The Candid Frame: Conversations on Photography

When photographer Micah Green and writer Kayla Greene chose to dedicate their talents to independent community journalism, they embraced a mission that extends far beyond reporting the day's events. Through their work producing several weekly and regional newspapers serving Baldwin County along Alabama's Gulf Coast, they combine photography, reporting, and editing to document the lives of the peop...

When photographer Shivam Pandey first began working as a fixer for visiting photographers in India, he was positioned on the edges of other people's stories—helping shape access, logistics, and connection without yet fully claiming his own photographic voice. Over time, that proximity to image-making became a catalyst for his own practice. Based in Kolkata, Pandey has since developed a distinctive...

Mike Giannattasio is the current President of Leica Camera USA, and we sat down with him to discuss the history, philosophy, and values that have allowed Leica to remain one of the most respected names in photography for more than a century. Rather than focusing on the latest camera releases, our conversation explores the company's enduring commitment to craftsmanship, design, and a way of seeing...

A year after the Eaton Fire in Altadena upended our lives, I found myself sitting down with photographer, writer, and educator Jeffery Saddoris for a conversation that was less about photography and more about what happens when life forces you to reconsider where—and how—you want to live. Recorded in February, just before our move to Bordeaux, France, this episode reflects on the long emotional af...

When Michael Robinson Chávez first traveled to Peru with a camera in hand, he couldn't have known it would mark the beginning of a lifelong relationship with photography—and with the country that would become central to his understanding of himself. A native Californian and the son of a Peruvian mother, Chávez has spent decades building a distinguished career as a visual journalist, photographing...

When photographers Ken Browar and Deborah Ory first began collaborating on what would become NYC Dance Project, they set out to create portraits that could honor the athleticism, artistry, and emotional force of dance. Their work has since become synonymous with a style of portraiture that is both elegant and explosive—capturing dancers in motion with a precision that reveals not only physical mas...

When photographer Stephanie Pommez began documenting the lives of traditional midwives in the Amazon, she was drawn by a desire to understand how communities shape meaning through ritual, labor, and shared belief. Over several years, she traveled through river-dweller communities, photographing women who serve not only as caretakers and healers, but as guardians of local culture. What began as a d...

When photographer Tawny Chatmon creates a portrait, she is doing more than arranging light and subject—she is reconstructing history. Drawing from classical European painting traditions while centering contemporary Black subjects, her work reclaims visual space that has long excluded them. Through layered textures, gold leaf, and painterly surfaces, Tawny creates images that feel both timeless and...

When photographer Jamey Price first turned his lens toward motorsports, he wasn't simply chasing speed—he was chasing feeling. The roar of engines, the blur of motion, the choreography of pit crews and drivers—all of it became raw material for a visual language that balances technical precision with emotional intensity. His photographs don't just freeze high-performance machines; they capture the...

When photographer Danielle L. Goldstein and editor–writer Caroline Goldstein came together to create Transience, the result was a collaboration rooted in restraint, trust, and attentiveness. The book occupies the in-between—those fleeting, unresolved moments that resist easy interpretation. Danielle's photographs do not insist on meaning; instead, they invite the viewer into a space of quiet obser...

When photographer Amani Willett turns his attention to American life, he does so with a quiet precision that reveals both its poetry and its contradictions. Working primarily in black and white, Amani's photographs explore themes of history, memory, race, and belonging—often focusing on overlooked spaces and moments that carry deep cultural resonance. His work invites viewers to slow down and cons...

*]:pointer-events-auto [content-visibility:auto] supports-[content-visibility:auto]:[contain-intrinsic-size:auto_100lvh] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" tabindex="-1" data-turn-id= "d14385bd-93ee-414e-8a58-a6609ae6aa09" data-testid= "conversation-turn-16" data-scroll-anchor="true" data-turn= "assistant"> When photographer David Walter Banks began turni...

When photographer Ben Geier first began making images, it was his Midwest upbringing and a fascination with abandoned places that set him on a path of visual discovery. Over the past decade, Ben's work has led him across the United States in search of once-vibrant theatres, roadside restaurants, neon signs, motels, and storefronts—places that carry the texture of America's cultural and architectur...

When photographer Martyn Goddard began documenting the emerging punk and new wave scene in London during the late 1970s, he was capturing more than a musical movement—he was photographing a cultural revolution. His lens found its way to some of the most influential bands of the era, none more iconic than Blondie. His candid, stylish, and energetic photographs reveal the band's magnetic presence bo...

When photographer and educator Mark Comon talks about photography, his passion is unmistakable. As the owner of Paul's Photo in Torrance, California, and founder of the Creative Photo Academy, Mark has spent decades helping photographers at every level discover their creative potential. Through economic downturns, digital revolutions, and even the pandemic, he has kept Paul's Photo thriving—one of...

When photographer Frank Jackson first picked up a camera, he discovered more than a tool—he found a way to translate how he sees and feels the world. Known for his street photography and portraiture, Frank has built a career rooted in curiosity, observation, and a relentless drive to make work that is true to himself. His images often balance rawness and elegance, revealing moments that might othe...

When photographer Jonas Paurell set out to explore the relationship between humans and the natural world, he embraced a practice that moves fluidly between art, documentary, and environmental storytelling. His images are rooted in a deep engagement with place—whether remote mountain landscapes or fragile ecosystems—and they reflect both an aesthetic sensitivity and an ecological urgency. Jonas's w...

When photographer Dimitri Staszewski began his Close to the Bayou project, he was drawn to the layered and deeply personal relationship between people and place in southern Louisiana. His photographs explore the impact of land loss, environmental change, and cultural resilience, capturing stories that exist at the intersection of identity, heritage, and survival. Rather than portraying the region...

When multi-media artist Javiera Estrada speaks about her work, it's not just about aesthetics or technique—it's about transformation. Born in Acapulco, Mexico and raised in the United States after emigrating in 1989, Estrada brings a rich cultural memory of vibrant color, ritual, and mysticism into everything she creates. Whether working with photography, photograms, textiles, or mixed media, her...

When photographer Justin Black first picked up a camera, he was drawn not just to the art of image-making but to the power of photography as a tool for exploration, conservation, and connection. Over the years, that passion has evolved into a remarkable career that bridges fine art, environmental advocacy, and education. As a co-founder of Visionary Wild and former executive director of the Intern...

When filmmaker Ilie Mitaru first discovered Serbest Salih's Instagram feed, he was struck by the power of the photographs—vivid, intimate images made by children from displaced and marginalized communities across Turkey. These weren't typical snapshots. They revealed a bold visual instinct and emotional clarity that defied the children's limited experience behind the camera. Ilie saw not just comp...

Jasmine Benjamin, a California native, embodies the laid-back spirit of Northern California where she was born and the dynamic energy of Hollywood, where her work thrives. With a career spanning 17 plus years as a stylist, consultant, and creative director, she has established herself as a key figure in culture. Her latest project, CITY OF ANGELS: "A book about L.A. style", is her first coffee tab...

Matthew Finley (b. 1972) uses his photography to express himself and connect to the world around him. With a variety of photography processes, he explores intimate emotions through gesture and line to communicate his experience. Growing up queer in an unaccepting environment, Finley felt apart from the world around him. Now, as an adult working through anxiety, the studio is a safe space to create...

Founder and Publisher Daniel Power started powerHouse Books in 1995, and was joined by Craig Cohen in 1996. The early years had Power and Cohen tag-teaming on a few books at a time, raising the bar each season when, in 1998, PowerHouse Books had its first best-seller, Women Before 10 A.M. by Véronique Vial. Power and Cohen followed up on that success in 1999 with the critically acclaimed cult mono...

Jeffery Saddoris is not only a talented artist, writer, and podcaster but a friend. A repeat guest of the podcast, we have enjoyed wonderful conversations about what it means to lead a creative life. What started as a technical test of my new podcast set-up turned into another wonderful conversation. We discussed recent events in my life and where we stand in our creative lives. Most importantly,...