F8 | The Photographers Perspective

Chris talks with fine art architecture photographer Angie McMonigal about her favorite buildings to shoot in Chicago, which cities are on her wishlist, and how conference photo walks help participants improve their skillset. Plus, is there a right amount of time to be spending at a location? Angie has sold her work to places like […]

In this episode of the Out of Chicago Podcast, Out of New York Conference presenter James Maher joins Chris Smith. James talks about his involvement in the conference, including his class, "Exploration Through the Works of Famous Street Photographers."

In this episode of the Out of Chicago Podcast, Rick Sammon sits down with Abercrombie & Kent’s Bob Simpson to discuss photography travel to Antarctica. Abercrombie & Kent, a luxury travel company, offers tours around the world. Bob discusses Antarctica’s amazing features — the ice, colors and wildlife — and talks about how to start planning a tour to “the bottom of the world.”

On this two-part episode of the Out of Chicago Podcast, Rick Sammon and Jonathan Scott join the podcast to talk about wildlife safari photography in Africa.

In this week’s podcast, Chris Smith and Malinda Kavetschanky talk about October’s Out of New York Conference, the “Shootingest” Photography Conference on Earth! Chris and Malinda introduce you to the world-class list of speakers who are coming, including Bryan Peterson, Rick Sammon, Lindsay Adler, Valerie Jardin, RC Concepcion, John Kosmopoulos, Frank Smith, Steve Simon, Gabriel […]

In this special episode of the Out of Chicago Podcast, Michael Novo sits down with Jason Groupp of WPPI to discuss next week’s Visual Nation Expo in Oak Brook, Ill. Jason talks about his past and how he got started with WPPI, as well as some of the benefits that Visual Nation and other smaller […]

Michael Novo hosts Chicago-based photographer Nick Ulivieri during the Out of Chicago Conference, on this week’s Out of Chicago Podcast. Ulivieri, who shoots travel, corporate and aerial photography, is also an expert at using Instagram. He discusses finding your voice and utilizing that on the popular photography social network, and honing in on a specific […]

In this episode of the Out of Chicago Podcast, New York-based photographer James Maher joins Michael Novo during the Out of Chicago Conference. James discusses his desire for street photography and the historical street photographers that inspire him and his work. He talks about “waiting for the moment,” allowing for great candid photography on the street. He […]

In this episode, Michael Novo sits down with Photofocus founder Scott Bourne to discuss the business of photography during the Out of Chicago Conference. Scott, who was the closing speaker at June’s Out of Chicago Conference, discusses his beginnings in Pit Alley as a motorsports photographer in Indianapolis, and how he evolved into a thriving […]

In this episode, Michael Novo sits down with Chicago’s Angie McMonigal and Toronto’s Michael Muraz during the Out of Chicago Conference. Despite both being architectural photographers, Angie and Michael focus on vastly different subjects. Angie focuses on the fine, abstract details on both the exteriors and interiors of buildings. Michael, on the other hand, focuses on cityscapes as […]

In this episode, Chicago-based photographer Jordana Wright joins Michael Novo during the Out of Chicago Conference. As a food and lifestyle photographer who travels internationally for her work, Wright gives tips on how to travel with photography equipment, regardless of what you’re shooting. She also bridges the gap between travel and food photography, discussing how a typical food […]

Out of Chicago instructor and award-winning commercial and car photographer Tim Wallace joins Michael Novo for this episode of the Out of Chicago Podcast. Wallace discusses his history in the military and as a photographer. Based out of the United Kingdom, Wallace has worked for clients such as Aston Martin, Jaguar, Audi and Peugeot. He […]

In this episode of the Out of Chicago Podcast, Michael Novo sits down with Bryan Peterson to discuss photographic exposure. Peterson, who presented at the Out of Chicago Conference, is a photographer and author of several books, including “Understanding Exposure.” He explains how he went about writing “Understanding Exposure,” and why exposure is more complicated […]

In this packed episode of the Out of Chicago Podcast, Chris gives some last minute details for this weekend’s Out of Chicago Conference. He discusses the first-ever photo crawl, gear check, pre-conference workshops and more! Even if you can’t make this weekend’s conference, you’ll want to check out the pre-conference workshops taking place Thursday and […]

This week, we’re joined by commercial and editorial portrait photographer Steven Brokaw. Steven takes us on the journey of starting off your portfolio from scratch, and then getting into the world of commercial photography. He gives us some amazing tips on how to start a portfolio and then how to transition into working with professional […]

“Business Manager to the Photography Stars” Corwin Hiebert sits down with Chris Smith to discuss business and creativity practices for photographers. Corwin, author of the Business Action Planner for Photographers and Living the Dream, discusses how he helps photographers work through issues and barriers to success. He alludes to some of the pain points in […]

This week on the Out of Chicago Podcast, Chris joins Jim Welninski to discuss Jim’s upcoming involvement with Out of Chicago. In addition to teaching at the Summer and New York Conferences, Jim will be co-leading a four-session fine art architectural workshop with Chris beginning tonight. You can learn more about that event and sign […]

This week on the Out of Chicago podcast, Chris sits down with street photographer Valerie Jardin, who will be presenting at both June’s Out of Chicago Conference and October’s Out of New York Conference. She also runs the Street Focus Podcast for the This Week in Photo network. Valerie talks about her recent trip to Rome, […]

This week, Michael Novo talks with Jerry and Melissa Ghionis, a husband and wife photography team that splits their time between Los Angeles and Australia. The couple discuss how to work together, as well as how to get a head start as a new photographer. Melissa dives into her customer service philosophy, while Jerry talks […]

This week on the Out of Chicago Podcast, we recap this weekend’s Portrait Conference with Chris Smith, Michael Novo and Malinda Kavetschanky. The first annual Portrait Conference was a huge success! The weekend started with a great keynote from Lindsay Adler and the results from our first ever print competition. Congratulations to the winners: Best […]

Long Island, Queens-based photographer Jen Rozenbaum joins Michael Novo this week on the Out of Chicago Podcast. Jen, who will be teaching at this weekend’s Out of Chicago Portrait Conference, discusses some of the keys to getting started with  boudoir photography, approaching the business side of things and keeping the confidence up in your subjects. […]

In this episode of the Out of Chicago Podcast, Chris talks to Washington-based photographer Nick Page. Nick, who will be presenting at the Out of Chicago Portrait Conference, specializes in photographing weddings, portraits, architecture and fine art landscapes. He also co-hosts several podcasts for Improve Photography. He discusses his speedlight setup, leading into his conference workshop […]

This week on the Out of Chicago Podcast, Michael Novo talks with Steve Neilson about different lighting setups. Steve, who will  be presenting at the Out of Chicago Portrait Conference and the Summer Conference, discusses flat lighting, the bouncing of light as well as full off-camera flash. He also recommends some great starter equipment, and […]

This week on the Out of Chicago Podcast, Chris discusses the upcoming Out of New York Photography Conference. Out of Chicago will call New York City home from October 14-15, with on-the-street workshops available on Oct. 16. Located across from the Empire State Building, the Out of New York Photography Conference will be held in the heart […]

In this week’s podcast, Chris sits down with Michael Novo, to discuss the art of light painting. Traditionally a wedding and portrait photographer, Michael describes light painting as a series of images using a flash or flashlight, using multiple exposures and merging them together. Michael strives to do something beyond traditional photography, adapting to each client […]

This week, Chris sits down with Giulio Scriorio to discuss finding your true voice and vision as a photographer. Giulio is a Lumix Luminary, and will be teaching at the Out of Chicago Portrait Conference, held April 8 and 9. In this podcast, he talks about finding out who you really are as an artist through […]

In this episode of the Out of Chicago Podcast, Michael Novo talks to Mark Serrano, a professional portrait photographer and expert retouching. Mark discusses going through the edit process with clients, from out of camera to the final product. He also discusses his workflow, which can sometimes last upwards of four hours per photo, dealing with […]

In this episode, Chris Smith gives us all the details ahead of Saturday’s Out of Chicago Winter Conference! He discusses keynote speaker Adam Jones, as well as the other instructors for the day. Registrations are still available; visit winter.outofchicago.com to get started!

In this episode of the Out of Chicago Podcast, we talk to Chris Nicholson, author of Photographing National Parks, about what to expect when shooting the great outdoors, how to prepare and what to bring. He also discusses some of  his favorite and most-visited national parks. Nicholson, from Astoria, Queens (N.Y.), started visiting national parks […]

We welcome Michael Novo to Out of Chicago, who sits down with fine art photographer Thom Rouse in this episode of the Out of Chicago Podcast. Thom is the author of After the Camera: Digital Transformations for Conceptual Nude & Portrait Photography, discussing the creative process behind his portrait work. In this podcast, he discusses […]

In this episode of the Out of Chicago Podcast, Chris talks to Nick Sinnott of Richard Stromberg’s Chicago Photography Classes, about the benefits of taking classes in order to build a photography community. Nick is a partner at Richard Stromberg’s Chicago Photography Classes, which offers classes for all skill sets. There are several classes to […]

UPDATE: The code to text has been updated to “Ralph1”. Please email info@outofchicago.com with any questions! Chris talks to Ralph Velasco of PhotoEnrichment Programs, Inc., about working off a shot list for your travel photography. Ralph is the founder of PhotoEnrichment Programs, Inc., a company which organizes and leads customized cultural photography tours around the […]

Chris Smith gives us an inside look at the details for June’s Out of Chicago Photography Conference, held June 24-26 in Chicago. Find out about the instructors for this year’s conference, new events like the Friday night Photocrawl and panel discussions, and all the details about accommodations. Register now and sign up for your favorite […]

Milwaukee photographer, CJ Schmit, shoots night photography, cityscapes, and even some studio work. Check out his website here and you find him on Flickr, Instagram, and Fine Art America. He is now shooting for the Wisconsin Humane Society weekly. Listen to this Podcast for more about CJ and his long exposure techniques. Bus Tour Join us […]

I had the opportunity to talk with Eric Allix Rogers, Program Coordinator for Open House Chicago. He works with Garrett Karp to put together Open House Chicago happening October 17th-18th. Follow Eric on Instagram @ericallixrogers. Open House Chicago Photographers will have the opportunity to go into buildings with amazing architecture, 200 sites in 18 different […]

It has been awhile since the last Podcast, but here is our featured speaker at the Architectural Photography Seminar, Julia Anna Gospodarou. She is a master architect and international award winning fine art photographer from Athens, Greece. Check out her amazing work on her website and learn about photography and her techniques by reading her book, From Basics to Fine […]

I have Levi Sim on the Out of Chicago podcast today! He is one of the most energetic photography teachers out there today. And he’ll be with us this summer in Chicago! Follow Levi! Levisim.com Levi on Photofocus SDesignsPhotography @photolevi Sign up for the conference at outofchicago.com/conference. See Levi’s conference page with links to all […]

Huge apologies to Thomas Leuthard. We recorded this podcast in August and it’s been sitting on my hard drive since then. But it’s worth the wait! Thomas Leuthard is coming from Switzerland and will be part of the Out of Chicago Conference this summer. Sign up at outofchicago.com/conference. Thomas’s page for the Out of Chicago […]

The Out of Chicago Conference 2015 has been announced and we have a stellar lineup! My goal is to bring each of the presenters onto the Out of Chicago Podcast before the conference. We’re starting with one of the real rock stars of the conference; Giulio Sciorio. Giulio is a Panasonic Lumix Luminary and is […]

Welcome back to the Out of Chicago Podcast! This week we have interviews with Chicago photographers John Batdorff and Tim Arroyo.   John Batdorff www.johnbatdorff.com   Tim Arroyo www.timarroyo.com Harrington College of Design   Pick of the week MeFoto Roadtrip Tripod

Night Photography Mini Workshops this weekend Saturday is filled up. Sign up for Sunday, August 31st, using the Paypal button below. If you’re coming to either night, check out episodes Open House Chicago is coming soon! Well, kinda soon. But make sure to put it on your calendar. Open House Chicago: October 18th and 19th, […]

Images by Marie Laigneau Don’t miss out on Wendy Bright’s Out of Chicago photography tour of the University of Chicago on August 23rd. Get more details here. Get Marie’s street photography eBook, here. Follow Marie Laigneau at MarieLaigneau.com Pick of the week: The Olympus E-M10 with the Olympus 17mm 1.8 lens Olympus OM-D E-M10 Compact […]

I spent a morning with macro photographer Mike Moats. Mike and I walked through one of his favorite places to shoot and recorded our entire walk. He shares his insight on everything from how he shoots, to the equipment he uses, to making money in photography. You’re going to love the interview. Follow Mike Moats […]

Image by Anne Belmont An interview with Courtney Quigley and Anne Belmont at the Chicago Botanic Garden Butterflies and Blooms at the Chicago Botanic Garden Monarch Decline articles and free plant/seed sites: http://makewayformonarchs.org/i/ http://www.livemonarch.com/free-milkweed-seeds.htm http://www.thebutterflyfarm.com/free-milkweed-seeds-0 http://www.livemonarch.org/ http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2014/0130/Bye-bye-butterfly-How-you-can-fight-the-Monarch-die-off-video http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2014/0129/Is-the-annual-Monarch-butterfly-migration-coming-to-an-end Moth Exhibition: http://www.chicagobotanic.org/exhibitions/moths Garden Photography Tips from Anne Belmont Visit Anne’s site for some amazing photos from […]

Recent Posts Anderson Japanese Gardens by Pat Coddington An amazing eBook from Marie Laigneau! The Morton Arboretum from Rich Flasburg Shooting Blue Hour Cityscapes by Mike Muraz Chicago Parking Garages One of the best places to find a new vantage point to shoot the city is a parking garage. Here are my top 7 parking […]

Welcome Wendy Bright as our new editor of the Out of Chicago site. If you’re interested in contributing to the site, email Wendy at Wendy@OutofChicago.com. I think that the Art Wolfe seminar helped me to realize why I sometimes am not in love with my new E-M10. I am just not as comfortable with it […]

This Saturday is the seminar with Art Wolfe. Use the coupon code “Chicago2014” for 20% off. We may do an Out of Chicago walk or tour after the seminar to put some of these composition tips to use. Olympus E-M10 Review It’s a lovely camera! It’s a great compliment to a DSLR. I love it […]

Conference Wrap up The first Out of Chicago conference exceeded all of my expectations. The presenters were amazing! The team helping me was amazing! I can’t wait to do it again next year! Summer in Chicago: My top ten places to shoot in Chicago in the summer Millennium Park and Crown Fountain Buckingham Fountain Chicago […]

On a very special episode of the Out of Chicago Show… We have interviews with three of the photographers presenting at this summer’s Out of Chicago Conference!   Angie McMonigal http://www.angiemcmonigal.com/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/angiemcmonigalphotography/   John Crouch http://www.crouchphotos.com https://www.flickr.com/photos/crouch/   Nick Ulivieri http://nickulivieriphotography.com/ https://www.facebook.com/nuphotography

Please subscribe and leave a review of the podcast on iTunes. Thanks!   Post Processing for Night Photography White balance is critical (make sure you were shooting in RAW!) As with any image, it is absolutely essential that the black areas of your image are true black. Lower the black slider in Lightroom if you […]

Please subscribe and leave a review of the podcast on iTunes   Night Photography Subjects If you missed our last two episodes, go back to hear about night photography equipment and night photography camera settings. Night photography in the city leads to subjects that wouldn’t be interesting during the day. Here are some of my […]

Please subscribe and leave a review of the podcast on iTunes. Thanks! I am going to get a podcast out for the beginning of each week. Every Monday morning there will be a new podcast waiting for you in your podcast player. Tony Reynes and Anne Belmont have been leading a lot of photowalks on […]

Out of Chicago Podcast Episode 3 Please leave a review of the podcast on iTunes. Thanks! Upcoming Events Art Wolfe in Chicago: July 12th Loyola University Coupon Code for 15% off: “Chicago 2014”   1. Equipment for night photography in the city Over the next few episodes I’ll be giving advice for night photography in […]

The Out of Chicago Podcast: Episode 2 Please leave a review of the podcast on iTunes. Thanks!   1. The Current State of Mirrorless Cameras Olympus: E-M10, E-M1 Fastest, smallest, best handling Panasonic: GH4, GX7 Best for video Fuji: X-T1 Best combination of everything Sony: A7R, A7: Best IQ, Full frame   2. An interview […]

Episode 1 of the Out of Chicago Podcast   Please leave a review of the podcast on iTunes. Thanks! 1. An introduction to the Out of Chicago podcast I started the Out of Chicago podcast for the same reason that I started the Out of Chicago site, wrote The Photographer’s Guide to Chicago eBook, that […]

Chris talks with landscape photographer Erin Babnik to talk technique and answer your questions.  We discuss what it’s like being a woman out in the field, meeting fellow female photographers, her workshops around the world, color theory, her favorite landscape photographers, and if social media is negatively affecting creativity and natural areas. Visit ErinBabnik.com to […]

I interviewed each one of the instructors at Mike Moats Macro Conference to try to get a nugget of wisdom from each one of them. I put all of these interviews together in one podcast which you can listed to right here. To follow Mike Moats and to find out more about the 2019 Macro […]

Rod Barbee is the author of The Photographer’s Guide to the Oregon Coast and he will be one of our instructors at our 3rd annual Landscape Photography Conference, Out of Oregon! Learn more about Rod at rodbarbee.com. Find out more about the Out of Oregon Conference at outoforegon.com.

Interview with Jay and Varina Patel Jay and Varina have been leading photography workshops for more than ten years. They’ll be the keynote presenters at the Out of Moab Landscape Photography Conference in October and here they share their best tips to prepare for any photo adventure. Visual Wilderness Visual Wilderness Guide to Landscape Photography […]

Alan Shapiro is one of the most inspiring flower photographers that I know. Alan Shapiro and I talk about creativity in flower photography, exercises to stretch your creative muscles and post-processing for flower photography. I also give a lot more details on the upcoming conference. You can watch the interview below or listen to the […]

Anne Belmont and I have talked about running a flower and garden photography conference at the Chicago Botanic Garden for years. Everything has come together and we will run the event for the first time this August. In this interview, Anne and I discuss her favorite locations in the Garden and give some details on […]

Chris interviews Gordon Laing from CameraLabs.com Read Gordon’s Sony Alpha A9 review In Camera: Perfect Pictures Straight Out of the Camera

Join me and the Out of Chicago team at Art Wolfe’s seminar at the Museum of Science and Industry on Sunday, June 11th Art Wolfe Presents: Photography as Art in Chicago SAVE $50 with code “outofchicago”   I also hope you’ll join us at the 4th annual Out of Chicago Photography Conference June 23-25th. Art Wolfe […]

Erin Babnik is one of my favorite landscape photographers. I can’t wait to have her teach at the Out of Acadia Landscape Photography Conference! Check out Erin’s work at erinbabnik.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/babnikphoto Twitter: twitter.com/ErinBabnik Instagram: instagram.com/erinbabnikphotography 500px: 500px.com/erinbabnik

Welcome to Season 4 of the Out of Chicago Podcast with Bob Davis! We’ll be back each week with a new podcast. Make sure that you subscribe on iTunes and leave a review. Interview with Bob Davis In this episode, I interview photojournalist, wedding photographer, and Canon Explorer of Light, Bob Davis. We talk about […]

In this episode of the Out of Chicago Podcast, Chris Smith sits down with Mark Alper of Big Acrylic. Mark gives some tips for hanging and printing, and discusses some unique printing options through his company.