Best Podcasts 2016

I hope the YouTube Channels I posted were a good resource. This week I want to share some of the best Podcasts related to photography, video and a few other things. Enjoy!

The Candid Frame

I can pronounce Ibarionex’s name because I’ve listened to this show for years. It is the best photography podcast available. Ibarionex has guests from Ralph Gibson to Dan Winter and literally everybody in between. His interview style is slow, smooth and makes you want to listen to some jazz after words.

This Week in Photo

I used to never miss an episode, but I started to drop off the last year or two with TWIP. It’s great to stay up to date with photo news, gear and cool guests though. It’s a little ad heavy, but it’s been on forever and is probably the highest rated photography podcast.

Petapixel Photography Podcast

Relatively new, Petapixel launched into the world of podcasting a few months ago. Their blog is great and I visit daily. The podcast is an extension of that where they cover news, issues, gear, etc. The episodes are short.

Director’s Club Podcast

Literally my favorite podcast, or at least in my top three. Patrick and Jim have covered over 100 directors in episodes that can range from an hour (rare) to over three hours long. I have discovered so many new films through this podcast I can’t begin to see them all. Patrick, in particular, is a young opinionated guy who’d you think teaches at NYU Film School during the day. In actuality he works in a video store. So come discover some incredibly hidden talent, and some new movies to stimulate your intellectual senses.

The RC

I’ve spent more money, as a result of this podcast, then I have from any ad. Jason Wingrove and Mike Seymour walk you through the greatest things in cinematography out there. Based in Australia, the duo also run an online school for cinematography (not accredited of course, but really excellent courses). For a couple hundred bucks you get hours of courses in lighting, post production, directing, color grading, and on. www.fxphd.com The podcast, however, covers all sorts of cinematography related gear, topics, trends, styles, etc. It is a great podcast if you are into motion cinema.

American Cinematographer Podcast

It’s a little dry. It’s a straight interview style. But the guests can be amazing. The ASC podcast has some of the best cinematographers working today, and yesterday, on to discuss their films, their style and work ethics. It’s educational and I love hearing from guys, and gals, that have shot some of the most famous movies of all time. It’s worth a listen. If you get tired of it, go back to Director’s Club!!!  

Best Photography YouTube Channels

I’ve been at a loss lately for new Podcasts and YouTube channels. I’ve essentially listened to hours, days and weeks of educational material related to photography, cinema, philosophy and I’ve run out of new things to explore. If you have any ideas please send them my way. In the meantime, I want to share with you what I think are the best YouTube channels currently on the Internet. That is, of course, if you’re interested in photography, cinema and philosophy. Next week I think I’ll cover Podcasts because there is a wealth of information there too. So, below I’ve started compiling a list of the best resources on these topics. Enjoy, and please add more in the comments if you have them.

Photography and Video

B and H Photo Video

Yes that B and H has a YouTube channel, and it is amazing. There are hours on end of video covering every topic, from every angle, related to photography and video. Under the Playlists, seek out Event Space. It is a collection of lectures covering everything from printing, to lighting, to modeling, to copywriting. It is a wealth of info that every photographer needs to know about.

Tony Northrup

Tony, and his wife Chelsea, have been running their educational YouTube channel for a few years. It is aimed more toward novices but it is a wealth of information, particularly related to sensor technology, crop factor and lens selection. The videos are really well produced and a lot of fun.

The Art of Photography

If you want to get into the conceptual aspects of photography, Ted Forbes is the man to take you there. This YouTube channel is probably my favorite photography related resource. Ted uncovers photographers you may not know, presents some gear here and there, shows you how to develop film, make a darkroom, dive into photography analysis, on and on. It is a great channel and Ted is a super nice guy.

The Camera Store

Should I buy that new camera? The dudes over at the Camera Store will give you a pretty honest assessment as to whether you should. A Canadian based YouTube channel, the focus is on photography and video, gear and reviews.

The Digital Dog

Color managed workflow. Andrew Rodney is a color master! He doesn’t have a lot of videos on his channel, but the ones that are there will answer every question you’ve ever had about digital inkjet printing, color space, viewing conditions, resolution, etc.

Filmmaker IQ

Not too old, this channel is amazing! Why do we shoot at 24 frames per second? Why the 35mm film format? Filmmaker IQ dives into those questions, and more. It’s a little technical, a little conceptual and a lot of education. I love it!

Digital Rev

This one is a little quirky, but it is still fun. Based out of Hong Kong, Digital Rev is a gear focused YouTube channel that creates some funny videos to bring a little levity to the world of camera reviews. Their reviews are generally accurate, however, in my opinion. All in all, if you’re a camera nerd, Digital Rev is great!

Philosophy

Brad Younger

Not much to say here really. Brad has compiled loads of interviews, lectures and analysis of the greatest philosophers to ever grace our Eurocentric Western stages. There may be an Eastern philosopher there to, in fairness. However, this channel will open up all sorts of existential questions and answer some of them too. It is an amazing resource that took me years to find. Now you don’t have to search. 

Yale Courses

Why not sit in on a class at Yale? You can either decide that the Ivy League is overrated or learn something significant based in Western Philosophy. Jacques Derrida on Deconstruction Theory anyone?

Vice

While Vice is generally considered a news agency for younger folks, I think their coverage and access make them a wonderful tool to analyze current events with. Vice has a series of documentaries that delve deep into topics such as Iraq, ISIS, Islam, Africa, Civil War, Capitalism, Global Warming, and much more. The fact that they put so much research into their stories is what makes the material profound. The topics are generally focused on the Middle East and Africa, bringing to my mind a Marxist analysis of imperialism…hence my inclusion in the Philosophy section. At any rate, it is a great channel so happy surfing.

Point of Departure

Finding inspiration in my proverbial backyard has always been difficult for me. I tend to work better, that is, I make more interesting pictures when I am on the road. Some have embraced this ethic, by encouraging me to travel. Others have suggested that I try and find true inspiration for documentary here in Atlanta. Either way, finding a great project to focus on is difficult, but it is particularly more difficult when I am confined by the landscape I am familiar with. I wonder why that is? I have an idea.

We see things better when they are new. This isn’t a revolutionary concept, but it is worth thinking about when working on a photographic project. When I was in Africa, for the first time, everything held my interest. From a coke machine to an older Muslim gentleman just walking by. What is commonplace for North Africans is fascinating to my Western eyes. So I take a picture of it. I encapsulate that moment, that instant, in a photographic frame because it is special to me. It means something to me and I want to communicate that with whoever sees the picture.

Back in Atlanta, my hometown, everything has become commonplace to me. In other words, it is familiar and doesn’t hold a sense of fascination. Some photographers have found incredible ways to document the familiar (I’m thinking of Daidō Moriyama, William Eggleston and Jacob Aue Sobol), but I am not them. I need an end goal to focus on. I need a direction or else I’m grasping at straws, stabbing in the dark, or whatever. Ralph Gibson refers to this concept as a Point of Departure. His friend and mentor, Dorthea Lange told him, “You will never make interesting work without a point of departure.”

I am not suggesting that people can’t make incredible work without an end goal or project in mind, but it can help give direction or, for me, purpose. Even if I am in a new location, where visual stimuli are seducing me, it helps to have a guiding point. What am I trying to communicate? How do I want a story to unfold? These are a couple questions I think about. Research definitely helps, and that is my most valuable tool. I never walk into a place blind, even if I am traveling for pleasure.

My mind is constantly thinking about the next project, and I have to remind myself to slow down. Graduate School requires a fresh, new idea every ten weeks. It is challenging to keep up with the demand, but it is required. In a way it is a good thing. Efficiency, focus and production are synthesized in graduate school. If I get completely off track, I don’t have much time to make up the difference. It is a good work ethic to maintain. My point of departure helps to keep the work moving. Again, these ideas will not work for everyone, and I am constantly adjusting the way I produce content. However, I think it is important to think about how one works best? Under what conditions do you produce your best material? Find that, and make great art!

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© JB Rasor 2016