B&H Photography Podcast

Nothing beats the thundering energy and human drama that unfolds across the surface of an automotive racetrack. Photographers who specialize in this adrenaline-fueled niche are best served by nerves of steel and the high endurance to lug multiple cameras and the long lenses needed to freeze the action. In todays show, we plunge headfirst into what it takes to cover the many facets of auto racing with two of the finest professionals in the field, photographers Camden Thrasher and Jamey Price.

From stories of unexpected hurdles to access when scouting an unfamiliar course to the mix of visual stimulation and extreme exhaustion that accompanies a 24-hour endurance race, our chat is full of real-world insights. We also discuss the gear these photographers rely on and the wear and tear that comes with hard core use.

And for listeners whove always wanted to try their hand at motor sports photography, Jamey Price shares some parting advice. You don't build a portfolio by getting credentials, he says. You build a portfolio by going to races as a fan, bringing your camera, and making cool pictures from fan areas. Tell stories, do something different.

Guests:Camden Thrasher & Jamey Price

Episode Timeline:

• 3:46: Jameys start as a jockey and making comparisons between photographing horse racing and motorsports
• 8:29: Camdens early start attending auto races, then discovering photography through exploring his fathers film camera as a cool mechanical device.
• 10:25: Both photographers share their trajectory from starting out as a motor sports photographer to making it into a career.
• 18:04: A race day timeline and the many variables involved in motor sports photography.
• 27:28: Camaraderie & competition between photographers working the circuit, etiquette when shooting, and the importance of individual style.
• 37:24: The thrill of endurance racing and how photographing these 24-hour-long races differs from other types of motor sporting events.
• 43:38: Episode Break
• 45:10: Camden and Jameys go-to camera gear, the long lenses they lug, plus how often they use manual focus, especially when panning through people or trees.
• 54:50: Getting otherworldly visuals when faced with adverse weather conditions or unique atmospheric effects, despite the physical challenges.
• 59:15: Wear and tear on camera gear due to the unfriendly environment at the track, plus using broken gear or common objects for creative visual effects.
• 1:056:08: Camera settings and creative techniques when panning, plus accounting for variables of relative distance combined with motion and speed to achieve a desired result.
• 1:16:27: Camden & Jamey discuss the use of their motor sports photos and licensing their images to clients.
• 1:24:13: Parting advice to fans interested in becoming a credentialed motor sport photographerbring your camera to a race as a fan, and start making pictures!

Guest Bios:

Camden Thrasher is a motor sports photographer with a distinctive ability to capture unique scenes of fast action. Growing up in Vancouver, Washington, it was the sound of engines from a nearby racetrack that first drew him to motor sports. After becoming a fixture at the track with his camera during high school, Camden studied automotive design and engineering in college, expecting to work as an engineer or on a pit crew.

But the money he was making as a side hustle with his camera convinced him to stick with photography, and he hasnt looked back since. Using a unique slow shutter speed method, perfected over many exposures, Camden revels in showcasing the abstract qualities of gleaming metal, bright lights, and dynamic action that are hallmarks of this sport. Now based out of Atlanta, Georgia, Camdens work has been commissioned by top racing teams and featured in a wide range of media, from print magazines to automotive branding campaigns.

Jamey Price is an automotive photographer based in Charlotte, North Carolina, whosemotor sports work has taken him to more than 25 countries, and across most of the continental US. Jamey's photography career began while he was competing as a thoroughbred horse racing jockey and exercise rider. During this time, he completed more than 50 races, notching 11 wins in the saddle. His life in horse racing was eventually compiled into the self-published book Chasing: Racing Life in England & Ireland. Yet, in 2011, Jameys photography career switched from horses to horse-power. Since he began chasing race cars, hisimages have been published worldwide in magazines, distributed by sports imagery wire services, and featured by top commercial clients. Additionally, Jamey is a LEXAR Elite Artist, since 2014.

Stay Connected:

• Camden Thrasher Website
• Camden Thrasher Instagram
• Camden Thrasher Facebook
• Camden Thrasher Flickr
• Camden Thrasher on B&H Explora

• Jamey Price Website
• Jamey Price Instagram
• Jamey Price Twitter
• Jamey PriceYouTube
• Jamey Price TikTok
• Jamey Price Lexar

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• Host: Derek Fahsbender
• Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman
• Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein
• Executive Producer: Richard Stevens

As any established photographer will tell you, forging a career can be a long and arduous journey, with no instruction manual to guide you through the process. The lofty world of top-notch pros is often shrouded in mystery and full of things they don’t teach in photo school. In today’s show, we get to peek behind the scenes of this complex, and often chaotic environment in a chat with two colleagues who’ve found a way to balance their freelance careers as independent creators with lucrative work assisting in a high-profile photo studio.

Listen in, to learn how a casual job application through LinkedIn landed Mike Foley an interview, ultimately resulting in a salaried role as first assistant to a world-class portrait photographer. While technical mastery counts for a lot, we discuss the critical importance of soft skills like personality and work ethic to success in such environments. We also distinguish between salaried full-time work and more common freelance roles, and the juggling required to coordinate the complex planning involved. 

As freelance lighting assistant (and longtime café owner) Alex Savidis admits, “the juggle becomes quite hard at times, but I think it's a necessity, especially when you're trying to pursue something that you're passionate about. You can't just become a successful photographer overnight. It takes years to build up to that.”

Guests: Mike Foley & Alex Savidis

Episode Timeline:

• 2:57: Mike Foley describes heirloom portraiture as his bespoke brand of portrait with the ability to last a lifetime.
• 5:10: The backstory to Mike getting hired as a photo assistant for a world class portrait photographer.
• 11:25: The personality and skill set needed to work in a high-end photo studio, Alex’s take on being added to the team, plus the various roles within the studio.
• 17:30: The role of a B-cam operator to capture the finer details of a video shoots, plus an overview of a typical shoot day.
• 23:05: Mike talks about the video work in his portfolio as a differentiating factor in his getting the assisting job.
• 28:23: The work structure and expectations for photo assistants, from freelance to salaried positions, plus discussion about length of tenure.

34:50: Episode Break

• 35:55: Memorable stories from the studio—from the largest two-day shoot with a crew of 150, to the core personnel involved in work-a-day shoots.
• 42:28: NDA’s and the etiquette of what an assistant is able to share when dealing with high-end clients.
• 46:30: The growing acceptance of photographers who do freelance work and juggle regular 9-5 jobs with photo assignments.  
• 52:07: Learning outcomes from working in a world class portrait studio, and the mindset to hold yourself to a higher standard.
• 57:49: Mike and Alex share advice for budding photographers based on what they’ve learned from working in a world-class photo studio.

Guest Bios:

 Mike Foley is a New York City-based photographer specializing in heirloom portraiture and editorial photography. After starting out photographing weddings and small events, Mike quickly grew into commercial work, providing clients with timeless images they can use to elevate their visual presence and define their brand. His approach behind the camera is warm and humanistic, allowing his subjects the space to be themselves. In addition to his own photo services, Mike is currently content manager and digital designer for an internationally renowned portrait photographer. On set, he serves as first assistant and B-camera operator, while also providing on-set and post-production support behind the scenes for clients like Balenciaga, New York Magazine, and many more.

Australian native Alex Savidis is passionate about storytelling through both still and moving imagery. Based in New York since 2020, he pushes creative boundaries by merging elements from his street and landscape photography into his portraiture & wedding work, weaving memories into art. For the past year and a half, Alex has also worked as lighting assistant and B cam operator in the same high-profile portrait studio as Mike, catering to world-renowned clients and political leaders. On B cam, it’s his job to focus on finer details and provide viewers with a deeper, more intimate perspective on a given subject, capturing nuances that enhance the storytelling. Additionally, when he’s not juggling camera gear or fine-tuning lights, you can find Alex behind the counter of the café Regular NYC in southern Manhattan, an establishment he founded in early 2024.

Stay Connected:

• Mike Foley Website: https://mikephotographs.com/
• Mike Foley Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/_mikephotographs/
• Mike Foley Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaeljamesphotos/
• Mike Foley Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-foley-3095a7126

• Alex Savidis Website: https://www.alexsavidis.com/
• Alex Savidis Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex.savidis/
• Alex Savidis Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-savidis-14155b272
• Alex Savidis Regular NYC Cafe: https://regular.nyc/

End Credits:

• Host: Derek Fahsbender
• Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman
• Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein
• Executive Producer: Richard Stevens

Above Photograph © Chase Jarvis

We’ve all heard the saying “The best camera is the one that’s with you.” But do you know how this catch phrase ended up as a mantra of the mobile economy? In today’s show, we speak with Chase Jarvis, the man behind Best Camera—the wildly successful photo sharing app that predated Instagram—to get an inside look at his wild ride. 

A born entrepreneur and self-made photographer with a hunger that always worked against the grain, Chase’s meteoric rise in action sports/lifestyle photography dovetailed with the dawn of the sharing economy, leading him to a moonshot idea. The ensuing saga of Best Camera’s viral success, subsequent demise, and Chase’s quick pivot into his next visionary business model—Creative Live—is both a cautionary tale and a redemption story. All told, you’ll gain fascinating insights into the nexus of creative innovation and big business at the highest levels. 

When asked about his biggest take away from Best Camera given the benefit of hindsight, Chase doesn’t miss a beat, responding, “If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.”

Guest: Chase Jarvis

Episode Timeline:

3:44: How Chase’s mastery of sports and the gift of his grandfather’s camera gear led to a passion for teaching himself photography.

9:33: Channeling real-world examples from his grandfather and father into early pictures, along with library books about the masters’ and photographic techniques.

15:35: The development of Chase’s early entrepreneurial spirit and how his second-grade teacher stifled these efforts.

22:50: Bucking trends and connecting with the uniqueness you bring to your images as a creative style.

26:32: Embracing social media and the sharing community early on and the ability to see around the corner as an entrepreneur.

35:53: Chase’s fast track to commercial success, technological innovation, and developing the Best Camera App.

46:20: Episode Break

47:48: The lessons learned from the Best Camera failure and how Chase channeled these lessons into the success of the first livestreaming learning platform, Creative Live.

52:24: Making the pivot from the first live photo feed to building Creative Live as a way to answer questions the questions asked by a massive global audience. 

1:00:51: Creative Live’s pioneering approach to a freemium business model, plus offering access as a core company value.

1:05:29: The most popular offerings at Creative Live: the fundamentals, the business of classes, and the big name thought leaders.

1:12:38: Chase’s views on the current—and future—landscape in social media, creativity, and AI, plus advice for getting comfortable being uncomfortable. 

1:20:43: What success means to Chase, and the message in his recent book Never Play it Safe: A Practical Guide to Freedom, Creativity and a Life You Love.

Guest Bio: 

Chase Jarvis is an award-winning artist, entrepreneur, bestselling author, and one of the most influential photographers of the past 20 years, whose diverse portfolio spans from advertising campaigns for Apple, Nike, and Red Bull to collaborations with athletes like Serena Williams and icons such as Lady Gaga and Sir Richard Branson. As an early adopter of social media and the sharing economy, Chase created Best Camera (the first photo-sharing app) in 2009 and co-founded the online education platform CreativeLive in 2010. Chase has spoken on six continents and advised Fortune 100 companies, with invitations to both the Obama White House and Buckingham Palace. Based in Seattle with his wife Kate and their dog Bodhi, he hosts the widely successful Chase Jarvis LIVE podcast (over 50 million downloads) while serving on several nonprofit boards. 

Stay Connected:
Chase Jarvis Website: https://chasejarvis.com/
Chase Jarvis Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chasejarvis
Chase Jarvis Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chasejarvis
Chase Jarvis Twitter: https://x.com/chasejarvis
Chase Jarvis YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChaseJarvis
Chase Jarvis Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chase_Jarvis
Chase Jarvis Best Camera App: https://chasejarvis.com/project/the-best-camera/
Chase Jarvis Creative Live: https://www.creativelive.com/instructor/chase-jarvis
Chase Jarvis Never Play It Safe book: https://chasejarvis.com/never-play-it-safe/

End Credits:

Host: Derek Fahsbender

Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman

Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein

Executive Producer: Richard Stevens

Photographers often react instinctively against artificial intelligence, typically focusing on controversial generative AI. Meanwhile, a different branch of AI technology—machine learning systems—has been making remarkable progress helping photographers manage overwhelming image workflows under tight deadlines.
 
In today's show, we explore this trending topic in a discussion with Justin Benson and Sam Hurd, both accomplished wedding photographers and tech entrepreneurs.
 
Justin begins by clarifying the distinction between machine learning and generative AI before taking us behind the scenes of Aftershoot, the workflow tool he co-founded. He highlights the key advantages of culling and editing images locally rather than using cloud-based alternatives.
 
We also explore the question of trusting automated workflows and discuss how aesthetics factor in, particularly since machine learning systems adapt to a photographer's culling and editing preferences over time.
 
Our conversation naturally addresses the ethical concerns surrounding AI. Sam's posing tool, Insight, uses generative AI to offer photographers fresh creative suggestions, but importantly, it trains exclusively on images from his own extensive collection. You'll hear about his journey developing this tool initially for personal use before scaling it as a service for others.
 
By the end, you'll have gained fresh perspective on how these AI-powered tools can enhance your current workflow, along with hearing some thought-provoking predictions about what the future may hold.

Guests: Sam Hurd & Justin Benson
Episode Timeline:

3:34: Sam’s background in the creative arts complimented his love of technology in developing his photography career. 

7:26: Justin’s busy wedding workload and how his photography knowledge became an asset in developing an AI-powered culling & editing software.

9:35: Differentiating between machine learning and Generative AI, plus ethical concerns related to companies using cloud-based systems.

12:49: The influence of AI-related processes to a photographer’s creative output, plus the significance of the human element in generating new creative content.  

18:43: Factoring for aesthetics when it comes to AI-powered culling and editing software, plus how much to trust the process.

30:34: Implementing an AI-powered software program in a photographer’s overall workflow process, and reallocating time to details that really matter.

42:00: Episode Break

42:50: The backstory to Sam Hurd’s AI-powered posing tool Insight, plus why posing people is so hard.

54:59: Staying ahead of the curve with various AI-powered workflow tools, plus essential differences to Insight as a text-based service instead of an app.

1:02:57: How the increasing use of generative AI is causing a shift in assumptions about posting portrait pictures to the Internet.

1:07:30: Debating future advancements to AI technology, image generation at the pixel level, and comparing this to the shift from analog to digital.

1:12:23: The importance of the user community in making further advances to AI-powered software tools.

1:17:34: What’s next with AI, a real-world comparison to the original Blade Runner movie, plus the dynamic of scary vs cool.  

Guest Bios:

After starting as a political news and celebrity portraitist in Washington, DC., Sam Hurd was quickly drawn to wedding photography as a way to explore more inventive ideas. He focuses on deceptively simple photographic techniques with the potential to transform difficult or uninspiring environments into unique creative visions. 
A hallmark of his work are several in-camera techniques he developed such as Prisming, Lens Chimping, Color Spreading, and his Ring of Fire effect for in-camera flare.

In addition to his long-held passion for photography and creative reinvention, Sam is equally skilled in information technology and computer science since majoring in this field during college. That background, combined with a belief that modern AI tools can offer new avenues for creative exploration when thoughtfully leveraged, has led Sam to build several services to assist and inspire photographers. These include Insight, which analyses images in real time, returning visual pose ideas based on the actual environment and subjects in front of the lens - an entirely new process for breaking through creative blocks while working. 

Justin Benson started out photographing sets and location scouting for film and TV. But in 2011 his life changed after he answered a last-minute call from a family friend in need of a wedding photographer. Justin quickly discovered wedding photography was his true calling and he’s been at it ever since, with his wife joining him as a second shooter in 2016. Based in Connecticut, Justin works in a modern traditional style, combining a hint of candid moments with posed scenes. 

In 2019, just before COVID started shutting things down, Justin learned about an enterprising developer who was seeking photographer input to incorporate in an AI-powered image culling app he was cooking up. After much discussion and advice about how to improve this product, Justin signed on and became a co-founder of the AI-based software company Aftershoot. 

Stay Connected:
Sam Hurd Website: https://samhurdphotography.com/
Sam Hurd Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamthesam/
Sam Hurd Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/samhurdphotography
Sam Hurd Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamsamhurdphotography
Sam Hurd Linktr.ee: https://linktr.ee/iamthesam
Sam Hurd Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/samhurd
Insight Photo Website: https://www.insight.photo/ 
Sam Hurd on the B&H Photography Podcast: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/photographic-craft-connections-sam-hurd-dixie-dixon
Blade Runner movie clip: https://youtu.be/IbzlX43ykxQ?si=g9NG8TPkRskGsvW6’

Justin Benson Website: https://jbensonphotography.com/
Justin Benson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Jbensonphotography/
Justin Benson Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jbensonphotography
Aftershoot Website: https://aftershoot.com/
Justin Benson & Aftershoot on the B&H Explora blog: 

Above Photograph © Claudio Edinger

When it comes to photography, Claudio Edinger has a Midas touch. Equally celebrated for his immersive photo series, the intimacy of his portraits, and his aerial views that conjure a sense of the eternal through selective focus, his compulsion for research drives adjustments to his photographic strategy from one project to the next.

In today’s show, we unpack the many facets of Claudio’s storied career, from his arrival in New York and early documentation of Brooklyn’s Hasidic community in the late 1970s to the environmental portraits he made inside Manhattan’s infamous Chelsea Hotel, and beyond. 

Learn the backstory to his fortuitous connection with master portraitist Philippe Halsman, and the influence this had on his photographic vocabulary. We also discuss Claudio’s aerial imagery made from helicopters and drones, and debate the slippery slope between noteworthy content, image quality, and resolution.

As a longtime disciple of meditation, Claudio’s approach to photography is equally influenced by the underlying flow of energy essential to life on this planet, which led him to state, “I'm open to whatever the universe brings my way. But the universe has to conspire in your favor. My whole life has been like that. I've been guided. My intuition brings me to places, and the place drags me into it.”

Guest: Claudio Edinger
Episode Timeline:

3:03: Claudio’s beginnings in photography while studying economics in Sao Paulo, and his first exhibit at the Sao Paulo Museum of Art.

4:55: A move to New York in 1976 and a two-year project on Brooklyn’s Hasidic community.

8:42: Connecting with master portrait photographer Philippe Halsman, and how this expanded Claudio’s vocabulary as a photographer.

15:35: A move to the Chelsea Hotel and a new photographic strategy to make environmental portraits of the building and its residents.

19:52: The influence of August Sander’s work, and Claudio’s pursuit of intimacy to create images with universal meaning.

25:22: The organic path of Claudio’s photographic approach, and how he developed his selective focus technique. 

28:15: Episode Break

29:06: The predictable visual effect of a Hasselblad’s square frame, combined with a tripod and flash for portraits of patients in a Brazilian insane asylum.

33:06: Using the same techniques to capture the insanity inside an institution, as well as to photograph the institutionalized insanity of Brazilian Carnival. 

37:51: Claudio’s assignment work, plus his time as a New York paparazzo and the lessons this taught him. 

39:28: Claudio’s experience as a war photographer in El Salvador, and the urgency of living connected to war. 

43:42: Shifting to a 4x5 Toyo camera to further explore the tilt-shift look of selective focus.  

48:57: The shortcomings of large format that forced Claudio to shift to digital and then discover aerial photography.  

54:17: Comparing aerial photos from a helicopter with those made from a drone, plus Claudio’s thoughts on viewing the world from the point of view of eternity.

Guest Bio: Claudio Edinger is one of Brazil’s preeminent photographers. After studying economics at Mackenzie University in São Paulo in the early 70s, he turned his attention to photography, and he hasn’t stopped since. 

Edinger moved to New York City in 1976, and during the 20 years he spent in the US, he completed immersive photo essays about the Hasidic community of Brooklyn, the denizens of Manhattan’s Chelsea Hotel, and habitués of LA’s Venice Beach. He also freelanced for Brazilian and North American publications such as Veja, Time, Life, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times Magazine, among many others. 

The author of more than twenty books, Edinger’s photographs have been collected worldwide and exhibited by institutions such as New York’s International Center of Photography, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Maison Europeénne de la Photographie in Paris, and the São Paulo Museum of Art, to name but a few.

Edinger has received many honors for his work, including the Ernst Haas Award, the Hasselblad Award, the Higashikawa Award, and the Leica Medal of Excellence, which he received twice. 

Always seeking new approaches to his work, Edinger has explored a wide range of camera formats and photographic techniques over the course of his career. In 2000, he began working with a large format camera, using selective focus to approximate human vision, and in 2015, he started an exploration of aerial photography—a theme that continues to this day.

Stay Connected:
Claudio Edinger Website: https://www.claudioedinger.com/
Claudio Edinger Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claudioedinger/
Claudio Edinger Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/claudio.edinger/
Claudio Edinger Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio_Edinger
Claudio Edinger Chelsea Hotel book: https://www.abbeville.com/collections/just-released/products/the-chelsea-hotel

End Credits:

Host: Derek Fahsbender

Senior Creative Producer: Jill Waterman

Senior Technical Producer: Mike Weinstein

Executive Producer: Richard Stevens