Podcasts

Ever wanted a bit of midweek photography inspiration? The latest news and comments on gear? Or perhaps interviews and insights with great photographers? Well, Podcasts are a great way to go for all this and more. They’re free to download and listen to plus, most are backed up by websites and forums giving additional info or letting you ask questions or get involved in discussions related to photography. With that said, here are 5 of my favourites, although there’s plenty more online.

Tips From The Top Floor

Billed as the longest running photography podcast, Tips From The Top Floor (TFTTF) is hosted by Chris Marquardt from Hanover, Germany. Chris has an easy style of communication and will tackle all sorts of questions from, film and medium format cameras to the tech behind the latest DSLR’s but, he doesn’t get bogged down with the latest gear, he also likes to tell the story behind the shot. The format runs about 20-30 minutes on average with occasional interviews running longer. At 785 episodes and counting, there’s plenty to listen to as well as articles to read on his website.

The Candid Frame

A straight interview show, hosted by Ibarionex Perello a photographer, writer and educator with over 25 year’s experience. The show interviews a different photographer, either established or up and coming, each week, running around 50 minutes. The questions are not of the usual what gear type but, more about what drives the photographer, from their background and influences, to their focus on one style of photography. Rather than a formal interview, the style reflects a discussion between friends, digging deeper into a passion for photography.

Improve Photography

Founded and hosted by Jim Harmer, a former law school student (and eventually attorney) he gave it all up to become a full-time photographer. Although Improve Photography is his main podcast, there are 4 more that download in the feed you subscribe to. Improve Photography deals with anything photo related from gear to the latest news. The second is Photo Taco, which dives deeper into a single photo related subject. The third and fourth are Latitude, dealing with travel and Tripod, all about landscape photography. The last is Portrait Session, which, as the name implies, deals with portraiture. This is all backed up by a website and Facebook page/forum.

Jeff Curto’s Camera Position

Jeff Curto is a Professor Emeritus of Photography and Fine Art photographer from Illinois, USA. He produces two podcasts the first, Camera Position, is a short (usually 5 minutes) talk about the creative side of photography dealing with the thoughts, feelings and whys of taking a shot. The second is taken from his lectures to students on the History of Photography. In both it’s a case of putting down the camera for a minute and thinking about the visual aspect rather than the technical side of a shot.

PetaPixel Photography Podcast

Hosted by Mike “Sharky” James, a former award-winning photojournalist, PetaPixel is a fast paced round up of the big news and gear from the previous week. It’s a magazine type show which will keep you updated on the big rumours, announcements, and general news from around the world. It’s also backed by one of the biggest photography blogs online, so you shouldn’t miss a thing.