Here are some of the recordings I made at the 2024 Chico Review with the wonderful attendees who come to Chico to share their work and their stories with incredible reviewers. I had the opportunity to spend a short amount of time with over 20 attendees. These conversations come from our first interactions for me and the guests with each other and I…

Visual Artist and educator, Lydia Panas and I have a wonderful conversation about her work including her books, Falling from Grace (self published), The Mark of Abel (Kehrer Verlag), and Sleeping Beauty (MW Editions). We talk about her use of allegorical themes as a way of pushing back against them and we talk extensively about how she works with a…

Abelardo Morell joins me to talk about his storied career and incredible passion for photography and art history. We talk about Flowers for Lisa, published by Abrams Books and Tent-Camera, published by Nazraeli Press, including the inspiration and the inventiveness of these works and the work that came before and after. Abe's work has long been fun…

Here are some of the recordings I made at the 2024 Chico Review with the wonderful attendees who come to Chico to share their work and their stories with incredible reviewers. I had the opportunity to spend a short amount of time with over 20 attendees. These conversations come from our first interactions for me and the guests with each other and I…

Photographer, publisher, designer, and coffee roaster, Clint Woodside joined me at the 2024 Chico Review to talk about Deadbeat Club Press and his own photography. We talk about how he partners with artists to make work and books, how he thinks about publishing as a family business, and we talk extensively about his own photography. In particular, …

Here are some of the recordings I made at the 2024 Chico Review with the wonderful attendees who come to Chico to share their work and their stories with incredible reviewers. I had the opportunity to spend a short amount of time with over 20 attendees. These conversations come from our first interactions for me and the guests with each other and I…

I visited Mark Alice Durant at his home in Maryland to talk about his book, Summer of the White Fox, and After, published by Saint Lucy Books. We talk about how Mark came to photography and why he started his own publishing imprint. Summer of the White Fox, and After is a memoir and a monograph, with a touch of history and philosophy weaved into th…

Tim Carpenter and I met up at the 2024 Chico Review to talk about his latest book Little, published by The Ice Plant. We talk about how Little is the last in a trilogy of Tim’s books, Local Objects and Christmas Day, Bucks Pond Road, both also published by The Ice Plant. Even though Tim was on PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf in 2023 to talk about To Phot…

Photographer and Pediatrician, Greg Gulbransen joins me to talk about his book, Say Less, published by Gost Books. Greg and I talk about how facing tragedy in his personal life and being a children’s doctor all lead to this exploration of gun violence. Greg is a unique guest in that he is both a full-time working doctor and had great success with f…

Shana Lopes, PhD, Assistant Curator of Photography at SFMOMA, joins me to talk about how being a curator perfectly combined her love of photography and art history. We talk about working with both historical and contemporary artists and the questions that need to be answered in order to provide proper context for the work whether done posthumously …

Photographer and educator, Harlan Bozeman and I recorded at Penumbra Foundation at the end of his residency there. Harlan is a 2024 Catchlight Global Fellow and we talk mostly about his work in Elaine, Arkansas that was recognized by Catchlight. The years of work that Harlan created and still creates in Elaine is now called “Out the E” and Harlan s…

Writer, Curator, and Director of Pier 24 Photography in San Francisco, Allie Haeusslein, joined me at the 2024 Chico Review and we discussed how writing about and curating photography became her passion and we talk specifically about the show, Stacy Mehrfar: The Moon Belongs to Everyone at Filter Photo, to highlight Allie's approach to curating and…

Photographer, writer, and educator, Tom Griggs, and I met at AIPAD to talk about his book, A Creature Obeys a Creature That Wants, published by Mesaestándar. A Creature Obeys a Creature That Wants is an exploration of generational depression experienced through Tom’s paternal side of his family. It weaves together text and images from Tom with text…

Continuing with my recordings at the 2024 Chico Review, Ben Brody joins me to talk about his two books, Attention Servicemember and 300m both published by Mass Books which was started by Ben and Peter van Agtmael. We talk about Ben’s experience as an Army photographer during the American war in Iraq and why he chose to be a civilian freelance photo…

Linda Troeller joins me to talk about her book, SEX. DEATH. TRANSCENDENCE., published by TBW. Linda has a storied life in photography from her early self-portraiture, to her book, The Erotic Lives of Women, and now to Sex. Death. Transcendence., Linda has been exploring the female gaze since the early 1970’s. We talk about her ideas on self-portrai…

As part of an ongoing series recorded at the 2024 Chico Review, I recorded with photographer Raymond Meeks to discuss his latest book, The Inhabitants published by MACK with an extended poem by George Weld. Ray and I talk about how this work, which traces the passages of refugee crossings inside Spain and France, profoundly affected Ray's approach …

Return guest, Michael Joseph, talks about his new book, Lost & Found, published by Kehrer Verlag. You may already know the work from the Travelers series on his Instagram account. This is a beautifully laid out and printed book and we get into many of the details and decisions that went into making this book. First, the decision to publish this ser…

David De Lira (he/they) is a queer, BIPOC, lens-based artist and educator born and raised in northern Mexico. He is currently based in Schenectady & Syracuse, New York. I met David at the Biennial Homecoming show at RIT this past winter. David’s work explores their connection and relationship to a white queer community that he married into with the…

Photographer, Louis Chavez and I have a conversation about New Intimacies, Louis’ photographic study of gay cruising. It is inspired by Peter Hujar’s work but takes a more experimental approach with more inspiration by writings of José Esteban Muñoz. We also discuss Louis’ work as a curatorial assistant at the George Eastman Museum and, as your tea…

Photographer and New York Times Photo Editor, Mikko Takkunen, joins me today to talk about his upcoming book, Hong Kong, published by Kehrer Verlag with an essay by Geoff Dyer. Hong Kong is Mikko’s farwell to the place where he worked for over 5 years the New York Times desk’s Asia photo editor. It is also where he started his family and witnessed …

Photographer, founder of Charcoal Book Club and Press, and the Chico Review, Jesse Lenz, is my guest today. We talk about his upcoming book, The Seraphim, the second book in a series of seven that Jesse calls The Seven Seals septology. We break down what that means and how Jesse sees this life long septology as connected to and inspired by his fami…

Erin Hoyt is the Director of Operations at Filter Photo, owns and operates a successful wedding photography studio, and is a cotemporary photography collector, and a photographer. Erin learned photography and business outside of academia through internships, work experience, and just being highly self-motivated. We talk about all of these things an…

Photographer and former student, Dan Bassini and Michael talk about how Dan has been cutting his own path in photography through sheer will and the use of an old plastic camera. Dan talks about his series, No Invite, a fashion/portrait zine made annually during Fashion Week in New York. Dan also shares the stories behind his current books, Cruel Su…

Photographer and educator, Lara Shipley talks about her book, Desire Lines, published by Overlapse. Desire Lines combines imagery and text, both contemporary and historical, as a vehicle to have a thoughtful and contemplative discussion about immigration. It looks at our current humanitarian crisis at the southern border and views it through the la…

Photographer, director, designer, and composer, Umberto Nicoletti talks about his first monograph, Asylum, published by Rizzoli New York. Umberto uses his skills as a fashion and celebrity portrait photographer to share the experiences of members of LGBTQI+ refugee community and to portray them, not as victims, but as role models who have survived …

Nigel Baldaccino is a multi-media artist and architect based in Malta. Michael and Nigel talk about his interest in architecture and how it influences his work. Nigel also discusses how his experience with anxiety disorder affects how he interacts with the world and makes art. Michael makes a lot of references to Nigels projects in this episode so …

Photographer Emma Hardy and Michael talk about her first monograph, Permissions, published by Gost. Emma talks about recognizing how inauthentic family photos seemed to her even at a very early age. This desire for authenticity when photographing her children and her life has been a driving force in her personal work as well as a guiding principle …

Michael visits with photographer and educator, Stephen Hilger at his studio in Brooklyn to talk about his upcoming book, In the Alley, published by Purple Martin Press. Stephen was a guest on the show all the way back on episode 47 so we don’t spend a lot of time on his history but we do talk alot about the alleyways in Beverly Hills and the creati…

Photographer and Red Hook Editions partner, Igor Posner joins Michael for a discussion about his book, Cargó, published by Red Hook Editions. Igor is a self-taught photographer whose work explores the psychological impacts of migration and changing immigrant neighborhoods. Michael and Igor talk about how his projects come together and the way he ne…

Photographer, co-founder of Media NINJA, and CatchLight Fellow, Rafael Vilela talks to Michael about some of his amazing visual stories from Brazil. Rafael shares the story behind Invisible Gravediggers, the forgotten workers of the pandemic, and he talks about his current work, Forest Ruins, an ongoing project that addresses the role of cities in …

Photographer, Anastasia Samoylova joins Michael to talk about the 2023 CatchLight Visual Storytelling Summit: The Change We Want to See. This year’s summit emphasizes the unique power of photography, visual journalism, and creative practices to drive social impact. Ana will be talking about her book, Floodzone published by Steidl along with photogr…

Mixed-Media Artist, Shae Detar and Michael talk about her debut monograph, Another World published by Skeleton Key Press. They take a deep dive into Shae’s process from selecting locations, inviting women to be photographed, to hand painting the final images. Shae and Michael also talk about how the book is a celebration of the female nude as well …

Alexandra Huddleston is a photographer, writer, and walking artist. Michael and Alexandra talk about her latest book, Traces of Time, walking the Jardins de l’Abbaye de la Cambre in summer, a hand-bound, limited edition artist’s book. Born in Freetown, Sierra Leone and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and Bamako, Mali, her upbringing has led her …

Today’s episode features a former student of Michael’s, Val Dagrain who is finding his way in the film and tv industry after leaving Trenton, New Jersey, and after years in the music business as a rapper. Val is working in New Orleans as a PA, a data manager, a camera assistant, and now coming full circle from his days with Michael, starting as an …

Photographer, RIT Professor, and owner of Booksmart Studio, Eric Kunsman talks about his ongoing multi-faceted and social activist project, Felicific Calculus, Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics in Rochester, NY. Eric discusses how the work started and was influenced by his experiences growing up in declining steel town and l…

Photographer and curator, Anne Immelé and Michael have a fascinating coversation about curating shows that take into account both sight and sound. We also talk about Anne’s new book, Les Jardins De Riesthal or Riesthal Gardens, a series of poetic portraits of family and landscape within a community garden that Anne tended to with her family for a p…

In this episode of Real Photo Show with Michael Chovan-Dalton, Michael and photographer, Vanessa Winship, have a wonderful conversation about two bodies of work she made in the United States, She Dances on Jackson, published by MACK, and her most recent book, SNOW, published by Deadbeat Club. Vanessa talks about how both of these books began, the f…

Jennifer Cabral is an artist and Library Collection Photographer. Jennifer took part in a group show at the JKC Gallery, curated by me and Ryann Casey, titled The Road Home. Jennifer shared work that included the project, Mine_IRA which explored the trauma of the destruction of homeland caused by industrial mining as well as the trauma from experie…

Ara Oshagan joined Michael in the JKC Gallery to talk about his work and his book, displaced, published by Kehrer Verlag. Ara is a descendant of family that was displaced by the Armenian Genocide and he was born in Beirut, Lebanon where his family was displaced again by the Lebanese Civil War. We talk about how his conceptual and documentary work a…

Pradip Malde joined Michael Chovan-Dalton and Ryann Casey for a live show at the JKC Gallery to talk about his book, From Where Loss Comes, published by Charcoal Books. From Where Loss Comes is an unblinking look at how sacrifice and belonging are deeply rooted in the human experience. Sixty photographs and close to 9,000 words consider pain and su…

MacArthur and Guggenheim Fellowship awardee Wendy Ewald virtually visits with Michael Chovan-Dalton to talk about Wendy’s books, The Devil is Leaving His Cave, recently published by MACK and the expanded reissue of Portraits and Dreams, also published by MACK. We talk about Wendy’s interest in collaboration and how you have to let go of some of you…

https://youtu.be/ee3QoKxI7Nw -------- This episode with Collette Fournier can only be released as a video because Collette presented her life's work with a slideshow presentation so head on over to the Photo Show Live YouTube channel to watch Collette talk about her life in photography. Collette V. Fournier has an MFA in Visual Arts from Vermont Co…

Episode Notes Just a quick update about shows coming in September at the JKC Gallery.

Riley Goodman and Michael Chovan-Dalton talk about Riley’s first monograph, From Yonder Wooded Hill published by Fall Line Press. YouTube link for artist presentation: https://youtu.be/iZTxlEnHlzU?t=1140 _From Yonder Wooded Hill _investigates what we choose to remember versus what chooses to remember us. Based in the Patapsco River Valley of Maryla…

Rich-Joseph and Michael Chovan-Dalton talk about how he accidentally became a photographer and his two new books, Black Diamonds pub by Fall Line Press and Little Cities pub by Little Oak Press. See the slideshow of Rich-Joseph's work at: https://youtu.be/OcYXvfkshT8 https://facun.com Photo Show Live is sponsored by Charcoal Book Clubhttps://charco…

Photographer and educator, Lois Conner and I talk about her amazing life in photography, her many influences, including working at the United Nations, love of art history, and of course, her work, including Lois' most recent show, Flat Earth. It was such a pleasure to have Lois on as my former thesis instructor, friend, and 150th guest on the show.…

Part 2 of 2 of my conversations with presenters at the CatchLight Visual Storytelling Summit April 19-20, 2022 at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco. In this episode I speak with Dr. Tara Pixley. Tara and I talk about her presentation with Daniella Zalcman on the state of photography in 2022. We discuss the report and its findings, inc…

Part 1 of 2 of my conversations with presenters at the CatchLight Visual Storytelling Summit April 19-20, 2022 at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco. In part 1 I speak with Mabel Jiménez and Josué Rivas about their then upcoming presentation on who gets to tell the story and how the story is made. We preview the talk and also speak abo…

Photographer Alanna Airitam and I have a fabulous conversation about how she left the corporate world, taught herself photography, and how it may have saved her life. We talk about Alanna's breakout work, The Golden Age, and the process by which anger, frustration, and responding to injustice inspires her to make beautiful and important imagery. Th…

Photographer Rick Schatzberg and I talk about his book, The Boys published by powerHouse Books. It's a book about mortality, vulnerability, and resilience. It reminisces about the lives of 14 men now in their 60's who all grew up as friends on Long Island, including Rick, and the project started when two of the men died within a year of each other.…