Ami Vitale and the Prints for Nature Sale

11/25/20 • 40 min

2 Listeners

What a treat to welcome photographer Ami Vitale to the B&H Photography Podcast. Vitale is mustering her high profile as a National Geographic photographer, as well as the talents of eighty-nine other incredible photographers, to raise funds for Conservation International. The Prints for Nature Sale runs until December 10, 2020 and offers gorgeous gallery-quality prints at a very affordable price. Please check this link for more information and to support this worthy initiative.

We also speak with Vitale about her career trajectory and commitment to telling the stories of endangered species and the humans around them. We discuss her work photographing Sudan, the last male white rhinoceros in existence, and her incredible series about pandas in China. We also ask Vitale how she bridges the gap (or perceived gap) between journalism and advocacy photography and about her commitment to long-term engagement with the stories she covers. Vitale also addresses the changing dynamics of print journalism and the need to find funding for her projects, and we briefly mention her work as a Nikon ambassador.

The dearth of tourism to many protected wildlife parks around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic has brought conservation efforts to a crisis point and the Prints for Nature Sale, with images by Art Wolfe, Steve Winter, Pete McBride, Alison Wright (all past guests of the podcast) and many other great photographers, is a way that lovers of wildlife and of photography can help.

Guest: Ami Vitale

Photograph © Ami Vitale

Guest: Ami Vitale

Photograph © Ami Vitale

Previous Episode

Night Photography in the Rockies, with Rachel Jones Ross; OPTIC All-Stars Preview

On November 22 and 23, B&H will host the 2020 OPTIC All-Stars Conference, with a stellar list of outdoor, travel, and adventure photographers giving online presentations and, on this week’s episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we are pleased to welcome one of those photographers: Rachel Jones Ross. Ross is landscape and night sky photographer based near Banff, in the Canadian Rockies, and our conversation with her is rife with practical tips for shooting in the mountains and with suggestions to improve your night photography.

For starters, we speak with Ross about her workflow as it pertains to planning her shoots, which often require long hikes into the mountains. We discuss the apps she uses to gather information on weather, trails, and the night sky. We also ask about staying warm in sub-zero temperatures and find out that her most important piece of gear are her Heat Company gloves. From there we discuss basic (and not so basic) techniques for star and night sky photography, including tips on composition, focus, and focus stacking, including a handy “sharp star” filter for accurate focus.

Because Ross is also a well-respected educator, we discuss transitioning to online workshops during the COVID pandemic, her “Night Photography in your Pyjamas” course, and she offers a preview of her OPTIC All-Stars presentation. We also discuss her go-to gear and how she decides which cameras and lenses to use for particular locations. Ross is a member of the Sony Alpha Imaging Collective and she relates her preferences for the various Alpha series cameras and when and why she’ll decide to use a Sony 16-35mm zoom lens or a Zeiss Batis 18mm or Zeiss Loxia 21mm lens.

There is a lot of solid information as well as practical tips enmeshed in a very pleasant conversation with the wonderful Rachel Jones Ross. Join us for the episode and register for the free 2020 OPTIC All-Stars.

Guest: Rachel Jones Ross

Photograph © Rachel Jones Ross

Next Episode

Photographing the 2020 Presidential Campaign, with Salwan Georges

Today we welcome back to the B&H Photography Podcast, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and friend to the show, Salwan Georges. Georges joined us four years ago to talk about his documentary project centered around the Arabic communities in Michigan, but a lot has changed since then, and today he joins us to discuss his work covering the 2020 presidential campaigns for the Washington Post.

With Georges, we dig into the nuts and bolts of navigating a presidential election in the middle of a pandemic. We talk about press pools, political rallies, booking your own airfare, and making sure your hotel room is disinfected. We also discuss getting new angles to tell stories, prime versus zoom, switching to the Sony a9 II, and using an iPhone when that’s the only option. Georges also relates his experiences working with editors, having the back of other photographers, and his additional work covering the opioid crisis and other painful stories of our time.

Join us for this insightful conversation that we recorded in the days immediately following the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

Guest: Salwan Georges

Photograph © Salwan Georges