Visual Revolutionary

Celebrity photographer Randall Slavin joins the podcast to talk about growing up in the shadow of Hollywood with early dreams of rock stardom that would morph into dreams of the silver screen, and how that all shifted one day when he walked into a headshot studio across the street from a job he hated and had his life changed by the power of photography. During our conversation we talk about the struggle that was his early acting career and how he loved the immediacy of taking photos, how the early snapshots he took of his group of friends in legendary venues like The Viper Room would become some of his most cherished work, how going on a Safari with Charlize Theron would become a huge jumping off point to the career he’s known for today, how he's evolved over time and slowly thinned out his gear closet and returned to some of the simplicity he loved about photography in the first place, and the advice he gives to others chasing their own dreams. To Learn More About Randall Slavin Visit: https://www.randallslavin.com And Follow Him On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/randallslavin/ To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: https://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/  

On this episode of the podcast I'm joined by renowed photographer Platon for a beautiful conversation ranging from the current state of photography to affecting social change and the need for creatives to come forward and tell the story of what's around them.  Platon has had a legendary career shooting compelling portaits of some of the most powerful world leaders and celebrity figures, as well as NGO work to tell the story of those figures who have had power taken from them.  During our converstion he talks about what it was like growing up in Greece as the son of an architect and art historian and the difficult move to London that would soon have him on his way to studying graphic design and finally picking up a Hassleblad camera that would one day become synonymis with his work.  We also talk about the muse and how he tunes into the energy of his subjects in a portait session, how you never get to a point in your career where you stop questioning your right to be there, and the advice he gives to others coming up in the world of photography and visual image making.  To Learn More About Platon Visit: http://www.platonphoto.com And Follow Him On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/platon/ To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: https://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/

Fine art and commercial photographer Peter Andrew Lusztyk joins the podcast from his studio in Toronto to talk about how he went from a kid growing up in Ottawa with a desire to create videos like his hometown hero Tom Green, to studying photography, to working as a first assistant in one of the biggest commercial studios in Canada, to venturing out on his own and finding his creative voice in both the commercial world, as well as the fine art world.  During our conversation Peter talks about all the ups and downs and self doubt that has persisted through an already successful career, how he found his way into the competitive world of fine art photography and what it's like knowing your pieces are gracing the walls of art collectors, how he continues to maintain a foothold in the commercial photography world and never bought into the idea of "choosing a lane", and the advice he gives to other visual creatives coming up now.   To Learn More About Peter Andrew Lusztyk Visit: https://www.peterandrew.ca And Follow Him On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/peter_andrew_lusztyk/ To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: https://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/

Award winning cinematographer Steve Cosens joins the podcast to talk about shooting HBO's new original series “Station Eleven” and what it was like trying to create a visually stunning post apocalyptic story that revolves around a pandemic, in the midst of an actual global pandemic, as well as how the story intertwines the message of hope, art, and community. During our conversation Steve talks about growing up in the plains of Alberta and finding his artistic voice in an art class in school, how he went on to study filmmaking at the prestigious Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, how his early job of creating karaoke videos ended up being a great learning experience for working on the fly, and how he created the career and body of work he is known for today. To Learn More About Steve Cosens Visit: https://www.stevecosens.com And Follow Him On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/cosenssteve/ Check Out the Trailer for Station Eleven: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaAG-SwEa7k&t=37s To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: https://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/  

New York based commercial/editorial fashion and lifestyle photographer Jacob Pritchard joins the podcast to talk about how he went from a kid growing up in Denver, CO with a love for the mountains and an early interest in photography, to working as an intern for pulitzer winning newspapers, to attending the Eddie Adams workshop, to moving to New York and sleeping on a stranger's couch, to finally finding his place in the ever growing world of professional photographers and building the body of work he is known for today. During our conversation Jacob talks about his recent project working with Acme Brooklyn on a shoot for Harpers Bazaar Vietnam, how personal work continues to drive most of his commissioned work, how he feels about the current pace of photography and how we both feel about slowing down and shooting for the meditational practice of it, and the advice he gives to others chasing their own photography dreams.   To Learn More About Jacob Pritchard Visit: https://www.jacobpritchard.com And Follow Him On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/jacobpritchard/ To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: https://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/

Artist Tim Biskup joins the podcast for a beautiful conversation about art and the life he's created around it.  You might know Tim's work from features in Juxtapoz Magazine, or from gallery shows he's done around the world, or from his own experiential gallery and book store Face Guts. But on this episode we talk about Tim's early creative inspirations from skateboarding and punk rock to cartoons and monster movies, and how that led to a disillusionment with the world of fine art and how he would set about finding himself as an artist and his own place in the business that surrounded it.  During our conversation Tim and I talk about how to find the muse and the resistance that can sometimes come in the search, we discuss our shared love of architecture and our feelings around how our spaces are an extension of our creative selves, what meditation and hiking brings to his art practice, and the advice he gives to others trying to find their own voice in the world of art.   To Learn More About Tim Biskup Visit: http://www.timbiskup.com/wop And Follow Him On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/tbiskup/ To Learn More About FaceGuts Visit: http://www.timbiskup.com/face-guts To Listen to Big Butter Visit: https://bigbutter.bandcamp.com To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: https://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/  

Friend of the show and amazing surf, lifestyle, and commercial photographer/director Todd Glaser returns to the podcast to catch up on what's been going on since we last spoke.  Make sure to check out his original full length biographical episode back on Episode #144.  During this conversation we talk about how his world of travel and surf photography was interrupted by Covid and how that encouraged him to shoot commercial projects outside his wheelhouse like Golf.  We also talk about trying to keep a beginners state of mind, how running helps us to stay motivated in other struggles in our lives and careers, some of the expectations that social media platforms have introduced into the commercial shot list, the discipline of shooting what's in front of you, and what he's looking forward to shooting as he moves forward with his career. To Learn More About Todd Glaser Visit: http://www.tglaser.com And Follow Him On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/toddglaser/ To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit:   And Follow On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/  

On this episode of the podcast I'm joined by National Geographic photographer and adventurer Jody MacDonald where we talk about a life well lived, with so much more she still wants to experience.  From her early years as a Canadian growing up in Saudi  Arabia, to her days as a river guide in Alaska, to the tragic story of losing her boyfriend in a paragliding accident and being reminded of her own impermanence, to sailing around the world twice, to hopping trains in the Sahara Desert, we cover some of the many amazing adventures that are a recurring theme in her life.  During our conversation Jody talks about being open and present for where the adventure takes you and how that makes a more compelling photo and story in the long run, what it was like to circumnavigate the globe on a sailboat, how she fell in love with photography and how her career began to take off, the problems she sees with social media creating too much of the same, and the advice she gives to others out there wanting live out their own creative adventures.   To Learn More About Jody MacDonald Visit: https://jodymacdonaldphotography.com And Follow Her On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/jodymacdonaldphoto/ To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit https://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/

Photographer and director Justin Bettman joins the podcast to talk about how he went from a kid growing up outside the Bay Area with a passion for music and the scene surrounding it would go on to start his own clothing brand in high school, which would slowly lead him to the world of photography and the advertising business around it.  During our conversation Justin talks about his early days working in an ad agency and what he learned on all sides of the photo industry, how he came up with the idea to start shooting the personal project "Set in the Street" and how that would help him achieve recognition as well a build an aesthetic and passion for personal projects, where he draws the most creative inspiration from, how he maintains a drive for shooting personal work in the midst of so much paid work, and the advice he gives to others out there chasing their own  creative dreams.   To Learn More About Justin Bettman Visit: https://www.justinbettman.com And Follow Him on Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/justinbettman/ To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: https://www.visualrevolutionary.com And Follow On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/

Editorial and commercial photographer and host of The Photo Banter Podcast Alex Gagne joins the show to talk about growing up outside of Boston with a love of skateboarding and photography and how he chased that dream to California first before deciding to pursue an eduction in the medium at RIT and slowly start carving out a place for himself in the photo business.  During our conversation we talk about all the personal projects that he pursues and maintains and how that has helped him to never burn out on taking photos, what made him start his own podcast and what he's learned from talking to some of the legendary shooters he has had the opportunity to have on his show, what it's like dealing with the roller coaster ride that it can sometimes feel like in the professional photography business, and the advice he gives to others chasing their own dreams.   To Learn More About Alex Gagne Visit: https://www.alexgagnephoto.com And Follow Him On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/alexgagnephoto/ To Listen to the Photo Banter Podcast Visit: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-photo-banter/id1315846850?mt=2 To Learn More About Visual Revolutionary Visit: https://www.visualrevolutionary.com/#visual And Follow On Instagram At: https://www.instagram.com/visualrevolutionary/