Another episode where I fly solo, this time taking a fresh look at Walker Evans’ seminal photo book American Photographs. First published in 1938, the book is widely regarded as a classic—not only for the photographs themselves, but for the enormous influence it has had on the medium of photography and the photobook. I revisit the images, the book, and its creator, all through a 21st-century lens.

Links:

Walker Evans page at MoMA website

a video page turn through the book via YouTube (not my channel)

Buy the book (via MoMA)

This episode features a great conversation with photographer, archivist and researcher Lukas Birk. We discuss his work with the Afghan Box Camera Project and Myanmar Photo Archive, the strange appeal of found photographs, and what happens when photography, history and obsession collide.

Links:

Instant Box Camera

Myanmar Photo Archive

Fraglich Publishing

Box Camera NOW

Afghan Box Camera

The Photo Vault

Season 6 of the podcast kicks off with a great conversation with legendary NY writer Lucy Sante. We discuss life in the Big Apple in the 70s and 80s, her interest in vernacular and anonymous photography, and the value (or lack thereof) of a formal college degree.

Links:

Lucy Sante website

Lucy Sante Instagram

Folk Photography: real photo postcard book

Lucy Sante: Evidence essay

I fly solo on this episode, where I discuss a classic photograph by 20th Century master, William Klein. This image is a personal favorite of mine, and I enjoyed the experience of spending an extended amount of time pondering it. Click on the link below to have the image readily available before you listen! This one is worth at least a thousand words. Bonus! I share the rare color version of this scene as well.

Links:

Bikini; Moscow 1959 by William Klein

William Klein at the Howard Greenberg Gallery

William Klein Estate on Instagram

Season Five concludes with a fun conversation with a master of color photography, Cig Harvey. We discuss finding inspiration from the world right outside your door, merging the personal with the universal, and the value of putting in the daily work in your creative practice. The journey truly is the destination.

Links:

Cig Harvey website

Cig Harvey Instagram

Eat Flowers promo video

Since the onset of digital imaging, there has been a distinctive swing toward the analogue "look," whether achieved through true analogue processes or digital simulations. The rise of AI has further muddied the waters, raising questions about what is real and what is simulacrum. I discuss all of this and more with my guest, Lev Manovich. Together, we explore what the future of photographic and artistic image-making may entail.

Lev Manovich website

Lev's "Photography and Automation" Timeline

Lev Manovich artwork

Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation

Peter Hujar's career flew mostly under the radar during his lifetime. Active from the 1950s through 1980s, his work straddled the bohemian, creative worlds of downtown New York City. After acquiring an extensive archive, The Morgan Library & Museum has been bringing this work to a wider audience. I talk with curator Joel Smith about Peter Hujar's life and work and the upcoming exhibition "Hujar: Contact."

Links:

Hujar: Contact exhibition at The Morgan

"Peter Hujar's Day" film

The Peter Hujar archive

Jeff Cowen is an American artist best known for pushing photography beyond documentation into something closer to alchemy. We discuss his early days on the streets of New York, his association with Larry Clark and Ralph Gibson, and his journey to Europe, all while single-mindedly pursuing his muse.

Links:

Jeff Cowen website

David Campany: thoughts on the work of Jeff Cowen

Jeff's exhibition at Fotografiska