Like a lot of photographers I know, I am a pretty solitary creature. Apart from when I am actually taking photos of people or hanging out with my family, I pretty much spend my time alone. With countless hours sitting at my desk editing, in my car on the road to and from wedding, or when I’m away for a few days for work or training, wandering the streets with my camera in hand, I spend most of my day alone. Add to that my Aspergers, and you get a solitary single minded creature of focussed purpose and obsession. I actually for the most part don’t mind the alone time, in fact when I’m busy shooting, I crave it, as my Aspergian/Autistic nature needs the time to “destim” and unwind to avoid a sensory overload. Part of that ritual is to put on my headphones and find a way to tune out from whats going on around me. This leads me to either listening to music, or to dial up one of my favourite podcasts and fuel my photographic heart and mind.
Depending on my mood, I listen to different podcasts. I might feel the need to just hear from amazing photographers, to discover someone new and let their story inspire and motivate me, or I might be seeking some specific photographic/ business knowledge.
More often that not, I lean towards the former, feeding my soul rather than educating my mind. So what are the podcasts that I listen to regularly?
Well, lets do a list (websites linked in the titles)
The Candid Frame with Ibarionex Perello
I was put onto this one back in 2013, and have not missed an episode since, in fact, I have also listened to the whole back catalogue (some episodes a few times over) , meaning I have spent a considerable amount of time listening to Ibarionex interview some of the most incredible photographers in the world. Search through the catalogue and you will find the who’s who of contemporary photography. You will also find a plethora of names that you have never heard of. Listen to them all, the conversations never fail to inspire and motivate. Ibarionex is an exceptional interviewer, the conversations he has with is guests are natural and easy to listen to. When I have a Hobart wedding scheduled, I will go through and cue up enough episodes to last me through the almost 10 hour round trip. This podcast isn’t for the gear heads or those seeking formula for Cost of Goods vs Retail pricing of wall art, it is for the photographer that burns to create images of meaning, the photographer whose soul sings of photography and of the need to create and tell visual stories. This podcast is fuel for the creative photographic heart.
You can either listen to TCF via a normal podcast app, or via its own app.
Outerfocus with Ian Weldon (and Bradley Hanson)
Another general conversational podcast, hosted by Ian Weldon and Bradley Hanson.
I got onto this one via Bradley and it is another easy to listen to and more about the mindset and process than gear and pixels.
The Business of Photography with Bryan Caporicci
Bryan is the man behind “Sprout Studio” studio management system, and also is a working wedding photographer. So he knows his subject matter, and his podcast is jam packed with tools to help any working portrait or wedding photographer not only succeed, but to keep their head in the right space as they get into the hustle and grind of life as a working photographer.
This Week in Photo
This is basically a magazine in a podcast. It covers creativity, general business and yes… it covers gear. Possibly a little too much gear talk for me personally, but I can deal with it, but this is why its a bit further down my list. TWIP has loads and loads and loads of content, something for every photographer.
Process Driven with Jeffrey Saddoris
Back to creative fuel. This one however isn’t pure photography, though it does feature a lot, it as more about creativity in general. There arent as many episodes in Jeffreys catalogue as some others, so I tend to listen less frequently. It is still great stuff and it fills the gaping hole that was left when Jeffrey and Bill Wadman stopped doing my other equal favourite podcast (equal with TCF), On Taking Pictures… see next entry.
On Taking Pictures (no longer running) with Bill Wadman and Jeffrey Saddoris
I started listening to this at the same time in 2013 as I started listening to TCF. Likewise I listened to the entire back catalogue. OTP was a weekly podcast featuring conversations between Jeffrey and Bill about photography, creativity, the day to day work, their trials and tribulations in their respective areas… Basically it felt like I was sitting down and having a weekly conversation (where I didn’t get to speak) with a couple of friends about the photographic life in general. At times it was tough, at times episodes left me feeling raw, but always I was glad I listened. I totally get why they decided to finish and go their seperate paths, as doing that weekly for so many years would have been a mammoth and emotionally draining exercise. But I thank them both for doing it, as it helped me through my own rollercoaster ride to get here today. Definitely still worth listening to and there are 326 episodes to keep you going.
Photobiz Xposed with Andrew Hellmich
Okay, this is the only local Australian podcast on my list, and yes, it does sit at number 7 on my listening list.
This is similar to “The Business of Photography” podcast by Bryan, but is a little heavier on business content. There is absolute business gold buried throughout this podcast, and for sure, it has helped my business over the years, but I must confess, I dont listen often these days. Firstly you can only access the full content as a paying premium member. I get that Andrew needs to generate an income, but I will say that as he tried to cover so much in it, and so many genres/areas, not all content feels relevant to me, and sometimes a new guest will cover almost the same content as an earlier one. Its worth a look though, try a premium subscription for yourself and I guarantee you will get some valuable knowledge from it.