Real Photo Show with Michael Chovan-Dalton

"I saw the sun coming over the east, over the landscape and the farmlands and I saw this hot air balloon that was coming up, this bright red…extremely saturated red hot air balloon…and behind it was sun lighting it up from behind…I looked over at my dad and he just kept driving… " John Sanderson is a large format film photographer based in New York City. He is probably best known for his portrait-like series of mid-century diesel locomotives and his series entitled Railroad Landscapes. I met John at the reception for the Rust Belt Biennial at the Sordoni Gallery in PA. That is where I became aware of his latest work, Carbon County and the beautiful portfolio box that he published with Zatara Press. We talk a lot about this work and how it started with a residency at a ranch and finished with John going back to be the ranch photographer with his wife and their new twin boys. https://www.john-sanderson.com/ https://www.instagram.com/johnsandersonphotographer/ https://www.facebook.com/john.sanderson.nyc https://twitter.com/Largeformateer This episode sponsored by the School of Visual Arts MFA Photography, Video, & Related Media - Charles Traub, Chair. http://www.mfaphoto.sva.edu/ Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB

"Photography has been a really healing practice for me and a spiritual practice in terms of just going out and making work." Andrew Cenci is a photographer based in Louisville Kentucky. He was visiting New York last year to see the Winogrand show. Andrew works full time in marketing but he has immersed himself in and has become part of the photo community of Louisville. He is mostly self-taught and I wanted to talk to him about creating his life in photography in a smaller community of artists. We talk about the opportunities he has found in foundations and grants and the work he published in Huck Magazine on the Kentucky Derby. Andrew started out in college sports radio and then came to Louisville to study Theology, both of which still influence his work today. https://www.andrewcenci.com/ https://www.instagram.com/andrew_cenci/ https://twitter.com/Andrew_Cenci This episode sponsored by the School of Visual Arts MFA Photography, Video, & Related Media - Charles Traub, Chair. http://www.mfaphoto.sva.edu/ Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB

"I think we are going to need these pictures in 10 years because everybody's talking about what happened in Egypt, but no one is talking to us about what happened to us after we were kicked out of our own country." Amr Alfiky is an Egyptian award-winning documentary photographer and filmmaker based in New York City. He was studying medicine when the Egyptian revolution began. Working as a medic during the uprising, Amr was accused of aiding the enemy and served time in prison on several occasions. He was not allowed to complete his degree in medicine and had to flee Egypt and leave his family in order to avoid more prison time. During this transition from Egypt to the United States, Amr began using his phone to document his life and that work became a visual diary that was published by the New York Times Lens Blog in 2016. Since then Amr has participated in many workshops and internships in the photojournalism world and has done work for many of the major news outlets. Amr’s work documenting the Muslim American experience in the U.S. has been featured in The New York Times, Reuters, TIME, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Huffington Post and other major international publications. He is currently a frequent contributor to The New York Times and Reuters. Photo © Amr Alfiky https://www.amralfiky.com/ https://www.facebook.com/amr.alfiky https://twitter.com/alfiky_amr This episode sponsored by the School of Visual Arts MFA Photography, Video, & Related Media - Charles Traub, Chair. http://www.mfaphoto.sva.edu/ Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB

Mark Steinmetz, an acclaimed American photographer known for his poignant black and white imagery, discusses his new book, Carnival, in a cozy hotel room. He shares the joys and struggles of capturing everyday life and the significance of daydreaming within photography. Joined by co-host Anna Roma, daughter of Lee Friedlander, they reflect on Mark's artistic evolution, nostalgic early adventures, and the interplay between personal and commercial projects. The conversation also touches on his journey into fashion photography and the collaborative spirit of his workshop, The Humid.

"I do think it's really important to help people out with as much information sharing as possible, especially when you get to a certain point in your career and you have information to share." Sasha Wolf is a curator, editor, art dealer, and most recently, the creator and editor of PhotoWork: Forty Photographers on Process and Practice. Sasha is also one of the most generous people in the photo world with her time and her advice, and that is a big reason for her wanting to create this book, to help photographers who feel adrift. We have an amazing conversation about putting this book together from creating the questions, to picking the photographers, and of course, to the experience of reading the responses. Sasha just also happens to represent some of the most important photographers working today, many of whom are included in this book. https://sashawolf.com/ https://www.instagram.com/sashawolfprojects/ https://aperture.org/shop/photowork-forty-photographers-on-process-and-practice Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB

"I looked at these images and I thought, what's this about? I had very faint memories about it and so in order to sort of fill in the gaps, I wrote to people and asked them what they remembered about evacuating Beirut…I thought how am I going to make sense of this, what am I going to do with this text…" Madeline Djerejian is a fascinating artist whose work brings together photography, literature, and writing in a very unique way. Sometimes the work is the writing and sometimes the writings inform the work. The arc of Madeline's life and career has roots in the Armenian Genocide and her family's immigrant story is complicated and inspiring. We discuss two of her pieces in-depth, Letters to Simon and PRIMER (Jungle Battles) so you should click on the links attached to this episode to see the work. https://www.madelinedjerejian.com/ https://www.madelinedjerejian.com/primer-1-1 https://hoosacinstitute.com/Madeline-Djerejian https://www.instagram.com/madsmadsworld/ This episode sponsored by the School of Visual Arts MFA Photography, Video, & Related Media - Charles Traub, Chair. http://www.mfaphoto.sva.edu/ Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB

"I had to mature to a place where I was interested in the stories…It's not just about pretty photographs…I think you need to come to a point where you have a genuine interest in what you are photographing and the stories you are trying to tell and that takes time." Matthew Abbott is a documentary photographer based in Australia. He covers social and political issues around the world but, most recently, he has been working on projects that raise awareness about Indigenous Australians. He has been on assignment and has published his work with The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and Der Spiegel, just to name a few. His series, "Land Where the Crow Fly Backwards" explores the impact of global climate change and the decline of communities along the Murray Darling Basin, including the impact on the lives of the indigenous population. He was also the 1st place prize winner in the Rust Belt Biennial which included a spot on this show, although I think I would have had him on eventually anyway. https://www.matthewabbott.com.au/ https://www.instagram.com/mattabbottphoto/ https://twitter.com/mattabbottphoto Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB

"I think it's wonderland, It's a positive little bit melancholy land located nowhere. It's not political or psychological, it's more about some far, far away world in which you don't have the keys to open it easily." Ajuan Song and Kuzma Vostrikov stopped by SVA to talk about their series "Absolutely Augmented Reality." It is a continually evolving series of portraits and multimedia work that explores our how our connection to the world and each other is increasingly a digital experience driven by commercial forces. Kuzma, Ajuan, and I discuss their collaboration, how they got started, and how the project will evolve over time. We also discuss their plans for a book and a film. http://ajuansong.com/ https://www.instagram.com/songajuan/ http://www.kuzmavostrikov.com/ https://www.instagram.com/kuzmacinema/ This episode sponsored by the School of Visual Arts MFA Photography, Video, & Related Media - Charles Traub, Chair. http://www.mfaphoto.sva.edu/ Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB

Liz Zito | Mueller Report Fan Fiction "I felt the way to share it with adding the redactions in, it gives you at least a beat to laugh and to kind of take a break and also think about the absurdity…of the political world that we are living in." Liz Zito is a multimedia artist and the Coordinator of Curriculum & Special Projects at the School of Visual Arts MFA Photo, Video, and Related Media. When we recorded Liz was in the middle of doing live performance readings of her piece: Mueller Report Fan Fiction with Liz Zito. It's a fantastic performance that injects humor and entertainment into a noir-style reading of the Mueller Report and it is in keeping with Liz's goal of making art that is accessible to audiences beyond the art world. https://www.instagram.com/otiz.zil/ http://lizzito.com/ This episode sponsored by the School of Visual Arts MFA Photography, Video, & Related Media - Charles Traub, Chair. http://www.mfaphoto.sva.edu/ Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB

Friend and former co-host Kai McBride calls in from New Mexico to talk about the big changes in his life and to help celebrate the 100th episode of the show. Kai was the manager of the photo facilities and taught photography at Columbia University. His move is related to the passing of his father and we talk about the adjustments he is making with work, planning his future, developing a new community, and acclimating to his new 7,000 foot elevation so he can get back to his full cycling capabilities. http://www.kaimcbride.com/ https://www.instagram.com/kaimcfoto/ This episode was not recorded at the School of Visual Arts but I wanted to give the SVA MFA Photo, Video, and Related Media Program, Chaired by Charles Traub, a special mention because their sponsorship has helped me make this a much better show and having a recording home has allowed me to bring in a greater variety of guests from outside of New York City. Thank you Charles Traub, Liz Zito, Brenda Hung, and Seth Lambert.