Photography is Nothing

Episode 42 - Zach & Courtney go through the best photos of the 2026 World Cup so far. And by “best” they mean the photos they like the most. There are a lot of great storylines that have unfolded early in the tournament and Zach & Courtney get into their favorite photos of these stories and moments. Photos include Cape Verde goalie Vozinha, watch parties around the world, Lumumba Vea, and...

Episode 41 - Zach & Courtney have talked about Larry Fink on multiple occasions, so wanted to have an episode dedicated to him. The photography of Larry Fink was documentary in nature and full of social & class commentary. His most famous series, Social Graces, put images of Manhattan socialites of the 70s & 80s alongside images of the Sabatine family living in rural Pennsylvania.  He...

Episode 40 - Zach & Courtney talk about Lourdes Grobet, an amazing Mexican photographer whose best known work is her nearly 40 years of documenting lucha libre, Mexican wrestling. Grobet’s work isn’t just unique because of the subject matter. She did a mix of action, documentary, behind-the-scenes, and portraiture, all with great skill. Other series by Grobet includes Paisajes Pintados (Painte...

Episode 39 - Zach & Courtney talk about PaJaMa collective, made up of painters & photographers Paul Cadmus, Jared French, and Margaret French. Between 1937 and the mid 1950s, they created a set of photos that feel like summer.  This episode about PaJaMa is also a great way to celebrate Pride Month, as the artists are credited as being the first queer art collective on Fire Island, NY. In t...

Episode 38 - Zach & Courtney talk about photographer Joel Meyerowitz and his project Cape Light. This series, created in 1976-77 in Cape Cod, is a fantastic and nostalgic look at what summer feels like.  Joel Meyerowitz is an early adapter of color photography in an era when “serious” art photographers chose black & white film. He is primarily known as a street photographer, but for this s...

Episode 37 - Zach & Courtney head to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for their annual trek to the famed Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, aka the Indy 500. This episode is a visual experience! You have to see the sights through video clips and photos. This is Neve’s first Indy 500, so we were all very excited to show her what it’s like, especially her older siblings Henry and Louisa, who are practic...

Episode 36 - In this episode, Zach & Courtney talk with Ruedi Hofmann, photographer and master printer for Richard Avedon's In the American West. Ruedi Hofmann has worked as a professional photographer since the 1980s with regular clients like Giorgio Armani. But before that, Hofmann worked for 5 years with Richard Avedon as Studio Manager, First Assistant on the In The American West serie...

Episode 35 - In this episode, Zach & Courtney talk about famous photographers photographing their own families.  After last week’s episode about documenting everyday life, Zach wanted to talk about some famous photographers who documented their own life, and specifically their family. Documentary photographers are known for telling stories about hard-hitting issues in the world. But some well-...

Episode 34 - In this episode, Zach & Courtney talk about the importance of documenting our lives.  It’s could be easy to dismiss photographing everyday life and the world around us, but it’s an important practice. We learn a lot about the past from ordinary images, maybe even more than we learn from the major events that people might consider “photo worthy.” What did people really look like an...

Episode 33 - In this episode, Zach & Courtney talk about their recent trip to the ballpark and learn about a photographer from the golden age of baseball.  Charles M. Conlon photographed baseball between 1904-1941, taking absolutely gorgeous photos of some of the game’s most famous names. “Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson  Index 0:00 - Intro: Pho...

Episode 32 - Zach & Courtney talk about one of their favorite trips: Moab, Utah! They visit Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park, and more! Zach used to photograph weddings and that’s how he ended up in Moab 3 years in a row. Courtney & Henry went, too, on the second year. On this episode they discuss their highlights from the trip, which (in additio...

Episode 31 - Zach & Courtney talk about a trip to Hoeft State Park located on the beautiful shores of Lake Huron in Rogers City, Michigan. They stayed in a 1929 Sears Roebuck house just 100 yards from the beach, visited 40 Mile Point Lighthouse and Rogers City Marina, and took in a super early morning sunrise. Zach & Courtney talk about the trip, life lessons they learned, and the photos Z...

Episode 30 - Zach & Courtney talk about a favorite family trip: A roadtrip through the Florida Keys! In 2018, Courtney, Zach, and (then) 4 kids, drove nearly 3,000 miles from Indianapolis, IN to Key West, FL (and back, of course). On this episode we talk about the experience, including our favorite spots, things we learned, and the photos Zach took along the way. “Photography is nothing–it&#39...

Zach & Courtney talk about Zach’s six selections for all-time best basketball photos. Plus, they take a look at the photography of Walter Iooss, Jr., who has photographed professional sports in 7 different decades! “Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson  Index 0:00 - Intro - Zach didn’t know he once worked for Atlantic Records 2:16 - What is the crite...

Episode 28 - Zach & Courtney take a look through Zach’s archive of basketball photography from around the state of Indiana. Indiana is of course the best state in the country for basketball. In this episode, Zach & Courtney talk about their own experiences with the sport as well as go in-depth on Zach’s photos and his approach to photographing basketball. “Photography is nothing–it's l...

Zach & Courtney take the family to the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Indianapolis, IN. They talk about the experience while looking through Zach’s documentary photography from the event.  Courtney tells Zach what she learned about Irish photographer Jane Shackleton (1843-1909) and they go through some of her photos together. “Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Carti...

Episode 26 - Photographers are a passionate bunch and always have hot takes about our beliefs and convictions surrounding our art. And this goes all the way to the beginning of photography with the original hot take: Is photography art? Zach and Courtney discuss some of the biggest hot takes throughout the history of photography. In this episode we talk about current & historical photography h...

Episode 25 - Bringing you the best action and documentary photography from the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games!  Zach scoured the internet to find the greatest photos of the Olympics so he and Courtney could discuss the making, the meaning, and the impact they’ve had on our view of the games. In this episode we talk about…  Women showing up in numbers and making fantastic photos at the 20...

Episode 24 - There is typically lots of fashion & editorial photography that surrounds the Olympics. For this year’s 2026 Winter Olympics, Zach & Courtney found three cool photoshoots, but feel like there should be a lot more! In this episode we talk about…  Win Tam’s high-fashion photos of Team China for VogueMan China French photographer Mathieu Forget photographing Italian Olympians in...

Episode 23 - What focal length lens do you use for backstage photography? Do you ever use “silent shutter” mode? Do you use fixed focal length? Do you have insurance on all your cameras & gear? What do people who are actually from working class areas of England think of Martin Parr’s documentation of New Brighton? In this episode, we answer questions and read comments from viewers and talk abo...

Episode 22 - This week we talk about going behind the scenes and photographing backstage at concerts, shows, and events.  When attending a performance, what happens on stage is only one small part of the story. Going backstage to photograph the emotion, preparation, and all the moving parts offers a more complete sense of what it takes to make a show happen. In this episode, we go through Zach’s b...

Episode 21 - This week we talk about the late great Martin Parr. Starting in the black & white documentary tradition in the 1970s, Parr’s work took a bold turn to color accentuated by flash in 1982.  While still documentary in nature, in that he didn’t stage or pose scenes, Parr acknowledged that his photos were more of a personal interpretation of reality than a strict document of fact. He sa...

Episode 20 - Cats have been a part of photography since its beginnings. As early as the 1870s, people have been taking silly photos of cats in costumes or staged scenes. In this episode, we look at the beginnings of cat photography, technology that was developed from a scientist studying cats, and some very commercially successful cat photographers. We even bought a photo book expressly for this e...

Episode 19 - Indiana University is our alma mater and we love it! After IU football's Rose Bowl victory over Alabama, we decided to talk about our love for the school on this week's episode. In addition to football, we talk basketball (of course), soccer, Little 500, plus architecture, school history, and famous programs like the Kinsey Institute. “Photography is nothing–it's life that...

Episode 18 - In this episode Zach & Courtney talk about how football and photography came up together since the late 1800s. We can see how as the technology advanced, the style of photography changed as well. “Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson  Index 0:00 - Film becomes the subject of the photo. 0:51 - Welcome to Photography is Nothing! Today we t...