The Eyeshot Podcast on Street & Documentary Photography

David Alan Harvey on street photography made inside other people's homes, on sixty years of keeping his own box of work going in parallel, and on the rejection that started everything. In this Eyeshot 50mm conversation the American photographer, who has made more than forty essays for National Geographic and founded Burn Magazine, explains why he stopped photographing what things look like.David Alan Harvey has photographed for National Geographic since 1973, was a member of Magnum Photos from 1997 until 2021, and founded Burn Magazine in 2008. In this conversation he talks about the way he actually works, which is to get inside a house rather than wait on the corner, and about what it took for one family in Norfolk, Virginia, to let him sleep on their sofa and make his first book. He talks about growing up in a Virginia town with nothing spectacular to photograph, about three months in isolation at six years old, about the colour he learned from Goya, and about one camera and one lens as a form of honesty. He explains why he never told an editor to look at his photographs, why he knocked on Carlos Fuentes' door before finishing Divided Soul, and how a conversation he was only being polite about turned into Burn Magazine. Sixty years in, he says the luck was never the assignments. It was keeping the enthusiasm.Watch the full conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kwVdZ40gN6QPhotographs © David Alan Harvey. Interview © Eyeshot.

In this episode we sit down with acclaimed photojournalist Ed Kashi of VII Photo Agency to explore his 45 years journey through documentary photography, visual activism, and the art of “candid intimacy" in over 100 countries. Known for his deep commitment to social issues, Ed reflects on the ethical responsibilities of the photographer, the emotional power of the still image, and the evolution of his visual language. We dive into his sold-out book with Eyeshot, “Visual Riffs”—a limited edition book now available for pre-order. Ed discusses how photography becomes a form of therapy, storytelling, and resistance, and shares insights into his creative process, from personal obsessions to field experiences across the globe.

In this episode, American street photographer Chuck Patch reflects on a lifetime of image-making, from his first camera and darkroom experiences to his years working with museums, archives, and photographic collections. The conversation moves through his influences, including Garry Winogrand, Walker Evans, Vivian Maier, Joel Meyerowitz, and Henri Cartier-Bresson, while opening a deeper discussion on what makes a street photograph last over time. Patch speaks about the beauty of mundane subjects, the limits of perfect composition, the shift from black and white to color photography, and why authenticity in photography has changed across generations. He also reflects on the role of Flickr and online photography communities, the fear of criticism, the value of amateur photography, and the difference between the traditional “decisive moment” and a more emotional, social, and narrative understanding of street photography. This is a conversation about street photography as attention, memory, community, intuition, and emotional connection.

In this episode, we sit down with acclaimed documentary photographer Dave Jordano. Dave Jordano did not come to documentary photography through the street. He came through still life, three decades of commercial work in Chicago with an 8x10 camera, planning every detail, controlling every light. When he returned to personal work around 2000, he brought that patience with him: the tripod, the long study, the frame decided before the shutter. He is, by his own account, the opposite of a street photographer. In this episode of Eyeshot 50mm he talks about treating the world as a still life, about why he refused to photograph Detroit as a fashionable ruin when "people still live here", about consent as a slow method built on conversation and returned prints, and about the one rule that held a fifty-year life together: love what you do, and treat it as a gift, not as work.

In this episode, Melissa O’Shaughnessy shares her journey from darkroom to digital, from shyness to confidence, and from family snapshots to internationally acclaimed street photography. Known for her vibrant color and human-centered compositions, Melissa reflects on building her philosophy on photography, and what it means to find your voice on the street. As the cover artist of Eyeshot’s sold-out limited edition all-women issue “No Man’s Land: Women Reclaiming the Streets”, Melissa dives into the challenges and strengths of photographing as a woman in a historically male-dominated genre. In this in-depth interview, we talk about identity, ethics, color vs. black and white, the influence of Joel Meyerowitz, and how one photograph can hold an entire story.

David Gibson, celebrated street photographer and member of the UP Photographers collective, joins us for the second episode of “50mm.” Explore how street photography has evolved, learn abstract photography tips, and discover powerful insights on photography techniques, gender in photography, and more. In this in-depth interview, Gibson explains how instinct and technique guide the quest for iconic images, how technology and the internet reshaped photography’s journey, and why a supportive photography community fosters mutual inspiration. He also discusses writing, visual storytelling, and the art of observation, offering reflections on the impact of AI on the future of photography. Whether you’re looking for photography advice as a hobbyist or seeking new perspectives as a professional, this conversation delivers valuable lessons and creative inspiration for everyone.

Former LIFE Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Bill Shapiro, shares rare behind-the-scenes stories from the golden era of photojournalism to today’s digital challenges. From curating iconic covers to navigating ethical dilemmas, Shapiro offers an insider’s view on editing, storytelling, and what makes a photograph truly unforgettable. In this episode, we explore his philosophy on empathy in photography, how to surprise a juror, and the delicate balance between history and the present in visual storytelling. Whether you’re a photographer, editor, or photography lover, this conversation will inspire and challenge your perspective.

Phil Penman sits down with Eyeshot 50mm to talk about street photography, photojournalism, paparazzi culture, and building a 30-year career in New York City. From 9/11 to celebrity chaos, from ethics to AI, this is a raw conversation about what it really takes to survive as a professional photographer. In this episode, Phil reflects on growing up with a news photographer father, working as chief photographer for newspapers, surviving the high-pressure world of paparazzi photography, and eventually returning to personal street work in NYC. We discuss speed, instinct, consent, privacy, social media algorithms, AI, technical perfection vs emotion, and why real photography still matters.