Category Archives: Photography

Interview with Tony Sweet



Tony is a Nikon Legend Behind the Lens.

After successful careers as a jazz musician/ educator, and professional magician, Tony settled on photography as his chosen means for personal expression. Beginning as a film photographer, Tony has become facile in image editing software and plugins and is an in-demand speaker throughout the United States and Canada on creativity in the digital age.

Tony and Susan Milestone conduct Visual Artistry photography location workshops in the United States, Canada, and Iceland. Tony maintains an active speaking schedule to photography organizations, industry trade shows and PPA schools across the continental United States and Canada. He also conducts an annual Visual Artistry Creativity Seminar series.

Tony’s photography is published worldwide in every medium and is represented by Getty Images. His iPhone photography is represented by Aurora Photos. Tony’s images are also used by Nikon, MacPhun, Singh Ray, Alien Skin, Topaz, Lensbaby and others for national ad campaigns.

An interview with Tony on macro photography was published in The New York Times.

Tony has authored five books on the art of photography: Fine Art Nature Photography (’02), Fine Art Flower Photography (’05) Fine Art Nature Photography: Water, Ice, Fog (’07), Fine Art Digital Photography (’09) and HDR Photography (2011). He and Master Photo Workshops have co-produced four photography DVDs: Visual ArtistryHDR Made EasyVisual Literacy and Flower Photography Artistry, as well as an iPhone instructional video series.

The first book in his Fine Art Nature Photography eBook series, “Creative Techniques and the Art of Self Expression,” was just released.

Photographer Tony Sweet

The We Talk Photo podcast is dedicated to being an entertaining, informative and lighthearted discussion about a wide range of photographic topics centered around landscape and nature photography.  Hosted by Jack Graham and John Pedersen, long time industry professionals, they will bring you in to their conversations about gear, recent trends, insightful interviews with industry leaders as well as entertaining stories from their collective experience in the photography business.


Design Thinking



Do you apply design thinking when you are composing your photographs?  Well, if you do or don’t, listen in as Jack and John discuss what this concept is and why it can be an important skill to acquire and refine in order to improve your photographic compositions.

This episode is also available on YouTube, click HERE to watch.

If you would like to support We Talk Photo, please consider becoming a Patron of the show by signing up at Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/johnpedersenphoto

 

The We Talk Photo podcast is dedicated to being an entertaining, informative and lighthearted discussion about a wide range of photographic topics centered around landscape and nature photography.  Hosted by Jack Graham and John Pedersen, long time industry professionals, they will bring you in to their conversations about gear, recent trends, insightful interviews with industry leaders as well as entertaining stories from their collective experience in the photography business.


Music and Photography



John and Jack are pleased to welcome John Barclay and Cole Thompson to the podcast to discuss the topic of how music and photography share some similarities.  John B and Jack are both accomplished musicians and Cole and John P are both music aficionados, so together they have a broad understanding of music and can relate how that artistic form is similar in many ways to the photographic arts.

This episode is also available on our We Talk Photo YouTube channel.  Click HERE to view it.

If you would like to support We Talk Photo, please consider becoming a Patron of the show by signing up at Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/johnpedersenphoto

 

The We Talk Photo podcast is dedicated to being an entertaining, informative and lighthearted discussion about a wide range of photographic topics centered around landscape and nature photography.  Hosted by Jack Graham and John Pedersen, long time industry professionals, they will bring you in to their conversations about gear, recent trends, insightful interviews with industry leaders as well as entertaining stories from their collective experience in the photography business.


Alister Benn Out of Darkness



Jack and John are honored to welcome Alister Benn to the show.  Alister is regarded as one of the leaders in the landscape photography genre with his expressive and introspective work.  He comes to us today to talk about his new printed book, Out of Darkness. Here is how Alister describes the genesis of the book: “In January 2017 I travelled to one of the emptiest places on earth; The Gobi Desert in northern China. There, I underwent a complete creative epiphany, and over the following 6 expeditions into that region, began to rewrite the story of my life and gain understanding and perspective on my mental health. It is no understatement to say that my creativity has been the gateway to a more balanced and accepting life.

Alisters Bio:

Scottish born Alister Benn is an award winning Landscape Photographer and founder of Expressive Photography Limited.

His passion for individual creativity and expression make him an enthusiastic instructor and someone who wants everyone to have the confidence to express their own unique voice.

“It is unfortunate that in these days of popularity and social media, that many of us have lost the pure basic reason why we started making landscape photographs in the first place – to be outside, engaging with nature.”

Alister is a strong advocate of engaging with the landscape in an organic way, unrestrained by conventions, rules or the pressure of external validation.

Expressive Photography Website:  https://expressive.photography

The We Talk Photo podcast is dedicated to being an entertaining, informative and lighthearted discussion about a wide range of photographic topics centered around landscape and nature photography.  Hosted by Jack Graham and John Pedersen, long time industry professionals, they will bring you in to their conversations about gear, recent trends, insightful interviews with industry leaders as well as entertaining stories from their collective experience in the photography business.


Michael Gordon in Lenswork



John and Jack welcome back Michael Gordon to the program to talk about his most recent accomplishment, having a collection of images, titled Denizens, featured in Lenswork Magazine.  Lenswork is one of the premier magazines devoted to photography and it’s quite an honor to be published within.  During this discussion they also touch on the concepts of portfolios and the benefits of constructive criticisms.

Michael Gordon in Lenswork Magazine

Lenswork Magazine: https://www.lenswork.com/

Michael E. Gordon is an award-winning fine art landscape photographer best known for his black and white impressions of California’s deserts which, said Broughton Quarterly, portrays “stunning ethereal beauty from terrain where others see only a bleak landscape.” A lifelong student of nature and wilderness, Michael’s intimate relationship with the natural world yields quiet images of depth and discovery.

Michaels Website:  https://www.michael-gordon.com

The We Talk Photo podcast is dedicated to being an entertaining, informative and lighthearted discussion about a wide range of photographic topics centered around landscape and nature photography.  Hosted by Jack Graham and John Pedersen, long time industry professionals, they will bring you in to their conversations about gear, recent trends, insightful interviews with industry leaders as well as entertaining stories from their collective experience in the photography business.


Discussion with Cole Thompson



Jack and John welcome back to the show master BW photographer, Cole Thompson.  In this episode we discuss a variety of topics including portfolios and the concept of developing your personal vision.  We were fortunate enough to catch Cole between workshops and he had time to bring his fantastic perspective to the show!

Excerpt from Coles Bio:

I am often asked, “Why black and white?” I think it’s because I grew up in a black-and-white world. Television, movies and the news were all in black and white. My heroes were in black and white and even the nation was segregated into black and white. My images are an extension of the world in which I grew up.

For me color records the image, but black and white captures the feelings that lie beneath the surface.

Coles Website:  https://colethompsonphotography.com

The We Talk Photo podcast is dedicated to being an entertaining, informative and lighthearted discussion about a wide range of photographic topics centered around landscape and nature photography.  Hosted by Jack Graham and John Pedersen, long time industry professionals, they will bring you in to their conversations about gear, recent trends, insightful interviews with industry leaders as well as entertaining stories from their collective experience in the photography business.


HD Aluminum Prints



Jack and John both love printing their photographs and for those who have seen them, nothing quite beats printing a photograph on metal.  There are a lot of good companies in the market making metal prints, but on todays show, we talk with a photo printing shop that is used by several of the best PNW photographers and we are excited to join the list of supporters of their incredible quality, craftsmanship and customer service.  Derek from HD Aluminum Prints, located in Vancouver WA, joins us on the program today to talk about their process and offerings and how their printing techniques do not require an overcoat finish to protect the photograph.

Website:  https://www.hdaluminumprints.com/home

New customers can receive a 25% discount by signing up with them.

Inside the HD Aluminum Prints shop


Interview with Joe McNally



Jack and John are overjoyed to welcome the world famous Joe McNally to the podcast, along with Bill Fortney.  Joe is one of the finest photographers and an amazingly outgoing, humorous and enjoyable people and his excitement for life is infectious.  Listen in as Jack and John have a casual conversation about Joes amazing career, his outlook on photography and several funny stories from his time in the field.

Podcast interview with Joe McNally

Joe McNally is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning photographer whose prolific career includes assignments in nearly 70 countries.  McNally is known world-wide as not only one of the top, technically excellent photographers of his generation, but his charming demeanor, confidence and humor make him a sought-after choice from CEO’s to celebrities to commercial and magazine clients alike.  He is among the rare breed of photographer who has bridged the world between photojournalism and advertising.

Joes Website: https://joemcnally.com/

Joes  Portfolio: https://portfolio.joemcnally.com/index

Joes YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/joemcnallyphoto/videos

The We Talk Photo podcast is dedicated to being an entertaining, informative and lighthearted discussion about a wide range of photographic topics centered around landscape and nature photography.  Hosted by Jack Graham and John Pedersen, long time industry professionals, they will bring you in to their conversations about gear, recent trends, insightful interviews with industry leaders as well as entertaining stories from their collective experience in the photography business.


Holiday Gift Guide



Jack and John discuss some of their favorite gifts for the photographer, either for others to give you or for you to give yourself :-). We want to wish you and yours the happiest of holiday seasons and look forward to being with you in the New Year.

Link to Jacks Gift Guide 

Jack graham and john pedersen in the forest

The We Talk Photo podcast is dedicated to being an entertaining, informative and lighthearted discussion about a wide range of photographic topics centered around landscape and nature photography.  Hosted by Jack Graham and John Pedersen, long time industry professionals, they will bring you in to their conversations about gear, recent trends, insightful interviews with industry leaders as well as entertaining stories from their collective experience in the photography business.


Tetons Workshop Recap



Jack and John just returned from their final workshop of 2022 in bison walking through the snowGrand Teton National Park.  Listen in as they talk about the experience, along with one of the clients on the workshop, and what a fantastic time was had by all.

Jacks Image Gallery: https://jackgraham.photoshelter.com/index/G0000rJjNZNhBz84

Johns Image Gallery: https://www.johnpedersenphotos.com/Workshop-Images/Tetons-Winter-2022/n-Q68JKt/

The We Talk Photo podcast is dedicated to being an entertaining, informative and lighthearted discussion about a wide range of photographic topics centered around landscape and nature photography.  Hosted by Jack Graham and John Pedersen, long time industry professionals, they will bring you in to their conversations about gear, recent trends, insightful interviews with industry leaders as well as entertaining stories from their collective experience in the photography business.