Behind the Shot

I’ve always been fascinated by the use of Remote Cameras, but it’s not something I’ve had the chance to try, unfortunately. The last time I cover it on the show was on the episode Using Remote Cameras with Canon Explorer of Light David Bergman, and then I also had the legendary Peter Read Miller Miller talking about how he used them in Sports Photography . I, however, had never t...

There have been so many times that I’ve made a mental note that I need to include more photojournalism on the show, only to have a mental dog eat my homework. Finally, today, I am checking that off the list. Still, if I’m being honest, it wasn’t my mental note that made this show happen. It was a series of events that include an email, a referral, and a conference. It ends out th...

To say I’m excited for today’s show is a huge understatement. I first met today’s guest 6 years ago, when our mutual friend Adam Elmakias asked us both to help him with his Live Music Photography Workshop. I’m sure you know that feeling of “if this is their friend, then they must be a good human” – that’s what I felt that whole day in San Diego. Looking back, I don’t think I knew at that fir...

Over the last few years I have been lucky enough to have the agency Wonderful Machine suggest a few photographers for the show, and every single time I’ve been blown away by the level of artists that they represent. Today is one of those times. Today’s guest is Ben Girardi, and his work, across all areas from active lifestyle to landscapes, and portraits to sports, is stunningly good....

For this show, we have a returning guest, night photographer Ken Lee. I’ve known Ken for awhile, and the way he ended up as a guest for the show Capturing the Slowing of Time is one of my fave Behind the Shot stories. Ken Lee, along with being an accomplished photographer, is also a regular watcher, or listener, of Behind the Shot. Years ago, when I was giving away Red River Paper Sample Pac...

I sometimes wonder, while writing these guest photographer posts, how many listeners or viewers actually read them. The truth is it doesn’t matter to me, I write them for myself more than anyone else, and I find that trying to put someone’s talent into written words really helps me distill my thoughts about their work. Take today’s guest, Melody Mellinger, for example… I th...

NOTE: This is not an official Canon USA show. This is a podcast first and foremost, available in both audio-only or video, and the video is also placed on YouTube. My hope is that by going through all of the AF options one-at-a-time, in extreme detail, you will be able to get more out of the camera system you have. My first show with Rudy Winston, a Technical Marketing Consultant for Canon USA, wa...

LA based photographer Ian Spanier has been on the show a few times, with the first being back in 2019 for a conversation about Classic Portraits & Classic Lighting , discussing a portrait of actor Jeff bridges. Next up was the 2022 show talking about his Favorite Light Setups , which was fitting since Ian is an Ambassador for Westcott as a “Top Pro”. In all the years I have been do...

Social media today can be so draining, but almost daily I am reminded of the wonderful connections I’ve made there, and today’s guest is a perfect example. Jenn Devereaux is a New Orleans area concert and event photographer, and while we’ve never met, we have kind of known each other, or at least of each other, for years. I think I first discovered Jenn when Todd Owyoung mentione...

I’m a Canon shooter… I shoot an R6 and an R5. So, I have been curious about the new Canon R1, and a little less so about the R5 Mark II. Still, I had written off watching the announcement, because it was at something like 3am my time… but, I happened to be up anyway so I watched it, and I ended up with some serious opinions on both the new gear and the presentation itself. There’s no question thes...

I have always been fascinated with the education side of photography. I don’t have a formal photography education myself, and I am very aware of what skill sets I wish I had been exposed to earlier in my photo journey. I have been around a lot of the continuing education side of photography, like KelbyOne, or various workshops that a lot of the top photographers do, and in fact teach worksho...

This is a show I have been thinking about doing for a while, and that I believe is an important subject for both new and veteran music photographers…. BUT even if you’re not a music photographer, this subject should matter to you. I think it applies to anyone negotiating prices. I have strong opinions on what the ASMP has referred to as “Predatory” Releases , and there’s no quest...

I will never forget growing up hearing my dad talk about his days flying P-51 and P-40 planes. His walls were covered in model planes of classic war birds, as though he was trying to relive his youth. When he passed away, I inherited a bunch of model planes he’d never gotten around to building. He was in the Air Force his entire life, retiring as a Lt. Colonel, and talking with today’s...

One of the things I love about the podcasting world is the instant camaraderie you sometimes feel when talking with other podcasters. It’s hard to explain the connection you get when you have something creative in common with someone, but it’s a pretty cool feeling. So, when a few months back I got a text from Kersten Luts , of the ‘ Camera Shake Podcast ‘, to see if I want...

The photographers I am exposed to by doing this show never cease to amaze me. Recently, my buddy Ian Spanier told a friend of his that he should be on the show, and gave him my contact info. At that point, Jason Gardner reached out to me, and when Ian, who has been on the show a few times himself, suggests someone I need to pay attention. Jason is an interesting photographer. He has galleries on h...

I never used to go to photography conferences. It’s not that they didn’t interest me, it’s just that none of them cover my genre of music photography. WPPI is all about weddings and portraits, and while Imaging USA seems to cover a bit more, it doesn’t go anywhere near concerts. Still, a few years ago I went to WPPI with a friend, to cover it on the show, and I found out th...

One of my favorite parts of doing this podcast is that I get to discover and meet some amazing photographers, and L.A. based Nikon Ambassador Joey Terrill is a perfect example. We’ve all joked about a photographer we know being able to “shoot anything”, but in reality very few people can truly shoot any subject matter. There are a few out there though, Joe McNally comes to mind,...

I find guests for Behind the Shot in a number of ways. Sometimes it’s a referral from a friend, sometimes it’s a cold email I send after seeing an image I just need to know more about, and now and then it’s through a photographer’s PR company. Regardless of how I find them, more often than not I end up being introduced to an amazing artist I wasn’t familiar with befor...

One look at the client list at the bottom of Paul Mobley’s About page and it’s quickly apparent that he’s one of the best commercial, advertising, and editorial portrait photographers working today. It’s a list of A level celebrities & musicians, and Fortune 500 companies, that speaks volumes about the type of work Paul creates. Whether it’s a celebrity promoting his or her latest project or a...

Zoe Rain is one of those photographers in the rare group of artists that was born to do what she does. Some people can learn to become amazing artists, while others, people like Zoe, seem to have a natural gift for seeing the world through a lens. At the young age of 20, Zoe was already touring with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and that work brought a bit of notoriety, to say the least. Since then...

Back in June I did a review of the StellaPro Reflex line of lights titled “ Is This My New Favorite Light? “. Well, today I’ve got an update. StellaPro has upgraded the hardware. The StellaPro Reflex lights are “Continuous Strobe Hybrid” LED lights. They allow you to do constant light, as you might do for video, or using digital burst mode you can use the lights like you would a...

There are times when I see a photographer’s work that I have an emotional response, a feeling that I am seeing something special. That’s what happened the first time I browsed through Victoria Will’s website. Photo after photo there was something…. with impact. That doesn’t happen very often. Victoria’s career in photography began as a photojournalist, but has n...

Regular watchers / listeners of the show will know Dave Williams. He’s a great friend, and amazing photographer, and he has a skill I value… an eye for great guests. In fact, he has connected me to more potential guests than I think anyone else. Because of that, when Dave sends me someone, I pay attention. Today is the result of that process. Dave described Paul Kober’s work to m...

It never surprises me how often Scott Kelby’s name comes up when I am talking about photography with someone. I remember, back when I started out in photography, how much I learned from watching his videos with “The Photoshop Guys”. Scott, to me, is photography education personified. Scott has been on the show a few times, for Insights From Scott Kelby and Timeless Photography ,...

10 Questions with… Don Komarechka I have had a lot of guests on this show, but few I know as well as Don Komarechka. Don is a great friend, which seems odd considering we have never met in person. We did our critique shows together for about two years, in honestly, chatting with him is always a blast. for that reason, I figured he was a perfect guest for my new “10 Questions” ser...