interview

Camille Lepage, 25, is an independent French photographer living in South Sudan. She works on long term projects about topics that do not make to the mainstream media and looks at the consequences of the politics on the populations.

For over a year now, documentary photographer Camille Lepage has been photographing the struggles of South Sudan. As a new country, sovereign since 2011, South Sudan can be considered a hotbed for social, political, and religious conflicts. These conflicts are laid bare by Lepage through a strong, intuitive eye and a determination to get her shot.

Her two on-going bodies of work, You Will Forget Me and Vanishing Youth (which are on display below) contain stirring imagery that speak of the violence, and the religious and cultural dissonance that permeates this young country and its people.

Elaine Mayes has been a photographic artist for more than fifty years. She also taught photography at The University of Minnesota, Hampshire College (founding faculty), Pratt Institute, Bard College, ICP and retired as Professor Emerita from NYU, Tisch School of the Arts where she was Chair of the Photography and Imaging Department from 1996 until 2001.

Her work has been exhibited and collected widely, and recent exhibitions include The Smithsonian American Art Museum, Steven Kasher Gallery and The National Academy of Arts and Letters in New York.

San Francisco-based interactive artist and freelance creative Ivan Cash recently had a neat idea: go out on the streets of San Francisco and ask random people to share the story behind the most recent photo on their phone (note: there is one racy photo and a few curse words dropped by some of the interviewees).

Andrew Nelles is a 26-year-old freelance photojournalist based in Chicago, Ill. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago, he began freelancing in Chicago in 2009. Andrew was one of the 28 photojournalists laid off from the Chicago Sun-Times in May 2013 after spending 9 months at the paper.

Chances are you may, at some point or another, have seen New York-based photographer Zhang Jingna's work in your daily lives. Her work has appeared in Photo Vogue, Elle, and Harper's Bazaar print media, and her commercial clients include popular that include: Wacom, TRESemmé, Mercedes-Benz, and even Canon.

Jingna was born in the People's Republic of China in 1988, and before she found herself shooting cameras professionally, she was shooting air rifles for the Singapore national team. Years later, she's going strong and making remarkable imagery.

Ever since Lytro caused a stir by releasing the world's first consumer light field camera almost two years ago, the company has been somewhat quiet. With the exception of a few updates in November of last year and an iOS app released a couple of months ago, most of the stories we've covered with "Lytro" in the title had to do with competitors working on Lytro-like features. All of that is about to change, however, in 2014.

You know his work. You may have been one of the thousands of people who exposed their hidden beauty and the flaws that all humans have on their physical being to be a part of something magnificent.

His photographs of nude bodies are immediately recognizable. The same can’t be said of his subjects en masse. Humanity in all shapes, sizes and colors coalesce with each other and nature’s beauty. They form tessellations that wind through architectural wonders. His subjects become human cityscapes.

Pony Lott and Brett Seamans are a fashion and editorial photography duo currently stationed in New York City. Their edgy style captures the imagination with a vulgar elegance and hard sexual attitude. Often inspired by historical figures, classic art, and vintage cinema, they play on classical forms while adding their own lavish vision.

Recently, I was looking through a photo gallery of a potential new hire and was a bit dismayed by her use of a particular photo enhancement editing choice. All of her photos were very overly processed with multiple styles, much like the photo below.  She did have a wonderful eye, and her composition and posing were really lovely. But her processing choices really distracted from the beauty of her work. The people in her photos didn’t look real.

Aspiring photojournalists probably have a hard time finding much inspiration these days. The profession was ranked 188th out of 200 in terms of desirability, the entire photo staff of the Chicago Sun Times recently got the axe, and a story from earlier revealed that even the successful ones sometimes get stuck on a 12-hour flight with an empty airplane seat as a subject.

So in case you've always dreamed about becoming a photojournalist but you happen to find yourself low on inspiration, here's a short video in which some successful photojournalists speak to the Museum of Photographic Arts about the craft they love and practice.

Shane LaVancher lives and works in New York City. The primary focus of his work is fashion and editorial assignments. His work is often compared to paintings, as they represent a collision between the worlds of fashion and art.

If you haven't been living under the rock for the past ten years, chances are you've seen a photo captured by Eric Draper. That's because he was the official photographer of former U.S. President George W. Bush.

Draper's eight years in the White House were nothing short of intriguing. From capturing the now-iconic photos of President Bush on September 11th to the handing over of leadership to Barack Obama in 2009. His unfettered access to the Presidency gave us some insight as to what life is like in the "bubble."

Chances are that in your lifetime, you've seen the iconic "Tank Man" photograph. The year was 1989. A man standing alone before a line of tanks on Chang'an Avenue near Tiananmen Square. It's a picture that's inspired people all over the world. It's also been heavily suppressed in the very country it was taken.

Jeff Widener is the man behind the photograph, which he says was a "lucky shot". What the world doesn't know, however, is that Widener is so much more than the photographer behind one iconic image. He's spent years in Asia chronicling the stories and struggles of people.

I first heard of Jim Mortram and his project ‘Small Town Inertia’ in the ‘Ones to Watch’ section of the British Journal of Photography. At first, I was happy that someone from my homeland, Norfolk, was making an impact in the photographic world. But of all projects I’d seen in BJP, Small Town Inertia was the only that gripped me.

It started with a trip to Hong Kong. That's what got skateboard photographer Jonathan Mehring hooked on travelling. But while there are a lot of photographers that travel the world capturing different cultures, Mehring was more interested in answering the question: "is it even possible to skate some of these places?"

This short interview was put together by The Photographer Series, a site by multimedia storyteller Andrew Norton that dedicates itself to telling the stories behind some of skateboarding's coolest images -- and Mehring has captured some awesome images.

At last year's Fall Photography at the Summit, the folks at the Summit Series of Workshops got a chance to sit down and speak with legendary photojournalist Bill Eppridge. They asked him about "the importance of the still image," and Eppridge responded by sharing the wise views on photography he has spent a lifetime acquiring.

Portraitist Miller Mobley is a successful photographer twice over. As a college student, he built a successful photography business in Tuscaloosa, AL, working for both local and regional clients. Later, he and his wife picked up their entire life and moved to New York City, where the now 24-year-old Mobley has managed to land all of his dream clients one after the other.

Flip through the pages of any major magazine published in the last few years and it's likely you've seen a picture snapped by Martin Schoeller therein. The German-born award-winning photographer got off to a rough start upon moving to the United States in the early 1990s, only to find himself as an in-demand iconic picture taker today.

He's covered every major celebrity you can imagine with his trademark close-up portraiture and fashion photos alike (though, he admits fashion isn't quite his bag). From Paris Hilton to Barack Obama, Schoeller has worked with Hollywood's elite and America's most influential politicians. He's seen it all.

Shane Lavalette is an American photographer who currently lives in Upstate New York. He is the founding publisher and editor of the independent publisher Lay Flat, and is the new director of Light Work, an influential non-profit photo organization.

PetaPixel: First, please tell us a bit about yourself and your background in photography.
Shane Lavalette: I’ve been interested in photography since I was a child but I got serious about it as art as a teenager, starting in the black and white darkroom.

Jeff Lombardo is the personal photographer and videographer for Ne-Yo. Visit his website here, his Facebook page here, and his Instagram account here.

PetaPixel: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

Jeff Lombardo: For the past 16 years I've been working as an independent contractor in the entertainment industry as a digital artist. During those 16 years I've worked at many of the top ad agencies, motion picture studios and television studios in Hollywood such as, NBC, Universal Studios, MGM, FOX, Disney, and Warner Brothers.

The idea of being a sports photographer to many enthusiasts seems glamorous and exciting. Free and seemingly unfettered access to major league games with a view just meters away from live action. Akin to a soldier on a battleground armed with the latest gear, carefully and methodically (yet rapidly) shooting his subjects with the aim to make a publish-worthy photograph in the midst of chaos.

But what is it really like out there in the trenches? Is it all it's cracked up to be? More importantly: in a society where the almighty dollar is king, is it a viable source of income for a professional photographer?

Craig Royal is an award-winning fine art photographer based in Tampa, Florida. Visit his website here.

PetaPixel: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

Craig Royal: I'm a visually impaired fine art photographer. I'm legally blind due to a congenital form of optic nerve atrophy. I have been legally blind since birth. My vision had been 20/200 corrected up until 1992, when a white blind spot began to develop in the center of my visual field in both eyes.

I recently sat down with the founders of Hink, the British startup that wants to take the photographic lighting industry by storm. The company — based in Bedford — has been running a teaser campaign since March for their mysterious first product, the “Spacefish” flashgun, which is due to be unveiled and released this summer.

Clark Little is a photographer based in North Shore, Hawai'i who specializes in shorebreak wave photography, or photographing waves as they crash onto shore. Visit his website here.

PetaPixel: Can you tell us about yourself and how you got started in photography?

Clark Little: In the late 80's and early 90's I was known in the surfing world for catching big hopeless shorebreak waves on my surfboard at a famous surf spot called Waimea Bay. Back in those days, Waimea Bay was the epicenter of the big wave surfing world. The surfing magazines published these shots since many were of wipeouts and situations where people would think that person got seriously injured.

The folks at 522 Productions have been slowly putting out videos that capture the essence of what inspires each of them. The charge was led a few weeks ago by 522's art director Chris Jurchak, but it was editor Eli Sinkus' What Inspires You? video, uploaded on April 1st, that caught our eyes and ears.

His video tells the tale of his love affair with photography and Henri Cartier-Bresson's famous "Decisive Moment" through the magic of (mostly) black and white film. A fictional tale of a boy discovering the world through photography, the entire video is then "narrated" by an interview Cartier-Bresson gave Cornell Capa in 1973.

As a followup to our post earlier today about former White House photographer Eric Draper's work, here's an interesting and relevant 17-minute-long story that aired on NPR in January of this year. It's an interview with former presidential photographers Eric Draper and Robert McNeely, who photographed the presidencies of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton (respectively).

Over the course of his career, Antonin Kratochvil has made a name for himself as one of the great photojournalists of our time. He's photographed everything from Mongolian Street Children to war zones, to Bono, and through it all has managed to maintain an intimacy in his style and simplicity in his approach that is both inspirational and refreshing.

Joey Lawrence, better known by his professional name, "Joey L.," is a Canadian commercial photographer, director and published author based in Brooklyn, New York. Visit his website here.

PetaPixel: Can you tell us about yourself and how you got started in photography?

Joey L: When I was 16 years old and in high school, all my friends were in bands. I could never sing (I'm beyond horrible) or play any instruments, so instead I became the photographer. I would help them build press kits and band profiles for their websites, experimenting along the way and learning everything I could about the technical side of photography.

Scott Schuman, known better as fashion photographer "The Sartorialist," is currently four of five parts through a fascinating interview with legendary Magnum photographer Steve McCurry. We'll add the fifth video as soon as it goes up, but for now, each of these short 2-4 minute talks offers plenty of wisdom to get you through the day (or week... or maybe month).

To fill the time during slow winter months, photographer Jonathan Andrew decided to follow through on an idea that he had a few years back: he started photographing old WWII bunkers. Based out of Amsterdam, he already had several to work with close-by, but as the project has received more and more media attention, he's taken the time to travel all over Europe, adding more beautiful, haunting bunker images to his portfolio.

The New York Times has published a recently-discovered interview photographer …

What's it like to shoot on the front lines of battle as a military photojournalist? This 15-minute documentary by filmmaker Hannah Hill will tell you. Here's the video's description:

This is a documentary about Staff Sgt. Ryan Crane, a United States Air Force photojournalist, who has deployed to Afghanistan twice. He shares his experiences as a photojournalist in a combat environment as well as the mental and physical toll it takes on him.

Crane is based out of O’Fallon, Illinois, and has served as a combat cameraman for a Special Forces, photographing the war with a DSLR and an M4.

Billy Rowlinson is a photographer based in London. He was an official photographer at the London 2012 Olympics this past summer at the age of 18. Visit his website here.

PetaPixel: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

Billy Rowlinson: I'm Billy Rowlinson, I was born and currently live in London, United Kingdom. I turned 19 in October and I'm currently on a gap year before hopefully going to study Film Production at university.

The New York Post got the whole world talking about it yesterday after publishing a morbid front page photo showing a man about to be struck by a subway train. The photographer behind the image, freelance photojournalist R. Umar Abbasi, has received criticism from people who believe he should have done more to help the victim, or, at the very least, do anything but snap photographs of what was about to happen.

Even if you've never heard of Peter and David Turnley, you've likely seen at least one of their photographs at some point in your life. The identical twins are two of the most renowned photojournalists to have covered world events over the past few decades. The video above is a fascinating 13-minute-long feature titled "Double Exposure," which aired on 60 Minutes back in 1996 (warning: there are some strong images of violence).

Tim Kemple is an action-sport and lifestyle photographer based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit his website here.

PetaPixel: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

Tim Kemple: Sure. I'm a photographer and film maker based in Utah. I grew up on the East Coast and spent my weekends as a kid climbing, skiing and wandering. I started carrying a camera to document my adventures.

Sean O'Hagan over at The Observer has published an interesting profile of famed NYC street photographer Joel Meyerowitz, who had some pretty harsh things to say about his fellow NYC street shooter, Bruce Gilden.

Oliver Monroe is a Los Angeles-based photographer who has photographed some of the world's most famous bands and music artists in concert. Visit his website here.

PetaPixel: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

Oliver Monroe: I grew up in the Washington, D.C. area, where my dad worked for the Department of Defense. In 1979, I moved to Los Angeles to further my career as a photographer. After nearly 10 years in the music/entertainment business, I hung up my camera bag and became a commercial film editor for the next 5 years. Wanting to see daylight again, I left editing and started a multimedia development company. I currently own a video encoding company, which caters to the entertainment industry.

When Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast, an iPhone photo by photographer …

Elijah Solomon Hurwitz is an NYC-based photographer keen on documentary and street photography, and social and cultural issues. He has photographed in over 40 countries. Visit his website here. He also publishes a running log of photos (on Instagram as @elijahsol) and thoughts.

PetaPixel: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background?

Elijah Hurwitz: Until this last year I wouldn't characterize my story as particularly unique. I grew up in a 'planned community' suburb of DC/Baltimore finding ways to get into/avoid trouble and playing video games. Studied business at a midwestern state college, and then spent the next ten years in marketing roles for technology and entertainment brands in Seattle and NYC. I've always been really into music, traveling and the outdoors. I better put the brakes on, this sounds like an online dating profile.