A Photojournalism Podcast for Everyone

Welcome back to 10 Frames Per Second, the podcast dedicated to photojournalism, hosted by Joe Giordano and Molly Roberts. In this episode, we had the privilege of speaking with renowned photographer George Steinmetz, who has spent decades capturing the beauty and challenges of our planet from unique perspectives.

George Steinmetz graduated from Stanford University with a degree in geophysics and embarked on a remarkable journey into photography after hitchhiking through Africa for 28 months. His adventures have taken him to remote deserts around the globe, often piloting a motorized paraglider to capture stunning aerial shots.

Steinmetz’s approach to photography is akin to modern drone photography, but with a twist: he actually flies in his unique contraption, which he humorously describes as a “motorized lawn chair.” This adventurous spirit has led to some unexpected and thrilling experiences.

From Geophysics to Photography: George’s journey into photography was driven by curiosity and a desire to explore the unknown. Growing up in Los Angeles and attending Stanford, he longed for a different experience, leading him to Africa.

Overcoming Challenges: Steinmetz faced numerous challenges while learning photography:

The Motorized Paraglider: George’s transition to aerial photography began with his motorized paraglider, which he began flying in the late 1990s. This innovative flying machine allowed him to capture breathtaking landscapes from above.

Techniques and Equipment: Steinmetz shared insights into his photographic techniques:

In our conversation, George also delved into the critical issue of sustainability in food production. He discussed how the perception of certain fish species has changed over time, leading to shifts in dietary choices.

Personal Dietary Changes: George shared how his extensive research has influenced his own eating habits:

George’s work is not just about capturing beautiful images; it’s about raising awareness.

George Steinmetz’s journey as a photojournalist is a testament to the power of curiosity and adventure. His unique approach to aerial photography not only captures stunning visuals but also tells important stories about our world and the choices we make.

George on Instagram

To hear more about George’s incredible experiences and insights, be sure to listen to the full episode of 10 Frames Per Second, available on 10FPS.net or your favorite podcast platform.

Podcast episode transcript HERE

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Angela Owens joins us to talk about her work covering the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and the destruction in Western North Caroline.  Angela covered the story for the Wall Street Journal and shares her experiences on the ground in Asheville and the region.

Angela is a photo editor at The Wall Street Journal, where she has been annoying her colleagues with animal trivia since 2017.

She was previously a multimedia editor at STAT/Boston Globe Media, covering health and life sciences news, and performing dual roles in the photo and social media departments. She began her career as a staff photographer for The Daily Item, documenting communities on the North Shore of Massachusetts.

She earned a B.S. in Business at North Carolina State University before graduate school studying photojournalism at Boston University. She also studied documentary photography at the Duke University Center for Documentary Studies.

Angela has juried competitions for the National Press Photographers Association and MassArt.

She is FAA Part 107 certified. She also has HEFAT certification.

Doubling as a reporter, she has written about wolves, elk antlers, fat baby bears, beloved old bears, and remote subarctic towns for The Wall Street Journal.

A person rides their bike through the River Arts District in Asheville, NC on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024.

People survey the damage in the River Arts district in Asheville, NC on Oct. 1, 2024

People survey the damage in the River Arts district in Asheville, NC on Oct. 1, 2024

Podcast transcript Here

Previous Episode:  Martin Broen         Next Episode: George Steinmetz

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Martin Broen is an inventor, industrial designer, diver and photographer. He joins us to discuss his amazing photography in his new book Light In The Underworld available from Rizzoli. Who knew there were underwater rivers and cave collections spanning over 200km?! Martin talks about the process of exploration, the gear and we try to understand how you can get up the nerve to swim more than an hour into an underwater cave…

Originally from Argentina, now living in New York, Martin’s photographic works have graced the pages of numerous magazines and newspapers and have been showcased in various exhibitions, earning him a collection of over 50 distinct photography awards. Notable among these accolades are the 2022 Nature Discovery of the Year, 2022 Speleophotography Grand Prize, 2022 Black & White Photo of the Year, 2022 Current World Archeology Winner, 2022 Landscape Photograph of the Year, 2022 and 2023 Underwater imaging best of show, 2021 Oceanographic Exploration Photographer of the Year, among others. One look into his book will show you why.

Martin on Instagram

Previous Episode: Paula Pastrana           Next Episode: Angela Owens

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Today’s guest Paula Pastrana found her way to photography through an unusual route… from professional soccer to documenting strikes and political protest in her native Colombia.  Paula studied Photography and Digital Image with a different eye.  Her experience with sports and desire to remain true to her own vision led her to a unique style.  She has worked in a broad selection of professional photography from sports & fashion, to documentary & portraiture.  Currently working on her Masters in Documentary Photography with LABASAD Barcelona, Paula is here today to discuss the work she did capturing the struggles of striking Colombians and the police attacks on them.  She has had exhibitions such as Tropicalia, Dendrofilia, Brujería, Miche, Casa Amarilla and individual exhibitions with Eco, publications in the digital magazine Ikebana Magazine and Revista Magazine.  We are thrilled to feature this up and coming talent and encourage you to follow her work!

Previous Episode: Peter Essick          Next Episode: Martin Broen

The post Episode 124: Paula Pastrana (Documentary Photography) first appeared on A Photojournalism Podcast for Everyone.

ARCHIVE EPISODE: Happy Halloween!

Peter Manseau is a novelist, historian, and museum curator. He is the founding director of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s Center for the Understanding of Religion in American History. We explore his book The Apparitionists explores the history of “Spirit photographer” William Mumler and his photos capturing the ghostly presence of lost loved ones alongside his living subjects. Among his many supporters was one Mary Todd Lincoln…

Winner of the National Jewish Book Award, the American Library Association’s Sophie Brody Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Jewish Literature, the Ribalow Prize for Fiction, a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar Fellowship, and a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, he has also been shortlisted for the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize and the Prix Médicis étranger, awarded to the best foreign novel published in France.

Previous Episode: Peter Essick          Next Episode: Paula Pastrana

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Peter Essick is a photographer, teacher, and editor with 30 years of experience working with National Geographic Magazine. He specializes in nature and environmental themes. Named one of the forty most influential nature photographers in the world by Outdoor Photography Magazine UK, Essick has been influenced by many noted American landscape photographers from Carleton Watkins to Robert Adams. His goal is to make photographs that show the human impact of development as well as the enduring power of the land. Essick is the author of four books of his photographs, The Ansel Adams Wilderness, Our Beautiful, Fragile World, Fernbank Forest and most recently, Work in Progress. He now focuses on photographing the land surrounding Atlanta, Ga, where he resides.

Peter on Instagram

Previous Episode: Robert LeBlanc Next Episode: Paula Pastrana

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Robert LeBlanc is a Los Angeles-based artist who works primarily in photography and video. His projects capture non-traditional communities, including hotshot firefighters, hurricane survivors, and Holiness snake handlers. Through raw, unguarded images, he offers a glimpse of daily life into otherwise rarely-pictured social spaces. He works from the conviction that a meaningful documentary series is made through mutual engagement, transparency, and years of trust-building.

LeBlanc is a self-taught photographer who first bought a 35-mm point-and-shoot camera in 2003 to document and share skate culture, and his experience navigating the world on a skateboard. Over the next 12 years, he created an authentic record of day-to-day life in his cohort, culminating in his debut artist book, Unlawful Conduct. Each copy of this limited edition came enclosed in a unique case, die-cut from a specially-made large-scale graffiti mural. Unlawful Conduct sold out before print and was carried in highly selective bookstores worldwide, including museums MoMA PS1 Bookstore and Frye Museum Store.

In 2017, LeBlanc became one of a handful of photographers awarded a government contract to document hotshot wildfires. Over the next four years, he documented Montana and California crews as they risked their lives to battle remote and unpredictable wildfires. This rare and intimate perspective on the proliferation of natural disasters is chronologized in his second publication, Moon Dust. In partnership with Mystery Ranch and Monster Energy Cares, book sale proceeds are donated to the Eric Marsh Foundation, U.S. Hotshots Association, and Backbone Series Scholarship.

LeBlanc’s 2023 monograph, GLORYLAND, pictures not only the last Holiness serpent-handling church in West Virginia but an old mystic religious ritual on the verge of extinction. LeBlanc spent over five years with the church congregation, giving a unique and intimate view of this dying demonstration of devout faith.

Listen in as we explore his process, history and long-form projects in the works.

Robert on Instagram

Previous Episode: Richard Sharum          Next Episode: Peter Essick

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Richard Sharum is an editorial and documentary photographer based in the Dallas, Texas area. Mainly focusing on socio-economic or social justice dilemmas concerning the human condition, his work has been regarded as in-depth, up-close and personal. We discuss Richard’s long-term projects and outstanding first book “Campesino Cuba” and the upcoming releases starting with “Spina Americana” (available for pre-order).

Selected exhibitions have occurred in Kyoto, Japan, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Reggio Emilia, Italy, New York, Boston, Chicago and Dallas.

His work has been added to the permanent collection of the Witliff Center for Documentary Studies, as well as others.

His commissions include those by The Meadows Foundation, Centers for Community Cooperation, Harvard Law School, Student Conservation Association, Children’s Medical Center (Oncology), Children’s Cancer Fund.

His publications include those by LFI (Leica International), British Journal of Photography, LensCulture, The Atlantic, Texas Monthly, Publico (Portugal), El Pais (Spain), Observer (UK), The New York Times Lens Blog, B+W Photo Magazine, Huck Magazine, Glasstire, PATRON, Creative Review, among others.

Richard Sharum is represented by The Hulett Collection, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Richard is on Instagram @Richard_Sharum

Previous Episode: Carrie Schreck Next Episode: Robert LeBlanc

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Carrie Schreck  is a documentary producer and independent photographer whose work has been featured in Business Insider, Washington Post, Vice, CBC, StayWild Magazine, F-Stop Magazine, Impose Magazine, Strangeways, Dice Magazine, Reckless Magazine, LA Record, and has been profiled in Wall Street Journal Life & Arts.  She’s also been covering Qanon, the RNC and DNC conventions and we’ll talk about how that went and her impressions of the inside of each.

Carrie on Instagram

Carrie on IMDB

Previous Episode: Diana Matar         Next Episode: Richard Sharum

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Using photography, testimony and archive, Diana Matar‘s in-depth bodies of work investigate themes of history, memory and state sponsored violence.  Grounded in heavy research and often spending years on a project, Matar attempts to capture the invisible traces of human history and produces installations and books that query what role aesthetics might playin the depiction of power. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Matar has received the Deutsche Bank Pyramid Award for Fine Art; the International Fund for Documentary Photography; a Ford Foundation Grant for artists making work on history and memory; and twice been awarded an Arts Council of England Individual Artist Grant. Her work is held in public and private collections and has been exhibited in numerous institutions including Tate Modern, London; The National Museum of Singapore; Museum Folkswang, Essen, Germany; The Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris; The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago; and Musee de la Photographie a Charleroi. Her monograph Evidence was published in 2014 by Schilt Publishing Amsterdam to critical acclaim and chosen by New York Times Photography critic Teju Cole as one of two best photography books of the year. In 2019 Matar was appointed Distinguished Artist at Barnard College Columbia University, New York.

Previous Episode: Donna Ferrato         Next Episode: Carrie Schreck

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