I have been meaning to write a post on podcasts for a while. Up until about two years ago I didn’t see what all the fuss was about in terms of podcasts, a lot of them just seemed to be recycled material from different radio stations or awful self help guides. However I went through a period in which I was finding it particularly difficult to sleep and someone recommended that I start to listen to podcasts to get me to sleep, so of course being the photography geek that I am I started to listen to search for various photography related podcasts, then low and behold I stumbled across a huge wealth of information on photography for free! Now, after two years of constantly listening to photography podcasts they are (in my humble opinion) one of the best ways to learn about and stay abreast of all the latest advancements and changes in photography. The beauty of podcasts unlike reading a book or magazine is that they can fit into your busy schedules seamlessly without distracting you too much from another task, for example you could listen to podcasts whilst your drive to work or have them on in the background whilst you make tea. They are so flexible that you will find yourself learning without even realising it.
Just before I go on its worth noting how I manage to listen to podcasts at a ridiculous time of night whilst I fall asleep without annoying other people, i use something which is (again in my opinion!) one of the best inventions to come to market for a long time:
enter the ‘Sound Asleep Pillow’!
This handy little device is a pillow with a small speaker built into it that means that you can listen to podcasts or music whilst you sleep without disturbing others around you. So all i need to do is download the podcasts to my phone, i use an iPhone and i download/subscribe to all of my podcasts through ITunes but i think pretty much all modern phones/mp3 players have a podcast app you can download or a way of downloading podcasts onto them.
So without further delay I present to you my top 5 photography podcasts to listen to, be it either in the car, at work or through your pillow as you try to get to sleep!:
5: Photography Monthly Podcast
Starting at number 5 we have the photography monthly podcast, as the title suggests its a nice little monthly photography podcast that features news, reviews and interviews. well worth a listen, the only downside is that with it being a monthly podcast the more die hard podcast junkies amongst you may find yourself needing more than this once monthly podcast can offer!
4: The Candid Frame
The Candid Frame is an excellent photography podcast that mainly features interviews with different photographers from all around the world. The podcast is not on #163 so there is loads of back episodes to catch up on, most recently the podcast featured an interview with the brilliant New York based street/social documentary photographer Joel Meyerowitz which is well worth a listen as Joel is one of the most articulate and eloquent photographers I have ever had the pleasure of listening to.
Its also worth noting that the Candid frame website has a whole host of extra content and tutorials not featured on the podcast so take a look at the website as well.
3: The History of Photography Podcast
‘This podcast is recorded during class lectures for History of Photography, at College of DuPage. The podcasts are intended as review for students in the class, but thousands of people around the world have found them useful to their education as photographers.’ This great little podcast is especially handy for those of you that would like to learn about where photography has come from, also for those of you in need of contextual referencing examples this podcast takes you right through the age of photography from its humble beginnings with Nicephore Niepce to the more modern photography of the ‘Atomic Age’. Jeff Curto is an incredible public speaker as well as educator and he provides his entire lectures for free including the relevant slides (not necessary for the podcast but they can be downloaded from the website).
2: This Week in Photo
This week in photo or TWIP as it has been named, is a great weekly podcast for the photography geek in all of us! Where a lot of the aforementioned podcasts feature theoretical debate and discussion, this podcast concentrates mainly on the technical side to photography, so expect lots of talk about equipment, lenses camera bodies etc. But that isn’t a negative statement, I use TWIP to keep in touch with the technical advancements of photography which as a photography teacher it is my responsibility to do so. And rather than troving through numerous websites or subscribing to expensive magazines TWIP gives me a lot of the information that I need to stay well versed on the current changes in photographic technology (which, especially at the moment is in a constant state of flux).
1: The Art of Photography
I have mentioned ‘The Art of Photography’ podcast before on this blog and in previous lessons on all courses however it still deserves a top spot at the number one spot of the podcast countdown! The Art of Photography is a video podcast hosted by photographer and educator Ted Forbes. the website states:
The first episode aired on iTunes on October 18, 2008 and continues today to be one of the most informative and practical podcasts produced. The concept is simple – provide information that will make you a better photographer. For beginners and pros alike – there is something to be learned here whether it be technical, educational, philosophical or practical.
The beauty of this podcast is its ability to seamlessly marry together technical information about cameras, lenses etc with meaningful theoretical debate. Another one of its strengths is the laid back and personable presentation style of its creator and host Ted Forbes. The podcast has recently changed providers so it looks as though there has only been 11 episodes when you subscribe to it but the entire back catalogue of episodes can be found on the aforementioned web link or the art of photography YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/user/theartofphotography?feature=watch
Like the candid frame the Art of Photography website also hosts a whole load of extras such as additional ‘vlog’ episodes and written articles which are well worth checking out.
So there you have it, treat yourselves to some podcast time over the festive period if you can, and if anyone has any other suggestions of good quality podcasts let me know in the comments section.
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