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 all but one WPPI, and a few of the old Photoshop World conferences ..read more

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 and interior design, advertising and c ..read more

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 that describes itself as “an art production agency with a network of 559 photogr ..read more

One look at the client list at the bottom of Paul Mobley’s About pageclient 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 conn ..read more

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 the biggest names in music, including Chance The R ..read more

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 H ..read more

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 quite the same way before, or since for ..read more

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 in and the room seemed to gravita ..read more

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 that year for “Improve Your Macro Photography”, and the last time was fo ..read more

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. Every time, I was struck by how kind the staff wer ..read more