Ready for Mistakes

Kaitlyn Jo Smith’s interdisciplinary studio practice investigates the socioeconomic impact of emerging technologies on America’s working class. Through her work, Smith pays homage to laborers by revealing the ways technology renders invisible the labor that produces it. Informed by her upbringing in rural Ohio, Smith’s practice explores the intersections of work and worship, as well as the ways individuals are conditioned into lives of monotony. By combining traditional photographic processes with emerging technologies, she interrogates the authority of algorithms while fostering dialogue around humanity’s evolving relationship to labor, automation, and technological progress.Smith’s projects have been shown nationally and internationally. She is the 2023 recipient of the Alice C. Cole ’42 Fellowship in Studio Art, was longlisted for the 2021 Lumen Prize in Art and Technology (London), and received the College Art Association’s Services to Artists Committee Award for her video Lights Out. Smith has been featured in PDNedu, Art IDEAL, and Al-Tiba9 Magazine. She has presented her work at FEMeeting: Women in Art, Science & Technology, Technarte International Conference on Art and Technology, and Homecoming, Society for Photographic Education Annual National Conference.Buy a copy of Kaitlyn's new book, Antithesis of a Revelation: https://www.kaitlynjosmith.com/store/p/antithesis-of-a-revelationFollow Kaitlin's work:https://www.kaitlynjosmith.com/https://www.instagram.com/kaitlynjosmith/This series of interviews is entirely self-produced and self-funded, and would not be possible without the generosity of guests’ time and willingness to participate. If you’d like to support the show, I won’t take your money, instead I ask you to subscribe and follow on our various profiles and of course, share with your friends.Do you want to come on the show to discuss your work? Submit to the form below to put your name in the hat.https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchuT6Qb9e315cWyD-IMf1istYgMdx2Q1n-QDSJrGptwxk7JQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=114407871888460742790

Richard Dachtera is a fourth-generation New Yorker who grew up two blocks from the ocean in Rockaway, Queens. His photographs concern dislocation and the way perception shifts under pressure. The moment when a familiar place tips a few degrees and becomes something else. He believes some images exist before they are taken, that arriving at a specific time and place is less an act of creation than of retrieval.Follow Rich:https://www.instagram.com/richdachtera/https://www.richdachtera.com/This series of interviews is entirely self-produced and self-funded, and would not be possible without the generosity of guests’ time and willingness to participate. If you’d like to support the show, I won’t take your money, instead I ask you to subscribe and follow on our various profiles and of course, share with your friends.Do you want to come on the show to discuss your work? Submit to the form below to put your name in the hat.https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchuT6Qb9e315cWyD-IMf1istYgMdx2Q1n-QDSJrGptwxk7JQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=114407871888460742790

Kelly Burgess is a project-based and editorial photographer based in rural Vermont. Emotional narratives and personal experiences form the thematic core of her photographic work. She specializes in portrait and road trip photography.Kelly is a regular editorial contributor to several publications worldwide, including Architectural Digest, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Wildsam Magazine, and more. Her project, Sing Me Back Home, has been exhibited internationally, more recently at the Arctic Arts Festival in Norway, MassArt Museum, and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. In addition to her personal and editorial work, Kelly is the Executive Director for the Too Tired Project, a photography initiative committed to helping those struggling with their mental health by offering a place for collective creative expression. Follow Kelly's work:https://www.kelly-burgess.com/https://www.instagram.com/kelburgess/Follow Too Tired Project:https://tootiredproject.com/https://www.instagram.com/tootiredproject/Introduction/outro song produced by yours truly.This series of interviews is entirely self-produced and self-funded, and would not be possible without the generosity of guests’ time and willingness to participate. If you’d like to support the show, I won’t take your money, instead I ask you to subscribe and follow on our various profiles and of course, share with your friends.Do you want to come on the show to discuss your work? Submit to the form below to put your name in the hat.https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchuT6Qb9e315cWyD-IMf1istYgMdx2Q1n-QDSJrGptwxk7JQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=114407871888460742790

Vann Thomas Powell (MFA, Duke University) is a documentary artist whose visual practice incorporates an array of photographic mediums in concert with historical and philosophical research to investigate how past, place, and memory construct identity with particular focus on American identities. He is increasingly interested in investigating subjects related to foundation narratives, myths, tall tales, folklore, and seldom told histories.Vann’s work has been exhibited across the United States at venues such as The International Center of Photography (New York, NY), SlowExposures Festival (Zebulon, GA), PAL Gallery (Provo, UT), City Art Space - Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY) and The Fredric Jameson Gallery (Durham, NC). His work has appeared in domestic and international publications including The Independent (UK), Glitterati Editions (New York, NY), and Subjectively Objective (Detroit, MI). He has self-published and published artist books in collaboration with Benschop Books (Denver, CO). His books and works can be found in private and public collections including the Rubenstein Rare Books and Manuscripts Library (Duke University) and the Museum of Fine Art Special Collections (Tufts University). Vann is a 2023 Photolucida Critical Mass finalist.Follow Vann's work:www.vannthomaspowell.cominstagram.com/vann_t_powellFollow Disparate Projects:www.disparateprojects.comhttps://press.disparateprojects.com/https://www.instagram.com/disparate_projects/Introduction/outro song produced by yours truly.This series of interviews is entirely self-produced and self-funded, and would not be possible without the generosity of guests’ time and willingness to participate. If you’d like to support the show, I won’t take your money, instead I ask you to subscribe and follow on our various profiles and of course, share with your friends. Do you want to come on the show to discuss your work? Submit to the form below to put your name in the hat. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchuT6Qb9e315cWyD-IMf1istYgMdx2Q1n-QDSJrGptwxk7JQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=114407871888460742790

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains conversations about miscarriage and death, listener discretion is advised.Katelynn M. Rogers was born and raised in Northeast Ohio. Her photographs explore the crossroads of maternal loss, mental illness, and environmental decay. Inspired by the women and trees of her life, Rogers’ haunting images formulate mythologies around oral storytelling. Roger’s work interweaves somatic gesture alongside raw documentations of the Ohio landscape.She received her BA in Fine Art Photography at Columbia College Chicago in 2022, and completed her MFA in Photography at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2025. During her time at RISD, Rogers was awarded the prestigious Henry Wolf Scholarship and the Graduate Commons Grant.View Katelynn's work:www.acinematicdisaster.cominstagram.com/acinematicdisasterIntroduction/outro song produced by yours truly.This series of interviews is entirely self-produced and self-funded, and would not be possible without the generosity of guests’ time and willingness to participate. If you’d like to support the show, I won’t take your money, instead I ask you to subscribe and follow on our various profiles and of course, share with your friends. Do you want to come on the show to discuss your work? Submit to the form below to put your name in the hat. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchuT6Qb9e315cWyD-IMf1istYgMdx2Q1n-QDSJrGptwxk7JQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=114407871888460742790

Micah McCoy is a photographer, curator, and poet based in Northwest Arkansas and currently teaches at The University of Arkansas. He received his MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago (2022) and has exhibited work in solo and group exhibitions both in the United States and abroad. His work explores issues of religiosity, anxiety, and social detachment. Micah’s editorial photography has been featured in publications including NBC News, The New York Post, and others. He is a co-founder of Disparate Projects, a platform for photographic curation, theory, and publishing, including Disparate Press, which focuses on producing books and zines that showcase innovative photography and collaborative work.View Micah's work: https://www.micahmccoy.com/instagram.com/micahmccoyFollow Disparate Projects:www.disparateprojects.comhttps://press.disparateprojects.com/https://www.instagram.com/disparate_projects/Introduction/outro song produced by yours truly.This series of interviews is entirely self-produced and self-funded, and would not be possible without the generosity of guests’ time and willingness to participate. If you’d like to support the show, I won’t take your money, instead I ask you to subscribe and follow on our various profiles and of course, share with your friends. Do you want to come on the show to discuss your work? Submit to the form below to put your name in the hat. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchuT6Qb9e315cWyD-IMf1istYgMdx2Q1n-QDSJrGptwxk7JQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=114407871888460742790

It's been 84 years...Welcome back after a far-too-long hiatus from the show. Today's conversation was actually recorded in 2024, and was intended to be released after the conversation with Lindsay Godin (go give it a listen, it was a great chat!). Alas, better late than never! About Lewis:Lewis Ableidinger (b. 1983) is from the small town of Kensal (pop. 163), located in the east-central part of North Dakota. Early on he developed an appreciation for the subtleties of a region most people dismiss as "boring." In 1998 he picked up a camera for the purpose of photographing old elevators. This led to day trips to find ghost towns with old elevators and eventually he started pointing his camera at other subjects. Soon it became a nearly obsessive passion to visit every corner and every town in the state, just to see what's there. Lewis graduated from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2007 with a BS in Graphic Communictaions and a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance. Though photography was never his primary focus of study at MSUM he continued shooting and was able to take a few classes that helped broaden his photographic horizons. Since 2008 Lewis has had a "day" job as a locomotive engineer but continues to pursue photographic subjects. Lewis currently resides in Harvey, ND.View Lewis' work: https://www.lewisableidinger.com/instagram.com/l.ableidingerIntroduction/outro song produce by yours truly.This series of interviews is entirely self-produced and self-funded, and would not be possible without the generosity of guests’ time and willingness to participate. If you’d like to support the show, I won’t take your money, instead I ask you to subscribe and follow on our various profiles and of course, share with your friends.Do you want to come on the show to discuss your work? Submit to the form below to put your name in the hat. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchuT6Qb9e315cWyD-IMf1istYgMdx2Q1n-QDSJrGptwxk7JQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=114407871888460742790

A very quick note to get the ball rolling again -- I'm looking for folks to submit their work to be potential guests on the show. This will serve both as a way to get a lineup of guests to interview, as well as introduce me to work I haven't necessarily seen yet! No genre limits, just has to be work related to photography.Use the form here to submit your work:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSchuT6Qb9e315cWyD-IMf1istYgMdx2Q1n-QDSJrGptwxk7JQ/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=114407871888460742790Please note that submitting your work is not a guarantee to be interviewed. You are welcome to submit multiple times!

Lindsay Godin is a graduate from the University of Iowa MA/MFA Dual Degree Program in 2018 with a primary concentration in Photography, with a minor concentration in Graphic Design. Lindsay is currently an Assistant Professor of Photography and Design and Photography Area Coordinator at Valdosta State University in Georgia.Lindsay researches photography curriculum and creates photo documentaries that shed awareness on contemporary American cultural norms and political values and how they affect American society on the macro scale. In more recent months, Lindsay has taken interest on how climate change negatively affects large populations in the mountain west and high sierras. In June, 2017, Lindsay was the recipient of the PDN's 2017 Photo Annual Award for student work. She presented her work at the 2017 Midwest Regional SPE conference, 2019 West/Southwest Regional SPE conference, and 2019 SECAC conference. Her photographic images are on permanent collection at the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, NY, ItsLiquid in Venice, Italy, and the Lehigh Valley Center in Bethlehem, PA. Her recent work has been published in Photo District News (PDN), YET Magazine, and Booooooom. She has had her work exhibited nationally and internationally at 50+ exhibitions since 2014.Follow Lindsay's work:https://www.lindsaygodin.com/https://www.instagram.com/lindzgodin/

Ben Ward (b. 1994) is a Colorado-based American photographer and cinematographer. Ben’s photography focuses on a documentary approach to the human experience and the changing social and environmental landscape of the American West. In 2021, he published his book I Dream of Dust with Temper Books and in 2018 he published Clay during the production of the short film ‘Clay’ by Holocene Studios. He has been featured in Then There was Us - AND 2022, Booooooom - Circles and Pomegranate Press - Nothing Left but Healing. Solo shows include Lonesome Valley Calls in Fort Collins, CO, Lonesome No More at Bolt Gallery Fort Collins, CO and has been featured in Forms at Side Stories in Denver, Fragments of Devotion at Secret Flowers in Richmond, VA, Nothing Left But Healing, Agony Books Richmond, VA, and ImageNation Paris, Galerie Joseph Turenne Paris, FranceFollow Ben's work:https://www.benwardphoto.com/projectshttps://www.instagram.com/ben.p.ward/