Episodes from the Photography is Nothing Podcast with Zach Dobson & Courtney McCracken
Episode 29 – Zach & Courtney talk about Zach’s six selections for all-time best basketball photos. Plus, they take a look at the photography of Walter Iooss, Jr., who has photographed professional sports in 7 different decades! “Photography is nothing–it’s life that interests me.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson Resources PetaPixel – The Greatest Sports Photo of…
Episode 28 – Zach & Courtney take a look through Zach’s archive of basketball photography from around the state of Indiana. Indiana is of course the best state in the country for basketball. In this episode, Zach & Courtney talk about their own experiences with the sport as well as go in-depth on Zach’s photos…
Episode 27 – Zach & Courtney take the family to the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Indianapolis, IN. They talk about the experience while looking through Zach’s documentary photography from the event. Courtney tells Zach what she learned about Irish photographer Jane Shackleton (1843-1909) and they go through some of her photos together. “Photography is…
Episode 26 – Photographers are a passionate bunch and always have hot takes about our beliefs and convictions surrounding our art. And this goes all the way to the beginning of photography with the original hot take: Is photography art? Zach and Courtney discuss some of the biggest hot takes throughout the history of photography….
Episode 25 – Bringing you the best action and documentary photography from the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games! Zach scoured the internet to find the greatest photos of the Olympics so he and Courtney could discuss the making, the meaning, and the impact they’ve had on our view of the games. In this episode we talk…
Episode 24 – There is typically lots of fashion & editorial photography that surrounds the Olympics. For this year’s 2026 Winter Olympics, Zach & Courtney found three cool photoshoots, but feel like there should be a lot more! In this episode we talk about… – Win Tam’s high-fashion photos of Team China for VogueMan China…
Episode 23 – What focal length lens do you use for backstage photography? Do you ever use “silent shutter” mode? Do you use fixed focal length? Do you have insurance on all your cameras & gear? What do people who are actually from working class areas of England think of Martin Parr’s documentation of New…
Episode 22 – This week we talk about going behind the scenes and photographing backstage at concerts, shows, and events. When attending a performance, what happens on stage is only one small part of the story. Going backstage to photograph the emotion, preparation, and all the moving parts offers a more complete sense of what…
Episode 21 – This week we talk about the late great Martin Parr. Starting in the black & white documentary tradition in the 1970s, Parr’s work took a bold turn to color accentuated by flash in 1982. While still documentary in nature, in that he didn’t stage or pose scenes, Parr acknowledged that his photos…
Episode 20 – Cats have been a part of photography since its beginnings. As early as the 1870s, people have been taking silly photos of cats in costumes or staged scenes. In this episode, we look at the beginnings of cat photography, technology that was developed from a scientist studying cats, and some very commercially…
Episode 19 – Indiana University is our alma mater and we love it! After IU football’s Rose Bowl victory over Alabama, we decided to talk about our love for the school on this week’s episode. In addition to football, we talk basketball (of course), soccer, Little 500, plus architecture, school history, and famous programs like…
Episode 18 – In this episode Zach & Courtney talk about how football and photography came up together since the late 1800s. We can see how as the technology advanced, the style of photography changed as well. “Photography is nothing–it’s life that interests me.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
Episode 17 – In this episode Zach & Courtney talk about two photographers with opposite approaches of photographing the science of winter. Wilson “Snowflake” Bentley photographed closeup images of single snowflakes in the early era of photography (1885-1931). Esther Horvath is a photographer working today documenting climate science research, taking a broad view of the…
Episode 16 – It’s that time of year when the sun sets early and we photographers are forced to practice our low light skills. Candlelight is not very bright and often inconsistent, but it’s one of the best sources for creating warm, cozy, moody, contrasty light. In this episode Zach & Courtney talk about how…
Episode 15 – Photographers love to talk about bokeh. So let’s get into it. We talk about the origins of the word and just how recently this came into the photography lexicon. Also, more important to us than how it works from a technical standpoint is how it’s used in photos to direct a viewer’s…
Episode 14 – Zach has always enjoyed photographing cars. Going to the occasional car shows and gatherings has been a regular part of our family life since the beginning. Today we welcome our boys to the podcast who also enjoy photographing cars with their dad. We talk through their images as well as some of…
Episode 13 – For any household with Swifties, the number 13 has special meaning. So for this 13th episode of Photography is Nothing, Zach & Courtney invite their daughters to discuss the meaning and evolution of Taylor Swift’s album art through the eras. As Taylor Swift worked her way from teen country artist to international…
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 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…
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…