Street Shots Photography Podcast

The Switch to Manual guys celebrate their 60th episode; their "Diamond Episode." Antonio and Tom chat about all sorts of stuff: how Switch to Manual started, how the podcast began, what it really means to shoot in manual, some awesome photo book Tom found, and previews of what's to come on the podcast. So grab your favorite beverage and join the STM guys for a great chat between good friends.

Not a real episode, per se; just a filler until Antonio & Tom record their 60th episode in the next week. Until then, Antonio wanted to close out the summer with a short update show talking about an interesting photographic expericence he had this past weekend: getting his and his wife's portrait made in an old fashioned method called a "tintype." 

We’re sure you’ve heard this before: which is better, an iPhone camera or a DSLR? There are endless debates about this question. Pixel peeping, increasing megapixels, accessibility, portability, the list goes on.  The STM guys don’t plan to rehash this ongoing discussion. In this episode, Antonio and Tom try to tackle this question from a slightly different perspective; what is it like to actively choose to take photographs using your phone instead of a traditional camera and why would you choose to do so? Because we’re so quick these days to take photos with our phone and not think twice about it, are we handing off our real world experiences to our digital devices? By choosing to photograph the world using a device which you keep with you constantly are you forgetting what you capture and relegating your visual memories to a digital shoebox?    Links for the show: World Wide Photo Walk Photovoice Shuttertime with Sid and Mac The Candid Frame Podcast  

In this episode, Antonio talks about two great art exhibits he went to this past weekend: photographer Irving Penn at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and painter Georgia O'Keeffe at the Brooklyn Museum. Then, in the meaty part of the show, Antonio speaks about what he's really trying to depict when he photographs: reality or feelings? Showing a friend how he processed his photos made him wonder whether he was revealing too much about how he interprets what he sees and photographs. If he's not showing reality then maybe he's showing how he felt.

Antonio is joined by long time STM friend, photographer Jean Miele. In this episode, Jean and Antonio discuss the current landscape of digital photography education. Lately, there's been a shift away from people devoting themselves to learning photography applications like Photoshop and Lightroom. More and more, emerging photographers and veterans alike are seeking out how to use these tools and their equipment to create the images that have the most meaning to them by relying more on intuition and inspiration rather than technique. Listen to Antonio and Jean as they try to hash out what this means for photography education in general and their own photographs in specific.    Show Links:  Jean Miele Anderson Ranch Art Center - From "Almost" to "WOW" Lightroom & Photoshop Workshop North Country Studio Workshops - Visual Alchemy Workshop Jean Miele Private Lessons Jean Miele Photographer, Facebook

The lens you use says a lot about what how you express yourself in your photographs. Each lens has its own vocabulary, its own “language,” as it were. In this episode, Antonio is joined by the fabulous Mac Sokulski from the Shuttertime with Sid and Mac podcast. Antonio and Mac talk about how they use lenses to say something about the pictures they take. Wide angles, telephotos, portrait lenses; each adds its own words to the language of photography.

In this special 55th episode, Antonio interviews Virginia-based photographer Jeffrey Stone, a fellow street shooter who he recently followed on Instagram. Inspired by such great photographers as Ernst Haas and Saul Leiter, Jeff has only recently started seriously pursuing his love of street shooting. Posting daily on Instagram under his “Lonely.Streets” name, Jeffrey’s graphic and thought provoking black and white images stand out among the flood of urban imagery uploaded to the social media site. Antonio was able to convince Jeff to put his camera down for a moment and join him in a pleasant conversation about what it’s truly like to shoot on the lonely streets.   Links from show: Jeffrey Stone Jeff’s Instagram page Andy Goldsworthy Saul Leiter Ernst Haas - color correction book Ernst Haas Color Correction Michael Kenna

In this episode, Antonio and Tom discuss those images which have had some profound affect on their both of their lives. Both Switch to Manual guys grew up in an era where certain images had longevity and prominence. But in this day of image over-saturation, what are the pictures that stand out, that have meaning? Which are the ones we cut out of magazines and hang on our wall to look at every day? What are the images we contemplate and sometimes send our lives on a new path? Tom and Antonio discuss a few of the photos, both personal and other, which have had a special affect on them.

What are picture profiles, also known as "film simulations" on some cameras, "presets" and "filters" in image processing software? What’s the point of applying picture profiles to the photos you take? Is it only to simulate film looks from the past or are there other purposes to altering the look and color of your digital pictures? In this special episode, Antonio is joined by friend and long time Podcaster, Bart Busschots from the Let's Talk Photography podcast. Listen to Bart and Antonio as they discuss whether or not these color settings are just marketing gimmicks by camera manufacturers and app makers or have some definite place in your creative toolbox.

Is bigger truly better? Are the larger sensors in digital cameras better at producing higher quality images than smaller sensors? In this episode, Antonio is joined by the fabulous Mac Sokulski from the Shuttertime with Sid and Mac Podcast to tackle this endless debate about sensor quality. Some people think you should only shoot with "full frame" cameras in order to create the best possible image. Others think that the size of the camera's sensor is just one of many factors which go into producing a beautiful picture. Listen to Antonio and Mac hash out some of the controversy and put to bed some of the misinformation going around about this issue. They may even be able to save you some money with your next camera purchase!   Show Links: ShutterTime Podcast MiKSMedia Photography "The Battle is Over: My Micro 4/3 Camera Outsold my Full-Frame DSLR"  

Today, everyone’s a photographer. But are we all just “camera operators” or are we artists? This episode, Tom and Antonio tackle an issue brought up in a recent article on the photography blog site PetaPixel, pondering the question of whether or not we just operate a camera or are we actually being creative with them. With the tsunami of imagery we see on a daily basis, can we indeed step back from it and remind ourselves to try to be unique?   Links:  Peta Pixel article A.B. Watson  

It's Street Shots fiftieth episode and Tom is back! It's been a busy time for STM guy Tom, what with, oh, getting MARRIED and such! So on this special episode, Antonio and Tom do some appropriate catching up and do talk about photography: Antonio's street photography class, the resurgence of film photography and, given the current state of the world, how to safely photography rallies and protests. So, enjoy this milestone moment from the Switch to Manual Guys!

Not an official episode. Just some passing thoughts as 2016 comes to a close. See you all in 2017. Let's hang in there! Tom and Antonio

This episode, Antonio is joined by Mac Solkulski of the ShutterTime with Sid and Mac podcast to discuss the current state of photography blogs. They discuss the differences between blogs and news sites and give some recommendations to the sites they subscribe to. And it wouldn't be a fub podcast without a few rants thrown into the mix. Join these two as they try to guide you to some of the better photo news sites on the Internet. Oh, there's mention of a new kitten too.

In this episode, Antonio follows up with two more interviews from the Photo Expo that happened in late October in NYC. Also, he shares a deeply personal message about a major life event. 

On this special episode, join Antonio as he walks the floor of the Photo Plus East expo at the Javits Center in NYC. Photo Plus is one of the largest photo shows in the country. Attending the show are all sorts of photography equipment vendors and a panoply of other gear and accessories. This is part one of a special two episode series where we bring you a couple of interviews with some vendors (Lensbaby and Lensflipper) showing off some of their neat stuff and a special sit-down chat with Steve Stanger, friend of STM and Antonio and also a great photographer.

Antonio decides to share his street photography "rules of thumb" on this episode of Street Shots.  While not hard and fast rules, per se, these guidelines were compiled from Antonio's extensive experience of finding great photos on the street. From "knowing your gear" to learning that "perfect is the enemy of good," he goes through some of the principles that guide his street shooting on a daily basis. 

Since Tom’s away on a well deserved vacation, Antonio is joined this episode by one of the great hosts of that fabulous photography podcast, “ShutterTime with Sid & Mac,” Mac Sokulski (long considered as one of the STM guys’ Canadian cousins). Prompted by a slightly heated Twitter discussion, Antonio and Mac ponder the the question whether or not switching to manual is actually a good idea for beginning photographers. Does one really need to learn how to use the manual settings on a camera to be a better photographer, or is doing so just a needless complexity. Tune in for this STM existential conversation and find out if you really do need to switch to manual.

On this 44th episode, the STM guys take on the discussion of mirrorless cameras. Because of a hand injury, Tom has been considering a mirrorless camera as a secondary body because of their light weight and ease of use. He asks Antonio of his experiences with Fuji mirrorless cameras and what he recommends as a starter camera. Their discussion covers just what a mirrorless camera is in the first place, what are the advantages and disadvantages, which manufacturer makes them and can they really replace the larger DSLRs? At some point the boys disagree (rather animatedly) about the merits and drawbacks of the smaller APS-C sensors that exist in most mirrorless cameras. This is a full-on gear geek episode along with a couple of thought provoking photographer quotes at the end.

Is photography a skill or talent? Antonio is on his own today exploring the question of whether or not photography is a technical skill that can be learned by anyone or a talent that's innate or perhaps some combination of both. Does training make one a talented photographer or does talent come naturally to this highly technical branch of the arts? The question is not an easy one to answer and Antonio has certainly only scratched the surface of what could be a very controversial subject.