Chris and Out of Chicago team member Anne Belmont are in Costa Rica as discuss what Anne, who is a flower photographer, will be presenting at Out of Longwood later this year. 

In a laid back chat amongst Costa Rica's evening nature, Anne shares what she likes to help people with while they're out in the field, and talks at length about what a Lensbaby is.

Anne is so well-known for her Lensbaby work that she wrote a whole book about it: Creative Flower Photography: An Illustrated Guide to Lensbaby Lenses. She discusses how she came to write the book and previews her next.

Later in the chat, Anne discusses her Instagram channel and if she has doubts when posting images to a growing audience. She also shares her tips on shooting various flowers, including water lilies, dahlias, roses, ferns, and if she ever gets bored despite spending so much time at places like the Chicago Botanical Garden.

Visit AnneBelmontPhotography.com, where you'll find a gallery dedicated to Lensbaby images. See her aforementioned eBook and read her articles on Visual Wilderness for in-depth tutorials. Follow her on Instagram: @AnneBelmontPhotography.

Chris sits down with landscape photographer Alex Noriega, who shares how he created his award-winning (2016 USA Landscape Photographer of the Year, and 2016 International Landscape Photographer of the Year) photographs.

In our wide-ranging interview, Alex talks about seeking a sense of mystery when he's out in the field, and why he loves shooting nature instead of architecture. 

Alex also offers his favorite National Parks to shoot in, how to escape the crowds that are found in America's natural wonders, and how he makes his photos about something. Listeners also get to hear his favorite equipment and post-processing techniques, particularly when it comes to contrast.

Alex will be at Out of Yosemite and Out of Acadia, where he'll help attendees with discovering small things to shoot in the field and post-processing.

To see his work, visit AlexNoriega.com and follow him on Instagram and Facebook.

Chris is by himself this week to offer a candid preview of Out of Chicago’s 2020 events. He also shares what he’s learned from running Out of Chicago, and how he and his team have applied these lessons to future conferences.

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter (Visit the home page of our site) to become an Out of Chicago Insider. By doing so, you'll be the first to know when tickets for our conferences are on sale.

Out of Chicago’s 2020 conferences:

Mark Denney, who went from working at an unfulfilling job in corporate America to becoming a full time landscape photographer, joins Chris to talk about how he found success on YouTube and how he makes his living.

Mark also discusses how you can tell if you've over-edited your photo, what he still messes up when shooting (Edge control), his favorite tripod, and Sony versus Fuji cameras.

Join Mark and Chris at Out of Oregon later this year. Visit MarkDenneyPhotography.com to learn about his Skype post-processing sessions, and be sure to check out his Instagram and YouTube channels.

Chris is joined by Rad Drew, who'll be a presenter at next month's Out of Longwood in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. 

Rad will be teaching different ways to photograph flowers using your phone, and how to use the selfie camera to capture unique perspectives.

In his chat with Chris, Rad discusses how to decide between shooting on a phone versus a traditional camera, what type of phone captures the best photographs, and his workflow when capturing on a phone.

Rad is also experienced with the post-processing software Topaz as well as infrared photography, so he shares tips on both.

As promised on the show, here's a link to Cogitap's Slow Shutter Cam app recommended by Rad.

Visit Rad online by going to RadDrewPhotography.com. To try Topaz, use Rad's discount code Rad15 for 15% off any Topaz product.

How can photographers lead happier and more content lives? Chris is joined by Ugo Cei, who teaches better living through photography.

Ugo shares why it's the best time to be a photographer, and what baselines you need to hit in order to turn it into a full time job. He also discusses how to step out of your comfort zone if you're hesitant to put out your work.

For those who are getting started, Ugo talks about what you should master first in three-hour practice sessions.

Visit BetterLivingThroughPhotography.com and UCPhoto.me to learn more about Ugo. Be sure to listen to his podcasts Closing the Gap and The Traveling Image Makers.

John Kosmopoulos joins Chris for a free-wheeling discussion on developing your own style of photography, and what makes his work different from others. 

John also shares how he experiments with color, how he decides what will be monochrome, and a trick involving a black and white adjustment layer. He explains how he guides a viewer's eye around an image, what happened to spending a long time looking at a photograph, and we hear his thoughts on galleries.

John shoots in both nature and urban landscapes. Chris asks him if the  environments feel similar to work in, as well as his favorite urban cities and how he captured one of his most well-known photographs, "Dreamwalking".

To see John's work, visit his website: SilverZenPhotography.com. You can also find him here on Instagram. He'll be at Out of Chicago which runs June 28 - 30, 2019.

This week we're joined by street photographer Steve Simon, who just released a revised and remastered edition of his book, The Passionate Photographer.

After Steve kicks off the show by turning the tables on Chris, the discussion turns to the ever-evolving business of photography and how The Passionate Photographer fine tunes his skill set. 

Steve touches on the benefits of emulation and how stealing an idea won’t capture what the original photographer aimed for. Creating a unique image requires shooting personally, and Steve strives to find the best in even a bad image (One of many Simon-isms: “Not a deal breaker!”)

Another Simon-ism is “emotional metadata,” which is when you look at an image and can’t escape that you were there in order to be objective. On a related note, Steve discusses if an image should represent what you’re feeling in the moment.

The conversation also turns to Steve's favorite cities for shooting street photography as well as the new Nikon Z6 / Z7, a mirrorless camera.

Visit ThePassionatePhotographer.com for portfolios and workshops, and pledge to his Patreon to receive more help.

Urban Explorer Alanna St. Laurent joins Chris to discuss her favorite places to photograph in Chicago and Detroit, and specific vantage points she likes to pursue. She also shares tips on safely roaming the streets of these cities, and what kind of gear she takes into the field.

A self-taught photographer who has found success through art fairs, Alanna offers tips on shooting at night in the city (including how she handles white balance). She is also a drone photographer, and shares her equipment and why she loves shooting this way. It's not all about going hundreds of feet into the air!

Visit Creative Vision Photography Workshops for her Detroit workshops and events.

To see Alanna's work and to find her art schedule, galleries, and workshops, visit DetroitCityPhotos.com.

Chris heads to Menorca, Spain for PhotoPills Camp 2019 and chats with landscape and timelapse photographer Michael Shainblum. Considered by Chris to be the best timelapse photographer in the world, Michael shares timelapse photography tips, the differences between landscape and timelapse composition, how he uses Google Earth to find new places to travel to, his most fulfilling project, and the scariest moment of his life.

As someone whose only career has been photography, Michael also shares how to make it in this line of work, as well as the benefits and challenges of managing your own photography business.