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Tony & Chelsea talk about AI generated fashion models, the brands using them, and how the replacment of models will impact the photography industry. Can photographers adapt?

Episode 486 of the Lens Shark Photography Podcast In This Episode If you subscribe to the Lens Shark Photography Podcast, please take a moment to rate and review us to help make it easier for others to discover the show. Sponsors: – Build Your Legacy with Fujifilm. Latest savings at FujfilmCameraSavings.com – Shop with the legends at RobertsCamera.com, and unload your gear with UsedPhotoPro.com – 20% OFF with code SHARKY2026 at BenroUSA.com – Calibrate's big WYSIWYG savings! – More mostly 20% OFF codes at LensShark.com/deals. Stories: The new, affordable Godox LE200D. (#) Brightin Star's 11mm funk buster. (#) Think Tank's PhotoCross v2 sling. (#) Fujifilm's two newest Fujikina events. (#) Amaran's new, affordable Halo series. (#) TTArtisan's AF 17mm f/1.8 Air. (#) A 31.5" Eizo. (#)   Connect With Us Thank you for listening to the Lens Shark Photography Podcast! Connect with me, Sharky James on Twitter, Instagram Vero, and Facebook (all @LensShark).

"Live From New York, it's Saturday Night!" That single sentence has become a catchphrase for devotees of comedy and popular culture for more than 50 years—generations of fans who willingly turn their attentions from the height of weekend revelry to the televised antics of Saturday Night Live.  As this illustrious broadcast wraps its 51st season, we're releasing an encore of our 2025 chat with SNL's photographer-in-residence Mary Ellen Matthews, while we busy ourselves backstage to bring you some exciting changes and an upcoming new look to our own show. Week in, week out for more than two decades, Mary Ellen has conjured visual magic behind the scenes, creating inventive and irreverent portraits that air for three seconds each as so-called "bumpers" that transition to and from the show's commercial breaks.  During our spirited chat about what is arguably the world's best photo gig, we follow Mary Ellen from a fateful 1993 phone call, inviting her to assist the show's founding photographer Edie Baskin, through her journey from mentee to team leader. Along the way, we pull back the curtain on the creation of some iconic images and learn what it takes to be "in the driver's seat [with] a whole busload of very important people to take care of." "My job is to make this easy and fast," she notes. "And I don't want anyone to be overthinking anything because they've got enough to worry about with all the sketches and all the pre-tapes and their responsibilities to the rest of the show, which is the most important thing." Episode Timeline:  3:00: Living the dream as SNL's resident photographer while being creative under stressful deadline pressure. 4:44: Mary Ellen's early immersion in photography, at the side of her hobbyist father. 6:56: Arriving in NYC, early work for a record label, and the call to assist SNL's founding photographer in residence, Edie Baskin. 11:55: SNL's transition from film to digital, plus the cameras Mary Ellen shoots with today.  15:37: Conceptualizing the weekly portrait shoots and collaborating with subjects. 20:31: Behind-the-scenes of a dicey photo shoot, plus SNL's weekly production timeline. 27:25: Episode Break 28:12: Beyond portraits, the images Mary Ellen shoots as props for SNL sketches—sometimes with a 4×5.  33:11: The scheduling of SNL portrait shoots and getting portrait subjects to have fun. 36:34: Testing for shoots, the atmosphere on-set, and flying by the seat of your pants.  40:06: Communicating with a celebrity's team to get everyone on the same page about shoots and concepts. 42:30: The general workflow of SNL portrait sessions: from shoot preparation to editing and post-production. 45:07: Advice for emerging photographers looking for work or applying for an internship.   Guest Bio: As a top entertainment portrait photographer, Mary Ellen Matthews is specialized in creating iconic images of well-known personalities—from pop stars to sports legends to rock gods. Since 1999, she has been photographer-in-residence at Saturday Night Live, where she's responsible for creating the distinctive look of the show's still images. Through her exuberant presence that puts subjects at ease, her creative and playful styling on set and intensive fine-tuning in post, Matthews produces unique and recognizable portraits under the manic deadlines of live TV. What's more, in 2010, she began directing SNL's video clips, including the show's opening title sequence.   Recent clients include Peacock, Hulu, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Studios, and Prime Video, as well as publications such as Variety, Rolling Stone, Marie Claire, and the Spanish edition of Harper's Bazaar. Most notably, in March 2025, Matthews's first book, The Art of the SNL Portrait, was released to mark the 50th anniversary of this revolution in late night TV. S

An in-depth conversation about the organization's mission, evolution, and vision for photography's future.

Tips For Finding Photography Clients It is hard for me to believe, but there are some people who can very naturally approach and talk to people.  On top of that, some of those may also have the advantage of being well established in their community.  Those people may not need the tips offered here.  For everyone else, here are some … The post Finding and Communicating With Clients appeared first on Master Photography Podcast.