One podcast I look forward to each week is On Taking Pictures hosted by Jeffery Saddoris and Bill Wadman. It is a loosely formatted conversation where the hosts discuss issues of interest to either or both of them. As the name implies it is focused on photography, but unlike most other photography podcasts, it talks more about the creative process than it does about gear or specific techniques.
Bill Wadman is the pragmatist of the two and works as an editorial portrait photographer in New York. Bill Wadman’s traditional portraits are the kind of thing Vermeer would have produced had he been given a camera instead of a brush. The lighting and poses of the subjects in his hyper realistic conceptual photography strongly reminds me of Rembrandt. My ultimate creative goal is to produce moving images of a similar quality so I am always very interested in hearing what he has to say.
Jeffrey Saddoris is The War of Art personified. He candidly discusses his struggles with confidence, creative block and procrastination. When he finally does break through his resistance he produces high quality artwork such as F to the Power of Three. The passion and soul that goes into everything he does and the high standards he sets for himself all resonate with me on many levels. His disarming manner, sensitivity and humor make him instantly likable, but he is willing to defend his position when he needs to.
The podcast runs for about ninety minutes and after a short introduction they discuss some piece of news, art, gear or a recent experience. They then describe how it makes them feel, what they should do about it or what they did about something similar in the past. They disagree at times, but even when they do actually agree, they often come at things from a different angle. It is this dynamic between the two hosts that makes it interesting, rather than the format itself.
The Photographer of the Week segment is a discussion about an individual photographer’s work. If you are near a computer I highly recommend looking at the specific picture they are discussing while listening. Two photographers that are regularly mentioned during the podcast are Henri Cartier-Bresson and Avedon so it is worth looking through their work to help understand the references they make.
There is also a Google+ group where listeners can post their entries to the #assignments or get feedback by posting to the Crit Wall. I haven’t participated in many of these #assignments but they are probably something useful for people trying to expand their horizons or get themselves out of a rut.
Listeners can leave feedback or ask questions by emailing podcast@ontakingpictures.com or leaving a voicemail on (347) 687-941. The responses to these questions are thoughtful and honest and it is enjoyable to hear what other people want to know or how they feel. Put simply, the conversations that Wadman and Saddoris have, are conversations that I would like to be involved in. It certainly helps to be interested in photography to listen to them, but it is not a prerequisite. If you are a creative person search a new podcast then I would be surprised if you didn’t enjoy On Taking Pictures
Photographers worth checking out: Richard Avedon :: Irving Penn :: Eugene Atget :: Andre Kertesz :: Gregory Crewdson :: Walker Evans :: Bill Brandt
