Every year online studio management software producer ShootQ offers a $10,000 grant to a wedding photographer who is interested in doing a special photojournalist project. Last year’s winner is today’s guest. Annie O’Neill was a traditional editorial photojournalist for the better part of two decades. As many in that field are now want to do, she made the cross-over to wedding and portrait work. Annie’s story is quite an interesting one. She’s a twin sister, ninth of ten kids, from an Irish Catholic family on Long Island. She shares with us her stories growing up and making the trek into photography. She then shares with us about the subject for which she won the grant: military post traumatic stress syndrome as it specifically relates to sexual abuse. Annie gives us a no holds barred interview that you won’t want to miss.
Remember you can catch a new episode each week at fstopbeyond.tv and you can follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/fstopbeyond.
Bumper music for this show is “Close to You” by Steve Hefter and Friends of Friends, part of the TRUE ROMANCE collection, courtesy of Triple Scoop Music.
Annie O’Neill on F-Stop Beyond.
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Next week we have the WNYC Street Shots winner Joe Wigfall.
Matt is one of those photographers who has seen and photographed just about it all. Celebrities. Big sporting events. Poverty. War. Lavish weddings. From his days working at the college paper (he was an English major that failed Chaucer four times), to his days as a photojournalist at USA Today and United Press International, to his current role as a high society wedding photographer. Matt has over two decades of stories to share. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough time to go over ALL his stories. So in today’s riveting episode, after learning about his history and foray into the industry, he shares with us some of the stories behind a few of his favorite photos. Shooting Nicole Kidman (he had exactly 10 minutes!) Getting his job put into perspective by Chris Rock. Capturing five living US presidents (from both sides of the party line) in one shot. Reflecting on the moment right before Yitzhak Rabin shook the hand of Yasser Arafat with Bill Clinton. And the shot the made Neil Leifer (one of the greatest sports photographers of all time) comment, “That’s a helluva picture kid!” This episode is quite a gem!
Remember you can catch a new episode each week at fstopbeyond.tv and you can follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/fstopbeyond.
Bumper music for this show is “Close to You” by Steve Hefter and Friends of Friends, part of the TRUE ROMANCE collection, courtesy of Triple Scoop Music.
SUPPORT FSB AND GET A GREAT THANK YOU GIFT
Speaking of Triple Scoop Music, as a sponsor and long-time supporter, they are offering a great gift. As a listener supported show, your donations will help keep our great programming going. You can donate whatever amount you feel comfortable. But, for those of you who donate $20 or more, Triple Scoop Music will give you a song of your choice from their collection of over 5,000 amazing tunes you can use legally in your slideshow or video productions. That’s a $60 value for only a $20 donation. Not bad. Just click the “Donate Now” button below and the rest is self-explanatory. Only while supplies last, so act now.
Matt Mendelsohn.
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Next week we have ShootQ Grant winner Annie O’Neill.
Today’s guest came highly recommended from past guest Gabrielle Geiselman. Drew Gardner is a world renown photographer out of the United Kingdom who’s been in the business for three decades this year. He is respected by the best in the business and has a great story. He quit high school at 15-1/2 and began working as a pro at 16. He is completely self-taught. In this interview Drew talks about his history, what it was like as a young boy hearing stories about raids on Londoon during WWII from his grand parents, his relationship with his parents and how that has affected his photography, and the relationship with his own daughter. He also talks about what he feels is the future of the industry: the HD DSLR revolution.
You can keep up to date with Drew and his work on is blog: www.thedarkart.com.
Remember you can catch a new episode each week at fstopbeyond.tv and you can follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/fstopbeyond.
Bumper music for this show is “Close to You” by Steve Hefter and Friends of Friends, part of the “TRUE ROMANCE” collection, courtesy of Triple Scoop Music.
SUPPORT FSB AND GET A GREAT� THANK YOU GIFT
Speaking of Triple Scoop Music, as a sponsor and long-time supporter, they are offering a great gift. As a listener supported show, your donations will help keep our great programming going. You can donate whatever amount you feel comfortable. But, for those of you who donate $20 or more, Triple Scoop Music will give you a song of your choice from their collection of over 5,000 amazing tunes you can use legally in your slideshow or video productions. That’s a $60 value for only a $20 donation. Not bad. Just click the “Donate Now” button below and the rest is self-explanatory. Only while supplies last, so act now.
And now, on with the show.
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Download MP3 | Subscribe in iTunes | Drew Gardner
Next week we have photojournalist turned wedding photographer Matt Mendelsohn.
A year and a half ago I had the honor to interview Emilie Sommer, photojournalist turned wedding photographer. As someone who has had loved ones touched by breast cancer, Emilie feels very passionate about the topic. So, since this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I thought it would be great to pull this interview out of the archives. Recorded live at WPPI 2008, this was one of those gems of an interview that’ll make you laugh and cry. From her experiences on the road with US presidents, to her unhappy encounter with Oprah, you’ll be amazed at the experiences this young lady has had: all before the age of thirty (at the time). Enjoy!
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A quick note about the interruptions. Since we were at WPPI, we were frequently interrupted by passersby. A kept a few of the interruptions in the interview for comic relief. 
We got a super-sized serving of the show for you today. If you’re making your way out to Pictage PartnerCon next week, this episode is perfect for that long drive or flight. First up is my commentary on the e-mail I got earlier this week from a listener complaining about the number of photographers we’ve had own who talk about their faith. This listener called them idiots was tired of them “eschewing their pompous religious beliefs.” Read the September 2 blog post to see the e-mail, as well as the comments I got from other listeners in response. The support was overwhelming. Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement for this show’s unique format. Hear what I have to say about the topic in this week’s show.
Second, and most important, we have a fantastic interview with “master of light,” Cliff Mautner. This guy is on fire! He’s an American Photo Magazine “Top 10″ photographer, Nikon’s top international wedding photography spokesperson, an instructor, speaker, and with over a quarter of a century shooting photos, his career has run the gamut from photojournalism and editorial to weddings and portrait. What I like about Cliff is that he has no qualms speaking his mind, even if you don’t like what he has to say. He’s an east coast native, shoot-from-the-hip-kind of guy. And boy, you definitely get that here. His openness and honesty is refreshing. You’ll notice a few “colorful” phrases dropped here and there, so beware if you have little ones listening. Cliff talks about a whole lotta stuff: his beginnings shooting for the Philadelphia Enquirer; the experience of shooting heart-wrenching assignments as a photojournalist; the demise of photojournalism in newspapers today; how he once poo-pooed wedding photography; how he does NOT consider himself a wedding “photojournalist”; being a dad and work-life balance; how he stays motivated; he chimes in on the influx of photography instructors who’ve barely been shooting for a few years; we hear his thoughts on photographers reading other photographers blogs all day long to get ideas for this Saturday’s wedding; and he comically comments on the difference between copying someone else’s style vs. being inspired. This is Cliff Mautner. Unbridled. Can you take it?
This week’s musical outro is “Back to You” by Mike Schmid, courtesy of Triple Scoop Music.
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Next week we bring back Rachel LaCour-Niesen of LaCour Photo as a guest along with ShootQ Grant winner Sherryln Borkgren. Rachel and Sherrlyn discuss the importance of photographers using their craft to raise public awareness, and Sherryln’s winning application to take photos of the state of atrocities happening to women in the Congo. It’s a powerful episode you won’t want to miss.
One day my inquisitive 13-year-old daughter saw a photo on the cover of a local paper that showed a dead person in the road. It was a recent victim of the strife over in the Gaza Strip. My daughter asked me, “Daddy, why did that photographer take that picture instead of running over to help that man?” (Ah, from the mouth of babes.) I really didn’t have a great answer for her insightful question. So, I posed the question to this week’s guest, Vincent LaForet. He’s a New York editorial and commercial photographer, Pulitzer Prize winner, Canon Explorer of Light, photographer of the year New York Press Photographer’s Association, and in 2002 PDN named him one of the top 30 photographers to watch under the age of 30. Vincent has done some amazing work in Katrina and over in Afghanistan. Vincent shares with us how he was profoundly impacted by the 10 days he spent in New Orleans photographing the Katrina disaster. Vincent’s answer to my daughter’s question was very fulfilling and gives insight into the power of photography to aid a cause in its own special way. This is the first of a series of interviews with photographers who’ve gone above and beyond in contributing back to their community or society in general. Join me in this inspiring interview with an amazing artist.
Next week, be sure to have a box of tissue by your side as portrait photographer Sandy Puc’ tells us about her work with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.
Twice in his career, Greg Gibson has been honored with the Pulitzer Prize (which he shared with his photojournalism team) for the work he participated in while a photographer for the Associated Press. But one fateful day, while among a sea of paparazzi vying for a shot of Monica Lewinsky during the height of her infamous case against President Clinton, Greg had a moment of clarity: “What am I doing here?” He thought. “This is not what I signed on for.” He left that world shortly thereafter, and despite how it might look to his photojournalism colleagues, he entered the world of wedding and portrait photography. He’s never looked back. In this episode, Greg and I discuss the relative importance (or lack thereof) of winning awards, his path from Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist to wedding photographer, to balancing family life, family and work. Another inspiring interview with a great photographer.
Next week, we have a very motivational interview with ex-Wall Street VP and acclaimed portrait photographer, Winifred Whitfield.
“Everybody’s got baggage. We all have experiences. I really just think people need to make sure their baggage matches.” ~ Emilie Sommer
This week Emilie Sommer turns the big three-oh. But don’t let her age fool you. She has accomplished so much so early in her career as a professional photographer. Right out of college at 22 she was a photojournalist for USA Today. Her role as a photojournalist took her to political campaigns (she got to cover both Al Gore and George Bush each for a day during the 2000 presidential campaign), rock concerts, meeting Oprah (which was actually a bad experience), as well as being a photo editor for the D.C. sniper attacks story. That gruesome story, among other things, helped her decide to take her photojournalist experience and become a wedding and portrait photographer. Now she’s doing what she loves, teaches at a couple of workshops like the Roots Workshop, and gives to great causes. As happy and seemingly perfect as her life is now, there is some pain in her past that effects her to this day. This is one of those interviews that will make you laugh, and you just may find yourself shedding a tear or two as well. The interview took place during WPPI, so we were constantly being interrupted (most of the interruptions I edited out, but I kept a few in the program for comic relief). If you’re a fan of this show, I have no doubt that this will be one of your favorites.
Next week, the very passionate Carlos Baez talks about fashion, shooting nudes, and photography history. Don’t miss it!
Every year online studio management software producer ShootQ offers a $10,000 grant to a wedding photographer who is interested in doing a special photojournalist project. Last year’s winner is today’s guest. Annie O’Neill was a traditional editorial photojournalist for the better part of two decades. As many in that field are now want to do, she made the cross-over to wedding and portrait work. Annie’s story is quite an interesting one. She’s a twin sister, ninth of ten kids, from an Irish Catholic family on Long Island. She shares with us her stories growing up and making the trek into photography. She then shares with us about the subject for which she won the grant: military post traumatic stress syndrome as it specifically relates to sexual abuse. Annie gives us a no holds barred interview that you won’t want to miss.
