Behind the Shot

I’ve always been fascinated by the use of Remote Cameras, but it’s not something I’ve had the chance to try, unfortunately.

The last time I cover it on the show was on the episode Using Remote Cameras with Canon Explorer of Light David Bergman, and then I also had the legendary Peter Read Miller Miller talking about how he used them in Sports Photography. I, however, had never thought about using them for Wedding Photo Photography, that is until I was talking to Canon Explorer of Light Bob Davis at Imaging USA this y...

There have been so many times that I’ve made a mental note that I need to include more photojournalism on the show, only to have a mental dog eat my homework. Finally, today, I am checking that off the list.

Still, if I’m being honest, it wasn’t my mental note that made this show happen. It was a series of events that include an email, a referral, and a conference.

It ends out that today’s guest had reached out to me directly back in August of last year. His email started with “He...

To say I’m excited for today’s show is a huge understatement.

I first met today’s guest 6 years ago, when our mutual friend Adam Elmakias asked us both to help him with his Live Music Photography Workshop. I’m sure you know that feeling of “if this is their friend, then they must be a good human” – that’s what I felt that whole day in San Diego. Looking back, I don’t think I knew at that first meeting just how good this person is at what she does. I’d suggest that she is one of the ab...

Over the last few years I have been lucky enough to have the agency Wonderful Machine suggest a few photographers for the show, and every single time I’ve been blown away by the level of artists that they represent. Today is one of those times.

Today’s guest is Ben Girardi, and his work, across all areas from active lifestyle to landscapes, and portraits to sports, is stunningly good.

On Ben’s website, he refers to himself as a professional commercial and editorial outdoor photographer who tells stories in the outdoor world. Yeah, that’s a spot...

For this show, we have a returning guest, night photographer Ken Lee. I’ve known Ken for awhile, and the way he ended up as a guest for the show Capturing the Slowing of Time is one of my fave Behind the Shot stories.

Ken Lee, along with being an accomplished photographer, is also a regular watcher, or listener, of Behind the Shot. Years ago, when I was giving away Red River Paper Sample Packs, Ken was one of the winners. He also won the How to Build Real Influence e-course from Trey Ratcliff and Lauren Bath.

I sometimes wonder, while writing these guest photographer posts, how many listeners or viewers actually read them. The truth is it doesn’t matter to me, I write them for myself more than anyone else, and I find that trying to put someone’s talent into written words really helps me distill my thoughts about their work.

Take today’s guest, Melody Mellinger, for example…

I think my first introduction to Melody’s work was back in February of 2020, for Episode 4 of the monthly Behind the Shot Critique shows I used to do with Don Komarechka...

NOTE: This is not an official Canon USA show. This is a podcast first and foremost, available in both audio-only or video, and the video is also placed on YouTube. My hope is that by going through all of the AF options one-at-a-time, in extreme detail, you will be able to get more out of the camera system you have.

My first show with Rudy Winston, a Technical Marketing Consultant for Canon USA, was back in February of 2022 for “Canon Auto-Focus Explained“, so almost exactly 3 years ago. To date, it’s still one of the favorite shows that I...

LA based photographer Ian Spanier has been on the show a few times, with the first being back in 2019 for a conversation about Classic Portraits & Classic Lighting, discussing a portrait of actor Jeff bridges. Next up was the 2022 show talking about his Favorite Light Setups, which was fitting since Ian is an Ambassador for Westcott as a “Top Pro”.

In all the years I have been doing this podcast, Ian is absolutely one of my favorite interviews. He’s always happy to share any of his techniques or the details of his process. I have even watched his wo...

Social media today can be so draining, but almost daily I am reminded of the wonderful connections I’ve made there, and today’s guest is a perfect example. Jenn Devereaux is a New Orleans area concert and event photographer, and while we’ve never met, we have kind of known each other, or at least of each other, for years.

I think I first discovered Jenn when Todd Owyoung mentioned her, or tagged her in a post, and I have been a fan ever since. Jenn is probably mostly known in the music photography community as a fest...

I’m a Canon shooter… I shoot an R6 and an R5. So, I have been curious about the new Canon R1, and a little less so about the R5 Mark II. Still, I had written off watching the announcement, because it was at something like 3am my time… but, I happened to be up anyway so I watched it, and I ended up with some serious opinions on both the new gear and the presentation itself.

There’s no question these cameras are in demand, even though the R5 Mark II retails for $4,300 and the R1 for a wh...

I have always been fascinated with the education side of photography. I don't have a formal photography education myself, and I am very aware of what skill sets I wish I had been exposed to earlier in my photo journey. I have been around a lot of the continuing education side of photography, like KelbyOne, or various workshops that a lot of the top photographers do, and in fact teach workshops myself, but I do appreciate what many of the more traditional photography programs provide for the next generation of photographers. A few years ago I even teamed up with...

This is a show I have been thinking about doing for a while, and that I believe is an important subject for both new and veteran music photographers…. BUT even if you’re not a music photographer, this subject should matter to you. I think it applies to anyone negotiating prices. I have strong opinions on what the ASMP has referred to as "Predatory" Releases, and there's no question that I have an opinion on the message I want to get out on this episode, but, it is my show, so I get to do that. If you're not a Musi...

I will never forget growing up hearing my dad talk about his days flying P-51 and P-40 planes. His walls were covered in model planes of classic war birds, as though he was trying to relive his youth. When he passed away, I inherited a bunch of model planes he'd never gotten around to building. He was in the Air Force his entire life, retiring as a Lt. Colonel, and talking with today's guest has brought back so many memories. Brett Schauf, the owner of T&J Studios, in Wichita, Kansas, is a commercial, portrait and fine art photographer, but...

One of the things I love about the podcasting world is the instant camaraderie you sometimes feel when talking with other podcasters. It's hard to explain the connection you get when you have something creative in common with someone, but it's a pretty cool feeling. So, when a few months back I got a text from Kersten Luts, of the 'Camera Shake Podcast', to see if I wanted to join him and Dave Clayton, of the 'He Shoots, He Draws Podcast', for a joint podcast I answered with a quick "YES PLEASE!". Their idea was that we do a show...

The photographers I am exposed to by doing this show never cease to amaze me. Recently, my buddy Ian Spanier told a friend of his that he should be on the show, and gave him my contact info. At that point, Jason Gardner reached out to me, and when Ian, who has been on the show a few times himself, suggests someone I need to pay attention. Jason is an interesting photographer. He has galleries on his site for Editorial, Events, Personalities, and Lifestyle, and the work is fantastic. Honestly, there were a few of his lifestyle images I really...

I never used to go to photography conferences. It's not that they didn't interest me, it's just that none of them cover my genre of music photography. WPPI is all about weddings and portraits, and while Imaging USA seems to cover a bit more, it doesn't go anywhere near concerts. Still, a few years ago I went to WPPI with a friend, to cover it on the show, and I found out that I didn't care what the conference covered. What I enjoyed the most was meeting other photographers after hours to talk shop. Since then, I have been to...

One of my favorite parts of doing this podcast is that I get to discover and meet some amazing photographers, and L.A. based Nikon Ambassador Joey Terrill is a perfect example. We've all joked about a photographer we know being able to "shoot anything", but in reality very few people can truly shoot any subject matter. There are a few out there though, Joe McNally comes to mind, that just get it. Their photography seems to breath it's own air, and be alive. Joey is one of those talents. His career has included a range of specialties including architecture...

I find guests for Behind the Shot in a number of ways. Sometimes it's a referral from a friend, sometimes it's a cold email I send after seeing an image I just need to know more about, and now and then it's through a photographer's PR company. Regardless of how I find them, more often than not I end up being introduced to an amazing artist I wasn't familiar with beforehand. That is the case today. Jiří Lízler was brought to my attention by the folks over at Wonderful Machine, a company I think of as a PR firm, but...

One look at the client list at the bottom of Paul Mobley’s About page and it’s quickly apparent that he’s one of the best commercial, advertising, and editorial portrait photographers working today. It’s a list of A level celebrities & musicians, and Fortune 500 companies, that speaks volumes about the type of work Paul creates. Whether it’s a celebrity promoting his or her latest project or a 100-year- old farmer celebrating his family’s legacy, Paul has that rare ability to direct as well as photograph his subjects, to create some connection with them that puts them at ease in f...

Zoe Rain is one of those photographers in the rare group of artists that was born to do what she does. Some people can learn to become amazing artists, while others, people like Zoe, seem to have a natural gift for seeing the world through a lens. At the young age of 20, Zoe was already touring with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and that work brought a bit of notoriety, to say the least. Since then, her work has graced the cover of Rolling Stone, appeared on subway car ads, and been plastered on billboards across the world. Working with some of...

Back in June I did a review of the StellaPro Reflex line of lights titled "Is This My New Favorite Light?". Well, today I've got an update. StellaPro has upgraded the hardware. The StellaPro Reflex lights are “Continuous Strobe Hybrid” LED lights. They allow you to do constant light, as you might do for video, or using digital burst mode you can use the lights like you would a flash. Technically, these are not flashes, they are LED lights, but they allow you to over-charge the LED and release all of that charge as a burst of light, a burst that...

There are times when I see a photographer's work that I have an emotional response, a feeling that I am seeing something special. That's what happened the first time I browsed through Victoria Will's website. Photo after photo there was something.... with impact. That doesn't happen very often. Victoria's career in photography began as a photojournalist, but has now moved to a focus on celebrity portraiture, editorial, and commercial assignments. That beginning, however, is readily obvious. Her images feel spontaneous, like she just happens to be there with a camera while some A List actor, or Hall of Fame musician...

Regular watchers / listeners of the show will know Dave Williams. He's a great friend, and amazing photographer, and he has a skill I value... an eye for great guests. In fact, he has connected me to more potential guests than I think anyone else. Because of that, when Dave sends me someone, I pay attention. Today is the result of that process. Dave described Paul Kober's work to me, and I was immediately struck by how unique the concept was. Paul is what most would call a wildlife and nature photographer, but I have never seen his subjects photographed in...

It never surprises me how often Scott Kelby's name comes up when I am talking about photography with someone. I remember, back when I started out in photography, how much I learned from watching his videos with "The Photoshop Guys". Scott, to me, is photography education personified. Scott has been on the show a few times, for Insights From Scott Kelby and Timeless Photography,  but I still remember the first time I met him in person. It was at a Photoshop World in Vegas, and I was at the hotel bar where everyone from the conference hung out. Scott walked i...

10 Questions with... Don Komarechka I have had a lot of guests on this show, but few I know as well as Don Komarechka. Don is a great friend, which seems odd considering we have never met in person. We did our critique shows together for about two years, in honestly, chatting with him is always a blast. for that reason, I figured he was a perfect guest for my new "10 Questions" series. Don has been on the regular show too, a few times. The first was way back in February of 2018, for "The Art of Snowflakes", next was July of...

My guest today most likely needs no introduction. As Vice President of Operations for KelbyOne, Erik Kuna has been around the photography world for a long time, and he's been on the show before, for the episode titled Shoot for the Skies. His specialty is photographing rockets and spaceflight, but make no mistake, Erik could teach you a lot about almost any genre of photography. From behind the camera, Erik photographs launches for organizations like NASA, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, and Orbital ATK. Whether he's working for a media outlet, a magazine, or for an actual space agency, his goal...

A few years ago I was walking around the WPPI Expo floor with a friend, when he suggested we stop by the StellaPro Lights booth. This friend does some work with StellaPro Lights, a division of Light & Motion, and he thought I might be interested in seeing their new product - the StellaPro Reflex. As the staff there showed me the lights, I immediately thought that these might be a game changer for some people - maybe even me. Since then, I've been able to see the lights, and meet the people from StellaPro a few times, including at NAB 2022...

My guest for this show is none other than my buddy Dave Williams, making his third appearance on the show. On the chance that you haven't seen the other two shows I did with Dave, "Aurora and the Night Sky" and "The Traveling Photographer", let me take a moment to introduce one of my favorite creatives. Dave is a travel photographer based out of London, or wherever his tricked out van happens to be parked. Yeah, you heard that correctly. Dave lives in a van called "Kofifernweh", and this van is insane - you can read about it here. He d...

So, funny story... I get people pitch themselves for my show very often. It's usually some bizarre pitch, for a subject matter that has zero to do with what my show actually is about. Sometimes it's the potential guest emailing me, and sometimes it's their "representative", but it's almost always some "motivational speaker" that wants to help my listeners. In almost every case, when someone pitches themself it's not a fit, until the other day on Twitter. I had tweeted that sometimes the onboarding process for guests can be.... difficult. I didn't mean that as a dig at my guests...

I get guest suggestions sent to me regularly, and this show is the result of one of those. Dave Kallmann messaged me on Twitter to suggest a few motorsports photographers, and that instantly intrigued me. Dave is a sports reporter for Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and he is one hell of a photographer himself. If he was suggesting someone then I knew I had to take a look, and man, I am so glad that I did. Jamey Price is a motorsport and automotive photographer from Charlotte, North Carolina, and he is in a league of his own. If you've watched or...

Today is a new type of show, its: 10 Questions with... Jesse Feyereisen I have been thinking a lot lately about doing some shows that are a bit different from the normal format. Something just for fun, and shorter than the usual style of shows. I've had the "10 Questions" idea for awhile, and while recording a show with Toy Photographer, and Platypod Pro, Jesse Feyereisen (for release on May 4th) I asked if he wanted to be the first guest on this new format. Lucky for me, he said yes! Calling Jesse a "Toy Photographer" doesn't really cover it. He is...

I first heard about wedding and portrait photographer, and wedding videographer, Andre Brown through my buddy Ant Pruitt's show "Hands on Photography", when Andre was on for a Photographers' Go-To Tip. I knew I wanted to get him on the show, and once I realized he was an Ambassador for StellaPro - an amazing line of lighting - I worked my contacts there to help get him on Behind the Shot. Here's the thing, Andre's work is different, it's unique in a number of ways. The post "Finding My Success by Exploring Light", for Sal Cincotta's Behind the Shutter, is a...

PRODUCTION NOTE: I unfortunately had some issues with the guest audio on this show, so you will hear some echo at times. My apologies to my guest, and to you - the viewers and listeners. Tim Gerard Barker is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker based in Hanoi, Vietnam, who I met through the folks over at Wonderful Machine. As soon as I saw Tim's work, I knew I needed to get him on the show. When you look at Tim's portfolio you'll see photography categories for Hospitality I Hotels and Resorts, Lifestyle, Corporate, Industrial, Portraiture, Travel, Landscape | Aerial, and NGO | Docum...

Today's guest, former White House photographer Pete Souza, is a bucket-list item for me. I started Behind the Shot because I am a fan of great photography, or more specifically great photographers. Through the over six years I have been doing the show, I have had a range of guests, in a range of genres, from legends, to people I wasn't aware of before asking them to be on the show. While I have discovered many amazing creatives through doing this podcast, when I started there were a few specific people I hoped would someday be on the show. Joe M...

I often talk about how much I love being a part of the photo community. I have made such amazing friends being around this world of creativity, and today's show is the product of those friendships. There are times that this community starts to feel like "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon", and I love that. A few weeks ago I had Kersten Luts on the show to talk about Creative Portraits & Headshots, and that show happened because of our mutual friend Dave Williams. Dave has been on my show a few times, and introduced Kersten and I because he knew...

One of the best parts of doing this podcast is getting to see the amazing photography community at work. I mentioned this a few weeks ago when I had Kersten Luts (Creative Portraits and Headshots) on the show. He had been suggested as a guest by my friend, and past guest, Dave Williams ( The Aurora & The Night Sky, The Traveling Photographer). Kersten then referred me to Nina Welch-Kling (Duolougues). Well, we are here today because of another connection. A few months ago I received an email from someone named Aurora, who works with photographer Chris McLennan. They had received a f...

I am so excited to have David Dewhurst back on the show again! David is one of those legends that I could talk to everyday. His work spans through multiple genres, and has consistently stood the test of time. The first time he was on was for the show on Getting Your Photos Up To Speed. When I learned he was creating a book about his days photographing the golden era of motocross I asked him to come back on the show once it was finished, and here we are. David has been at photography for most of his life. By...

Rick Sammon has been referred to as the Godfather of Photography, because he is one of the best there is. He jokes that he "specializes in not specializing", but the reality is that he understands light, his gear, and his subjects so well that he can photograph pretty much anything at a world class level. I've learned so much from this guy over the years, and I still learn something almost every time I talk to him. It's no wonder he is so in demand. His classes on KelbyOne are detailed, and yet easily absorbable. He does workshops around the wor...

Jefferson Graham is a Manhattan Beach, California based writer-photographer, educator, and the host/producer of the travel photography series "Photowalks with Jefferson Graham", which streams on YouTube, Tubi and the Roku Network. I first met Jefferson the same day I met Frederick Van Johnson. I drove out to watch him record his Talking Tech podcast, a show he did for USA TODAY when he was one of their tech columnists.  His guests that day were Frederick and tech journalist Mark Gurman. Right away it was obvious that there was much more to Jefferson than just being a tech journalist and podcaste...

It looks like I will owe Dave Williams a beer, or whisk(e)y. Dave is one of the best there is, and I am so lucky that he's been on the show a few times. Well, a few weeks ago Dave emailed me to introduce me to Kersten Luts, a commercial portrait and headshot photographer based in West London. I was already aware of Kersten, along with his amazing work and Camera Shake Podcast. Kersten is one of the most creative photographers in his genre, not only thinking outside of some hypothetical box, but taking that imaginary box, shredding...