PhotoActive
Episode Archive
Episode Archive
174 episodes of PhotoActive since the first episode, which aired on May 30th, 2018.
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Episode 78: Everyday Photo Retouching
October 9th, 2020 | 48 mins 36 secs
apple, book, cameras, guide, instruction, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo guide, photo organization, photography, podcast, retouch, retouching
You may think of “retouching” as a high-end photo skill for professionals—and it is—but there are also many types of retouching that every photographer will run into. In this episode, Jeff covers many of the techniques he uses, from removing dust spots in clear skies to erasing unwanted objects from photos, as well as portrait retouching that’s accessible to anyone. This is an extra-long episode with lots of example images, so don’t forget you can view the photos in some podcast players (like Apple Podcasts or Overcast), and of course you can also view them at PhotoActive.co.
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Episode 77: Photo a Day Challenge
September 25th, 2020 | 41 mins 52 secs
apple, cameras, challenge, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo a day, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast
We gave ourselves a simple challenge to create one photo every day for the month of August. It’s advice we give often: shoot often, shoot what’s nearby, use your photographer’s eye to find beauty in the everyday experience. Were we successful? And what unexpected challenges arose?
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Episode 76: Shooting and Developing Film with Angus Haywood
September 11th, 2020 | 42 mins 15 secs
angus haywood, apple, black and white, cameras, film, film photography, interview, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast
This week we talk to landscape film photographer Angus Haywood about building his own darkroom in a shed behind his house, seeing the world in a square aspect ratio, and the pace and people you experience when shooting film.
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Episode 75: Creative Garden Photography with Harold Davis
August 28th, 2020 | 36 mins 25 secs
apple, cameras, floral, garden photography, gardens, harold davis, interview, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, outside, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast
The summer and fall are some of the best times to visit and photograph gardens, so we’re happy to welcome Harold Davis back to the PhotoActive podcast to talk about his newest book Creative Garden Photography. We cover photographing public gardens, your own garden, getting creative with light tables when the weather is sour, lighting, and more.
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Episode 74: Michael Kenna and His New Book 'Buddha'
August 14th, 2020 | 46 mins 21 secs
apple, buddha, cameras, film photography, interview, iphone, jeff carlson, kenna, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, michael kenna, photo book, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast
We’re pleased to welcome back Michael Kenna to the PhotoActive podcast. In this episode, we chat with him about his new book Buddha, how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected a photographer that spends much of his time traveling, and the value of finding treasure in one’s photo archive.
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Episode 73: Real Estate Photography with Rich Baum
July 31st, 2020 | 38 mins 7 secs
apple, cameras, homes, houses, how-to, interior photography, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast, real estate photography, rich baum
Rich Baum joins us this week to talk about real estate and interior photography, a type of shooting that relies as much on discipline and adherence to rules as it does on creative problem solving. If you’re looking to expand your photographic skills or push into the field as a career, good news: you can get started pretty easily by shooting the rooms you’re already in!
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Episode 72: Night Skies with Glenn Randall
July 17th, 2020 | 44 mins 47 secs
apple, astrophotography, auroras, cameras, constellations, glenn randall, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, milky way, night sky photography, nightsky, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast, rockynook, stars
Comet Neowise is streaking across the sky as we publish this latest episode of the PhotoActive podcast. How can you capture it, or any views of the night sky, in photos? We’re happy to welcome Glenn Randall, author of the book Dusk to Dawn, to talk all about photographing the night sky, from lens choices to composition to post-processing.
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Episode 71: The Exposure Square
July 3rd, 2020 | 36 mins 6 secs
aperture, apple, cameras, exposure triangle, iphone, iso, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast, shutter speed
You may be familiar with the Exposure Triangle for determining exposure in photos, which is made up of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. In this episode, Kirk explains that it's actually an Exposure Square we need to consider. We also discover the limits of Jeff's knowledge of film photography terms, since his photographic experience is almost entirely digital.
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Episode 70: One-Light Portraits with Sandra Coan
June 19th, 2020 | 36 mins 27 secs
apple, cameras, film photography, interview, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, light modifier, one-light, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast, portrait photography, portraits, sandra coan, studio
Portrait photography can seem awfully daunting if you’ve never done it. How many lights do you use? Which modifiers are the best? Do you need a studio? How much money should you spend to get started? Oh, and how do you relate to the person in front of your camera? We talk with pro portrait photographer Sandra Coan about shooting with just one light and one modifier—using film!—and her book Crafting the Natural Light Look.
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Episode 69: What to Print, with Rick LePage
June 5th, 2020 | 39 mins 34 secs
apple, cameras, interview, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo organization, photo printing, photography, podcast, printing, rick lepage
The last time we talked with Rick LePage, he gave us the basics of printing your own photos. We’re pleased to welcome him again as a guest to go deeper into the topic, starting with the question: How do you choose what to print? It sounds like an easy query, but we discuss not just what you put on your walls (and which walls), but also how printing helps define you as an artist.
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Episode 68: Revisiting Geotagging with HoudahGeo 6.0
May 22nd, 2020 | 38 mins 26 secs
apple, cameras, geotag, houdah, houdahgeo, interview, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, location, photo editing, photo organization, photography, pierre bernard, podcast, software
With photographers finding themselves with unexpected time on their hands at home, it's a great time to update the location data in the photos in your library. Pierre Bernard joins us again to talk about the new features in his Mac app HoudahGeo 6.0, TKTK, and…how HoudahGeo supports scuba divers?
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Episode 67: Chris Niccolls on Making Videos about Photography
May 8th, 2020 | 42 mins 26 secs
apple, cameras, chris niccolls, dpreview, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photography, podcast, video, youtube
This week we’re joined by Chris Niccolls, co-host (with Jordan Drake) of DPReview TV, one of our favorite video resources about photography. Yes, there are hundreds of photographers on YouTube, but we’ve long enjoyed Chris’s and Jordan’s friendly and knowledgable approach to reviewing photo gear and educating viewers about all aspects of photography and videography.
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Episode 66: Manual Focus Lenses and Jeff's New Luminar Book
April 24th, 2020 | 33 mins 51 secs
apple, cameras, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, luminar, manual lenses, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast
The autofocus capabilities in today’s cameras are amazing, so why would anyone buy a lens that offers only manual focus? Jeff and Kirk talk about situations where autofocus isn’t a consideration, such as buying inexpensive fast lenses or using an adapter to mount one brand’s lenses on another brand’s camera (like Nikon lenses on a Fujifilm body). We also chat about Jeff’s just-released book, The Photographer’s Guide to Luminar 4. We’ll be giving away a few copies to subscribers of the PhotoActive mailing list, and we also have a 40% discount code to share.
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Episode 65: Barney Britton on the Future of the Camera Industry
April 10th, 2020 | 49 mins 36 secs
apple, barney britton, camera industry, cameras, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast
Camera sales worldwide have steadily decreased over the past several years, and now COVID-19 has thrown everything into disarray. Where is the camera industry headed? Special guest Barney Britton, Senior Editor at DPReview, joins Kirk and Jeff to talk about the factors that are contributing to these shifts. It’s not all grim news, though, and we also talk about what changes and advancements we might see in the near future.
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Episode 64: Creativity Is Problem Solving, with David duChemin
March 20th, 2020 | 41 mins 2 secs
apple, cameras, david duchemin, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast
A few months ago when we invited David duChemin to return as a PhotoActive guest to talk about his new book The Heart of the Photograph, we had no idea it would be at the disruptive beginning of a global pandemic. We talk with David about being creative in this new situation, and how creativity can translate into resiliency. Then focus on his book, and the questions it raises for how we approach making and working with photographs.
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Episode 63: Sharing Photos
March 13th, 2020 | 32 mins 42 secs
apple, cameras, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo organization, photo sharing, photography, podcast, sharing
Photos are meant to be shared, but with digital photos the options multiply. In this episode, Kirk McElhearn and Jeff Carlson look at several ways to share photos with friends and family.