Prime Lenses

Hollis Monk Thayer and Stephen K. Schuster are two friends who host the Emulsions Podcast about film photography. They agreed to come onto the podcast to talk about what it’s like making a podcast, whether they benefit from having a co-host and the kinds of images they like to make. It was a good conversation, I hope you like it too :)More about this show:A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Andy Dunn is a UK based filmmaker whose work I discovered via a film he made about Harold Feinstein called Last Stop Coney Island. This brilliant documentary introduced me to the world of an artist I knew nothing about and I loved it. Andy was kind enough to take some time out of a Friday night to come and chat cameras, Harold and making stuff.  More about this show:A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Becca Farsace is an Emmy award winning Photographer, videographer and life long learner. I’ve enjoyed her videos for years and  have been lucky to chat with her on and off about cameras but when starting to plan for this show I knew she was one of the people I’d want to speak to. She recently went independent, able for the first time to make whatever she wants on her own terms. You can find her on YouTube now where she’s taking tech outdoors and her approach is clearly resonating because she’s attracted over 100,000 subscribers already.More about this show:A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Kaj O’Connell is a wonderful photographer whose work I discovered through the One Month 2 cameras YouTube channel. His work made initially using old point and shoot digicams was inspiring, he’s doing more than just shooting with them for the vibes. He champions ways of making work, printing it and living with it that I really admire, shoots film like a pro and I was so excited when he agreed to come on the show. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Kaj.More about this show:A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Rick DeMint is the man behind Portroids, a photo project where he snaps celebrities and asks them to sign the picture which is then posted to his website. It’s a great project 21 years and over 6000 images later is still going strong. The combination of long running consistency and Polaroid cameras of many types made him an ideal guest, I loved speaking to him and in particular enjoyed his final lens choice, but you’ll have to stick around for that! More about this show:A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Jannik Boysen is a game developer and photographer who created the charming Shutter Stroll for PC. I discovered the game in 2020 but the release of the game on Steam seemed like a great time to speak to Jannik about the game and their journey with photography.More about this show:A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

More about this show:A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

This week I spoke with Stefan Daniel of Leica Camera. He’s ultimately responsible for all camera development at Leica and we spoke on the eve of the M11-D announcement about travel cameras, the Scottish Highlands and the importance of creation and creativity more than specs and technical stats. More about this show:A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Victor Henning is the founder of Fjorden, an iOS app that pairs with a grip to give your iPhone the physical controls that make a real camera so great. His company was recently acquired by Leica and their first joint Product, Leica LUX is out now and blew me away when I tried it. At launch I reached out to Victor immediately and he was gracious enough to give me an hour, between meetings ;)More about this show:A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

This week I speak with John Piercy Holroyd & Daniel Hopkinson, authors of A Time A Place, a photography and architecture project that became a book. This first volume has been a real labour of love for the pair and it was a treat to sit down with my first panel of guests. Dan also has some excellent gear and lens choices for those of us who love just a little bit of gear chatter.More about this show:A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.