Who is Aakaash Bali?

Aakaash Bali is a cinematic narrative fine art photographer, based in Long Island, New York.

After pursuing a pre-med tract in college, he opted to go into political science and law, before fully embracing photography.

“I essentially gave up a law degree to chase my passion,” he said in a text message after the interview.

Speaking With Aaakaash Bali

What Does Cinematic Narrative Look Like?

The Shadow District

Initially, The Shadow District, “was born out of a need for peace, quiet, and time for myself,” says Bali.

After the interview I admited to the following:

In all your work (yours, Crewdson's, Woodman's and Hamilton's), there is a sort of sadness that lingers in each frame.

To that Bali responded with the following:

The sadness creates that heavy “substance” that I believe is something human nature craves. For the same reason we enjoy watching drama films, or tragic films. It isn't so much that we crave the sadness, but we crave the substance, the “weight”.

Please be sure to check out and buy Aakaash's amazing photographs!

Learn more about The Cinema Experience.

Follow Aakaash Bali on Instagram. You'll also find Shadow District on Instagram.

Photographers Mentioned

Gregory Crewdson

Nicky Hamilton

Kate Woodman

Movies Mentioned

The Grand Budapest Hotel [Aff]

The Shape of Water [Aff]

Gear Mentioned

Fujifilm GFX 100 [Aff]

Sony A7rIII [Aff]

Godox AD600 [Aff]

If you enjoyed this podcast, would you please give it a 5-star rating and write a short review on iTunes? I would greatly appreciate that. Thank you!

Learning To Photograph Kids

Photographing kids can be challenging. Be that they are your own, or your client's. You are going to pat yourself on the back when things go right and definitely question your ability (been there, done that) when things start to go south and quickly.

Thankfully, I can lean on some amazing photographers who have made it their life mission to only photograph kids. This is their specialty. So, truly, kudos to them for showing us all that there is a way to go about photographing children.

Who is Tamara Lackey?

One such amazing photographer is Tamara Lackey. One quick look at her website and you know she knows kids. She knows how to read them, interact with them and to photograph them.

And, she knows how to teach you to photograph them in a manner that is authentic to their personalities, too.

Sometime ago, I interviewed Tamara about her organization, Beautiful Together.

One of the organization's missions is the following:

“We work to identify and complete specific and measurable projects that tangibly improve the lives of orphaned children in the United States and Africa.”

You've likely seen her present at conferences or, these days, online. She is a Nikon Ambassador and she has written several books on photographing kids and families –

Books About Photographing Kids

Art of Children's Portrait Photography, Capturing Life Through (Better) Photography, and Envisioning Family: A photographer's guide to making meaningful portraits of the modern family.

Just a few weeks ago, Tamara launched a new book, “The Posing Playbook for Photographing Kids,” published by Rocky Nook.

The Rocky Nook Interview

Mercedes Murray of Rocky Nook interviewed Tamara recently about the book. Give that presentation a listen here:

Buy The Book!

For a limited time use this code: PP4PK40 – to get 40% off the price of Tamara Lackey's new book.

Want to buy it on Amazon instead? Please remember to leave a 5-star review for my friend, Tamara Lackey!

Dr. Paul Hetzel wasn't always a landscape & nature photographer. He retired from a medical oncology practice in Springfield, MA, and found his second calling.

He and I talked about the power of printing one's own photography and how he has found a wonderful group of fellow photographers in the Photo Arts Xchange, an event hosted by Connecticut photographer, Steve Sherman.

Another important point that Dr. Hetzel makes in our chat is the importance of looking in one's own backyard for “travel” photography. In other words, you don't have to travel too far to make great photographs.

What challenges Dr. Hetzel the most as a photographer? What can make or break an image? Listen to the podcast below to find out!

Interview With Nature & Landscape Photograher

Photographers & Events Mentioned

Here are the links to some of the photographers and events mentioned in the podcast:

Sample Of Paul Hetzel's Portfolio

Speaking of landscape photography, years ago, I hosted a guest blog post by Brett Stoddart about being an Urban Landscape photographer. Check that out.

Paul Hetzel's Camera Gear

Nikon D850 [Affiliate Link]

Sony RX10 III [Affiliate Link]

A Photo Project During A Pandemic

When Eric Francis told me about “Isolation In The 402”, it immediately made sense. Unlike the popular #thefrontstepsproject which we have all now seen, Eric's work has both depth and breadth in some very nuanced ways.

Like Paul Gero, who I interviewed a couple of weeks back about his project in Wisconsin, Francis is also on a mission to document his community.

He wants to photograph as many families and individuals as possible in his area code: 402, during this time of self-isolation and social distancing. Hence the name for his project, “Isolation In The 402.”

Eric uses only Fujifilm gear and limits himself to one or two camera bodies and lenses. Most of the lighting you see in some of his portraits (scroll down) is either a porch light or day-light. Listen to the podcast, below, to learn more about his gear.

All the photographs are intentionally in black & white. As I saw Eric post portrait after portrait on his Facebook wall, I repeatedly stopped to read his posts too. Francis displays a sense of respect and curiosity to get know how each of his subjects is feeling on the day on the photo shoot.

Chatting With Eric Francis

Eric and I chat and text each other often. I know I wouldn't have converted to a Fujifilm photographer if it hadn't been for Eric's patient instructions. And yes, we can talk shop all day. When I asked if I could interview him about his project, he wasted no time in scheduling the call. Lean in and listen to how “Isolation In The 402” took shape and where he hopes to take it:

Photographs From The Project

Other Photographers Documenting Life Now

Paul Gero and Eric Francis both mentioned Matt Mendelsohn's project, Not Forgotten: The Yorktown Seniors of 2020. Take a look. If you know Matt, please let him know I would be honored to interview him for what appears to be a series now of chats with photographers about personal photography projects during the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you know of other photographers who are creating a body of work during this time, please have them contact me on Facebook.