Chris Niccolls joins us this episode to talk about zoom lenses! Chris gets to shoot using most new cameras and lenses for DPReview TV, so we wanted to tap into his extensive hands-on experience with zooms. Do they require too many compromises? Why are some so expensive? And can we put to rest the idea that real photographers only shoot with prime lenses? Guest: Chris Niccolls, Instagram Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass, Jeff on...

Do you use a particular lens or photographic technique because someone said that was the only way to do it? In this episode, we break down some common photo preconceptions. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images at PhotoActive.co) Rate and Review the PhotoActive Podcast! Joel Meyerowitz Retrospective at Kunst Haus Wien The...

“I never metadata I didn’t like.” Do we need to spend hours entering metadata for our images? Or do we even care about metadata? We look at why metadata is important, and at some automated solutions like AI-assisted object recognition in the Photos app, Lightroom, and other tools. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images at...

We’re excited to welcome photographer Mike Hipple to talk about his latest book “Lived Through That: 90s Musicians Today.” What started as an artistic distraction to photograph creative people spawned a book of iconic 1980s musicians, “80s Redux!,” which he followed up with this book of notable music makers of the next decade. We talk about working on such a large project, dealing with unexpected adversity, and improvising on the fly. Guest: Mike Hipple: Instagram,...

What will your photography look like in the new year? Although Kirk and Jeff are wary of making any New Year’s resolutions, they each came up with photographic goals to chase that involve learning new skills and pushing out of their comfort zones. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images at PhotoActive.co) Rate and Review the...

Perhaps you’ve heard that there’s an ideal focal length that is the closest approximation to the human eye. Or perhaps you’re a purist who can’t imagine shooting anything but a 50mm prime. In this episode, Jeff and Kirk dig into these preconceptions and talk about how focal length affects your photography. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes...

October and November bring a deluge of new camera announcements, which gets our minds to thinking, “Do we need new cameras?” But buying a camera today is different than it was just a few years ago, with factors such as AI-based autofocus systems and much higher megapixel sensors that affect everything from memory cards to computer storage. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on...

In this episode, we’re focusing our attention on features in the Photos apps for Mac and iOS/iPadOS. Did you know you can select text in images, select and copy subjects with a single touch, identify plants and animals, and identify duplicates in your library? We show you how. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images at...

When you look through the viewfinder of your camera, what do you see? Just the scene in front of the lens, or the version you know is possible when you edit the shot later in software? This week Jeff and Kirk talk about visualizing the edit while you’re shooting to get photos that look the way you remember or how you’d prefer them to be. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on...

Apple announced new iPad and iPad Pro models aimed at two very different audiences, but how do they look for photographers? Also new are updates to Adobe’s Lightroom line of products, bringing improved AI-based masking features to the broad suite of photo editing apps. Jeff and Kirk weigh in on these and more in the latest episode. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show...

Apple says every new iPhone is the Best Ever iPhone, but when it comes to the cameras in the iPhone 14 Pro, could that be more than just hyperbole? Find out why Kirk thinks this model is a game-changer, hear our opinions on how it stacks up to other phones on the market, and discover the pros and cons we’ve discovered when photographing with these remarkable portable devices. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's...

Putting together a photo portfolio doesn’t need to be a daunting task. William Neill returns to PhotoActive to talk about his new book, The Photographer's Portfolio Development Workshop, and share advice on how to edit, organize, and present your best work. Guest: William Neill: Instagram, website Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes...

Here we go again: Apple has released the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, with more camera enhancements including a new 48 megapixel sensor on the Pro. What is pixel binning? Is the Photonic Engine just marketing terminology? Kirk and Jeff break down what’s new…while waiting for the phones they ordered to arrive. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show...

How do you make mouth-watering photos of food? This week we’re joined by Lauren Caris Short, author of the beautiful new book The Complete Guide to Food Photography to talk about what it takes to be a food photographer. Lighting, food styling, composition... photographing food is a multi-disciplined photo endeavor. Guest: Lauren Caris Short: Instagram, website, YouTube [Photo of Lauren Caris Short by Tommy Reynolds] Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram,...

It’s easy to forget that your camera is more than just a box that records light. It’s a sophisticated computer with a huge amount of control over the light that hits the sensor. In this episode we talk about why it’s important to (gasp) read the manual, experiment with features, and gain a better understanding of the camera’s capabilities. This isn’t just an exhortation to RTFM, but a practical look at what you can get out of it. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on...

In our last episode, Kirk asked a question that stumped Jeff: While on vacation, did Jeff ever think about not taking a camera with him for a day? Being a photographer of any level means you look at the world a little differently—you develop a “photographer’s eye,” but could that be a detriment? Is it possible to just enjoy one’s surroundings without looking for compositions and dynamic lighting? Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk...

Jeff just returned from two weeks in France and Italy with almost 3000 photos, even though his was a family vacation and not a “photo trip,” per se. From choosing gear to bring and finding time to make photos amid demands of travel and family, it turned out to be an interesting photographic challenge. We talk about what Jeff experienced and learned for the next adventure. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos,...

What do the cameras of the future look like? The ones we use now are vastly different from cameras just a decade or two ago, so it’s reasonable to assume that changes will continue to advance. Jeff and Kirk speculate on what’s coming. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images at PhotoActive.co) Rate and Review the PhotoActive...

Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) wrapped up last week, and with it a lot of news about hardware like the M2-powered MacBook Air and what's coming in macOS Ventura, iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and watchOS 9. In this episode, Jeff and Kirk look at what struck their interest for photographers. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images...

Scott Kelby joins us this week to talk about travel photography, using the years of experience he’s gained and now collected into his new book The Travel Photography Book. We often want to start by figuring out what gear to bring, but Scott makes that point that there are far more important things to consider first. Guest: Scott Kelby: Instagram, website Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on...

In episode 110, Kirk and Jeff talked about dealing with distortion when you’re editing your photos. Now we’re happy to welcome portrait photographer and educator John Cornicello to discuss distortion when you’re photographing. You know those grids of headshots that demonstrate how wide-angle lenses cause distorted features? They’re wrong, and John explains why. Guest: John Cornicello: Instagram, website Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on...

Is an iPad good for photo editing? It can be great for slimming your amount of gear on a trip, but what tradeoffs are involved? In this episode, Jeff and Kirk look at using an iPad or iPad Pro in a photography workflow, from importing images to culling and sorting to editing the photos. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images at...

Millions of people take billions of photos using the built-in Camera app on their iPhones, so we wanted to do an episode all about the clever and sometimes hidden capabilities of this camera that’s always with you. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images at PhotoActive.co) Rate and Review the PhotoActive Podcast! Outsmart Your...

An offhand remark from our guest Bryan Jones when he was a guest on a previous episode stuck with us: “You know color doesn’t actually exist, right?” We had to invite him back to explain! Jones, a retinal neuroscientist, explains that color is really a shared hallucination and talks about how photographers can take advantage of this knowledge. Guest: Bryan William Jones: Instagram, website, Flickr Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk...

Apple announced the Mac Studio, a brand new M1-based desktop Mac that smokes the performance of even the Mac Pro. But is it a good machine for photographers? Jeff and Kirk discuss what’s interesting about the Mac Studio and the new Studio Display. Hosts: Jeff Carlson: website, Jeff's photos, Jeff on Instagram, Jeff on Glass Kirk McElhearn: website, Kirk's photos, Kirk on Instagram, Kirk on Glass Show Notes: (View show notes with images at PhotoActive.co) Rate and Review the...