Thoughts on Photography
Thoughts on Photography is a podcast not about tips and tricks, how to take better portraits or landscapes, or travel destinations (although they may be mentioned). It’s not so much about the how of photography, more so about the why! It’s inspired by where photography begins for us – the stories and how people are using photography in their lives around the world today.

Matt Black is a documentary photographer who has focused much of the past fifteen years on photographing forgotten people and places. He has a deep interest in the themes of changing rural economies, migration and cultural change. His work has received many honors and has been noted for its combination of emotional depth, social conviction, and visual intensity.

Matt's work has received grants and awards from the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, the California Council for the Humanities, and the Alexia Foundation for World Peace. Matt has also been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and has received a Golden Eye award from the World Press Photo Foundation. Matt is currently raising funds through Kickstarter.com to continue a long-term project called The People of Clouds which is documenting the migration of a whole culture of indigenous Mexicans called the Mixteca (or People of Clouds) to the Central Valley of California in the United States. This fundraising effort ends on August 23rd of 2011 so please visit Matt's Kickstarter page for more details or to pledge.

Direct download: TOP-0110.mp3
Category:interview -- posted at: 10:47am EDT

Susana Raab describes herself as "a recovering English major who lives to create visual narratives." Her photographs strike a balance between poignancy and humor (with a bit of irony sometimes thrown in). Raab's work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and has received critical recognition from many sources.

Direct download: TOP-0109.mp3
Category:interview -- posted at: 8:40pm EDT

Christopher Churchill is a documentary photographer based in Massachusetts whose work has been featured in exhibitions throughout the United States, has been published widely, and is in the permanent collections of several museums. His most recent project "American Faith" examines the topic of faith from within several contexts including religious as well as culture and beliefs.

Direct download: TOP-0108.mp3
Category:interview -- posted at: 8:20pm EDT