We Are Photographers

Lucas Jackson is an award-winning Senior Photographer at Reuters. For over a decade he’s worked as a staff photographer covering every aspect of the news and feature stories in New York as well as the red carpet, concerts, natural disasters, politics and wars. As a staff photographer he has to be ready to photograph any scene at any time under any circumstance. This is We Are Photographers with Lucas Jackson and this is his story.

Michelle Valberg is a renowned explorer, adventurer and wildlife photographer. She is a Nikon Ambassador Canada, a fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographic Society and was the first ever Canadian Geographic Photographer-in-Residence. She’s an author, a speaker and guides photography expeditions to extreme destinations. In this episode Michelle talks about photographing everything from narwhals to ice bears to snowy owls to a field of 10,000 walrus. She describes her first time making eye to eye contact with a polar bear and how photographing wildlife involves using all of your senses to anticipate the decisive moment.

Jacob Jonas is a dancer, choreographer and Artistic Director of the Jacob Jonas The Company, which he founded when he was only 22 years old. His works have been performed around North America including at The Kennedy Center, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and Lincoln Center. He’s a self-taught photographer, a director & filmmaker, educator, and entrepreneur.

Kelly Brown is an award-winning newborn & portrait photog based in Brisbane, Australia. She is an international educator, speaker, author, print competition judge, and serial entrepreneur. Her brands include Little Pieces Photography, The Baby Summit, Newborn Posing, Rise International Photography Awards, and Spine Street Studios.

Andy To is a photographer and filmmaker based in NYC. Along with his partner in life and business Joycelyn Linh, he travels nonstop creating content for brands including Adobe, Sony, Adorama, Apple, major airlines, and tourism boards globally. Andy says he’s dedicated his life to filmmaking and spreading positivity and loves to give back by teaching his craft to others.

Joshua Coombes is the founder of the movement #DoSomethingForNothing. Josh is a British hair stylist who began offering haircuts to people he met on the streets experiencing homelessness. He found that listening to people’s stories and connecting through a haircut, along with showing people a photo of themselves before & after, made a far bigger impact than he ever could have imagined.

Saunak Shah is the Founder and Creative Director of Pursuit of Portraits, a global creative collective and community of portrait-lovers. What started as an Instagram account to showcase portrait photography, @pursuitofportraits has grown into a movement connecting hundreds of thousands of creatives around the world. This is We Are Photographers with Saunak Shah as this is his story.

Deanne Fitzmaurice is a Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist, a Nikon Ambassador, represented by Nat Geo Creative, a teacher and the co-founder of Think Tank Photo. In this episode we talk about the power of visual storytelling to affect change, what she’s learned about her own process through teaching photography to writers, and how photojournalism can be your passport to the world. Deanne shares how she builds trust with her subjects and how she protects herself mentally when photographing challenging situations in order to humanize stories for the rest of us. This is We Are Photographers with Deanne Fitzmaurice and this is her story.

Natalie Franke is the Founder of the Rising Tide Society and Head of Community at HoneyBook. She’s also a photographer, entrepreneur, writer and educator. In this episode Natalie talks about communityship, what #communityovercompetition actually means to the 75,000+ members of The Rising Tide Society.

Aran Goyoaga is the author of "Small Plates & Sweet Treats: My Family's Journey to Gluten-Free Cooking" and the award-willing Cannelle et Vanille blog. Her work has been featured in many publications including The New York Times, Food & Wine and Conde Nast Traveler. Join the 280,000+ creatives following Aran's images and recipes on IG at @cannellevanille

Karen Okonkwo and Joshua Kissi are the co-founders of TONL, a company turning stock photography into culturally radiant stories. Karen is a Nigerian-American social entrepreneur, speaker and educator. Joshua is a Ghanaian-American photographer and creative entrepreneur who co-founded the NY creative agency Street Etiquette.

Cristina Mittermeier is a marine biologist, conservationist, Sony Artisan of Imagery and National Geographic photographer. She founded the International League of Conservation Photographers and more recently co-founded SeaLegacy.org. In this episode, Critsina takes us to remote corners of the globe, including below the thin blue line to swim with, and photograph the largest animal on the planet. This is We Are Photographers with Cristina Mittermeier, and this is her story.

TY Bello is a Lagos, Nigeria based portrait photographer, singer/songwriter, and philanthropist who is helping educate and mentor a new wave of Nigerian photographers. This is We Are Photographers with TY Bello, and this is her story.

In this episode, Dave talks about the similarities between the creative elements that make up both photography and music. We hear about the beautiful intersection of old and new when combining his grandfather’s old analog lenses with the latest Sony mirrorless technology. This is We Are Photographers with Dave Krugman and this is his story.

Brooke Shaden shares how she accidentally became a photographer even though she didn’t feel a connection to the medium. We explore self-doubt, letting go of pride, and the fear of declaring herself a writer. If creativity doesn’t come easily for you, Brooke shares how she’s discovered her own style. We find out what her tattoo says that’s based on the book she’s most obsessed with.