Photography Hot Takes - Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson & Courtney McCracken
Photography is NothingShow Notes
Episode 26 - Photographers are a passionate bunch and always have hot takes about our beliefs and convictions surrounding our art. And this goes all the way to the beginning of photography with the original hot take: Is photography art?
Zach and Courtney discuss some of the biggest hot takes throughout the history of photography.
In this episode we talk about current & historical photography hot takes like…
Photography isn’t art Photography should only reflect reality Color photography isn’t art Film is better than digital Plus Zach & Courtney give their own personal photography hot takes.
“Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson
Index 0:00 - They said my high school photography was better 0:48 - Photography hot takes: past & present 1:40 - When should photographers volunteer their time 5:21 - Photography is not art 7:11 - Henry Peach Robinson wrote the book on Pictorialism 12:44 - Eugene Atget showed how documentary photography could be art 17:01 - Edward Steichen - The Flatiron (1904) 18:09 - Ansel Adams hated pictorialism 20:03 - f64 was a group of photographers advocating for realism 26:00 - Color photography is vulgar 27:03 - Don’t colorize black & white photos 34:10 - Film is better than digital 40:14 - Street photography hot take: wait to share your photos 43:38 - Zach says photographers are content creators 51:11 - Courtney cares who is behind the camera 54:46 - The internet preferred Zach’s high school photography
Find Zach Website: https://zachdobson.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachdobsonphoto Threads: https://www.threads.com/@zachdobsonphoto
Find Courtney Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymccracken_/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessons Threads: https://www.threads.com/@courtneymccracken_
About the Podcast Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken is a weekly conversation about photography and all its impact. Each week Zach and Courtney discuss their latest adventures, life lessons, and anything else that sounds interesting.
Photography is Nothing invites you into the conversations they were already having as a married couple running a photography and media company in the current world.
Fair Use Statement This document contains copyrighted material, the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I have determined this to be "fair use" of the copyrighted material as referenced and provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use any copyrighted material from this document for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain express permission from the copyright owner.
More from Photography is Nothing
In Episode 54 of Photography is Nothing, Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken explore the remarkable photography of Adger Cowans, a pioneering photographer whose work spans street photography, documentary photography, portraiture, jazz, fine art, and more than 30 motion picture sets.
Zach & Courtney take the family to New York City for the first time. Over the past few years, Zach has been working regularly in New York, but the rest of the family (Courtney included) had yet to visit the city.
In this interview with Australian photographic artist Tajette O’Halloran, we talk about the inspiration behind her projects like In Australia, The Quarry, and Regional Rituals. She talks about her difficult upbringing in the Northern Rivers area, and how that put her on a path to tell the stories of adolescence.
Tajette O’Halloran is a photographic artist based in Lismore, New South Wales, Australia. Her work ranges from documentary to portraiture to conceptual. The common thread is examining adolescence and identity; both her own and others’.
In this 50TH episode, Zach & Courtney talk about what they’ve learned so far from running a photography business, starting a podcast, raising 5 kids, homeschooling, and just being generally busy making things for 20 years.