No matter what you are into outside of photography, there are always parallels which appear, connecting the creative life to all else. The steady cadence while cycling is much the same as the slow progression toward large goals. And the pure pressure a musician feels - which leads to unfortunate mental breakdowns - can be felt by all who deal with life’s ups and downs. Even finding out that the solution to a problem which has plagued you for almost a decade is a simple one, can help open our eye...
Sep 21, 2023•44 min
Having the opportunity to witness the evolution of thought, and of practice, over a period of time, is a truly magnificent thing. To watch as someone grows and learns from past experiences. To see how their thinking changes as they encounter new challenges. That is, at the very core of it, what we are discussing in this week’s episode. As usual, I hope there is something beneficial within these ramblings for you all. LINKS Ben’s 2023 Print Portfolio Ben’s 2023 Zine Dan White Iterations by Jeffer...
Sep 14, 2023•40 min
Remember how I mentioned about a surprise of sorts two episodes back and then swiftly ignored it? Well, in this episode, it is finally revealed. And it brings plenty of discussion to the table on what it means for the future of my art. LINKS Matt Payne Brooks Jensen - Kokoro Sarah Marino David Kingham SUPPORT THE SHOW Join Our Patreon Join The Discussion Save 10% on your Nature Photographers Network membership Use offer code CODY10 at https://www.naturephotographers.network/?ref=codyschultz CONN...
Sep 07, 2023•39 min
While I continue to ramble on about summer doldrums and my lack of direction in life, Ben brings to the table an interesting discussion on the connection between barefoot running and large format photography. We speak on his fears of being forced to digital - perhaps an inevitable fate, in time - and why these fears exist in the first place. Will he decide to venture to the dark side of digital, or will he sooner give up photography? Of course, this is all hypothetical. Or so we hope. LINKS Born...
Aug 31, 2023•44 min
After a month-long break, Ben and I are back in action, ready to discuss all things creativity, nature, and whatever else comes to mind. Given it’s the primary excuse for our absence, in this episode we are discussing my trip to Colorado and the power of proximity. We talk about the photographic struggles I was met with, the potential of a return visit, and we continue our conversation on maintaining a greater awareness of nature, a running theme in our weekly talks. LINKS David Kingham Jennifer...
Aug 24, 2023•44 min
Due to my trip to Colorado, this is going to be the last episode for a few weeks. We’re talking about physical, mental, and emotional health, starting with Ben’s recent blueberry fiasco, which transitions us into talking about the mind-body connection. From there, we discuss stress and human evolution, wrapping everything up nicely with a bit about better connecting with nature. Truly no better way to start off my trip than thinking about all this. LINKS Born to Run by Christopher McDougall Insi...
Jul 20, 2023•46 min
Despite being a bit brain dead, both Ben and I work through this week’s conversation, talking about a variety of topics that somehow fit together. We start things off by discussing the use of shallow focus and what Ben calls the Pirate Method to aid in composition creation. Continuing to speak on finding unique compositions, we talk about the passage of time and finding stories in nature, as well as writing about your photographs. And given two recent camera announcements, we discuss those a bit...
Jul 13, 2023•40 min
The Spandex Warrior and I sit down this week to discuss the trips we recently returned home from. For myself, that means my rainy trip to Acadia National Park in Maine; and for Ben, that’s his trip to Southern Utah with his wife. Both of which, it turns out, were filled with pizza. Much of the conversation revolves around small scene photography and the familiarity of place that is necessary to create such photographs, to notice those intimate moments. We also talk a bit about the idea of doing ...
Jul 06, 2023•42 min
It seems this is the time of year for beautiful trips into the wilderness, as Ben returns from his spring backpacking trip and I prepare to head off into Acadia. Most of the conversation revolves around these adventures, but as usual, we throw in a bit about productivity, anxiety, and expectations. Oh - and Ben is slowly transforming into a true Spandex Warrior. So that makes for a nice visual. LINKS 57 - Societal Commentary w. Nick Carver Gitzo Mountaineer Series 1 SUPPORT THE SHOW Join Our Pat...
Jun 29, 2023•42 min
Creative genius Nick Carver joins me this week for a blunt discussion on society. We kick the conversation off by discussing how terrifying lifestyle changes can be, which, I know, is a very common thread in recent months. Really, though, I wanted to bring Nick on to discuss why he chose to release a four-hour long video - and then ask people to pay for it. Through this, we discuss the societal idea that entertainment should be free, along with the reality of running ads on YouTube. And then we ...
Jun 22, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Our primary driver for this episode revolves around following your curiosity. From continuing the conversation had with Simon Baxter about maintaining a deeper awareness and connection with nature, to discussing the detrimental side effects of so many people venturing into nature, Ben and I ponder our ultimate impact as photographers. Especially for those who run workshops in the popular national parks, and for those who showcase their photographic adventures on YouTube, what sort of impact are ...
Jun 15, 2023•51 min
How do you think of productivity? Do you determine it based on what you accomplish throughout the day, or throughout the year? The other night, I found myself thinking about what I have all done throughout the past year, from graduating with my bachelors, starting this podcast, working with NPN, and graduating recently with my masters. There grew within me a sense of pride that I had never felt before - and that, I believe, many people miss out on. We focus so heavily on our daily accomplishment...
Jun 08, 2023•47 min
Joining me this week is woodland photographer Simon Baxter. Simon has been a major influence on my own photography, constantly influencing me to learn more about the natural world around me as well as learning to embrace the local landscape. Throughout this episode, we center our focus around these primary topics. We discuss gardening and how not to lose your passion with photography, as well as why it is more beneficial to prioritize nature over any photograph you take. Our conversation turns, ...
Jun 01, 2023•54 min
Student teaching is officially over and with that comes the reality that I have more time on my hands than I have had in the past six years. Though this sounds great on paper, the mentality that Ben and I share of always having to do something can quickly make this a living nightmare. One way to cope is through health and fitness, something which I plan to take more seriously given the additional time. Still, one can only run for so long before the body begs you to stop. And when you have plenty...
May 25, 2023•46 min
When starting a new leg of your journey, there are two overarching concepts about how to proceed: you may either keep your plans to yourself out of fear they won’t formulate, or you may push those plans out into the universe with hopes that good things will come your way. Now that student teaching has come to a close, I wonder which of these options is best for me. Do I commit to the habits I need to build, in order to best walk down this new path, or do I keep my plans to myself, fearing that b...
May 18, 2023•46 min
Finding the time to head out into nature, especially for extended periods of time, can be a daunting task as you find your life becoming more complicated. While neither Ben nor I share in the exactly difficulty that a listener is facing, we do our best to discuss how to find the time for photography in a busy life. We talk about how important it is to alter your mindset away from the idea of constantly being in nature - like what is so often shown on social media - and toward a mindset that prio...
May 11, 2023•42 min
Based on comments received from better podcasters than myself, I have been making some alterations to not only the software and editing used but also the location in which I record. It is hoped that these changes are for the better and will improve the quality of Creative Banter . Ben and I start off this week by discussing some of these changes, before tackling a number of questions sent in on the Discord . Mostly, our conversation flows around the concept of quiet photography, a term that wond...
May 04, 2023•47 min
We’re back with Ben in this episode, starting off by discussing human psychology when it comes to amusement park lines and high school fights. This leads to a short discussion on the current state of bullying in schools and how it has continued to change in drastic manners since Ben went to high school. We speak on my new website and eBook as well as how we organize our photo galleries, expanding on the discussion had with Murray the previous week. Finally, we answer a few questions from listene...
Apr 26, 2023•44 min
This episode, I’m joined by photographer Murray Livingston as we discuss a variety of topics surrounding the idea of poetic photography. We discuss the intersection of language and art - an idea which Murray is creating an eBook about - and whether it is important to think about such an idea while out in the field. We speak on photography as a meditative act, something which calms both body and soul, and, briefly, how this concept relates to the flow state. Toward the end of the episode, we talk...
Apr 19, 2023•52 min
Since we have found ourselves with a bit of a backlog worth of questions and topic suggestions over on the Discord, it felt like a good time to work through some of them. But first, I have a few questions for Ben about his photographic approach, after having watched his recent Death Valley videos. We speak about how our decisive moment has changed over the years, as well as whether we bother to take a “safety shot” prior to waiting for that decisive moment to formulate. Our conversation turns to...
Apr 12, 2023•47 min
One of the scariest parts of working with a film camera is that you never truly know what you are going to get after you expose a frame. Was the metering right? Will I accidentally flash the film, exposing it and ruining the photograph? Or will I mess up development, leading to a paranoid fear for the next few months before I force myself to try again? Not to mention that companies such as FujiFilm keep pausing production, leading to increased prices and a fear that they’ll cease production alto...
Apr 05, 2023•50 min
Buckwheat and oat milk ice cream get us started on this episode, oddly enough, before we move on to discussing the weather and a rather disappointing interaction while out in the woods. For the majority of the episode, we speak on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what it means primarily for writers, as we see more people using ChatGPT for article outlines and school essays. Our discussion turns toward volume two of Ben’s Unpolished series, which re-sparks a consistent conversation about eBooks. ...
Mar 29, 2023•48 min
After months of deliberation, I finally decided to pick up a new camera, one which will be used for documenting family events and trips into the wild. This starts a conversation about film versus digital and whether people actually care if something is photographed with either medium. We speak a bit on the benefits of using analog technology and how it brings great joy to see something typed with a typewriter, for example. All of this leads us to the idea of trends and how, for most people, it c...
Mar 22, 2023•47 min
Feeling as though you have found yourself in a rut, and cannot get out, is a feeling all too familiar to many artists. The feeling that you are stuck and unsure where to go next with your creative endeavor. For the past few months, I have been struggling with this feeling, airing my grievances both on and off of the podcast. But as I come closer to re-launching my website, I am forced to face the music. As Ben and I hash this out, we discuss the idea of weekly articles and running out of topics,...
Mar 15, 2023•46 min
Artist residencies, weather, and biking start off this week’s episode before we delve into Ben’s perceptions about his upcoming videos and newly-scanned photographs. We speak on the idea of flipping photographs - both to alter our reception of them, as well as an editing technique. Our conversation shifts toward that of YouTube, sparked by ideas found in a video by Van Neistat. We end this week, speaking on self-publishing books and the merits of physical versus electronic books. LINKS David Hun...
Mar 08, 2023•42 min
We ended up being a bit all over the place this episode, as we worked to find our footing after Ben’s recent absences for his winter trips. Which, we started the episode off talking about, before discussing my most recent adventures in student teaching, both rather briefly. Something that student teaching has helped me accomplish so far this year, has been increasing the number of books I have been able to read. One of the books I had finished is Breath by James Nestor, which Ben had recommended...
Mar 01, 2023•46 min
This week, our conversation turns primarily toward that of constructive criticism, a topic brought up due to my experiences so far with student teaching and the desire I have to improve in the field. We discuss our openness to criticism and how that openness changes as we begin to gain confidence in our craft. Though, that confidence can sometimes be misguided, as we ponder our intentions and the idea of why we choose to photograph what we photograph. As we end the conversation, we provide an up...
Feb 15, 2023•47 min
As my student teaching kicks off, we spend the first few minutes of the episode discussing how the beginning of that journey has been, before transitioning to our usual discussions around photography. Primarily, we reflect on how different the curriculum is, compared to what Ben and I experienced while in grade school. And speaking of different, Ben has finally developed his black and white film from back in August of 2022, using the Jobo processor he received from a follower. Something that has...
Feb 08, 2023•55 min
While many photographers think of pairing their photographs on the facing pages of a monograph or, perhaps, the pairings that naturally occur when working on a large project, pairing photographs to go together as prints can be quite challenging. As we discuss the photographs Ben revealed from his 2022 Fall trip to Zion National Park, we discuss the potential that some of these pieces have, especially when put aside past works. When speaking on a photograph he had taken of a Utah Serviceberry, th...
Feb 01, 2023•47 min
An issue I ran into quite a bit when using digital cameras, that no longer occurs nearly as often with film, is overshooting. Clicking away at the shutter because, hey, digital files are practically free, so why not? And while neither of us can fault people from doing such things, there is certainly merit in learning to slow down and take into deeper consideration what you want from a photograph, from a composition. Perhaps one of the downsides to working with film, and not producing so much wor...
Jan 25, 2023•56 min
