Street Shots Photography Podcast

The Changing Landscape

Antonio is joined by long time STM friend, photographer Jean Miele. In this episode, Jean and Antonio discuss the current landscape of digital photography education. Lately, there's been a shift away from people devoting themselves to learning photography applications like Photoshop and Lightroom. More and more, emerging photographers and veterans alike are seeking out how to use these tools and their equipment to create the images that have the most meaning to them by relying more on intuition and inspiration rather than technique. Listen to Antonio and Jean as they try to hash out what this means for photography education in general and their own photographs in specific. 
 
Show Links: 
Jean Miele
Anderson Ranch Art Center - From "Almost" to "WOW" Lightroom & Photoshop Workshop
North Country Studio Workshops - Visual Alchemy Workshop
Jean Miele Private Lessons
Jean Miele Photographer, Facebook

Language of Lenses

The lens you use says a lot about what how you express yourself in your photographs. Each lens has its own vocabulary, its own “language,” as it were. In this episode, Antonio is joined by the fabulous Mac Sokulski from the Shuttertime with Sid and Mac podcast. Antonio and Mac talk about how they use lenses to say something about the pictures they take. Wide angles, telephotos, portrait lenses; each adds its own words to the language of photography.

Lonely Streets

In this special 55th episode, Antonio interviews Virginia-based photographer Jeffrey Stone, a fellow street shooter who he recently followed on Instagram. Inspired by such great photographers as Ernst Haas and Saul Leiter, Jeff has only recently started seriously pursuing his love of street shooting. Posting daily on Instagram under his “Lonely.Streets” name, Jeffrey’s graphic and thought provoking black and white images stand out among the flood of urban imagery uploaded to the social media site. Antonio was able to convince Jeff to put his camera down for a moment and join him in a pleasant conversation about what it’s truly like to shoot on the lonely streets.
 
Links from show:
Jeffrey Stone
Jeff’s Instagram page
Andy Goldsworthy
Saul Leiter
Ernst Haas - color correction book Ernst Haas Color Correction
Michael Kenna

Special Affects

In this episode, Antonio and Tom discuss those images which have had some profound affect on their both of their lives. Both Switch to Manual guys grew up in an era where certain images had longevity and prominence. But in this day of image over-saturation, what are the pictures that stand out, that have meaning? Which are the ones we cut out of magazines and hang on our wall to look at every day? What are the images we contemplate and sometimes send our lives on a new path? Tom and Antonio discuss a few of the photos, both personal and other, which have had a special affect on them.

What's Your Profile?

What are picture profiles, also known as "film simulations" on some cameras, "presets" and "filters" in image processing software? What’s the point of applying picture profiles to the photos you take? Is it only to simulate film looks from the past or are there other purposes to altering the look and color of your digital pictures?
In this special episode, Antonio is joined by friend and long time Podcaster, Bart Busschots from the Let's Talk Photography podcast. Listen to Bart and Antonio as they discuss whether or not these color settings are just marketing gimmicks by camera manufacturers and app makers or have some definite place in your creative toolbox.

Sensorama!

Is bigger truly better? Are the larger sensors in digital cameras better at producing higher quality images than smaller sensors? In this episode, Antonio is joined by the fabulous Mac Sokulski from the Shuttertime with Sid and Mac Podcast to tackle this endless debate about sensor quality. Some people think you should only shoot with "full frame" cameras in order to create the best possible image. Others think that the size of the camera's sensor is just one of many factors which go into producing a beautiful picture. Listen to Antonio and Mac hash out some of the controversy and put to bed some of the misinformation going around about this issue. They may even be able to save you some money with your next camera purchase!
 
Show Links:
ShutterTime Podcast
MiKSMedia Photography
"The Battle is Over: My Micro 4/3 Camera Outsold my Full-Frame DSLR"
 

Hello Operator

Today, everyone’s a photographer. But are we all just “camera operators” or are we artists? This episode, Tom and Antonio tackle an issue brought up in a recent article on the photography blog site PetaPixel, pondering the question of whether or not we just operate a camera or are we actually being creative with them. With the tsunami of imagery we see on a daily basis, can we indeed step back from it and remind ourselves to try to be unique?
 
Links: 
Peta Pixel article
A.B. Watson
 

Fifty!

It's Street Shots fiftieth episode and Tom is back! It's been a busy time for STM guy Tom, what with, oh, getting MARRIED and such! So on this special episode, Antonio and Tom do some appropriate catching up and do talk about photography: Antonio's street photography class, the resurgence of film photography and, given the current state of the world, how to safely photography rallies and protests. So, enjoy this milestone moment from the Switch to Manual Guys!

Year's End

Not an official episode. Just some passing thoughts as 2016 comes to a close. See you all in 2017. Let's hang in there!
Tom and Antonio

The Good, The Blog, and The Ugly

This episode, Antonio is joined by Mac Solkulski of the ShutterTime with Sid and Mac podcast to discuss the current state of photography blogs. They discuss the differences between blogs and news sites and give some recommendations to the sites they subscribe to. And it wouldn't be a fub podcast without a few rants thrown into the mix. Join these two as they try to guide you to some of the better photo news sites on the Internet. Oh, there's mention of a new kitten too.

Photo Expo 2016 Vol.2

In this episode, Antonio follows up with two more interviews from the Photo Expo that happened in late October in NYC. Also, he shares a deeply personal message about a major life event. 

Photo Expo 2016, Vol. 1

On this special episode, join Antonio as he walks the floor of the Photo Plus East expo at the Javits Center in NYC. Photo Plus is one of the largest photo shows in the country. Attending the show are all sorts of photography equipment vendors and a panoply of other gear and accessories. This is part one of a special two episode series where we bring you a couple of interviews with some vendors (Lensbaby and Lensflipper) showing off some of their neat stuff and a special sit-down chat with Steve Stanger, friend of STM and Antonio and also a great photographer.

Rule The Streets

Antonio decides to share his street photography "rules of thumb" on this episode of Street Shots.  While not hard and fast rules, per se, these guidelines were compiled from Antonio's extensive experience of finding great photos on the street. From "knowing your gear" to learning that "perfect is the enemy of good," he goes through some of the principles that guide his street shooting on a daily basis. 

To STM or Not to STM

Since Tom’s away on a well deserved vacation, Antonio is joined this episode by one of the great hosts of that fabulous photography podcast, “ShutterTime with Sid & Mac,” Mac Sokulski (long considered as one of the STM guys’ Canadian cousins). Prompted by a slightly heated Twitter discussion, Antonio and Mac ponder the the question whether or not switching to manual is actually a good idea for beginning photographers. Does one really need to learn how to use the manual settings on a camera to be a better photographer, or is doing so just a needless complexity. Tune in for this STM existential conversation and find out if you really do need to switch to manual.

Switch to Mirrorless?

On this 44th episode, the STM guys take on the discussion of mirrorless cameras. Because of a hand injury, Tom has been considering a mirrorless camera as a secondary body because of their light weight and ease of use. He asks Antonio of his experiences with Fuji mirrorless cameras and what he recommends as a starter camera. Their discussion covers just what a mirrorless camera is in the first place, what are the advantages and disadvantages, which manufacturer makes them and can they really replace the larger DSLRs? At some point the boys disagree (rather animatedly) about the merits and drawbacks of the smaller APS-C sensors that exist in most mirrorless cameras. This is a full-on gear geek episode along with a couple of thought provoking photographer quotes at the end.

Skill or Talent?

Is photography a skill or talent? Antonio is on his own today exploring the question of whether or not photography is a technical skill that can be learned by anyone or a talent that's innate or perhaps some combination of both. Does training make one a talented photographer or does talent come naturally to this highly technical branch of the arts? The question is not an easy one to answer and Antonio has certainly only scratched the surface of what could be a very controversial subject.

Many Mickles Make a Muckle

Many mickles make a muckle. What the heck does that mean? Well, it's an archaic phrase meaning many small things add up to one big thing. In this episode of Street Shots, the Switch to Manual guys discuss all the small things photographer Steve McCurry has done lately to put himself in one big mess. Is he a photojournalist or a "visual storyteller?" Does it really matter, with all that's going on in the world, that McCurry has been "caught" altering his images using Photoshop? Who's it harming? Is he a phoney? Well, the STM guys raise some of these questions in the hope that we can all learn something about what it means to be a photographer in these days of chasing "likes" and the siren song of image manipulation software. 
It's new for Antonio and Tom to discuss breaking news in the photo world, but they thought they throw their hats into the McCurry debate, not necessarily to judge or criticize (though there might be just a tad bit of that in the mix) but to discuss what it means to be true to yourself, and the rest of the world, about the images you create and the kind of photographer you want to be.
Links mentioned in the show:
First PetaPixel article about Steve McCurry
Second PetaPixel Article
Steve McCurry statement to Time Magazine
Allen Murabayashi opinion
Chitchat Across the Pond
Let's Talk Photography
ShutterTime with Sid and Mac

Off to Market

Do you have images that might be worth something sitting on your computer? Why not put them out in the world where keyword searches will get them in front of folks who might want to buy them with the click of a mouse! As a former stock photography editor, Antonio knows the ropes and talks Tom through the process. If you've ever wondered how you might go about  getting your images out into the world and/or could use a few extra bucks rolling in each month, this is a must listen!

"Transitions" - Interview with Jim Goldstein

On this 40th Street Shots episode Tom's away but Antonio has a peer-to-peer conversation with San Franciso-based photographer Jim Goldstein. Jim is well known for his landscape and travel work as well as his extensive social media presence which he uses as a platform to share his wealth of knowledge about shooting and the photographic process. He talks with Antonio about his transition from film to digital and, at least experimentally, back to film again. Jim also has an incredible portfolio of astrophotography work and Antonio gets him to share some of his techniques and experiences in making these fantastic photos. So, grab a beverage, pull up a stool and join Antonio and Jim as they chat about their favorite mutual subject: making great photos. 
Show Links:
Jim Goldstein Photography
Jim's eBook
Michael Gordon, photographer
Guy Tal, photographer
Fuji GX617 Camera

Mash Up!

In this special episode, Tom and Antonio team up with their Canadian counterparts, Sid and Mac, from the fabulous ShutterTime photography podcast to make a super mega mashup show. The STM guys have long been fans of Sid and Mac’s podcast and this joint episode is the first of hopefully many more joint podcasts to come. In this show, the ShutterTime crew and STM guys discuss whether or not it’s worth creating and having a physical photography portfolio. They discuss the merits and advantages of printing your work to show to potential clients or even just to have for yourself. Also, the idea of whether or not to have separate portfolios to cover the different aspects of your photography is touched upon.
The show is a little longer than usual but the hour does go by fast. Too fast. So tune in and check out what this American/Canadian photo mashup has in store. Please leave us feedback  in the comments section whether or not we’ve succeeded in combining these two fabulous podcasts.

Dream On

In this episode, Antonio and Tom take some time to share with the listeners the photo projects and jobs they each dream of doing. What are the obstacles that get in the way and what do you need to do to make your dream photo project come to pass. Sometimes it’s the fear of rejection that can get in the way of pursuing your dream job or could it be something else? Antonio talks about a current situation where he’s pushing a suggestion as far as it can go and Tom reminisces about his first newspaper job. It’s a bit of an inspiring ramble as the STM guys try to fulfill their photographic dreams. Also in the new “Photo Quote” segment, they each have chosen a quote from a famous, or not-so-famous, photographer and talk about what it means to them. 

"Mirrors and Windows" Interview with Keith Goldstein

In this episode, Antonio does a one-on-one with photographer and long-time friend, Keith Goldstein. Keith is a prolific New York City street photographer well known for his series titled “Looking on, Watching the Building of the Freedom Tower.” Antonio and Keith discuss some of the delicate issues related to street shooting and also tap into the emotional expressionism that can come from it. Even if street shooting is not your thing, you'll want to hear how Keith uses his photography to mirror how he feels and what's happening in his life. Show Links:Keith GoldsteinFast Co. Design: "The Faces People Make When They Visit The World Trade Center"Peta Pixel: "Photo Series Focuses on the Expressions of Visitors at the WTC Site"Time: "Looking Up: A Photographer Captures World Trade Center Tourists"Inspired Eye: "Photographer captures the expressions of visitors at WTC site."

One Camera, One Lens. No Problem

The Switch to Manual Guys are back in the saddle with this first episode of 2016. It just so happens that Antonio and Tom were both out of the country and both decided to travel with only one camera and one lens. Antonio brought his trusted Fuji X100T and Tom brought his Canon 5D Mark II with a 40mm f/2.8 pancake-style portrait lens. Listen in to see how restricting themselves in this way forced them both to get creative just a single lens and with the manual controls of the camera. And don't miss the new feature as they both share a quote from a photographer they like and reflect on its meaning. In this episode Tom shares a quote by the great landscape photographer Ansel Adams while Antonio lifts up the urban street shooting master, Elliott Erwitt. Oh, and some exciting news from Tom!(Apologies for the street noise on Antonio's side. He does live in New York so it's sometimes unavoidable)

True Confessions

While Tom is away at school, Antonio has the keys to the podcast again and he thought he might squeeze in one more episode before the end of the year going over his photography "recipe," letting loose on his Fuji/mobile/black and white photo workflow. Having spent most of his time on Allison Sheridan's Chit Chat Across the Pond podcast eluding the specific question of his black and white workflow, Antonio is making up for that by spilling the beans about how he goes from the camera to his final shot. Since this is mainly a workflow episode, it's devoted to his use of the Fuji X100T camera and Google's Snap Seed photo processing app on the iPad. Tune in if you want to learn some of his street shooting and processing secrets. Also, this is the last Street Shots episode of 2015. The STM boys will be back in 2016 with a great lineup of guests and photography topics. Until then, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!