B&H Photography Podcast

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...

Today's episode broadens our normal photographic sphere as we discuss ophthalmic photography and how the eye's own optical system is used in conjunction with camera equipment—some very common, some not so—to examine the interior of the eye and to diagnose illnesses that go far beyond problems with vision. We are joined by Mark Maio , clinical medical and ophthalmic photographer and developer of th...

The B&H Photography Podcast team was invited to a special event hosted by DJI and the B&H Marketing team to introduce filmmakers and photographers to the Phantom 4 Pro and Inspire 2 drones. Not only did we get to fly these incredible machines, but we took the time to talk with several photographers and drone experts to get their impressions, not only on the latest DJI models, but on other drone pl...

On this episode of the B&H Photography Podcast we talk LED lighting for photography. We start with an introduction to the basics of LEDs, discussing their advantages and disadvantages compared to tungsten and fluorescent lights, and why an LED system might be the right choice for your work. We then open the conversation to the recent improvements made in LED technology and the various types of LED...

On today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we discuss long-term documentary projects, particularly those that deal with immigration and social issues. Both of our guests are currently working on projects that span several years, and we talk about the commitment, the technique, the goals, and the gear that go into their work. Our first guest is Griselda San Martin, a Spanish photographer wh...

As we asked in an earlier episode, "When was the last time you touched a photograph?" It's an interesting question and some of us are still enjoying the tactile nature of a print, or our time in the darkroom, but most photographers now only experience their photos through a monitor. On today's episode, we try to change all that with a visit from printer and printing experts Jay Tanen and Sam Celeb...

On today's show, we continue our conversations on landscape photography with Daniel Kordan, one of the most interesting nature and landscape photographers working today. Amongst his many accomplishments, he can count having an image used as wallpaper for Apple computers, and while that is indeed impressive, if you dig deep into his Instagram feed or website, you'll soon realize that his talents ru...