B&H Photography Podcast

With the prevalence of "staff" photography jobs dwindling and the number of "photographers" increasing, finding regular freelance work and funding your own project is more complicated than ever. Yes, the tried-and-true rules of self-motivation and hustle are still the fundamentals, but today's guests offer solutions to put photographers together with those who will support their work, regardless of the photographic discipline. Matt Craig, of blink, and Theresa Hubbard, of Fractured Atlas, discuss their organizations' novel approaches and, together, we talk technology, content marketing, crowd sourcing, and what's available in the new marketplace to monetize your photographic efforts. Guests: Matt Craig and Theresa Hubbard

We run a little long on this episode, but when you have guests of this caliber, it's well worth the extra time. Today we welcome legendary AP photo editor Hal Buell and Time LightBox photo editor Olivier Laurent. Bringing distinctive cultural and generational perspectives to the table, our two guests discuss the idea of an iconic photograph. We start with an attempt to define an iconic photo and, along the way, we talk about the editing process, war photography, mobile technology, photo manipulation, important photos from 2015 and many, many of the greatest photos ever taken. For working professionals, photo historians and anyone interested in how photography impacts our life, this is an episode for you. Guests: Hal Buell and Olivier Laurent

In the past few weeks both Canon and Nikon have announced their latest flagship DSLR cameras, the Nikon D5 and the Canon EOS-1D X Mark II. Our expert guests, Levi Tenenbaum and Shawn Steiner have had a chance to play with these new models and join us to report on their findings. We discuss the upgraded specs and what differentiates these cameras from their predecessors, and from each other. We also take time to talk about their video capabilities and get into the bigger issues of who these cameras will appeal to, are they worth the upgrade and what the future may hold for the DSLR form factor. This is a straightforward and very informative conversation on some of the best cameras available today.

In less than an hour, this podcast will teach you everything you need to know about night photography. Seriously. While our show is not a tutorial, the conversation is deep and broad; it touches upon every aspect of the craft. Guests Gabriel Biderman and Todd Vorenkamp blanket this subject with an engaging and humorous tone—from the psychological predisposition common to night shooters and the science of rods and cones to cameras, gear, apps and techniques for creating images of star trails. This is truly an episode for all levels of shutterbugs seeking to explore or master photography at night. Well done guys! Guests: Gabriel Biderman and Todd Vorenkamp

If you've ever doubted that photography is a multi-faceted endeavor, this episode should cure you of that delusion. Here at B&H, we deal with the nuts and bolts of photography—we can talk f/stops, megapixels, composition, and classic cameras with the best of 'em, but for today's podcast, we clean ourselves up to chat with two leading figures from the art and theoretical side of photography. Roxana Marcoci, Senior Curator in the Museum of Modern Art's Department of Photography and the adroit, multi-talented Stephen Mayes join us to discuss Ocean of Images, MoMA's most recent iteration of its venerable New Photography exhibition series. This impressive gathering of photographers and artists sparks themes regarding the proliferation of images, the fluidity of photography, and the ever-evolving interpretation of how photography fits into the world of art. Strap on your thinking caps. Guests: Roxana Marcoci and Stephen Mayes

Despite poking a little fun with this episode's title, we are big fans of photography websites and camera blogs, and if you are reading this, you probably are, too. On this week's podcast, we are fortunate to have Kevin Raber and Jason Hermann, proprietors of Luminous Landscape and SonyAlphaLab, respectively. Have you ever wondered how sites like these operate, are funded, get gear to review and deal with the, shall we say "experts," who populate the comment sections? In this very animated, on-point conversation, Raber and Hermann talk specifically about their sites, the proliferation of gear chat, and the camera industry in general. Guests: Kevin Raber and Jason Hermann

We're none of us perfect, and thank goodness for that. As my favorite saying goes, perfection is the opposite of good, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't strive to be better. Whether you are a newbie or a more experienced photographer, there is a constant need to improve your skills, and to open your mind to new approaches. With the spirit of the New Year still warming our souls, we brought in Jason Fulford, co-editor of The Photographer's Playbook, and Todd Vorenkamp, author of 13 Creative Exercises for Photographers, to discuss methods that will feed your creativity and improve your photography. Simple games to daily exercises to deep thoughts, all wrapped in a pleasant conversation, let's just call this episode the "Coffee Klatch on Creativity." Guests: Jason Fulford and Todd Vorenkamp

Anyone, I mean, anyone can submit their photos for sale in the stock-photography market. (Are you a foaper?) But the question remains: is it worth it? No doubt, the industry has been transformed by corporate conglomeration and digital technology but, while some decry the devaluation of the image, others see huge opportunity and a bright future. Join us as industry expert Paul Melcher and former Getty executive and now independent photographer and boutique agency owner Rana Faure relate their experiences in the stock-photo business. We'll ask them to explain the various types of agencies, what makes a good stock shot, and we'll get to the truth behind the myth of the "lottery" photo. Guests: Rana Faure and Paul Melcher

Well, what does that mean? Yes, it's owned by Facebook and yes, Taylor Swift has 62 million followers, but we asked two professional photographers with hundreds of thousands of followers and a magazine editor how they use Instagram to engage their followers, interest clients, raise revenue, and keep the creative blood flowing. DSLR or smartphone? Hashtag or not? Strategies for gaining followers? More important than your webpage? Is it the most important brand in photography? These are some of the questions we ask in this fun conversation with three savvy veterans of social media. Since Instagram is already five years old, we also discuss future possibilities for this incredible image platform. Guests: Sharon Radisch, Sam Horine, and Libby Peterson

My apologies for the personal question, but we all suffer from Gear Acquisition Syndrome in one form or another, and it's good to talk about it, especially if it aids in recovery. With Gabe Biderman and Todd Vorenkamp, we will discuss camera cycles from the digital and analog eras, talk new technology and try to understand why there is so much camera stuff to buy nowadays. Who is to blame for G.A.S.? The camera manufacturers, the retailers, the blogs, China!? Or could it be that imaging technology has improved so much in the past few years to truly warrant this welcomed illness? Either way, our guests will commiserate with your suffering and even provide a few simple cures for what ails you. Join us for an enlightening and entertaining conversation and while you're at it, shout us out on Twitter with #BHPhotoPodcast and rate our episode on iTunes. Thanks!