Interviews

Interviews with photographers and photojournalists working at the forefront of their fields across a wide range of genres, from fine art to documentary to street to travel, and everything in between. PetaPixel allows photographers to share their experience, opinions, and insights to inform and inspire the global photography community.

An Interview with Camera-less Photogrammer Farrah Karapetian

Farrah Karapetian is a renowned Los Angeles based conceptual artist who creates stunning imagery through photograms or “cameraless” photography. She studied as an undergraduate at Yale University and received her MFA at UCLA. She just concluded an exhibition at Danziger Gallery in New York City and looks forward to her second exhibition at Von Lintel Gallery in Los Angeles in January 2016.

An Interview with Photographer Holly Andres

Holly Andres is an American fine art and commercial photographer who has been creating dynamic and compelling images for over a decade. She started out shooting mostly fine art photography, but gradually branched into editorial assignments with the New York Times Magazine and many others. She continues to evolve and expand her art. For her fine art work, she is represented by the Robert Mann Gallery (New York City), Robert Koch Gallery (San Francisco), Jackson Fine Art (Atlanta), and Charles A.

Photographer John Biever on Shooting Half a Century of Super Bowls

John Biever is one of only four photographers who has shot at every single Super Bowl over the past half century. In the 2-minute segment above, Biever talks to CBS News about his experiences and how the world has changed from when he shot Super Bowl I as a 15-year-old kid (his dad was the Green Bay Packers team photographer).

A Look at One Woman’s Mission to #GivePhotos to the Impoverished

Given the utter ubiquity of photography in the USA, most Americans probably don’t view photography as special. But in impoverished areas around the world, personal photos can be rare. On visits to her birthplace of Kolkata, India, Bipasha Shom frequently took portraits of people she met, and she was struck by how many people lacked access to a camera and had no family photos of her own.

An Interview with Sports Photographer Brad Mangin

Brad Mangin is a freelance sports photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He regularly shoots for Sports Illustrated and Major League Baseball Photos, and he has photographed 19 World Series and a number of Super Bowls and NBA Finals so far. We had a chat with Mangin about his life, career, and love for sports photography.

The Top Dog Photographer on Instagram

Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York has millions of online followers and two NYTimes bestselling books by capturing people's portraits and stories on NYC streets. Elias Weiss Friedman has had a similar type of success by photographing dogs.

Ringo Starr Discusses His Passion for Photography as the Beatles’ Drummer

Ringo Starr is best known as the rock star drummer of the Beatles, but he was also a passionate photographer who documented the life of one of history's biggest bands first hand. The video above is a 9-minute short film titled "Ringo Starr: Photographer." Made by portrait photographer Mark Seliger for Rolling Stone, it sheds light on Starr's "other life's work." …

An Interview with Photographer Tina Barney

Tina Barney is one of the most acclaimed fine art photographers in the U.S. She became well known photographing her real family in Rhode Island, and making large color prints from these interactions. While still in the midst of a thriving career, she recently had an exhibition of her current and past works called Four Decades at the Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York.

Rick Guidotti on Photographing Genetic Conditions to Reframe Beauty

CBS Evening News just aired this short segment on the work of photographer Rick Guidotti, who has spent years shooting portraits of people with genetic conditions for his non-profit, Positive Exposure. As we first shared back in 2013, Guidotti is using his background as a major fashion photographer to change the way people see and think about beauty.

The Inspiring Story Behind the Iconic Baltimore Riots TIME Cover Photo

When protests and riots erupted in Baltimore earlier this year after the death of Freddie Gray, 27-year-old photographer Devin Allen began capturing remarkable photos from ground level, giving the world a look at the events through his eyes. Amidst the powerful stream of images he shared on Instagram was one particularly iconic shot of a protestor running from a crowd of police officers -- a photo that soon appeared on the cover of TIME magazine.

An Interview with Motorsport Photojournalist Jamey Price

Jamey Price is an award-winning motorsport photojournalist who was recently named one of GQ Magazine's '10 Best Car / Racing Instagram Accounts to Follow.' Price has had his work published around the globe by Road and Track, RACER Magazine, F1 Racing Magazine, Sports Illustrated, Motorsport Magazine, ESPN, SPEEDTV, The Washington Post, and many more. He also currently works as a freelancer for a number of commercial clients including Ducati, Audi, Lamborghini, Aston Martin Racing, Mitsubishi, …

An Interview with Instagram and Snapchat Storyteller Branden Harvey

Branden Harvey became a professional photographer at the age of 16. He has since become an extremely popular photographer on social media, boasting over 104,000 followers on Instagram and one of the largest followings of a photographer on Snapchat (with 50,000+ views per image shared). We spoke to Harvey about his unique career path and perspective.

Roberto Salas’ Front Row Seats to Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution

Yesterday, NBC News aired this short but interesting look into the life and career of photographer Roberto Salas. At the age of 15 in 1955, Salas met an activist named Fidel Castro during a photo assignment with Salas' photographer father. The encounter ended up giving Salas front-row seats to the revolution that was about to unfold, allowing Salas to capture intimate photos of Castro that other photojournalists in the country could only dream about.

Inside The Camera Bag of… PetaPixel Features Editor Michael Archambault

They say to learn about a person you should look at their bookshelf to see what they read. Similarly, we believe that delving into a photographer’s bag sheds light on their personality and style. Today’s article is the first in a series that explores the bags of professional photographers and, of course, your friends here at PetaPixel. Step inside my bag to see what I carry on a daily basis and the significance of each item.

An Interview with Selfie Stick Inventor Wayne Fromm

Wayne Fromm is a Canadian inventor who's widely recognized as being one of the main inventors of the selfie stick (with the other being Hiroshi Ueda of Japan). Fromm holds original patents for selfie sticks created for compact cameras and smartphones, and he current sells selfie sticks through his Quik Pod brand.

Interview with Top Action Sports Photographer Garth Milan

Garth Milan is one of the top action sports photographers in the world, traveling the world to photograph some of the world's most talented and most extreme athletes. Recently we featured Milan's photos of athlete Robbie Maddison surfing giant waves on a dirt bike. We had the privilege of chatting with Milan to talk about his life, career, and the future of the action sports industry.

Photographer Giles Penfound on Storytelling with the Art of Photography

Giles Penfound is a photographer with an engrossing past and a story to tell. Penfound began his journey as a professional photographer over 25 years ago and spent most of his time documenting military operations from within the British Army. Documentary photographer Neale James approached Penfound to produce a short film about his life and work, and the result is the inspirational 30-minute video above. (Note: the video contains some strong language.)

Ringo Starr Talks to Conan About His Photos During the Beatles Years

Earlier this year, former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr made an appearance on Conan O'Brien's late night talk show. One of the subjects discussed during the interview was Starr's new photo book, titled Photograph, which contains rare and unseen photos captured by Ringo during his childhood, his years in The Beatles, and beyond. In the 2.5-minute clip above, Ringo shares about a few of the photos in the book, which will be released on September 21st for $35.

Interview: Photographer Quintin Lake on Walking 10,000km Around British Coast

Quintin Lake is a fine art and architectural photographer based in Cheltenham, England. He has been working on an ambitious photo project titled The Perimeter, which involves walking 10,000km (~6214 miles) around the British coast in sections at a time. The journey started back in April, and Lake expects that it will take him 5 years to complete the challenge.

An Interview with Sphericam Founder Jeffrey Martin About VR Imaging

We spoke with the founder of Sphericam, Jeffrey Martin, on the future of the company’s 360-degree spherical camera lineup and where virtual reality imaging may be headed in the next decade. The Sphericam 2 has already surpassed its Kickstarter funding goal of $150,000, collecting over $400,000, with two days of the campaign remaining. Dive into this interview to learn what challenges the team faced and what they have around the corner.

Noble Portraits of Working Dogs Around the World

Photographer Andrew Fladeboe has spent years traveling to countries around the world with the goal of capturing the unique relationship between humans and dogs. His goal is to document the different ways cultures have come to rely on working dogs in shepherding livestock. The ongoing project is titled The Shepherd's Realm.

Interview: Lytro CEO Jason Rosenthal on the Future of Light Field Technology

Lytro’s research into the world of light field technology has produced two consumer devices. Their first camera was released in 2012 and introduced photographers to the concept of being able to refocus images after they had been taken. Then in 2014, Lytro released their flagship: the ILLUM. Armed with an integrated 30-250mm f/2.0 lens, a 40 megaray sensor, and upgraded software, Lytro was ready to show the world that their technology wasn’t just a gimmick.

6 Tips in 45 Minutes by 2 Top Wedding Photographers

Canmore, Canada-based photographers Lanny and Erika Mann of Two Mann Studios are considered two of the best wedding photographers in the world by Fearless Photographers, a popular online directory of global wedding photographers. ShotKit recently sat down with the Manns and recorded the 45-minute interview above in which the duo shares six tips that helped them get where they are.

A Conversation with Photographer Rick Smolan

If you have an hour to spare, here's a fantastic interview you should listen to. It's a Talks at Google event featuring renowned photographer Rick Smolan, who has shot for TIME, LIFE, and National Geographic. He's also one of the bestselling coffee table photo book photographers of all time.