B&H Photography Podcast

On today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast we welcome two members of the New York chapter of the American Society of Media Photographs, otherwise known as the ASMP-NY and we discuss their evolving role as a trade organization for photographers, as well as a recent photography exhibition they sponsored. Our guests are Liam Alexander, President of the New York chapter of ASMP, and Harper Bella, ASMP-NY board member and co-curator of the exhibition "Uncovering the Laws of Perseverance". From Alexander, we learn a bit about the history, structure, and benefits of the organization and discuss his initial reasons for joining. We also talk about the group's mentorship programs, photo law counsel, and recent initiatives to include a new generation of artists, whether that means reaching out to photographers from underrepresented communities or opening the organization's membership criteria to include "new media" makers, who don't necessarily operate within traditional media outlets. In the second half of the show, we speak with Harper Bella about the impressive show she co-curated and how it was born from the anger and up-rise sparked by the George Floyd murder and then nurtured through difficult yet fruitful conversations with other ASMP-NY board members. We also learn about her curatorial process, the disparate photographers involved, and the varied artistic responses to the idea of protest, including healing as a form of resistance. Join us for this interesting conversation and learn how this photography trade organization, founded in 1944, is listening to its community and adapting to the new media and cultural landscape. Guests: Liam Alexander and Harper Bella Photograph © Harper Bella https://www.asmp.org/newyork/ https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

It's worth the time to see the work of photographer Mandy Barker before listening to this episode. Take a glance at the B&H Photography Podcast homepage or Barker's website to get a sense of the simple but imaginative images she creates; it will certainly enrich the experience of hearing her speak about photographing plastic garbage, which is what she has found to be her calling. Of course, we're being a bit facetious with that comment, but as we discover from our conversation with Barker, it really is the issue of marine plastic—the plastic waste that litters our oceans and beaches—that brought her to photography and continues to push her to create captivating images with the intention of bringing awareness to this increasingly severe problem. The colorful and almost playful images she creates with marine plastic belie the tremendous damage this refuse is doing to ecosystems around the world, and in some cases, in the most remote of islands and coastal lands. And it is this ability to create likeable images that draws people to her work, as seen in National Geographic, The Guardian, and VOGUE, and in her books, including 2019's "Altered Ocean." With Barker we speak about her transition from graphic design to photography, about sketchbooks and process, and about the relatively basic Canon gear she uses. We also learn about the value of working with scientists on intense overseas expeditions and the incredible stories of lost or discarded items that have traveled across the globe. Join us for this fascinating conversation. Guest: Mandy Barker Photograph © Mandy Barker

This weekend's football game is bigger and better than most games―you might even say that it's a super game. It certainly is one of the most photographed sporting events of the year, and with that in mind, the B&H Photography Podcast welcomes two photographers who know their way around the sidelines. Our guests are football photographers Al Bello and Callena Williams. Al Bello is a veteran sports and news photographer who has covered countless football games, including previous big bowl games; he is the former Chief Sports Photographer for North America at Getty Images; and his current title is Special Sports Correspondent at Getty. There's not much Bello hasn't photographed, including the Summer and Winter games, underwater photography, and even medium format film portraits of athletes but, if you're a football fan, you'll never forget the incredible photo he made in 2014 of Odell Beckham's fingertip touchdown catch. We ask Bello about getting his first ultra-telephoto lens and playing sports in college, and he offers some very practical and football-specific advice on how he approaches each play, but also talks about taking advantage of good background and light when you have it. After a break, we speak with Callena Williams, the team photographer for the Dallas Cowboys. Williams, who previously worked for the Carolina Panthers, has a different role than a sports photographer like Bello, and we learn about her photo responsibilities that fall outside the field of play, as well as how she works the games. We also talk with Williams about her Canon gear choices and incorporating graphic design duties into her work for the team. Join us for this timely episode. Go team!! Guests: Al Bello and Callena Williams https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts Photograph © Al Bello/Getty Images

There are many talented people who work at B&H Photo, and the connections to photography and photo history run deep. We have welcomed many "staffers" to the B&H Photography Podcast over the years, and today we are particularly excited to speak with two members of our team on the B&H Explora blog. We start our conversation with Howard Gotfryd, Senior Copy Editor at Explora, and learn about the incredible photography career of his late father, Bernard Gotfryd. Gotfryd Sr. emigrated to New York after World War II and ultimately found a job as staff photographer at Newsweek Magazine, a job he performed for three decades. We discuss the twists of fate and hard work that got Gotfryd to Newsweek and talk about his most noted assignments, including photographing Robert F. Kennedy, Nina Simone, and The Beatles. We also discuss his camera systems and home darkroom, and come to understand the complexities of keeping an archive of more than 10,000 negatives intact and manageable. In the second half of our program, we speak with writer and photographer Jill Waterman. Waterman writes for the Explora blog and has also created an epic photo series about New Year's Eve. For thirty-seven straight years, she has photographed New Year's celebrations around the world, documenting each with her Nikon FM camera on black-and-white 35mm film. Waterman has traveled to cities and villages in Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Europe, and throughout the United States, and she describes the various celebrations she has covered and the motivations to keep this personal documentary project alive. Guests: Howard Gotfryd and Jill Waterman Photograph by Bernard Gotfryd https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

We try to maintain a global perspective at the B&H Photography Podcast and speak with photographers from around the world, but we are New Yorkers at heart and it's hard to deny the love we have for our city and its history. With that in mind, we are pleased to welcome photographers Anders Goldfarb and Larry Racioppo to the show―two photographers, both born in Brooklyn, who have taken the face of our ever-changing city as their subject. Each photographer has extensive archives of New York neighborhoods, landmarks, and communities, and both have recently published new books of their work. Goldfarb's book, Passed Remains, is a look at the Greenpoint and Williamsburg neighborhoods prior to the gentrification of the 2000s and Racioppo's latest book is titled Coney Island Baby, which chronicles the changes to that storied locale from the 1970s to the present. We learn of Goldfarb's process of bicycling through the quiet corners and industrial cityscapes of his then-neighborhood and photographing with a Rolleiflex twin lens reflex camera. He describes his work as both a "survey and a statement." With Racioppo, we learn of the many visits he made to Coney Island over the years to photograph―covering the demise and demolition of the 1970s through its reincarnation in the 1990s. He also discusses working as a photographer for the New York Department of Housing Preservation and Development and provides a glimpse at the life of a working artist in Brooklyn in the 1970s and '80s. Our wide-ranging conversation includes the challenges of the square format, Nikon rangefinders, texture in a photograph, self-publishing, and the delight of mystery. Guests: Anders Goldfarb and Larry Racioppo Photograph © Larry Racioppo For links and more information : www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

Conflict photography of the past twenty years is a subject we have discussed in previous episodes with photographers, psychologists, and scholars, but our very welcomed guest, photographer Peter van Agtmael adds his well-articulated thoughts on the subject, including his own motivations and challenges while covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the ramifications of those wars here in the United States and elsewhere. On this episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we reflect on the mindset of a young man wanting to bear witness to history and the evolution of his thoughts after many assignments and embeds. We also learn about aspects of his work, from the intra-personal to the technical and how these have also changed over the course of an almost two-decade career. The work of van Agtmael has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, and The New Yorker; he is a Guggenheim Fellow; a winner of multiple World Press Awards; and a member of the Magnum Agency. He has also authored several books of his work, which take a deeper narrative and conceptual dive into his images from this same general body of work. He is not alone in this endeavor, but it is this balance, this ability to conceptualize his work within the news sphere and in the nuanced context of a personal photo book that is quite interesting. Quiet images from ten years ago have a tragic power today. His most recent book, Sorry for the War, a subtle and powerful exploration of the disconnect between the United States home front and the actual wars themselves is the main topic during the second half of the show, and we discuss the differences between this and his other books. We talk about the editing process, collaboration, and the formal decisions that go into making a book that is meant to be a historical as well as a personal statement. We also take a minute to talk about gear choices, the aesthetics of technical limits, and about other stories he is working on. Throughout, van Agtmael offers insightful answers to the very complicated questions posed by and of contemporary photojournalism. Please join us, and also check out his work with the Arab Documentary Photography Program. Guest: Peter van Agtmael Photograph © Peter van Agtmael https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts http://www.petervanagtmael.net/ http://arabdocphotography.org/

The B&H Photography Podcast is kicking off the new year hot. For our first episode of 2022, we welcome photographer Joe McNally to discuss his career, his working methods, and his exciting new book, The Real Deal: Field Notes from the Life of a Working Photographer. Joe McNally is known to many as a "photographer's photographer," skilled in many genres and able to work across the lines of photojournalism, long-form photo essays, portraiture, sports, dance, and even fashion photography. He has worked for National Geographic, Time, LIFE, and Sports Illustrated, and his commercial clients include FedEx, Adidas, Epson, and many more. He is also a Nikon and Capture One ambassador, a World Press Photo Award winner, and an Alfred Eisenstaedt Award recipient, but as he mentions in our conversation, he started at the New York Daily News as a copyboy, "the wretched dog of the newsroom." Our conversation is easygoing, and we talk with McNally about the beginning of his career and early assignments. We discuss the evolution of photo technology (he shot the first "all-digital" story for National Geographic), and there is much to be gleaned about lighting, gear choices, and custom camera settings. We also talk about self-confidence, research, big budgets, and general thoughts on how to succeed in the ever-changing photo business. McNally also spins a few tales about his more adventurous assignments and the risks and rewards that come from them. In his new book, The Real Deal, McNally candidly shares stories, lessons, and insights he has collected along the way. This is not a dedicated how-to book, nor is it a navel-gazing look back at "the good old days," because those never really existed anyway. This book is as welcomed and as enjoyable as our conversation. Join us. Guest: Joe McNally Photograph © Joe McNally https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

The B&H Photography Podcast team sends a huge end-of-the-year thank you to our listeners around the world and to the many guests who joined us for our weekly conversations. There's little need to overstate the difficulties of the past year, but we're all still here, still taking pictures, and we're still making this podcast week in, week out. It truly has been a gratifying and unflappable pleasure to produce this show and hopefully it continues to provide some insight, some inspiration, and a few good stories. Despite the adjustments of remote recording, or perhaps because of them, we expanded our circle of photography to include conversations on photomicrography, on the fine art nude, on skate photography, and photo "how-to" books. We spoke with artists and economists about NFTs, discussed protest photography and issues of community and migration. We had episodes on food and wedding photography, bird photography, the freelance business, and, as always, we did our gear episodes, including the seventh annual Cameras of the Year show. I encourage you to take a look back at the wide range of subjects we covered this year and let us know your favorite episodes, as well topics you'd like us to take on in the new year. Finally, and although this episode is not from 2021, we end the year with an encore presentation of our conversation with rock-n-roll photographer Mick Rock. Sadly, we lost Mick in November, but we're solaced by the memory and pleased to present this chat, which was recorded at his home, in Staten Island, and is certainly one of our all-time favorite episodes. Thank you, Mick, and thank you again to our listeners. Happy New Year. Photograph Courtesy of the Collection of Bill Shapiro https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/the-2021-year-in-review-and-mick-rock-encore

We split our time on this episode of the B&H Photography Podcast between one book and many books. In the first half of the show we learn about an inspirational new book, Among Peers: The United States of Young Photographers, which profiles the work of student photographers from several workshop programs in the United States. We conclude the episode with an overview of the many wonderful books from 2021 that were featured on the podcast. To discuss "Among Peers", we welcome the publisher Michelle Dunn Marsh of Minor Matters Books and photography consultant and former director of the Lucie Foundation, Lauren Wendle. As we find out, the book was a creative collaboration between the two, born during the Covid quarantine, and devised to celebrate the work of young photographers and their mentors, who kept the various programs open and operating throughout the difficult past two years. We learn of their process to fund and edit the book and about the photography mentoring programs themselves. Students from the following programs are represented in the book: NYCSalt, First Exposures - San Francisco, Literacy Through Photography - Houston, Las Fotos Project– Los Angeles, YoungArts – Miami, and Youth in Focus – Seattle. Consider supporting these non-profit organizations. After a short break, we run down a list of new photography books we presented on the podcast this year including books as diverse as those by Todd Bigelow, Barbara Mensch, and Mona Kuhn. Join us for this inspiring episode. Guests: Michelle Dunn Marsh and Lauren Wendle Photograph © Jaylen Esparza, Las Fotos Project, Los Angeles

With the launch of the incredible James Webb Space Telescope just hours away, we thought it a good time to republish our conversation with Chris Gunn, the official NASA photographer for this project. The original episode was published almost two years ago when the construction of the telescope was nearing completion. If you are intereted in space research and imaging, also check our episode from 2016 with a chief imaging expert from the Hubble Space Telescope mission. Imagine the privilege of being present at the creation of one of the "wonders of the world," and then imagine being asked to document the magnitude—and the details—of that creation. Our guest on today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast has just that privilege and that responsibility and, as he puts it, this telescope may "change the way we understand our universe." Chris Gunn has been a NASA contract photographer for almost twenty years but, for the past ten, he has dedicated himself to the James Webb Space Telescope and documenting the construction and eventual launch of this spacecraft, which will replace the Hubble as NASA's most powerful telescope. We speak with Gunn about all aspects of his job and, specifically, about the gorgeous medium format images he creates that are made available to the public. Gunn is responsible for documenting the construction process, which includes portraits of scientists, as well as macro shots of screws, and he relates how he has "taken the extra step" to evolve as a photographer, incorporating medium format photography and detailed setups. Gunn must be prepared to shoot any style of photo and he discusses his daily responsibilities, how his gear has evolved over time, the lighting he chooses, and his interaction with the hundreds and technicians and scientists he works with regularly. We also discuss marketing yourself as a photographer and the specific challenges that make his job like no other, including working in giant "clean rooms," accepting that your work is immediately in the public domain, and incorporating the aesthetics from science-fiction films. Sitting in on this recording is our own member of the B&H Space Force, writer Todd Vorenkamp. Join us for this fascinating episode in which we learn about this incredible spacecraft and the work that goes into documenting its creation and check out our 2016 episode, in which we speak with the imaging scientists from the Hubble Telescope mission. Guest: Chris Gunn Above photograph © Chris Gunn