Growing Through Personal Photography Projects

Behind the Shot - Video

LA based photographer Ian Spanier has been on the show a few times, with the first being back in 2019 for a conversation about Classic Portraits & Classic Lighting, discussing a portrait of actor Jeff bridges. Next up was the 2022 show talking about his Favorite Light Setups, which was fitting since Ian is an Ambassador for Westcott as a “Top Pro”.

In all the years I have been doing this podcast, Ian is absolutely one of my favorite interviews. He’s always happy to share any of his techniques or the details of his process. I have even watched his workshop a few times, when he was a guest presenter at Cal Baptist University. Simply put, he is a top level creator, and a fantastic educator.

I was emailing back and forth with him recently, and he mentioned he had a new book coming out next year, titled Cigars: A Biography. Keep in mind, Ian already has had three successful books. His first full book of published work, “Playboy, a Guide to Cigars” arrived in cigar shops in November 2009. The book is a collection of his photographs made in six countries, and spanning two and a half years. His second book project was a different subject altogether, and “Local Heroes: America’s Volunteer Fire Fighters,” came out to critical acclaim in the Fall of 2012. This year saw the arrival of book three, Arturo Fuente: From 1912 by Assouline books. This one is a two-book series that features all of Ian’s images in their $1200 US Retail version as well as the limited edition smaller version packed with 20 exclusive Arturo Fuente cigars retailing for $2500 US.

While we’re chatting about the newest book, Ian said something that struck me as a great idea for a show. He talked about “how a long term personal project helps one grow as a photographer”.

I think that as creatives we all have a different path for growing as an artist, and I feel like I have heard this one often. Personal projects lets us play, and explore not only our subject matter, but our entire approach to the art. I’ve done shows about personal projects before, and I have always been fascinated by the personal projects I see photographers take on, but this one was different. This personal project is the result of 17 years of Ian’s work.

As I mentioned above, Ian is an Ambassador for Westcott as a “Top Pro”, and he’s also a brand ambassador for companies like ThinkTank Photo, Spider Holster, Hoodman USA, Sekonic, Naroo Global Masks, and CamRanger. So, I asked if he’d wanted to come back and talk about how a project like this, spanning so many years, helped him grow as a photographer.

Join photographer Ian Spanier and me as we take a look at how personal projects can help you grow as a photographer.

Connect with Ian

Personal: ianspanier.com
Facebook: @ianspanierphoto
Instagram: @ianspanier
Twitter: @ianspanierphoto

Ian’s Westcott Umbrella

Westcott Deep Umbrella: fjwestcott.com

Ian’s Books

Playboy: The Book of Cigars: amazon.com
Local Heroes: Portraits of American Volunteer Firefighters: amazon.com
The Ultimate Collection – ARTURO FUENTE: SINCE 1912: assouline.com
Cigars: A Biography: sigculture.com

Ian’s Photographer Picks

Albert Watson: albertwatson.com | @albertwatsonphotography
Andy Anderson: andyandersonphoto.com | @andyandersonphoto

Photos from the Book “Cigars: A Biography”

Ian’s Other Work