State Fair - Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson & Courtney McCracken
Episode 10 - This week Zach & Courtney discuss their visit to the Indiana State Fair plus Zach’s project documenting fairs & festivals around the state of Indiana over the last 15 years. They also look at some photography of fairs by some of the all time greats like Danny Lyon, Inge Morath, Garry Winogrand, and others!“Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson Index0:00 - Zach got scammed.2:33 - Zach and Courtney visit the Indiana State Fair.5:33 - How to find the best fair food.9:55 - How much it cost us at the state fair this year.12:04 - How to find the best lemon shakeups13:14 - Zach’s Indiana Fair Project started in 2010. 📷22:12 - Danny Lyon’s portraits of carnival workers. 📷23:20 - Bruce Davidson’s photos of Jimmy Armstrong. 📷23:37 - Diane Arbus photographed outsiders in their personal spaces. 📷23:54 - Danny Lyon’s photos were the basis of The Bikeriders, a 2023 film starring Austin Butler.24:30 - René Burri - Fair ride. Zurich, Switzerland. 1980. 📷26:10 - Inge Morath - Puck Fair, Killorglin, County Kerry, Ireland. 1954. 📷26:48 - Martin Parr - Manorhamilton Sheep Fair, County Leitrim, Ireland. 1981. 📷27:02 - Gueorgui Pinkhassov - Blackpool, England. 2018. 📷27:32 - Garry Winogrand - Texas State Fair. 1964. 📷28:35 - Wolfgang Suschitzky - Hampstead Heath Fair. 1938. 📷29:06 - Garry Winogrand - World’s Fair. New York City. 1964. 📷29:34 - Zach will continue to photograph fairs and festivals. 📷Find ZachWebsite: https://zachdobson.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachdobsonphotoThreads: https://www.threads.com/@zachdobsonphotoFind CourtneyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymccracken_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessonsThreads: https://www.threads.com/@courtneymccracken_About the PodcastPhotography is Nothing with Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken is a weekly conversation about photography and all its impact. Each week Zach and Courtney discuss their latest adventures, life lessons, and anything else that sounds interesting. Photography is Nothing invites you into the conversations they were already having as a married couple running a photography and media company in the current world.Fair Use StatementThis document contains copyrighted material, the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I have determined this to be "fair use" of the copyrighted material as referenced and provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use any copyrighted material from this document for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain express permission from the copyright owner.
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Backstory - Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken
Episode 09 - This week Zach & Courtney discuss starting a photography business and a family at the same time and how they work to fully integrate their lives together.“Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson NotesWhere it says, “Photo stories with the family,” on the screen from 35:31 until the end, what that means is for every one of those images, we were all together as a family, or Zach was out with the kids. Clearly some of the photos have the kids in them, but many are documentary images of the places we’re visiting. We wanted to show the breadth of work it’s possible for us to do when we’re together. Courtney mentions a Helena Bonham Carter quote. Here it is…“I think everything in life is art. What you do. How you dress. The way you love someone, and how you talk. Your smile and your personality. What you believe in, and all your dreams. The way you drink your tea. How you decorate your home. Or party. Your grocery list. The food you make. How your writing looks. And the way you feel. Life is art.”Index0:00 - The parameters are there to help us grow.1:33 - Who are Zach & Courtney?2:11 - Meeting at Indiana University and sharing an interest in travel & storytelling.3:17 - Zach started his photography career in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.5:01 - Courtney moves to Chicago and Zach follows.6:12 - Zach & Courtney start their photography business in Indianapolis in 200615:17 - Working as a documentary commercial photographer17:52 - Booking our own weddings as a photographer18:58 - A special visitor to the set20:12 - Multiple streams of photography income. 21:44 - Courtney solo parenting while Zach works nights.25:26 - Why we decided to homeschool our kids.30:00 - Being in charge of our own time.33:14 - The Personal Legend Project35:40 - Creating stability at work and home40:00 - Society wants perfection. The interesting is in the mess.Find ZachWebsite: https://zachdobson.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachdobsonphotoThreads: https://www.threads.com/@zachdobsonphotoFind CourtneyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymccracken_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessonsThreads: https://www.threads.com/@courtneymccracken_About the PodcastPhotography is Nothing with Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken is a weekly conversation about photography and all its impact. Each week Zach and Courtney discuss their latest adventures, life lessons, and anything else that sounds interesting. Photography is Nothing invites you into the conversations they were already having as a married couple running a photography and media company in the current world.Fair Use StatementThis document contains copyrighted material, the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I have determined this to be "fair use" of the copyrighted material as referenced and provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use any copyrighted material from this document for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain express permission from the copyright owner.
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Iconic Album Covers Part Two - Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson & Courtney McCracken
Episode 08 - This week Zach & Courtney follow up with comments from last week’s album choices and discuss everything from lawsuits to successful collaborations between photographers and musicians.“Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson INDEX0:00 - Intro - Be more interesting!2:30 - Following up on comments about The Beatles Abbey Road conspiracies.6:57 - We each have one Mandela Effect we believe.10:06 - Our thoughts on the Nirvana Nevermind alum cover.13:43 - Album covers that had lawsuits filed: Dido’s Safe Trip Home and Vampire Weekend’s Contra19:09 - The Beatles secured permissions for all the notable people portrayed on the Sgt. Pepper album cover.21:13 - Musician Blood Orange (Dev Hynes) was inspired by Deena Lawson’s photo “Binky & Tony Forever.”29:39 - John Coltrane’s Blue Train album cover was photographed by Francis Wolff.30:46 - A brief intro to Blue Note Records designer Reid Miles.32:26 - Francis Wolff co-founded Blue Note Records and photographed many of their album covers.40:26 - Great collaborations between artists lead to the most meaningful work.Find ZachWebsite: https://zachdobson.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachdobsonphotoThreads: https://www.threads.com/@zachdobsonphotoFind CourtneyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymccracken_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessonsThreads: https://www.threads.com/@courtneymccracken_About the PodcastPhotography is Nothing with Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken is a weekly conversation about photography and all its impact. Each week Zach and Courtney discuss their latest adventures, life lessons, and anything else that sounds interesting. Photography is Nothing invites you into the conversations they were already having as a married couple running a photography and media company in the current world.Fair Use StatementThis document contains copyrighted material, the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I have determined this to be "fair use" of the copyrighted material as referenced and provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use any copyrighted material from this document for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain express permission from the copyright owner.
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Eight Iconic Album Covers - Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson & Courtney McCracken
Episode 07 - This week Zach & Courtney discuss 8 iconic album covers and the stories behind them. They define what makes an “iconic” album cover, analyze the photos, tell how they were made, who the photographers were, and some of the myths that formed around the images.“Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson Index0:00 - Intro - Zach’s brush with Free Jazz0:31 - We will call photographers out on their poor behavior. Including W. Eugene Smith. 1:47 - Today’s topic: Eight Iconic Album Covers.2:15 - How do we define an iconic album cover?4:13 - The Polaroid. Taylor Swift. 1989. Photo by Lowfield.8:51 - The use of Polaroid reminds Courtney of No Code by Pearl Jam.11:20 - Greatest rock & roll photo? The Clash. London Calling. Photo by Pennie Smith15:57 - Giant Steps by John Coltrane. Photographed by Lee Friedlander20:50 - Famous behind. Bruce Springsteen. Born in the U.S.A. Photo by Annie Leibovitz24:43 - Uplifting friends. Kendrick Lamar. To Pimp A Butterfly. Photo by Denis Rouvre.27:56 - Courtney’s pick. Madonna. True Blue. Photographed by Herb Ritts.33:08 - A new classic. Doechii. Alligator Bites Never Heal. Photographed by John Jay.37:22 - The most iconic album cover photo of all time according to Zach.Find ZachWebsite: https://zachdobson.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachdobsonphotoThreads: https://www.threads.com/@zachdobsonphotoFind CourtneyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymccracken_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessonsThreads: https://www.threads.com/@courtneymccracken_About the PodcastPhotography is Nothing with Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken is a weekly conversation about photography and all its impact. Each week Zach and Courtney discuss their latest adventures, life lessons, and anything else that sounds interesting. Photography is Nothing invites you into the conversations they were already having as a married couple running a photography and media company in the current world.Fair Use StatementThis document contains copyrighted material, the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I have determined this to be "fair use" of the copyrighted material as referenced and provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use any copyrighted material from this document for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain express permission from the copyright owner.
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Photo Stories That Went Too Far - Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson & Courtney McCracken
Episode 06 - This week Zach & Courtney discuss photography projects that became obsessive, including Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase’s Ravens, Catherine Leroy’s coverage of the Vietnam War, W. Eugene Smith documenting Pittsburg for two years, and Zach’s own project of photographing lost golf balls in the woods and the creek.**NOTES**- W. Eugene Smith’s Country Doctor story was photographed in Kremmling, Colorado.- It’s true the W. Eugene Smith would copy his correspondence for posterity.- The first woman photographer to win a Guggenheim grant was Dorothea Lange in 1941, but she turned it down to work for the government documenting Japanese Internment Camps.- Helen Levitt won two consecutive Guggenheim grants in 1959 & 1968 for her color photography.- Stephan Lorant’s book Pittsburgh: the Story of an American City was published in 1964 (Pittsburgh’s bicentennial was 1958).“Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson Index0:00 - Intro - A photographer with a lot of problems0:39 - Today’s topic: Photo stories that went too far.1:38 - Comments. We made people cry.3:20 - New episodes of Photography is Nothing are released early Wednesday morning6:17 - Zach’s obsessive photo story: As It Lies 📷8:55 - What’s inside a golf ball? We were surprised to see!11:23 - Masahisa Fukase’s Ravens; a photo book 10 years in the making 📷12:56 - Backstory: Masahisa Fukase’s photographed his wife for the series From Window 📷13:59 - When is a photographer putting themself on a subject?16:21 - Ravens by Masahisa Fukase is regarded as one of the best photo books of the last 40 years. 📷20:26 - Catherine Leroy’s tenacity eventually got her captured by the enemy. She turned it into an exclusive story. 📷27:12 - W. Eugene Smith’s Pittsburgh series was aggressively massive. 📷28:38 - W. Eugene Smith is credited for inventing the modern photo story with his Country Doctor series. 📷30:45 - The story behind W. Eugene Smith’s Pittsburgh photo series. 📷32:03 - Some quotes from W. Eugene Smith. 📷43:00 - Was W. Eugene Smith one of the all-time great photographers? What is his legacy. 📷45:20 - His children that he called “anchors” were the subjects for one of his most famous photos. 📷Find ZachWebsite: https://zachdobson.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachdobsonphotoThreads: https://www.threads.com/@zachdobsonphotoFind CourtneyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymccracken_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessonsThreads: https://www.threads.com/@courtneymccracken_About the PodcastPhotography is Nothing with Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken is a weekly conversation about photography and all its impact. Each week Zach and Courtney discuss their latest adventures, life lessons, and anything else that sounds interesting. Photography is Nothing invites you into the conversations they were already having as a married couple running a photography and media company in the current world.
Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken is a weekly conversation about photography and all its impact. Each week Zach and Courtney discuss their latest adventures, life lessons, and anything else that sounds interesting.
Photography is Nothing invites you into the conversations they were already having as a married couple running a photography and media company in the current world.
“Photography is nothing—it’s life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson
South Africa