Street Shots Photography Podcast

It's Street Shots fiftieth episode and Tom is back! It's been a busy time for STM guy Tom, what with, oh, getting MARRIED and such! So on this special episode, Antonio and Tom do some appropriate catching up and do talk about photography: Antonio's street photography class, the resurgence of film photography and, given the current state of the world, how to safely photography rallies and protests. So, enjoy this milestone moment from the Switch to Manual Guys!

Not an official episode. Just some passing thoughts as 2016 comes to a close. See you all in 2017. Let's hang in there! Tom and Antonio

This episode, Antonio is joined by Mac Solkulski of the ShutterTime with Sid and Mac podcast to discuss the current state of photography blogs. They discuss the differences between blogs and news sites and give some recommendations to the sites they subscribe to. And it wouldn't be a fub podcast without a few rants thrown into the mix. Join these two as they try to guide you to some of the better photo news sites on the Internet. Oh, there's mention of a new kitten too.

In this episode, Antonio follows up with two more interviews from the Photo Expo that happened in late October in NYC. Also, he shares a deeply personal message about a major life event. 

On this special episode, join Antonio as he walks the floor of the Photo Plus East expo at the Javits Center in NYC. Photo Plus is one of the largest photo shows in the country. Attending the show are all sorts of photography equipment vendors and a panoply of other gear and accessories. This is part one of a special two episode series where we bring you a couple of interviews with some vendors (Lensbaby and Lensflipper) showing off some of their neat stuff and a special sit-down chat with Steve Stanger, friend of STM and Antonio and also a great photographer.

Antonio decides to share his street photography "rules of thumb" on this episode of Street Shots.  While not hard and fast rules, per se, these guidelines were compiled from Antonio's extensive experience of finding great photos on the street. From "knowing your gear" to learning that "perfect is the enemy of good," he goes through some of the principles that guide his street shooting on a daily basis. 

Since Tom’s away on a well deserved vacation, Antonio is joined this episode by one of the great hosts of that fabulous photography podcast, “ShutterTime with Sid & Mac,” Mac Sokulski (long considered as one of the STM guys’ Canadian cousins). Prompted by a slightly heated Twitter discussion, Antonio and Mac ponder the the question whether or not switching to manual is actually a good idea for beginning photographers. Does one really need to learn how to use the manual settings on a camera to be a better photographer, or is doing so just a needless complexity. Tune in for this STM existential conversation and find out if you really do need to switch to manual.

On this 44th episode, the STM guys take on the discussion of mirrorless cameras. Because of a hand injury, Tom has been considering a mirrorless camera as a secondary body because of their light weight and ease of use. He asks Antonio of his experiences with Fuji mirrorless cameras and what he recommends as a starter camera. Their discussion covers just what a mirrorless camera is in the first place, what are the advantages and disadvantages, which manufacturer makes them and can they really replace the larger DSLRs? At some point the boys disagree (rather animatedly) about the merits and drawbacks of the smaller APS-C sensors that exist in most mirrorless cameras. This is a full-on gear geek episode along with a couple of thought provoking photographer quotes at the end.

Is photography a skill or talent? Antonio is on his own today exploring the question of whether or not photography is a technical skill that can be learned by anyone or a talent that's innate or perhaps some combination of both. Does training make one a talented photographer or does talent come naturally to this highly technical branch of the arts? The question is not an easy one to answer and Antonio has certainly only scratched the surface of what could be a very controversial subject.

Many mickles make a muckle. What the heck does that mean? Well, it's an archaic phrase meaning many small things add up to one big thing. In this episode of Street Shots, the Switch to Manual guys discuss all the small things photographer Steve McCurry has done lately to put himself in one big mess. Is he a photojournalist or a "visual storyteller?" Does it really matter, with all that's going on in the world, that McCurry has been "caught" altering his images using Photoshop? Who's it harming? Is he a phoney? Well, the STM guys raise some of these questions in the hope that we can all learn something about what it means to be a photographer in these days of chasing "likes" and the siren song of image manipulation software.  It's new for Antonio and Tom to discuss breaking news in the photo world, but they thought they throw their hats into the McCurry debate, not necessarily to judge or criticize (though there might be just a tad bit of that in the mix) but to discuss what it means to be true to yourself, and the rest of the world, about the images you create and the kind of photographer you want to be. Links mentioned in the show: First PetaPixel article about Steve McCurry Second PetaPixel Article Steve McCurry statement to Time Magazine Allen Murabayashi opinion Chitchat Across the Pond Let's Talk Photography ShutterTime with Sid and Mac