The Shot Michael John Oliver

There are few people holding a camera who can move people like Mass Nissan. The two-time World Press Photographer of the Year is a master of producing shots that deliver a full-body experience. He joins me from his home in Copenhagen to talk about his shot The First Embrace, taken in a care home in São Paulo during the height of Brazil’s first Covid wave. It shows a nurse hugging one of the home’s residents through a simple invention called The Hug Curtain, which looks a lot like something you’d have draped around you at a barbershop but allowed people to embrace one another for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

The photo won Mass this year’s World Press Photo of the Year, and he tells me why having empathy should be at the heart of every photo journalist’s mission.

The Shot is back for its second season, talking with London photographer Manon Ouimet about her award-winning project "Altered". 
Altered is a body of photographic work that aims to encourage inclusion by displaying the honesty of physical alterations. It focuses on individuals who have unwillingly embarked on life-changing body alterations due to illness, war, accidents and violence. The intention is to illuminate people who often feel marginalised and contribute to conversations about equality and diversity.
You can see the project online at http://www.manonouimet.com/altered, and follow Manon on Instagram @manonography

Bob Boilen is the creator and host of NPR Music’s All Songs Considered and of their Tiny Desk Concert series, which hosts well-known and emerging artists for intimate performances filmed at his desk. Anyone who’s a music geek with an internet connection knows what I’m talking about.

But when Covid-19 caught America in its grip in early 2020, Bob found himself with more free evenings than he had ever experienced.

As a composer and musician, Bob has always been passionate about music. But pandemic accelerated his passion for photography - in particular, Macro.

We talked in early Spring about his time behind the lens and what spurs him to take the shots he takes.

You can see a sample of his music, macro and 360 shots on his website at BobBoilen.info, and on Instagram @tinydesk.

And remember, you can follow The Shot on Instagram @the.shot.podcast, and on our website at shotpodcast.com

Song: Lonely Party by Arc De Soleil.

"What happens to your sense of self when you lose your memory? What does it feel like to lose your grasp on time and place, to no longer be able to communicate with the people you love?"

Jennifer Blau is a documentary photographer in Sydney, Australia. She began photographing her mother-in-law Patricia as she approached 90. But over the course of the project, she began to decline. As she lost words and became increasingly isolated, photography became a powerful way of connecting and affirming her fading presence. 

Patricia’s Room is about memory, place, transience and fragility; about past loss and impending loss, and catching what is precious between. 

You can see the full series on Jennifer's website, https://www.jenniferblau.com/patricias-room.html and follow Jennifer on Instagram @jenniferblauphoto

On August 4 2020, a massive amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the port of Beirut exploded. More than 200 people were killed, 7,500 injured, and large swathes of the city were destroyed.

Across the city, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Lorenzo Tugnoli was home in his apartment when the shockwave hit. He grabbed his camera headed towards the port. Amid the chaos, he captured one of the defining shots of the story: a shellshocked port worker named Ali.

But for a photographer who has worked in Afghanistan, Lybia, and Yemen, what happened next surprised him.

Lorenzo's incredible photography can be found on his website — www.lorenzotugnoli.com. 

And be sure to follow The Shot on Instagram at the.shot.podcast

The late Ivan Allen once said, “The City of Atalanta has always had a good spirit.” It’s arguably the cultural epicentre of America’s south – a place where that good spirit manifests in its vibrant music and visual arts scene. But in 2020, attention fell to stories of injustice, protest, and politics.

Photographer Lynsey Weatherspoon lives in Atlanta and played a huge part in capturing the stories that carried Atlanta through 2020. From Black Lives Matter to Georgia’s part in the presidential election, Lynsey’s striking black and white photos told a story that was both timeless and undeniably modern.

You can follow Lynsey on Instagram @InWeatherspoon and see more of her amazing work on her website, www.lynseyweatherspoon.com.

Note: We recorded this episode prior to the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for George Floyd's murder.