F-Stop Collaborate and Listen - A Photography Podcast

For many photographers, planning our photography trips can be a chore or can feel like a waste of time. That resonates with me and I rarely spend a lot of time planning my adventures because I personally have not found it to be very helpful in my success as a photographer; however, I see great value in the process and appreciate those who dedicate themselves to doing it well. Today's guest on epis...

Most photographers, including myself, only think to print on photographic paper or other traditional mediums; however, countless other mediums and formats for printing can ultimately elevate the presentation of your work. This is known as alternative printmaking and is one way in which photographers can embrace and leverage the physical attributes that prints can possess to stand out or just have...

Our lives can change in the blink of an eye. One moment, we are sitting on top of the world - the best in our industry; the next - we are facing some of the most challenging times of our lives. Such is the case of this week's guest on the podcast. Today's guest on episode 341 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Podcast features Anders Spetz , who found himself the victim of an excruciating car ac...

A lot can be gleaned by studying the photographs of the masters who came before us. After all, we are all standing on the shoulders of giants and so paying homage to those giants and recognizing their impact on our work is an important step to becoming a better photographer. As such, getting this week's guest on the podcast was an absolute honor. Today's guest on episode 340 of the F-Stop Collabor...

One of the great mysteries for artists is monetization. Two paths of monetization often overlooked include print on demand services and art licensing. Each can represent a large amount of income if leveraged well, yet so many of us have not cracked the code to be able to do so. Today's guest on episode 339 of the  F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Podcast is Cat Coquillette , who has mastered the art...

Cape Cod isn't exactly known as a landscape photography destination, at least not in the circles I run in; however, I do think that it has incredible photographic potential. This potential is best tapped into by a local expert; someone with extensive knowledge of place with a real connection to the area. Today's guest on episode 338 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Podcast, Betty Wiley , is pe...

The importance of developing a cohesive portfolio cannot be understated for landscape photography. It is quite possible one of the most challenging things we face in order to showcase our work and to develop as artists. It can lead to better presentation of our work and a more well-rounded collection of images. Additionally, it is the corner-stone for the development of any print or book project....

Telling important stories about the struggles that occur through the coexistence of wildlife and humanity is no easy task, yet it is of tremendous importance, especially today. Telling the stories can bridge the gaps between groups that disagree on handling these delicate situations while shedding light on potential solutions that may meet the values that coexist in both groups of people. Today's...

For some photographers, the goal of photography transcends capturing pretty moments of pretty things. While there's nothing wrong with this approach, it can begin to feel repetitive and lacking purpose for some. As such, finding ways to have our photography be about more, have more impact, and ultimately make the world a better place is the next step in the journey. Today's guest on episode 335 of...

There are many parallels between the photographic journey and psychology. In college, one of my favorite books was " Man's Search for Meaning ," by Viktor Frankl. In this book, Frankl outlines the horrors of living in a Nazi concentration camp, but most notably he showcases how he was able to find meaning even through that existence. Today's guest on episode 334 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Liste...

Great photographs are hiding in plain sight everywhere. Often, we limit ourselves to only making photographs of the literal or obvious; however, there are techniques that exist such as Intentional Camera Movement (ICM) that can help us uncover more while invigorating our photographic journey. Today's guest on the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Podcast,  Kaisa Siren , is a photojournalist by day and...

As photographers, we learn a lot from graphic designers and those trained formally in the visual arts. Today's guest on the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Podcast, Hans Gunnar Aslaksen , has such training and uses it to create incredibly interesting and visually pleasing photographs of nature and the landscape. On episode 332, we discuss: How Hans got into photography. How Hans leverages his backgr...

Mixing family and photography isn't always easy.  Today's guest on the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Podcast,  Dorin Bofan , recently became a new father and has been grappling with the realities of spending less time in the field as a landscape photographer. Dorin is based in Romania, deep in the heart of Transylvania, and makes personally-expressive images of his home country.  On episode 331, w...

Legacy. Meaning. Fulfillment. In the end, these are all things most artists seek. When I think about my own photography, I would happily trade all the likes and follows on social media to be known for something I'm proud of.  Today's guest on episode 330 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Podcast, Bruce Barnbaum , has over fifty years of photography under his belt and has recently undertook the...

A trip to Antarctica is at the top of many of our bucket lists. For nature and landscape photographers, Antarctica is a dream destination. Images of blizzards, icebergs, penguins, whales, seals, and incredibly landscapes are conjured; however, planning a trip there can be quite challenging and daunting. This week on the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Podcast, I sat down with two Muench Workshops Pr...

Photography has the ability to heal. It can help us process grief, learn to be better humans, and grow a wonderful relationship with nature. Mentorship with a caring mentor can help us to develop these benefits, and this one of the reasons this week's guest of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Podcast,  Xuan-Hui Ng , has been able to make such evocative and interesting work. On episode 328, we dis...

Chasing the Aurora Borealis is a dream for many photographers and a dream come true for those who can successfully do it. Of course, not all of us have the luxury of living in an area where it can be done with relative ease, so when we travel to locations where it is possible, we want to maximize our chances at seeing and photographing incredible solar storms. Today's guest on the F-Stop Collabora...

For most photographers, the thought of trying infrared photography fills us with a whole list of questions. How do we even start? What is the point? Why should I even try infrared photography? What will my photographs look like? How much will it cost? Fortunately, the guest of today's podcast has already gone down this rabbit hole and has the answers to your questions. This week on the F-Stop Coll...

Niche communities exist for the purpose of providing education, resources, and a sense of belonging. The need for these communities is greater than ever in our age of polarization on social media and the impersonal interactions often found there. In the nature photography space, no better community exists than on  Nature Photographer's Network  (NPN). On today's podcast episode, I sit down with th...

Creating personal work in our photography is harder than it sounds. One possible way to give us a path forward is to develop a set of guiding principles that help set the stage for our future work. On today's podcast episode, my guest,  Ricardo Da Cunha , explains how this has helped him improve as a photographer.  On episode 324, we discuss: How Ricardo got into landscape photography. The role ph...

Innovation and design thinking are at the forefront of tech start-ups and lots of corporations looking to maximize profits and meet the demands of their customers. Interestingly, there's lots of profound parallels where these concepts can improve our landscape photography when implemented. Today's guest on my podcast,  Jeff Zias , is a photographer who spends his time as an innovation coach. He's...

Including man-made objects in our landscape photographs is sometimes quite challenging! I personally find it to be one of the hardest things to do well in this genre of photography; however, today's guest on my podcast,  Michael Blanchette , has mastered it.  On episode 322, we discuss: How Michael transitioned from his career in software engineering to landscape photography. Michael's proclivity...

Immersing ourselves in other cultures can be a very rewarding experience and can dramatically improve our photography.  On today's episode, I had a blast speaking with  Kevin Pepper , a Canadian photographer and fellow Muench Workshops instructor. Kevin and I first met on my first trip with Muench last year to Antarctica and we really hit it off. I became deeply interested in his passion for Mongo...

Nature Photography can be a powerful tool for self-expression, self-discovery, and personal transformation. The keys to leveraging this visual communication medium for these purposes can be elusive, but once they are tapped into fully, the impacts can be quite fruitful! On today's episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with  Astrid Preisz , a phenomenal photographer from Austria. Astrid has some...

The journey of nature photography can be amazing. Through it, we can learn to be better humans. Such is the case for today's guest of my podcast,  Nic Stover . Nic has successfully managed to grow his online and physical photography business by aligning his core values and focusing on what really matters to him.  On episode 319, we discuss: How Nic has found a way to differentiate himself by align...