"Contrast by Hornbeck" is an iPhone camera app recommended to me by my friend, Mark Reierson, when I recently told him I was stuck in a visual rut. The app has the ability to distill a scene into an almost truly black and white image with very reduced grey tones. Mark's idea was to get me to look at the world with this app and to see things differently and maybe jar me out of the rut.
On this episode, I bring Mark in to discuss just what made him latch onto this app and how it changed the way he saw the world he wanted to photograph.
Photographers use apps and cameras and film and filters to alter the way they see the world and thus alter how a photograph ultimately looks. This is not new to the digital world; it's been happening since the invention of the craft. Join me and Mark in what I hope is a fascinating exploration around how we record what we see.
Show Links:
Contrast by Hornbeck
Mark Reierson's Site
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
After finding and reading an entry from an old journal of mine from 1986, I decided to no longer add any more images to my personal Instagram account. How did this journal from 32 years affect my decision? Was it only the words from my past, or was there something else that led me to pull the plug on my Instagram account? Taking this trip into my photographic past has shaken me up a little and surprised me in a way I didn’t think it would. Let’s hang out for the next hour or so and let me tell you a couple of stories.
I know I’ve been talking a lot about quitting social media these days, on this show and other podcasts. I’ll try to make this one of the last times (if not *the* last times) I spend a good chunk of my energy on it. We need to move on.
Sparked by a topic suggestion from a listener, Antonio called up his longtime friend Sean Justice to talk about what are the not-so-technical aspects that make a photo “great.” Sean’s an educator and visual artist living in Texas, and was the perfect fit to discuss the question of “what makes a photograph stop us in our tracks?” Spoilers: there’s no (simple) answer. Sean and Antonio aren’t after an answer; it’s the question that drives their discussion. What moves us to take a photo? Can we be stopped in our tracks by our own photography? Why is a photo great to our eyes but not to someone else? Tune in and hang out with Sean and Antonio as they pose more questions about what makes a photo “great” than they can answer. There will be a Part 2.
Links:
SeanJustice.com
Sean Justice at Texas State University
Episode 72 - "Social Character"
Antonio is pondering the wisdom of social media (yes, again) and whether or not it makes sense to give it all up or to use it that benefits being a photographer. The current trend now has a lot of people shutting down their Instagram accounts and Facebook pages, but does that make sense if all you want to do it share your imagery? Also, he talks about our ever-changing and evolving photographic personalities and how that is reflected in the cameras we choose to use.
Show Links:
Olaf Sztaba: Seeing Simplified - HD eBook
Eric Kim: Why You Should Delete Your Instagram
Well, the time has come to say adios to Tom as a regular host on Street Shots. In this episode, Antonio and Tom talk about what it's been like to have created such a fun team with Switch to Manual and this podcast. Not a whole lot of practical photography tips spoken about but more about what it's been like for the two of them to have worked together to create STM and what the future will be like with just Antonio hosting the podcast. So grab your favorite beverage and chill with the STM guys on this bittersweet episode. Oh, and it's not all bad news. 
In this episode, Antonio ponders other podcasts (and shoutouts), new lenses, and image processing. Also, he starts to pave the way for a future episode where he'll discuss the films and TV shows that shape his visual DNA. All this from a late night recording from the STM studios.
Links:
ShutterTime with Sid and Mac
Let's Talk Photography
