B&H Photography Podcast

On this week's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we get the old band back together for one more gig. Joining us are Explora writers and podcast veterans Todd Vorenkamp and Shawn Steiner. They are not on the show just because we like them so much, but also because they are experts on camera gear and have written up most of the camera news from photokina 2018. In addition, we welcome Dana Glidden, the B&H social media manager, to join us. Glidden attended this year's camera trade fair, which was held from September 26-29, 2018, in Cologne, Germany. We start the episode with Glidden, who provides an overview of the biggest, and perhaps most important camera expo on the planet, and then we go to Steiner and Vorenkamp to fill us in on the most impressive of the cameras, lenses, and other gear announced at this year's show. Although announced before photokina, the Canon EOS R and the Nikon Z6 and Z7 mirrorless full-frame cameras were still the biggest draw at the convention. The Zeiss ZX1 Digital Camera, the Fujifilm X-T3 and the Panasonic Lumix S1 and S1R also received their share of attention, as did the new medium format Fujifilm GFX 50R Mirrorless Camera. If it wasn't already clear that high-end mirrorless cameras were in full display this year, a new silver Leica CL Mirrorless Digital Camera was also announced. Many lenses were also unveiled at photokina 2018, including the Zeiss Batis 40mm f/2 lens, the Sigma 40mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens, the Voigtländer NOKTON 50mm f/1.2, as well as several lenses for the new Nikon and Canon full-frame mirrorless systems. Other products discussed on the show are the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, the GoPro Hero 7, the Profoto B10 Off-Camera Flash and the Gitzo Mini Traveler tripod. Join us for this comprehensive overview of the latest cameras and photography gear from this year's photokina trade fair. Guests: Dana Glidden, Shawn Steiner, Todd Vorenkamp

Under starry skies, we took our recorders and headphones to a collection of shipping containers in Brooklyn, known as Photoville 2018 and Photoville did not disappoint—what a wonderful collection of photo exhibits. The exhibits span the breadth photography, but with an overarching theme rooted firmly in documentary and social justice photography. Many shows were sponsored—by the U.S. Marines, by magazines, universities, or collectives; others were curated by New York Public School children, and another by the New York Municipal Archives. As in years past, it was a wonderful, perspective-expanding experience run by people who love photography. We chatted with organizers and photographers from a handful of the exhibitions. First on today's B&H Photography Podcast, we speak with Michael Lorenzini, from the Municipal Archives of the NYC Department of Records. Lorenzini, along with co-curator Matthew Minor, organized the exhibit "NYC Work and Working," a beautiful selection of images from the collection of the WPA Federal Writer's Project. In addition to discussing the current exhibition, Lorenzini offers details on the Municipal Archive itself, its mission and the multitude of historical collections it houses. Staying in the New York groove, we met with the instructors and students from the High School of Art and Design and the High School of Fashion Industries. These photography programs, taught by Brenna McLaughlin and Ben Russell, respectively, have been a part of these high schools for decades and embrace traditional darkroom and digital techniques, offering work experience in photography, as well. The students were kind enough to wait for us to arrive after a long day of discussing their work with fellow students during New York Public School day at Photoville. Next, we speak with Pablo Farias, Isaac Guzman, and Vanessa Crowley of the exhibit, "conSEQUENCIAS/conSEQUENCES" presented by Bats'i LAB. This exhibit and its organizers are invested in creating a photographic community in Chiapas, Mexico. After a short break, we continue with photojournalist Ron Haviv and Dr. Lauren Walsh of The VII Foundation exhibit. The focus of our chat is their upcoming film "Biography of a Photo," which traces the impact of two photographs Haviv took earlier in his career, which have left indelible marks on the countries in which they were taken. Both photographs capture isolated acts of cruelty within societies in conflict, and do so with such resonance that they have become iconic images within those societies. Our next stop is the container curated by the Authority Collective and their exhibit "The Lit List: 30 Under-the-Radar Photographers," a show presenting thirty interesting photographers whose work deserves attention. We speak with one of the photographers, Arlene Mejorada, and organizers of the Authority Collective, which describes itself as a group of womxn, femmes, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people of color reclaiming their authority in the photography, film and VR/AR industries. Finally, we speak with Crista Dix of wall space creative, and artist Deborah Bay about their exhibit, "Internal Ballistics." The work here is more accurately categorized as "art" photography, but its beautiful cross-section depictions of bullets and the abstract damage they create fosters an interesting debate about gun violence. Join us for this interesting set of conversations. Guests: Ben Russell, Brenna McLaughlin, Erika Perez, Yaqueline Garcia-Hernandez, Sumona Islam, Tais Rivera, Michael Lorenzini, Pablo Farias, Isaac Guzman, Vanessa Crowley, Ron Haviv, Dr. Lauren Walsh, Arlene Mejorada, Mary Kang, Elaine Cromie, Deborah Bay, and Crista Dix Photograph © John Harris

The oft-quoted line paraphrased for our headline, and notably used in reference to Oskar Schindler and Chiune Sugihara, can also be applied to industrialist and Leica camera manufacturer Ernst Leitz II, who used his influence to help many Jews and other subjugated people avoid persecution, maintain their jobs, or even escape Germany during the 1930s and 1940s. Like any story drawn from a terrible era of oppression, heroes are painted with shades of gray, and humanitarianism can be found in small gestures, but historian Frank Dabba Smith creates a narrative derived from primary source research. Our second guest, photographer Jill Enfield, recounts her family's direct relationship with this chapter of Jewish, German, American, and photographic history. Join us for this engaging conversation. Guests: Frank Dabba Smith and Jill Enfield This is an encore episode, first published in November, 2015. It was an early episode for us but a subject we always thought was worth revisiting. For further images, visit the B&H Photography Podcast home page.

This year marks the anniversary of the shooting date of two iconic photographs, taken at the same location, forty years apart. In 1958, Art Kane created the image that has come to be known as "A Great Day in Harlem." The photo presented fifty-seven of the world's greatest jazz musicians gathered on a stoop on East 126th Street, in Harlem, New York City. Over time, this photo has become legendary: a movie was made about it, and many recreations have been staged around the world, but none as interesting as the photo that was made by the great Gordon Parks, on September 29, 1998, on the same stoop. On that day, organized by the editors of XXL Magazine, almost two-hundred hip-hop artists gathered to be part of a photograph that was called "The Greatest Day in Hip-Hop." With the 20th anniversary of the 1998 photo approaching, on today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast we will discuss the making of that image. We speak with two of the people responsible for producing the photo: the editor-in-chief of XXL at the time, Sheena Lester, and writer Michael Gonzales. We also welcome back journalist and author Vikki Tobak to the show, whose upcoming book, Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop, discusses the making of this image and, finally, we are joined by artist Fab 5 Freddy, who was a participant in the photo and shares his recollection of that incredible day in Harlem. Also, in the weeks to come, we hope to publish a bonus episode with Jonathan Kane, son of photographer Art Kane, who will bring his insight to the making of and the legacy of his father's original photo. Guests: Vikki Tobak, Sheena Lester, Michael Gonzales, Fab 5 Freddy Photograph © Gordon Parks. Courtesy of The Gordon Parks Foundation

On today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we speak with the winners of our two 2018 sweepstakes. During the first part of our show, we meet the winners of our Fujifilm X-H1 Sweepstakes, get to know a little about their photography, and hear their early opinions of the Fujifilm X-H1 and Fujifilm X-E3 cameras. After a short break, we will catch up with the winners of our Canon 5D Mark IV Sweepstakes, which took place in January, 2018. We join New York resident Nalane Singh, who won the Fujifilm X-E3 and Fujifilm XF 23mm f/2 lens, to speak about her early impressions of the camera and her plans to use it to advance her street photography. We also speak with the grand-prize winner, Californian Brian Duckart, who received the Fujifilm X-H1 mirrorless camera with the FUJINON XF 35mm f/2 lens. He, too, lets us know the work he expects to do with his new camera and how it has been performing since he's had it. In the second half of our show, we catch up with the photographers who won cameras in our Canon 5D Mark IV sweepstakes. Both Hillary Dunning and Tim Couch address the creative boost they have felt since receiving their new Canon DSLRs. Hillary Dunning, who won the Canon EOS 80D DSLR camera with a 50mm f/1.8 lens, is a nature photographer who has been invited to exhibit her work in regional shows over the course of the past nine months, and is exploring other genres, as well. She discusses the advantages of a fast lens, how the new camera has enabled experimentation, and why it's the perfect camera for hiking. Tim Couch is a working photographer and the Canon 5D Mark IV is a professional tool that he has incorporated into his workflow. We speak with Couch about the camera's advantages when shooting live music events and boxing, his two main endeavors. We learn that he is now starting a photo-based webzine, and we discuss which lenses he is looking to buy now that he is using such a high-resolution camera. We could not be happier to share our love of photography and are so pleased to know that the sweepstakes have helped some of our listeners improve their work or simply sparked their creativity. We look forward to staying in touch with all our winners and following their output in the years to come—and be sure to keep an eye out for our next sweepstakes. Guests: Brian Duckart, Nalane Singh, Hillary Dunning, Tim Couch Photograph © Hillary Dunning

We had planned a different podcast for this week, but when news broke that Nikon and Canon had announced new full-frame mirrorless camera systems, we reserved studio time and recorded an episode to provide just the basics on what we know about these new sets of cameras and lenses. Rumors on when (or if) these two companies were going to bring full-frame mirrorless cameras to market have been on-going for years, and the day has finally arrived. While we don't have much more information on these cameras than the general public has, we were able to have some hands-on experience with pre-production models for just a few minutes and that, combined with a thorough look at the specs, will enable us to offer a conversation that we hope our listeners will appreciate. The Canon EOS R Mirrorless camera was announced with four RF lenses and three unique adapters for EF lenses—and there is a lot to unwrap when talking about this new system. We ramble through a loose conversation on the camera system, but I encourage you to check out the specs on the B&H Photo website and also read our team's announcement article which discusses the camera, lenses and adapters. The Nikon Z System Mirrorless cameras were announced a few days before the Canon system, and came out of the gate with two distinct full-frame mirrorless bodies, the Z6 and the Z7. Nikon has also announced three dedicated lenses for the system, and the FTZ electronic adapter for F-mount lenses. While our guest, Levi Tenenbaum, has had a chance to play with the Z7 and joins us to offer his thoughts, again, I encourage you to check the B&H website for full specs and features and read our announcement, which not only discusses the camera, lenses, and adapter, but also the many kits available for this new system. Finally—and after weeks of anticipation—at the end our episode, we will announce the winners of our B&H Photography Podcast Fujifilm X-H1 Sweepstakes. Stick with us until the end to find out if you are one of the two lucky winners, and thank you to all our listeners who entered the sweepstakes, left reviews, and commented on our show. We are very grateful. Guest: Levi Tenenbaum

Today, we discuss tennis photography from two distinct points of view. Our first guest is an independent photographer with twenty years of tennis photography experience to his credit, and later, we're joined by representatives from Drawbridge Digital, the company that is present for all three weeks of the 2018 U.S. Open, creating and managing the still photography used on U.S. Open.org. and archived by the U.S.T.A. On the first half of the show, we welcome Chris Nicholson, a veteran of our podcast, and a multi-faceted photographer whose tennis work has been published in Wired, Men's Health, Golf Digest, Tennis Magazine and the New York Times. We speak with Nicholson about the opportunities available for freelancers and even amateurs to shoot tennis matches and high-profile players. We discuss techniques, settings, and gear that will make your job easier and your photos better. After a break, we are joined by photographer Jen Pottheiser, and Reid Kelley of Drawbridge Digital, and we explore their massive undertaking to photograph the U.S. Open for the host organization. They work with all facets of the U.S.T.A. to provide photography to the editors at usopen.org, to their social media outlets, their marketing partners, as well as provide image storage solutions so that the thousands of photos taken at the Open can be made available for future needs. We speak with Pottheiser and Kelley about managing the workflow of over twenty photographers and editors on staff during the Open, about the on- and off-court images they look for, the systems they use to edit and organize the photos, and how to maintain your creativity while shooting nothing but tennis for three weeks. Join us for this timely and interesting look behind the scenes at the 2018 U.S. Open Grand Slam Tournament. For more info on the products mentioned in this episode: Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L USM Lens Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8E FL ED VR Lens Manfrotto 290 Carbon Fiber Monopod Guests: Chris Nicholson, Jen Pottheiser, Reid Kelley Photograph © Chris Nicholson

Edvard Munch noted that "colors live a remarkable life of their own after they have been applied to the canvas" and, on today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we dip our brushes into the palette of art and color theory and, then, we explore practical (and beautiful) applications of color through the eyes of a cultural documentarian and a fashion photographer. We start our conversation with photographer, artist, and Leica Ambassador Adam Marelli, who muses on color theory from a painter's and a photographer's point of view and endures our novice questions on the subject. We discuss a few basic terms, learn about Michel Chevreul and Josef Albers, and then get into questions about his use of color, about film color compared to digital, printing, and Marelli's understanding that colors are never static, and should not be considered such when creating images—look for the subtlety between colors, he suggests. In the second half of the show, we welcome Natasha Wilson, a Los Angeles-based fashion and lifestyle photographer who imbues her work with the colors that dreams are made of. Whether bold and bright or with a muted palette, when you see her work, there will be no doubt why we thought of Wilson for this conversation. We ask her about her process, both behind a Canon lens and in front of a computer monitor, and we discuss how she finds locations, casts models, and finds the balance between her artistic imagination and the client's needs. Her laid-back approach belies the intensity of her vision. Products mentioned in thie episode: Canon EOS 6D Mark II DSLR Camera Leica M10 Digital Rangefinder Camera Apple 27" iMac with Retina 5K Display Guests: Adam Marelli and Natasha Wilson Photograph © Natasha Wilson

It's no news that the print newspaper business is going through tough times and that newsroom staffs, particularly photographers, often bear the brunt of cost-saving moves. Day rates have stagnated, staff jobs are scarce and, in some cases, entire photography departments have been laid off as video, citizen-provided material, even security footage, is often preferred over news photographs on many digital news platforms. Many factors are involved, but the trend has been clear for some time and, hitting close to home, in July 2018, The New York Daily News eliminated all its staff photography positions. On today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we welcome Todd Maisel, a renowned New York City photographer and one of the veteran staff photographers at the Daily News to have lost his job in the most recent round of layoffs. Maisel brings a lot of flavor to our discussion, and his years of experience as a freelancer, a staff photographer, a videographer, and a publisher make him the perfect guest to opine on the current and future state of newspaper photojournalism. Among other questions, we ask him if the days of the "chaser," the local photographer covering spot news, are over. We also discuss the differences between the type of photos that a newspaper wants now, compared to years earlier, and where they are sourced. Andrew Seng has a different perspective. Still in his twenties, he left a staff photographer job at the Sacramento Bee and moved to New York to work as an independent photographer in the journalism, editorial, and commercial photography fields. Seng discusses the reasons he gave up his "plum gig" to make a new path for himself, how he has found work, and how being independent enables him to work on personal projects. We consider the many new opportunities available on the digital platforms that news organizations now offer, the range of potential clients that want quality visuals for their editorial content, and the need to think like an entrepreneur, not just an employee. Join us for this very topical discussion. Guests: Todd Maisel and Andrew Seng Photograph © Todd Maisel

There is no doubt that a film photography renaissance is in full swing… just ask anyone under the age of 25. And to be fair, there are many wonderful artists—of all ages—who have never stopped using film as their primary photographic format. To anyone who grew up shooting film and then made the transition to digital, it's a bit curious to see such a resurgence in a medium that has long been listed as "critical," if not simply dead. At the B&H Photography Podcast, we still shoot with film cameras and enjoy the processes involved, but the guests on today's episode are putting money (and time and energy) where their mouths are and have opened up a physical store (in addition to their online business) selling film and film cameras. Brooklyn Film Camera, located in Bushwick, Brooklyn, sells film and film cameras --from 35mm to medium-format, disposables to underwater, pinholes to Polaroid. They are one of a few shops in the world to offer expert restoration services for Polaroid SX-70 and SLR 680 camera systems. They have a brisk online business but are also a local hub, offering repairs, photo tours, and a home base for a burgeoning community of film shooters. We speak with Kyle Depew and Julien Piscioneri about their company's origin as an outgrowth of the Impossible Project, and about the services they provide, but we also discuss the who, why, and where of the analog renaissance and whether this is a trend or if film and digital will co-exist peacefully. We are also joined by Michael Armato, of the B&H Used Department, and former proprietor of Armato Cameras, in Queens, NY. Armato brings his insight from running a camera store for more than forty years and sheds light on which film cameras and formats are most in demand at the used counter. Join us for this enjoyable chat and don't forget to enter the B&H Photography Podcast FUJIFILM X-H1 Sweepstakes by August 15, 2018. Guests: Kyle Depew, Julien Piscioneri, and Michael Armato Photograph courtesy Brooklyn Film Camera