Four years ago, we were assigned the task of starting an audio podcast about photography. Such a project had never been attempted at B&H, and there came the normal challenges associated with starting something new. We persisted through the first six months and, now, 200 weekly episodes later, we have built a program with thousands of subscribers and have even topped the iTunes/Apple Podcasts Visual Arts chart a few times. Allan, Jason, and I (along with the help of many members of the B&H Explora team) love creating the podcast and it has been a privilege to have had such incredible guests join us over the years to discuss their craft. Some weeks we are just too busy (or too enthralled) to take a picture during a recording, but in the midst of most episodes, I try to capture at least one picture of our guests in conversation. These photos will serve as a guide to look back over the years at some of our more memorable episodes.
Norman Reedus
The recording that drew the most buzz, at least from our fellow staffers, was on the day in January 2018 that actor and artist Norman Reedus stopped by our studio to talk photography. Reedus, well known for his role as Daryl Dixon on The Walking Dead television series, is also an artist and photographer. His photography book, The Sun is Coming Up… Like a Big Bald Head, offers an idea of the humorous and disturbing images Reedus creates, and our conversation with him touched upon his approach to photography, experimenting with various cameras, horror films, and what he’s learned from being in front of the camera that applies to his own photography. Speaking of actors making photos, check out our recent episode with actor Jeff Bridges.
Collaboration between Fashion Model and Photographer
Model Jayne Moore and fashion photographer Michael Sanders joined us for a timely discussion on the relationship between model and photographer during a fashion shoot. Sanders had joined us on a previous episode about the history of ’90s fashion photography in the U.K. and was spot-on, but Moore was new to the show and spoke with incredible insight regarding the work she does as a fashion model.
Elinor Carucci
We welcomed Elinor Carucci to the show on Mother’s Day 2018, and she quickly became an all-time fave on the podcast. Her humor fit well with ours and her willingness to discuss the intimate portraiture and self-portraiture she does was a joy. She was an open book when it came to her process, which includes photographing her family. When we recorded with Carucci, she was working on her latest book, Midlife, which has since been released to great acclaim.
Shahidul Alam
On a recent episode, we hosted Bangladeshi photojournalist and human rights activist Shahidul Alam, along with author Dr. Lauren Walsh. With Alam, we discussed his use of photography as an activist’s tool, and the organizations that he has founded to empower “majority world” photographers. We also highlight the retrospective of his four-decade career, which is currently on display at the Rubin Museum of Art. With Dr. Walsh, we talked about conflict photography and her new book, Conversations on Conflict Photography.
Kamoinge Photography Workshop
Founded in 1963, the Kamoinge Photography Workshop has played as significant role in nurturing the talents of African-American photographers. On this episode, we welcome three members of the collective, photographers Russell Frederick, Delphine Diallo, and Jules Allen, to discuss their individual work, as well as the history and future of this diverse and vibrant organization.
Ben Lowy and Marvi Lacar
This episode stands out to me, perhaps because it was an idea that came to fruition only after some effort. It was an episode whose topic (to me at least) was not photography, per se, but the relationship of the work of photography to a photographer’s personal life. We welcomed two photojournalists, husband and wife, Ben Lowy and Marvi Lacar, and talked about how they keep their careers alive while raising two young children. In addition, Lowy had been primarily a conflict photographer, covering wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, and they discussed the hardship that such circumstances bring to a relationship. They both displayed the passion and dedication it takes to be photojournalist, but it was their humor and good-natured marital sparring that really made this episode special.
Jay Maisel and Stephen Wilkes
What a treat to welcome a photo legend into our studio. Jay Maisel, along with Stephen Wilkes (no slouch himself!) joined us, ostensibly, to talk about the documentary that Wilkes made about his longtime mentor and friend Maisel. While we did discuss the film, this episode was conversation in its purest sense and we veered off into any territory the two wanted to discuss—it proved to be a hilarious and very insightful episode filled with a lot of four-letter words. This episode came to pass because of a previous episode we hosted, with Stephen Wilkes and his wife and producer, Bette Wilkes, discussing the incredible project “Day to Night.”
MoMA’s Ocean of Images with Curator Roxana Marcoci
Way back in our first year, we welcomed MoMA Senior Curator of Photography Roxana Marcoci and author Stephen Mayes to discuss “Ocean of Images,” MoMA’s 2016 iteration of its venerable New Photography exhibition series. The conversation centered on the exhibition, but themes regarding the proliferation of images, the fluidity of photography, and the ever-evolving interpretation of how photography fits into the world of art were the hot topics.
Photography Blogs
This episode brought together portrait photographer Rick McGinnis and curator, consultant, and writer Julie Grahame. McGinnis was about to close the book on a blog he created using his past photo work and came to discuss how that blog reinvigorated his photo career, and Grahame added much insight to the conversation, based on her many years running a Curator blog and many other photo sites and collections.
Albert Watson
While recording at the 2019 Depth of Field Conference, we had the opportunity for a brief chat with the incredible portrait and fashion photographer Albert Watson. We took that opportunity to talk and, although it is a short episode, we suggest you take the opportunity to listen. Well worth it.
Street Portraiture
Either of our guests on this episode, Ruddy Roye or Amy Touchette, could give a master class on making portraits in the streets, but we were fortunate to have both in our studio together discussing their craft. They opened up, sharing with us personal stories about their upbringing and families, and this informed so beautifully with their descriptions of how they interact and photograph people (and the way they will not photograph someone). True humanistic documentarians, they offer us paths to engage with strangers and create images filled with passion and narrative.
Food Photography
Guests Aaron Rezny and Jordan Schapps have known each other for a long time and co-authored a book. Perhaps it’s their on-air chemistry that made this episode so enjoyable, or perhaps everyone just enjoys talking about food and food photography. Check out our episode and also their book, Eating Delancey: A Celebration of Jewish Food.
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