Inside the Lens

Don sits down with Craig Blair, the founder of Canon Rumors and Lens Rentals Canada. There’s a bit of a saga to unpack here – with insights into the industry, drama, and a personal journey that wasn’t always positive. This is an episode you’ll want to listen to!

For those curious, the WayBack Machine does indeed have Craig’s first website archived.

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The Beginnings of Digital – ITL 01

The world of digital photography has drastically changed since it’s inception. We dive back in time to discuss the first “triumphs” in digital photography and how a young Frederick Van Johnson cut his teeth on early Kodak DCS cameras while in the US Air Force, and the conversation continues to discuss how far technology has evolved. The limits of light and technology are constantly being pushed, and a greater understanding of these limits helps photographers push their creativity further.

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Images From Electrons – ITL 02

Our desire to see more and more detail on a microscopic scale eventually hits limitations of light itself. Where photons fail, electrons take over and allow us to create images of unbelievably small things. Cells and viruses, even small clusters of atoms, electron microscopes reveal tiny universes for scientific value. Many of these images can be beautiful, and we talk with Ted Kinsman about how they work, why they’re needed, and how you work with such extreme imaging equipment. Ted Kinsman uses electron microscopes to create images for education, but builds beauty into his work to captivate viewers. Get ready for a very geeky conversation!

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Colour Science with Ray Maxwell – ITL 03

Colour science is difficult to wrap into an understandable conversation, and there isn’t anyone better to help us get a handle on the peculiar nature of human vision than Ray Maxwell. This conversation winds around a number of topics, from how camera sensors are designed, how printers work, and how our eyes perceive the world around us. As photographers, a greater understanding of colour science can spark creative ideas and help us overcome technical problems… but it’s also fun to simply geek out over it!

Note: There was some audio issues with the recording near the beginning of the conversation and a few sentences needed to be cut or reconstructed. Sorry about that!

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Infrared and Beyond – ITL 04

A engaging and geeky talk about the science behind infrared photography, and much more! Cameras are designed to mimic human vision and limit themselves to only the spectrum that we can see with our own eyes. Creative photographers can step beyond the limitations and modify their cameras to explore the magical world of infrared, ultraviolet, and full spectrum photography. This conversation with Dan Llewellyn is a mind-feast for those photographers that love to understand light. I don’t think I could have had a better guest on the podcast to have this discussion with!

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Gigapixel Macro – ITL 05

Shooting macro images can be difficult, but no one pushes deeper into the technical challenges than Gene Cooper at GIGAmacro. We chat about the limits of resolution, how to use microscope optics, and the reasons why creating gigapixel macro photographs is such a challenge – with all the geek chatter that goes along with it.

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Printing with Martin Bailey – ITL 06

Printing is a perceptual art based on solid science. Many photographers choose to let someone else print their work, but what are they missing out on, both in terms of challenge and reward? Martin Bailey helps navigate the environment that fine art printers find themselves in today, from calibration and paper choices to equipment failure and the newest technology.

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TriggerTrap Saga – ITL 07

Engineering photographic equipment isn’t easy, especially in mass quantities. This discussion with Haje Jan Kamps of TriggerTrap details the entire saga from inception to the end of a company that had many successes and failures along the way. We chat about everything that made the company successful, how photographic engineering challenges are faced, and a behind the scenes look at what happens when those challenges cannot be overcome. It’s a great candid discussion that I’m all listeners will find insightful.

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On this episode of Inside the Lens, we get inside the mind of Rick Sammon and how he transitioned from corporate life to becoming the photographer we know today. There is a lot of wisdom to share here, and I can personally echo everything that Rick is saying.

This is a fantastic discussion, and it’s just the tip of the iceberg for what Rick discusses in his amazing new book: Photo Therapy Motivation and Wisdom: Discovering the Power of Pictures

Rick and I have a fun, meandering chat about all things photography, business, passion, how to be successful with many great anecdotes… and many more in the book!

On this episode of Inside the Lens, Don Komarechka sits down with Skip Cohen to go over 50 years of lessons learned in the photographic industry. From Polaroid in 1970 to Hasselblad in 1987 and far beyond, the conversation weaves a tale of the photographic industry, customer service, evolving trends and coping with technological and societal change. You’ll want to listen to this one.

Check out Skip’s current project, helping kickstart the Platyball tripod ball head on Kickstarter. I’ve had my hands on this in person, and it’s a solid product that can’t wait to get the finished version of!

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