The Power of a Photograph

I have the feeling that Sam Abell has more stories than almost any photographer you know. Thirty-four years as a staff and contract photographer at National Geographic tends to have that effect.

Sam is an Ohio based teacher, artist, and photographer. I would argue that his magic is that those three skills merge to create, in Sam, the perfect storyteller. His story started like many of my guests, learning photography from his father.

It was after graduating from the University of Kentucky that Sam went to work for Nat Geo. That in and of itself is an accomplishment. Lots of up-and-coming photographers dream of being a Nat Geo photographer, but the odds of having that dream come true aren’t ones I would bet on. For Sam however, it was a career that fit perfectly with his work. Having read, and listened to a few interviews with Sam, it’s amazing to hear about his process. When he describes some photos taking minutes, and other 1.5 years to make, you start to understand… Sam makes photos in his head, often long before the photo is actually made.

Sam has taken so many iconic images, including one for the Marlboro Man campaign that was famously appropriated by Richard Prince – and Sam’s thoughts about being on his side of that situation have been widely covered. I won’t be going into that in this show.

As a Canon Legend, Sam is one of the elite photographers working today, and if you are going to attend a workshop I’d guess you could learn a ton from Mr. Abell. Links to all of his upcoming workshops are at his website here.

Sam has authored a number of books too, but at the time of this show they are all sold out. Watch his site for any updates on that.

Join Canon Legend, and National Geographic legend, Sam Abell and me as we discuss how the parts of an image work together to build the power of the final photograph, on this Behind the Shot.

Connect with Sam

Website: samabell.com
Instagram: @samabellteacher

Sam’s Workshops

Nobechi Creative: nobechicreative.com
Santa Fe Workshops : santafeworkshops.com
Pacific Northwest Art School: pacificnorthwestartschool.org
Maine Media Workshops: mainemedia.edu
Los Angelas Center of Photography: lacphoto.org

Sam’s Photographer Pick

Alex Webb: magnumphotos.com

Sam’s Keynote Slides Used in the Show