I’m a huge fan of podcasts. If I have something to do like mowing the lawn or painting the house that isn’t really engaging, I’ll listen to a podcast while I’m doing it. Radio Lab and This American Life have been my two favourite podcasts for a while. This summer, though, I started discovering some photography podcasts that are really interesting. I’m not a gearhead and, unless I’m able to completely focus on it, I find technique discussions get boring quickly. These podcasts are either not about gear/technique or strike a nice balance between that and the ideas behind photography:

This Week In Photography - This is the photography podcast that I listen to most regularly. It’s a weekly podcast that discusses anything photography related. Each episode has news from the world of photography, an interview with a photographer (or someone in the business),  a pick from each of the hosts for something to look into, and some listener questions.  The fact that there are usually three or four hosts each week, each with a different perspective, gives it a nice conversational feel.

The Candid Frame - This is a straightforward interview format podcast. Ibarionex R. Perello, a photographer and educator, interviews one photographer for each episode. He’s a great interviewer and really gives the interviewee a chance to show their relationship to photography. I always feel like I’m sitting in on a really thoughtful conversation when I listen to this one.

Thoughts on Photography - Paul Giguere does a very good job of presenting various ideas about photography in this podcast. Often his episodes are also interviews but they are occasionally just his thoughts about a particular aspect of photography. His interviews really focus on the photographer’s work and the ideas that they are trying to convey. This is about as far from a gear and technique podcast as you can get. That’s a very good thing.

Tips from the Top Floor - I haven’t listened to this one as much as the others. The format seems to be whatever the host, Chris Marquardt, wants to talk about. That’s a recipe for a terrible show unless you’re as funny and interesting as he is. The first one that I listened to was a recording he did while taking some lightning pictures. It was hilarious to hear his reactions to the big strikes and to hear his shutter going in the background. Sherrie occasionally requests that I sing the theme from this one for her, and then cracks up laughing when I do. It’s worth at least one listen just for the theme.

Hopefully my computer will be back from the shop in a couple days and I’ll be able to share some of the pictures from the two sessions that I had today.