Episode notes
Episode 45 • Kiliii Yüyan Zach & Courtney interview Kiliii Yüyan, National Geographic photographer, Explorer, and speaker. Kiliii’s work focuses on indigenous communities around the world with special attention to environmental issues. Indigenous Photography Kiliii is himself of Chinese and Nanai/Hèzhé descent and speaks often of how his own background informs his photography with Indigenous people of the world. He spends extended periods with each group of people that he photographs, building relationships and serving as an active member of the communities. Kiliii has photographed…
Podcast
Photography is Nothing
Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken · Arts & Books · English
Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken is a weekly conversation about photography and all its impact. Each week Zach and Courtney discuss their latest adventures, life lessons, and anything else that sounds interesting. Photography is Nothing invites you into the conversati
More from Photography is Nothing All episodes →
-
2 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 9 min
What We've Learned So Far
In this 50TH episode, Zach & Courtney talk about what they’ve learned so far from running a photography business, starting a podcast, raising 5 kids, homeschooling, and just being generally busy making things for 20 years. “Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson Index 0:00 - Grow or die 1:40 - Starting a business 4:31 - Courtney & Zach had the same idea 5:57 - Starting a life after college 12:46 - We had abandoned our intuition 17:04 - Starting our own business worked 23:50 - You have to do other things to support the Big Thing 25:40 - Would Zach…
-
26 Aug 2026 · 53 min
Football
Episode 49 - 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 Index 0:00 - Film becomes the subject of the photo. 3:49 - The oldest football photo I could find. Old division football. 5:06 - Earliest football photos were mostly posed & portraits. 7:29 - Early action photos, college and professional football. 11:10 - A photo from the first football game at University of…
-
19 Aug 2026 · 1 hr
Copyright
US Copyright laws exist to protect artists and their art. Zach & Courtney take copyright seriously and have retained the copyright for all of Zach’s photography since the beginning of their business. In this episode of Photography is Nothing, Zach & Courtney talk about famous court cases involving photographers protecting their copyright as a means to teach how these laws benefit photographers and other artists. Cases discussed include: Photographer Carol Highsmith suing Getty images for a billion dollars for selling 18K of her photos. Photojournalist Daniel Morel sues AFP & Getty for…
-
12 Aug 2026 · 2 hr 6 min
Interview with Christopher Morris
Zach & Courtney interview Christopher Morris, a documentary photographer who has covered war, politics, and fashion since 1981. In this interview, Morris talks about being mistaken for a CIA agent, living with the consequences of witnessing atrocities firsthand, working to make sure his vast archive lives on, and more. Christopher Morris got his start with the Black Star agency covering conflicts in the Philippines, Panama, the Persian Gulf War, Yugoslavia, Chechnya, Yemen, Iraq, and more. Largely leaving war photography behind in the early 2000s, Morris covered the Bush and Obama…
-
5 Aug 2026 · 48 min
The Photography of Christopher Morris
Christopher Morris is a documentary photographer who has covered wars, politics, and fashion since 1981. In this episode, Courtney & Zach introduce Morris’s photography ahead of next week’s interview with the photographer. Christopher Morris got his start with the Black Star agency covering conflicts in the Philippines, Panama, the Persian Gulf War, Yugoslavia, Chechnya, Yemen, Iraq, and more. Largely leaving war photography behind in the early 2000s, Morris covered the Bush and Obama administrations for Time Magazine. He left Black Star in 2001 and was one of the founding members of VII…
-
22 Jul 2026 · 48 min
Kiliii Yüyan
Zach & Courtney introduce you to the work of Kiliii Yüyan, National Geographic photographer. Kiliii’s work focuses on indigenous communities around the world with special attention to environmental issues. This week we talk about Kiliii’s background and some of his best known work so you’ll be familiar with his photography and approach before our next episode, an in-depth interview with Yüyan. In February 2026, Kiliii published a new book: Guardians of Life: Indigenous Knowledge, Indigenous Science, and Restoring the Planet. “Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri…
-
15 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 6 min
Kids and Cameras
Zach & Courtney talk about supporting their kids taking photos. Zach has always been open to letting kids use his professional cameras, even if it made him nervous at first. ICYMI, Zach & Courtney ARE married! They have 5 kids together, who have free rein with cameras whenever they ask. In this episode, Zach & Courtney talk about how they work to support their kids’ creativity and individual styles without putting their own personal preferences and aesthetics onto the kids’ photography. Episode 43 “Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson Index 0:00 -…
-
1 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 3 min
World Cup 2026
Episode 42 - Zach & Courtney go through the best photos of the 2026 World Cup so far. And by “best” they mean the photos they like the most. There are a lot of great storylines that have unfolded early in the tournament and Zach & Courtney get into their favorite photos of these stories and moments. Photos include Cape Verde goalie Vozinha, watch parties around the world, Lumumba Vea, and a great photo of Ronaldo that was posted to his account without first obtaining permission from the photographer. “Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson Index 0:00 -…
-
24 Jun 2026 · 43 min
Larry Fink
Episode 41 - Zach & Courtney have talked about Larry Fink on multiple occasions, so wanted to have an episode dedicated to him. The photography of Larry Fink was documentary in nature and full of social & class commentary. His most famous series, Social Graces, put images of Manhattan socialites of the 70s & 80s alongside images of the Sabatine family living in rural Pennsylvania. He also photographed social activism of the 60s & 70s, boxing in the 80s & 90s, the famous Vanity Fair Oscar parties in the early 2000s, and behind the scenes at fashion shows. Fink once said, “The only revolution…
-
17 Jun 2026 · 47 min
Lourdes Grobet
Episode 40 - Zach & Courtney talk about Lourdes Grobet, an amazing Mexican photographer whose best known work is her nearly 40 years of documenting lucha libre, Mexican wrestling. Grobet’s work isn’t just unique because of the subject matter. She did a mix of action, documentary, behind-the-scenes, and portraiture, all with great skill. Other series by Grobet includes Paisajes Pintados (Painted Landscapes) and Laboratorio de Teatro Campesino e Indígena (Peasant and Indigenous Theater Laboratory). “Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson Index 0:00 -…
Take it with you
The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.
