We Are Photographers

Yasmeen Turayhi is a first generation Iraqi American who has spent the vast majority of her life caught in between two worlds—one as an American, and one as an Iraqi. She also lives two lives simultaneously as a filmmaker and runs a product marketing advisory service Modern Product with diverse experience in finance, energy, fintech, healthtech, adtech and more. She’s the author of Product Marketing Debunked and serves on the Board of Directors of TechWadi, helping create bridges for entrepreneurs between the greater Middle East and Silicon Valley.In this episode Yasmeen explains why she was driven to create her short and feature film projects including A Star in the Desert and The Day Everything Changed—to share an under-represented perspective from the Middle East, from families who are on the receiving end of war & conflict, and expand perspectives and global consciousness. We hear about running a 122% funded Kickstarter, what she learned about financing short films while on crutches for four months an

Benjamin Von Wong's work lies at the intersection of fantasy and photography and combines everyday objects with shocking statistics. It has attracted the attention of corporations, like Starbucks, Dell, and Nike and has generated over 100 million views for causes like ocean plastics, electronic waste, and fashion pollution. Von Wong was recently named one of Adweek's 11 content branded masterminds. He is a motivational speaker and educator whose mission is to help make positive impact unforgettable.In this episode Von Wong explores what the term Artivist means to him and why since 2016 he’s only done social impact work, including the projects Strawpocalypse, Plastikophobia, and Tallest Closet. He explains why he wouldn’t be where he is today if he didn’t openly share his process via behind the scenes videos to a global audience, many of whom now volunteer to help with his big ideas such as gathering 168k straws off the streets. We talk about leaving a career as a hard rock mining engineer, why he resonates so

Chase Jarvis is an award-winning artist, entrepreneur, and named one of the most influential photographers of the past decade. His commercial campaigns included clients such as Apple, Nike, and Red Bull just to name a few. He created Best Camera – the first photo app to share images to social networks. On his podcast Chase Jarvis Live, Chase digs into what makes some of the world’s top creative entrepreneurs, artists, and authors tick. He’s the Founder & CEO of CreativeLive, where more than 10 million of you around the globe learn photography, video, design, music and business from the world’s top creators and entrepreneurs. In this episode we explore Chase’s personal evolution as a creative and entrepreneur culminating in writing his new book Creative Calling. We follow the through line of what he’s learned about the value of creativity from the thousands of leaders and experts he’s spoken with all over the world. Hear what his 2nd grade teacher Ms. Kelly said that jolted his creative identity, and the t

Tomayia Colvin is a photographer, educator, speaker, author, magazine publisher and conference founder with a PhD in educational leadership. She’s the founder of Tomayia Colvin Education, an online community created to empower Black and photographers of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized groups. She created The Cookout, one part photography conference and one part family cookout with bomb potato salad. Tomayia authored the best-selling children’s book Mya’s Big Adventures: Career Day and is nationally published High School Senior Portrait (and Wedding) Photographer. In this episode Tomayia shares the importance of being a living example and mentor for her children. We explore her inner teacher from playing school as a kid, being a middle and high school teacher, launching her own education platform and creating spaces for others to teach, mentor, network and build community. We discuss the need for The Cookout conference with an all Black speaker line up of mostly women filling a void in the

Jen Rozenbaum is a boudoir photographer who has dedicated herself to helping women discover their femininity and celebrate it shamelessly. She runs a boutique boudoir studio in New York and is a Nikon Ambassador and on Westcott’s Top Pro Team. She’s an educator, speaker, podcaster and author that helps other photographers build their business and their life. In this episode, we talk about Jen’s mission for her clients as a boudoir photographer and what it means to be Shamelessly Feminine. Jen shares her journey healing from breast cancer and how cancer changed her life and relationship with fear. We travel to a hole in the ground in Peru where Jen experienced the fertility goddess Pachamama and her tips for setting healthy boundaries in life. We explore her challenges and self-discovery while writing and then rewriting a book about fear, body positivity, shame, loving yourself and relationships. We discuss meditation, trauma and the brain and how Jen has learned to have a lot more grace for herself. This is W

Andrew Scrivani is a photographer, director, writer, educator and producer who has worked on editorial, publishing, advertising, documentary, and feature film projects. One of the most prolific food photographers in the industry, Andrew has been a contributor to The New York Times for over 17 years. His images have been featured in over a dozen cookbooks and his first book, That Photo Makes Me Hungry, is available for pre-order and will be released in the Fall of 2019. He’s an Executive Producer for the film company Boro Five Pictures, the co-founder of Big Machine Films. In this episode Andrew explores the throughlines of his multifaceted career. We learn how being a competitive baseball catcher evolved into his leadership skills as a film producer and director. We talk about creative ruts and reinvention and the most surprising part of writing his first book. Andrew reveals how he got his break at the NYTimes and describes what it was like to create food photography for a daily column in the health section,

Todd Owyoung is a music photographer specializing in music lifestyle, musician/celebrity portraits, and concert photography and is a Nikon Ambassador. His clients range from bands and festivals to magazines, lifestyle brands and ad agencies. His blog ishootshows.com features over a thousand posts, ranging from articles on technique for concert photography to gear recommendations to advice on breaking into music photography. We recorded this episode while Todd was in Seattle filming his Getting Started in Music Photography workshop in partnership with Red Bull Photography & CreativeLive. Todd takes us along his journey building a portfolio in St. Louis, moving to NYC to follow the dream, and becoming a Nikon Ambassador. He describes that electrifying feeling of being in the photo pit chasing the iconic image. We talk through the pain points of making money as a music photographer and tips on where to start. He tells us about the one show that changed everything for him. Todd encourages everyone, no matter

Chris McGinnis is a graphic designer and macro photography enthusiast with a passion for photographing anthropods. He currently works as the Senior Manager of Creative Services at Olympus America where he oversees all phases of Olympus’ graphic design, photography, and video production. We recorded this episode when Chris was here filming his Macro Photography class for the Step Outside conference - an Olympus + CreativeLive partnership. Chris takes us back to catching lightning bugs in the summertime as a child and why he thinks so many people are scared of bugs. He shares how easy it is to find macro subjects in your daily life, whether that’s in your backyard or balcony at work, and how best to slowly approach them before they fly or run away. You'll learn why face-to-face portraits of insects might be the trickiest, but are also the most rewarding. By the end of the episode you’ll have a much greater appreciation for insects, spiders, all things creepy crawly and their place in the world. This is We Are P

Ami Vitale is an award-winning National Geographic contract photographer, documentary filmmaker and a Nikon Ambassador. Ami has traveled to over 100 countries and focused her early career covering conflict and violence. She’s shifted her work to today’s most compelling wildlife and environmental stories. Ami recently published a best-selling book, Panda Love, on the secret lives of pandas. She lectures for the National Geographic LIVE series, and gives workshops throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Her photographs have been commissioned by nearly every international publication and exhibited around the world in museums and galleries. In this episode, Ami takes us behind the scenes on some of her long term projects with elephants in Northern Kenya and last of the world’s northern white rhinos. She explains why she believes the indigenous communities she’s worked with hold the keys to saving what’s left. We talk about how photography helps us understand humanity, the natural world, our environment and uni

Peter Read Miller is a legend in sports photography. He worked as both a staff and contract photographer for Sports Illustrated for more than 35 years and his images have appeared on over 100 Sports Illustrated covers. He’s photographed 41 Super Bowls, 9 Olympics and 14 NBA Finals. He photographs for The Associated Press and numerous other publications and commercial clients. He has been teaching Sports Photography Workshops for over 20 years. He hosts the YouTube channel On Sports Photography with Peter Read Miller offering tips for both the craft and business. Peter has been a Canon Explorer of Light since the program started 25 years ago. In this episode, Peter and I discuss how he got his start photographing with the NFL, how he stays calm within the frenetic energy of photographing Super Bowls and the Olympics. We talk about staying grounded both when he gets “the winning shot” and when he doesn’t. We explore the tight relationship between sports photographer and editor, and how he connects with famous a

Tyler Babin is a photographer, videographer & creative director based out of New York City. He’s currently a 2019-2020 Adobe Creative Resident where he’s paid by Adobe to, simply put, create. No clients, just creating. We recorded this episode in person during CreativeLive’s biggest conference of the year - Photoshop Week - where Tyler’s story came full circle. You’ll find out what led him to landing a spot as an Adobe Creative Resident and the ongoing evolution of Behind the Feed, his year-long documentary project pulling the curtain behind the reality of digital influencer culture. We learn why he quit his dream job working for VanyerMedia, where over 3 years earlier on his last day as an intern he’d talked his way into becoming a personal videographer for Gary Vanyerchuk in a 45-min taxi ride. We discuss how this journey all started when Tyler was 18 years old and flew across the country to be a student in Matthew Jordan Smith’s workshop at CreativeLive. This is We Are Photographers with Tyler Babin an

Simon Jackson is a storyteller, photographer, filmmaker, speaker, author, and advocate for wildlife and nature. Both a movie and a children’s book have been made based on Simon’s story. At 13 he had a passion for bears and belief that he could change the world. For two decades Simon built the six million-strong Spirit Bear Youth Coalition to help save Canada’s rare Kermode or spirit bear and helped create the largest land protection measure in North American history. Together with his wife Jill Cooper, Simon continues to promote nature literacy among young people through the non-profit Ghost Bear Institute and their latest initiative Nature Labs. I recorded this episode sitting at a picnic table with Simon in the stunning Mt. Robson Provincial Park in Canada. Simon and Jill lived there in a tent for months as they patiently and meticulously created multimedia content for Nature Labs - a virtual high school textbook for science, art, social studies and English curriculum using nature as a lens. We talk about h

Amy Sacka is a documentary photographer based in Detroit, Michigan, who is passionate about celebrating the beauty of people and culture, particularly in Detroit and the Midwest. Her work has been featured in National Geographic, TOPIC, LensCulture, the Guardian and many more. She’s a National Geographic Explorer and a Top 50 Critical Mass photographer. Amy's photography has been exhibited internationally, including at Photoville in Brooklyn, Cortona on the Move in Italy, Brighton Biennial UK, and Arles France just to name a few. If you’ve ever dreamed of being published by National Geographic, this episode is for you. Amy talks about how a quest to know her father eventually led to two grants. She describes why she drove 10,000 miles around Michigan to meet and photograph ice anglers. We talk about her move back to Detroit to discover what place, home and belonging mean to her, and the surprising reaction to her ‘Roommates After 40’ project. I’m enamored with her month-long 250-mile NYC slow walk, where she

Amanda Lucidon is an award-winning documentarian, filmmaker, public speaker and New York Times best-selling author. She served as an Official White House photographer responsible for documenting First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2017 and is one of only a few female White House photographers in history. Amanda is the author of Chasing Light: Through the Lens of a White House Photographer and Reach Higher: An Inspring Photo Celebration of First Lady Michelle Obama. In this episode, Amanda describes what it actually means to be responsible for documenting the daily life of the Obamas for history, both inside the White House and around the world, and how she remains ready to photograph anything at any moment. She reveals how growing up as one of ten children allowed her imagination and creativity to blossom, and the beauty of imperfection. Amanda takes us behind the scenes on some of her most recognizable images and tells us what she learned from Mrs. Obama. She talks about the pow

Jasmine Star is a photographer and business strategist who empowers entrepreneurs to build a brand, market it on social media, and create a life they love. After quitting law school, she picked up a camera, built an internationally recognized business, and teaches others how to do the same. In this episode we talk about Jasmine’s mission to help people believe they can turn impossibilities into possibilities. She explains why she left being a wedding photographer after 12 years and the path to building new businesses including Social Curator. Jasmine describes her imaginative childhood: growing up home-schooled as a first-generation Latina, science experiments in the park, her mom dumpster diving for textbooks, and turning into an avid reader after not learning to read until age 11. Hear how her mom surviving cancer led to Jasmine becoming resolute to live life on her own terms, and how she turned her mental soundtrack of self-loathing into one of self-love. This is We Are Photographers with Jasmine Star and

Chris Weston became a professional wildlife photographer in 2001, changing his career to follow instead his passion for what he describes as “the extraordinary behavior of animals”. He's written over 20 books on photography and his credits include the BBC, Daily Telegraph, Outdoor Photography, Practical Photography and Digital Photography magazines. He is an ambassador for Fujifilm and is a renowned speaker and teacher, leading multiple safaris, workshops and seminars around the world. In this episode we talk about his hand-eye-heart approach to photography inspired by Japanese philosophies of mindfulness. Chris describes what it feels like to photograph tigers and other mammals in the water with them. He explains why his favorite lens for photographing wildlife is 50mm (not long telephotos like you’d expect), which means he patiently waits with an energy of calmness for the animals to come to him. We discuss our mutual fascination with quantum physics and what book has been both of our favorites since we wer

Rafael "RC" Concepcion is an award winning photographer, podcast host, educator, storyteller and the author of 8 best-selling books on Photoshop, Lightroom, HDR, and how to get your images on the web. RC is now known as Professor Concepcion at Syracuse University’s Newhouse School. He is a highly sought after public speaker, lecturing at seminars and workshops around the world, including right here on CreativeLive. In this episode we talk about what it takes to continually reinvent yourself and life’s epiphanies that often arise when unexpected. RC takes us on a journey from growing up in the South Bronx to the lavish life working in tech during the .com boom to the lows of working out of a U-Haul 10x10 storage unit and back up to being a Photoshop guru whose face and voice are known all over the world. RC’s passion for teaching is not just about the tools of Photoshop and Lightroom, but at heart about how to get what’s inside of you out through creativity. We discuss being a Latino industry leader

Lisa Carney is a high end retoucher and photoshop artist who has spent over two decades working with the most dynamic players in the print, motion picture, and television industries including Disney, Netflix, Sony, Universal, ABC, ESPN and more. Besides being a regular presenter at the Adobe MAX conference, her teaching roster runs the gamut from beginners to professional retouchers, and includes universities, design & movie studios, private students and of course, CreativeLive. In this episode Lisa explores the balance of creativity for work as a commercial retoucher and photography for self-expression. She describes how moving to France at the peak of her career led to some of her hardest life lessons. Lisa talks about how her dad dying at age 18 impacted the direction of her life, how being a mother has influenced her art and why allowing yourself to show up and feel uncomfortable is a secret to success. This is We Are Photographers with Lisa Carney and this is her story.

Pye Jirsa is the founder and partner of SLR Lounge and Lin & Jirsa Photography, a premier boutique photography and videography studio in Southern California. The Lin & Jirsa team photographs over 300 weddings each year, with nearly 1,000 yearly client commissions. Pye is the creator behind the workshops and resources inside the SLR Lounge library which has nearly a million monthly readers. He’s also a prolific instructor on CreativeLive with classes on everything from lighting mastery to business systems to engagement & wedding photography. In this episode Pye explores how he had to lose everything to gain happiness. He shares personal stories of loss and love, fear and growth. He describes what being raised by a single immigrant father who moved him from Iran to Utah taught him about fear as a child. Pye stopped creating art for a decade after his high school art teacher told him to quit because he wasn’t good enough. We talk about mental health and finding the source of stability. He shares his

Mark Wallace is a photographer, educator, and solo world traveler. In 2014, Mark left the U.S. to embark on a worldwide adventure. In 2016 he decided to give up planes, trains, and automobiles and is now exploring the world on his motorcycle. Mark has created hundreds of photography tutorials sponsored by Snapfactory and Adorama. His most popular series are Digital Photography One on One and Exploring Photography, in addition to his best-selling lighting classes on CreativeLive. In this episode we talk about what he’s learned about human connection from five years of nonstop travel to all seven continents and how his approach to storytelling and photography have changed along the way. We discuss why he intentionally sets out to have conversations with people he doesn’t agree with and the silver lining of his motorcycle being stolen. He describes how he recovered from the downward spiral of hallucinations and depression from side effects of anti-malarial medication and the gift of being told he only had three