Here are five podcasts you should be listening to right now. Hit play, grab your coffee, and get inspired. When I am walking or driving, I’ve got five that I always snare in my podcast catcher. You’ll love them no matter what kind of photography you do.
The following podcasts are general podcasts, often featuring other photographers. All feature lively, intelligent, animated conversations. All of them cover general photography topics. And this works, as often the discussion is either universal or covers behind-the-scenes issues, creative decisions, technology, gear, education, and workflows that can be applied to almost any photographer.
Two of these podcasts feature more technology- or gear-related discussion. But even here, the podcast hosts include general philosophical approaches toward using the technology or photographing.
And I’ve even spoken to people who are not photographers but nevertheless enjoy the podcasts due to their interesting, engaging nature!
Behind the Shot
Behind the Shot is one of those podcasts that, as host Steve Brazill says, will “get inside the mind of great photographers by taking a closer look behind one of their shots.” It’s a full interview, getting to know the photographer, then examining the creative process occurring, well, behind the shot.
No matter what sort of photograph it is, the episodes are enthralling. It doesn’t matter if I know anything about the genre of photography being discussed. It’s largely because Steve is extremely engaging and personable. But it’s also because Steve chooses compelling images. The shows crackle with vibrancy and enthusiasm.
Furthermore, each show comes with a lengthy blog description of each photo, what he found appealing about the photos, and a small gallery of the featured photographer’s photos.
And the guests are often very sought-after photographers at the top of their game, often Canon Explorers of Light or photographers who shoot for Disney, Ford, arena-playing rock bands, or experts in their field. You’ll be fascinated by the creative process and the person, whether it’s bird, car, concert, wedding, portrait, sports, or photojournalistic photography.
Full disclosure: I have been interviewed for this podcast twice, once for an abandoned airplane night photo from my Abandoned Southern California book, and once for an unusual night photo of a barn from my Abandoned Roadside Attractions book.
Photo Geek Weekly
Don Komarechka is a self-described geek and one of the preeminent macro photographers. His macro photography is absolutely stunning and inventive. As he is also quite knowledgeable about technology, Photo Geek Weekly absolutely delivers on its title. This show dives into the minutiae, taking a close, often tech-oriented look at photography-related items.
There’s always a co-host, and therefore, there’s often lively banter. Don and his co-host discuss technology, of course. But they also describe legal matters, social media, post-processing, and more. Don can take a long time introducing the topic. It may seem like Don is dominating the conversation. However, he’s typically setting the table for each topic at hand.
Don moved from Canada to Bulgaria a while back. In Bulgaria, he has become involved in various things, including helping to raise awareness of Ukraine, all while continuing to teach about technology, macro photography, and much more. Sometimes, his shows are released slowly. But it’s such a high-quality show that it is well worth your time subscribing and listening.
By the way, Steve Brazill from “Behind the Shot” is often the co-host, and those are some of the liveliest, most interesting shows, as they have a special rapport and chemistry.
F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Podcast
The very likable Matt Payne hosts F-Stop Collaborate and Listen Podcast. Matt creates a very conversational vibe with each of the photographers. It just so happens that these photographers are some of the leading landscape photographers and industry pundits, full of insight and wit.
He sometimes moderates a discussion panel on his podcast, filled with top-notch photographers offering insightful, lively opinions on everything photography-related and more.
The conversation touches upon the dos and don’ts of landscape photography, creative workflow, business, finding the motivation to shoot, social media, and even how Matt doesn’t like his speaking voice. However, that doesn’t stop him from turning in a darned good podcast.
Big Photo Hunt
Like many of these podcasts I’ve mentioned, host Ken Deckinger of Big Photo Hunt is extremely personable and enthusiastic. His approach is a textbook example of how to create an easy, fascinating conversation that flows. Whether the guest photographer does van life, sports, travel, film, boudoir, street photography or more, you find yourself captivated by the stories and descriptions of the process.
If you contact Ken for any reason, please tell him, “Handsome Ken says hello to the other Handsome Ken.” It’ll be fun.
Full disclosure: I have been on two Big Photo Hunt podcasts. One was Capturing the Night: Ken Lee’s Approach to Night Photography (and Colorblindness), which was particularly interesting since we are both colorblindness, so we discussed some of the strategies for that. And the other was Photographing Abandoned Roadside Attractions with Ken Lee, a discussion of photographing abandoned places at night.
Bonus Podcast
This is like a baker’s dozen. Um, except that it’s one more than four. But that’s okay! I should mention that I am one of three photographers who do the admittedly very sporadic Nightaxians video podcast on YouTube. While we do all use Pentax gear and are night photographers, the video podcast extends to other gear, composition, adventures, and much more.
That’s now five podcasts, all for the price of four. But shhhhh…don’t tell anyone. It’ll be our little secret.
What Photography Podcasts Do You Love?
Lay it on us in the comments, and let us know why you love them.