Prime Lenses

Declan Friel is a photographer based near the Isle of Skye. His day job has him working on the Isle of Skye as a postman which sometimes affords him the opportunity to capture one of the most beautiful locations in the world while he’s at work. That’s something I’ll bet a lot of us wish we could do so when Declan was made famous earlier this year by the BBC News Website I thought I’d reach out and see if we could have a chat about his history with photography, printing images big and small and of course, murder mystery drama on the island.

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.

For 10 years Hugh Brownstone has made photography videos on YouTube. His striking monochrome aesthetic and thoughtful delivery made him popular with fans of photography, especially those with a tendency towards cameras made in Germany with a little red dot. I’ve admired his work for years so it was a delight to sit down with him and have a wide ranging conversation about image making.

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.

Hollis Monk Thayer and Stephen K. Schuster are two friends who host the Emulsions Podcast about film photography. They agreed to come onto the podcast to talk about what it’s like making a podcast, whether they benefit from having a co-host and the kinds of images they like to make. It was a good conversation, I hope you like it too :)

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.

Andy Dunn is a UK based filmmaker whose work I discovered via a film he made about Harold Feinstein called Last Stop Coney Island. This brilliant documentary introduced me to the world of an artist I knew nothing about and I loved it. Andy was kind enough to take some time out of a Friday night to come and chat cameras, Harold and making stuff.  

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.

Becca Farsace is an Emmy award winning Photographer, videographer and life long learner. I’ve enjoyed her videos for years and  have been lucky to chat with her on and off about cameras but when starting to plan for this show I knew she was one of the people I’d want to speak to. She recently went independent, able for the first time to make whatever she wants on her own terms. You can find her on YouTube now where she’s taking tech outdoors and her approach is clearly resonating because she’s attracted over 100,000 subscribers already.

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.

Kaj O’Connell is a wonderful photographer whose work I discovered through the One Month 2 cameras YouTube channel. His work made initially using old point and shoot digicams was inspiring, he’s doing more than just shooting with them for the vibes. He champions ways of making work, printing it and living with it that I really admire, shoots film like a pro and I was so excited when he agreed to come on the show. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Kaj.

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.

Rick DeMint is the man behind Portroids, a photo project where he snaps celebrities and asks them to sign the picture which is then posted to his website. It’s a great project 21 years and over 6000 images later is still going strong. The combination of long running consistency and Polaroid cameras of many types made him an ideal guest, I loved speaking to him and in particular enjoyed his final lens choice, but you’ll have to stick around for that! 

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.

Jannik Boysen is a game developer and photographer who created the charming Shutter Stroll for PC. I discovered the game in 2020 but the release of the game on Steam seemed like a great time to speak to Jannik about the game and their journey with photography.

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.

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 I spoke with Stefan Daniel of Leica Camera. He’s ultimately responsible for all camera development at Leica and we spoke on the eve of the M11-D announcement about travel cameras, the Scottish Highlands and the importance of creation and creativity more than specs and technical stats.

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.