Camera and Inspiration #13 | PPN | Jeff Widener - Iconic Tank Man Photographer and more

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Interview with Jeff Widener - Inspiration from the famous “Tank Man” photographer on his famous image, his photojournalism career, and inspiring words for other photographers.

This is episode #13 of the Camera and Inspiration show at “PPN - Photo Podcast Network” for April 2018.

This episode is sponsored by:

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• This is the 50th podcast episode at PPN and we invited a very special photographer for this episode: Jeff Widener is an American photojournalist who is best known for his famous “Tank Man” image from Beijing in 1989. Time magazine has selected this photo as one of the 100 most influential images of all time.

 

• Marco picked Jeff Widener as the PPN inspirational photographer of the month, and Jeff shares the thrilling moments and the many coincidences that led to him taking the famous Tank Man photo and how it has changed his career.

 

• But a world famous and powerful iconic image such as “Tank Man“ often reduces a photographer in public perception to that image. And while sometimes struggling with the nimbus of his famous image, Jeff has proven over and over again that he is a very talented photographer with a strong body of work. http://www.jeffwidener.com In this interview he shares what made him want to become a photographer, how he advanced in his career, and some of the funny and interesting experiences that he has made during his work as a photojournalist. https://www.instagram.com/jeff.widener/

Here are the links to Jeff’s work and social media accounts:

Web: http://www.jeffwidener.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeff.widener/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JeffSWidener/  


Some quotes from the interview:

“You don’t just take a picture - you have to feel it.”

“I need more chaos in my images…”

“I’ll be 62 in August and I’m still trying to find solutions to problems that have been bugging me about my work for years.”

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Marco’s inspirational photo book of the month is called: “Modern Color” - by Fred Herzog.

Amazon Germany: https://amzn.to/2vTUBDV  
Published by Hatje Cantz (approx 320 pages): http://www.hatjecantz.de/fred-herzog-6837-1.html

Fred Herzog is mainly known for his photography in Vancouver where he focused primarily on capturing working-class life. He shot mainly on Kodachrome which marginalized him since most artists shot in B&W in the 1950’s and 1960’s.
But he has and his work has been recognized in recent years and I certainly want to introduce you to his work and his book Modern Color.

Herzog once said: “I wanted to show the world the way it is”

The book mainly consists of beautiful color photographs of the 1950’s to 1970’s and the color is simply stunning If you had never shot Kodachrome and want to get an idea why so many dearly miss it, you will instantly find out after opening this book.

This book should be on the very top of the list because it is a great example for those of you who may think that there is nothing interesting to photograph in your town anymore.
Looking at old images is always interesting, Cars, clothes, houses, no smartphones, but what do you think Fred saw when he stepped out of his door in 1958? It all looked to him like when you step out of your door today.

Study this book and see what caught his attention and convert it into today’s life. You may be amazed at the opportunities that lay before you.

The book covers a lot of different scenes, some that include humans, but if you are not comfortable with photographing humans without asking beforehand, there are plenty of images of cars, houses, posters, and signs that are just stunning.



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For more information on Marco Larousse follow him on Twitter: @HamburgCam

About this show:
On the monthly “Camera and Inspiration” podcast show of the PPN - Photo Podcast Network, Marco and usually a guest discuss the essence of photography and how to photograph with more intent. Determining the “why” before the “how” in photography is essential to understanding your subject better and create stronger images. In each episode, they introduce you to an inspirational photographer of the month and also share an inspirational photo book of the month.

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Images from Jeff Widener's portfolio

Tank Man - Beijing 1989 - © Jeff Widener / AP

Storm Ashore - Hawaii 1998 - © Jeff Widener

Burma Beggar - Mandalay 1995 - © Jeff Widener

Window Walkers - Los Angeles 2005 - © Jeff Widener

Hands Off - Seoul 1994 - © Jeff Widener

Double Header - Hawaii 2008 - © Jeff Widener

China Struggle - Beijing 1989 - © Jeff Widener / AP

Author

Marco Larousse is a journalist and a fine art, street and documentary photographer, a educator, speaker, and podcast producer of photography related topics - MarcoLarousse.com. Marco has a background in photography of 30+ years.

Marco's approach to photography is "reduce to the basics and focus on the story and the subject." Growing up with the limitations that film photography has taught him, he still enjoys the basic approach to photography today. For Marco the camera is a tool and a mere extension of his instincts.

Marco is Co-Founder, Host and the Producer at Photo Podcast Network. 

Contact Marco on: Twitter @HamburgCam​   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarcoLarousse1   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marco.larousse/