Photography is Nothing

In Episode 55 of Photography is Nothing , Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken sit down for a wide-ranging conversation with legendary photographer and painter Adger Cowans. At 90 years old, Cowans reflects on a lifetime of making art, following his intuition, and finding meaning in the world around him. Cowans studied photography at Ohio University, assisted Gordon Parks, and built a remarkable car...

In Episode 54 of Photography is Nothing , Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken explore the remarkable photography of Adger Cowans, a pioneering photographer whose work spans street photography, documentary photography, portraiture, jazz, fine art, and more than 30 motion picture sets. From his early days in Columbus, Ohio, to assisting Gordon Parks in New York City, Cowans built an extraordinary car...

Zach & Courtney take the family to New York City for the first time. Over the past few years, Zach has been working regularly in New York, but the rest of the family (Courtney included) had yet to visit the city. In this episode, we talk about experiencing New York with our five kids. We visit spots like Times Square, Battery Park, Chinatown, the 9/11 Memorial, Central Park, the American Museu...

In this interview with Australian photographic artist Tajette O’Halloran, we talk about the inspiration behind her projects like In Australia, The Quarry, and Regional Rituals. She talks about her difficult upbringing in the Northern Rivers area, and how that put her on a path to tell the stories of adolescence.  We also talk about parenting, incorporating our kids into our art, and her practice o...

Tajette O’Halloran is a photographic artist based in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia. Her work ranges from documentary to portraiture to conceptual. The common thread is examining adolescence and identity; both her own and others’. Tajette’s projects include In Australia, where she revisits her hometown and creates scenes reminiscent of her youth, and the ongoing The Quarry, a series of portra...

In this 50TH episode, Zach & Courtney talk about what they’ve learned so far from running a photography business, starting a podcast, raising 5 kids, homeschooling, and just being generally busy making things for 20 years. “Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson  Index 0:00 - Grow or die 1:40 - Starting a business 4:31 - Courtney & Zach had the sam...

Episode 49 - 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. 3:49 - The oldest football photo I could find. Old d...

US Copyright laws exist to protect artists and their art. Zach & Courtney take copyright seriously and have retained the copyright for all of Zach’s photography since the beginning of their business. In this episode of Photography is Nothing, Zach & Courtney talk about famous court cases involving photographers protecting their copyright as a means to teach how these laws benefit photograp...

Zach & Courtney interview Christopher Morris, a documentary photographer who has covered war, politics, and fashion since 1981. In this interview, Morris talks about being mistaken for a CIA agent, living with the consequences of witnessing atrocities firsthand, working to make sure his vast archive lives on, and more. Christopher Morris got his start with the Black Star agency covering confli...

Christopher Morris is a documentary photographer who has covered wars, politics, and fashion since 1981. In this episode, Courtney & Zach introduce Morris’s photography ahead of next week’s interview with the photographer. Christopher Morris got his start with the Black Star agency covering conflicts in the Philippines, Panama, the Persian Gulf War, Yugoslavia, Chechnya, Yemen, Iraq, and more....

Episode 45 • Kiliii Yüyan Zach & Courtney interview Kiliii Yüyan, National Geographic photographer, Explorer, and speaker. Kiliii’s work focuses on indigenous communities around the world with special attention to environmental issues. Indigenous Photography Kiliii is himself of Chinese and Nanai/Hèzhé descent and speaks often of how his own background informs his photography with Indigenous p...

Zach & Courtney introduce you to the work of Kiliii Yüyan, National Geographic photographer. Kiliii’s work focuses on indigenous communities around the world with special attention to environmental issues. This week we talk about Kiliii’s background and some of his best known work so you’ll be familiar with his photography and approach before our next episode, an in-depth interview with Yüyan....

Zach & Courtney talk about supporting their kids taking photos. Zach has always been open to letting kids use his professional cameras, even if it made him nervous at first.  ICYMI, Zach & Courtney ARE married! They have 5 kids together, who have free rein with cameras whenever they ask.  In this episode, Zach & Courtney talk about how they work to support their kids’ creativity and in...

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...