Mentioned in this episode

People

Helmut Newton — fashion photographer Geoff cites as having briefly worked in the Singapore press before his career took off · Wikipedia

Steve Jobs — referenced as an example of the "human factor" books Geoff reads about how people become exceptional · Wikipedia

Books and reading

Inside the Mind of a Photographer by Geoff Ang — his book distilling 20 years of workshop material into a guide to the psychological and business side of commercial photography · insidethemindofaphotographer.com

Tools and products

Phase One digital backs — the medium format system Geoff bought into in the late '90s and still shoots today · phaseone.com

Sinar 4x5 cameras — the large-format studio camera system he used for high-resolution transparencies · Wikipedia

Dicomed — the dedicated digital retouching system used before Photoshop matured · Wikipedia

Leica SL3 — his current mirrorless body; Geoff has been a Leica ambassador since the first SL · leica-camera.com

Fujifilm GFX — his second current system, chosen for faster autofocus at high resolution than his Phase One · fujifilm-x.com

Apple Vision Pro — discussed as a new, if "selfish," way of viewing photography · apple.com

Sony Alpha 7R VI — mentioned by Iain as a recent loaner, notable for combining high resolution with strong video specs · Sony product page

Godox — budget lighting-stand brand Geoff cites as part of the barrier-to-entry drop after 2010 · godox.com

Companies and institutions

GeoffStudio — Geoff Ang's studio and portfolio site · geoffang.com

Profoto — lighting brand Geoff has been a longtime workshop ambassador for · profoto.com

Leica Gallery Singapore — hosted his recent exhibition to launch his book · leica-camera.com

Places and events

Singapore — Geoff's home base for his entire career · Wikipedia

Bali — where Geoff lived semi-retired during COVID and wrote much of his book · Wikipedia

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More about this show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Mentioned in this episode

People

Colin Prior — cited as one of the landscape photographers whose 1990s work first caught Graham's eye, before that kind of image became common in the social media era · colinprior.co.uk

Jocelyn Bain Hogg — London-based documentary photographer known for his books on British organised crime, The Firm and The Family · theviifoundation.org

Martin Parr — referenced as one of the few photographers who can "get away with" a heavy, unflattering flash aesthetic on his subjects · martinparr.com

James Popsys — landscape photographer and YouTuber based in Snowdonia, Wales, cited for his discipline of carrying a bag deliberately too small to fit his camera; a future guest on the show · jamespopsys.com

Places

Nethy Bridge — the Cairngorms village where both Graham and Iain live, and home to Graham's Arbor Gallery · Wikipedia

Torridon / Liathach — the mountain and viewpoint (seen from Beinn Alligin) behind Graham's punishing winter hike story · Liathach — Wikipedia

The Cuillins — the Skye mountain range referenced both as a backdrop and in Graham's composited "Madeira and Cuillin" image · Wikipedia

Coire an t-Sneachda — a corrie on the Cairngorm Plateau where Graham photographed wind-whipped snow and a reindeer herd · Wikipedia

St Kilda, including Boreray — the remote Scottish archipelago where Graham shot his well-known black-and-white sea cliff image from a boat · St Kilda — Wikipedia · Boreray — Wikipedia

The Buachaille (Buachaille Etive Mòr) — mentioned in relation to one of Graham's early-morning mountain shots · Wikipedia

Aviemore — mentioned in passing as the location of Graham's five-a-side football game · Wikipedia

Gear and tools

Olympus OM-1 — Graham's first camera, already 30 years old when he acquired it in the early 2000s · Wikipedia

Leica M (digital back on a film body) — one of two bodies Graham colour/black-and-white "loads" like film stock · leica-camera.com

Nikon — Graham's current system, chosen, by his own account, essentially by coin flip · nikon.com

DJI Osmo Pocket — his go-to for casual video, bought secondhand · dji.com

Ricoh GR — referenced as the classic "glove box camera" for always-with-you shooting · Wikipedia

Companies and institutions

Niven Photography / Arbor Gallery — Graham's studio and the small gallery he and his wife run on Dell Road, Nethy Bridge · nivenphotography.com

Monocle — cited as the magazine that adopted a flash-heavy portrait style for its diplomat and official portraits, to mixed effect · monocle.com

Support the show on Patreon.

More about this show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Support the show on Patreon.

More about this show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Natasa Leoni is a photographer based in the UK who in addition to commercial work photographs causes she cares about in relation to climate and social change.

Support the show on Patreon.

More about this show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Rachael Talibart is a photographer of coast and sea based in the UK.

Support the show on Patreon.

More about this show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Dave Herring returns to the show this week to talk about his remit to educate and entertain. He’s a lovely guest with excellent taste in 35mm lenses :)

Support the show on Patreon.

More about this show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Kit Young is a British analogue photographer and printer. In an age where film is a niche choice and many folks who do shoot it send their film to someone else to process and scan, Kit handles the whole process himself, making his photos, developing the film and then making the prints in a darkroom. As a result his images stand out to me and have a very specific look.

Support the show on Patreon.

More about this show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

People often say “It’s the little things”, but what does that mean? Ian Bogost has written a book on this subject called The Small Stuff, and in it he describes the gratification that we can all get from paying attention to the small things that happen around us every day. The way a camera feels in the hand, the texture of our clothing, the difference in taste of a soda drunk from a can instead of a plastic bottle. All of these things can be savoured and make our lives a far richer tapestry than it might otherwise be.

I am sold and hope you will be too after you enjoy this conversation. And go pick up a copy of the book, I did and it was very much worth it.

Support the show on Patreon.

More about this show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

This week, my guest is Irene Yee, a photographer specialising in the outdoors and climbing. She’s a brilliant and open guest who shares a lot of her techniques and ideas for making great creative work.

Support the show on Patreon.

More about this show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Emil Gyllenberg joins me today. He is the chief organiser of the Stockholm FotoMaraton, a 24 hour event taking place in August. I had never heard of such a thing, people running around making pictures for 24 hours and then entering to have theirs selected as the best in various categories, so I contacted them and Emil agreed to come on to talk about it.

Support the show on Patreon.

More about this show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.