John and Jack welcome back Cole Thompson to the show.  Cole recently sent out a mailing with a collection of images in it, all centered around the people of Ukraine. With his images and words, we were moved by his expression and wanted to have him on the show to talk about this body of work.

The collection of images is titled Eyes Wide Shut and is a group of images of everyday Ukrainians with their eyes closed.  Cole realized that when you normally ask someone to take their picture, they smile big and put on a “camera face”, showing only what they want you to see.  One way he was able to get folks to drop the camera face was by asking them to close their eyes, which they did!  Most did not speak english, so this was accomplished with lots of sign language and gesturing.  Eventually he came away with a body of work, both poignant and beautiful, that is doubly impactful these days with the war going on.

Read the article HERE:

We encourage you to check out Coles website at 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.

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In this episode, Jack and John discuss the concept of photography Masterclasses and how they differ from tours and workshops and how both Jack and John lead masterclasses at very select locations for those folks who want to bring their creativity to the next level.  Masterclasses are a wonderful opportunity for those who are already comfortable with basic and intermediate photography concepts to push themselves creatively in the field and the classroom.  With more focused feedback and instruction, these classes are a chance to stretch yourself as an artist.

Johns Palouse Harvest Master Class

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Huntington Witherill is our guest on this episode of We Talk Photo.  Jack and John explore a diverse range of topics with Huntington, spanning his career and varied photographic interests across five decades of his passionate pursuit in photography.

Having studied photography in the early 1970’s with such notables as Ansel Adams, Wynn Bullock, Steve Crouch and Al Weber, Witherill has remained faithful to his classical roots while progressively transitioning toward a more contemporary approach to the medium. Over the past fifty years, his work has been featured in more than one hundred individual and group exhibitions in museums and galleries throughout the world.

Indicative of a diverse approach to the medium, Witherill works in both black & white, and color, and his subjects include classic landscapes, studies of pop-art, botanical still-life, urban architecture, classic and exotic automobiles, cultural icons, and other assorted visual anomalies and curiosities. More recently, Witherill has developed a form of digital collage involving a combination of sketching, drawing, and photography, through an imaginative series of abstract images titled: Enigmata.

Witherill’s photographs have been the subject of three award winning hardcover monographs titled: Orchestrating Icons(2000), Botanical Dances (2001), and Photo Synthesis (2010) and in 1999, he was the recipient of the “Artist of the Year” award presented by the Center for Photographic Art, Carmel, California.

Witherill’s work is also maintained in numerous distinguished public art collections including; the United States Department of State: Art in the Embassies, Fundacióe Van Gogh d’Arles, Arles, France, the National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, Japan, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, NY, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA, and the Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey, CA, among others.

Since 1975, Witherill has also continued to teach photography for a variety of institutions and workshop programs throughout the United States, including the University of California, the Friends of Photography, the Center for Photographic Art, the Oklahoma Arts Institute, and the Ansel Adams Gallery, among others.

Huntingtons Website:  https://huntingtonwitherill.com

Enigmata Series:  https://huntingtonwitherill.com/enigmata

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.

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Jack and John welcome Peter Lerro to the show.  Peter is an fantastic workshop experience leader who is known for his thorough preparation and execution on the photo experiences he organizes.  Steam locomotives, WWII, lighthouses and even air to air photo shoots, Peter aims to set the stage for realistic period correct photos for his clients.

Pete Lerro III is a college graduate of Temple University in Pennsylvania where he studied video audio and photography. Lerro is currently a full-time professional photographer and owner at Lerro Photography. When Lerro is not on assignment, he organizes photo workshops across the country and more. His photography expertise includes family, portraits, commercials, products, landscapes, wedding and sports. Throughout his career he has shot for many major establishments including the Department of Homeland Security, NFL, NBA, NHL, USA Gymnastics, IRL and Spartan Race.

Lerro’s photo workshops offer a wide variety of informative experience. With these unique kinds of workshops, guests can expect special access, private photo sessions, and a night of professional photography seminars. Imagine sitting in a guided tour dated back to the early 1940’s, World War II props and actors surrounding you, watching photographers capture the enlightened pioneer era specializing in portraits and human interests.

Peters Website:  https://www.lerrophotography.com

Air to Air Photo Shoot Video:  WATCH HERE

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.

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Jack and John welcome Kevin McNeal to the show.  Kevin is known for his dramatic landscapes, use of color and never-stop attitude for pursuing compelling images.  Listen in as we talk with Kevin about his recent travels around the globe and his philosophy for how he approaches his art.

Kevin McNeal is a Washington St. photographer focusing on grand colorful landscapes that reflect the most unique places on earth. Capturing moments of magic light and transferring this on print, images behold a combination of perseverance, patience, and dedication to capture the images in ways unseen before. The stories of how these images are rendered come across in the feelings the images convey. Traveling all over North America with his wife by his side, shooting diverse landscapes and finding remote places to bring the message to the public that this Earth is worth saving. His award winning images can be seen in galleries and showings across the United States, and was recently selected to the Art Wolfe Art Gallery for the Environmental Photography Invitational. As well Kevin was the grand winner of the Landscape category for the Natures Best Magazine and was selected for the Smithsonian National Museum of History in Washington D.C..

Artist Statement

“ I believe that the Earth shares secrets with us that only can be discovered by trying to understand our position on this planet. We are never fully intimate with the planet but are given brief moments that make our souls want more. These glimpses of nature’s power are fleeting and never the same twice. I also believe it is important to share with those who want it. The treasures that await us given the patience that is out there. What I try to do is bring some of that magic to my images to share with the rest of the world. Each of my images tells a story that everyone can relate to in some way whether is was success, fear, or challenging oneself to overcome obstacles

Kevins Website: https://www.kevinmcnealphotography.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.

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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.  His latest efforts have been focused around teaching others via videos and book.   He was recently named a Fellow at the Royal Photographic Society, which is quite an honor and puts him in the company of many photographic luminaries.

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.

Alisters Website:  https://alisterbenn.com

Expressive Photography Website:  https://expressive.photography

Outofdarkness Website:  https://outofdarkness.co.uk

We Talk Photo Listener Discount Code:  WETALK25

(Enter during checkout on Alisters site)

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 the creative process and mindsets of those artists who are pursuing their passion for visual imagery.

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It had been a while since Jack and John recorded a podcast….from their busy schedules to a tree demolishing Johns house, it has been a bit of a journey since they last recorded.  In this episode they discuss topics related to photography, life and just “being”.  Check out the episode to learn what has been going on with them and what they have coming up in the future.

Jacks 2022 Workshops

Johns 2022 Workshops

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.

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In this episode, Jack and John discuss a few of the themes they have shared with workshop clients over the past couple of workshops.  Themes such as slowing down, simplifying and you won’t know if you don’t go.  They transition this last theme in to a discussion about several images they captured on a stormy night on Steptoe Butte in the Palouse…a time when everyone was very tired and a few folks just couldn’t find the energy to make it up there this night.  Jack and John saw the potential building and urged those who could to make the trip up.  What they witnessed was a very unique light, cloud and rain show that is not often witnessed on Steptoe.

Below are the images that they discussed on the podcast.

Jacks Images

Johns Images

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Jack and John welcome the fantastic PNW photographer Scott Smorra to the show.  Listen in as we talk about landscape and nature photography with someone who has been passionately pursuing amazing images from around the world. Scott is an Oregon based photographer who creates finely crafted landscape and nature images in wilderness areas throughout the world.

An excerpt from Scotts Bio….”Each one of my images represents my own creative interpretation of a memorable experience in the wilderness.  The places and subjects in my images are all real, but I choose not to represent them in a documentary/photojournalistic stsyle.  I am drawn to the beauty, emotions and moods of nature and my goal is to expressively communicate my feelings about these experiences.  I seek to establish meaningful connections with the places and subjects I photograh and aspire to show the viewer why these places are important to me and why they are worth preserving for future generations.  I feel my most successful images are the ones that represent something behond the obvious and are able to communicate a message to the viewer without using any words or explanation.  I enjoy photography immensely and often find myself in a state of “flow” when creating in the field or developing images during post processing.  The flow state is a desirable position for creatives where they are fully engaged and immersed in their work and time often just seems to just melt away.

Scotts Website:  https://www.scottsmorraphotography.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.

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My esteemed co-host Jack Graham has returned to the show after his sabbatical away from the biz.  In this episode we welcome Jack plus talk about some exciting upcoming news related to Photograph the Pacific Northwest effort that Jack and I are launching.  Tune in and help welcome Jack back to the program

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.

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