

F-Stop Collaborate and Listen
Matt Payne
This photography podcast takes you well beyond camera gear each week with weekly interviews and panel discussions with professional photographers, industry insiders, enthusiasts, and hobbyists alike. Our candid but laid-back conversations deeply explore the craft of photography and psychological drivers relating to creativity, motivation, inspiration, and workflow. We also discuss social media, photography business practices, marketing, sales, and hot topics impacting photographers from all genres, with a particular focus on landscape, nature, and wildlife photography. The show is hosted by Matt Payne, a professional full-time nature photographer and the co-founder of the internationally renowned photography competition, the Natural Landscape Photography Awards. Matt is also a mountaineer, climbing the highest 100 mountains in Colorado. Matt leverages skills he gained in pursuit of his Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology to dig deeply into the hearts and minds of his passionate guests, revealing secrets and inspiration in every episode.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 13, 2021 • 1h 25min
234: Richard Bernabe - 20 Years of Wisdom as a Professional Photographer
Welcome to episode 234 of F-Stop Collaborate and Listen!
This week on the podcast I was joined by Richard Bernabe, an international travel landscape and wildlife photographer who has been recommended about 400 times to be on the podcast and we finally made it happen!
Richard was a blast to speak with and I just love interacting with him on Twitter, where he has over 1,000,000 followers. Richard has been in the photography game full-time for twenty years and with that comes a lot of wisdom, experience, and hindsight which he shares with us on today's show.
On the podcast this week, we discuss:
A day in the life of an international travel photographer,
The pros and cons of Richard's on-the-move lifestyle,
What Richard has learned in his 20 years of professional photography,
What Richard attributes his successes to,
How Richard was able to amass his following,
Whether or not Richard has had to sacrifice his personal values to survive as a professional photographer,
The pros and cons of NFTs,
And a lot more!
Here's who Richard recommended for the podcast this week:
Randy Johnson
Kevin Pepper
Other items mentioned on the show:
1. Support the show on Patreon.
2. This Way Photography Workshops and Tours.
3. Jon Norris Joshua Tree Workshops.
I love hearing from the podcast listeners! Reach out to me via Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter if you'd like to be on the podcast or if you have an idea of a topic we can talk about. We also have an Instagram page, a Facebook Page, and a Facebook Group - so don't be shy!
We also have a searchable transcript of every episode!
Thanks for stopping in, collaborating with us, and listening. See you next week.

Oct 6, 2021 • 1h 21min
233: Jess Findlay - Wildlife Photography, Mountaineering, and Pre-Visualization
Welcome to episode 233 of F-Stop Collaborate and Listen!
This week on the podcast I was joined by Jess Findlay, a wildlife and landscape photographer from Vancouver British Columbia.
Jess spent his childhood hiking and birdwatching with his family, throughout the Pacific Northwest through which his passion for photography was born. In 2011, Jess was awarded the International Youth Photographer of the Year award from Nature's Best Photography; prompting him to take this serious hobby to the next level. Since then, Jess has gone on to be awarded in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, among other accolades. Photography has brought him deep into the backcountry of the Pacific Northwest and beyond where he also engages in mind-boggling mountaineering adventures, which we discuss at length this week.
On today's podcast we covered a wide array of topics that you'll hopefully enjoy.
We discuss:
The linkage between challenging photography locations and our appreciation for natural photographs,
The double-edged sword of pre-visualization,
The role of curiosity in Jess' image-making,
Philosophical approaches to photo editing,
And a lot more!
Here's who Jess recommended for the podcast this week:
Peter Mather
Connor Stefanison
Gerrit Vyn
Thomas Barbin
Matthew Studebaker
Other items mentioned on the show:
1. Support the show on Patreon.

Sep 29, 2021 • 57min
232: Alfonso Calero - Cultural Fluidity & Creativity in Landscape Photography
Welcome to episode 232 of F-Stop Collaborate and Listen!
This week on the podcast I was joined by Alfonso Calero, a travel and landscape photographer born in the Philippines, living in Australia.
Alfonso and I met on the audio app Clubhouse and he has been a regular contributor to our weekly Clubhouse after-parties for the podcast. He runs his own photography tour business in Australia and is fluent in several languages. His cultural fluidity is something he is able to leverage in order to maximize the experience of his workshop clients, which is something we speak about on the show. We also cover the heavy topic of creativity extensively.
On today's podcast we covered a wide array of topics that you'll hopefully enjoy.
We discuss:
Seeing beauty in the ordinary,
Photography as a subconscious visual collection,
Creativity!
Mindful execution of workshops that meet your clients' needs,
The influence of culture on Alfonso's photography,
And a lot more!
Over on Patreon this week, we had a great conversation about leveraging visual communication as a tool for therapy, so be sure to tune in this week over there. If you're not yet supporting the show on Patreon, I'd appreciate it if you did.
Here's who Alfonso recommended for the podcast this week:
Jasin Boland
Jason Edwards
Delly Carr
Other items mentioned on the show:
1. Support the show on Patreon.
I love hearing from the podcast listeners! Reach out to me via Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter if you'd like to be on the podcast or if you have an idea of a topic we can talk about. We also have an Instagram page, a Facebook Page, and a Facebook Group - so don't be shy!
We also have a searchable transcript of every episode!
Thanks for stopping in, collaborating with us, and listening. See you next week.

Sep 22, 2021 • 1h 17min
231: Cody Schultz - Overcoming Mental Health in Landscape Photography
Welcome to episode 231 of F-Stop Collaborate and Listen!
This week on the podcast I was joined by Cody Schultz, a black and white landscape photographer living in Pennsylvania who has chosen to work in the medium of film.
Cody and I talked a lot about the impact of social media and other factors on our mental health and how we can use our work to overcome these challenges. On today's podcast we covered a wide array of topics that you'll hopefully enjoy.
We discuss:
Social media and mental health,
Knowing when it feels right to make the image,
Pursuit of what's important to us as photographers,
The medium of Black and White photography,
And a lot more!
Here's who Cody recommended for the podcast this week:
David King Rowe IV
Natalie Oberg
Kevin Holliday
Paul Hart
Olivier Du Tre
Other items mentioned on the show:
1. Reed Art & Imaging 20% off Discount - "PAYNEPDCST" - Contact Michael Baker at 303-573-8084; extension 321 or email him at michael.baker@reedphoto.com
2. Nature Photographer's Network Special Offer.
3. Guy Tal's Book, "More Than a Rock" - use code GUYTAL35 for 35% off!
4. Support the show on Patreon.

Sep 15, 2021 • 1h 8min
230: James Lane - Processing Emotion Through Landscape Photography
Welcome to episode 230 of F-Stop Collaborate and Listen!
This week on the podcast I was joined by James Lane, a landscape photographer and physics teacher living in Wakefield in the United Kingdom.
James is the kind of photographer I deeply admire - he focuses on local subjects and has a keen eye for incredibly personal and emotionally impactful intimate work that is jaw dropping. I highly encourage you to take a look at his work as we dive into the conversation so you can get a sense for what we will be discussing today.
We discuss:
Using emotion to fuel our creative process,
Themes of personal darkness and using photography to process them,
The risks and benefits to moving to new places,
James' approach to editing,
The impact of increased visitation in the United Kingdom,
The benefits of printing your work,
And a lot more!
Over on Patreon this week, James and I provide our tips and tricks to printing our work, something we are both quite into these days.
Here's who James recommended for the podcast this week:
Joe Cornish
Simon Baxter
Josh Glaister
Other items mentioned on the show:
1. Reed Art & Imaging 20% off Discount - "PAYNEPDCST" - Contact Michael Baker at 303-573-8084; extension 321 or email him at michael.baker@reedphoto.com
2. Support the show on Patreon.

Sep 8, 2021 • 1h 30min
229: Claude Fiddler - Inside the High Sierra via Large Format Film
Welcome to episode 229 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast!
This week on the podcast I was joined by Claude Fiddler.
Claude spent much of his life deeply exploring and photographing the High Sierra of California after being inspired by the likes of Galen Rowell and Ansel Adams. Most of Claude's images were created using a large format film camera in extremely remote locations in the Sierra wilderness.
We discuss:
The Single Powerful Image vs. a series of images,
Photographing experience while presenting our work as art,
Learning on large-format cameras vs. digital,
The importance of studying the work of the giants that came before us,
Claude's new book, "Inside the High Sierra."
Inside the High Sierra is Claude Fiddler’s third fine art monograph describing the mood and lighting of the High Sierra. The book includes 50 photographs from 35 years of explorations into the Range of Light. With a foreword from Tom Hornbein and essays from Michael Cohen, Laurel Fiddler, Peter Croft, and Dick Dorworth, along with Fiddler’s descriptions of the experiences of each picture, this book joins the classic works of art from the Sierra Nevada. Also, each essay is graced with a pen and ink drawing from the artist Valerie Cohen.
The book is hardbound, printed on 200gsm archival paper, and there will only be 1,000 copies Printed. 100 copies will be slip-cased in a custom built wood box milled from reclaimed Western White pine and accompanied with an 8x10-inch limited edition print. These prints will only be sold with the book.
Over on Patreon this week, Claude and I talk about the need for us to have honest conversations about our carbon impact in the age of climate crisis.
Here's who Claude recommended for the podcast this week:
Caroline VanHemert
Steve Solinsky
Jon Waterman
John Wawrzonek
Joseph Holmes
Other items mentioned on the show:
1. Matt Payne's Private 1:1 Photography Workshops.
Support the show on Patreon.
I love hearing from the podcast listeners! Reach out to me via Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter if you'd like to be on the podcast or if you have an idea of a topic we can talk about. We also have an Instagram page, a Facebook Page, and a Facebook Group - so don't be shy!
We also have a searchable transcript of every episode!
Thanks for stopping in, collaborating with us, and listening. See you next week.
As a reminder, you can also support the podcast by shopping at B+H for your photography gear using our Affiliate Link.

Sep 1, 2021 • 1h 19min
228: James Rodewald - Inspiration | Our Nemesis | Meditation
Welcome to episode 228 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast!
This week on the podcast I was joined by James Rodewald.
James is a photographer and science teacher residing in the State of New York. He started his photographic journey back in the early 1980s with a 35-mm film camera. Although his portfolio of film and digital work spans many years, one can see a few common themes emerge. One of those central themes is a long-term attempt to capture scenes of the natural world seemingly untouched by humanity: nature in its natural state.
We discuss:
Balancing art with a full-time career and parenthood
Using meditation to help channel creativity on a busy schedule
Finding ongoing inspiration in local subjects
Finding ongoing inspiration while returning to frequented locations and or familiar subjects
Your photographic nemesis -- Identifying what draws you to a subject but yet evades your ability to record or express it
Supporting conservation efforts through photography
Over on Patreon this week, James and I discuss our thoughts on overcoming burnout.
Here's who James recommended for the podcast this week:
Chris Murray
Paulo Valdivia
Eric Erleubeusch
Saikat Chakraborty
Karen Waller
Marianthi Lainas
Huibo Hou
Ami Vitale
Other items mentioned on the show:
1. Nature Photographer's Network Special Offer.
2. James Rodewald's Animal Abstracts Book.
3. Matt Payne's Private 1:1 Photography Workshops.
4. Charity Watch.
5. Charity Navigator.
Support the show on Patreon.

Aug 25, 2021 • 1h 16min
227: NFTs and Landscape Photography - A Panel Discussion
Welcome to episode 227 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast!
This week on the podcast I was joined by Brynn Schmidt, Alex Noriega, and Alex Nail to talk about the most controversial and divisive topics in the landscape and nature photography community at the present moment - NFTs.
In today's episode, you can expect to hear four adults have a very respectful and cordial conversation and debate about NFTs which has been sorely lacking from social media as of late.
You can also expect to learn quite a bit and gain some perspectives, no matter what side of the argument you find yourself, or perhaps gain a better understanding if you don't find yourself on one side at all.
We discuss:
What are NFTs and how do they and their marketplaces work?
The various positives and negatives of NFTs,
The newly formed community of NFT photographers on Twitter,
The carbon and environmental impacts of NFTs and how we can openly discuss those,
Why certain NFTs are selling and others are not,
And a lot more!
Thank you to Brynn, Alex, and Alex for joining for the vulnerable but important conversation!
Please check out Brynn, Alex, and Alex's work below!
Other items mentioned on the show:
1. Clubhouse Club for the Podcast.
Support the show on Patreon.
I love hearing from the podcast listeners! Reach out to me via Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter if you'd like to be on the podcast or if you have an idea of a topic we can talk about. Join the discussion over on Nature Photographer's Network! We have weekly discussions about each episode of the podcast. It's also free! We also have an Instagram page and a Facebook page for updates.
We also have a searchable transcript of every episode!
Thanks for stopping in, collaborating with us, and listening. See you next week.

Aug 18, 2021 • 1h 23min
226: Jordan Inglee - Flow States | Workflows | Nature vs. Money
Welcome to episode 226 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast!
This week on the podcast I was joined by Jordan Inglee, a landscape photographer living in Portland, Oregon who has an extensive background in video production and live event production. I was fortunate to meet Jordan at last year's Out of Chicago Live conference and have been enjoying bantering with him on Twitter. Jordan and I discuss a variety of topics this week, including:
Venue and concert video production,
Shifting to photography as an income,
Struggles with making money and conserving nature,
Flow states,
Digital workflows,
And a lot more.
There is no bonus episode on Patreon this week because I wanted to keep all of our conversation in one episode - so basically everyone gets a free Patreon bonus episode this week!
Here's who Jordan recommended for the podcast this week:
Paul Grossman
Francois Casanova
Ben Strauss
Jen Grand
Gabe Rodriquez
Other items mentioned on the show:
1. Natural Landscape Photography Awards - Use the code PAYNE15 for 15% off
2. Clubhouse Club for the Podcast
Support the show on Patreon.
I love hearing from the podcast listeners! Reach out to me via Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter if you'd like to be on the podcast or if you have an idea of a topic we can talk about. Join the discussion over on Nature Photographer's Network! We have weekly discussions about each episode of the podcast. It's also free! We also have an Instagram page and a Facebook page for updates.
We also have a searchable transcript of every episode!
Thanks for stopping in, collaborating with us, and listening. See you next week.
As a reminder, you can also support the podcast by shopping at B+H for your photography gear using our Affiliate Link.

Aug 11, 2021 • 1h 15min
225: Scott Wilson - A Photographer's Battle with Colon Cancer
Welcome to episode 225 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast!
This week on the podcast I was joined by Scott Wilson, a landscape, wildlife, cityscape, and portrait photographer who recently has overcome a stage 4 Colon Cancer diagnosis. Scott leveraged his love for photography to overcome his diagnosis and has leveraged his recovery as a catalyst to take his artwork to new levels. On today's show, you will be inspired by Scott's story and his attitude on photography.
Scott and I discuss a variety of topics this week, including:
Scott's varied interests in different genres in photography and how they inform each other.
Scott's battle with Colon Cancer and the role photography played in his recovery.
How to use photography to advocate for various causes you are passionate about.
Photographing wild mustangs.
Opening a gallery during COVID and his approach to running the business.
And a lot more.
Over on Patreon this week, Scott and I discuss our shared passion for Seascapes and the sense of camaraderie you can have when photographing with friends.
Here's who Scott recommended for the podcast this week:
Lee Jeffries.
Dawn Wilson.
Mark Littlejohn.
Other items mentioned on the show:
1. Scott's book, "Through the Window."
2. Nature Photographer's Network Special Offer.
Support the show on Patreon.
I love hearing from the podcast listeners! Reach out to me via Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter if you'd like to be on the podcast or if you have an idea of a topic we can talk about. Join the discussion over on Nature Photographer's Network! We have weekly discussions about each episode of the podcast. It's also free! We also have an Instagram page and a Facebook page for updates.
We also have a searchable transcript of every episode!
Thanks for stopping in, collaborating with us, and listening. See you next week.


