Scott Strazzante (@scottstrazzante) is a former POY/NPPA National Newspaper Photographer of the Year, an 11-time Illinois Photographer of the Year and was part of a Chicago Tribune team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for investigative journalism.

You can find the transcript of this episode here. Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

After spending the first 27 years of his career at Chicago newspapers, including 13 at the Chicago Tribune, Scott Strazzante joined the photography staff at the San Francisco Chronicle in 2014. Scott’s personal project, Common Ground, has been featured in National Geographic, Mother Jones, New York Times’ Lens Blog and on CBS Sunday Morning. The 23-year-long effort, which has won BOP’s Best Feature Video and POYi’s Community Awareness Award, became his first book with PSG. And, In October 2017, Scott’s second book- “Shooting from the Hip-” was released. The book consists of iPhone Hipstamatic snaps from around the USA.

In this episode, we dive in deep on the practicals of getting started and staying motivated on a VERY long term documentary project, how a kid from the South side of Chicago got connected with some of the greatest photographers out there, and why getting creatively bored is the best way to rethink your photographic style and technique.

Enjoy!

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PHOTOS FROM THE EPISODE: COMING SOON

QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments!

SHOW NOTES: COMING SOON

COURTNEY PERRY // Mindful Photography to Change Your Career (#019)

Courtney Perry is a photojournalist based in Minneapolis, MN. Formerly a staff photographer at the Dallas Morning News, she now freelances for various local and national clients while based in the Twin Cities. Her home is filled with a spouse, his children, their dogs, and much love.

On today’s episode, Courtney and I explore how to enjoy photography without basing your happiness on your work, how she’s been able to build a stable and healthy client-base as a freelancer, and why having a “dark night of the soul” moment in your creative career can be a game-changing event to sharpen your focus as a photographer or multimedia creator. Without any further ado, today’s beautiful and timely interview with photojournalist Courtney Perry.

ALYSSA SCHUKAR // People over Pictures (#017)

Today’s episode is all about connections. Not in the smarmy, LinkedIn Request, crap networking sort of way, but in the genuine engagement and empathic authenticity that you can only achieve from true photojournalism greatness. Who better to learn from than a photographer would you self-proclaim to rather be a good person than a great photographer, building meaningful connections with the individuals and building a rapport through words before ever picking up a camera to capture images, today’s guest, Alyssa Schukar is an excellent resource to learn from for any working photographer.

Alyssa Schukar is a Washington, DC-based documentary photographer and educator. In her personal work, she is most interested in documenting how the environment and public policies affect communities.

In this weeks’ episode, we explore the process of transitioning from a staff position to freelancing work across the country, how to deeply connect with the individuals in your photos, even in a fast paced news scenario, and why the art of the personal project (and sharing it with editors) is the ultimate fast track to getting your work seen and being hired for similar jobs. Without any further ado, today’s killer interview with photojournalist Alyssa Schukar.

LAUREN JUSTICE // A Persistent Vision (#015)

So, everybody listening to this podcast probably knows either from practical experience or just intuitively that crafting a career as a photographer or other visual creator is no small feat. From staving off burnout to managing finances, freelancers have to DO IT ALL. So why is it then that freelancers so often fail to actually break out of the vicious cycle of feast or famine workloads?

Well, our guest today is the perfect example of how to make it happen as a freelance photojournalist by diving in headfirst into new locations and experiences and figuring it all out along the way. Lauren Justice is a freelance photojournalist currently based in Madison, Wisconsin. Trust, intimacy, and time are cornerstones of her work and believes in using photography as a tool for education, awareness, and understanding.