TWiP Talks

In this episode, I speak with Alexis Hunley — a photographer based in Los Angeles, California. Recently she has found herself in the middle of intersecting world events — photographing Black Lives Matter protests and Trump rallies… all in a city that has been absolutely hammered by the COVID-19 disaster.

We talk about how she's able to separate the photography from the reality that is happening around her. Especially as a black person photographing BLM protests. Or as a black person documenting a chanting Trump rally… all while staying safe and healthy.

Alexis is a recipient of the Adobe Creative Residency Community Fund which is currently accepting applications for the next round of funding due March 1, 2021.

Connect with Alexis: http://www.alexishunley.com

About Alexis, in her own words….

I started teaching myself photography at the end of 2017.

After my grandmother passed around the same time, I was grieving and feeling lost and was searching for a way to stay connected to her. She had always been the artist of the family. Taking photographs, developing film, sewing, laying tile - she did it all. She inspires me, artistically and emotionally to this day. In the midst of my grief and vulnerability, I found myself drawn to the healing power of the visual arts.

Propelled by my love for the interplay between science and art, I have always been endlessly fascinated by the power visual narratives wield when they are artfully connected to the psychological facts and figures that inspire action.

This week I chat with futurist and filmmaker, Maxim Jago. We discuss his latest project, The Creativity Conference, taking place January 22nd - 24th.

It's a completely free virtual event featuring 90 presentations, 67 speakers, 7 panels, and 3 keynotes! And it's completely free. You'll discover whom he built this conference is for, and peek inside the elusive world of creativity — what is it? How do you know if you have it? How do you use it?

About Maxim Jago

Maxim Jago

Maxim Jago speaks internationally, and offers consultancy as a futurist, predicting trends and focusing attention on contemporary technologies and social developments that are likely to have a major impact in the short, medium, and long term.

Maxim's new book, exploring emerging trends in the next ten years, published by IEEE-USA is now available HERE.

Maxim proposes an optimistic-realistic outlook, with the benefits coming up from autonomous robotics, true A.I., socio-economic changes thanks to cryptocurrencies, smart contracts, and sovereign identity projects, wide-area crowdfunding, and environmental control leading to a new era of potential for the human race.

https://maximjago.comhttp://www.creativityconference.is

About the conference

How do you find that state of mind? That lightning strike of inspiration for your creative flow? Kickstart the new year with 90 amazing presentations by over 60 world-class creative speakers who will share their insights, approaches to creativity, and life lessons to give you new inspiration and energize your creative work.

https://youtu.be/C46rnTWTWhU

In this final interview of 2020, I sit down with skateboarding and sports photographer Atiba Jefferson. Atiba is one of the most recent inductees into the Canon Explorer of Light Program. His style is as diverse and energetic as his personality. We discuss his career path, his gear choices, and what projects he is considering diving into in 2021.

About Atiba

©Atiba Jefferson

Atiba Jefferson is an American photographer. Born in Colorado Springs, he first found his love of skateboarding there before moving to California in 1995. Now he is living and working in Los Angeles, CA.

Best known for his 25 years of skateboarding photography, over the years he has worked for all the major skateboard publications and now works at Thrasher Magazine. Atiba also has a deep history in basketball, being a staff photographer for the LA Lakers during the Shaq and Kobe years and shooting more SLAM magazine covers than any other photographer. Other subjects he enjoys shooting include music and just life in general. Atiba has also shot for commercial clients such as Supreme, Adidas, Nike, Converse, Reebok, ESPN, Gatorade, Mountain Dew, Oakley, Pepsi, Canon, and Netflix.

Connect with Atiba!

WebsiteFacebookTwitterInstagram

This week we take a deep dive into the world of 360º photography. Topics include the state of the industry, the tools, and the proper use of this immersive format. I'm joined by Vineet Devaiah, CEO of Teliportme.com. And Marc Charette, the force behind WorkPics360.com.

In this interview photographer and YouTuber, PhotoJoseph and I discuss Panasonic's new "box" micro-four-thirds camera. Who's this camera for, why not just buy a "regular" camera and the most important question of all… should I buy it?!

In this episode, I chat with web designer Alex Vita. We talk about web design and website galleries -  as they apply to photographers.

Connect with Alex: http://www.foregroundweb.comThis Week in Photo: http://www.thisweekinphoto.comFree Elementor Course: Building a Portfolio Website

Transcript:

Hey, welcome back to another episode. This is Frederick Van Johnson. Today. We're going to be talking with Alex Vita about galleries, in particular, and websites for photographers. And what are some best-practices for displaying work online and just having everything Bulletproof?

Should you go with a roll your own solution, like WordPress and install, awesome plugins into it, or should you just, pay a subscription fee to a Squarespace or someone like that and have it all managed by third-parties in the cloud here to demystify all that is Alex Vita.

©Alex Vita

Alex is a Romania-based web designer who knows pretty much everything there is to know about web design and photography, as it applies to websites and galleries. And we're going to pick his brain today.

Alex, welcome to the show, man. How are you doing?

Alex: Hi. Frederick nice to meet you. Happy to be here.

Frederick: Nice to meet you too. Are you ready for this? I got a ton of questions for you.

Alex: I'm ready. Go ahead. I'm an open book.

Frederick: Cool. All right, let's start with chapter one of that open book. who is Alex Vita? How did you get started in all this? And how did you start building your niche in web design and gallery design for photographers?

Alex: I started as an amateur photographer myself. I had a photo studio, I shot a few weddings, a few portraits sold some stock images. So that's how I got introduced to the field of photography. But I have a degree in computer science and I started building websites for a few photographers and that grew over time. And now I'm doing only that I have web design services exclusively for photographers, and I'm enjoying every minute of it and having to do work only with photographers. Over time, I started learning the nuances of the industry. It's a bit different than building generic websites, I think.

Frederick: One of the big questions that come up for a lot of photographers is should I invest my time and effort in learning WordPress and putting it, finding a great premium theme and putting it on there and, owning it all.

Or is it better to go to a Squarespace solution? As a web designer, where do you fall on that? Is it budget based? Is it skillset based or something else?

Alex: I'll try to avoid "it depends". And try to offer some pointers here - it's all a game of compromises. I like WordPress, I think it's the big elephant in the industry, right? It powers a third of the Internet for good reason. And there are dedicated photography platforms out there, which photographers have been using for a long time, the big players, SmugMug, PhotoShelter, and the other ones.

And I feel they are all sensing the heat from WordPress. There's a good level of competition now because WordPress is so powerful. You get a great theme, some plugins and you have good functionality, a great looking, mobile-friendly portfolio. So the decision then comes down to a few factors, right?

In this discussion, veteran sports photographer Andrew D. Bernstein and I discuss the fast-paced world of sports photography. We discuss his storied history and origins in the industry, and also how the sports, and sports photography industries have been impacted by the 2020 global pandemic. We also cover how Andrew is embracing the challenge and evolving.

About Andrew D. Bernstein

Andrew D. Bernstein

Bernstein’s photography has appeared in thousands of newspapers and magazine covers worldwide, as well as major advertising campaigns for over 30 years. Recent commercial projects include featuring some of the world’s top athletes for Nike, Reebok, Adidas, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Icy Hot, and GlaxoSmithKline.

The unique personal rapport Bernstein has developed with athletes over the years allows him exclusive access to special behind-the-scenes moments, some of which were showcased in the 2010 book he co-authored with legendary Hall of Fame NBA coach Phil Jackson, “Journey to the Ring”, documenting the 2009-10 Lakers championship season.

In 2018, Bernstein collaborated with five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant on the worldwide bestselling book “The Mamba Mentality: How I Play,” a unique look at Bryant’s 20-year career through Bernstein’s lens.  

Andrew and his company, Andrew D. Bernstein Associates Photography, Inc., has served as team photographer for the LA Lakers, LA Kings, LA Clippers and LA Dodgers. In addition, Bernstein holds the position of Director of Photography for STAPLES Center and Microsoft Theater L.A. Live, the sports and entertainment complex in Los Angeles.

LEGENDS OF SPORT Official Channels:OFFICIAL WEBSITE: https://legendsofsport.blogPODCAST: https://link.chtbl.com/LegendsofSportTWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/legends_ofsportINSTAGRAM: http://www.instagram.com/legendsofsportLA TIMES: http://www.LATimes.com/podcast

ANDREW D. BERNSTEIN Official ChannelsOFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.adbapi.comTWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/ADBPhotoIncINSTAGRAM: http://www.instagram.com/adbphotoinc

In this live stream, LED expert and SpiffyGear.com founder Udi Tirosh will joins the show to discuss how the confluence of LED lighting and high sensitivity/low noise sensors in modern DSLR and mirrorless camera sensors have made continuous lighting a real possibility.

Udi discusses some common misconceptions around LED lighting, and we'll preview some state-of-the-art innovative lighting tools that may change your perception when it comes to strobe versus LED.

Discount Code: TWIPTWIP15Offer: 15% off for This Week in PHOTO on KYU lineDuration: Expires Dec 5thProducts discounted: https://spiffygear.com/product-category/kyu/

http://www.spiffygear.com

Randal Ford and I discuss his newest photography "coffee table" book Good Dog. We discuss Randals experiences with learning to professionally photograph a wide variety of... personalities. We also talk about some interesting patterns he noticed during this project.

http://www.randalford.com

Randal, in his own words...

Dogs have been in our lives for millennia-- as our best friends and our family. As we attempt to navigate the ever-changing terrain of a global pandemic, one good thing remains constant: our dogs by our side. If there were ever a time to pay tribute to our closest companions, it is now. Good Dog is a heartwarming collection of meaningful moments with man's-best- friend. As we look into the eyes of these animals, may we recognize the unwavering presence of their gentle spirit-- one of wisdom, unending loyalty, and perfect love for imperfect humans.

In this interview, I'm joined by Matthew Jordan Smith. Matthew and I discuss how he is managing to continue to be innovative and creating during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Matthew Jordan Smith

Matthew Jordan Smith is an American photographer based in Tokyo, Japan, and working between Tokyo, New York City, and Los Angeles. He has photographed some of the world's most famous celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Queen Latifah, Angela Bassett, Tyra Banks, and more. His advertising clients include Olay, Pantene, Revlon, Showtime, and HBO.

In his spare time, Matthew focuses on personal projects, photo exhibits, and book projects. To date, Smith has published three books, Sepia Dreams, Lost & Found, and Future American President.

He has received numerous awards including the Vision Award and the George Eastman Power of Image award. He is a Nikon Ambassador and the host of the Master Your Lens photography podcast. Matthew is represented by LVA Represents in New York City.

http://www.matthewjordansmith.com