B&H Photography Podcast

Is it necessary to have fun to create work with humor, what is the line between humor and discomfort, can art that is funny have a serious message? How does Instagram success translate to the art world? These are some questions we address in this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, and while "humor in art" is our starting point, the conversation takes its own life and we touch on a range of subjects including, how to sustain a creative idea, the discrepancy between intent and reception, self-portraiture, and how to scale work for both a small screen and a gallery. With these ideas on the table, I cannot think of two better guests with whom to have a conversation. Mitra Saboury and Ben Zank are both artists who explore very personal spheres with their photo and video work, and both incorporate humor and playfulness to express their worldview—and as a portal to explore thornier themes. Ben Zank's deceptively simple, wonderfully composed images, often with himself as model, explore the body's relationship with its found environment. Placing a model in a sewer, a pothole, a basketball hoop, or under the yellow lines of the highway, Zank creates an, at times awkward, at times harmonious exchange. The almost self-deprecating humor belies a confident control of purpose and a delicate view of the human form. The imaginative work of Mitra Saboury, whether alone or in collaboration with meatwreck, explores the physical and psychological effects of our quotidian toils. Like Zank, there is much humor in her work, but a persistent challenging of norms and questioning of beliefs runs through her photography, video, performance, and installation art. Some pieces are discomforting, but strength through inquiry and vulnerability lay at their core. Her work has been exhibited throughout the world, most recently at the Spring Break Art Fair, in Los Angeles, but she also thrives on Instagram and encourages audience participation, whether in person or in the semi-anonymity of the Web. Join us for this interesting conversation, organized by Cory Rice, who also joins us on mic, and check out his portrait of Ben Zank in our "What is Photography?" series. Guests: Mitra Saboury, Ben Zank, Cory Rice Photograph © meatwreck

This week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast is a bit of a grab bag. We start with an update of our new B&H Photography Podcast Facebook group and announce the winners of the SanDisk 64GB memory card sweepstakes. We also discuss the enthusiastic support we received during the first week of the new group and give a shout out to some of the individuals who have submitted images and comments. We then have a quick chat among ourselves about our photography New Year's resolutions to see how (and if) we are following through with our plans. We also discuss some of the gear we were interested in at that time and update whether that was a true photographic need or just G.A.S. On the second half of the show, we offer excerpts from conversations with photographers Tomaiya Colvin and Tony Gale. Colvin is a photographer from Houston who has made a career shooting senior portraits, while Gale is a portrait photographer, lighting expert, and Sony Artisan of Light. We discuss some of the trends in senior portraiture with Colvin, as well as her choice of gear, and she provides a dose of real-world motivation for photographers of all stripes. Tony Gale speaks about his blend of corporate and editorial portrait work, as well as his series on women mayors. He also discusses his switch to mirrorless cameras and the lighting systems he uses on his various shoots. Join us for this easygoing episode and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Overcast, and join the B&H Photography Podcast Facebook group. Guests: Tomaiya Colvin and Tony Gale Photograph © Tomaiya Colvin

Today, we welcome portrait photographer Mark Mann to the B&H Photography Podcast, and as Allan notes at the top of the show, if you name a celebrity or famous politician, Mann has probably photographed them. His body of work is incredible. As an example, in 2014, he was tapped by Esquire to photograph eighty boys and men, from age one to eighty, for its 80th anniversary issue. That "who's-who" list alone would make a career, and it was just one year for Mann. Over the course of this engaging conversation, we touch on many topics from interaction with subjects, to gear choices (Leica medium format S and full-frame SL systems), to retouching, to shooting with or without a tripod. We also dig into his early career, when he assisted legends like Nick Knight and Miles Aldridge and what he calls the "slow grind" of years of freelance work. While Mann is known for tight-cropped, high-resolution portraits, we also discuss his motion and After Effects work, how he "grounds" himself by occasionally shooting with a Graflex and antique lenses and, of course, the development of his signature lighting techniques. Also joining us is Cory Rice, who photographed Mann as part of the What is Photography? portrait series and asks pertinent questions on portraiture. Our conversation is loaded with belly laughs as Mann recounts his portrait sessions with Bill Murray, Jennifer Aniston, Robin Williams, President Obama, and others. Join us for this enjoyable and informative episode and don't forget to join the B&H Photography Facebook group. Guest: Mark Mann and Cory Rice Photograph © Mark Mann

The B&H Photography Podcast Facebook Group is live and we encourage all our listeners to join. The Facebook Group will be your way to engage with Allan, John, and Jason of the B&H Photography Podcast and to post photos, ask questions, make suggestions, and comment on our show. It is also a way to interact with other listeners, learn more about our guests, and get feedback on your own work. As an incentive to join, everyone who joins by March 13, 2019 will be eligible to win one of two SanDisk Extreme PRO SDXC UHS-I memory cards. We will select two winners at random from all the folks who have signed up by March 13, 2019. Good luck...and also subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcast!

The name does kinda say it all, doesn't it? On this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we speak with legendary rock 'n' roll photographer Mick Rock. Despite his incredible body of work and numerous iconic photos, Rock's philosophy on photography might best be summed up with a comment from this episode, "The reality is, it's not that complicated." For this episode we traveled to Rock's home studio, and he graciously invited this "dodgy-looking bunch" in to talk about the beginning of his career, his working style, the bio-documentary "SHOT! The Psycho-Spiritual Mantra of Rock," and the many photos and album covers he created for the likes of Syd Barrett, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Blondie, Queen, Rory Gallagher, Joan Jett, Madonna, and others. We also discussed his recent work with Lana Del Rey, Karen O, the GUCCI brand, and how he approaches an advertising campaign compared to a rock 'n' roll shoot. Our conversation casually bounced between topics, but often returned to Rock's ability to grasp the photographic moment, whether that moment be in a studio, at a concert or, as in many of his most intriguing images, while hanging out with the musicians offstage. Rock downplays his technical skills, but we do talk a bit about gear and, when pressed on how he could create four decades of memorable music photos, he stated, "I've always loved my subjects." The same can be said about us, so please tune in for this wonderful conversation...and don't forget to join the B&H Photography Podcast Facebook group. Guest: Mick Rock Photograph © Mick Rock The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the individual guests and do not necessarily represent the views of B&H Photo. The salty language and "rock-n-roll content" may offend some. Listen at your own discretion.

On this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we welcome representatives from SanDisk, Lexar, and B&H writer John-Paul Palescandolo to discuss memory cards, storage solutions, and best practices for capturing and storing digital images. We have also officially launched our B&H Photography Facebook Group and invite our listeners to join. Follow the link above to the group page and request to join—it's as simple as that. We have added a small incentive: we will be giving away SanDisk 64GB Extreme PRO UHS-I SDXC Memory Cards. Everyone who joins our Facebook group by March 13 will be eligible to win, and we will draw two winners at random to receive a card, generously provided by SanDisk. We start our conversation today with Pete Isgrigg, from the Channel Marketing team at Western Digital. Western Digital is the parent company of G-Technology and SanDisk, and we speak with Isgrigg about the products they offer, as well as some basic best practices for memory card and hard drive usage. After our conversation with Isgrigg, we welcome Andrew Nahmias, from NTI sales, representing Lexar. Nahmias provides further insight into which cards are best for your workflow and how to keep your image files safe and retrievable. We spoke with Isgrigg and Nahmias at the 2019 Depth of Field Wedding and Portrait Photography Conference, but after a short break, we're joined in our studio by John-Paul Palescandolo to discuss other brands of memory cards sold by B&H, and to answer some general questions on the subject. Join us for this very informative episode—and don't forget to join the B&H Photography Podcast Facebook Group. Guests: Pete Isgrigg, Andrew Nahmias, and John-Paul Palescandolo

We're not even two months into 2019 and there have already been several announcements for new cameras, lenses, and even a new format for a major camera manufacturer. On this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast we will list the many new announcements and, along with our guests, Shawn Steiner and Andrea Ortado, offer any insights we have in terms of specs, hands-on comparisons, and general opinions. We start off with the new Canon EOS RP Mirrorless Digital Camera and mention a few of the many lenses on the road map for this new full-frame mirrorless series. We also discuss the new Nikon lenses for their full-frame mirrorless Z-mount camera, including the NIKKOR Z 14-30mm f/4 S lens and the NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lens. From Canon and Nikon we move on to Panasonic and the huge announcement of their full-frame mirrorless cameras, the Lumix DC-S1 Mirrorless Digital Camera and the Lumix DC-S1R Mirrorless Digital Camera as well as the company's L-Mount Alliance with Sigma and Leica, and new lenses such as the Lumix S 24-105mm f/4 Macro O.I.S. lens, the Lumix S PRO 70-200mm f/4 O.I.S. lens and the Lumix S PRO 50mm f/1.4 lens. We also highlight the impressive new Olympus flagship camera, the OM-D E-M1X Mirrorless Digital Camera. After a break we discuss the new Sony Alpha a6400 Mirrorless Digital Camera and the reasons it will appeal to vloggers and the new FUJIFILM X-T30 Mirrorless Digital Camera. FUJIFILM also announced a new XF 16mm f/2.8 R WR lens and the FUJIFILM GF 100-200mm f/5.6 R LM OIS WR lens for their medium format GFX cameras. We continue with a brief chat on new point-and-shoot cameras including the Ricoh GR III Digital Camera, the Panasonic Lumix DC-FZ1000 II Digital Camera and the FUJIFILM FinePix XP140 Digital Camera. Finally, we close with a brief comment on firmware, accessories such as the Wacom Cintiq 16HD Creative Pen Display, and thoughts on the new full-frame mirrorless cameras. Join us for this very informative episode. Guests: Andrea Ortado and Shawn Steiner

The wedding-photography business is very competitive, so, to have a distinct client base and a way to stand out from the crowd is crucial—almost necessary. On this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we discuss niche wedding photography with three photographers who have forged a career path by photographing the weddings of a specific niche demographic. To be clear, each of these photographers shoot weddings for all ilks, but they have been able to distinguish themselves by embracing a specific market. We discuss how each of them discovered their photographic specialty, the importance of understanding traditions while balancing demands of new generations, specific tips for photographing within their areas of expertise, and how incorporating and embracing their own life stories helped find their career path. In the first half of the show, we are joined by Charmi Peña and Petronella Lugemwa, with whom we spoke at the 2019 Depth of Field Wedding and Portrait Conference. Peña is a Nikon Ambassador and a wedding and portrait photographer who specializes in photographing Indian weddings. Lugemwa runs a New York-based, international wedding photography studio whose embrace of "multi-cultural weddings" echoes her personal celebration of her cultural identity. After a break, we speak with portrait and wedding photographer Steven Rosen, who is featured in our "What is Photography?" series. His impeccable portraiture informs his wedding work, and our conversation concentrates on Rosen's work photographing same-sex weddings. Join us for this compelling episode, which blends personal motivations with practical tips. For links to the gear discussed on this episode click here. Guests: Charmi Peña, Petronella Lugemwa, Steven Rosen Photograph © Charmi Peña

At the B&H Depth of Field Wedding and Portrait Conference, being held this week in New York, we were fortunate to sit down with a straight-up legend—Albert Watson. It would be hard to overstate his accomplishments as a photographer, and his ability to master a range of photographic genres—from fashion and advertising to still life, fine art, and reportage—is uncanny. He has shot more than 100 Vogue covers, 40 covers for Rolling Stone, created iconic images of Steve Jobs, Mick Jagger, Alfred Hitchcock, David Bowie, a nude Kate Moss on her 19th birthday, and a properly clothed Queen Elizabeth, who later bestowed upon Watson an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for "services to photography." On this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we present our conversation with Watson, which also serves as an intro to future episodes, which will present a sampling of conversations we held with other wonderful wedding and portrait photographers at the Depth of Field Conference. Join us for this inspiring conversation and subscribe on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Overcast and Stitcher for all upcoming episodes. Guest: Albert Watson Host: Allan Weitz Senior Creative Producer: John Harris Producer: Jason Tables

In terms of its sheer reach and influence on photographers, there is no magazine that compares to LIFE. From the 1930s into the 1970s, it was the weekly go-to for news, lifestyle, entertainment and, of course, world class photography. With the likes of Margaret Bourke-White, W. Eugene Smith, Robert Capa, Gordon Parks, Dorothea Lange, and Alfred Eisenstadt under contract, and a commitment to the photo essay, LIFE was a groundbreaking publication that has yet to be equaled. At its most popular, it sold 13.5 million copies per week. With America's attention switching to television by the early 1960s and, eventually, away from print media in general, LIFE slowly became a remnant of another era, but its influence on photography is still immense. On today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we discuss the magazine, and particularly its print and online reincarnations in the 2000s. Joining us for this conversation is the former editor-in-chief of LIFE, Bill Shapiro. Shapiro, a long-time editor at Time Inc., brought LIFE out of mothballs, in 2004, and launched LIFE.com in 2009. We examine these two iterations of the famed journal. Underscoring this conversation is the larger issue of the consumer switch from print journalism to digital journalism as the primary source of news and photography. Shapiro walks us through the decisions that were made to keep LIFE viable as the eventual changes in the industry took hold, and how he infused creativity into the print magazine and the website, while maintaining its long tradition of great photography. We also talk with Shapiro about his work as an author and, particularly, the book he co-authored, What We Keep, and how that book was influenced by the work he did at LIFE magazine. Join us for this look back at the final years of one the most important publications in American photography history. Guest: Bill Shapiro Photo: Courtesy Bill Shapiro