F-Stop Collaborate and Listen

Welcome to Episode 138 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features a former photographer turned SEO and Marketing expert, Maria Grace.  Maria and I had a wonderful conversation and explored several interesting topics this week, including: Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Keyword research. Image re-sizing and re-naming. Google Analytics. Blogging and SEO. Guest bloggers. SEO services. SEO tools, such as Moz, and Maria's free guide to Google. and a lot more... Over on Patreon this week, Maria gives us tons of tips on how to succeed over on Instagram. There's lots of useful nuggets there! For the full liner notes, head over to my website.

Welcome to Episode 137 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features a landscape photographer from the United Kingdom, Paul Reiffer. Paul uses Phase One digital backs as his camera of choice and produces some absolutely stunning work. I was first drawn to Paul through a blog post he wrote this summer entitled "Photographers, Instagrammers - Stop Being So Damn Selfish and Disrespectful." Paul and I had a wonderful conversation and explored several interesting topics this week, including: Why and how Paul got into photographing with Phase One medium format cameras. Paul's journey into photography from the corporate world. His article on how photographers are trashing locations; Nature First Photography. Social comparison theory. Why Paul takes photos and his take on compositing. Paul's take on iconic locations. and a lot more... Over on Patreon this week, Paul explains why he uses Capture One as his RAW editor of choice.  Please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon! There's a ton of bonus content over there for subscribers!  For the full liner notes - head on over to my blog. 

Welcome to Episode 136 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features a photographer who created a niche product designed for winter photographers - the founder and owner of Vallerret Photography Gloves, Carl van den Boom. Carl and I had a wonderful conversation and explored several interesting topics this week, including: What Carl loves about winter photography. Starting a photography business, including: How to start Picking a niche Standing out Finding clients Challenges Over on Patreon this week, Carl answers the question - "should you start a photography business?" For the full liner notes with links to so many awesome things - check out this link.

Welcome to Episode 135 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features a photographer who has been travelling North American in a teardrop trailer for the past 3.5 years - Mandy Lea.  Mandy and I had a wonderful conversation and explored several interesting topics this week, including: How Mandy started on her journey to travel the continent in her teardrop trailer. Her epic trip from the northern-most point of Alaska to the southern-most point of Mexico. What life is really like on the road. How social media has glamorized the travel lifestyle. Her quest to climb 14 Colorado 14ers in 14 days. Her YouTube channel. and a lot more. Over on Patreon this week, Mandy talks all about how her strategy for monetization of her travel photography lifestyle. For the full liner notes, head on over to my blog.

Welcome to Episode 134 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features a nature and landscape photographer from Mariposa, California near Yosemite National Park - Michael Frye! Michael is the author and/or principal photographer of five books, including Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Great Masters; The Photographer’s Guide to Yosemite; and three books in the Yosemite Meditations series. He's also written three e-books, including Exposure for Outdoor Photography, and Landscapes in Lightroom 5: The Essential Step-by-Step Guide. Michael and I had a wonderful conversation and explored several interesting topics this week, including: His early career as a photographer. Photographers that influenced his work and whether or not having photographers that influence our work is beneficial or not. The pros and cons of photographing the same places over and over again. Things that get in the way of creativity and how to avoid them. Creating depth in your landscape photography. and a lot more. Over on Patreon this week, Michael and I talk all about his use of Lightroom as his primary editing platform and how he processes images for feeling. Be sure to join in on the conversation about each podcast episode over on Nature Photographer's Network. Not only is NPN the best place to get critiques on your landscape and nature photography, it is also home to some of most informative, thought-provoking, and inspiring articles on landscape photography I've found. I highly recommend you become a member today.  Women photographers - I want to tell you about another one of our Patreon supporters, Dani Lefrancois, the amazing photographer behind Banff Photo Workshops & Tours in the beautiful Canadian Rockies. Dani is hosting a Women's Winter Adventure workshop in January that I think sounds like a lot of fun. This Women's Adventure is a 5-day, 5-night workshop based primarily in Banff National Park. Sounds amazing to me. To learn more about it - head to www.banffphotoworkshops.com/women-series  Please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon! There's a ton of bonus content over there for subscribers!  Also, check out the full liner notes!

Welcome to Episode 133 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features a nature and landscape photographer from Western Australia - Dylan Fox. Dylan is the 2018 Australian Geographic Landscape Photographer of the Year. Dylan and I explored several interesting topics this week, including: How he got into photography. Gathering inspiration from other art forms. Doing what you want vs. seeking approval from others. How to get inspired by other photographers without copying them. How to respond to unsolicited critique. His motivation as a photographer. and a lot more. Over on Patreon this week, Dylan and I talk for an extra 30+ minutes about how to get started in drone photography, using tripods (or not), New Zealand, and a lot more! Be sure to join in on the conversation about each podcast episode over on Nature Photographer's Network. Not only is NPN the best place to get critiques on your landscape and nature photography, it is also home to some of most informative, thought-provoking, and inspiring articles on landscape photography I've found. I highly recommend you become a member today.  One last announcement - I really need your help picking the winner of our inaugural Landscape Conservation Award. We are still accepting nominations until December 31. If you're interested in helping, please send me a note! Please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon! There's a ton of bonus content over there for subscribers! Here are the photographers that Dylan recommended for the podcast: 1. Ricardo Da Cunha.  2. Tania Malkin. For the full liner notes and to see Dylan's work - see this link.

Welcome to Episode 132 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features a nature and landscape photographer living in Seattle, Washington - Mahesh Thapa. Mahesh is a Pediatric Radiologist and is known as "The Starving Photographer." He is a Sony Alpha Ambassador and has been an active photographer for over 20 years.  Mahesh and I explored several interesting topics this week, including: How he got into photography. The overlap and parallels between landscape photography and radiology. Managing a busy schedule as a father, photographer, and physician. What motivates him as a photographer. His relationship with Sony and other brands. and... Instagram! On the podcast introduction, I told you about one of our patrons, Gary Randall.  You might remember Gary from episode 37 and from episode 63 - he is a fantastic photographer and human being. Here on the podcast we are all about supporting each other as photographers through collaboration. Gary has been a huge supporter of the podcast for a long time and I encourage you to support him. He actually just announced his 2020 Kenai Peninsula Alaska Photography Tour - which will be August 9th through the 15th. I can promise if you go with Gary you will have an amazing time.  Please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon! There's a ton of bonus content over there for subscribers. For the full liner notes, head on over to my blog.

Welcome to Episode 131 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. For the full liner notes, visit my website. This week's episode features a nature photographer and educator living in the State of Vermont - Brenda Petrella. Brenda is the owner of Outdoor Photography School and is a passionate advocate for the Nature First Photography movement. Equipped with a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Brenda's goal is to get more women out doing nature and landscape photography. She runs a YouTube channel where she inspires others to love the natural world through photography. Brenda and I explored several interesting topics this week, including: Her journey as a scientist and making the transition into full-time photography. Why she thinks its important for photographers to unite to protect the subjects we photograph. Her use of the Microsoft Educator Program to create the Human Geography Project. What its like for her to be in Nature. How we can shift our mindset in our culture of consumerism. How to get the next generation excited about photography, and I share a crazy camping story! On Patreon this week: Brenda and I talk about her approach of non-iconic nature photography - why she chooses, her process, Guy Tal's article on Mindfulness as a photographer, and "forest bathing." Be sure to join in on the conversation about each podcast episode over on Nature Photographer's Network. Not only is NPN the best place to get critiques on your landscape and nature photography, it is also home to some of most informative, thought-provoking, and inspiring articles on landscape photography I've found. I highly recommend you become a member today.  Also, I wanted to announce the winner of our recent photography contest over on Patreon. The theme was "changing seasons" - we had two submissions this time - from Jarrod Hills and Michael Ryno. In the end I had to pick Michael's photograph of changing fall color here in Colorado. The vibrant colors and excellent composition won me over. Thanks Michael and Jarrod for your submissions! I also wanted to tell you about one of the podcast's patrons - Anton Averin. He created an amazing luminosity masking panel called Arc Panel.  You can try it for free at https://arcpanel.averin.photo I also have some free copies to give away to listeners! To get one, share a post about the podcast on your social media account and send me a note! One last announcement - I really need your help picking the winner of our inaugural Landscape Conservation Award. We are still accepting nominations until December 31. If you're interested in helping, please send me a note! Please consider supporting the podcast on Patreon! There's a ton of bonus content over there for subscribers!  Here are the photographers that Brenda recommended for the podcast: 1. Melissa Groo  2. Ashleigh Scully 3. Cristina Mittermeier - Enoughness 4. Amy Gulick I'm really excited to announce that we have finally reached our $1,000 / mo goal on Patreon and we have officially launched our Landscape Conservation Award.  The “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen” podcast Landscape Conservation Award will recognize an individual photographer who is highly involved in conservation issues within their local communities or within the landscape and nature photography community. This can be through their writing, speaking, photography projects, or community organizing efforts. Additionally, this award seeks to recognize an individual that is actively practicing the Nature First Principles. In partnership with our Patreon supporters, the “F-Stop Collaborate and Listen” podcast presents the prestigious honor, which currently consists of at least $1,570.  So far we have been able to get support from the following awesome companies: 1. Shimoda Designs: Ian and his amazing team at Shimoda have sent me the next generation of their camera backpack, the Action X series. I took it on my recent 11-day fall color photography trip and used it on a 16-mile backpacking overnight and did a review which you can check out in the liner notes. Let's just say I was super impressed with it! Shimoda is donating to the winner of the Landscape Conservation Award a camera bag of their choice, a core unit, and a roller and accessory case - a $779 value! 2. Viewbug: Viewbug is a popular photo sharing and contest website. Members of Viewbug can submit their photographs to specialized contests and win amazing prizes. There are a lot more benefits of membership as well, so check it out. Viewbug is donating a viewbug PRO+ membership to the winner of the award. This is a $179 value. 3. Reed Art & Imaging: Reed is a fine art print lab located in Denver, Colorado. They are my print lab of choice for my high-end acrylic prints. Reed is donating to the winner a $500 credit towards the purchase of a Acrylic Print. 4. Tamron: Tamron is donating to the winner of the Landscape Conservation Award a 45mm f/1.8 Di VC lens- a $599 value! 5. QT Luong: QT Luong is donating a limited edition copy of his award winning photo book, "Treasured Lands."  Treasured Lands is a book about all the 61 U.S. national parks with location/photography notes for each of photograph. This limited edition version is valued at $245. As a reminder, you can also support the podcast by shopping at B+H for your photography gear using our Affiliate Link. 

Welcome to Episode 130 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week's episode features the founder of one of the world's most premiere photo education websites, Aaron Nace. Aaron's chops in digital darkroom are pretty incredible and his body of work speaks for itself. Aaron's website, Phlearn.com, is a one-stop-shop for all of your Photoshop and Lightroom education needs. Aaron and his team partner with some of the world's best photographers and educators to bring you incredible tutorials that are easy to follow and full of great information. I would be remiss not to mention that listeners can use the code "fstop20" to get 20% off a subscription to Phlearn.    Aaron and I explored several interesting topics this week, including: His journey as a photographer and business owner. What can you expect from Phlearn. The future of photography education. Strategies for YouTube. ...lots more! On Patreon this week:  Aaron and I talk about how you can differentiate yourself from the crowd as a photographer.  Head over to my blog at www.mattpaynephotography.com to read the full liner notes and get links to the photographers Aaron discussed.  Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Episode 129 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast.  This week's episode features a photographer who has taken his passion for landscape photography and built a commercial photography business out of it. Dan Hawk is a Portland, Oregon photographer and former full-time bank employee who decided to use his knowledge he gained in the business world to create a niche commercial photography business for himself. Dan and I covered a lot of fun ground this week, including: His journey as a landscape photographer. How Dan created his commercial photography business after starting as a landscape photographer. Dan's involvement in a camera strap company called Luma Labs.  How to value our work as photographers. ...lots more! On Patreon this week: Dan and I discuss the challenges between the need for creativity and business acumen and how sometimes its hard to separate the two. A memorable quote from Dan, "Selling and creating are not the same thing..." By the way, I'm really excited to announce that I have officially joined as an instructor at the esteemed Landscape Photography Conference, Out of Chicago. I'll be joining them for three conferences this year - Out of Moab, Out of Acadia, and Out of Yosemite. Out of Yosemite will be February 5-9, 2020. I will be teaching, recording podcasts, and hosting panel discussions with some of our favorite photographers and past guests, including Alex Noriega, Coleen Miniuk, Charlotte Gibb, Jack Curran, Michael Frye, and more. I hope to see you there! If you're interested in attending, follow the link in the liner notes and use the code "fstop250" for $250 off your registration. Here are the photographers that Dan recommended for the podcast: 1. Hudson Henry. 2. Steve Yocom. 3. Alexa Hope.