PhotoActive
Episode Archive
Episode Archive
161 episodes of PhotoActive since the first episode, which aired on May 30th, 2018.
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Episode 49: Creating Panoramas
August 16th, 2019 | 33 mins 12 secs
apple, cameras, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, lightroom, pano, panorama, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast
You want to capture a wide-angle shot, but what if your widest lens isn’t wide enough? In this episode, Jeff and Kirk talk about creating panoramas, from the ingenious Pano mode in the iPhone’s Camera app to stitching many images from traditional cameras or drones.
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Episode 48: Adventures with Dan Bailey
August 2nd, 2019 | 41 mins 50 secs
apple, book, cameras, dan bailey, fujifilm, guide, instruction, interview, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo guide, photo organization, photography, podcast, rocky nook
Photographer Dan Bailey is our guest this week to talk about his book FUJIFILM X Series Unlimited: Mastering Techniques and Maximizing Creativity with Your FUJIFILM Camera—though we’re not focusing on Fujifilm cameras. We’re more interested in questions such as how many of your camera’s features you should understand, whether technical details really matter, and how Dan became a pro photographer and expert in the first place.
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Episode 47: Jeff Becomes an Event Photographer
July 19th, 2019 | 30 mins 34 secs
apple, ben long, book, cameras, complete digital photography, creativepro, creativeproweek, event photography, guide, instruction, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo guide, photo organization, photography, podcast
Jeff was the event photographer for the CreativePro Week 2019 conference in Seattle, a task that requires a different approach to making photos. You've probably been asked to shoot some type of event, so we talk a little about specific gear to deal with low-light situations and catching candid shots in a crowded setting.
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Episode 46: Pet Photography with Norah Levine
July 5th, 2019 | 39 mins 27 secs
apple, birds, cameras, cats, dogs, horses, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, norah levine, pet photography, pets, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast, rocky nook
When you think of portrait photography, do you envision tails and fur? This week, we talk to Norah Levine about her book Pet Photography: The Secrets to Creating Authentic Pet Portraits, and how to take great photos of four-legged (or winged) family members.
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Episode 45: Editing Photos in Desktop Apps
June 21st, 2019 | 42 mins 50 secs
affinity photo, alien skin exposure x4, apple, cameras, capture one pro, guide, instruction, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, lightroom, luminar, on1 photo raw, photo editing, photo guide, photo organization, photography, picktorial, pixelmator pro, podcast, raw power
Maybe you've used Apple Photos and are looking for more editing features, or perhaps you're in the Lightroom ecosystem and weary of subscription pricing. In this episode, Kirk and Jeff chat about other photo editing applications you may not be aware of.
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Episode 44: Minimalist Photographer Michael Kenna
June 7th, 2019 | 1 hr 43 secs
apple, b&w, black and white, bw, cameras, iphone, jeff carlson, kenna, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, michael kenna, minimalism, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast
Michael Kenna has been photographing for 45 years, and is well known for his minimalist, black-and-white landscape photos. Kirk took a trip to Bosham, on the southern coast of England, to see a 45-year retrospective exhibit of his work, and to talk with Michael Kenna about his photography.
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Episode 43: Autofocus with Rishi Sanyal
May 24th, 2019 | 38 mins 8 secs
af-c, af-s, apple, autofocus, cameras, canon, dpreview, focus, fuji, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast, sony
You rely on your camera’s autofocus feature, but how does it work? Phase-detection, contrast-detection, machine-learning algorithms, AF-C, AF-S… autofocus quickly becomes a complicated subject for any photographer to keep straight while shooting. Rishi Sanyal, Science Editor at DPReview.com, joins us for this breakdown of autofocus works and how you can use it more effectively.
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Episode 42: Memory Cards
May 10th, 2019 | 34 mins 53 secs
apple, cameras, guide, instruction, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, memory card, photo editing, photo guide, photo organization, photography, podcast, sandisk, sd card, storage
Your camera stores photos on memory cards, but trying to understand them is a confusing mess of acronyms, speed claims, and marketing. What’s the difference between a UHS-I SD card and a UHS-II card? We break it all down, including why you may not want the fastest (and more expensive) cards available.
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Episode 41: Bird Photography with Marie Read
April 26th, 2019 | 33 mins 24 secs
apple, avian, bird photography, birds, cameras, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, marie read, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast, rocky nook, wildlife
We’re excited to welcome Marie Read, author of the book Mastering Bird Photography (Rocky Nook), to the podcast. She talks about getting started with bird photography, where to find interesting birds, and, yes, we necessarily talk a bit about gear, since a good telephoto lens is essential for this type of photography.
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Episode 40: Location Exploration with HoudahGeo
April 12th, 2019 | 37 mins 4 secs
apple, cameras, geotag, houdah, houdahgeo, interview, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, location, photo editing, photo organization, photography, pierre bernard, podcast, software
Where did you take that photo? Nearly every smartphone records its position when it captures an image, but very few cameras do. In this episode, we talk to Pierre Bernard, developer of the Mac application HoudahGeo, about how and why you'd want to geotag your photos.
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Episode 39: Tripods with Mason Marsh
March 29th, 2019 | 43 mins 57 secs
apple, cameras, gitzo, guide, instruction, interview, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, manfrotto, photo editing, photo guide, photo organization, photography, podcast, really right stuff, tripod
Many photo situations call for stability, and that means setting up a tripod. But the options when choosing one quickly become complicated: height, weight, materials, price, and don’t forget the head that holds the camera. To help sort it all, we welcome photographer, educator, and former photojournalist Mason Marsh to the show.
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Episode 38: Levels and Curves with Nik Bhatt
March 15th, 2019 | 38 mins 30 secs
adjustments, apple, cameras, curves, guide, instruction, interview, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, levels, photo editing, photo guide, photo organization, photography, podcast, white balace
We welcome Nik Bhatt, of Gentlemen Coders and RAW Power fame, to pick his brain on editing photos using levels and curves: what the differences are between the two tonal adjustment tools, and how to use them. We also talk about understanding the histogram, and touch on editing white balance and why we may be using the eyedropper tool wrong.
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Backups and 360-degree Photography
March 1st, 2019 | 35 mins 15 secs
360, 360 cameras, apple, backups, cameras, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo backups, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast
We're tackling two topics in this episode of PhotoActive. First up, all-important backups! We emphasize backups all the time, but what does a good backup system look like? Then, after the break, we turn a never-ending corner and look at 360-degree photography, an interesting and creative niche.
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Episode 36: Photographing with Constraints
February 15th, 2019 | 33 mins 25 secs
apple, cameras, constraints, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast
In this episode of PhotoActive, we have some specific ideas about photographing with constraints. Whether you’re looking to expand your knowledge of individual shooting features (such as aperture or shutter speed) or get out of a creative rut, imposing constraints on yourself can actually turn out to be a freeing exercise.
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Episode 35: Martin Parr Shot My Portrait
February 1st, 2019 | 37 mins 9 secs
apple, cameras, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, martin parr, photo editing, photo organization, photography, podcast, portrait
For this week’s episode, we’re moving to the other side of the camera. Kirk had the opportunity to get his portrait done by world-renowned Magnum photographer Martin Parr. He shares what it was like to be the subject, not the photographer.
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Episode 34: Ben Long's Complete Digital Photography
January 18th, 2019 | 36 mins 7 secs
apple, ben long, book, cameras, complete digital photography, guide, instruction, interview, iphone, jeff carlson, kirk mcelhearn, lenses, photo editing, photo guide, photo organization, photography, podcast
Author, educator, photographer, and all-around knowledgeable guy Ben Long joins us this week to talk about the 9th — yes, ninth — edition of his comprehensive book “Complete Digital Photography.” We cover how photography and people’s expectations about photography have changed since the early versions of the book.