The PHYS Podcast

New York City has been photographed a million different ways. So how do you make something that actually feels like your own?On this episode of The PHYS Podcast, I sit down with Ryan J Leone, a New York City photographer and filmmaker working across film and digital photography, commercial projects, editorial assignments, events, and behind-the-scenes content.Photography in New York is a different animal. There's inspiration on every corner, but there's also no shortage of people with cameras trying to make their mark. Finding your own style, building relationships, getting paid for your work, and keeping that excitement you had when you first picked up a camera isn't always easy.Ryan works across different sides of the industry, from the slower, more deliberate process of shooting film to the demands of digital photography and commercial production. It's a world where you need to be creative, adaptable, and ready to figure things out when the plan goes sideways.One thing I appreciate about Ryan's approach is that he shares more than just the finished product. Through his behind-the-scenes content and photography tips, he gives people a look at the work that goes into making photographs. The decisions, the techniques, the equipment, and the stuff that doesn't always make it onto Instagram.We get into photography, filmmaking, the differences between film and digital, working with clients, and what it takes to build a creative career in a city that never really slows down.But what interests me most is the person behind the camera.What keeps someone creating? How do you find your own voice when you're surrounded by so much incredible work? And how do you make a living doing something you love without losing the part that made you fall in love with it in the first place?In This Episode:Life as a photographer and filmmaker in New York CityShooting film versus digital and why both still matterCommercial, editorial, and event photographyFinding inspiration in everyday momentsThe work that happens behind the scenesBuilding your own style instead of following trendsWorking with clients while protecting your creativityThe business realities of being a working photographerSharing knowledge and helping other photographers improveFinding opportunities and building relationshipsStaying motivated when creativity becomes your jobWhy the best camera is the one that makes you want to go shootThere's a lot of noise in photography these days. New cameras, new technology, social media algorithms, and endless opinions about what you should be shooting and how you should be doing it.It's easy to forget why you started.Sometimes you just need to grab a camera, get outside, meet some interesting people, and make photographs.Because at the end of the day, nobody else sees the world quite the way you do.Visit Ryan J Leone:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠Web⁠Orchid House Studios:InstagramThreadsWebVisit The Show:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Web⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support The Show:⁠⁠Patreon ⁠⁠⁠⁠Go Fund Me⁠⁠Affiliate Link:Harlowe

Noel McIntyre has one hell of a résumé. But that’s not really why I wanted to talk to him.Noel is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker based in Mullingar, Ireland, whose work crosses documentary, reportage, street photography, filmmaking and sport.He’s been named IPPVA Irish Reportage Photographer of the Year three years in a row, his work has been selected for multiple Leica Mastershots, and in 2026 he placed third in the World Sports Photography Awards.His documentary work around Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann became a bestselling book and is now held by institutions including Trinity College Dublin, Oxford’s Bodleian Library and Cambridge University Library.Then there’s “Frenzy.”In 2025, the photograph was selected for Ireland’s Higher Level Leaving Certificate Art examination, where students were asked to critically discuss Noel’s work alongside some pretty ridiculous company, including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.That’s all incredibly impressive.But I wanted to know about Noel McIntyre, the photographer.What makes him stop and raise the camera?How does he know when there’s actually a story in front of him?How do you photograph real people without taking away the thing that made the moment interesting in the first place?And after years of shooting, creating films, winning awards and building a career, what still makes him want to pick up a camera and go make something?That’s where this conversation goes.We get into documentary photography, street photography, reportage, filmmaking, Leica cameras, visual storytelling, Irish culture, creative instinct, approaching people, building a body of work, and why the best photographs are rarely just about what’s happening inside the frame.Noel has the awards and the résumé.I was more interested in the human being behind all of it.This is my conversation with Noel McIntyre on The P.H.Y.S Podcast.Visit Noel McIntyre:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ThreadsWebVisit The Show:⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Web⁠⁠⁠⁠Support The Show:⁠Patreon ⁠⁠Go Fund Me⁠

On this episode of The P.H.Y.S Podcast, Tyson Martin sits down with Ryan Daniel, better known as Pale Blue Wave, a Portland-based street photographer, portrait photographer, filmmaker, and visual storyteller known for approaching complete strangers and documenting the people and stories he encounters.Ryan’s journey into photography began after years of chronic pain, hip surgery, depression, and a long recovery that changed the way he saw the world. As he slowly began walking again, he found himself noticing the small things around him differently. Eventually, picking up a camera gave him a way to capture those moments and reconnect with life.That experience evolved into Pale Blue Wave, a street portrait project built around spontaneous human connection.Ryan walks the streets of Portland, Oregon, approaches people he has never met, creates their portrait, and often spends 30–40 minutes simply talking and listening. Those encounters become photographs, short films, social media videos, and increasingly long-form documentary stories.In this conversation, Ryan and Tyson talk about street photography, portrait photography, creativity, mental health, chronic pain, overcoming fear, approaching strangers, documentary filmmaking, social media, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, viral videos, and the realities of trying to build a life as a full-time creator.Ryan also shares the story behind the name Pale Blue Wave, inspired partly by Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot, and why he sees life as moving between riding the top of the wave and occasionally getting smashed into the rocks.They discuss Ryan’s viral portrait of Portland artist Red Van Grove, what happens when millions of people suddenly see your work, the dangers of becoming obsessed with followers and analytics, and why long-form storytelling has become increasingly important to him.But underneath all of it is a much simpler philosophy:You either do the work, or you don’t do the work.You can be nervous. You can feel awkward. You can be afraid of rejection.You can still walk up to someone and ask to make their portrait.For Ryan, photography isn’t only about creating images. It’s about being present, documenting ordinary people, preserving a piece of Portland history, and creating something that might still mean something hundreds of years from now.This is a conversation about photography.But more importantly, it’s about creativity, resilience, human connection, and having the courage to start.In This Episode:• How Pale Blue Wave began• Photography as a tool for recovery and mental health• Ryan’s experience with chronic pain and hip surgery• Approaching strangers for street portraits• Getting past fear, awkwardness, and rejection• Photographing people on the streets of Portland• Building meaningful connections through portrait photography• Short-form video vs. long-form documentary storytelling• Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and creator burnout• The reality behind viral social media success• The story of the Red Van Grove portrait• Why follower counts eventually stop mattering• Creativity, struggle, discipline, and doing the work• Preserving everyday life through photography• Advice for anyone thinking about picking up a cameraThe P.H.Y.S Podcast explores photography, creativity, mental health, storytelling, and the people behind the images.Visit Pale Blue Wave:⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTubeTikTokPatreonVisit The Show:⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Web⁠⁠⁠Support The Show:Patreon Go Fund Me

On this episode of The PHYS Podcast, I sit down with Wayne Simpson, an Ojibwe photographer from Aamjiwnaang First Nation, based in Elora, Ontario.Wayne is known for his dramatic portrait photography and atmospheric landscape work. His portraits have a cinematic, almost mythic quality—images that immediately make you wonder about the person in front of the camera and the story behind their face.But those photographs don't begin with lighting or camera settings.They begin with connection.Wayne actively seeks out many of the people he photographs, takes the time to build relationships with them, and uses photography to explore character, emotion and the stories we carry.We talk about Wayne's journey from working as a graphic designer in Calgary to becoming a full-time professional photographer, how he developed his distinctive visual style, and what he's learned about creating photographs that actually make people feel something.We also explore his Ojibwe identity, creativity, portraiture, landscape photography, visual storytelling, working with people, and the importance of finding your own voice as a photographer.As an educator, Wayne leads portrait and landscape photography workshops across Canada, from Banff National Park to Prince Edward Island, and contributes to the OFFBEAT photography community.His award-winning photography has appeared in Canadian Geographic, Outdoor Photography Canada, Outdoor Photography Magazine, Canadian Rockies Annual, Legion Magazine, Nature Photographers Network, Dark Beauty, and numerous books around the world.In This Episode:​Wayne's journey from graphic design to professional photographyDeveloping a recognizable photographic style• Dramatic and cinematic portrait photographyFinding and approaching interesting portrait subjectsBuilding trust before taking someone's photographCreating portraits with emotion, mystery and storyWayne's Ojibwe identity and creative journeyLandscape photography and photographing wild placesLight, mood and atmosphere in photographyThe difference between making a photograph and simply taking oneTeaching portrait and landscape photography across CanadaCreativity, human connection and finding your photographic voiceAt its core, this conversation gets into something I believe deeply:The camera is only the tool. The photograph comes from the connection.Visit Wayne:⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Web⁠⁠⁠Buy Wayne's Book: ResilientShort Documentary On WayneVisit The Show:⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠Web⁠⁠Support The Show:⁠Patreon ⁠⁠Go Fund Me

What happens when photography becomes more than making beautiful images and becomes a way to better understand yourself, your creativity, and how you see the world?On this episode of The PHYS Podcast, host Tyson Martin sits down with Brie Stockwell, a nature and landscape photographer, creative coach, and podcast host whose work explores the quiet beauty of wild places.Brie is drawn to deserts, dunes, soft light, subtle colour, infrared black-and-white photography, and the small details we often overlook. Her approach to landscape photography is rooted in slowing down, paying attention, and developing a deeper relationship with the natural world.In 2019, Brie made the decision to take her photography seriously as a creative practice. That commitment eventually led to a self-organized solo exhibition in 2021, a turning point that changed not only her photography, but also her confidence, creative identity, and vision for what was possible.Her work has since earned significant recognition. Brie was named Grand Prize winner of the 21st Annual New Mexico Magazine Photo Contest, with additional work published in Lens Journal and featured in multiple volumes of the Natural Landscape Photography Awards books.But this conversation goes far beyond photography.Alongside her work behind the camera, Brie is a life coach for creative professionals, working with photographers, artists, and designers to help them navigate creative confidence, intuition, personal growth, and the challenges of building a sustainable and meaningful creative life.She is also the host of Wild Women in Photography, a podcast exploring the lived experiences of women photographers, creative identity, and finding your voice behind the camera, as well as The Complete Creative, where she explores creativity, intuition, and what it means to create a life around the work that matters to you.In this episode, we talk about landscape and nature photography, infrared photography, finding your photographic voice, creative confidence, overcoming self-doubt, coaching creatives, connecting with nature, building a sustainable creative practice, and learning to trust your own way of seeing.Because sometimes becoming a better photographer isn't really about the camera.It's about becoming more comfortable with who you are, what you see, and what you have to say.Visit Brie⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠Web⁠⁠Creative Mind CoachInstagramThreadsWebVisit The Show:⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠Web⁠Support The Show:⁠Patreon ⁠⁠Go Fund Me