04/30/12

The Documentary Photographer Podcast – Episode 3: Carl Weese – Driving Around And Driving In

In this episode of The Documentary Photographer podcast, I’m thrilled to be talking with Carl Weese, a US photographer who is documenting drive-in movie theatres throughout the US before they vanish.

Carl is an expert at the platinum printing process and also the use of large format cameras – scratch that – VERY large format cameras.

In the interview, you’ll hear about his reasons for doing the project, as well as about the spectacularly successful investment drive that he undertook earlier this year to raise the funding he needed.

Links

Carl’s Website
Carls’ Blog
Kickstarter

In the podcast, Carl and I touch all to briefly on platinum printing. If you’d like to learn a bit more about this process, there is a great slideshow here by Carl: Step By Step Platinum Printing. He also wrote an overview article on The Online Photographer blog: The Making of a Platinum Print.

One of Carl's drive-in movie theatre photographs © Carl Weese

Subscribe to the podcast

You can subscribe to The Documentary Photographer podcast by clicking on any of these links:

iTunes
Zune
Blackberry

04/4/12

The Documentary Photographer Podcast – Episode 2: Pat Flynn – The Online Income Experiment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

For this episode of The Documentary Photographer podcast, I’m delighted to be interviewing Pat Flynn.

Pat isn’t a photographer. I’ll tell you that now. However, I do think what he is doing is could be of interest to photographers. Actually, I think it could be of real use to us.

Pat publishes the Smart Passive Income blog and podcast, and has built up a solid reputation as a rich source of useful information about how to earn an income online. This fits really well with my own ambitions to find ways that I can monetize my photography via the internet (The Online Income Experiment). So when I had opportunity to interview Pat, I couldn’t believe my luck.

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03/29/12

A Personal Sequence

Ending our week of looking at Elliot Erwitt’s book Sequentially Yours, I thought I’d publish some personal work. Our daughter was ill last week, so she had to spend her weekend in bed.

03/28/12

Elliott Erwitt – Sequentially Yours: Part 2

Elliott Erwitt’s new book, Sequentially Yours, raises some interesting questions about documentary photography – both in the past and now. The world has changed so much. Not least in terms of how photographs are produced and consumed, and attitudes towards photography in public spaces. The book also reminds us that documentary photography is broader than photojournalism alone.

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03/27/12

Credit Where It Is Due

Imagine having your photograph taken for the cover of your latest novel by someone like David Burnett, or even by David Burnett himself.

Would it occur to you to do an interview that you could send to a friend to publish on their blog? There would be huge interest in it in the right circles.

Or would you store the encounter away, only drawing upon it at dinner parties in front of an exclusive audience?

Fortunately, novelist John Camp chose the former: Just Make the Damn Picture: An Interview with David Burnett, Part I.

By the way, if any readers of this blog get a chance like this, you will pass it on, won’t you?

03/26/12

Elliott Erwitt – Sequentially Yours: Part 1

A copy of Sequentially Yours, Elliott Erwitt’s new book, arrived here from Amazon last week. It took a diversion on its way, ending up with a neighbour, before landing with me several days after. That seems fitting for a book comprising photographs that work together in steps to achieve an end goal, rather than single images that contain all the information you need and jump straight to the end line.

I’ve had time to digest the book, and it’s raised quite a number of thoughts in me. So many that it’s best to split the review of the book into two parts. One about the book itself; the second about the issues it raises about documentary photography.

This part is about the book itself.

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03/22/12

Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii’s 100-Year-Old Colour Photographs Of The Russian Empire

Self-portrait of Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii

There is an argument that something of reality is lost in black and white photographs. I’m reminded of this every time I see colour work from an era we would normally associate with black and white photography.

Take the photographs produced by Russian aristocrat Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii in the early 1900s, using a process he developed himself. The BBC has a great slideshow here – In pictures: Russian Empire in colour photos.

There is a life to these photographs that black and white photographs from the same era lack. It is as if you are transported through time. You make a connection.

I find that spellbinding.

03/22/12

An Open Letter To The Master Photographers Association (MPA)

Yesterday, the Master Photographers Association, a UK-based professional photographers organisation, sent out its latest newsletter.

In the newsletter, the association says:

“On the subject of weddings, we are aware of a number of complaints being made by wedding clients regarding the quantity of wedding images being provided to view and the clients then claiming that more images were taken and they have not received them all. In a recent case before the Civil Court a Judge agreed with the clients where around 800 images were taken at the wedding and after deletions the photographer supplied the client with 300 preview images. Costs were awarded against the photographer who was ordered to hand over the unused images but unfortunately the photographer had already deleted them: further costs/compensation were ordered.

“The motto of this story is that if you edit images and provide a ‘selection’ for the bride to look at DO NOT DELETE the retained images but keep them on file in case this happens to you!!”

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03/20/12

Podcasting For (Documentary) Photographers 101

Why would a photographer want to podcast? After all, we work in a visual medium.

That is true. But not all of your potential clients like to receive information visually. Some prefer the spoken word. If you ignore that in your marketing efforts, then you’re going to miss out.

Not only that. By podcasting about your profession, or about a niche within it, you start to take ownership of that space – to use the appropriate business geek speak. In plain English: you become an authority. You become the person people seek out, including prospective clients. That can’t be bad for business.

You can also produce a podcast that isn’t photography related, yet is designed to bring you photographic commissions. I’ll have more about that when the second episode of The Documentary Photographer is released next month.

You shouldn’t overlook the fact that podcasting sets you apart. How many photographers do you know who produce a regular podcast? There aren’t that many. Do you think that those who are podcasting are reaching more people, including prospective clients, than you are?

And finally, you should consider podcasting because it is a whole heap of fun.

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