TWiP Talks

George Varanakis is one of the forces behind The Portrait Masters LIVE 2020 conference. For the first time ever, the conference has gone online-only via Zoom. The conference kicks off this week (September 21, 2020), and George joins the podcast to discuss some of the changes and advantages of converting a wildly popular physical event into a fully virtual offering.

Check out The Portrait Masters LIVE 2020

https://youtu.be/zG-AePEg71I

In this chat, the fabulous Dixie Dixon joins the show to give a candid and revealing look at how she was able to build her business into a world-class, respected photography brand. We discuss the nuances of bidding large projects, marketing, and live on the set.

https://youtu.be/VNNBygYxRDQ

Dixie Dixon has always been inspired by the allure, magic, and unique challenge of creating fashion photography. as one of the sixteen original Nikon ambassadors in the United States, Dixie has spent the last decade bringing creative visions to life for brands, ad agencies, fashion/commercial clients as well as educating others about the latest cutting-edge photography techniques and technology.

Dixie Dixon

Texas born-and-bred, she has followed her passion around the world, shooting in locations such as Cannes, Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Brazil, Ibiza, and Barcelona. Most recently, she released her new book "Fashion and Lifestyle Photography”. from finding your vision to building your dream team, this book will provide you with the essential gear and know-how to capture the looks of the media world that leap off the page or screen.

Dixie brings a wildly positive energy to the set that creates a one-of-a-kind experience for her clients, inspires her dream team of colleagues, and earns the business of some of the most exclusive brands in the world.

https://www.dixiedixon.com

Educator and nature photographer Rob Knight shares some of his experiences in using the Gnarbox in the field.

GNARBOX 2.0 SSD is a rugged backup device for pro content creators who need to back up their files in the field. Its compact design and on-board backup features allow photographers to manage files without a laptop.

The device can be purchased with up to 1TB internal SSD and comes with an SD slot, two USB-C ports, and mobile apps designed to allow photographers to get a head start on ingestion steps before arriving home, or back at the studio.

https://youtu.be/vRlnRa_pZfk

About Rob Knight

Travel and Nature photographer Rob Knight has been a professional artist for nearly thirty years. He’s been a photographer for more than half of that time and an educator since 2010. Rob is an Olympus Educator, Tenba Visual Artist, and a GNARBOX Pro.

Rob is an Adobe Certified Expert in Photoshop Lightroom, and he was a finalist for the National Association of Photoshop Professional’s “Photoshop Guru” award for photography in 2008 and 2009. Rob is best known for his destination photo workshops, his easy-going teaching style and his informative critiques.

Learn more about Gnarbox: http://www.gnarbox.comLearn more about Rob Knight: http://www.robknightphotography.com

I'm honored to have had the opportunity to sit down with photographic artist Matthew Jordan Smith. We discuss his storied career photographing portraits of some of the most iconic faces on the planet. And we also dive into one of his newest projects — an exciting new visual art form — debuting this month in Japan at the Kyoto Museum of Photography.

Matthew Jordan Smith is an American photographer known for his portraits of celebrities, actors and models. His photography sits in the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History & Culture.

https://youtu.be/H1z1G1Ehgng

Matthew's "FLUID" photo exhibition:https://kyoto-muse.jp/exhibition/113476

Follow Matthew:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Matthew_JordanSInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewjordansmithFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/matthewjordansmithphotoWeb: https://www.matthewjordansmith.com

In this interview Twitch influencer Michelle G. Hunder and I discuss her music photography career, and how she's come to love the Twitch.tv service. We discuss how she was able to skyrocket her channel to popularity in such a short time. We also discuss her efforts to inspire young women.

https://youtu.be/P9JZqPG9LAs

About Michelle

Beginning her career in professional photography 9 years ago, Michelle Grace Hunder already has two separate portrait series in the National Sound and Film Archive of Australia and is considered one of the most revered Australian Music Photographers.

After the 2015 release of her highly anticipated photographic book- "RISE", a detailed insight of her personal journey into the world of Australian Hip-Hop, Michelle has also spreads her creativity into a number of different avenues, showing an agile versatility – from fashion, to international cultural events.

Her repertoire continues to grow, with Australian and international artists requesting her talents to photograph both live performances and portrait images, used for press, publicity and album covers.

Michelle has been invited as the official tour photographer for Ruel, Seth Sentry & Illy, and was the Official Festival Photographer for "Come Together" at Sydney's iconic Big Top at Luna Park for 4 consecutive years.

Michelle G. Hunder

After shooting with literally every major player in the Australian Hip-Hip scene, Michelle then spent four years on a major personal project called "Her Sound, Her Story" celebrating Women in Australian Music, across all genres, with her project partner, Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore.

Michelle & Claudia worked with over 80 women, both artists and behind the scenes in the music industry, across all genres, shooting portraits and interviews for this highly ambitious project. The full length documentary of "Her Sound, Her Story" premiered with huge industry acclaim in May of 2018.

Michelle also live streams photography workshops, interviews and follower challenges on Twitch, three times a week.

Contact Michelle

Website: https://www.michellegracehunder.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelleghunderTwitch channel: https://www.twitch.tv/michelleghunder

About Twitch (via Wikipedia)

Twitch is a video live streaming service operated by Twitch Interactive, a subsidiary of Amazon. The service was introduced in June 2011 as a spin-off of the general-interest streaming platform Justin.tv. The site primarily focuses on video game live streaming, including broadcasts of esports competitions, in addition to music broadcasts, creative content, and more recently, IRL or "in real life" streams.

In this interview I sit down with aircraft photographer John Thow. John is the guy behind the site SlickPixels.com and along with his sons has taken some of the most amazing photographs of aircraft I've ever seen! We discuss the logistics of working around multi-million dollar aircraft, his technique for capturing his iconic images, and even a bit about is post-processing workflow.

https://youtu.be/U0SdLE1cuGE

If you've ever been intrigued by, or considered photographing aircraft this interview is a must-listen.

About John Thow:

John Thow

Growing up in Southern California, Aviation Photographer, Artist Author and the creator of Slickpixels.com, John began his journey in aviation photography at the age of 7 when he began joining his grandfather for the Pt. Mugu Air Show. “Grandpa had the run of the place… and so did I in those days.” Says John. Grandfather Jim was one of the head electricians at the base and was in charge of setting up much of the air show. “ He would set me up in the pilot’s grandstand with them and their families. It was great to hear their stories after returning from flying in the show. Sometimes I even got to meet the Blue Angels.”

“I learned early on that planning on being out at the show for both Saturday and Sunday was a good idea due to the difference in the weather. Often times, especially Pt. Mugu’s propensity for fog, the Blue Angels or other acts would only get to fly on one of the two days, so I needed to be sure I was there to get my shots. In those days the aircraft the aircraft actually flew with and launched missiles. Looking back through those old snap shots sure makes me wish we had today’s cameras back then.

In any case, I have continued in aviation photography ever since, the gear gets better along with the photo opportunities, but “I guess I’ve just never really grown out of my childhood love for hanging out at the airshow.”

Website: SlickPixels.comGraphic design business: jthow.comAnd on Facebook!

In this episode, New York City based photographer Jesse Dittmar joins share a behind-the-scenes perspective on a shoot with celebrity and disruptor Roger Stone. Jesse photographed Mr. Stone prior to his incitement and subsequent incarceration. Jesse has an interesting perspective on Stone's personality before the incitement.

https://youtu.be/LUu406gGxR8

The photoshoot took place in Stone's NYC apartment and Jesse shares a bit about his process when given limited time, an unknown environment, and an unpredictable subject.

About Jesse Dittmar

Jesse Dittmar is a portrait photographer working with publications such as The New York Times and The Washington Post and brands like Apple and Hulu. The New Yorker, People, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, and New York Magazine have all published his work.

He has photographed the most accomplished figures of the 21st century, including Denzel Washington, Tom Brady, Serena Williams, Tom Hanks, Patti Smith, David Letterman, the cast of Star Wars, and hundreds of more. Typically using black and white film, Jesse's photographs invoke a sense that one is standing in front of the subject along with him.

He humanizes our most renowned figures and photographs those who are not famous in an equalizing manner. His portraits are iconic in their simplicity and intimacy.

https://jessedittmar.comhttps://www.instagram.com/jessedittmar

In this episode, Chris Smith founder of the Out of Chicago conferences sits down to discuss why he started this popular event, and how he was so quickly able to pivot to a 100% virtual experience that attendees and presenters are raving about. Chris continues to explore new conference boundaries with his upcoming conference "Out of Chicago In-Depth", August 21st - 23rd.

https://youtu.be/90GQzpPdJC4

In this interview, Keren Sachs, founder and CEO of The Luupe, joins the podcast to discuss diversity (or the lack thereof) in the photography industry. Particularly when it comes to prejudices and biases relating to gender, personal identity, and sexuality.

https://youtu.be/uyh-5NHQumw

Keren and I have an open discussion about the state of things today, and where — with initiatives like TheLuupe.com — things may evolve to in the future. TheLuupe.com is a platform connecting women and non-binary photographers with leading brands to make great work. We encourage you to also check out their blog for conversations and stories on creative women.

Keren has spent her career working across the content industry and championing artists' careers. She has served as an advisor to companies globally with a focus on content licensing, business development, and international growth. Previously, Keren was the Director of Content Development for Shutterstock, where she co-created Offset. Keren began her career as Photo Editor for National Geographic Kids, and went on to work for The Wall Street Journal, Corbis, Williams-Sonoma, and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Keren regularly speaks on gender and authenticity in imagery.

Cover image by Jasmine Durhal:

©Kate Rentz

In this COVID-19 recap discussion I am joined by Vincent Racaniello, PhD and Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Columbia University Medical Center, and serial entrepreneur Mark T. Fuccio. This is a follow-up discussion from the Photographers and COVID-19 webinar TWiP produced a few months ago.

In this session, we discuss the current state of Coronavirus learnings, mask-wearing controversies, the post-COVID-19 world and more. We also dive into some conspiracy theories around being "first in line" to take the upcoming vaccines and the divisive politics.

For more information and guidance, please check out the Center for Disease Control website.

https://youtu.be/dC6XFslaixM

Vincent Racaniello, PhD

Higgins Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Columbia University Medical CenterEarth's Virology ProfessorThis Week in Virology (Microbe.tv)

Vincent Racaniello, PhD

Vincent Racaniello, Ph.D. (@profvrr) is Higgins Professor of Microbiology & Immunology at Columbia University Medical Center. He has been studying viruses for over 40 years, starting in 1975, when he entered the Ph.D. program in Biomedical Sciences at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York. His thesis research, in the laboratory of Dr. Peter Palese, was focussed on influenza viruses.

In 1979 he joined the laboratory of Dr. David Baltimore at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for postdoctoral work on poliovirus. In 1982 Vincent joined the faculty  in the Department of Microbiology at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York City. There he established a laboratory to study viruses, and to train other scientists to become virologists. Over the years his laboratory has studied a variety of viruses including poliovirus, echovirus, enteroviruses 70 and D68, rhinovirus, Zika virus and hepatitis C virus. 

As principal investigator of his laboratory, he oversees the research  that is carried out by Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows. He also teaches virology to undergraduate and graduate students, as well as medical, dental, and nursing students. His virology lectures are available online at iTunes University, YouTube, and Coursera.

Mark T. Fuccio

Entrepreneurhttp://www.twitter.com/markfuccio

Mark T. Fuccio

Mark Fuccio has a broad background in product development, management, and marketing in multiple high tech fields: computer storage; graphics workstations; semiconductor IP and design tools; and software applications.

He has helped dozens of startup and established companies identify their market sweet spot and launch their company and products. Mark is victim of a misspent youth, earning the bachelor of science electrical engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.