B&H Photography Podcast

This week we took our mics and questions to Photoville , the free nine-day photography festival held in in the shadow of the beautiful Brooklyn Bridge. With exhibitions held in re-purposed shipping containers and on fences throughout the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn, not only does Photoville offer a variety of incredible photography series, but it integrates seamlessly into its urban home. In it...

Canon has recently announced the addition of three new tilt-shift lenses to its lineup, a relatively big deal for a type of lens often considered merely a tool for architecture photography. The truth is that tilt-shift lenses are used in many photographic applications, from landscape to portraiture, and their creative possibilities are limitless. Also, with this release, Canon has expanded the for...

On this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast we spoke with AP photojournalist Richard Drew about his powerful and haunting photograph, " The Falling Man ", taken during the attacks at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.  However, during our conversation, we also touched upon other aspects of his career including the night of June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles,...

"The Falling Man" is the name that has been given to the photograph of a man falling from the north tower of the World Trade Center during the attacks of September 11, 2001. The image depicts a lone figure falling headfirst against the backdrop of the vertical lines of the twin towers. As an image, it is a striking composition and the casual position of the man's body bisecting the two towers, has...

On today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast , we continue our exploration of photographic collaboration with photojournalists Ben Lowy and Marvi Lacar . In addition to sharing a vocation, they also share two children and a life together.  Photojournalism is a decidedly independent, at times dangerous, career, certainly not one known for a routine home life, but when domestic responsibilities...

I don't think I've ever seen Allan as happy as he was during our recording of this episode and, if you are into vintage cameras, lenses, and all things film photography, just sit back and enjoy our conversation with Bellamy Hunt, aka the Japan Camera Hunter . The palpable enthusiasm between these two camera lovers cannot be feigned, and they talked like old friends about Nikon SP, Canon rangefinde...

On August 21, 2017 there will be a total solar eclipse passing across the United States from the northwest to the southeast.  While the path of totality will be in the center of the country, at least 60% obscuration will be seen throughout the U.S. and into Canada and Mexico. This is a historic event and millions of people will be viewing and photographing it. On today's episode, we will discuss t...

Structure and limitation is a key to the artistic process. This is the idea that opens our conversation with photographer and publisher Brooks Jensen . In addition to his work as a fine-art photographer, Jensen is well recognized as the publisher of LensWork , the beautiful print magazine (and website) about photographs (not cameras!). We speak with him about LensWork's "Seeing in Sixes" competiti...

We tried something a little different with this episode of the B&H Photography Podcast . We took three writers from our Explora blog along with us as we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the much praised photography retrospective, Irving Penn: Centennial .  Upon our return we gathered to talk about the exhibit and the influential work of Irving Penn. If you love photography, the name I...

On this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast  we take a look at wide-aperture, wide-angle lenses. With our guest, Neil Gershman, a lens expert from the B&H Superstore , we touch upon the history of wide-angle lenses, their design and general applications, and then we discuss some pros and cons of wide-angle lenses with maximum apertures wider than f/2.  Given the market demand and the tec...

When you get a chance to speak with an expert, you take advantage. At this year's OPTIC 2017 Conference, when Lance Keimig and Chris Nicholson passed by our mobile studio, we did just that. Keimig is an author, instructor, and above all, a photographer who specializes in night photography.  Well before digital technology made photographing the Milky Way an easy endeavor, Keimig was experimenting w...

Steve Giralt is an accomplished still life, food, and product photographer and director with a list of advertising clients that includes Harman Kardon, Godiva, BBDO, Starbucks, PepsiCo, Petrossian, and Verizon. With a deep background in digital tech and engineering, and a long list of awards for his still photography, he began to include motion capture in his repertoire and is now on the cutting e...

We return to OPTIC 2017 this week for two wonderful conversations with photographers who ply their trade on the road. First, we speak with Jonathan Irish , who, along with his partner, Stefanie Payne, spent 2016 crisscrossing the country in an Airstream trailer on an epic quest to photograph all 59 U.S. National Parks. They succeeded, and have branded their adventure The Greatest American Roadtrip...

Many photographers begin their careers wanting to "make a difference" with their photography, to bring some good to the world, or at least to the people they photograph. It's one of the greatest aspects of the craft and its adherents, but can a photo really bring about long-term change? This is an increasingly relevant question, and one that dogs even the most experienced and socially conscious ph...

At this year's OPTIC Photography Conference , we sat down with representatives from camera and gear manufacturers to talk about their latest products, and question them on their company philosophies and the general state of the camera industry. We present here a compilation of conversations with four of our guests: Rudy Winston from Canon , Marc Farb from Sigma , Thomas Curley from Panasonic and R...

Underwater photography does not have to include sharks, whales, or seals and, for that matter, does not even have to utilize scuba equipment or be near the ocean. Our second episode on underwater photography profiles two photographers who have found their niche shooting wedding, portrait, fine art, and dance themes beneath the surface. Jenna Martin walked away from a career in psychiatry, built he...

It's a short week here at the B&H Photography Podcast , so we thought we'd take care of some cleaning that we have put off all winter. Unless one is a full-time pro or serious enthusiast, most of one's photography is done in the fairer months of spring and summer, whether that be on family vacations, at sporting events, weekend picnics, or just working out that macro lens in the garden. So, it's t...

Today we welcome two photographers from two distant parts of the globe, but both share a sense of a serene underwater world that they envision mostly in black-and-white. Perhaps, surprisingly, Hengki Koentjoro and Christian Vizl claim Ansel Adams as a prime influence on their work, and we talk with them about not only about their artistic influences but about their choice of gear, shooting styles,...

It has been "Macro Week" at B&H Explora , and this week's episode will put a nice bow on all the articles and photos we have published on the subject, with an overview of what type of macro photography lenses and systems are available. We begin this podcast talking with photographer Marc Silber about his new book Advancing Your Photography: A Handbook for Creating Photos You'll Love , in which he...

A simple twist of fate (OK, I clicked a link) introduced me to the wedding photography of Jide Alakija and I immediately knew he should be a guest on the podcast. His work falls into the category of documentary wedding photography, but the intimate connection he makes with his subjects and his compositional skills place his work above the popular trend of fly-on-the-wall work. He captures moments...

We start this week's episode on a congenial and practical note with Frank Meo, aka " The PhotoCloser ," talking about what can be a very difficult aspect of photography for some—negotiating with clients and establishing a rate for your services. Meo, who has been a "rep" for many photographers, now concentrates on being a "collaborator." His services include estimating and negotiating fees. Meo al...

Conservation photography can take many forms and we will offer our definition, but more importantly, we will speak with noted outdoor photographer Art Wolfe about his definition of the term.  After "Al's Gearhead Pick of the Week," we are joined by Mr. Wolfe for a segment in which we discuss how he produces beautiful images in the service of a greater cause. Wolfe is currently working on a project...

This is one of our most informative and, dare I say, best episodes yet. We talk about emulsion-based and inkjet photographic paper, with an emphasis on inkjet papers. We are fortunate to be joined by two talented and articulate guests, photographer Robert Rodriguez Jr. and August Pross, Print Manager and co-owner of LTI-Lightside photographic lab, in New York City. In addition to his outstanding l...

What are the latest camera and lens offerings announced at recent trade shows? We'll let you know, and throw in our two cents regarding their purpose and performance while we're at it. In February, the WPPI and CP+ shows were held, the former being the major wedding and portrait photography conference, held in Las Vegas. It is attended by hundreds of photographers, and features seminars, networkin...

We replace a camera with a controller for this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast , but if artistic interpretation of your surroundings is the goal, is there any difference between the two? Today, we talk gaming and photography and, specifically, the practice of in-game or virtual photography. While grabbing a screenshot of your high score is nothing new, using a gaming system's increas...