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.

Shutterstock Picks Its Top 10 Photos of 2020

Shutterstock Editorial has just revealed the photographs that documented the historical moments that dominated 2020, a very different year from any other. The year started normally with red-carpet shows like Oscars and then veered off dramatically to pandemic and protests and is winding up with hope as news of vaccines emerges.

Canon: We Don’t ‘Cripple’ Cameras, Idea is ‘Conspiracy Theory’

Much has been made of the overheating time limits of the Canon EOS R5 and R6 and the fact that the overheating timer can be bypassed with seemingly no ill effects. But Canon has now gone on the record to confirm that they did not intentionally hamstring their latest mirrorless cameras to protect other camera lines from self-cannibalization.

Mental Health Help for Photographers (And Everyone Else)

As amusing as some COVID-19 memes and tweets have been (not to mention a welcome break from the endless news cycle), we want to be very clear about the importance of taking care of your mental health right now.

3 Freelance Photographers on Covering COVID-19

As uncertainty and anxiety over coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to proliferate, media organizations have tasked a handful of freelance photographers to document the outbreak.

21 Questions with Michael Runkel: The ‘Most-Traveled’ Photographer Alive

Travel photographer Michael Runkel has visited every country on Earth and shows no signs of slowing down. The German native chats with photographer Trey Bohn about going to outer space, the coronavirus outbreak, what makes a good travel photo, and why long-term travel with kids doesn’t suck.

Rob Carr on Shooting the Super Bowl, and Why He Shoots Canon

If you're a sports photographer at any level in the United States, the dream gig would be to shoot a national championship: the World Series, the MLS cup, the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup, or perhaps the most coveted of all, the Super Bowl. For Getty Images Chief Sports Photographer Rob Carr, that dream is a reality.

The Story Behind a Photo Project: ‘State of Decay’ by Alejandro Cegarra

It’s Martin Kaninsky from the All About Street Photography YouTube channel, and today I would like to talk about a series of photographs that placed 3rd for Long-Term Projects, Stories in the 2019 World Press Photo competition. It's State of Decay by Alejandro Cegarra.

An Interview with Photographer B.A. Van Sise

B.A. Van Sise is one of the world's busiest travel photographers and a Nikon travel photography ambassador. A frequent contributor to the Village Voice and Buzzfeed, his work has also been featured on the cover of the New York Times, on PBS NewsHour, the Daily Mail, and on NPR. A number of his photos are in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian.

A Chat with War Photographer Lynsey Addario

Lynsey Addario is an American photojournalist who's well known for her work on the front lines of conflict and human rights issues. In this 8-minute video interview, VICE sat down with Addario and talked to her about everything from life and death to journalistic truth.

The Canon 1DX Mark III is Shaping Up to be a Killer Mirrorless Camera

The Canon 1DX Mark III is shaping up to be one of the most exciting mirrorless cameras on the market, matching or outpacing the current industry standard in the Sony a9 and a9 II. Yes, you read that right: if the upcoming 1DX Mark III only has the features that were teased yesterday, it will be a killer mirrorless camera that just happens to have a mirror.

Meet Henry Diltz, The Official Photographer at Woodstock

Henry Diltz was the official photographer at the legendary Woodstock music festival back in August 1969. Here's a 6-minute video directed by Scott Hanson for Keeper in which Diltz tells the story of how it all happened (note: there's a bit of nudity).

Inside the Mind of a Self-Portrait Landscape Photographer

Lizzy Gadd is a self-portrait landscape photographer. After finding awe-inspiring outdoor locations, Gadd steps into the frame and becomes a human element against a backdrop of wilderness. Smugmug Films just released this 7.5-minute short film that takes us into Gadd's mind and work.

This Microbiologist Can Spot Your Fake Photos

When National Geographic published Beth Moon’s images of “the world’s oldest trees by starlight,” seasoned astrophotographers like Adrien Mauduit cried foul. Not only were sections of the sky cloned, but specific stars were appearing in portions of the sky that were physical impossibilities.

A Chat with Bruce Gilden About Life, Work, and Photography

Renowned British documentary photographer Martin Parr has been interviewing photographers for a series titled "Sofa Sessions: Conversations with Martin Parr." In the latest chat, Parr sat down with iconic American street photographer Bruce Gilden to talk about his life, career, and photography.

Shooting Dreams and Nightmares: An Interview with the Bragdon Brothers

Great photography tells a compelling story. Weaving narrative into photos and photo series is a challenging task -- the storyteller cannot simply make the world conform to their imagination as the author or painter can. Photographers only have one frame to convey meaning -- motion and action have to be paraphrased and the moment of transformation captured.

Inside the Mind of Street Photographer Alan Schaller

"Streets in Mind" is a new short film by SmugMug Films that looks at the life and work of London-based street photographer Alan Schaller. Walking the streets of NYC, Schaller offers thoughts and insights on shooting street photos in major cities.

How to Save 100,000 Cameras: A Look Inside Camera Rescue

Camera Rescue is a project based in Finland that's working to rescue 100,000 analog cameras by 2020 in order to preserve them for future generations. Photographer Jordan Lockhart of Cameraville recently traveled to Tampere, Finland, and made this 10.5-minute behind-the-scenes video at the organization's ambitious endeavor.

A Chat with Photographer Steve McCurry About His Life and Work

Renowned photographer Steve McCurry recently sat down with journalist Kate Snow for a drink and to chat about his life and career. This 15-minute segment by NBC Nightly News offers a peek into the mind of the celebrated (and recently controversial) photographer of Afghan Girl fame.

Henri Cartier-Bresson on Learning to Look

Here's a clip from an old interview in which legendary photographer and street photography pioneer Henri Cartier-Bresson was asked about the art of seeing. His answer probably isn't what you'd expect.

Film in the Digital Age: An Interview with 4 Photographers

In 2017, I began playing around with a 35mm film camera I had received from my grandparents. This Pentax Spotmatic was simple to use (although the light meter did not work) and it gave me a wonderful sense of accomplishment when I finished a roll of 36 photographs, each one being carefully thought out, more-so than when shooting digital.

How Teenage Photographer John Kraus Shoots Rocket Launches

John Kraus is an 18-year-old photographer living on Florida's Space Coast who has captured dazzling photos of major rocket launches over the past few years. VICE News followed Kraus to a recently SpaceX Falcon 9 launch and aired this short segment showing how the photographer works (it starts at 22m01s).

Hanging Out with the Photographer of Beyonce’s ‘Diamonds’ Album Cover

YouTube star Karen Yeung recently visited photographer Markus Klinko, the international celebrity photographer who, among other things, captured the famous "diamond" portrait of Beyonce for the cover of her album Dangerously in Love. Yeung posed for similar portraits and then chatted with Klinko about the well-known Beyonce photos.

Chatting with Kodak About its Past, Present, and Future

Recently, we (Steven, John, and Bill of the podcast Studio C-41) traveled to Rochester, New York, to interview Josh Coon with The Kodakery (Kodak's podcast) and "EKTACHROME Super Fan" Matt Stoffel. We learned about George Eastman, how film is made in the Kodak factory, and Kodak’s response to the film resurgence.

The Story Behind that Viral Photo of a Toddler Crying at the Border

One of the most viral and talked about photos this week is of a 2-year-old daughter looking up and crying at her mother at the US-Mexico border. The Honduran mother and child were being taken into custody by federal agents when they were photographed by Getty Images photographer John Moore, who shares the story behind the shot in the 7-minute CNN interview above.