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PhotoActive

Latest episodes

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Apr 14, 2023 • 33min

Episode 139: The Rant Episode

It’s time to rant. Are photographers spending too much energy in front of the computer instead of behind the camera? Does posting a photo to a public forum make it an invitation for criticism? And is there actually a good street photo of a woman looking at her cell phone amid all the copycats out there? This isn’t just curmudgeonly banter—we dig into some photographic issues that have been gnawing at us. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images at PhotoActive.co) Rate and Review the PhotoActive Podcast! The Ex-It Plan, PiXimperfect video Joel Meyerowitz - Shoes in the Street (we can't link to an individual photo on his site, but here's the street photography page) Our Snapshots: Jeff: Lightroom’s Content-Aware Healing Tool and The Ex-it Plan with AI and Photoshop, PiXimperfect Kirk: Ember Mug Subscribe to the PhotoActive podcast newsletter at the bottom of any page at the PhotoActive web site to be notified of new episodes and be eligible for occasional giveaways. If you’ve already subscribed, you’re automatically entered. If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes/Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast. And don't forget to join the PhotoActive Facebook group to discuss the podcast, share your photos, and more. Disclosure: Sometimes we use affiliate links for products, in which we receive small commissions to help support PhotoActive.
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Mar 31, 2023 • 33min

Episode 138: DPReview and AI Photography

We had an entirely different topic planned for this episode and then learned just before recording that the website DPReview is being shut down after 25 years of covering digital photography and being the best resource for camera reviews. At about the same time, Adobe announced Firefly, its generative AI tool for making photos and artwork by typing text prompts. What does it all mean for photographers? Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images at PhotoActive.co) Rate and Review the PhotoActive Podcast! PetaPixel TV Samsung’s Moon photos are fake — but so is a lot of mobile photography Jeff's Photo AI Newsletter Our Snapshots: Jeff: Adobe Firefly Kirk: To Photograph Is to Learn How to Die, Tim Carpenter Subscribe to the PhotoActive podcast newsletter at the bottom of any page at the PhotoActive web site to be notified of new episodes and be eligible for occasional giveaways. If you’ve already subscribed, you’re automatically entered. If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes/Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast. And don't forget to join the PhotoActive Facebook group to discuss the podcast, share your photos, and more. Disclosure: Sometimes we use affiliate links for products, in which we receive small commissions to help support PhotoActive.
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Mar 17, 2023 • 34min

Episode 137: Zoom Lenses with Chris Niccolls

Chris Niccolls joins us this episode to talk about zoom lenses! Chris gets to shoot using most new cameras and lenses for DPReview TV, so we wanted to tap into his extensive hands-on experience with zooms. Do they require too many compromises? Why are some so expensive? And can we put to rest the idea that real photographers only shoot with prime lenses? Guest: Chris Niccolls, Instagram Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass, Jeff on Mastodon Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass, Kirk on Mastodon Show Notes: (View show notes with images at PhotoActive.co) Rate and Review the PhotoActive Podcast! DPReview TV Episode 68: Revisiting Geotagging with HoudahGeo 6.0 Episode 40: Location Exploration with HoudahGeo Our Snapshots: Jeff: Photos Workbench Kirk: William Eggleston: Mystery of the Ordinary Subscribe to the PhotoActive podcast newsletter at the bottom of any page at the PhotoActive web site to be notified of new episodes and be eligible for occasional giveaways. If you’ve already subscribed, you’re automatically entered. If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes/Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast. And don't forget to join the PhotoActive Facebook group to discuss the podcast, share your photos, and more. Disclosure: Sometimes we use affiliate links for products, in which we receive small commissions to help support PhotoActive.
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Mar 4, 2023 • 36min

Episode 136: Photo Preconceptions

Do you use a particular lens or photographic technique because someone said that was the only way to do it? In this episode, we break down some common photo preconceptions. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images at PhotoActive.co) Rate and Review the PhotoActive Podcast! Joel Meyerowitz Retrospective at Kunst Haus Wien The Beauty of f/4 Lenses Our Snapshots: Jeff: When an iPhone Camera Is Better than Full Frame Kirk: Photo No-Nos: Meditations on What Not to Photograph Subscribe to the PhotoActive podcast newsletter at the bottom of any page at the PhotoActive web site to be notified of new episodes and be eligible for occasional giveaways. If you’ve already subscribed, you’re automatically entered. If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes/Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast. And don't forget to join the PhotoActive Facebook group to discuss the podcast, share your photos, and more. Disclosure: Sometimes we use affiliate links for products, in which we receive small commissions to help support PhotoActive.
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Feb 17, 2023 • 30min

Episode 135: Metadata

Dive into the world of metadata in photography - from security risks to efficient organization. Learn about AI-assisted object recognition and keyword generation tools. Explore a Kickstarter project on typewriters and the cinematic technique of the dolly zoom. Find out how metadata revealed John McAfee's location and the importance of proper photo management.
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Feb 3, 2023 • 33min

Episode 134: Mike Hipple Lived Through That

We’re excited to welcome photographer Mike Hipple to talk about his latest book “Lived Through That: 90s Musicians Today.” What started as an artistic distraction to photograph creative people spawned a book of iconic 1980s musicians, “80s Redux!,” which he followed up with this book of notable music makers of the next decade. We talk about working on such a large project, dealing with unexpected adversity, and improvising on the fly. Guest: Mike Hipple: Instagram, website Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass, Jeff on Mastodon Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass, Kirk on Mastodon Show Notes: (View show notes with images at PhotoActive.co) Rate and Review the PhotoActive Podcast! Book: Lived Through That: 90s Musicians Today Book: 80s Redux! Lived Through That podcast Nu Shooz, “I Can’t Wait” video Chris Buck Episode 113: Do Photographers Need the Mac Studio? Our Snapshots: Jeff: Ice Cubes app Kirk: Mac mini M2 2023 Subscribe to the PhotoActive podcast newsletter at the bottom of any page at the PhotoActive web site to be notified of new episodes and be eligible for occasional giveaways. If you’ve already subscribed, you’re automatically entered. If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes/Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast. And don't forget to join the PhotoActive Facebook group to discuss the podcast, share your photos, and more. Disclosure: Sometimes we use affiliate links for products, in which we receive small commissions to help support PhotoActive.
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Jan 20, 2023 • 33min

Episode 133: New Year, New Goals

What will your photography look like in the new year? Although Kirk and Jeff are wary of making any New Year’s resolutions, they each came up with photographic goals to chase that involve learning new skills and pushing out of their comfort zones. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images at PhotoActive.co) Rate and Review the PhotoActive Podcast! The Real Deal: Field Notes from the Life of a Working Photographer, by Joe McNally Episode 109: Joe McNally Is The Real Deal Episode 103: Posing People with Lindsay Adler The Photographer’s Guide to Posing, by Lindsay Adler Episode 80: Street Photography with Valérie Jardin Our Snapshots: Jeff: Anker 622 Magnetic Battery (MagGo) Kirk: Alice in the Cities Subscribe to the PhotoActive podcast newsletter at the bottom of any page at the PhotoActive web site to be notified of new episodes and be eligible for occasional giveaways. If you’ve already subscribed, you’re automatically entered. If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes/Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast. And don't forget to join the PhotoActive Facebook group to discuss the podcast, share your photos, and more. Disclosure: Sometimes we use affiliate links for products, in which we receive small commissions to help support PhotoActive.
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Dec 23, 2022 • 38min

Episode 132: The Best Focal Length

Perhaps you’ve heard that there’s an ideal focal length that is the closest approximation to the human eye. Or perhaps you’re a purist who can’t imagine shooting anything but a 50mm prime. In this episode, Jeff and Kirk dig into these preconceptions and talk about how focal length affects your photography. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images at PhotoActive.co) Rate and Review the PhotoActive Podcast! Episode 58: The Rule of Turds Fujifilm X100V Bob Kolbrener Episode 121: Jeff’s European Photo Adventures Episode 118: Scott Kelby’s Travel Tips Eve Energy How to Use Thread HomeKit Devices with Apple TV and HomePod mini Our Snapshots: Jeff: Kasa Smart Plug Mini 15A, Apple HomeKit Supported Kirk: Wim Wenders | A Curzon Collection Subscribe to the PhotoActive podcast newsletter at the bottom of any page at the PhotoActive web site to be notified of new episodes and be eligible for occasional giveaways. If you’ve already subscribed, you’re automatically entered. If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes/Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast. And don't forget to join the PhotoActive Facebook group to discuss the podcast, share your photos, and more. Disclosure: Sometimes we use affiliate links for products, in which we receive small commissions to help support PhotoActive.
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Dec 9, 2022 • 33min

Episode 131: Buying a New Camera

October and November bring a deluge of new camera announcements, which gets our minds to thinking, “Do we need new cameras?” But buying a camera today is different than it was just a few years ago, with factors such as AI-based autofocus systems and much higher megapixel sensors that affect everything from memory cards to computer storage. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images at PhotoActive.co) Rate and Review the PhotoActive Podcast! Catch up on DPReview TV's wild week Episode #111: The Glass App(roach) to Photography Episode #16: Buying and Selling Camera Gear Our Snapshots: Jeff: VSGO V-B011E Camera Cleaning Blower Kirk: Extremities Insulated Waterproof Sticky Powerliner Glove Subscribe to the PhotoActive podcast newsletter at the bottom of any page at the PhotoActive web site to be notified of new episodes and be eligible for occasional giveaways. If you’ve already subscribed, you’re automatically entered. If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes/Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast. And don't forget to join the PhotoActive Facebook group to discuss the podcast, share your photos, and more. Disclosure: Sometimes we use affiliate links for products, in which we receive small commissions to help support PhotoActive.
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Nov 25, 2022 • 34min

Episode 130: Apple Photos Little-Known Features

In this episode, we’re focusing our attention on features in the Photos apps for Mac and iOS/iPadOS. Did you know you can select text in images, select and copy subjects with a single touch, identify plants and animals, and identify duplicates in your library? We show you how. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images at PhotoActive.co) Rate and Review the PhotoActive Podcast! Highlight - Book Diary app Episode 70: One-Light Portraits with Sandra Coan Beyond Natural Light, Sandra Coan’s Facebook Group The Bear Our Snapshots: Jeff: Utility Wagon Kirk: Boiling Point Subscribe to the PhotoActive podcast newsletter at the bottom of any page at the PhotoActive web site to be notified of new episodes and be eligible for occasional giveaways. If you’ve already subscribed, you’re automatically entered. If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes/Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app, and please rate the podcast. And don't forget to join the PhotoActive Facebook group to discuss the podcast, share your photos, and more. Disclosure: Sometimes we use affiliate links for products, in which we receive small commissions to help support PhotoActive.

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