We Are Photographers

Polly Irungu is a multimedia journalist, digital editor and photographer and is the founder of Black Women Photographers, a new community and online database of Black women photographers. Polly is a Digital Content Editor at New York Public Radio (WYNC) for ‘The Takeaway’, a national NPR show with over 2 million listeners. As a photographer, Polly’s work has been published by NPR, The Washington Post, CNN, HuffPost, OkayAfrica. She was named one of Okay Africa’s 100 African Women to Know in 2020. Polly has spoken about social media, branding, podcasting, media diversity, COVID-19, and photojournalism on panels for Twitter, NBC News, and National Association of Black Journalists.In this episode we celebrate the launch day of Black Women Photographers discussing why Polly created the site and its mission. Born in Kenya, hear Polly’s story of growing up in a traditional African household in both Kansas and Oregon. She shares how photography helped her rise out of depression, offers advice for young journalists a

Elise Swopes is a Chicago-bred, Brooklyn-based photographer, graphic designer, videographer, and public speaker. When she first joined Instagram in 2011, she couldn’t have imagined that she’d one day be featured on billboards, in commercials, and on mood boards at agencies across the globe. She just knew that the phone in her hand held an incredible power, one that would allow her to inspire others while showcasing her unique vision. Since then, the self-taught creative has used her business savvy to spin influencer marketing on Instagram into a full-fledged career. Don’t miss Elise’s inspirational TEDx talk and subscribe to her podcast Swopes So Dope.In this episode Elise explores topics of personal growth, mindfulness, mental health and creativity. She talks about how her childhood influenced her emotional life in both challenging and beautiful ways. Elise shares how she discovered her mission to push accessibility, education and encourage people to not hold themselves back. Learn the morning rituals that s

Karston “Skinny” Tannis is a self taught portrait photographer from Brooklyn, New York, specializing in lifestyle and fashion. He’s an original member of Pursuit of Portraits, a diverse community of creators connecting online and in person to shape culture through the power of story. Skinny has partnered with world class brands such as W Hotels, Jetblue, Grey Goose, US OPEN and Cadillac. Born and raised in New York City, Skinny says he’s fueled by its energy to capture the world around him and the people in it.In this episode Skinny discusses the importance of documenting the Black Lives Matter movement and the impact photo communities such as Street Dreams Magazine, Pursuit of Portraits and MoodyGrams have had on his photographic journey. He takes us back to his early days as a sponsored BMX rider when he developed his video skills. Skinny talks about why being relentless in going the extra mile, building relationships, and attention to personal branding can be the keys to success in this industry.This is We

Steven John Irby (a.k.a. Steve Sweatpants) is a photographer and co-owner, co-founder & director of Street Dreams Magazine. Street Dreams is print and digital publication showcasing up-and-coming photographers, a full-service creative studio, and hosts gallery shows and events. Steve has a new radio show Live at the Bodega on Street Dreams Radio on Mixcloud. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens, Steve’s photography is derived from the endless source of inspiration found on his home turf along with images from travels around the world. His images have been published in the New Yorker, GQ and he’s a contributor to Yahoo News. He’s an ambassador for Sony, a Moab master, a TEDx speaker and a CreativeLive instructor. What I love about @steveweatpants' IG posts is Steve's ability to capture decisive moments, mostly B&W, paired with wise words that infuse a love of life no matter how serious the subject matter.This is We Are Photographers with Steven John Irby and this is his story.Connect with Steve Sweatp

Dirk Dallas is an FAA licensed drone pilot & photographer, designer, professor & speaker, and the author of the new book Eyes over the World: The Most Spectacular Drone Photography. Dirk is known as an early leader in the drone photography movement having founded @fromwhereidrone and FromWhereIDrone.com, a leading drone photography and cinematography community and website. He is the host of Adorama TV’s web series “From Where I Drone", and a CreativeLive instructor. In this episode, learn about the origins of the #FromWhereIDrone community of 230,000 creators globally. Dirk explores his early days discovering the new world of drone photography and his fascination with flight from age four. Find out the joys and challenges of creating his new book Eyes over the World featuring 125 contributors from seven continents. Dirk gets real about recognizing he needed to check his ego and create boundaries to prioritize his family. Hear how aerial photography offers us new perspectives about our planet and ways

Jo-Anne McArthur is an award-winning photojournalist, sought-after speaker, and the founder of We Animals Media. She’s been documenting the plight of animals on all seven continents for almost two decades. She is the author of two books & her forthcoming third book - Hidden: Animals in the Anthropocene - will be published Fall 2020. Jo-Anne was the subject of the acclaimed documentary, The Ghosts in Our Machine. Her photography and writing has been published in National Geographic, The Washington Post, VICE, the LA Times, Canadian Geographic, Huffington Post, and Outdoor Photography. Jo-Anne speaks internationally at schools, universities, and conferences on the subjects of photography, the human-animal relationship, social change, and empathy.In this episode, we explore the genre of animal photojournalism and influences of conflict, humanitarian and conservation photography. Jo-Anne talks about animal sentience, ethology and women being at the forefront of animal activism. Hear about the making-of her up

Kesha Lambert is an international wedding and portrait photographer, Sony Artisan, speaker and educator based in New York. A “recovering” lawyer, Kesha’s fascination with photography inspired a career change and a focus in weddings. She has been published by People Magazine, New York Times, Essence, Inside Weddings, MunaLuchi Bride, Huffington Post, Black Bride Magazine and many more. Kesha has a way of telling stories with images that are epic, while being intimate and emotional at the same time. In this episode, Kesha takes us on her journey from being a lawyer to running a successful wedding photography business with associates. She describes the aha moment when she realized she had the power to define her own success while doing something that she loves. Kesha takes us back to her childhood as both a book worm and a creative daydreamer. Hear how being an empath and introvert has served her well on wedding days, and how learning to hold true to her signature style has led to Kesha's longevity as an entrepr

Joey L. is an award-winning photographer, director, author and educator whose work is regularly seen in magazines, subway advertisements, and billboards. Since the age of 18, Joey’s work has been consistently sought out by a number of prominent advertising clients, including Lavazza, National Geographic Channel, Jose Cuervo, just to name a few. He has photographed a number of recognizable faces including Robert De Niro, Danny DeVito, Jennifer Lawrence, and John Legend. His personal work has resulted in series, films, exhibitions and books including Holy Men in Varanasi, People of the Delta in the Omo Valley Ethiopia, and his latest book We Came from Fire: Guerrilla Fighters of Kurdistan. His intimate portraits tell individual stories of will power and resilience all over the globe.This is We Are Photographers with Joey L. and this is his story.Connect with Joey L online: joeyl.com | Instagram | TwitterAt CreativeLive we believe there is a creator in all of us. If you’re looking to get fresh perspectives, insp

Filipe DeAndrade is a Brazilian born, Cleveland raised, filmmaker who has a passion for wildlife and freely admits he is addicted to adventure. He’s a 10x Emmy award winning wildlife filmmaker and conservationist. Filipe started a production house with his friends called Comfort Theory and in 2015 won National Geographic’s ‘Wild to Inspire’ short film competition at the Sun Valley Film Festival. Nat Geo WILD then invited Filipe to work on several documentary projects and he is currently producing and hosting the series Untamed for Nat Geo WILD. In this episode Filipe takes us into the mindset of the animal he feared the most as a child - a jaguar. We learn how throughout Filipe's life he's turned fears into opportunity and he encourages us all to do the same. Hear how hugging his idol Jane Goodall motivated him to pay it forward to the next generation of conservationists. Filipe explains why he feels lucky to be raised by a single mother. Be inspired to embrace your camera as your own voice hearing Filipe's s

Roger Fishman is a world-renowned aerial and wildlife photographer, filmmaker, adventurer and activist. In pursuit of his mission to document the intersection of art, science and climate change, Roger has literally travelled to the ends of the earth. He’s braved whiteouts and negative 40 degree temperatures to camp with penguins in Antarctica, sailed through the infamous Drake Passage twice, crawled toward a mother cheetah and her cubs in Kenya and waded in rushing rivers with grizzly bears in Alaska. In this episode we talk about Roger’s current focus on the transformative power of water and ice and the impact of climate change on our natural landscapes. He takes us to the skies in helicopters circumnavigating Greenland and Iceland, filming and photographing the evolution of earth's icebergs and waterways. Learn how his beautiful work is also being used to aid climate research by scientists from MIT, Columbia, Brown and UCLA.​​ Get a new perspective through Roger’s soulful and poetic stories. This is We Are

Mark Edward Harris is an editorial, commercial, travel and documentary photographer whose assignments have taken him to more than 100 countries on six continents. His editorial work has appeared in publications such as Vanity Fair, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, and The London Sunday Times Travel Magazine as well as all the major photography and in-flight magazines. Among his numerous accolades are CLIO, ACE, Aurora Gold, and IPA awards. His books include Faces of the Twentieth Century: Master Photographers and Their Work, The Way of the Japanese Bath, Wanderlust, North Korea, South Korea, Inside Iran and his latest The Travel Photo Essay: Describing A Journey Through Images.In this episode Mark takes you behind the scenes of his new Outdoor Photographer magazine cover image of orangutans in Borneo. Hear stories about Kangaroo Island after devastating fires in Australia. Explore the history of his Japan book, w

Peter Hurley is a portrait & headshot photographer known as “The Headshot King.” He’s a coach, educator, TEDx speaker and the Founder of the Headshot Crew - the world's largest network of portrait and headshot photographers with over 16,000 supportive members. Peter is a Canon Explorer of Light and author of the best-seller, The Headshot. In this episode Peter shares the history of both his trademarked “squinch” and legendary “sha-bang.” He talks about the importance that goal setting has made on his life and career and how repetition is the key to confidence and mastery. Find out why Peter believes the human face is the most intriguing thing on the planet and the power of an emotional connection between photographer and subject. This is We Are Photographers with Peter Hurley and this is his story.Connect with Peter Hurley online: peterhurley.com | headshotcrew.com | Facebook | Instagram | YouTubeAt CreativeLive we believe there is a creator in all of us. If you’re looking to get fresh perspectives, inspi

Erica Robinson is a photographer, educator, tour leader, adventurer, and a National Technical Rep with Tamron USA. Photography has taken her to 11 countries, all 50 states, and as she says too many cities to count. Her career spans multiple facets of the photo industry - from being a photographer for a major cruise line, assisting Boston’s top wedding photographers, and building her technical chops working retail sales at her local camera store. When not attached at the hip to her camera, you can find Erica lifting heavy things, running, hiking, writing, or simply enjoying the world.In this episode Erica takes us on the road with her to various corners of the country and then abroad to Italy, Israel and Cuba. We talk about life as a female road warrior in the photography industry and why teaching photography brings her so much joy. We explore the why behind personal projects including The Faces of the Uniform, portraits of women in military around the globe. This is We Are Photographers with Erica Robinson an

Carly Romeo is a photographer, feminist, and serial project-starter. She founded her wedding photography company, Carly Romeo & Co, in 2015 and since then she (and her growing team) have shot over 100 celebrations of love and partnership. Her current projects include running a boutique conference for college-aged feminists called Feminist Camp, she is a co-founder and hype woman for Catalyst Wedding Company, and hosts photographer workshops like Feminist Photo Vaycay through her new endeavor, Here Now Magic.In this episode, we talk about what it means to be a wedding photographer at this point in time when the majority of weddings are being postponed. We explore the origins of her business serving couples having non-traditional weddings seeking a photographer who will affirm and embrace their priorities. We go back to her childhood feminist roots, find out what she learned while working for Gloria Steinem and discover why portrait photographers are energy workersThis is We Are Photographers with Carly Rom

Matthew Jordan Smith is an American photographer based in Tokyo, Japan and working between Tokyo, New York City and Los Angeles. He has photographed some of the world's most famous celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Queen Latifah, Aretha Franklin, Tyra Banks and more. His advertising clients include Olay, Pantene, Revlon, Showtime and HBO. In his spare time Matthew focuses on personal projects, photo exhibits and book projects. To date, Matthew has published three books, Sepia Dreams, Lost & Found, and Future American President. He has received numerous awards including the Vision Award and the George Eastman Power of Image award. Matthew is an international speaker, educator, a Nikon Ambassador and the host of the Master Your Lens photography podcast. In this episode hear how moving to Tokyo has changed Matthew's perception of beauty and how he expresses himself as a photographer. Matthew brings us joyful stories of photographing Aretha Franklin and the book he's creating. Get a teaser about a new art

Kirsten Lewis is a family photojournalist based in Denver, Colorado; however her work takes her all over the world, from New Zealand to Dubai, Brazil to Canada, Italy to Hawaii. Although she has been shooting for over fifteen years, it was teaching on CreativeLive that really brought her approach to documentary family photography to the forefront as a desirable alternative to the traditional family portrait. She is known for her highly sought after Day in the Life and Vacation sessions where she spends up to 72 hours with a family documenting their daily life with humor and compassion alike. Kirsten is a speaker, an educator and she has been mentoring photographers internationally not only within family photography, but a coach guiding them to find their own unique voice by embracing their personal experiences and encouraging them to develop a personal point of view. In this episode we talk about the impact of her year long mentorship program The Photographer’s Narrative and the evolution of herself as an art

Parker J. Pfister is an artist, a teacher and a mentor. He creates stories using photography and film as his translators. He’s an avant-garde director of photography and photographer based out of Asheville, NC, and you’ll often find him traveling around the country in his Sprinter van named Homer after his grandfather. After decades working as a wedding photographer, Parker now focuses his time creating fine art images and leading workshops that transform his attendees far beyond their photography. He and his partner Elizabeth Alina create spaces and experiences for people to get out of their comfort zone, identify blocks, break through those blocks, and use that heightened emotion create images full of feeling. In this episode Parker explores his current life transition after photographing his last wedding and being okay with feeling scattered. Find out why he values experiences over money, the freedom of ditching the society formula and influence of his father and grandfather who were both inventors. Parker

Steve Brazill, also known as Razz on the air at KCAL FM, is a Southern California based Live Music Photographer. He’s a radio personality, an emcee and a voice actor. He’s the host of various shows for local TV, including “In Studio” where he interviews people from the local music scene. He’s the host of the Behind the Shot - a video and audio podcast where he gets inside the mind of photographers by taking a closer look at one of their shots. I’ve been fortunate to be a guest on Behind the Shot, and now I’m excited to bring you Steve’s story.In this episode we talk about the exhilarating experiences of both being in the pit photographing concerts with tens of thousands of people at your back, as well as the joy of being behind the mic alone in a studio while feeling the energy of all the listeners over the radio waves. Steve shares what he’s learned about himself and life from his years practicing martial arts, and we discuss the through line of what it takes to live a creative life based on hundreds of inte

Jesús Ramirez is a digital graphics expert, international conference speaker, and educator specializing in Adobe Photoshop. As a professional designer he’s worked with clients such as Adobe, Microsoft, Motorola, and Conde Nast. Jesús is best known as the founder of the Photoshop Training Channel, one of the most popular Photoshop YouTube channels in the world with nearly 1MM subscribers. In our conversation you’ll find out who in his early life and early career influenced Jesús’ work ethic and how his competitive spirit in sports relates to his success in business. Learn how he fuels his creativity for both himself and as an inspiration for his addicting tutorials.This is We Are Photographers with Jesús Ramirez and this is his story.Connect with Jesús Ramirez online: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTubeAt CreativeLive we believe there is a creator in all of us. If you’re looking to get fresh perspectives, inspiration or skills to boost your hobbies, business or life head over to creat

Miguel Quiles is a portrait photographer and content creator based out of Florida. He’s taught photographers how to improve their work by teaching helpful tips on platforms like CreativeLive, WPPI, Photo Plus, and Shutterfest. Miguel is proud to represent brands like Sony & Profoto as an ambassador and currently releases weekly content via his YouTube channel.In this episode find out what invaluable life lessons Miguel learned from his early gaming days as a Magic The Gathering semi-pro and a master at Street Fighter. Hear the joy Miguel gains from creating his YouTube channel to educate photographers all over the globe. Miguel explores how his childhood influenced his personality, why Toastmasters has been critical to his success, and overcoming the imposter syndrome that so many creatives experience. Get inspired by Miguel's philosophy that there is always something to learn as the best way to approach a life full of curiosity.This is We Are Photographers with Miguel Quiles and this is his story.Connect