F8 | The Photographers Perspective

Matt Theobald of Breakthrough Photography, makers of the world's sharpest and most color neutral filters, joins Chris to talk about the success of his business and his best tips for using lens filters. Matt shares the situations you need to be using filters in, best practices for handling your filters, and the major differences between cheap and well-made filters. He also discusses how filters can assist in various landscapes such as Yosemite and Chicago's Botanical Gardens.  Chris then talks to Matt about Colorado Tripods, and how they're making the world's first titanium tripods. Matt and his team will be at Out of Yosemite 2020 to help attendees use their filters.  Visit Breakthrough Photography to find educational material on buying ND filters, learn about the team, and more.

Rafael Pons joins Chris to discuss PhotoPills, an app that helps you plan your shots during all hours of the day. The incredible app lets you see when and where the sun, moon, and stars will rise and fall, so that you'll never miss the perfect moment.  Listen as Rafael tells us the first thing you should do after downloading the PhotoPills app, previews the forthcoming PhotoPills Camp, and teases the next big feature coming to PhotoPills: Meteor Shower Forecasts. Visit PhotoPills.com to learn more, or jump directly to the iOS and Android store. You can also find the app on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

Chris is joined by Sean Bagshaw, who was at Out of Oregon and will join us again for Out of Acadia in 2020. They discuss everything there is to know about Luminosity Masks, including why someone may want to use them and how to avoid going too far in post-processing. Speaking of post-processing, the two chat about replacing skies, one-click photo post processing apps, and why they both prefer to get granular in their editing.  Before becoming a photographer, Sean was a middle school science teacher. He shares how this experience has made him a better teacher in his own workshops and online education courses -- the latter of which is his main income stream. To follow Sean online, visit OutdoorExposurePhoto.com, PhotoCascadia.com, and on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Toby Harriman, who will be a featured guest at Out of Chicago in June, joins Chris to discuss how he became a professional photographer, his aerial work, and how businesses research photographers before working with them, no matter their numbers on social media.  As someone who spends a lot of time shooting in Alaska, Toby shares why he struggles to find a camera that can handle the northern winters, and the cameras he relies on. He also discusses how his background in website development gives him an advantage, and why everyone should have their own website for their work. To learn more about Toby, visit TobyHarriman.com, PlanetUnicorn.com, and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Chris hosts a panel with Ian Plant, Ryan Smith, Blake Rudis and Michael Shainblum at Out of Oregon 2019 to discuss how they all make a living in landscape photography and the evolving technology landscape. The discussion opens with how they got started in their craft. Later we learn how they currently make money in landscape photography, how to handle social media, how to build an audience, advice for hobbyists who want to launch their own website, and the best ways to create an eBook -- if you should do it at all.

Photographer Charlotte Gibb joins Chris to discuss what it means to shoot intimate landscapes, her favorite places to photograph in Yosemite, and why winter is her favorite season to shoot there. She also shares her go-to lens, tips for photographing fall's colors, rules for shooting that may not come naturally, and how she turns a simple subject into a masterpiece. Later, Charlotte explains why she prefers to shoot alone, and what she hopes to contribute to our Out of Yosemite conference this February.  You can find her online at CharlotteGibb.com as well as at CharlotteGibbBlog.com, where she writes about her experiences, creativity, and new work. Her technical work can be found at Visual Wilderness.

Nature First co-founder Matt Payne joins Chris to discuss the origins of the alliance, its principles, and to debate whether photographers should share shooting locations.  Preserving nature is important to Matt and many other photographers, so he shares the questions you should ask yourself when you're thinking about giving someone else a shooting location. He also provides specific examples of locations that've been negatively affected by visitors. Later, Matt discusses how he finds his own unique shots to differentiate himself as a photographer, what motivates him to shoot, and what he's learned from his own podcast, F-Stop Collaborate and Listen. Matt will be at all of Out of Chicago's 2020 landscape photography events to offer guidance and lead discussions. Until then, you can find him at MattPaynePhotography.com and on Instagram.

Chris is joined by landscape photographer Ryan Smith, who has his own annual event in the southwest, Outsiders Conference. The two discuss managing photography conferences and preview their respective events coming up in Oregon (October 13 - 17, 2019) and Kanab, Utah (March 20 - 22, 2020). Ryan has a lot of experience with selling his prints, so he talks about what he does to close sales. He also discusses his field tricks: How he likes to stay put in one location, and if he thinks about marketable photos while shooting. Later, Ryan and Chris chat about the responsibility photographers have to the environment, and the principles to remember when becoming a nature photographer (Visit NatureFirstPhotography.org for more). They also discuss Ryan's favorite places to shoot like Utah's White Pocket, which appears to be featured on Apple's webpage for the new iPhone 11 Pro. Visit CaptureIcons.com for Ryan's workshops, and RyanSmithFineArt.com for the photography he has for sale.

Chris is joined by wildlife and landscape photographer Juan Pons, who hit pause on podcasting to start a YouTube channel for fellow photographers.  In their wide-ranging chat, Chris and Juan discuss the state of Sony's camera offerings including the new a7R IV, and why he primarily shoots with the a7R III.  They also discuss the benefits of shooting in Acadia National Park (including the best trails, outlooks, and what animals you can expect to see), and his favorite places to shoot in the world, including Yellowstone National Park.  Juan is a huge fan of Yellowstone, especially in the winter, and explains why he's returned annually for the past 16 years.  Learn more about Juan Pons by visiting his YouTube Channel and website.

Chris is joined by "The Snowflake Guy," Don Komarechka, who discusses UV photography and macro photography. Best known for his work shooting snowflakes, Don explains how he achieves these photographs (including tips on when to use focus stacking) and the Hollywood-level projects it's brought him. Don also talks about how he sets aside time for shooting, his advice to landscape photographers on finding a unique shot, and details his upcoming book Macro Photography: The Universe at Our Feet, which will be released this December. Follow Don by visiting his website, DonKom.ca. Visit SkyCrystals.ca to pre-order his book! He'll be at Out of Longwood later this month. 

Chris and Out of Chicago team member Anne Belmont are in Costa Rica as discuss what Anne, who is a flower photographer, will be presenting at Out of Longwood later this year.  In a laid back chat amongst Costa Rica's evening nature, Anne shares what she likes to help people with while they're out in the field, and talks at length about what a Lensbaby is. Anne is so well-known for her Lensbaby work that she wrote a whole book about it: Creative Flower Photography: An Illustrated Guide to Lensbaby Lenses. She discusses how she came to write the book and previews her next. Later in the chat, Anne discusses her Instagram channel and if she has doubts when posting images to a growing audience. She also shares her tips on shooting various flowers, including water lilies, dahlias, roses, ferns, and if she ever gets bored despite spending so much time at places like the Chicago Botanical Garden. Visit AnneBelmontPhotography.com, where you'll find a gallery dedicated to Lensbaby images. See her aforementioned eBook and read her articles on Visual Wilderness for in-depth tutorials. Follow her on Instagram: @AnneBelmontPhotography.

Chris sits down with landscape photographer Alex Noriega, who shares how he created his award-winning (2016 USA Landscape Photographer of the Year, and 2016 International Landscape Photographer of the Year) photographs. In our wide-ranging interview, Alex talks about seeking a sense of mystery when he's out in the field, and why he loves shooting nature instead of architecture.  Alex also offers his favorite National Parks to shoot in, how to escape the crowds that are found in America's natural wonders, and how he makes his photos about something. Listeners also get to hear his favorite equipment and post-processing techniques, particularly when it comes to contrast. Alex will be at Out of Yosemite and Out of Acadia, where he'll help attendees with discovering small things to shoot in the field and post-processing. To see his work, visit AlexNoriega.com and follow him on Instagram and Facebook.

Chris is by himself this week to offer a candid preview of Out of Chicago’s 2020 events. He also shares what he’s learned from running Out of Chicago, and how he and his team have applied these lessons to future conferences. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter (Visit the home page of our site) to become an Out of Chicago Insider. By doing so, you'll be the first to know when tickets for our conferences are on sale. Out of Chicago’s 2020 conferences: Out of Yosemite: February 5 – 9, 2020 Out of Chicago Botanic Garden: August 23 – 27, 2020 Out of Moab: September 13 – 17, 2020 Out of Acadia: October 4 – 8, 2020

Mark Denney, who went from working at an unfulfilling job in corporate America to becoming a full time landscape photographer, joins Chris to talk about how he found success on YouTube and how he makes his living. Mark also discusses how you can tell if you've over-edited your photo, what he still messes up when shooting (Edge control), his favorite tripod, and Sony versus Fuji cameras. Join Mark and Chris at Out of Oregon later this year. Visit MarkDenneyPhotography.com to learn about his Skype post-processing sessions, and be sure to check out his Instagram and YouTube channels.

Chris is joined by Rad Drew, who'll be a presenter at next month's Out of Longwood in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.  Rad will be teaching different ways to photograph flowers using your phone, and how to use the selfie camera to capture unique perspectives. In his chat with Chris, Rad discusses how to decide between shooting on a phone versus a traditional camera, what type of phone captures the best photographs, and his workflow when capturing on a phone. Rad is also experienced with the post-processing software Topaz as well as infrared photography, so he shares tips on both. As promised on the show, here's a link to Cogitap's Slow Shutter Cam app recommended by Rad. Visit Rad online by going to RadDrewPhotography.com. To try Topaz, use Rad's discount code Rad15 for 15% off any Topaz product.

How can photographers lead happier and more content lives? Chris is joined by Ugo Cei, who teaches better living through photography. Ugo shares why it's the best time to be a photographer, and what baselines you need to hit in order to turn it into a full time job. He also discusses how to step out of your comfort zone if you're hesitant to put out your work. For those who are getting started, Ugo talks about what you should master first in three-hour practice sessions. Visit BetterLivingThroughPhotography.com and UCPhoto.me to learn more about Ugo. Be sure to listen to his podcasts Closing the Gap and The Traveling Image Makers.

John Kosmopoulos joins Chris for a free-wheeling discussion on developing your own style of photography, and what makes his work different from others.  John also shares how he experiments with color, how he decides what will be monochrome, and a trick involving a black and white adjustment layer. He explains how he guides a viewer's eye around an image, what happened to spending a long time looking at a photograph, and we hear his thoughts on galleries. John shoots in both nature and urban landscapes. Chris asks him if the  environments feel similar to work in, as well as his favorite urban cities and how he captured one of his most well-known photographs, "Dreamwalking". To see John's work, visit his website: SilverZenPhotography.com. You can also find him here on Instagram. He'll be at Out of Chicago which runs June 28 - 30, 2019.

This week we're joined by street photographer Steve Simon, who just released a revised and remastered edition of his book, The Passionate Photographer. After Steve kicks off the show by turning the tables on Chris, the discussion turns to the ever-evolving business of photography and how The Passionate Photographer fine tunes his skill set.  Steve touches on the benefits of emulation and how stealing an idea won’t capture what the original photographer aimed for. Creating a unique image requires shooting personally, and Steve strives to find the best in even a bad image (One of many Simon-isms: “Not a deal breaker!”) Another Simon-ism is “emotional metadata,” which is when you look at an image and can’t escape that you were there in order to be objective. On a related note, Steve discusses if an image should represent what you’re feeling in the moment. The conversation also turns to Steve's favorite cities for shooting street photography as well as the new Nikon Z6 / Z7, a mirrorless camera. Visit ThePassionatePhotographer.com for portfolios and workshops, and pledge to his Patreon to receive more help.

Urban Explorer Alanna St. Laurent joins Chris to discuss her favorite places to photograph in Chicago and Detroit, and specific vantage points she likes to pursue. She also shares tips on safely roaming the streets of these cities, and what kind of gear she takes into the field. A self-taught photographer who has found success through art fairs, Alanna offers tips on shooting at night in the city (including how she handles white balance). She is also a drone photographer, and shares her equipment and why she loves shooting this way. It's not all about going hundreds of feet into the air! Visit Creative Vision Photography Workshops for her Detroit workshops and events. To see Alanna's work and to find her art schedule, galleries, and workshops, visit DetroitCityPhotos.com.

Chris heads to Menorca, Spain for PhotoPills Camp 2019 and chats with landscape and timelapse photographer Michael Shainblum. Considered by Chris to be the best timelapse photographer in the world, Michael shares timelapse photography tips, the differences between landscape and timelapse composition, how he uses Google Earth to find new places to travel to, his most fulfilling project, and the scariest moment of his life. As someone whose only career has been photography, Michael also shares how to make it in this line of work, as well as the benefits and challenges of managing your own photography business.