This week Zach & Courtney visit Tennessee, both literally and photographically. They discuss Zach’s photos from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, view historical images from the Tennessee Valley Authority, and learn about the incredible Tennessee-based photographer Stacy Kranitz. “Photography is nothing–it’s life that interests me.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson Zach’s photos discussed in this episode….
This week Zach & Courtney discuss photographing road trips, including Zach’s photos on the road and in the Florida Keys, plus Joel Sternfeld’s project from the 1970s and 80s, American Prospects. “Photography is nothing–it’s life that interests me.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson Resources/Links Zach’s photos discussed in this episode. Joel Sternfeld & American Prospects Pre-order the…
This week Zach & Courtney discuss their visit to the Indiana State Fair plus Zach’s project documenting fairs & festivals around the state of Indiana over the last 15 years. They also look at some photography of fairs by some of the all time greats like Danny Lyon, Inge Morath, Garry Winogrand, and others! “Photography…
This week Zach & Courtney discuss starting a photography business and a family at the same time and how they work to fully integrate their lives together. “Photography is nothing–it’s life that interests me.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
This week Zach & Courtney follow up with comments from last week’s album choices and discuss everything from lawsuits to successful collaborations between photographers and musicians. “Photography is nothing–it’s life that interests me.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson Resources Everything Jazz article – Behind the Covers – Francis Wolff’s Best Photographs for Blue Note Rhythm and Blues:…
This week Zach & Courtney discuss 8 iconic album covers and the stories behind them. They define what makes an “iconic” album cover, analyze the photos, tell how they were made, who the photographers were, and some of the myths that formed around the images. “Photography is nothing–it’s life that interests me.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson…
This week Zach & Courtney discuss photography projects that became obsessive, including Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase’s Ravens, Catherine Leroy’s coverage of the Vietnam War, W. Eugene Smith documenting Pittsburg for two years, and Zach’s own project of photographing lost golf balls in the woods and the creek. **NOTES**– W. Eugene Smith’s Country Doctor story was…
This week Zach & Courtney discuss everyday photography, Zach’s 180 on fireworks photos, an important quote that influenced Courtney, and the work of photographers Sally Mann and Larry Fink. “Photography is nothing–it’s life that interests me.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson In this episode Books The Americans by Robert FrankWay Far by Ryan McGinleyKitchen Table Series by…
My wife, Courtney, recently threw a birthday party for our 6 year-old that was centered around an epic Nerf Battle. It turned into one of my favorite photo series I’ve done in a while! How it started In the beginning I was participating in the battle, but halfway through, I put down my rifle and…
This week Zach & Courtney discuss monetizing hobbies, the importance of consent, taking photos when we travel as a family, drawing people in public, and more! “Photography is nothing–it’s life that interests me.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson Links & Resources Photos/Photographers Discussed in This Episode Joakim Eskildsen – Fireworks. 1991.Henri Cartier-Bresson. Fireworks seen from the Forbidden…
This week Zach & Courtney discuss how every single person is meant to create, a Pacers game 7 loss, what makes for a great summer photo, and more! “Photography is nothing–it’s life that interests me.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson Links & Resources View this post on Instagram A post shared by ZACH DOBSON PHOTOGRAPHY (@zachdobsonphoto) Mystery…
Episode 02 – This week Zach & Courtney discuss how AI is getting dumber, photographing kids in the style of a war photographer, how famous women are remembered for their trauma, and more! “Photography is nothing–it’s life that interests me.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson Links & Resources View this post on Instagram A post shared by…
Welcome to our very first episode of Photography is Nothing! This week Zach & Courtney discuss starting a podcast, literally dropping a $5000 camera, attending & photographing the Indy 500, documenting the neighborhood swim team, and more! “Photography is nothing–it’s life that interests me.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson Links & Resources View this post on Instagram…
In May, Union Square Ventures (USV) hosted their annual Portfolio Summit in New York City. Dozens of CEOs and founders of businesses in USV’s active portfolio converged in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to network and share ideas. If you’re unaware of the venture capital world, USV is a big deal. They were very early investors in companies…
Indiana drag queens will get your Sundays off to a great start! Last fall I learned about a monthly drag show in Carmel, Indiana called Drag Me To Brunch. It sounded like an absolute blast, and conveniently located just a few minutes from my house. I reached out to the host, Pat Yo’ Weave, about…
More than 20,000 people ran the 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis last Saturday. The highlight for many runners is taking a 2.5-mile lap around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and stopping to kiss the bricks. I biked the entire course so I could catch the starting line action, the mid-race lap around the track, and the…
Josef Newgarden visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum last week for the first “An Evening With” event in the newly renovated space. Fans bought tickets and waited in line for this sold out event to meet one of their heroes, a back-to-back winner of the Indianapolis 500. If you don’t follow racing, it’s important to…
Last week I spent three days at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum documenting grand reopening events and it’s absolutely GORGEOUS! At first glance of the exterior, the facade of the building looks the same as when it was built in 1976. But when you step inside, you can see everything is sleek and modern. It’s…
New York City is one of the best places in the world for street photography. There are million interesting things happening at any given moment and thousands of photographers walking the streets to find them. I’m posting these in chronological order so you can see how my photos changed throughout my two days in New…
Caleb Hearon’s “So True Live Tour” visited Indianapolis last week. Hearon and guests played a sold out show to around 1400 people at the Egyptian Room at Old National Centre. It was a mix of standup, crowd work, drag, and a hilariously explicit conversation with friends. Meet Caleb Hearon Hearon is 30 year-old standup comic…
For the last hundred years there have been photographers creating documentary photography at museums. Famed photographer Elliott Erwitt documented so many museums around the world that he created an entire book dedicated to the subject: Museum Watchers (published in 1999). Photographing museum visitors connecting with art becomes art itself. Last week I visited the Indianapolis…
#1 “Waiting in Flatiron Plaza”March 13, 2025Camera: Fujifilm X-T20Lens: XF 23mm f/2 I was in New York City doing street photography for the first time and I saw I was near the Flatiron Building, so I had to go check it out. Unfortunately, the building was completely surrounded in scaffolding and the light on the…
Firelight photography gives a nice warm glow to your photos. It’s challenging to get exposure and focus locked in when you’re using a candle or campfire as your sole light source. But it’s worth the effort to learn and practice because it gives the viewer a sense of the ambiance of a place that would…
This past weekend was The Eras Tour in Indianapolis and I was THERE! Well, I was downtown documenting the scene outside the show. On Saturday, November 2, I headed to Downtown Indy with my wife and three of our kids to take them to see the cultural phenomenon that is Taylor Swift and The Eras…
What is color photography, really? As I always say… “Color Photography isn’t about taking photos IN color, it’s about taking photos OF color.” How does color contribute to the story that I’m telling? When does it add information? When does it distract from the subject? When is color the subject itself? These are things I’m…
Photographing a Balloon Glow like Jupiter Flights at Connor Prairie is challenging due to quickly changing light conditions. Digital photography makes this much easier with instant feedback and take a lot of frames. However it is possible on film especially with an automatic mode like aperture priority.
Silver Beach Photography At the end of August, I spent the day with my family at Silver Beach on Lake Michigan in St. Joseph, MI. It wasn’t crowded since local kids were back in school. There was a breeze most of the day, so the water was a bit choppy, but it was perfect for…
The Indiana State Fair is one of my favorite places to take photos. I go each year and there’s always so much to see and do and experience! My wife and I take our 5 kids to the fair each year, so I’m there as a parent and a participant as much as a documentary…
Gregorian chants echoed off the bleachers as tens of thousands knelt in the darkness, in near-silent prayer & meditation. It was a long way from the usual stadium lights, high-energy music, and the cheering & jeering of the usual crowds at Lucas Oil Stadium. The National Eucharistic Congress was held in Indianapolis, Indiana from July…
Cars & Coffee photography is something I’ve done regularly this year. When engaging with a familiar subject, it’s important to me to keep it feeling fresh & interesting. What Can We Learn About Cars & Coffee Through Photographing the People? So this week for Cars & Coffee Photography, I decided to focus on the people…
Ballet INitiative in a nonprofit dance collective based in Indianapolis, Indiana. My introduction to their group came last winter when one of my kids was part of their annual Nutcracker with a Twist performance. The show, billed as a “feminist 1920s Nutcracker,” is primarily based in ballet, but also incorporates other styles of dance. This…
Last weekend Graham Rahal Performance hosted a cars & coffee event at their location in Brownsburg, IN. I headed out with the boys to see what we hoped would be some cool cars. We were not disappointed! We could not believe how many people showed up! And apparently they were a bit surprised as well….
We just marked the 40th anniversary of an important NASA mission. What does that have to do with photography? A LOT! Photos from NASA Mission STS-41B are some of the greatest in history! During the space mission, which took place February 3-11, 1984, astronauts completed the first untethered space walks. Even if you’ve never heard…
Dance Photography I started doing dance photography a few times a year when two of my kids started dancing. Because my love of photography is centered around storytelling, I’m looking to document the experience of dancing. I look for moments of peak action in their movements. I stand backstage with the dancers peering between the…
I’m keeping track of my 10 best photos throughout 2024. This started because I thought it would be funny to post “2024 Top 10 Photos” on January 1st, 2024 with 10 photos that I took that day. My wife, Courtney, because she’s super smart, suggested I keep this going throughout the year. So, I’ll be…
In 4 years of studying photography in college, I can’t recall learning of a single indigenous or Native American photographer. In the world of photography most indigenous people we encounter are photographed through the lens of white photographers. We can never deeply understand indigenous perspectives this way, so today I’m going to introduce you to…
This past weekend we made our sorta annual visit to Carmel Artomobilia, a car show in our town of Carmel, Indiana. As with most events I photograph, I wanted to focus on both the cars AND the people observing them. So here is my street photography approach to the car show… Related Posts If you…
Let’s go behind the scenes of a commercial photoshoot I did recently. This was a 5 day shoot at locations like small businesses in Indianapolis, homes in the city & the suburbs, and out on a family farm in Morocco, Indiana. Thanks to Young & Laramore for bringing me on for this shoot. It was…
I recently worked with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to document their Verizon 200 at the Brickyard race weekend. There were four races over the weekend and I was there taking photos of the experience. The Scene I took a documentary approach to show what it felt like to be at the track, capturing the overall…
Having lived in Indianapolis for 17 years now, I always wondered who got to drive the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Camaros I’d see around town each year starting in the spring. Well, now I know because I’m one of them! An Extremely Brief Introduction to the IMS If you’re not familiar with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway…
The Indianapolis 500 is a month-long celebration during the month of May in Indiana. This year I photographed two different perspectives on the festivities. First, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum hired me to photograph their Hall of Fame dinner two days before the race. It was an evening of racing legends, stories and a celebration…
I went to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum this spring, and seeing as the Indy 500 is this weekend, now is a great time to share the photos! The winner of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race gets their name and likeness on the Borg-Warner Trophy. The second place finisher gets nothing (well, some money, I suppose)….
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The Big East Esports Championship at Butler University was full of action and emotion and I was there to document it all! Scroll through the photos below and experience the story of the event as it unfolds. Related Posts For more sports & esports photography, check out these posts. You can also learn more about…
Photographing light, whether natural or manmade, goes a long way in making an interesting & engaging photo. Photography at its core is light and shadow. That’s why it’s the first thing I look for when taking a photo. March in the Midwest means a lot of gray skies. So on a rare sunny March evening,…
Work Truck Week in Indianapolis is always a joy to photograph. This year was my fourth time documenting these big big trucks inside the Indiana Convention Center. What I Look For When I take photos, I like to look for scenes and moments that are out of the ordinary. If something makes me stop and…
Creating social media content for clients using my documentary photography experience to share client products, services, and locations.
Live from _____, It’s a ZDP Photo Walk! Have you tuned in to a live photo walk yet? I’ve been a photographer for over 20 years, and photo walks (AKA wandering around with the sole purpose of taking photos) have been a regular part of my practice. But lately I’ve added a new element… broadcasting…
Snow day! That means it’s time to head outside and create some black & white photography in the snow! There was big, heavy, wet snow this morning, and I went outside to take some pretty photos and video of giant snowflakes falling. In fact, I have a nice, 60-second pretty snow video you can watch…
We’ve been anxiously awaiting the new renovations at the Carmel Clay Public Library and were excited at the opportunity to take a preview tour before the doors opened to the public. My wife and I homeschool our 5 kids, so the library is one of our most important resources. It was great getting to see…
As a photographer, I thrive on the novel. I love documenting things I’ve never photographed before. So when I was asked to photograph a ballet class, I was excited to see what I could get. This is The Ballet Studio of Carmel (Indiana) lead by Ashley Thibodeau. It was a fun class to photograph! The…
Available Light Only Documenting the mood and atmosphere of A Merry Prairie Holiday at Conner Prairie was a fun challenge as a photographer. There was a mix of light sources that ranged from candles and fires to outdoor projections to modern holiday light displays. Projection The first show we encountered was a projection on the…
Using motion blur in photography is a great way to convey action, movement, and excitement while telling a story. In this post I’ll give some examples of how I like to use motion blur. All photos here are from this year’s Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. To Pan or Not To Pan? There are two primary ways…
Beauty in the Ordinary Taking great photos of everyday scenes is something I pride myself in. I often say that while we’d all love to take photos of tropical or mountain scenes or bustling urban cityscapes, most of us don’t have the opportunity to do so more than a couple times per year (if even…
Photographing the new Butler Esports Park was my second photoshoot this year in esports. It’s been great learning about this new frontier in sports and technology. Both photoshoots have been for the architect of the new arenas, Populous. Their attention to detail is incredible and I’ve enjoyed showing it off in the photos. It’s also…
Recently I decided to take some photos as a sort of “event street photographer.” Here I’ll talk about the process and show the results! What is Street Photography? If you’re not familiar with street photography, it’s candidly documenting the everyday life and interactions of people in public spaces. Sometimes the subjects know their photo is…
Looking for the Different I’ve never been one to look for THE shot. The “hero” shot (it’s an advertising term). The postcard shot. So when I do photography at tourist locations like the Gateway Arch, I’m looking to see how many unique angles I can find. I have no illusions that I’ve taken the most…
Let’s be honest: lighthouses are freaking cool. I love the idea of 19th century ships navigating a rocky coast, relying upon some guy named Ebenezer or Ignatius to keep a lamp lit in order to avoid losing life or cargo. So yes, when visiting the Great Lakes, it’s imperative to head to the nearest lighthouse…
Photographers will wake up at 3am and hike for hours just to photograph a perfect sunrise. Some photographers. That’s not really my style. But staying in a cabin 100 yards from one of the Great Lakes? Sure, I can make a “sunrise on Lake Huron” photo story happen. Make it a story. There’s no official…
If you’ve come to my photos and videos through social media, you might be wondering “Who is Zach Dobson? What’s his deal? Does he actually know what he’s talking about?” I want to tell you about how my love for photography developed (pun not intended, but acknowledged), how it lead me to you here, and…