On Peter Hujar: An Interview with Joel Smith

Stephen Shore is perhaps the greatest living American photographer. For decades, Shore has helped define the possibilities of serious fine art photography, playing a pivotal role in establishing color photography as a legitimate art form. Equally at home with the deliberateness of an 8×10 camera and the immediacy of emerging technologies, from Instagram to drone photography, he has remained relentlessly curious about the medium and its possibilities. It’s an honor to have this conversation with a true living master.Links:Stephen Shore websiteStephen Shore Instagram"El Paso Street, El Paso, Texas, July 5, 1975 " photograph"Presidio, Texas, February 21, 1975" photograph"The Mental Image" book at MACK website

On this episode, I have a lively talk with photographer and writer Odette England about her new book, Isn't X Beautiful!, and her experimental approach to photography. We discuss her artistic origins, archival images, memory, and the possibilities that emerge when we challenge what a photograph is and what it can be. Links:Odette England websiteOdette England InstagramIsn't X Beautiful book

Another episode where I fly solo, this time taking a fresh look at Walker Evans’ seminal photo book American Photographs. First published in 1938, the book is widely regarded as a classic—not only for the photographs themselves, but for the enormous influence it has had on the medium of photography and the photobook. I revisit the images, the book, and its creator, all through a 21st-century lens.Links:Walker Evans page at MoMA websitea video page turn through the book via YouTube (not my channel)Buy the book (via MoMA)

This episode features a great conversation with photographer, archivist and researcher Lukas Birk. We discuss his work with the Afghan Box Camera Project and Myanmar Photo Archive, the strange appeal of found photographs, and what happens when photography, history and obsession collide.Links:Instant Box CameraMyanmar Photo ArchiveFraglich PublishingBox Camera NOWAfghan Box Camera The Photo Vault

I fly solo on this episode, where I discuss a classic photograph by 20th Century master, William Klein. This image is a personal favorite of mine, and I enjoyed the experience of spending an extended amount of time pondering it. Click on the link below to have the image readily available before you listen! This one is worth at least a thousand words. Bonus! I share the rare color version of this scene as well.Links:Bikini; Moscow 1959 by William KleinWilliam Klein at the Howard Greenberg GalleryWilliam Klein Estate on Instagram

Season 6 of the podcast kicks off with a great conversation with legendary NY writer Lucy Sante. We discuss life in the Big Apple in the 70s and 80s, her interest in vernacular and anonymous photography, and the value (or lack thereof) of a formal college degree. Links:Lucy Sante websiteLucy Sante InstagramFolk Photography: real photo postcard bookLucy Sante: Evidence essay

Season Five concludes with a fun conversation with a master of color photography, Cig Harvey. We discuss finding inspiration from the world right outside your door, merging the personal with the universal, and the value of putting in the daily work in your creative practice. The journey truly is the destination. Links:Cig Harvey websiteCig Harvey InstagramEat Flowers promo video

Since the onset of digital imaging, there has been a distinctive swing toward the analogue "look," whether achieved through true analogue processes or digital simulations. The rise of AI has further muddied the waters, raising questions about what is real and what is simulacrum. I discuss all of this and more with my guest, Lev Manovich. Together, we explore what the future of photographic and artistic image-making may entail.Lev Manovich websiteLev's "Photography and Automation" TimelineLev Manovich artworkJean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation

Peter Hujar's career flew mostly under the radar during his lifetime. Active from the 1950s through 1980s, his work straddled the bohemian, creative worlds of downtown New York City. After acquiring an extensive archive, The Morgan Library & Museum has been bringing this work to a wider audience. I talk with curator Joel Smith about Peter Hujar's life and work and the upcoming exhibition "Hujar: Contact."Links:Hujar: Contact exhibition at The Morgan"Peter Hujar's Day" filmThe Peter Hujar archive

Jeff Cowen is an American artist best known for pushing photography beyond documentation into something closer to alchemy. We discuss his early days on the streets of New York, his association with Larry Clark and Ralph Gibson, and his journey to Europe, all while single-mindedly pursuing his muse. Links:Jeff Cowen websiteDavid Campany: thoughts on the work of Jeff CowenJeff's exhibition at Fotografiska