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The Terrible Photographer

The Terrible Photographer

Written by: Patrick Fore
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 The Terrible Photographer is a storytelling podcast for photographers, designers, and creative humans trying to stay honest in a world that rewards pretending2025 Patrick Fore Photography, LLC Art Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Heresies - The Cult Member - Why Your Camera Brand Doesn't Care If You're a Good Photographer

    Heresies - The Cult Member - Why Your Camera Brand Doesn't Care If You're a Good Photographer
    Jan 27 2026
    Rochester, 1888. George Eastman releases the Kodak camera with a brilliant slogan: "You press the button, we do the rest." Serious photographers immediately panic, calling new users "Button-Pressers" and "Kodak Fiends." One writer declares photography dead: "When everyone is a photographer, then no one is an artist."Same fear. Same argument. Different century.This is Episode 2 of Heresies—where we say the things the photography industry would prefer you not think too hard about.Today: Why your camera brand doesn't care if you're a good photographer. Why brand ambassadors are unpaid marketing departments. And what happens when you mistake ownership for mastery.We'll talk about the spreadsheet behind "partnerships." The ROAS calculations that determine who gets loaned gear. And why musicians like Benny Blanco make billion-stream hits on outdated Macs with wired keyboards while photographers argue about megapixels in forums.This isn't another "gear doesn't matter" sermon. Gear absolutely matters—but only if you already know what you're doing. The R5 makes you more capable, not better. And there's a difference.If you've ever felt like you needed the "right" camera to be taken seriously, this one's for you.What We CoverThe 1890s moral panic about "Button-Pressers" and "Kodak Fiends"Why I felt cheated when a beginner showed up with the same $10K camera setupWhat I learned working in Taylor Guitars' marketing department about brand partnershipsHow ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) and Brand Lift actually workWhy camera ambassadors are conversion rates, not artistsBenny Blanco making hits on gear that looks like a dorm room liquidation saleThe difference between gear that enables vs. gear that replaces skillWhy musicians fetishize sound while photographers fetishize newnessWhere pride should actually live (spoiler: not in your kit)Quotable Moments"When everyone is a photographer, then no one is an artist." — 1890s photography critic"Ownership feels like mastery. That if you just have the right tool, the hard parts quietly disappear.""I wanted the gate to exist. I wanted the years to mean something visible. I wanted effort to leave a mark you could recognize on sight.""You're not a partner. You're a line item. An asset on a balance sheet. A tactic in a marketing plan.""The R5 doesn't make me a better photographer. It makes me a more capable photographer—but only if I already know what I'm doing.""The tool enables. But it doesn't create. Vision creates. Mastery creates. And you can't buy either of those.""Musicians fetishize sound. Photographers fetishize newness.""Pride is expensive. You can put pride in your work. Or you can put pride in your kit. One costs time. The other costs money.""If the most interesting thing about your work is what you shot it on, you didn't make work. You made a purchase."For Photographers Who:Feel pressure to upgrade every time a new camera dropsWonder if they need "better" gear before they can do "real" workHave ever felt embarrassed showing up with older equipmentAre curious what brand ambassador programs actually areStruggle with gear acquisition vs. skill developmentWant permission to master what they already haveNeed to hear that the camera they own is enoughReferenced in This EpisodeBenny Blanco - Mix with the Masters"Benny Blanco producing 'Eastside' and 'Younger And Hotter Than Me' | Trailer"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gnRFrJ3ytY(Audio clips used with reference to educational context)Historical Context:George Eastman & the Kodak Camera (1888)The Hartford Courant warnings about "Kodak Fiends" (1890s)Photography industry panic about "Button-Pressers"Musicians Referenced:Benny Blanco (producer: "Eastside," Selena Gomez, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber)Willie Nelson and "Trigger" (Martin N-20 guitar, 50+ years)Gear Theory:ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)Brand Lift metricsAttribution modeling in influencer marketingLinks & ResourcesThe Terrible PhotographerWebsite: http://terriblephotographer.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/terriblephotographer/Lessons From A Terrible Photographer (The Book)https://www.terriblephotographer.com/the-book(Features full chapter: "Gear, Fear, and Peers")Support the Show (Buy Me a Coffee)https://www.terriblephotographer.com/supportSubscribe to Pub Notes (The Newsletter)https://the-terrible-photographer.kit.com/223fe471fbPatrick ForeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrickfore/Get in TouchHave a question? A story? Hate mail?I respond to everything.Email's in the show notes.CreditsPodcast written, produced, and hosted by Patrick ForeMusic licensed through Epidemic Sound & Blue Dot SessionsEpisode photography by Michael Soledad | Instagram: @michsoledesignAudio clips from "Benny Blanco producing 'Eastside' and 'Younger And Hotter Than Me'" courtesy of Mix with the MastersRecorded from my garage in San Diego, CaliforniaStay curious. Stay courageous. Stay terrible.
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    48 mins
  • Basics, Deconstructed - Editing is Violence - How to Choose What Matters When Everything Looks Good

    Basics, Deconstructed - Editing is Violence - How to Choose What Matters When Everything Looks Good
    Jan 22 2026

    Most photographers drown in the edit.

    Not because they can't see what's good. Because they can't choose what matters.

    This episode is about the violence of editing—the courage it takes to kill good images, the ego that dies in the process, and why great portfolios are built on rhythm, not range.

    I tell the story of a La Jolla shoot where I took 1,900 frames in two hours and couldn't figure out which ones to keep. About losing my sense of up and down. About the underwater feeling of staring at 300 good images and having no idea which one cuts through.

    And about what happened when I finally admitted I was too close to see.

    This isn't about workflow. It's about authorship.

    Topics:

    • Why volume doesn't equal value
    • The question that kills most of your images
    • What actually gets destroyed in the edit (spoiler: it's not the photos)
    • Editing as storytelling, not inventory
    • When to admit you're too underwater to choose

    MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

    Walter Murch – Film editor (Apocalypse Now, The English Patient, The Conversation)

    LINKS & RESOURCES

    Website: http://terriblephotographer.com

    Lessons From A Terrible Photographer (The Book): https://www.terriblephotographer.com/the-book

    Support the show, buy me a coffee: https://www.terriblephotographer.com/support

    Subscribe to Pub Notes (The Newsletter): https://the-terrible-photographer.kit.com/223fe471fb

    Terrible Photographer on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terriblephotographer/

    Patrick Fore on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrickfore/

    CREDITS

    Podcast written, produced, and hosted by Patrick Fore

    Music licensed through Epidemic Sound & Blue Dot Sessions

    Recorded from my garage in San Diego, California

    CONTACT

    Questions? Thoughts? Hate mail?
    Email me. I respond to everything.
    patrick@terriblephotographer.com

    Stay curious.
    Stay courageous.
    Stay terrible.
    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
  • Heresies - The Proxy - Why Listening to Your Clients Might Be A Bad Idea

    Heresies - The Proxy - Why Listening to Your Clients Might Be A Bad Idea
    Jan 20 2026


    When a client says "I want exactly this," are they hiring you to execute their vision—or are they asking you to solve a problem they can't articulate?

    This is the first episode in a five-part series called Heresies—where we say the uncomfortable things the industry doesn't want you to think too hard about.

    In this episode: Why listening to your client might be killing your work. Why taste is a technical skill, not a preference. And the difference between being a problem-solver and being an expensive tripod.

    We'll talk about threading the needle between "authentic" and "amateur." About knowing when you're hired as an artist versus a technician. And about the clients who want you to recreate their blurry iPhone photos of tennis racquets at impossible angles.

    (Yes, that's a real story. No, I don't want to talk about it.)

    This isn't about ignoring your clients. It's about knowing when to translate what they're asking for into what they actually need.


    What We Cover

    • Why your job isn't just to press the button
    • The difference between consumer clients (hiring your taste) and commercial clients (hiring problem-solving)
    • How to build a visual vocabulary (and why scrolling Instagram doesn't count)
    • Red flags that signal a client wants a proxy, not a photographer
    • What "taste as a technical skill" actually means
    • The museum exercise: 20 minutes, one painting, no phone

    Quotable Moments

    "You're not an equipment rental with legs."

    "Clients don't hire us to give them what they want. They hire us to give them something beautiful. Something effective."

    "If you don't have a vision, you can't translate someone else's vision."

    "You're not a photographer. You're just someone with a camera, waiting for instructions."

    "The cost of saying yes to the wrong client isn't just time and money. It's the slow, quiet erosion of why you started doing this in the first place."


    For Photographers Who:

    • Struggle with confidence when clients have "very specific ideas"
    • Default to saying "yes" even when the request doesn't make sense
    • Haven't developed their visual voice yet (and don't know where to start)
    • Are tired of being treated like a vending machine
    • Need permission to trust their expertise
    • Want to know how to spot bad clients before signing the contract

    Links & Resources

    The Terrible Photographer
    Website: http://terriblephotographer.com
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terriblephotographer/

    Lessons From A Terrible Photographer (The Book)
    https://www.terriblephotographer.com/the-book

    Support the Show (Buy Me a Coffee)
    https://www.terriblephotographer.com/support

    Subscribe to Pub Notes (The Newsletter)
    https://the-terrible-photographer.kit.com/223fe471fb

    Patrick Fore
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrickfore/


    Get in Touch

    Have a question? A story? Hate mail?
    I respond to everything.
    Email's in the show notes.


    Credits

    Podcast written, produced, and hosted by Patrick Fore
    Music licensed through Epidemic Sound & Blue Dot Sessions
    Episode photography from Adobe Stock & Unsplash
    Recorded from my garage in San Diego, California

    Stay curious. Stay courageous. Stay terrible.
    Show More Show Less
    49 mins
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