Photography is Nothing

Episode 18 - In this episode Zach & Courtney talk about how football and photography came up together since the late 1800s. We can see how as the technology advanced, the style of photography changed as well.“Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson Index0:00 - Film becomes the subject of the photo.0:51 - Welcome to Photography is Nothing! Today we talk football.2:34 - Watch the podcast for the full experience.3:51 - The oldest football photo I could find. Old division football.5:06 - Earliest football photos were mostly posed & portraits.7:29 - Early action photos, college and professional football.11:10 - A photo from the first football game at University of Oregon - 1905.13:12 - 📷 Neil Leifer “The Greatest Game Ever Played” - 1958 NFL Championship .16:01 - Neil Leifer’s contact sheet from the 1958 NFL Championship.18:21 - 📷 Neil Leifer 1962 - Close up wide angle of game action.19:43 - 📷 Neil Leifer and remote cameras.20:46 - LIFE Magazine photos of the first Super Bowl. 1967.26:30 - Walter Iooss, Jr. and manual focus on a telephoto lens.28:29 - 📷 Walter Iooss, Jr. - Joe Namath, Poolside, Galt Ocean Mile Hotel, Fort Lauderdale, FL, 1969.31:52 - Photography is intertwined with our culture.33:11 - How camera technology changed in the second half of the 20th century .34:17 - 📷 Michael Zagaris behind the scenes photos of the 49ers.36:56 - The portraits of Walter Iooss Jr. make athletes look historic.38:32 - 📷 Richard Noble - Bo Jackson with football pads and baseball bat. 1987.40:28 - 📷 Walter Iooss, Jr. - “The Catch” 49ers vs. Cowboys. 1982.41:44 - How camera tech of today affects sports photography.43:16 - Gear is a different conversation than the photos themselves.46:52 - How to set yourself apart as a sports photographer in 2026.48:52 - Documentary photography always has value. Photos by Magnum photographers.50:51 - It’s a tough year to be an Indianapolis Colts fan.52:00 - Zach borrowed a Colts Super Bowl jacket for filming.Find ZachWebsite: https://zachdobson.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachdobsonphotoThreads: https://www.threads.com/@zachdobsonphotoFind CourtneyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymccracken_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessonsThreads: https://www.threads.com/@courtneymccracken_About the PodcastPhotography 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 StatementThis 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.

Episode 17 - In this episode Zach & Courtney talk about two photographers with opposite approaches of photographing the science of winter.Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley photographed closeup images of single snowflakes in the early era of photography (1885-1931). Esther Horvath is a photographer working today documenting climate science research, taking a broad view of the planet that spans its entire history.“Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson Index0:00 - Photographers contributing to winter and snow research.2:26 - Introduction to photographer Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley.6:14 - Wilson Bentley gets his first camera and modifies it with a microscope.9:03 - Creating an aperture was the missing component.10:54 - Bentley creates a custom focusing system for his camera.11:57 - Wilson Bentley employed a similar method to Edward Weston.13:14 - Bentley donates photos to the Smithsonian in 1904.17:00 - How did Wilson Bentley contribute to scientific research on snow?20:55 - “Snowflake Bentley” is an award-winning children’s book from 199922:44 - William Bentley’s book “Snow Crystals” was published in 1931.25:10 - Introduction to photographer Esther Horvath.27:13 - Photographing the climate research ship Polarstern.28:06 - Photos in the arctic at night.29:38 - Brilliant colors in the polar regions.30:26 - Photos of life doing climate research.33:09 - Photographing women doing climate research.35:02 - Photography is used to take everything from a microscopic view to a global view of our world.Find ZachWebsite: https://zachdobson.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachdobsonphotoThreads: https://www.threads.com/@zachdobsonphotoFind CourtneyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymccracken_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessonsThreads: https://www.threads.com/@courtneymccracken_About the PodcastPhotography 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 StatementThis 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.

Episode 16 - It’s that time of year when the sun sets early and we photographers are forced to practice our low light skills. Candlelight is not very bright and often inconsistent, but it’s one of the best sources for creating warm, cozy, moody, contrasty light. In this episode Zach & Courtney talk about how to photograph with candlelight and what makes it effective.Zach has lots of practice with candlelight while photographing events like A Merry Prairie Holiday at Conner Prairie in Fishers, Indiana. Zach & Courtney also look at some examples from photographers around the world.“Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson Index0:00 - How to make artistic photos.0:28 - Today’s topic: Taking photos by candlelight.3:26 - Photographing in low light without flash.6:31 - New camera technology for low light photography.7:36 - Using the LCD screen on a camera to manually focus in low light.10:02 - Taking better photos in low light with your phone.12:48 - It’s okay to use high ISO in low light.14:26 - Examples of candlelight photography - Merry Prairie Christmas.15:54 - Available light photography captures the ambiance of the scene.18:00 - RAW files give you better image quality in low light.20:45 - The people of Conner Prairie.22:28 - Putting reflective surfaces next to candles for more light.23:04 - Photographing candlelight Mass.24:23 - How to get sharp photos without a tripod.26:43 - Get sharp photos in low light by shooting in bursts27:49 - High contrast photos in low light29:38 - Kamakura festival in Yokote, Japan. 📷 Peter Essick31:51 - The Miracle of the Holy Fire. 📷 Simon Norfolk34:00 - Los Crucificados. 1990. 📷 Flor Garduño34:55 - Day of the Dead. Brazil. 1966. 📷 Bruno Barbey36:11 - Elsa Maxwell's Toy Ball at the Waldorf, New York (3 Cigarettes), 1955. 📷 William Klein.37:26 - Catholics in China. 1993. 📷 Lu Nan.38:15 - Share with us your candlelight photography.Find ZachWebsite: https://zachdobson.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachdobsonphotoThreads: https://www.threads.com/@zachdobsonphotoFind CourtneyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymccracken_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessonsThreads: https://www.threads.com/@courtneymccracken_About the PodcastPhotography 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 StatementThis 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.

Episode 15 - Photographers love to talk about bokeh. So let's get into it. We talk about the origins of the word and just how recently this came into the photography lexicon.Also, more important to us than how it works from a technical standpoint is how it's used in photos to direct a viewer's eye or tell a story.“Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson Index0:00 - We’re in a new location1:43 - Today’s topic: Bokeh!2:14 - Etymology of the word “bokeh”2:31 - The first time “bokeh” appeared in western media3:41 - “How do you get that background blur?”4:19 - What is bokeh? How do you use it?7:56 - Bokeh happens a lot in low light8:26 - Photographing holiday lights with lots of bokeh10:02 - Getting maximum bokeh photographing holiday lights14:48 - Big foreground bokeh17:57 - Using bokeh to direct people’s eyes22:04 - Why street photographers don’t use bokeh much23:21 - How Gueorgui Pinkhassov uses bokeh34:37 - Bokeh is great for capturing the vibes of a placeFind ZachWebsite: https://zachdobson.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachdobsonphotoThreads: https://www.threads.com/@zachdobsonphotoFind CourtneyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymccracken_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessonsThreads: https://www.threads.com/@courtneymccracken_About the PodcastPhotography 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 StatementThis 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.

Episode 14 - Zach has always enjoyed photographing cars. Going to the occasional car shows and gatherings has been a regular part of our family life since the beginning.Today we welcome our boys to the podcast who also enjoy photographing cars with their dad. We talk through their images as well as some of our favorite car photos by other photographers.Cars & Coffee, Carmel Artomobilia, and the Indianapolis 500, are just a few subjects we get into on this episode.“Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson Index0:00 - Introduction: Car shows are popular in our household2:34 - Zach started photographing cars in high school3:17 - Henry was into cars & trucks at a young age5:36 - Carmel Artomobilia is our local car show7:03 - Cars & Coffee at Graham Rahal Performance12:39 - Henry & the Indy 500 rings14:00 - Courtney loves the Indy 50015:46 - Looking at Henry's car photos23:12 - Car photos Henry likes30:13 - Henry's favorite cars33:23 - Photographer Horst Baumann - 1960's auto racing39:54 - Welcome Jett to the podcast40:26 - Car photos by Jett46:46 - Welcome Townes to the podcast47:44 - Photographing at car shows together49:53 - Car photos by Townes53:38 - Bonus content: social media editsFind ZachWebsite: https://zachdobson.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachdobsonphotoThreads: https://www.threads.com/@zachdobsonphotoFind CourtneyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymccracken_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessonsThreads: https://www.threads.com/@courtneymccracken_About the PodcastPhotography 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 StatementThis 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.