The Candid Frame: Conversations on Photography

TCF Ep. 456 - An Rong Xu

Michael A. McCoy is a Washington D.C. based freelance photojournalist and a two-time combat veteran. In his work as a photographer, he sees himself as a visual storyteller. He is devoted to his documentary and environmental portraiture work which includes his personal project Invisible Wounds which explores the lingering impact of PTSD on veterans.

Stella Johnson is a photographer and educator known for her passionate and honest documentary projects. She received a Core Fulbright Scholar Grant to photograph in Mexico in 2003, and Fulbright Senior Specialist grants to teach in Mexico in 2006 and in Colombia in 2018. The University of Maine Press published her monograph, Al Sol: Photographs from Mexico, Cameroon, and Nicaragua in 2008. Johnson’s photographs have been widely exhibited in the United States and internationally.

In this unusual episode, photojournalist and documentary photographer Jamie Rose conducts an exhaustive interview with TCF host, Ibarionex Perello about his life, including his career as a photographer, writer, and podcaster. It includes a temporary sidetrack as a stand-comic. The conversation examines some of the challenges he has faced professional and personally, including a recent diagnosis of ADHD.

Valerie Jardin is a popular street and travel photographer, educator and host of the Hit the Street podcast. After leaving a successful career as a professional commercial photographer, she dedicated herself to her personal photography and conducting photo experiences both in the United States and Europe. She has recently turned her lens to more personal projects including a series of environmental portraits of artists that live and work in her community.

Jens Krauer is a street photographer, educator, and podcaster based in Switzerland. In a relatively short time, he has become a talented photographer and brings a thoughtful philosophy to the practice of making images. As the host of the FujiLove podcast, he frequently interview photographers not only about their use of Fuji cameras but also their varied approaches to making photographs.  

David Burnett is a photojournalist with more than 5 decades of work covering the news, the people, and visual tempo of our age. He is co-founder of Contact Press Images, the New York based photojournalism agency.

Louie Palu is an award-winning documentary photographer and filmmaker whose photographic work has allowed him to tell the stories of individuals, NGO’s and big multi-national corporations, across more than 20 countries. While his philosophical musing about life, photography, and creativity have and continue to inspire creatives all over the world.

Sean Tucker is a photographer, YouTuber, Instagrammer, and a former priest. But in all these roles, he has always imagined himself a storyteller. His journey from the priesthood to a professional photographer has provided him a unique career path but also a wealth of experiences that he openly shares on his popular YouTube channel.

Endia Beal is a North Carolina based artist, who is internationally known for her photographic narratives and video testimonies that examine the personal, yet contemporary stories of marginalized communities and individuals.

Jim Herrington is a photographer whose portraits of celebrities including Benny Goodman, Willie Nelson, The Rolling Stones, Cormac McCarthy, Morgan Freeman and Dolly Parton have appeared on the pages of Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Esquire, GQ, Outside and Men’s Journal as well as on scores of album covers for more than three decades.

Gary Nichols loves steampunk and photography. He has combined his passion to create an amazing visual story consisting of thousands of photographs, prints, and one-of-a-kind books. He calls his personal project The Imaginarium.

This week we feature photographer and blogger Trey Ratcliff, whose popular blog Stuck in Customs helped popularize HDR photography. He continues to serve as an inspiration to photographers worldwide from his home base in New Zealand.

Suzanne Sease's work as a senior art buyer in the advertising world along with her role as a consultant has helped countless photographers define their success in a very competitive field. Her regular column on the popular blog, A Photo Editor features some of the best in personal projects being produced today.

Brian (B+) Cross is not only a seminal photographer of the music industry but an acclaimed chronicler of the early hip-hop scene in Los Angeles.