Photography

Podcasting

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Photographer's Best Advice: Weakness Speaks Louder

What is the best advice you've ever received? I've received a lot of very very good valuable advice, some of which I've actually taken and followed and I try to do it more often than not, but I would say professionally speaking as far as the best advice I got early on when I was first starting my career as a photographer was from Marty Pedersen who is the publisher of Grafis Publications and I worked with him a lot early on and still in touch with him after all these years and after looking at my portfolio for probably the 12th time over several years he shared with me a great piece of advice and that is that he sees dozens of photographers and he sees dozens of portfolios every single week and it's hard to remember all of them but good ones stand out in his mind and one of the things he does when he looks at a portfolio is that he's aware of the fact that whoever this person is is presenting what they believe to be the best work that they can do because that's what you have to do to get work you have to show that you're good and you could give good returns so what Marty would do is he would look at all this work but he would also keep his eye open for the weakest piece in the portfolio which is the least interesting technically creatively or anyway and look at that picture because there might be 19 amazing photographs in that portfolio but that one iffy picture well that one yeah so-so picture that was just thrown in to make it an even 20 the way he sees it this person is very very very good but that 20th image that picture they're willing to have that photograph represent them as the best that they can do and good enough to turn in on an assignment if you were to hire them so he would look at their good work and he'd also keep an eye open for the weakest piece in the portfolio because that said more than all the real good ones put together

Marty Pedersen, publisher of Grafis Publications, taught me to look for the weakest piece in a portfolio, as it can tell you more about the photographer than all their good work combined.

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The best advice I've ever received was from Marty Pedersen, the publisher of Grafis Publications, early on in my career as a photographer. After reviewing my portfolio multiple times, he shared a valuable insight with me. Marty explained that as someone who sees numerous photographers and portfolios every week, it's challenging to remember them all. However, the good ones always stand out.

Marty's approach when reviewing portfolios was to not only focus on the impressive and technically creative images but also pay attention to the weakest piece in the collection. He believed that this weakest image, which might have been included to round out the portfolio, revealed a lot about the photographer. Marty recognized that the photographer was presenting their best work, showcasing what they believed to be their strongest images. However, that one mediocre photograph represented what they considered to be their best and was deemed good enough to be included in their portfolio.

This advice taught me the importance of not only showcasing my best work but also being mindful of the weakest piece in my portfolio. It highlighted the significance of consistently delivering high-quality work and ensuring that every image represents my capabilities and potential.

I have carried this advice with me throughout my career, always striving to present a portfolio where even the weakest image is strong and reflects my best efforts. It has been a valuable lesson in maintaining a high standard of quality and making a lasting impression on those who view my work.

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from producing a podcast?

Crucial lessons for successful podcasting: expertise, preparation, and personality!

What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from producing a podcast? Well, first of all, I work very closely with my producer and I'm the host of the podcast. That said, important lessons that I have learned is number one, know what you're talking about, know your subject, know your guest, have your questions lined up well in advance, learn to pronounce their name properly. I can't tell you how many times I've blown names. I learned to ask it up front. But something even more important than that is if you're gonna be doing a podcast is that make sure that there's a good personality to the show. I know as a host, one of the things that I do is I try to make maximum use of my voice, modulate, hit high notes, go into low notes, change the tempo, change the phrasing, and that's the way you keep people listening to you. And if you're listening to me right now, that's one of the reasons. So I would say that those are the takeaways. Know your stuff, know your guests, and work on the presentation of how the show comes off, the character and personality of the show.

The most important lessons I have learned from producing a podcast include knowing what you're talking about, having questions lined up in advance, asking guests to clarify their names, and having good personality and character in the show.

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Some important lessons I've learned from producing a podcast are knowing the subject matter and guests well. It's crucial to have prepared questions and ensure proper pronunciation of guest names. But even more importantly, the podcast should have a compelling personality. As a host, I focus on utilizing my voice to its fullest potential by modulating and varying the tempo and phrasing. This helps keep listeners engaged. By incorporating these elements, I aim to create a captivating show with a distinct character and personality. So, in summary, the key takeaways are: knowing your material, understanding your guests, and working on the presentation and personality of the podcast.

Do you have any lists of ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ when creating a script for a podcast?

Mastering the Art of Podcast Scripting: Eliminate Stutter Words and Up-Speak for a Compelling Show!

Do you have any lists of do's and don'ts when creating a script for a podcast? Not necessarily the script, but when reading the script or ad-libbing like I am right now. There are a certain number of little tick words that we use and I am guilty of many of them. My primary issue is with the word um, ah, okay, or well, and I mean, you know what I mean? And it's worse when people start an answer with, you know what I mean? No, you haven't answered me yet. So try to get rid of all the stutter words. Try to connect all of the key words together without introducing, you know, stuff like that. You know what I mean? Get rid of all that stuff. And something that, again, this is really gets my bug going, is that something you should, ah, see what I mean? Something you should never ever do or try to avoid when speaking on a podcast or anywhere publicly is don't ever end each sentence with up-speak because nobody speaks that way. It's amazing how many people get there and end all their sentences the same way. And you know what happens when you end your question in up-speak? You're turning it into a question. Now if somebody is listening to you speak, they must assume that there's some element of authority to what you have to say. As soon as you end with up-speak, okay, you've now said, I think, maybe, do you think that's okay? You're introducing an element of doubt to what you're saying. So you're less convincing. And ultimately, it's just plain annoying. So never ever, ever end that way. Try to avoid the ums, ifs, uffs, you know. And again, you'll have a much, much better script and a better podcast. Good luck.

Avoid using stutter words like "um," "ah," and "okay" when creating a podcast script. End sentences with certainty without up-speak and try to avoid inserting filler words like "you know."

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Regarding lists of do's and don'ts when creating a podcast script, I don't have a specific list for the script itself, but I can offer some advice on reading or ad-libbing from the script. One important aspect is to minimize the use of filler words or tick words. Personally, I often find myself guilty of using words like um, ah, okay, well, and you know what I mean. It's especially problematic when people start their answers with you know what I mean? without actually providing an answer yet. It's essential to eliminate these stutter words and connect key words together without unnecessary introductions. Another thing to avoid is ending sentences with up-speak, which turns statements into questions. This can diminish the perceived authority and conviction in what you're saying and become quite annoying for listeners. Ending each sentence with an upward inflection introduces doubt and makes you less convincing. It's best to avoid this entirely. By minimizing filler words and up-speak, your script and podcast will greatly improve. Best of luck!

What topics do you have the most unique opinions, methods, or expertise around?

Photography and the Art of Taking Pictures: Expertise and Unique Perspectives

What topics do you have the most unique opinions, methods, or expertise around? Number one would have to be photography and it has to do with the act of taking pictures. Camera technologies, different formats. I'm really interested in lenses, especially older lenses and adapting them to newer camera technologies just to see what happens. I find lenses are very much like an artist's paintbrush and every lens has its own signature and there are certain photographs I can only take with certain lenses. So lenses, cameras, and the art and a pleasure of taking photographs is something I would say I'm pretty darn good at for all this time. And that would be kind of followed by interviewing people and speaking to people. As the host of the B&H Photography podcast for the past eight or so years, I've really developed my ways of speaking to people, especially on the fly. We often start off with a set script and 50% of the time I go right off of it and start going off in the direction that feels right. And we've had some of our best shows that way. So intuition in interviewing people on a podcast, but number one would be photography and having to do with picture-taking, cameras, and lenses. There you have it. Oh, I'm also a really darn good grandpa.

My unique expertise lies in photography, specifically camera technology and lenses. I also have developed my ways of interviewing people on my podcast, by having an initial script and then going off in a direction that feels right.

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When it comes to unique opinions, methods, or expertise, there are a few topics that stand out for me. Firstly, photography has been a passion of mine for a long time. I have a deep understanding of camera technologies, different formats, and particularly enjoy exploring older lenses and adapting them to newer camera systems. I see lenses as an artist's paintbrush, each with its own signature, allowing me to capture specific photographs that can only be achieved with certain lenses. This expertise in the art and pleasure of taking photographs has been honed over time.

Another area where I possess unique skills is interviewing and speaking with people. As the host of the B&H Photography podcast for about eight years, I have developed my own techniques for engaging conversations, especially when thinking on my feet. While we often start with a script, I find that deviating from it and following my intuition leads to some of our best episodes. So, my expertise lies in intuitively interviewing people on podcasts.

Ultimately, my primary area of unique expertise would be photography itself— encompassing picture-taking techniques, cameras, and lenses. And oh yes, not to forget—I am also an exceptionally good grandpa.

Can a point-and-shoot camera produce images of the same quality as a professional DSLR?

Surprising truth: Point-and-shoot cameras can rival DSLRs' image quality!

So, can a point-and-shoot camera produce the same image quality as a professional DSLR? In a nutshell, yes, but also keep in mind that when you say point-and-shoot camera, you're not just talking about cameras that are small pocket-sized cameras. You're talking about cameras such as the Sony RX100 series cameras and other cameras that have that same one-inch size sensor in it. They take phenomenal photographs, and they're not full-size, full-blown DSLRs. Same thing with, say, the Leica Q2. That is technically a point-and-shoot. It's got a fixed wide-angle lens on it, but it's got a full-size 47mm sensor, and yes, that takes amazingly good pictures. Now, do keep in mind, magazine covers have been taken with smartphones. So can you take good pictures? Yes, you can. What you're not going to get with a smaller sensor is the same detail in the highlights and shadows if you're shooting on bright, contrasty days. So again, it comes down to fine details, but in a nutshell, yes, you can take great pictures with small sensors.

Yes, a point-and-shoot camera can produce the same image quality as a professional DSLR. However, the smaller sensor on a point-and-shoot may not capture the same level of detail and highlights/shadows as a full-size DSLR.

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Can a point-and-shoot camera produce the same image quality as a professional DSLR? Yes, but it's important to note that when we talk about point-and-shoot cameras, we're not just referring to small pocket-sized cameras. Cameras like the Sony RX100 series or the Leica Q2 have one-inch or full-size sensors and can capture phenomenal photographs. Even smartphones have been used to capture magazine covers, so good pictures can be taken with smaller sensors. However, it's worth mentioning that smaller sensors may not capture the same level of detail in highlights and shadows, especially in bright and contrasty lighting conditions. In summary, while there may be some differences in fine details, point-and-shoot cameras can still produce great images.

What’s the slowest shutter speed I should use when handholding my camera?

Maximize Sharpness: The Slowest Handheld Shutter Speed Revealed

What's the slowest shutter speed I should use when hand-holding my camera? A very, very simple rule of thumb is never hand-hold your camera at a shutter speed slower numerically than the focal length of the lens that you are using. So if you're shooting with a 50mm lens, don't hand-hold it at a shutter speed slower than 1 50th of a second. If you have a 500mm telephoto, 1 500th should be the slowest shutter speed. And if you're shooting with a 15mm ultrawide, 1 15th should be the slowest shutter speed that you should hand-hold that. Now, note I said the slowest. You will get sharper results if you up the shutter speed. So if you have a 50mm lens, yes, there's a good chance you're going to get a very good sharp picture at 1 50th. You'll get a sharper picture at 1 25th and even sharper at 2 50th. So that is just a starting point. But again, depending on what your aperture is, light values and everything else. But keep that in mind. Now, if your camera lens combination has image stabilization, say 5 stops of image stabilization, which is not unusual these days, you can now hand-hold your camera at even slower shutter speed. So if you were shooting, say, at 1 25th of a second as the slowest handheld shutter speed, with 5 stops, you can now hand-hold it at about 1 3rd of a second, which is tremendous. And again, that's the slowest shutter speed that you should hand-hold it at. That's it.

Never hand-hold your camera at a shutter speed slower numerically than the focal length of the lens that you are using. If your camera lens combination has image stabilization, you can hand-hold your camera at even slower shutter speeds depending on how many stops of image stabilization it has.

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The slowest shutter speed you should use when handholding your camera can be determined using a simple rule: never handhold your camera at a shutter speed slower numerically than the focal length of the lens you are using. For example, if you have a 50mm lens, avoid handholding at speeds slower than 1/50th of a second. For a telephoto lens like 500mm, the slowest shutter speed should be 1/500th of a second, and for an ultrawide lens like 15mm, it would be 1/15th of a second. However, it's important to note that this is the slowest recommended speed, and using faster speeds will generally result in sharper images. If your camera lens combination has image stabilization with 5 stops of compensation, which is common nowadays, you can handhold the camera at even slower speeds. For instance, if your slowest handheld speed was previously 1/25th of a second, with 5 stops of image stabilization, you can now handhold it at approximately 1/3rd of a second. This represents a significant improvement. Just remember that this suggested slowest speed is for handholding purposes.

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Allen Weitz is a professional photographer of 50+ years. His images have won awards from the NY, Philly and NJ Art Directors Clubs, Graphic Artists Guild and others. He is known for marine, automotive and landscape photography, but his true love is black-and-white landscape. His photographs are available for purchase and can be printed on mugs, tote bags, throw pillows, puzzles and other merchandise. He is the Host of the B&H Photography Podcast, one of the highest-rated photography podcasts in Apple's Creative Arts category.

Allan Weitz