TCF Ep. 643 - Justin Black

When photographer Justin Black first picked up a camera, he was drawn not just to the art of image-making but to the power of photography as a tool for exploration, conservation, and connection. Over the years, that passion has evolved into a remarkable career that bridges fine art, environmental advocacy, and education. As a co-founder of Visionary Wild and former executive director of the International League of Conservation Photographers, Justin has helped shape how we think about the relationship between photography and the natural world. In our conversation, we explore Justin’s journey from working alongside legendary photographer Galen Rowell to leading transformative workshops in some of the world’s most extraordinary landscapes. Through his work, Justin invites others not just to see more clearly—but to care more deeply. Resources: Justin Black Visionary Wild International League of Conservation Photographers Support Ibarionex & The Candid Frame Websites Sponsors Charcoal Book Club Frames Magazine Education Resources Momenta Photographic Workshops Candid Frame Resources Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device: Contribute a one-time donation to the show through Buy Me a Coffee Support The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort. Visit or click the Patreon button on the website. You can also provide a one-time donation via . Follow Ibarionex on and .

When filmmaker Ilie Mitaru first discovered Serbest Salih’s Instagram feed, he was struck by the power of the photographs—vivid, intimate images made by children from displaced and marginalized communities across Turkey. These weren’t typical snapshots. They revealed a bold visual instinct and emotional clarity that defied the children’s limited experience behind the camera. Ilie saw not just compelling photographs, but a powerful story of self-expression—one that urgently needed telling. That story became First Frames, a film that shifts focus away from trauma and instead highlights the playful, curious, and complex inner lives of its young image-makers. Rather than treating the children as passive subjects, Ilie embraced their perspective—amplifying their imaginations and voices. The result is a vibrant, deeply human portrait told through the children’s own lenses, reminding us that some of the most resonant stories come from those who are so often overlooked. Resources: Ilie Mitaru First Frames Film Serbest Salih’s Instagram Altadena Photographers Support Ibarionex & The Candid Frame Websites Sponsors Charcoal Book Club Frames Magazine Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops Candid Frame Resources Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download it for . Click here to download Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort.  You can do this by visiting or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via . You can follow Ibarionex on and .

Jasmine Benjamin, a California native, embodies the laid-back spirit of Northern California where she was born and the dynamic energy of Hollywood, where her work thrives. With a career spanning 17 plus years as a stylist, consultant, and creative director, she has established herself as a key figure in culture. Her latest project, CITY OF ANGELS: “A book about L.A. style”, is her first coffee table book, capturing the essence of contemporary LA style through 120 plus portraits of local luminaries. Set for release in Spring 2025 by Italian publisher Damiani, the book showcases Jasmine’s talent as a photographer, creative director and curator. Jasmine’s career began while she was studying at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles. In 2002, she turned an internship at Interscope Records into an opportunity to shape the visual identity of the label’s artists. In 2005, she styled her first influential indie band, J*Davey, before moving to New York City in 2007, where she immersed herself in the fashion world for five years. With an eye for both contemporary trends and fashion history, Jasmine continues to shape pop culture with her unique, forward-thinking approach. Her work has earned recognition from Vogue, GQ, i-D, Billboard, and in 2016, she was named i-D Magazine’s “Top Stylist.” Resources: Jasmine Benjamin City of Angels: A Book of L.A. Style Altadena Photographers Support Ibarionex & The Candid Frame Websites Sponsors Charcoal Book Club Frames Magazine Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops Candid Frame Resources Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download it for . Click here to download Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort.  You can do this by visiting or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via . You can follow Ibarionex on and .

Matthew Finley (b. 1972) uses his photography to express himself and connect to the world around him. With a variety of photography processes, he explores intimate emotions through gesture and line to communicate his experience. Growing up queer in an unaccepting environment, Finley felt apart from the world around him. Now, as an adult working through anxiety, the studio is a safe space to create where he can be vulnerable and express his true self. Creating and exhibiting his work is a way to forge relationships with viewers and help those who see themselves reflected in it to feel less alone. Finding inspiration in classic art and statuary, he addresses modern issues such as his coming out story, intimate relationships, and finding peace in our tumultuous world. Based in Los Angeles, Finley’s work has shown in solo and group shows in multiple galleries across the U.S. Most recently, his work was on the walls of the esteemed Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles with the likes of Herb Ritts and Herbert In 2024 Finley was awarded CENTER Santa Fe’s Personal Award as well as the Center for Photographic Art’s LGBTQ+ Artist Grant for his project An Impossibly Normal Life. Resources: Matthew Finley Website An Impossibly Normal Life Kickstarter Page Altadena Photographers Support Ibarionex & The Candid Frame Websites Photo Workshops & Webinars Breaking Out of a Rut: Tips for Creating Breakthroughs in Your Photography Sponsors Charcoal Book Club Frames Magazine Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops Candid Frame Resources Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download it for . Click here to download Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort.  You can do this by visiting or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via . You can follow Ibarionex on and .

Founder and Publisher Daniel Power started powerHouse Books in 1995, and was joined by Craig Cohen in 1996. The early years had Power and Cohen tag-teaming on a few books at a time, raising the bar each season when, in 1998, PowerHouse Books had its first best-seller, Women Before 10 A.M. by Véronique Vial. Power and Cohen followed up on that success in 1999 with the critically acclaimed cult monographs X-Ray by François Nars and Life is Paradise by Francesco Clemente and Vincent Katz. In 2000, Cohen became a partner in the company, assuming the title of Vice President and Associate Publisher, serving as Executive Publisher between 2008 and 2019. He quickly signed up for the next company bestseller, Back in the Days by Jamel Shabazz, and in the same year, he developed a packaging deal with Capitol Records to produce the Beastie Boys Anthology: The Sounds of Science. With the publishing program growing rapidly, Power and Cohen hired Sara Rosen, who served as Publicity Director from 2000 to 2009. Since then, the company has redefined the cultural landscape of the illustrated book, becoming the only U.S. independent publishing company to do so. He collaborated with photographer Larry Fink on the latter’s posthumous retrospective monograph, Larry Fink: Hands On / A Passionate Life of Looking. Resources: Powerhouse Books Larry Fink: Hands On / A Passionate Life of Looking Larry Fink Altadena Photographers Support Ibarionex & The Candid Frame Websites Photo Workshops & Webinars Breaking Out of a Rut: Tips for Creating Breakthroughs in Your Photography Sponsors Charcoal Book Club Frames Magazine Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops Candid Frame Resources Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download it for . Click here to download Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort.  You can do this by visiting or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via . You can follow Ibarionex on and .

Jeffery Saddoris is not only a talented artist, writer, and podcaster but a friend. A repeat guest of the podcast, we have enjoyed wonderful conversations about what it means to lead a creative life. What started as a technical test of my new podcast set-up turned into another wonderful conversation. We discussed recent events in my life and where we stand in our creative lives. Most importantly, this episode marks our return to regular production with new episodes of great conversations with and about photographers. Thank you for your kindness, support, and patience over the past three months. Resources: Jeffery Saddoris Support Ibarionex & The Candid Frame Websites Photo Workshops & Webinars Breaking Out of a Rut: Tips for Creating Breakthroughs in Your Photography Sponsors Charcoal Book Club Frames Magazine Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops Candid Frame Resources Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download it for . Click here to download Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort.  You can do this by visiting or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via . You can follow Ibarionex on and .

It has been a little more than a month since the Eaton Fires devastated areas in Southern California, including the Palisades and Ibarionex’s home of Altadena. The show remains in hiatus as Ibarionex and his family contend with being displaced. In this episode, Ibarionex provides an update on the status of his and his family’s journey to recover and rebuild. Since recording the audio, the Perello family has secured housing for the coming year. Once settled, we hope to return to conducting and releasing interviews for a new season of the show. They welcome financial support of any kind o meet their short-term and and long-term needs. You provide support via: Websites Photo Workshops & Webinars Breaking Out of a Rut: Tips for Creating Breakthroughs in Your Photography Sponsors Charcoal Book Club Frames Magazine Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops Candid Frame Resources Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download it for . Click here to download Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort.  You can do this by visiting or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via . You can follow Ibarionex on and .

The recent Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, impacted Ibarionex and his family. They lost their home and studio and are among the tens of thousands of people displaced by the disaster. In this episode, he describes his escape from the fire and the early days of recovery. They welcome financial support of any kind o meet their short-term and and long-term needs. You provide support via: Websites Photo Workshops & Webinars Breaking Out of a Rut: Tips for Creating Breakthroughs in Your Photography Sponsors Charcoal Book Club Frames Magazine Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops Candid Frame Resources Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download it for . Click here to download Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort.  You can do this by visiting or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via . You can follow Ibarionex on and .

Lana Z Caplan works across various media – including single-channel films or videos in essay form, interactive installations, video art, and photography. Her recent photographic monograph, Oceano (for seven generations) published by Kehrer Verlag in 2023, contrasts the historic inhabitants of California’s Oceano Dunes – the Indigenous Chumash and a colony of depression-era artist and mystic squatters – with the current ATV riding community which is the source of a public health crisis in neighboring communities. Oceano (for seven generations) is in the collection of museums including Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Getty Museum, Museum of Fine Arts Boston and The Cleveland Museum of Art. Her work has been reviewed and featured in publications such as ARTnews, LA Times, , and The Boston Globe and she has received several grants including from Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Film/Video Studio Program Fellowship at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, OH. Caplan earned her BA and BS from Boston University, her MFA from Massachusetts College of Art and is currently an Associate Professor of Photography and Video at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. Resources Lana Z. Caplan Websites Photo Workshops Tokyo Exploration Workshop with Ibarionex Perello Sponsors Playpodcast Podcast App Charcoal Book Club Chico Review Photobook Retreat Frames Magazine Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops Candid Frame Resources Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download it for . Click here to download Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort.  You can do this by visiting or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via . You can follow Ibarionex on and .

Dana Stirling is a fine art photographer and the Co-Founder & Editor In-Chief of Float Photo Magazine since 2014. Originally from Jerusalem Israel, Dana is now based in Queens New York. She received her MFA from The School Of Visual Arts in Photography, Video, and Related Media in 2016 and her BA from Hadassah College Jerusalem in Photographic Communications in 2013. Her work has been exhibited in group show including, Candela Books + Gallery VA, The Rockaway Artists Alliance NY, Vermont Center for Photography, Lafayette College PA, Radiator Gallery NY, Fresh Paint Art Festival Israel,  Bezalel Gallery Israel, Inga Gallery Israel, Tel Hai Museum of Photography Israel, Brick Lane Gallery UK, Saatchi Gallery UK and others. Her hand-made artist book is a part of these select library collections, Yale University, Mass Art College of Art and Design collection, Savannah College of Art and Design collection and Goldsmith University, London. Her latest book is Why Am I Sad Resources Dana Stirling Why Am I Sad Websites Photo Workshops Tokyo Exploration Workshop with Ibarionex Perello Sponsors Playpodcast Podcast App Charcoal Book Club Chico Review Photobook Retreat Frames Magazine Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops Candid Frame Resources Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download it for . Click here to download Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort.  You can do this by visiting or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via . You can follow Ibarionex on and .