial and consumer applications for emerging technologies, he was active in the transfer of the CMOS sensor’s “camera-on-a-chip” technology to industry.
In our informative conversation with Professor Fossum, he makes distinctions between solid state CCDs and his more efficient CMOS sensor that would come to dominate the marketplace. To transform high-level science into layman’s terms, he uses the analogy of a bucket brigade collecting rain on a football field.
In a similar down-to-earth fashion, we touch on metaphysical issues like wave particle duality, and how this is demonstrated every time light enters a camera and you take a picture with your phone.
Join us to marvel at the wonders of science amid fun food references—from the way deep space radiation degrades CCD chips so they start to act like Swiss cheese, to the synergies between high-level scientific measurements and delicatessen lunch meats, both marks of a creative scientist and visionary educator.
Guest: Eric Fossum
Above photograph © John Sherman Photography, https://jshermanphoto.com/
Episode Timeline:
2:31: Eric Fossum’s beginnings in hands-on science explorations, computer programming, and his love for launching model rockets, plus the role photography has played in his life.
9:26: Fossum’s early research in CCD sensor technologies, his interest in trying to marry cameras to artificial intelligence, and his invitation to join NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1990.
14:00: The differences between CCD and CMOS sensors, and a description of how they work using the analogy of a bucket brigade to collect rain on a football field.
23:35: A history of active pixel sensor devices, an explanation about two kinds of image noise, the metaphysics of photons, plus how the wave particle duality from quantum mechanics is demonstrated every time you take a picture with your phone.
33:10: Fossum’s role in the transfer of CMOS sensor technology to US industry, co-founding his company Photobit, and negotiations for licensing the technology with CalTech.
43:23: Episode Break
44:36: The sale of Photobit to Micron, Fossum’s move to New Hampshire, consulting work on 3-D imaging sensors for Samsung TVs, and the beginnings of his teaching career at Dartmouth.
50:00: A book chapter on the future of image sensors, and the evolution of this idea to a university project, which led to Fossum co-founding the start-up company, Gigajot, with his PhD students.
52:30: Explaining the difference between the operation of CMOS and Quanta image sensors.
54:03: The resulting applications of CMOS image sensor technology, and the positive use of CMOS image sensors for social justice purposes.
57:22: Fossum’s thoughts about STEM education, and connections between academia and applications in the wider world.
1:01:32: Parting thoughts about AI and the ability to authenticate images at the source, plus Fossum’s newest award: The Trinity College President’s Medal for Science & Innovation.
Guest Bio:
Eric Fossum, a Queen Elizabeth Prize Laureate and recipient of a 2021 Emmy Award, is one of the world's experts in solid-state image sensors. He developed the CMOS active pixel image sensor while working at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Today, this “camera-on-a-chip” technology is used in almost all cell-phone cameras, webcams, many digital-still cameras and in medical imaging, among other applications.
A serial entrepreneur, with a career that has spanned academic and government research, and entrepreneurial leadership, Fossum is currently the John H. Krehbiel Sr. Professor for Emerging Technologies at Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering, where he teaches, performs image sensor research, and directs the School’s Ph.D. Innovation Program. He also serves as Dartmouth’s Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship and Technology Transfer.
Stay Connected:
Eric Fossum Website: https://ericfossum.com/
Eric Fossum Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Fossum
Eric Fossum at the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame: https://www.invent.org/inductees/eric-r-fossum
Eric Fossum at Dartmouth Engineering: https://engineering.dartmouth.edu/community/faculty/eric-fossum
Eric Fossum bio from the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering: https://qeprize.org/winners/eric-fossum
Eric Fossum’s 2021 Emmy Award in Tech and Engineering https://www.nhbr.com/dartmouth-professor-wins-emmy-award-for-image-sensor-technology/
Logitech: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/browse/Logitech/ci/13968/N/4232861614
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While Joshua Irwandi was born and raised in Indonesia, the early pictures he made during his first visit to the region of Asmat, in the province of West Papua, were less than satisfying to him. Yet his fascination with the people and the place stuck, inspiring him to embark on the long-term project Not a Blank Canvas.
In this third installment of our monthly series, Picturing World Cultures, we speak with Irwandi about his experiences documenting the people and landscape of Asmat, which offers a window into long-held traditions and the sweeping changes he’s observed there over the past 10 years.
Listen in as Irwandi describes how tapping into the region’s rich history through museum collections holding Asmat art proved an important part of his background research. We also discuss the connections he forged with the local Catholic church, and how the many years an American missionary spent learning about and embracing local ways led to a blending of Catholic celebrations and iconography with traditional Asmat feasts.
Contrary to western holidays, Asmat feasts are celebrated for months on end, and Joshua sheds light on their mystical origins through dreams, and the performative rituals that he was privileged to witness and photograph.In equal measure, he touches on the changing roles of a people who are essentially subsistence hunter gatherers within contemporary society, and the recent effects of transmigration and gentrification on the region’s native inhabitants, which also forms a part of his documentation.
Self-described as a naturally shy person, Irwandi’s approach to making pictures for this project is to play the long game, while planning for longer visits that allow him to be a “constant observer,” as he describes it.
“I don’t pretend I have all the knowledge,” he says. “But I guess it’s easier to come and connect with the locals when you walk in like a new blank piece of book, wanting to learn, rather than assume that you know about them already.”
Guest: Joshua Irwandi
Above photograph © Joshua Irwandi
For more information on our guest and the gear he uses, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/picturing-world-cultures-joshua-irwandi-indonesiaAnd if you haven’t already listened, check out all episodes from our Picturing World Cultures podcast series here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/promotion/picturing-world-cultures
Stay Connected:
Joshua Irwandi Website: https://www.joshuairwandi.com/
Joshua Irwandi Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshirwandi/
Joshua Irwandi Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshua.irwandi/
Joshua Irwandi X: https://twitter.com/joshirwandi/
Asmat Museum of Culture and Progress: https://asmatmuseum.org/en/
Joshua Irwandi National Geographic Explorers Page: https://explorer-directory.nationalgeographic.org/joshua-irwandi
Joshua Irwandi’s story for The Globe and Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-how-to-move-a-capital-city-an-exclusive-look-at-indonesias-plan-to/
Pulitzer Prize page for Irwandi’s Photo The Human Cost of COVID-19:
https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/joshua-irwandi-freelance-photographer-national-geographic -
Press photographers have faced tough workplace challenges for quite some time. Yet, according to recent headlines, their job is about to get even tougher, due to current plans by many law enforcement agencies—particularly the NYPD—to encrypt radio calls, making live transmissions of breaking news inaccessible to common citizens and members of the press.
Besides being a devastating blow to meddling old biddies and law enforcement buffs, this change has huge implications for photojournalists and news outlets, who depend on such communications as part of their workflow.
Joining us to shed light on this matter, as well as to provide a general update on newspaper photojournalism today, are two generations of accredited newspaper photographers, Todd Maisel and Lloyd Mitchell. As a current board member and past vice president of the New York Press Photographers Association, Maisel has worked tirelessly to investigate and mediate the NYPD’s encryption plans.
Among the many topics raised in our discussion are a shift in press accreditation from the NYPD to the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment, competing interests within news organizations that prevent broadcasters from taking law enforcement to task, distinctions between police and fire departments when it comes to radio encryption, details about radio encryption rollouts in other US cities, and much more.
Towards the end of our chat, Todd Maisel offers a compelling insight into his mission as a photojournalist, which speaks to the high stakes involving the matter at hand. “What I’m doing as a journalist is a sacred obligation. It’s a God-given right to do it, and to continue to do it, and to do a great job at it. And so, I made a promise to protect it, to protect freedom of the press.”
Guests: Todd Maisel and Lloyd MitchellAbove photograph © Todd Maisel
For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see:
https://blogd7.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/holding-to-truth-radio-encryption-the-press-with-todd-maisel-lloyd-mitchellStay Connected:
Todd Maisel Website: https://www.toddmaiselvisualjournalism.com/
Todd Maisel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toddmaisel/
Todd Maisel on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Todd Maisel on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ToddMaiselLloyd Mitchell Website: https://lloydmitchell43.photoshelter.com/
Lloyd Mitchell on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lloydmitchellphotography/
https://www.instagram.com/urbanfirefightingportfolio/
Lloyd Mitchell on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/randymitchellwritesandphotographs/
Lloyd Mitchell on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lloydphoto
NYPPA Website: https:// www.nyppa.org
Todd Maisel on the Deadline for Newspaper Photojournalism Episode: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/podcast-a-deadline-for-newspaper-photojournalism -
Kiana Hayeri was born in Iran, and this was where she launched her career as a photojournalist and visual storyteller. Yet after traveling to Afghanistan for a 2014 assignment, she decided to relocate, spending the next eight years covering both the frontlines of conflict and everyday lives of the Afghan people.
In this second installment of our monthly series, Picturing World Cultures, we speak with Hayeri about her experiences living and working in a region mired in cultural upheaval, failing infrastructure, and rife with political violence.
Listen in as Hayeri shares insights about her early work documenting youth culture in both Iran and Afghanistan, while revealing subtle differences in how each society approaches a division between public and private life.
When it comes to making pictures, Hayeri’s first concern is for the latent potential of her photographs to endanger the lives of her subjects. She elaborates on making conscious calculations in her head related to every small detail to mitigate this risk.
Working as a woman within a patriarchal society involves great challenges, and we broach this subject, as well as the advantages she has when photographing culturally sensitive subjects.
While Hayeri has little problem maintaining focus on the frontlines while immersed in her work, we also discuss the tolls of making pictures in traumatic situations, and the importance of taking breaks to reestablish a sense of normalcy and maintain health and sanity.
Hayeri has worked with an extensive network of local contacts to arrange access for the stories she tells. She avoids using the term “fixer” for these essential collaborators, pointing out, “The credit for a lot of the stories that we work on goes to our local colleagues, because they are the ones who put themselves on the front of everything. It’s their reputation, their lives that they risk. I have a lot of respect for that.”
Above photograph © Kiana Hayeri
Guest: Kiana HayeriFor more information on our guest and the gear she uses, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/picturing-world-cultures-kiana-hayeri-iran-afghanistanAnd if you haven’t already listened, check out all episodes from our Picturing World Cultures podcast series here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/promotion/picturing-world-cultureshttps://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/promotion/picturing-world-cultures
Stay Connected:
Kiana Hayeri Website: https://www.kianahayeri.com/
Kiana Hayeri Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kianahayeri/
Kiana Hayeri Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kianahj
Kiana Hayeri Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/speakers/kiana_hayeri -
2023 has certainly come and gone in a flash, meaning it’s time once again for us to reflect on new photo offerings in our ninth annual Cameras of the Year episode, now renamed Photo Gear of the Year. We’ll be talking with B&H Camera and Lighting Senior Sales Trainer Kevin Rickert. Featured in our discussion are 25 new releases from Canon, FUJIFILM, Leica, Nikon, Panasonic, Ricoh Pentax, Polaroid, and Sony.
In addition to insights about each camera on our list, we also examine broader topics, such as manufacturers’ attempts to regain market share lost to smart phones through a growing crop of cameras geared toward content creation.
Instant cameras are a popular trend, leading us to diverge from alphabetical order when discussing this growing product category. And with two monochrome models among this year’s offerings, we zoom in on the visual differences between pictures shot with these specialty cameras and those made by converting from color files.
For listeners who enjoy a good debate, whet your appetite for the main course as we consider this year’s most touted technological advance—the global shutter.
Finally, as an antidote to overindulgence that’s so common during this time of year, Rickert offers some practical advice about avoiding GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) with the tip “You date your cameras, marry your lenses.”
Guest: Kevin Rickert
For more information on our guest and the gear he uses, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/2023-photo-gear-of-the-year-with-kevin-rickert
Stay Connected:
B&H Photo Video Website: https://www.bhphotovideo.com
B&H Photo Video Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bhphoto
B& Photo Video Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhphoto
B&H Photo Video YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BandH
B&H Event Space YouTube: https://bhpho.to/BHEventSpaceYT
B&H Photo Video Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bhphoto
B&H Photography Podcast Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1001107823418353
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It’s likely that everyone reading this has used, or at the very least heard of Adobe’s ubiquitous piece of software called Photoshop. But are you familiar with the very first—and perhaps the most eccentric—of the evangelists working behind that magic curtain?
Well, you’re about to meet him today, in our latest podcast featuring pioneers of photography and imaging. As Adobe employee number 38, graphic designer Russell Preston Brown was in the room when brothers Thomas and John Knoll showed up to demonstrate a new piece of software, in 1988. Suitably impressed with what he saw, Russell made a beeline to Adobe co-founder John Warnock and uttered the imperative “Buy it! Now!”
Thirty-five years later, Brown has not lost an ounce of passion for concocting magic with digital imaging tools, and for sharing his knowledge with other users during his outlandish workshops and events.
Join us for a rollicking chat with this shapeshifting impresario in cowboy attire. From Brown’s earliest training in darkroom photography to his current digital workflow syncing a mobile phone with Profoto lighting gear, we cover a lot of ground.
Throughout our discussion, we reflect on the revolutionary effects of technological advances, plus Brown’s uncanny luck to be there in the middle of the zeitgeist, which led him to a telling analogy:
“Yes, I was in the right place at the right time. I made my fair share of contributions, but it all comes back to—what if the Knoll brothers had not decided to make Photoshop? I want to see that Jimmy Stewart episode of “A Wonderful Life,” where Photoshop didn’t appear. Would we be using Letrasets?...”
Guest: Russell Preston Brown
For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see:
https://blogd7.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/adobes-first-evangelist-russell-preston-brown
Above photograph © Russell Preston Brown
Episode Timeline:
2:47: A peak behind the scenes of Brown’s early experiences at Adobe and what constituted working as a graphic designer back in 1985.
10:24: Brown’s early training in darkroom photography, the type of photos he made and the tech transitions to the mobile phones that he works with today.
15:55: Thomas Knoll calls the iPhone a hallucination of what you are seeing in terms of colors, dynamic range, and quality of light. It gives us what we want to remember from that moment.
19:45: Brown’s workflow for shooting with an iPhone synched to Profoto strobes and other lighting modifiers, and his ability to carry everything around in one bag.
24:12: Comparing image captures from different brands of mobile phones: iPhone, Google Pixel 7 and Samsung 23. Plus, make sure to use a solar filter over the lens when photographing the eclipse.
31:27: Brown’s experiences working directly with programmers in the development of Photoshop, plus working one-on-one with a programmer to develop actions, scripts, and panels for his own Photoshop tools.
36:06: Episode Break
36:39: Brown reflects on his rapport with photographic purists during early presentations about Photoshop—from a photojournalism conference in Perpignan, France, to an early discussion about digital with Greg Gorman.
42:39: Adobe’s earliest dreams and goals about prepress and processing images to create CMYK output for print publication, and the subsequent ability to access Raw data.
47:15: Differentiating between generations of Adobe users and how they employ the software, plus distinguishing between Lightroom Classic and Lightroom Desktop.
51:46: Applications that have kept all the original tool sets, offering many routes to similar results, to serve the full range and successive generations of its user base.
54:00: The question of AI and differences between typing text and using AI prompts, or taking one’s original photographs and supplementing them with AI through Photoshop’s Generative Fill.
1:03:39: The dangers of using creative tools incorrectly, and Brown’s predictions about creative trends to come.
Guest Bio:
Russell Preston Brown is the Senior Creative Director at Adobe Systems Incorporated, as well as an Emmy Award-winning instructor. His ability to bring together the world of design and software development is a perfect match for Adobe products. In Brown 's 38 years of creative experience at Adobe, he has contributed to the evolution of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator with feature enhancements, and advanced scripts. Most recently he has started to travel the world with a mobile phone camera to capture his adventures from a whole new creative perspective. This new age of mobile photography has sparked his creativity and has inspired a variety of new imaging directions.
Brown also specializes in inspirational hands-on training at Adobe MAX, where he shows users how to work and play with Adobe software. He shares his delight in testing the creative limits of his tools as a prolific creator of an entertaining collection of Photoshop tips and tricks. His in-depth design knowledge and zany presentation style have won him a regular following among beginning, intermediate, and advanced Photoshop users alike. A live performance of the Russell Brown Show is not to be missed.
Stay Connected:
Russell Preston Brown Website: https://russellbrown.com/
Russell Preston Brown on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_brown/
Russell Preston Brown on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/russellprestonbrown/
Russell Preston Brown on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/therussellbrownshow/videosRussell Preston Brown on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user6594224
Russell Preston Brown at the Photoshop Hall of Fame:
https://www.photoshophalloffame.com/russell-brownAdobe Max: https://www.adobe.com/max.html
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“The eye should learn to listen before it looks.” – Robert Frank
Australian photographer Wayne Quilliam used to consider his camera as a tool, but today it’s become his “companion.” This is just one of the inspiring takeaways from our chat for the new monthly podcast series, “Picturing World Cultures.”
Listen in as Quilliam describes his journey—from growing up on the island state of Tasmania knowing little about his indigenous roots, to gaining a fascination with culture while traveling with the Royal Australian Navy, to his current roles as a leading indigenous imagemaker and cultural ambassador.
When it comes to making pictures, Quilliam differentiates between an older approach of maintaining photographic objectivity and more contemporary methods for immersing yourself in a story to have a stronger sense of connection with subjects, and a better understanding of what that story will become.
We also discuss aboriginal cultural protocols, and Quilliam offers surprising insights into the unique relationship between culture and skin color in Australia’s indigenous communities.
Stay to the end for tips about photographing culturally sensitive subjects by listening for images rather than seeing them, and Quilliam’s following parting advice.
• Know who you are as a person and what your role is within the journey.
• Make sure you’re as informed as possible about your subject and the who, what, how, why, when, and where of the story and end goal.
• And most important, offer total respect to both the land and people as part of your photographic process.Above photograph © Wayne Quilliam
Guest: Wayne Quilliam
For more information on our guest and the gear he uses, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/picturing-world-cultures-wayne-quilliam-australiatasmaniaAnd if you haven’t already listened, check out all episodes from our Picturing World Cultures podcast series here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/promotion/picturing-world-cultures
Stay Connected:
Wayne Quilliam Website: https://aboriginal.photography/
Wayne Quilliam Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waynequilliam/
Wayne Quilliam Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AustralianAboriginalPhotography/
Wayne Quilliam Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/waynequilliamphotography/#
Wayne Quilliam book Culture is Life: https://www.hardiegrant.com/au/publishing/bookfinder/book/wayne-quilliam_-culture-is-life-2nd-edition-by-wayne-quilliam/9781741178760
Wayne Quilliam interactive exhibit “Connection”: https://www.thelumemelbourne.com/connection -
Lee Miller may have been best known in life as a beautiful muse of the legendary Surrealist Man Ray yet, shortly after her passing, a lucky accident led her family to an attic treasure trove, which made her a photography legend in her own right. During this week’s podcast, we unpack the details of this extraordinary tale, and hear many other anecdotes from Miller’s adventurous life, in a chat with her son and biographer, Antony Penrose.
From her swift ascent as a ’20s-era Vogue fashion model—and the ad campaign that sidelined her appeal—to her audacious exploits as an accredited war correspondent for the very same magazine, Penrose sheds light on a woman who lived many lives, as exemplified in the title of his first book.
Miller’s remarkable bravery as a World War II combat photographer was recently immortalized in the feature film “Lee,” starring Kate Winslet, which is another facet of our chat. Penrose describes what it was like to work with the actress as she plumbed Miller’s archive for her character development, how she mastered the operation of a custom-made Rolleiflex, and how the camera became a personality in itself as part of the film.
Penrose had a troubled relationship with his mother during much of her life, as she struggled with PTSD and the enduring effects wartime atrocities had on her psyche. His reflections on her struggles and her accomplishments reveal the very human core of a creative powerhouse who lived in the moment, in true Surrealist fashion.
“This person who I had dismissed as being a useless drunk, now had other dimensions to her, which I was totally astonished by,” recounts Penrose about the treasures she left behind in the attic. “… it had never occurred to me that her career was so distinguished, and so varied, and so absolutely groundbreaking in terms of being a woman war correspondent. And so, that’s how it began.”
So, pop in your earbuds and listen in… this is an episode you won’t want to miss!
Above photograph © 2023 Lee Miller Archives, England. All rights reserved. www.leemiller.co.uk
Guests: Antony PenroseFor more information on our guest and the gear he uses, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/lee-miller-combat-photographer-fashion-model-muse-with-antony-penroseStay Connected:
Lee Miller Archives at Farleys House: https://www.leemiller.co.uk/
Lee Miller: Photographs book:
https://www.thamesandhudsonusa.com/books/lee-miller-photographs-hardcover
The Lives of Lee Miller biography:
https://www.thamesandhudsonusa.com/books/the-lives-of-lee-miller-softcover
The film “Lee” on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5112584/
“Surrealist Lee Miller”” exhibit in Melbourne, Australia: https://www.heide.com.au/exhibitions/surrealist-lee-miller/
“Lee Miller in Print” exhibit in Rotterdam: https://www.boijmans.nl/en/exhibitions/lee-miller-in-print
“Seeing is Believing: Lee Miller & Friends” exhibit at Gagosian Gallery: https://gagosian.com/exhibitions/2023/seeing-is-believing-lee-miller-and-friends/ -
This episode of the B&H Photography Podcast was originally released on November 10, 2017. We revisit it today in honor of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary, and the holiday of Thanksgiving.
With great thanks to Vikki Tobak and the Contact High Project, we welcome three photographers to our studio who are responsible for some of the most iconic images from the history of hip-hop. Janette Beckman, Eric Johnson, and Danny Hastings join us to tell the stories behind their photos of RUN-DMC, Wu Tang Clan, Lauryn Hill, and many others. We also speak about issues important to photographers, from on-set technique, to artistic collaboration and influence, to gear, to networking and, of course, copyright and image licensing. For us, this was a highly anticipated recording, and it did not disappoint. Whether you are a hip-hop fan interested in behind-the-scenes stories or a photographer looking for insight, join podcast host Allan Weitz, founding creative producer John Harris, and sound engineer Jason Tables for this epic chat.
Above photograph © Janette Beckman
Guests: Janette Beckman, Danny Hastings, Eric Johnson, and Vikki Tobak
For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/a-history-of-hip-hop-photography-encore-episode-from-november-2017Stay Connected:
Janette Beckman Website: https://janettebeckman.com/
Janette Beckman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janettephoto/
Danny Hastings Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dannyhastings/
Upstairs at Eric’s: https://upstairsaterics.org/
Eric Johnson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upstairsaterics/
Vikki Tobak Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vikkitobak/
Vikki Tobak Contact High Project: https://www.contacthighproject.com/
Contact High Exhibition: https://www.mopop.org/exhibitions-plus-events/exhibitions/contact-high/ -
1950s America proved fertile ground for photographers Robert Frank and Todd Webb, who both received Guggenheim Foundation grants to traverse the country in 1955 and record their respective visions. While Frank’s resulting book, The Americans, eventually made him a legend, Webb’s photographs remained unpublished, and were all but lost to history due to a 1970s-era business deal gone bad.
The saga of Webb’s unaccounted-for archive and its eventual recovery is one of the juicier tidbits from today’s show, which focuses on the long-awaited opportunity to compare, contrast, and rediscover Frank and Webb’s respective visions from their travels in the exhibition America and Other Myths.
Joining us in this discussion are Lisa Volpe, photography curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Bill Shapiro, former Life magazine editor-in-chief.
Journey back to the Nifty Fifties astride these two photographers as we examine how two distinct proposals to discover America at mid-century evolved along the open road and in the context of the era’s social tenure.
In the words of Lisa Volpe, “They both saw the same social ills playing out in American culture, they just talked about them differently.”
Above photograph © The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation
Guests: Lisa Volpe & Bill Shapiro
For more information on our guests and they gear they use, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/1950s-america-as-seen-by-robert-frank-todd-webb-with-lisa-volpe-bill-shapiroStay Connected:
America and Other Myths Exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: https://www.mfah.org/exhibitions/robert-frank-todd-webb-across-america-1955
America and Other Myths exhibition catalog: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300270891/america-and-other-myths/
Robert Frank Archive at the MFAH: https://www.mfah.org/films/robert-frank-collection
June Leaf & Robert Frank Foundation Website: https://leaffrankfoundation.org/
Todd Webb Archive: https://www.toddwebbarchive.com/news-events
Blind Magazine articles by Bill Shapiro:
https://www.blind-magazine.com/stories/on-the-road/
https://www.blind-magazine.com/stories/youre-wrong-about-robert-frank/
https://www.blind-magazine.com/stories/treasure-and-junk/
Robert Frank film footage from Blind Magazine: https://www.blind-magazine.com/stories/exclusive-never-before-seen-video-of-robert-frank/
Bill Shapiro Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billshapiro/
Todd Webb in Africa episode on the B&H Photography Podcast: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/podcast-todd-webb-in-africa%E2%80%94rediscovered-color-photographs -
B&H recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary, hosting a spectacular two-day celebration for the creator community, Bild Expo 2023, at New York’s Jacob Javits Center. The podcast’s past three episodes have featured in-depth interviews with a few of the esteemed speakers gracing Bild’s four presenter stages. If you haven’t already done so, please give them a listen, and then—hold on to your hats—in this episode we’re trying something different!
To prepare for some fun during the show, we assembled a mobile studio and cooked up a three-question Bild Creator Quiz to spring on imagemakers who crossed our path. Once at Javits, we went on the prowl for subjects willing to be ambushed. Our resulting interviews feature a select group of attendees, expo vendors, Bild speakers, and B&H staff members. Ever since the show wrapped, we’ve been hard at work, combining the short clips we captured live with a narrated story line to take listeners on a virtual stroll through most aspects of the show. We hope you enjoy this taste of the intense, intoxicating, creative camaraderie that permeated the Bild experience.
Happy Anniversary B&H—here’s to another 50 years of creativity and growth!
Above photograph courtesy of B&H Photo
Guests: Menashe Horowitz, Cliff Hausner, Mason Resnick, Michael Yamashita, Matt Hill, Nicolas Roman, Elizabeth Krist, Scott Kelby, Christian Domecq, John Harris, Ron Magill, Michael Mansfield, Patricia Beary, Linda Hacker, Erica Price, Brandon Remler, Dana Glidden, Ami Vitale, David Brommer
For more information on our guests and they gear they use, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/connecting-the-creator-community-bh-bild-ambush-interviewsStay Connected:
B&H Photo Instagram Feed: https://www.instagram.com/bhphoto/
Cliff Hausner: https://www.instagram.com/cliffhausner/
Mason Resnick: https://www.instagram.com/mason_resnick/
Michael Yamashita: https://www.instagram.com/yamashitaphoto/Matt Hill: https://www.instagram.com/matthillart/
Elizabeth Krist: https://www.visualthinkingcollective.com/elizabeth-cheng-krist
Scott Kelby: https://www.instagram.com/scottkelby/
John Harris: https://www.instagram.com/jrockfoto/
Ron Magill: https://www.instagram.com/ronmagillwildlife/
Michael Mansfield/Maine Media Workshops: https://www.instagram.com/mainemedia/
Soho Photo Gallery: https://www.instagram.com/sohophotogallery/
Erica Price: https://www.instagram.com/eternalpixny/
Brandon Remler: https://www.instagram.com/brandonremler/
Dana Glidden: https://www.instagram.com/danadigital/
Ami Vitale: https://www.instagram.com/amivitale/
David Brommer: https://www.instagram.com/suspectphotography/
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Have you ever struggled with editing your images to present in a portfolio or as a story pitch? If so, our conversation in this podcast might be of some help.
We recently had the great fortune to speak with one of the finest picture editors in the business, former National Geographic photographer, photo editor, and director of photography, Sarah Leen, who we interviewed as part of our coverage of B&H’s 50th Anniversary Bild Expo 2023.
Sarah has worked all sides of the table, starting in the field with a camera in hand, then transitioning to a photo editor, and ultimately being tapped to lead National Geographic as Director of Photography in 2013—the first woman ever selected for this role.
Among the topics covered in this chat are Sarah’s shift from picture maker to photo editor and how she gained the credentials to take on such a role. We make the important distinction between editing the work of others vs. a photographer editing his or her own images, emphasizing the added difficulty of disconnecting from personal experience to make objective decisions, and how the guidance of a skilled photo editor can help.
Turning to her career trajectory, Sarah explains the differences between a photo editor and the director of photography, which is a managerial role. And, when it comes to the recent organizational changes at National Geographic—not to mention within the industry at large—Sarah clarifies that, despite ceasing newsstand sales, the magazine will still be widely available in print, yet by subscription only.
We end our chat with details about Sarah’s current work as an independent photo editor and educator, her founding of the Visual Thinking Collective with three former colleagues, and the upcoming release of her latest book project Ukraine: A War Crime, featuring work by 93 photographers.
Above photograph © Sarah Leen
Guest: Sarah Leen
For more information on our guest and the gear she uses, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/communicating-visually-expert-tips-from-photo-editor-sarah-leen-at-bildStay Connected:
Sarah Leen Website: https://www.sarahleen.com
Sarah Leen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roseleen
Sarah Leen X: https://twitter.com/sleen3
Sarah Leen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarah.leen.92
Visual Thinking Collective Website: https://www.visualthinkingcollective.com
FotoEvidence Website and the book Ukraine: A War Crime: https://fotoevidence.com/books/ukraine-a-war-crime-by-ninety-three-photojournalists -
As Deanne Fitzmaurice describes it, a photojournalist’s job is part sociology and part archeology, but most important, it’s being on the cutting edge of what’s happening, telling stories about people. It’s this combination of varied disciplines, connecting with subjects, and learning something new every day that has held her fascination from her very beginnings at the San Francisco Chronicle through to the rich tapestry she’s woven as a visual storyteller today. We recently sat down with Fitzmaurice to gain insights into the many facets of her career as part of our coverage of B&H’s 50th Anniversary Bild Expo 2023.
During our chat, Fitzmaurice regales us with details from some of her most impactful projects, including the challenging mix of sensitivity and perseverance needed to tell the story of Saleh, a seriously injured Iraqi boy. After explaining how this assignment morphed from a one-day news story into a Pulitzer-prize-winning long-term project, we take a deep dive into how image selection and sequencing were key to this award-winning series.
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Fitzmaurice also describes confronting baseball great Barry Bonds about his problem with photographers, which shattered his impenetrable armor and resulted in her gaining exclusive access to photograph him both on and off the field.
When discussing essential rules of journalistic ethics and credibility in documenting an unfolding scene, Fitzmaurice points to the category of portraiture as a rare opportunity to shift out of fly on the wall mode to direct the subject and build rapport. We conclude our chat with insights about the role luck has played in her career, and how she puts herself in a position for synchronicity to unfold.
Above photograph © Deanne Fitzmaurice
Guest: Deanne Fitzmaurice
For more information on our guest and the gear she uses, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/taking-chances-on-stories-to-tell-photojournalist-deanne-fitzmaurice-at-bildStay Connected:
Deanne Fitzmaurice Website: https://www.deannefitzmaurice.com/
Deanne Fitzmaurice Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deannefitzmaurice/
Deanne Fitzmaurice X: https://twitter.com/deanne_fitz
Deanne Fitzmaurice Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeanneFitzmauricePhotography
Think-tank: https://www.thinktankphoto.com/ -
Water is essential to life on Earth. The health of our oceans—and its inhabitants—is equally crucial to maintaining Earth’s delicate balance. This is an apt takeaway from our exclusive chat with renowned underwater photographer and filmmaker Brian Skerry, as part of our coverage of B&H’s 50th Anniversary Bild Expo 2023.
Above photograph © Brian Skerry
We sat down with Skerry shortly before his presentation on the Bild Expo Main Stage to get the full scoop on his career arc, from a youthful fantasy of being an ocean explorer in the mold of Indiana Jones to his more recent work interpreting the culture of whales and other inhabitants of the deep.
We also delve into sobering concerns about the extreme geologic change Skerry has witnessed in the oceans over time.
With such facts in mind, he describes the responsibility he feels to combine scientific research and powerful storytelling, so that we may better understand our relationship to nature, and to change our behaviors for the better.
Guest: Brian Skerry
For more information on our guest and the gear he uses, see: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/why-oceans-matter-underwater-photographer-brian-skerry-at-bild
Stay Connected:
Brian Skerry Website: https://brianskerry.com/
Brian Skerry Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianskerry/
Brian Skerry X: https://www.twitter.com/brian_skerry/
Brian Skerry Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brian.skerry/
Brian Skerry - Secrets of the Whales: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/tv/shows/secrets-of-the-whales
Brian Skerry - The Sentient Sea Exhibit, Siena, Italy: https://festival.sienawards.com/en/brian-skerry-2/
Brian Skerry - Ocean Odyssey Exhibit, Paris, France: https://www.atelier-lumieres.com/en/ocean-odyssey -
Artificial intelligence is a polarizing topic, and its rapid evolution within content creation has set our once familiar world on edge. To help demystify this gargantuan subject and add clarity to important concerns, we’re turning to an artist positioned at the very center of the debate between photography and AI imagery.
Above photograph © Boris Eldagsen
German media artist Boris Eldagsen made global headlines after entering his AI-generated image, “The Electrician,” in the Sony World Photography Awards. He won a top prize, and then ultimately declined the award due to a lack of open discussion about the need to categorize photographs and AI-generated imagery differently.
Join us for this frank and informative discussion about generative AI. Some of the diverse topics we cover include ways creativity is shared between man and machine, the effects of different languages (and even phrasing) when creating text prompts, inherent biases in AI training data and ways to counter this, the emergence of AI agencies, the newly created job title of Prompt Engineer, and much, much more.
And for those listeners who fear AI as a threat to their photo careers, our discussion ends on an upbeat note, with the classification of generative AI as a knowledge accelerator, being most beneficial to practitioners with a solid background in traditional photography and the visual arts. To quote Eldagsen, “For the first time in history, the older generation has an advantage...” We’ll let you listen to hear the end.
Guests: Boris Eldagsen
For more information on our guest and the gear he uses, see: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/fake-memories-promptography-and-generative-ai-with-boris-eldagsen
Stay Connected:
Boris Eldagsen Website: https://www.eldagsen.com/
Boris Eldagsen Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boriseldagsen/
Boris Eldagsen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boriseldagsen
Boris Eldagsen YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@EldagsenBoris/
Boris Eldagsen Workshops: https://www.eldagsen.com/lecturingworkshops/
Boris Eldagsen Panama Exhibition: https://www.eldagsen.com/pseudomnesia3/ - Show more
