Episode 45 - Gajan Balan

My guest today is Gajan Balan a photographer and director who has made a name for himself producing films for clients around the world as well as regular viewers like us on YouTube. Gajan and I were able to speak ahead of his unveiling as the worldwide brand ambassador for the Leica SL3S that was announced earlier this week. He’s been able to travel the world as part of this project and produce a really wonderful film to promote the new camera. Full disclosure, Leica suggested the timing of this episode but as you’ll hear from the conversation we were already in contact and this is in no way a paid promotion, they just put us in touch ahead of the launch. Gajan and I got on great and I can’t wait to speak to him again in future about his next projects but for now please enjoy this first chat.

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 44 - Gabrielle Motola

Gabrielle Motola is one of the most complete photographers I’ve ever spoken to. That was the word that popped into my head repeatedly as we were speaking just before Christmas. She is thoughtful, makes thought provoking work and knows Photography is noticing, bringing connection to all her work whether it’s travel, portrait or behind the scenes with a world famous band. I loved our conversation and hope you do too.

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 43 - Arun Venkatesan

My guest this week is Arun Venkatesan, a photographer, engineer and designer based in the US who writes a really interesting blog about design and occasionally photos and image making. He has recently written about Leica’s font and a friend passed this on to me. I really enjoyed his writing and decided to see if I could get him on the show. He said yes and I’m delighted to share this conversation with you all.

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 42 - Stephen K Schuster

Stephen K Schuster is a New York based photographer who co-hosts the brilliant Emulsions podcast with friend Hollis Monk Thayer. When the pair appeared on the show a couple of weeks ago I asked he’d be up for coming back to talk about his long running project City Kids. He agreed and here we are! We forego lenses in favour of a conversation about image making, terrible ideas, good ideas and we open with a Prime Lenses favourite, A Question of Color.

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 41 - Declan Friel

Declan Friel is a photographer based near the Isle of Skye. His day job has him working on the island as a postman which sometimes affords him the opportunity to capture one of the most beautiful locations in the world while he’s at work. That’s something I’ll bet a lot of us wish we could do so when Declan was made famous earlier this year by the BBC News Website I thought I’d reach out and see if we could have a chat about his history with photography, printing images big and small and of course, murder mystery drama on the island.

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 40 - Hugh Brownstone

For 10 years Hugh Brownstone has made photography videos on YouTube. His striking monochrome aesthetic and thoughtful delivery made him popular with fans of photography, especially those with a tendency towards cameras made in Germany with a little red dot. I’ve admired his work for years so it was a delight to sit down with him and have a wide ranging conversation about image making.

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 39 - Hollis & Stephen

Hollis Monk Thayer and Stephen K. Schuster are two friends who host the Emulsions Podcast about film photography. They agreed to come onto the podcast to talk about what it’s like making a podcast, whether they benefit from having a co-host and the kinds of images they like to make. It was a good conversation, I hope you like it too :)

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 38 - Andy Dunn

Andy Dunn is a UK based filmmaker whose work I discovered via a film he made about Harold Feinstein called Last Stop Coney Island. This brilliant documentary introduced me to the world of an artist I knew nothing about and I loved it. Andy was kind enough to take some time out of a Friday night to come and chat cameras, Harold and making stuff.  

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 37 - Becca Farsace

Becca Farsace is an Emmy award winning Photographer, videographer and life long learner. I’ve enjoyed her videos for years and  have been lucky to chat with her on and off about cameras but when starting to plan for this show I knew she was one of the people I’d want to speak to. She recently went independent, able for the first time to make whatever she wants on her own terms. You can find her on YouTube now where she’s taking tech outdoors and her approach is clearly resonating because she’s attracted over 100,000 subscribers already.

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 36 - Kaj O’Connell

Kaj O’Connell is a wonderful photographer whose work I discovered through the One Month 2 cameras YouTube channel. His work made initially using old point and shoot digicams was inspiring, he’s doing more than just shooting with them for the vibes. He champions ways of making work, printing it and living with it that I really admire, shoots film like a pro and I was so excited when he agreed to come on the show. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Kaj.

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 35 - Rick DeMint

Rick DeMint is the man behind Portroids, a photo project where he snaps celebrities and asks them to sign the picture which is then posted to his website. It’s a great project 21 years and over 6000 images later is still going strong. The combination of long running consistency and Polaroid cameras of many types made him an ideal guest, I loved speaking to him and in particular enjoyed his final lens choice, but you’ll have to stick around for that! 

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 34 - Jannik Boysen

Jannik Boysen is a game developer and photographer who created the charming Shutter Stroll for PC. I discovered the game in 2020 but the release of the game on Steam seemed like a great time to speak to Jannik about the game and their journey with photography.

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 33 - Anson Tang

Anson Tang is the man behind Tahusa, a photography company that offers training and accessories for cameras. His soft release shutter is probably his best known product but he’s first and foremost a photographer with a love for a very interesting set of lenses that I got in completely the wrong order.

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 32 - Stefan Daniel

This week I spoke with Stefan Daniel of Leica Camera. He’s ultimately responsible for all camera development at Leica and we spoke on the eve of the M11-D announcement about travel cameras, the Scottish Highlands and the importance of creation and creativity more than specs and technical stats.

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 31 - Victor Henning

Victor Henning is the founder of Fjorden, an iOS app that pairs with a grip to give your iPhone the physical controls that make a real camera so great. His company was recently acquired by Leica and their first joint Product, Leica LUX is out now and blew me away when I tried it. At launch I reached out to Victor immediately and he was gracious enough to give me an hour, between meetings ;)

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 30 - A Time A Place

This week I speak with John Piercy Holroyd & Daniel Hopkinson, authors of A Time A Place, a photography and architecture project that became a book. This first volume has been a real labour of love for the pair and it was a treat to sit down with my first panel of guests. Dan also has some excellent gear and lens choices for those of us who love just a little bit of gear chatter.

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 29 - James Bareham

James Bareham is a creative director and photographer with a background in sports, newspapers and online media. He’s photographed everything from bombings to First Ladies. He now runs a media startup as well as freelancing. You can find out more about his work at Happicamp.com.

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 28 - Stasia Schmidt

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 27 - Tiffany Roubert

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.

Episode 26 - Milan Swolfs

Milan is most known for is fine art portrait photography work in the burlesque and vintage styles. His work is a throwback to the memorable Hollywood glamour of the 20s and 30s, often portraying women in a daring and sexy way, but always delicately and glamourously.

More about the show:

A camera is just a tool but spend enough time with photographers and you’ll see them go misty eyed when they talk about their first camera or a small fast prime that they had in their youth. Prime Lenses is a series of interviews with photographers talking about their photography by way of three lenses that mean a lot to them. These can be interchangeable, attached to a camera, integrated into a gadget, I’m interested in the sometimes complex relationship we have with the tools we choose, why they can mean so much and how they make us feel.