In an era brimming with instant gratification, some things are worth the wait. This is an apt takeaway from our chat with photographer Charles Daniels about his long-outdated film from the legendary Boston Tea Party and other 60s-era music venues, rarely processed until recently. Joining Daniels in conversation is his long-time partner Susan Berstler, and Gerald Freyer from Film Rescue International, the unique image processing and digitization specialists entrusted with his mother lode of 4,000 plus rolls. 

Listen in as Daniels tells of his rise from club denizen to emcee to cultural ambassador, introducing 60s-era British invasion rockers to America, with a Leica, two Nikons and a mic in hand. Berstler describes how the unprocessed rolls stockpiled in their home became a COVID project, which then went viral after the launch of a Go-Fund-Me campaign.

After a break, Freyer explains how Film Rescue International’s unique processing and scanning technologies can breathe new life into lost and found film, saving untold stories from oblivion. Freyer also recounts his epic drive from Saskatchewan to Somerville (and back!) to safely collect the film for processing, without risking x-rays or other shipping hazards.

As Daniels notes during the show, “For years, I never really developed any film, but I was shooting all the time. It was just there, and then at some point I realized that I needed to bring some of this older stuff to light.”

With a nod to Daniels’s 80th birthday on November 30th, the pictures may have been a long time coming—but what a fabulous gift to photographers and music aficionados alike!

Guests: Charles Daniels, Susan Berstler, Gerald Freyer

For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/master-blaster-charles-daniels-reveals-his-unseen-60s-era-photo-archive

Photographs © Charles Daniels

Stay Connected:
Charles Daniels Go-Fund-Me Website: https://www.gofundme.com/f/2500-rolls-Charles-Daniels
Film Rescue International Website: https://www.filmrescue.com
Film Rescue International Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/filmrescueinternational/

Subscribe here

Master Blaster—Charles Daniels Reveals his Unseen ’60s Era Photo Archive

No matter how you slice it, wedding photography is a fancy business. On this week’s podcast, we take that fancy up a notch in a conversation about luxury wedding photography with James Christianson and Otto Schulze. These former competitors took a giant leap to reinvent themselves as the collaborative partnership James x Schulze, while also adapting their sales strategy to a marketplace where the driving force is want rather than means.

Listen in as they describe how they balanced economic risk with the creative freedom to chase small moments and beautiful light. You’ll also gain insight into how a luxury client’s buying psychology differs from the norm, and the essential importance of taking a client-first approach to projects. 

“Confidence is the currency of the successful,” explains Christianson about the necessary shift in mindset. “If you can bring confidence in who you are and what your skills are—whether that’s with a camera, or skills with people, or both—that will take you a long way in being able to move through any room.”

Guests: James Christianson and Otto Schulze

For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see:
https://bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/wedding-photography-business-skills-james-x-schulze

Photographs © James x Schulze

Stay Connected:

James x Schulze’s Wedding Website: https://www.jamesandschulze.com
James x Schulze’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesandschulze
James x Schulze’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesandschulze
James x Schulze’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jamesandschulze
James x Schulze’s Education Website: https://www.sagejourney.co
Business of Luxury Weddings Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thebusinessofluxuryweddings

The Business of Luxury Wedding Photography, with James x Schulze

Tati Bruening and Anya Anti are two rising stars at the confluence of photography, digital assets, and social influence. In this week’s episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we get the lowdown on their burgeoning careers in fashion / beauty and conceptual / fine art portraits in part two of our chats from B&H’s 2023 Depth of Field Conference.
Above photograph © Tati Bruening
We start with Tati Bruening, who shares how her plea to “Make Instagram Instagram Again” became a global meme, ultimately prompting a response from the platform’s head. Learn how she spent the pandemic focused on daily DIY shoots with friends, allowing her to quickly master her Canon 5D Mark IV inside and out. Today, Bruening is supported by a powerhouse management team. Hear how she made these essential connections, get tips on working with a manager, and learn which pitfalls to avoid.
After a break, we shift gears to Anya Anti, who fills us in on the intricate set design and attentive compositing work behind her whimsical portraits, which seamlessly bridge fantasy and real life. She distinguishes between shooting self-portraits for a more personal approach and posing models as alter egos for more control behind the camera. We also tackle the elephant in the room—artificial intelligence in photographic creation—with Anti weighing in on both the significant ethical issues posed by AI and its positive aspects as incorporated in Adobe’s smart selection tools. 

Guests: Tati Bruening and Anya Anti

For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/confronting-algorithms-and-ai-tati-bruening-anya-anti-at-depth-of-field-2023

Stay Connected:
Tati Bruening Website: https://www.illumitati.com/
Tati Bruening Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/illumitati/
Tati Bruening Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tati.tutu.5/
Tati Bruening Twitter: https://twitter.com/illumitatiana
Tati Bruening TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/discover/tati-bruening

Anya Anti Website: https://anya-anti.com/
Anya Anti Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anya_anti_art/
Anya Anti Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnyaAntiArt
Anya Anti YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AnitaAnti
Anya Anti Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnyaAnti
Anya Anti Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/anya_anti/
Anya Anti TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@anya_anti

Confronting Algorithms and AI: Tati Bruening & Anya Anti at Depth of Field 2023

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.” There is no better role model for this Thomas Edison quote than Steve Sasson, the electrical engineer fresh out of grad school who was hired to work in a Kodak research lab, in 1973. With a passion for scavenging parts and a penchant for invention, he developed the world’s first self-contained digital camera just two years after his arrival in the lab.

In honor of National Camera Day, we invited Sasson to the podcast for an in-depth discussion about his invention of this revolutionary device. Listen in to hear about the surprising reception Sasson’s prototype received from Kodak executives during early demonstrations of its use, the complicated mix of cultural and business factors confronting a company in the throes of innovation, the many years that elapsed before Sasson was allowed to speak publicly about the camera, and much, much more.
 
In addition to being a storyline worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster, our conversation offers rare insight into the inner workings of a long-established, successful company that knows a lot about the problem but doesn’t like the answer. Stay to the end to hear Sasson make a comparison to a groundbreaking technological development in the corporate world today.

Guest: Steve Sasson

For more information on our guest and the gear he uses, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/invention-of-digital-camera

Above photograph © Courtesy of the George Eastman MuseumStay Connected

Steve Sasson Profile at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: https://eng.rpi.edu/about/alumni-achievements/steven-j-sasson
Steve Sasson at the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame: https://www.invent.org/inductees/steven-sasson
Steve Sasson at the National Science & Technology Medals Foundation: https://nationalmedals.org/laureate/steven-sasson/
The George Eastman Museum: https://www.eastman.org

Photographic Innovation: Steve Sasson's Invention of the Digital Camera

B&H recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary, hosting a spectacular two-day celebration for the creator community, Bild Expo 2023, at New York’s Jacob Javits Center. The podcast’s past three episodes have featured in-depth interviews with a few of the esteemed speakers gracing Bild’s four presenter stages. If you haven’t already done so, please give them a listen, and then—hold on to your hats—in this episode we’re trying something different!

To prepare for some fun during the show, we assembled a mobile studio and cooked up a three-question Bild Creator Quiz to spring on imagemakers who crossed our path. Once at Javits, we went on the prowl for subjects willing to be ambushed. Our resulting interviews feature a select group of attendees, expo vendors, Bild speakers, and B&H staff members. Ever since the show wrapped, we’ve been hard at work, combining the short clips we captured live with a narrated story line to take listeners on a virtual stroll through most aspects of the show. We hope you enjoy this taste of the intense, intoxicating, creative camaraderie that permeated the Bild experience.

Happy Anniversary B&H—here’s to another 50 years of creativity and growth!

Above photograph courtesy of B&H Photo

Guests: Menashe Horowitz, Cliff Hausner, Mason Resnick, Michael Yamashita, Matt Hill, Nicolas Roman, Elizabeth Krist, Scott Kelby, Christian Domecq, John Harris, Ron Magill, Michael Mansfield, Patricia Beary, Linda Hacker, Erica Price, Brandon Remler, Dana Glidden, Ami Vitale, David Brommer

For more information on our guests and they gear they use, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/connecting-the-creator-community-bh-bild-ambush-interviews

Stay Connected:
B&H Photo Instagram Feed: https://www.instagram.com/bhphoto/
Cliff Hausner: https://www.instagram.com/cliffhausner/
Mason Resnick: https://www.instagram.com/mason_resnick/
Michael Yamashita: https://www.instagram.com/yamashitaphoto/
Matt Hill: https://www.instagram.com/matthillart/
Elizabeth Krist: https://www.visualthinkingcollective.com/elizabeth-cheng-krist
Scott Kelby: https://www.instagram.com/scottkelby/
John Harris: https://www.instagram.com/jrockfoto/
Ron Magill: https://www.instagram.com/ronmagillwildlife/
Michael Mansfield/Maine Media Workshops: https://www.instagram.com/mainemedia/
Soho Photo Gallery: https://www.instagram.com/sohophotogallery/
Erica Price: https://www.instagram.com/eternalpixny/
Brandon Remler: https://www.instagram.com/brandonremler/
Dana Glidden: https://www.instagram.com/danadigital/
Ami Vitale: https://www.instagram.com/amivitale/
David Brommer: https://www.instagram.com/suspectphotography/

The B&H Photography Podcast

Connecting the Creator Community: B&H Bild Ambush Interviews

1950s America proved fertile ground for photographers Robert Frank and Todd Webb, who both received Guggenheim Foundation grants to traverse the country in 1955 and record their respective visions. While Frank’s resulting book, The Americans, eventually made him a legend, Webb’s photographs remained unpublished, and were all but lost to history due to a 1970s-era business deal gone bad.

The saga of Webb’s unaccounted-for archive and its eventual recovery is one of the juicier tidbits from today’s show, which focuses on the long-awaited opportunity to compare, contrast, and rediscover Frank and Webb’s respective visions from their travels in the exhibition America and Other Myths.

Joining us in this discussion are Lisa Volpe, photography curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and Bill Shapiro, former Life magazine editor-in-chief.

Journey back to the Nifty Fifties astride these two photographers as we examine how two distinct proposals to discover America at mid-century evolved along the open road and in the context of the era’s social tenure. 

In the words of Lisa Volpe, “They both saw the same social ills playing out in American culture, they just talked about them differently.”

Above photograph © The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation

Guests: Lisa Volpe & Bill Shapiro

For more information on our guests and they gear they use, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/1950s-america-as-seen-by-robert-frank-todd-webb-with-lisa-volpe-bill-shapiro

Stay Connected:
America and Other Myths Exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: https://www.mfah.org/exhibitions/robert-frank-todd-webb-across-america-1955
America and Other Myths exhibition catalog: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300270891/america-and-other-myths/
Robert Frank Archive at the MFAH: https://www.mfah.org/films/robert-frank-collection
June Leaf & Robert Frank Foundation Website: https://leaffrankfoundation.org/
Todd Webb Archive: https://www.toddwebbarchive.com/news-events
Blind Magazine articles by Bill Shapiro: 
https://www.blind-magazine.com/stories/on-the-road/
https://www.blind-magazine.com/stories/youre-wrong-about-robert-frank/
https://www.blind-magazine.com/stories/treasure-and-junk/
Robert Frank film footage from Blind Magazine: https://www.blind-magazine.com/stories/exclusive-never-before-seen-video-of-robert-frank/
Bill Shapiro Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/billshapiro/
Todd Webb in Africa episode on the B&H Photography Podcast: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/podcast-todd-webb-in-africa%E2%80%94rediscovered-color-photographs

1950s America as Seen by Robert Frank & Todd Webb, with Lisa Volpe & Bill Shapiro

Kiana Hayeri was born in Iran, and this was where she launched her career as a photojournalist and visual storyteller. Yet after traveling to Afghanistan for a 2014 assignment, she decided to relocate, spending the next eight years covering both the frontlines of conflict and everyday lives of the Afghan people.

In this second installment of our monthly series, Picturing World Cultures, we speak with Hayeri about her experiences living and working in a region mired in cultural upheaval, failing infrastructure, and rife with political violence.

Listen in as Hayeri shares insights about her early work documenting youth culture in both Iran and Afghanistan, while revealing subtle differences in how each society approaches a division between public and private life.

When it comes to making pictures, Hayeri’s first concern is for the latent potential of her photographs to endanger the lives of her subjects. She elaborates on making conscious calculations in her head related to every small detail to mitigate this risk.

Working as a woman within a patriarchal society involves great challenges, and we broach this subject, as well as the advantages she has when photographing culturally sensitive subjects.

While Hayeri has little problem maintaining focus on the frontlines while immersed in her work, we also discuss the tolls of making pictures in traumatic situations, and the importance of taking breaks to reestablish a sense of normalcy and maintain health and sanity.

Hayeri has worked with an extensive network of local contacts to arrange access for the stories she tells. She avoids using the term “fixer” for these essential collaborators, pointing out, “The credit for a lot of the stories that we work on goes to our local colleagues, because they are the ones who put themselves on the front of everything. It’s their reputation, their lives that they risk. I have a lot of respect for that.”

Above photograph © Kiana Hayeri
Guest: Kiana Hayeri

For more information on our guest and the gear she uses, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/picturing-world-cultures-kiana-hayeri-iran-afghanistan

And, if you haven’t already listened, check out all episodes from our Picturing World Cultures podcast series here: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/promotion/picturing-world-cultures

Stay Connected:
Kiana Hayeri Website: https://www.kianahayeri.com/
Kiana Hayeri Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kianahayeri/ 
Kiana Hayeri Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kianahj
Kiana Hayeri Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/speakers/kiana_hayeri

Picturing World Cultures with Jill Waterman

Picturing World Cultures: Kiana Hayeri: Iran / Afghanistan

How did a space-age invention become ubiquitous in today’s digital imaging landscape? Learn all about it here in our latest podcast, featuring pioneers of photography and digital imaging. 

In 1993, noted physicist and engineer Eric Fossum led the invention of the CMOS active-pixel image sensor as part of his work for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Then, as part of JPL’s mandate to seek commercial and consumer applications for emerging technologies, he was active in the transfer of the CMOS sensor’s “camera-on-a-chip” technology to industry. 

In our informative conversation with Professor Fossum, he makes distinctions between solid state CCDs and his more efficient CMOS sensor that would come to dominate the marketplace. To transform high-level science into layman’s terms, he uses the analogy of a bucket brigade collecting rain on a football field.

In a similar down-to-earth fashion, we touch on metaphysical issues like wave particle duality, and how this is demonstrated every time light enters a camera and you take a picture with your phone.

Join us to marvel at the wonders of science amid fun food references—from the way deep space radiation degrades CCD chips so they start to act like Swiss cheese, to the synergies between high-level scientific measurements and delicatessen lunch meats, both marks of a creative scientist and visionary educator.

Guest: Eric Fossum

Above photograph © John Sherman Photography, https://jshermanphoto.com/

For more information on our guest, see:
https://blogd7.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/camera-on-a-chip-eric-fossums-invention-of-the-cmos-image-sensor

Stay Connected:
Eric Fossum Website: https://ericfossum.com/
Eric Fossum Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Fossum
Eric Fossum at the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame: https://www.invent.org/inductees/eric-r-fossum
Eric Fossum at Dartmouth Engineering: https://engineering.dartmouth.edu/community/faculty/eric-fossum
Eric Fossum bio from the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering: https://qeprize.org/winners/eric-fossum
Eric Fossum’s 2021 Emmy Award in Tech and Engineering https://www.nhbr.com/dartmouth-professor-wins-emmy-award-for-image-sensor-technology/

Camera on a Chip: Eric Fossum's Invention of the CMOS Image Sensor

Cozy up to a ringside seat for a behind-the-scenes tour of the wildest shows in sports entertainment, during our insightful chat about the still photos produced for World Wrestling Entertainment, (otherwise known as WWE).

In 2023 alone, the WWE photo team traveled the globe, covering close to 170 live events, and producing 2.6 million stills to serve the organization’s various platforms.

You might—incorrectly—assume that WWE’s still images are generated from video screengrabs. Well, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

 In this week’s podcast, we get the full scoop about stills from WWE’s Vice President of photography, Brad Smith, and Senior Director of photography, Rich Freeda.

Among the many details we unpack: The learning curve required for shooting a WWE event, the importance of showing all aspects of the spectacle in pictures, and the delicate dance between still photographers and TV camerapeople, who are tethered together and both wearing headphones while capturing a show.

 In addition to live event coverage, the photo team creates high-level studio portraits of WWE Superstars, which necessitates complex studio set ups at each venue. Given the relentless schedule of three live shows weekly, two of which are traveling, studio gear is circling the country all year long. As Rich Freeda puts it, “We could be a Consumer Reports testing lab.”

And when it comes to the type of photographers best suited to covering WWE shows, Brad Smith sums things up nicely. “[At first,] I instinctively thought, if we’re going to hire new people, they have to be sports photographers. And now I don’t think that at all. I’ll tell you who I’d rather have. I’d rather have a photographer who’s a tour photographer for Bon Jovi than somebody who’s the Yankee’s photographer, because they understand that event is the important thing.”

Psych yourself up for WrestleMania 40 with our WWE episode from the B&H Photography Podcast!

Guests: Brad Smith and Rich Freeda

Above photograph © Rich Freeda/WWE

For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/still-photography-the-wwe-with-brad-smith-rich-freeda

Stay Connected:

WWE Still Photography Page: https://www.wwe.com/photos

Brad Smith Website: https://www.bradsmithcreative.com/

Brad Smith on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradpix/

Brad Smith on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Brad-Smith-Creative/

Brad Smith on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nybradsmith

Rich Freeda Website: https://www.richardfreeda.com/collections

Rich Freeda on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richfreedaphoto/

Rich Freeda on Twitter: https://twitter.com/richfreedaphoto

Rich Freeda WWE Profile: https://www.wwe.com/videos/the-photography-of-wrestlemania-with-rich-freeda-making-wwe

Still Photography & the WWE, with Brad Smith & Rich Freeda

Documenting a culture can be a daunting process, especially when it involves a history of conquest and colonialism. Synthesizing such a complex and traumatic past in a contemporary narrative is a formidable task, requiring extensive research and dedicated planning. This is the back story to today’s podcast.

Above photograph © Juan Brenner

For the seventh chapter in our monthly series, Picturing World Cultures, we speak with Guatemalan photographer Juan Brenner about his recent projects in the country’s Western Highlands.

Our chat begins with Brenner’s introduction to photography as a youth, and the protective bubble surrounding him during the country’s brutal civil war. He left Guatemala at age 20 to forge a career as a fashion photographer in New York, which filters into our discussions about portraiture and photo gear.

But our primary focus is on Brenner’s recent personal projects, created after his return to Guatemala, and an epiphany he had about the idea of “Indigenous Power.”

Listen in as he describes how this concept was subsequently called into question. You’ll gain insight into the unequal power quotient that comes with being a “Mickey Mouse” photographer and discover how critical aspects of communication extend well beyond the basic structure of language.

As Brenner notes during our chat, “You have to be really careful just being a photographer. It's so colonialist, you know, having a camera. You have this big robot that you stick in people's faces. You have this advantage. And, for me, it's really important to think about that a lot.”

If you haven’t already listened, check out all the episodes of our Picturing World Cultures podcast series here:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/p/picturing-world-cultures

Guest: Juan Brenner

For more information on our guest and the gear he uses, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/picturing-world-cultures-juan-brenner-guatemala


Stay Connected:

Juan Brenner Website: https://www.juanbrenner.com

Juan Brenner Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juan_brenner

Juan Brenner Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JuanBrenner5/

Artist talk with Juan Brenner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPiwQXWUMJ8&t=40s

Juan Brenner’s book Tonatiuh: https://editorialrm.com/en/producto/tonatiuh/

Picturing World Cultures: Juan Brenner - Guatemala

Sports enthusiasts from around the world will soon be glued to their nearest viewing screen, watching the action unfold during the international Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

But how much do you know about the finer points of photographing elite level competition, or about the lightning-fast, high-tech journey these images make from inside a camera to a remote editing workflow, and then onward to be enjoyed by you, the viewer?

In today’s podcast we’ve got the inside track on how these visual delicacies are brought to life and served up to global audiences. Our guests are Getty Images Chief Photographer Maddie Meyer and Managing Editor James Chance, who runs Getty Images’ editing operations in Europe.

We start with Maddie, who details the advance preparations and complex logistics required to ensure the success of 60 Getty Images photographers on the ground in Paris, alongside a sizable amount of remote and robotic gear. In the show’s second half, James describes the impressive synergy between the photographers on site and the massive team of photo editors he’s assembled to work remotely from London and in other locations around the world—a complex infrastructure that’s a first for the agency.

Immerse yourself in the passion for sports and learn what it takes to capture images that set you apart from the pack.

As Maddie Meyer sums up, “That's where the real challenge comes in. And that's where I would say it's really difficult. But that's where knowing the athletes comes in, knowing the way they move, knowing their rituals before they get in the pool, knowing some of the dynamics between the athletes, where you can really kind of pick up on the minutia to try and make something special.”

Guests: Maddie Meyer & James Chance

Guest Bios:
Maddie Meyer is a chief photographer for Getty Images based in—but not geographically limited to—Boston, Massachusetts. She joined the Getty Images team in January 2015, after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in photojournalism from Ohio University. Maddie’s assignments range from covering New England’s professional sports teams to international travel covering events such as the Men’s and Women’s World Cup, the FINA World Swimming championships and the Olympic Games in Rio and Pyeongchang. Her pictures are continually published in major metropolitan newspapers, magazines, and websites worldwide, including ESPN, the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, the Washington Post, among many other media outlets.

Equally skilled as a photographer, James Chance began his editing career as a freelancer in London. He currently serves as the managing editor for Getty Images Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He works to train and schedule the editing team, as well as plan editing for major events such as the Women's World Cup in Australia, and the Paris Olympic Games. James helped to create the vision for Getty Images remote editing plan, where photo editors will be working out of the company’s London office, while the photographers will be in Paris. 

Stay Connected:
Maddie Meyer Website: https://www.maddiemeyerphoto.com/
Maddie Meyer Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddiemeyer2/

James Chance Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jameschance_5
Getty Images Website: https://www.gettyimages.com/

Sports Action & Image Workflow for the Paris Games, with Maddie Meyer & James Chance

Where does the medium of photography stand in an era where the latest mantra encourages people to “Skip the Photo Shoot?”

How can a viewer continue to trust photographs as evidence in a marketplace where AI is touted as a “revolution,” and “the new digital camera” that we need to embrace?

And what methods can a photographer use today to be considered a credible witness with a transparent code of ethics?

These are just a few of the points raised in our discussion with renowned writer, photo editor, and educator Fred Ritchin. For more than forty years, Ritchin has kept tabs on the progressive shift from using a camera to record the visible as truth to getting the world to look the way we want it to look.

Join us, as we wade through the swampy terrain separating photographic fact from synthetic creation, as part of a wider series tracing the effects of AI on today’s creative community.

Bonus invite: In preparation for an upcoming discussion between visual artists and AI instigators Boris Eldagsen and Miles Astray, we’re soliciting listener questions. To get your chance for an on-air shout out, please post a question for our guests to the comments section below or email it to: podcast@bhphoto.com.

Guest: Fred Ritchin

For more information on our guest and the gear he uses, see:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/photography-in-the-age-of-synthetic-imaging-with-fred-ritchin

Top shot: Synthetic image, not a photograph, generated by the artificial intelligence system DALL-E, in response to the text prompt by Fred Ritchin, “An iconic photograph from the year 1945,” 2023.

Stay Connected:

Fred Ritchin Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Ritchin

Fred Ritchin bio from ICP: https://www.icp.org/users/fredritchin

Four Corners Project: https://fourcornersproject.org/

The Fifth Corner https://thefifthcorner.org/

Writing with Light Campaign: https://wwlight.org/

The Synthetic Eye book: https://wwnorton.com/books/9780500297391

Photography in the Age of Synthetic Imaging, with Fred Ritchin

A chat with Dr. Greg Gulbransen, a pediatrician and self-taught photographer, about his 3-year photo project embedding with a violent gang leader in the Bronx. Paralyzed by a bullet from a rival gang, he now runs his crew from his wheelchair. Using his bedside skills, Dr. Gulbransen earned the gang leader’s trust and was given unfettered access.

Say Less, with Dr. Greg Gulbransen

Well, 2024 has certainly come and gone in a flash, meaning it’s time once again for us to reflect on new photo offerings in our annual Cameras of the Year episode, now renamed Photo Gear of the Year. Featured in our discussion are new releases from Canon, FUJIFILM, Leica, Mint, Nikon, OM SYSTEM, Panasonic, Ricoh Pentax, and Sony.

In the words of our recurring guest, Kevin Rickert, B&H’s Senior Sales Trainer for Photography and Lighting, “Everything old is new again” at least when it comes to this year’s most sought-after camera releases. A penchant for pocketable, fixed lens cameras led us to organize our camera offerings by type rather than in an alphabetical laundry list. Along with debating the current craze for “the digicam look,” we consider whether manufacturers will respond to consumers’ increasing appetite for midrange point and shoots.

After the break, we shift to the newest crop of flagship cameras that are built for speed, while also discussing notable updates to other new releases. We also shed light on the essential role served by firmware updates, both in trimming a new camera’s time to market and allowing you to get more out of the camera you already have. As Kevin points out, “It's an important part of having a camera. Much like if you have a car, you need to get oil changes.”

We wrap things up with some predictions for 2025, including Kevin’s hopes for a continued resurgence of point and shoot models, plus some intriguing new photo accessories that caught his eye this year. Stay to the end to learn about the inventive new Fjordan camera control for the iPhone, recently acquired by Leica.
Guest: Kevin Rickert
Episode Timeline
2:30: Kevin Rickert’s role as a B&H sales trainer for photography and lighting.
9:34: What camera stood out the most this year: FUJIFILM X100VI 
18:02: Ricoh GR III HDF / Ricoh GR IIIx 
20:00: Nostalgia for midrange point and shoots and the digicam look 
29:36: Leica D-Lux 8
31:42: Leica Q3 43 
35:52: Fujifilm X-T50 (a baby Fujifilm X-T5)
37:30: Fujifilm X-M5 
41:54: Pentax 17 
48:52: Mint Camera Rollei 35AF

51:17: Episode break

52:22: Canon EOS R1
55:50: Sony a1 II
59:31: OM SYSTEM OM-1 Mark II
1:02:35: Nikon Z6 III
1:05:48: Canon EOS R5 Mark II
1:14:40: Leica SL III 
1:17:55: FUJIFILM GFX 100 SII 
1:20:31: Nikon Z 50 II
1:21:28: Sony ZV-E10 II
1:23:19: Panasonic Lumix S9 
1:27:19: Kevin’s predictions for 2025
1:33:36: Peakto Image Management Software
1:35:06: Capture One 16.5 with Match Look
1:35:49: Fjordan iPhone camera grip


Guest Bio:

Kevin Rickert is B&H Photo’s Senior Sales Trainer for Photography and Lighting. It’s Kevin’s job to keep in touch with camera and lens manufacturers and get details about all the latest releases and updates. His role is to make sure the world-renowned B&H staff has all the information to answer your who, what, why, and other questions that you may ask, so they can satisfy all your wants and needs.

Born and raised in New York, Kevin is an intrepid street photographer, an avid traveler, and a baseball fan with 22 years in electronic retail, the last 10 of which have been spent as a sales trainer at B&H.

 
Stay Connected:
B&H Photo Video Website: https://www.bhphotovideo.com
B&H Photography Podcast landing page: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts
B&H Photography Podcast on B&H Photo’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BandH/podcasts
B&H Photography Podcast Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1001107823418353
B&H Photo Video Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bhphoto
B&H Photo Video Twitter: https://twitter.com/bhphoto
Micro 4/3rds YouTube video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m072i-jDSg4
Peakto Image Management Software: https://cyme.io/peakto-photo-organizer-software/
Fjordan iPhone Camera Grip: https://shop.fjorden.co/en-us/pages/about

2024 Photo Gear of the Year with Kevin Rickert

Top shot © Ron Tarver

Cowboy lore has deep roots in American culture. Yet, black cowboys have lived pretty much under the radar until recently, when songs by pop culture icons Lil Nas X and Beyoncé went viral and catapulted the black western aesthetic into the limelight.

In today’s show, we’re getting the inside scoop from two photographers who’ve been fully immersed in these vibrant communities since long before they became a top fashion trend. Separated by a generation in age and with pictures spanning from film to digital, we follow Ron Tarver and Ivan McClellan from their early years in Oklahoma and Kansas, to the urban stables of Northern Philadelphia, the legendary Roy LeBlanc Rodeo in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, and beyond.

Listen in and discover how the popularity of a single newspaper assignment led Ron to the pages of National Geographic and a career defining body of work.

In a similar manner, Ivan’s hunch to act on a chance invitation morphed into a passion project that reconnected him to his midwestern roots and ultimately expanded his role from photographer to that of an entrepreneur and rodeo boss. 

Ever wonder about the funding and stamina required to compete as a rodeo athlete? We take that bull by the horns at the end of the show.

Guests: Ron Tarver & Ivan McClellan

Guest Bios:

Ron Tarver was born and raised in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, and is now based outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During 32 years as a staffer at The Philadelphia Inquirer, he was nominated for three Pulitzer’s and shared the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for public service, in addition to many other accolades.

Tarver’s photographs have been exhibited internationally. His pictures can be found in private, corporate, and museum collections, and have appeared in major publications both in print and online. 

In 2004, he co-authored the book We Were There: Voices of African American Veterans, published by Harper Collins, accompanied by a traveling exhibition.

A recipient of a 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship and a 2001 Pew Fellowship in the Arts, Tarver has also received funding from the NEA, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and an Independence Foundation Fellowship. 

He currently serves as Associate Professor of Art at Swarthmore College. His book, The Long Ride Home: Black Cowboys in America was released by George F Thompson Publishers in September.

Ivan McClellan is a photojournalist and designer originally from Kansas City, Missouri. These days he calls Portland, Oregon home. 

His work reveals marginalized aspects of black culture, challenging broad assumptions and myths about racial identity in America. 

His project Eight Seconds, focuses on elevating narratives about American Black cowboys, and transforming the culture of the American West by ‘re-centering’ black women and men back as an integral part of our historical narrative. 

After initially self-publishing his photos in book form, Eight Seconds: Black Rodeo Culture was released by Damiani books in April 2024.

The winner of the 2022 Getty Inclusion grant, McClellan’s photos have been presented in and collected by Museums and cultural spaces across the United States. His work has also been featured in ESPN: The Undefeated and Fast Company. 

As an experience designer for Adobe Lightroom, he has led projects for Nike, Adidas, Disney, and the U.S. National Soccer Team. And most recently, he founded the Eight Seconds Rodeo in 2023.

Stay Connected:
Ron Tarver Website: https://www.rontarverphotographs.net/
Ron Tarver Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rontarver/
Ron Tarver Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Tarver
Ron Tarver The Long Ride Home book: http://www.gftbooks.com/books_Tarver.html
Ivan McClellan Website: https://eightsecs.com/
Ivan McClellan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eightsecs/

Black Cowboys & Rodeo Culture, with Ron Tarver & Ivan McClellan

Allan Weitz had little idea of the grand photographic adventures in store when he signed on as host of the B&H Photography Podcast shortly before the show’s debut in October 2015. As a self-described big mouth, and with more than 40 years as a working pro fueling his curiosity about all things photographic, Allan quickly honed his chops to become the voice of the show.
Today’s episode marks a crossroads, as Allan passes his hosting mic to the show’s incoming host, Derek Fahsbender, producer and host of the B&H Event Space. During a lively chat, we celebrate Allan’s long and successful career, both on assignment and at the helm of the podcast, with some never before told stories and audio clips from memorable interactions with guests.
A few of the many topics we cover include, how a kid from Sheepshead Bay made a name for himself photographing classic yachts, the ways in which Allan’s time behind a New Jersey deli counter enhanced his ability to engage with people on a human level—among other benefits to career reinvention—and how his shift into podcasting taught him to use his voice as an instrument.
As Allan aptly summarized for attendees of the podcast team’s 2018 presentation of Podcasting 101: “It’s not always what you say, but how you say it.”

Guest: Allan Weitz

Guest Bio:

Allan Weitz started taking pictures when digital meant doing something with your fingers. A graduate of New York City’s High School of Art and Design and the School of Visual Arts, Allan is the founding host of the B&H Photography Podcast, one of the highest-rated photography podcasts in Apple's Creative Arts category. 

For more than 50 years, Allan’s photographs have graced the covers and inside pages of dozens of publications, including New York magazine, Esquire, GQ, Yachting, and Nautical Quarterly. Many of these images have won him awards from the New York, Philadelphia, and New Jersey Art Directors Clubs, the Graphic Artists Guild, Art Direction Magazine, Print, and Graphis, among others. 

More recently, Allan has had great success exhibiting—and winning awards for—his photos as fine art prints, as well as dabbling with artificial intelligence using the traditional photos from his vast image library as source material. 


Stay Connected:
Allan Weitz Website: https://www.allanweitz.com/
Allan Weitz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allanweitz/
Allan Weitz articles on the B&H Explora Blog: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/users/allan-weitz
Podcasting 101 with the B&H Photography Podcast Team: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd2KDaNSjGI
Steve Sasson Podcast Episode: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/invention-of-digital-camera
Japan Camera Hunter Podcast Episode: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/podcast-the-japan-camera-hunter
Graham Nash Podcast Episode: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/graham-nash-ace-photographer-digital-printing-pioneer-music-legend-the-bh
Bruce Gilden Podcast Episode: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/closer-look-bruce-gilden

End Credits:
Founding Host: Allan Weitz

Incoming Host: Derek Fahsbender

Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman

Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein

Executive Producer: Richard Stevens

Passing the Podcast Keys, with Derek Fahsbender & Allan Weitz

Top shot © Kristof Ramon

The dynamic arena of competitive cycling photography is not for the faint of heart. This grueling specialty requires a mix of split-second reaction times, intuitive technical mastery, and the ability to anticipate—and even more important—embrace risk. It takes a special breed of photographer to continuously capture every ounce of emotion packed into this sport, from bruising injuries and bitter disappointments to the exaltation of a win. 

For today’s show, we’ve brought together two passionate cycling aficionados, former competitive cyclist and renowned street photographer Phil Penman and Kristof Ramon, a cycling photography specialist who recently released his first book on the subject. While they’re introduced as strangers, get ready to be wowed by the synchronicity of their shared experiences, and the remarkable chemistry that grows between them over the course of the show.
	
Most people’s awareness of competitive cycling revolves around coverage of the Tour de France or other major races shown on TV. Our conversation delves much deeper than this, to reveal what happens behind the scenes, and show both the intensity of purpose and the many stages of suffering that’s a hallmark of this sport. Kristof’s book is titled The Art of Suffering for a reason. As he aptly sums up in the book’s opening quote: “Where the conditions get grimmer and the riders start to suffer, that’s when the more interesting stories begin.

Guests: Phil Penman & Kristof Ramon

Guest Bios:
British-born, New York-based photographer Phil Penman has documented the ever-changing scene of New York City’s streets for more than 25 years. and he has quite a bit of experience in the world of professional cycling himself.
In his career as a news and magazine photographer, Phil has photographed major public figures and historical events. His reportage following the 9/11 terrorist attack was featured in major print publications and media broadcasts worldwide, and his work covering New York City’s pandemic lockdown is in the collection of the U.S. Library of Congress. 
In addition to exhibiting at Leica galleries in New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, and London, Phil’s signature street photography has appeared in international exhibitions as far afield as Venice, Berlin, and Sydney. He also tours the world teaching photo workshops for Leica Akademie. Phil’s books, "Street" published in 2019, and "New York Street Diaries" published in 2023 both became best-sellers and have been featured at New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
Kristof Ramon is a pro-cycling photographer who covers some of the world’s most prestigious races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’ Italia, the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix. Born and raised in Belgium, Kristof discovered photography while attending film school at age 19. He eventually followed his passion for cycling and photography and has focused exclusively on this sport since 2011. 

Working under the name Kramon, his talent for storytelling and his ability to capture the atmosphere and raw emotion of racing makes his images stand out from typical race photography. Kristof’s reputation has earned him the respect and trust of many of the biggest racing teams and riders - which is why he’s able to capture such extraordinary in-between moments and behind-the-scenes images. The riders are always his primary focus, as evidenced in his close-up portraits of racers caked in sweat, mud, dust, snow, and grime. Kristof’s first book, The Art of Suffering, was released in June 2024 by Laurence King Publishing.

The Art of Competitive Cycling Photography, with Phil Penman & Kristof Ramon

Africa is the cradle of our civilization. Yet, most Westerners see this massive continent from a distance, and often through a scrim of largely negative headlines. 

For more than a decade, Boston-based photographer Lou Jones has sought to challenge this misperception. In 2013, he launched an in-depth photographic documentation of individual countries across Africa under the title the panAFRICAproject. 

Jones joins us on today’s podcast to recap his efforts to date, which currently encompasses a third of Africa’s 54 nations. 

Listen in to learn how the project came to be—growing from a solo endeavor to travels with two assistants and enough photo and lighting gear to illuminate an airplane factory. We also discuss the delicate mix of diplomacy and six degrees of separation Jones employs when negotiating access to photograph—plus much, much more.

“We're talking about contemporary Africa,” Jones points out. “Talking to people local—not academics in America—to tell us what's important to their culture, what's important to their country, what's important to their community, what's important to their company. Directly from people living there.”

Guest: Lou Jones

Guest Bio: The eclectic career of Lou Jones has spanned every camera format, film type, artistic movement, and technological change, while simultaneously evolving from the commercial to the personal. Recognized by Nikon as a “Legend Behind the Lens” and honored as a Lowepro “Champion,” Jones has maintained a photography studio in Boston for more than 40 years, all while traveling to over 65 foreign countries on assignment.

Jones works primarily with advertising agencies and design studios for corporate clients such as Nike, Mobil, and Federal Express, as well as influential publications like Time, Fortune, and National Geographic, among many others.

The author of more than a dozen books, Jones is also an esteemed educator and has served as a board member for organizations such as ASMP National, the Photographic Resource Center and the Griffin Museum of Photography. 

In tandem with his busy assignment career, Jones pursues long term projects on subjects as diverse as death row inmates, the Summer and Winter Games, and his most recent endeavor, The panAFRICAproject, a contemporary visual portrait of the entire continent, to establish an archive representing its 54 individual countries devoid of the preconceived, western notions of distress.

Stay Connected:
panAFRICAproject Website: https://panafricaproject.org/
Lou Jones Photography Website: https://www.fotojones.com/
Lou Jones Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loujonesstudio/
Lou Jones Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fotojones/
Lou Jones Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Jones_(photographer)
Lou Jones 2018 presentation at the B&H Event Space: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plVb_EFMcQM
Lou Jones on the B&H Explora blog: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/features/lou-jones-takes-a-long-term-approach-from-jazz-portraits-to-the
Lou Jones’s book Speedlights & Speedlites: Creative Flash Photography at Lightspeed: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1025994-REG/focal_press_978_0_240_82144_3_book_speedlights_speedlites.html

Demystifying Contemporary Africa with Lou Jones and the panAFRICAproject

A chat with Brazilian photographer Claudio Edinger about his long-term, immersive photo essays featuring a wide range of dynamic communities—from the Hasidic Jews of Brooklyn to the denizens of Manhattan’s Chelsea Hotel to the inhabitants of Venice Beach, California. Also discussed are his more recent Machina Mundi aerial views of large cities, which use selective focus to convey a sense of the eternal.

Picturing-the-World-from-Immersive-to-Eternal-with-Claudio-Edinger

A chat with wedding photographers & tech entrepreneurs Sam Hurd and Justin Benson about AI-powered wedding photography workflow tools, and ethical considerations related to the use of this technology to streamline systems and maximize efficiencies.

AI-Powered Wedding Workflows, with Sam Hurd & Justin Benson

A chat with photographer and serial creative entrepreneur Chase Jarvis about the many insights he’s gained over the course of his prolific career. We also discuss the backstory to his Best Camera app, a wildly successful early precursor to Instagram, and a subsequent botched contract that led to the app’s demise.

Podcast: Creative Innovation & Visual Voodoo, with Chase Jarvis

As any established photographer will tell you, forging a career can be a long and arduous journey, with no instruction manual to guide you through the process. The lofty world of top-notch pros is often shrouded in mystery and full of things they don’t teach in photo school. In today’s show, we get to peek behind the scenes of this complex, and often chaotic environment in a chat with two colleagues who’ve found a way to balance their freelance careers as independent creators with lucrative work assisting in a high-profile photo studio.
 
Listen in, to learn how a casual job application through LinkedIn landed Mike Foley an interview, ultimately resulting in a salaried role as first assistant to a world-class portrait photographer. While technical mastery counts for a lot, we discuss the critical importance of soft skills like personality and work ethic to success in such environments. We also distinguish between salaried full-time work and more common freelance roles, and the juggling required to coordinate the complex planning involved. 

As freelance lighting assistant (and longtime café owner) Alex Savidis admits, “the juggle becomes quite hard at times, but I think it's a necessity, especially when you're trying to pursue something that you're passionate about. You can't just become a successful photographer overnight. It takes years to build up to that.”


Photo Industry Tips from High-End Assistants, with Mike Foley & Alex Savidis

Nothing beats the thundering energy and human drama that unfolds across the surface of an automotive racetrack. Photographers who specialize in this adrenaline-fueled niche are best served by nerves of steel and the high endurance to lug multiple cameras and the long lenses needed to freeze the action. In today’s show, we plunge headfirst into what it takes to cover the many facets of auto racing with two of the finest professionals in the field, photographers Camden Thrasher and Jamey Price.

From stories of unexpected hurdles to access when scouting an unfamiliar course to the mix of visual stimulation and extreme exhaustion that accompanies a 24-hour endurance race, our chat is full of real-world insights. We also discuss the gear these photographers rely on and the wear and tear that comes with hard core use. 

And for listeners who’ve always wanted to try their hand at motor sports photography, Jamey Price shares some parting advice. “You don't build a portfolio by getting credentials,” he says. “You build a portfolio by going to races as a fan, bringing your camera, and making cool pictures from fan areas. Tell stories, do something different.”

Guests: Camden Thrasher & Jamey Price

High-Octane Motor Sports Photography, with Camden Thrasher & Jamey Price

A chat with photographers Chris Orwig & Aaron Anderson exploring the idea of reinventing yourself and reshaping your skills throughout your career.

Reshape Your Skills Throughout Your Photo Career, with Aaron Anderson & Chris Orwig

A chat with legendary urban portrait photographer Jamel Shabazz about his long career documenting daily life and thriving communities on the streets of NYC

The Alchemy of Urban Street Portraits, with Jamel Shabazz

A chat with Acacia Johnson & Jonas Paurell, two photographers specialized in Arctic and Antarctic regions, about interpreting these realms of shifting ice, ethereal light, and profound environmental change through the lens of fine art and conservation photography. Our discussion explores how photography serves as both a creative pursuit and a call to action, capturing the transcendent beauty of polar regions while bearing witness to its fragility.

The Beauty & Impact of Polar Photography, with Acacia Johnson & Jonas Paurell

As summer rolls around it’s a good time to assess the best of the new products that have been announced thus far in 2016.  With two of our most respected product specialists (and straight-up gear heads) we will discuss the most interesting cameras, lenses and accessories to be introduced thus far in 2016, some aren’t even on the shelves yet. Cameras from Sigma, Pentax, Sony, Canon, Nikon and Olympus are considered and we also touch on new cameras from Leica, Impossible and Hasselblad. Lenses from these manufacturers as well as Voigtlander, Tamron and Lensbaby are highlighted as is gear from Broncolor, Nissin, Tether Tools and others. Enjoy this informative episode with insight from our in-house experts.

Guests: Zev Slotkin and Levi Tenenbaum

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The Best Gear at Mid-Year

During a little holiday trip, producer John Harris made a visit to the gallery and studio of photographer Clyde Butcher. For anyone who grew up in Florida, Butcher’s work should be very familiar; his photography is often found on the walls of local libraries, municipal buildings, and, as Miami native Jason Tables points out, “every doctor’s office I’ve ever been in.” Butcher’s images of the Florida landscapes, particularly of the Everglades, are legendary, and although he has a brisk print sales business, many of the photos in libraries have the attached placard, “Donated by Clyde Butcher.” 

Although he is known primarily for his large format black-and-white photography of “the swamp,” Butcher’s photographic career extends back over many decades and includes architectural photography, mountain and western landscapes, filmed documentaries, and decorative color photography. Interestingly, Butcher began his career selling prints at small art fairs and, in the 1970s, he had a thriving business selling thousands of prints through department stores such as Sears and Montgomery Ward.

This episode of the B&H Photography Podcast is a casual conversation that glides through several topics including Butcher’s work with large format cameras, his recent foray into Sony digital cameras paired with Canon tilt-shift lenses, the incredible set of vintage enlargers in his giant darkroom space, the business models he and his family employ to market his images, water conservation, and, of course, his relationship to the Florida landscape for which he will be forever linked. Join us for this conversation with a true master.

Guest: Clyde Butcher 

For more images and information on the gear discussed in this episode visit https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

Apple Podcasts

Clyde Butcher - Photographing the Everglades and Selling Clocks

On this week’s episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we welcome Margit Erb and Michael Parillo, of the Saul Leiter Foundation, to discuss Saul Leiter’s career and their work preserving the art and the legacy of this pioneer of color photography.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Leiter veered from the traditional religious path his parents de-sired for him and moved to New York City to follow his own calling. Met with early success in the 1950s—Leiter’s photography was included in exhibits at MoMA and he built a steady career as a fashion photographer for Esquire and Harper’s Bazaar—by the 1980s, he was forced to give up his studio and struggled financially, but late in life his huge archive of color street pho-tography, much of which was unseen beyond a few curators and colleagues, became a treasure chest of fine art photography. A painter and photographer, he left behind a tremendous amount of work, including hundreds of rolls of unprocessed film, that has been entrusted to Erb and the Leiter Foundation. 

We talk with Erb and Parillo about Leiter’s early life, his growth as a photographer, his shooting style, his work in fashion, and even how he turned down an invitation to be included in the leg-endary “Family of Man” exhibition at MoMA. After a break, we discuss the nuts and bolts of organizing and maintaining an archive that is at once massive and unwieldy and a never-ending source of inspiration. Join us for this fascinating conversation about a photographer whose complete body of work is yet to be fully appreciated.

Guests: Margit Erb and Michael Parillo

Photograph © Saul Leiter

Saul Leiter and the Saul Leiter Foundation

Its hard to imagine a more ideal guest for a photography podcast than the wonderful Ralph Gibson.  Gibson checks all the boxes – a straight-up master of the medium, a man of insights and tales, with a comprehensive understanding of photography from the nuts and bolts to the conceptual rigors.  After training in the Navy, he assisted the great Dorothea Lange in the darkroom, but found his calling as an artist, staying true to his voice, and founding a publishing house for his seminal photo book, The Somnambulist, and those of many other artists, including Larry Clark, Mary Ellen Mark, and Duane Michals.

On this episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we speak with Gibson about Robert Frank and Dorothea Lange, about establishing a visual signature, “broken focus”, and of course, about his trusty Leica systems.  We also touch on his relationship with musician and artist Lou Reed, 50mm vs. 75mm lenses, deconstructing the tropes of photography, and the connections between music and photography.  This was a conversation we wished could have continued for hours, and we suggest you consider one of Gibson’s bookmaking workshops or simply dig into his incredible body of work, perhaps starting with his latest book, Sacred Land: Israel Before and After Time.

Join us for this wide-ranging and inspiring conversation, and as Gibson states, “I always believed that if I stayed true to my work, everything else would fall in place.”

Guest: Ralph Gibson
Photograph © Ralph Gibson
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts

Ralph Gibson – To See Beyond What I See

The B&H Photography Podcast: Join us every other week for a conversation with insightful and entertaining guests. From gear and technique to history, science and art, we discuss the issues most important to the contemporary photographer.

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