Unit Set Photography: Myles Aronowitz & Cara Howe
B&H Photography Podcast
Photography has plenty of different specialty areas—portraits, sports, fashion, food, still life—to name just a few. In today’s show we’re going to investigate a specialty that involves all these subjects, while calling for a photographer who is technically precise, emotionally intuitive, and practically invisible, all at once. It’s a corner of the industry people rarely consider, but one that holds massive influence over our cultural lives. This is the domain of the Unit Set Photographer: the person responsible for the pictures that sell a film or a show before anyone else has seen...
info_outline
Photographing the Winter Games: Jean Fruth
B&H Photography Podcast
Sports photography hinges on freezing peak action—transforming a high-speed blur into a dramatic portrayal of human effort. When you combine that with the unyielding drive of elite athletes on the world stage, the pressure to nail the shot provides an incredible adrenaline rush. In today’s podcast, we discuss the unique challenges of documenting history in the making and unpacking stories from the Winter Games with renowned sports photographer Jean Fruth, recently back from her first Olympics. From a hectic scramble on arrival in Milan—getting to the arena and gearing up as her...
info_outline
Pictures in Space, featuring NASA Astronaut Donald Pettit
B&H Photography Podcast
Above Photograph © Donald Pettit, NASA At its best, photography draws from both science and art, to give resulting images a dual purpose—aesthetic innovation and scientific merit. And when that photography happens from the windows of the International Space Station, capturing star trails, city lights, and our blue planet against the void of space, it becomes something truly transcendent. In today’s show, we’re privileged to chat with NASA Astronaut Donald Pettit, a scientist, inventor, and photographer who has spent nearly two years living, working, and making pictures in orbit....
info_outline
Two Generations of Top Photo Agents with Jennifer Perlmutter & Michael Ash
B&H Photography Podcast
One of the most polarizing questions in the mind of any photographer is “Should—or shouldn’t I—get an agent?” The role of an agent in a photographer’s career is often misunderstood, leading hungry creatives to think that securing representation is their number one key to success. In truth, the relationship between a photographer and agent is far more nuanced than simply booking more assignments. In today’s podcast, we take a deep dive into this complex alliance in a discussion with two generations of top agents, whose combined careers span from the film-era to the latest in...
info_outline
The Ethics of Wildlife Photography with Melissa Groo & Bobby Stormer
B&H Photography Podcast
While its origin is murky, the adage “Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time,” is at the heart of this wide-ranging discussion about ethical practices in wildlife photography. From exotic safaris to local birding expeditions, interest in this subject matter has grown tremendously in recent years. Ever advancing camera technologies and increasing ease of use make stunning pictures more accessible than ever, but when these advantages combine with an unbridled enthusiasm for getting the shot, it can often put wildlife at risk. After defining...
info_outline
The Many Seasons of Humans of New York, featuring Brandon Stanton
B&H Photography Podcast
It takes a lot of guts to engage with a stranger on the street, ask probing questions about their struggles, and come away with a portrait and a story as a record of the human connection that was made. Now, imagine repeating this process countless times over 15 years under the moniker Humans of New York (HONY) and watching what started as a passion project take the world by storm. In today’s show, we’re privileged to chat with this 21st century archivist of everyday citizens and their lived experiences. Listen in as HONY’s creator, Brandon Stanton, shares how he transformed street...
info_outline
Next Frame: Trailblazing a Philadelphia Photo Community, with CJ Wolfe
B&H Photography Podcast
Picking up a camera is often the start of a life-changing journey. And when it’s combined with a focus on community building, the determination to lead by example, and shrewd entrepreneurial skills—this basic action can have a ripple effect with the potential to change countless lives. In today’s show, we speak with creative community trailblazer CJ Wolfe, who has built a passion for pictures and infectious team spirit into a multifaceted brand that encompasses rental studios, a creative agency, and a non-profit organization with a mission to educate and inspire disenfranchised...
info_outline
Crafting Masterful Portraits with Paul Mobley & Ian Spanier
B&H Photography Podcast
Paul Mobley and Ian Spanier have much in common: from starting their respective careers in New York City before relocating to the West Coast, to their knack for forging a human bond with portrait subjects, to an unrelenting drive to generate ambitious commercial assignments while being equally dedicated to complex personal projects. In today’s podcast, Paul and Ian compare notes on their photographic journeys from coast to coast, while discussing their shared inspiration for 20th century portrait masters such as Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, and in Ian’s case, Harry Benson. A few of...
info_outline
2025 Photo Gear of the Year, with Kevin Rickert
B&H Photography Podcast
In case you didn’t already know, 2025 marks 10 years since we started the B&H Photography Podcast, making today’s show our tenth annual Photo Gear of the Year episode! A lot of cameras have come down the pike since that first recap, along with a veritable roller coaster of marketing strategies and photographic trends. To follow up on a trend discussed last year, we start out with a nod to point-and-shoots, a craze that, according to Kevin, has “become fever pitch.” To expand on this theme, we look back in time to when digital point-and-shoots were losing ground to the ubiquitous...
info_outline
Next Frame: Get Undeniably Qualified for a Photo Career, with Chelsea Mayer
B&H Photography Podcast
“Wow, this is your job? I didn't know that was a job! That's amazing. Can I have this job?” That offhand epiphany neatly sums up the enviable career path of wildlife, adventure, and travel photographer Chelsea Mayer. From an early start with her mom’s camera to her selection for an Ambassador mentorship, before becoming a partner photographer, with Girls Who Click, all the way through to her certifications as a 100-ton boat captain and professional divemaster, the course Chelsea plotted has made her undeniably qualified for a thriving career. In today’s show, we do a deep dive...
info_outlineIt’s likely that everyone reading this has used, or at the very least heard of Adobe’s ubiquitous piece of software called Photoshop. But are you familiar with the very first—and perhaps the most eccentric—of the evangelists working behind that magic curtain?
Well, you’re about to meet him today, in our latest podcast featuring pioneers of photography and imaging. As Adobe employee number 38, graphic designer Russell Preston Brown was in the room when brothers Thomas and John Knoll showed up to demonstrate a new piece of software, in 1988. Suitably impressed with what he saw, Russell made a beeline to Adobe co-founder John Warnock and uttered the imperative “Buy it! Now!”
Thirty-five years later, Brown has not lost an ounce of passion for concocting magic with digital imaging tools, and for sharing his knowledge with other users during his outlandish workshops and events.
Join us for a rollicking chat with this shapeshifting impresario in cowboy attire. From Brown’s earliest training in darkroom photography to his current digital workflow syncing a mobile phone with Profoto lighting gear, we cover a lot of ground.
Throughout our discussion, we reflect on the revolutionary effects of technological advances, plus Brown’s uncanny luck to be there in the middle of the zeitgeist, which led him to a telling analogy:
“Yes, I was in the right place at the right time. I made my fair share of contributions, but it all comes back to—what if the Knoll brothers had not decided to make Photoshop? I want to see that Jimmy Stewart episode of “A Wonderful Life,” where Photoshop didn’t appear. Would we be using Letrasets?...”
Guest: Russell Preston Brown
For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see:
Above photograph © Russell Preston Brown
Episode Timeline:
2:47: A peak behind the scenes of Brown’s early experiences at Adobe and what constituted working as a graphic designer back in 1985.
10:24: Brown’s early training in darkroom photography, the type of photos he made and the tech transitions to the mobile phones that he works with today.
15:55: Thomas Knoll calls the iPhone a hallucination of what you are seeing in terms of colors, dynamic range, and quality of light. It gives us what we want to remember from that moment.
19:45: Brown’s workflow for shooting with an iPhone synched to Profoto strobes and other lighting modifiers, and his ability to carry everything around in one bag.
24:12: Comparing image captures from different brands of mobile phones: iPhone, Google Pixel 7 and Samsung 23. Plus, make sure to use a solar filter over the lens when photographing the eclipse.
31:27: Brown’s experiences working directly with programmers in the development of Photoshop, plus working one-on-one with a programmer to develop actions, scripts, and panels for his own Photoshop tools.
36:06: Episode Break
36:39: Brown reflects on his rapport with photographic purists during early presentations about Photoshop—from a photojournalism conference in Perpignan, France, to an early discussion about digital with Greg Gorman.
42:39: Adobe’s earliest dreams and goals about prepress and processing images to create CMYK output for print publication, and the subsequent ability to access Raw data.
47:15: Differentiating between generations of Adobe users and how they employ the software, plus distinguishing between Lightroom Classic and Lightroom Desktop.
51:46: Applications that have kept all the original tool sets, offering many routes to similar results, to serve the full range and successive generations of its user base.
54:00: The question of AI and differences between typing text and using AI prompts, or taking one’s original photographs and supplementing them with AI through Photoshop’s Generative Fill.
1:03:39: The dangers of using creative tools incorrectly, and Brown’s predictions about creative trends to come.
Guest Bio:
Russell Preston Brown is the Senior Creative Director at Adobe Systems Incorporated, as well as an Emmy Award-winning instructor. His ability to bring together the world of design and software development is a perfect match for Adobe products. In Brown 's 38 years of creative experience at Adobe, he has contributed to the evolution of Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator with feature enhancements, and advanced scripts. Most recently he has started to travel the world with a mobile phone camera to capture his adventures from a whole new creative perspective. This new age of mobile photography has sparked his creativity and has inspired a variety of new imaging directions.
Brown also specializes in inspirational hands-on training at Adobe MAX, where he shows users how to work and play with Adobe software. He shares his delight in testing the creative limits of his tools as a prolific creator of an entertaining collection of Photoshop tips and tricks. His in-depth design knowledge and zany presentation style have won him a regular following among beginning, intermediate, and advanced Photoshop users alike. A live performance of the Russell Brown Show is not to be missed.
Stay Connected:
Russell Preston Brown Website: https://russellbrown.com/
Russell Preston Brown on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr_brown/
Russell Preston Brown on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/russellprestonbrown/
Russell Preston Brown on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/therussellbrownshow/videos
Russell Preston Brown on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user6594224
Russell Preston Brown at the Photoshop Hall of Fame:
https://www.photoshophalloffame.com/russell-brown
Adobe Max: https://www.adobe.com/max.html