A SHOT podcast

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Juan Brenner about an image he made of a tall Holy Week arch topped by two American flags in the Guatemalan Highlands from his new book, Genesis . In the conversation, Juan examines the role of opulence and priorities in this rapidly changing territory; breaks down his essential methods for safety working on road-trip projects in the Highlands; and reflects...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Beth Garrabrant about an image she made, from her new book, Things Shouldn’t Be So Hard, of an older woman zooming down a sidewalk on a motorized mobility scooter. In the conversation, Beth — known best for the photos she’s created with the singer Taylor Swift — explains why stopping and waiting are often the keys to finding a moment to photograph, reflects...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Keerthana Kunnath about an image she made of Boomi, a female bodybuilder, in South India. In the conversation, Keerthana explains how her work looks to challenge societal norms, considers why an outdoor setting was so important to this photo and reflects on what it means to make images for her younger self. See Amir’s photo here . Donate to help keep A SHOT...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Amir Hamja about an image he made during his New York Times fellowship of a Palestinian-American couple in New Jersey who are reckoning with the deaths of nearly 200 family members in Gaza. In the conversation, Amir breaks down his fly-on-the-wall approach, considers his responsibility to the truth and reflects on what he learned from his year working at the...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Heami Lee about an image she made for The New Yorker of objects on a wall inside the Lower East Side restaurant Kisa. In the conversation, Heami breaks down her compositional decision-making, reflects on her love of color and small objects, and considers the importance of making images purely for yourself as an artist. See Heami’s photo here . Donate to help...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Mary Frey about an image she made of a young man carrying an old woman in his arms. In the conversation, Mary reflects on her career examining the domestic scene, breaks down her relatively newfound relationship to book-making and tangles with how much a photograph can truly reveal about a person. See Mary’s photo here . Donate to help keep A SHOT podcast go...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Caroline Tompkins about a photo she made of three leeches feeding on a man’s torso. In the conversation, Caroline examines her newfound need to make moments happen rather than wait for them to occur; considers how embracing fear can be the ultimate motivator; and confronts the challenge of what it means to create photos purely for yourself, especially when y...

A SHOT podcast previews the start of its second season, asks for donations and revisits Ep 016, in which photographer Gioncarlo Valentine speaks about his photo of a woman and her family in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Donate to help keep A SHOT podcast going .

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Chris Buck about a photo he took in 1998 of Jay Z outside Marcy projects, where the rapper grew up. In the conversation, Chris considers the nature of the portrait as a self-portrait; reflects on his own “aggressive” approach; and weighs the value of making work that’s interesting, rather than work that’s flattering, as he wrestles with his feelings that thi...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Jingyu Lin about a photo she took of Linda Zhang, chief engineer of the Ford F-150 electric truck, for the cover of Time magazine. In the conversation, Jingyu examines being pressed to work outside her comfort zone, details her decision-making when faced with technical difficulties and considers the ways in which her years as a full-time New York photo assis...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Pat Martin about a photo he took of his biological father after not speaking to him for 10 years. In the conversation, Pat examines his fears and anxieties around making this image, explores the power dynamic inherent in taking someone's picture and considers whether a photo can be enough. See Pat’s photo here . Donate to help keep A SHOT podcast going .

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Josefina Santos about a photo she took of a man jumping into a body of water in Colombia. In the conversation, Josefina examines the drive behind her ongoing personal project exploring her mother’s hometown, explores the role of memory in how a story can be told visually and considers the benefit of feeling like an outsider when taking photos. See Josefina’s...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Valerie Chiang about a photo she took of a young woman in the backseat of a New York taxi. In the conversation, Valerie examines how a photograph can elevate the ordinariness of reality, details her process of executing a very specific idea for an image and considers why she's largely abandoned color. See Valerie’s photo here . Donate to help keep A SHOT pod...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Maximilian Virgili about his portrait of a nonna in Tuscany, Italy, for a Zeit magazine story about wild boar as a culinary delicacy. In the conversation, Maximilian considers how travel helped unlock what he was interested in photographically, reflects on what it means to take a picture of someone that they might not want you to take, and examines why his i...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Elizabeth Weinberg about a photo she took of Sir Patrick Stewart with a pit bull for Playboy magazine. In the conversation, Elizabeth breaks down the importance of maintaining her own lo-fi, spontaneous process on set, examines what an actor can bring to a photo shoot and considers how she’s able to unlock an image by controlling color. See Elizabeth’s photo...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Justin J. Wee about a photo he took for Bloomberg Businessweek's holiday gift guide this past year. In the conversation, Justin breaks down the laborious process of bringing his concept to life, examines the subversive nature of this image and considers the importance of centering queer and Asian bodies in his work. See Justin’s photo here . Donate to help k...

A SHOT podcast speaks with fashion photographer Alexander Saladrigas about a photo he took of a model flying a newspaper kite indoors for the luxury department store Nordstrom. In the conversation, Alexander explores conceptualizing and executing an advertising campaign, details the process of how he discovers an image on set and reflects on his ongoing creative collaboration with model and produc...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Gioncarlo Valentine about an image he took of a mother surrounded by her sons in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In the conversation, Gioncarlo examines the role of death in his work, reflects on his responsibility toward legacy and honor, and considers the impact of creating confrontational images. See Gioncarlo’s photo here . Donate to help keep A SHOT podcast goi...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photojournalist Natalie Keyssar about an image she took of two young dancers jumping a fence in Caracas, Venezuela. In the conversation, Natalie reflects on the balance between covering history and conveying context, considers the impact that ambiguity can have on how you tell a story and examines the journalistic reckoning that led her to dedicate herself to exploring V...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Todd Cole about a photo he took of his friend Ryan skateboarding in front of an outer-space background. In the conversation, Todd details his interest in creating a sublime representation of his friend, examines his own turn away from documentation and toward chasing a feeling, and considers the effect of the subconscious mind on photography. See Todd’s phot...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Kennedi Carter about a photo she took of a couple in embrace in Hackensack, New Jersey. In the conversation, Kennedi explores her desire to create images of love in the aftermath of a relationship, discusses the importance of capturing moments of rest in her work and considers how photographing Beyoncé for the cover of British Vogue affects how she reflects...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Heather Hazzan about a photo she took of Riverdale star Cole Sprouse for Variety magazine. In the conversation, Heather breaks down her search for the "humanness" of her subjects, considers the struggle to maintain her own creative vision when working within a celebrity's existing brand, and examines how she balances imperfection, even as she continues to ho...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Jake Michaels about a photo he took of a group of Mennonite children in Belize. In the conversation, Jake considers his role in engaging with the community and subjects he photographs, reflects on the importance of observation and breaks down how he discovered the project for himself via Google-assisted online research. See Jake’s photo here . Donate to help...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Meredith Jenks about a photo she took of a model gazing out of a car window. In the conversation, Meredith reflects on how personal work feeds her career as a commercial artist, breaks down her in-the-moment decision-making and considers her desire for originality in an online world filled with imagery. See Meredith’s photo here . Donate to help keep A SHOT...

A SHOT podcast speaks with photographer Grace Rivera about a photo she took of a man dressed in all red running through a desert in southeastern Oregon. In the conversation, Grace reflects on the importance of collaboration and creating photos during a transitional time in her career, considers the process of revisiting past work and breaks down how color informs her storytelling. See Grace’s phot...