In today's episode, Adobe Price increases, a trip to Iraq, SD cards turns 25 and Waffle House Vistas.
You can find the show notes here.
You can find the show notes here.
Show Notes
Welcome back to the show, Liam Douglas here with the Liam Photography Podcast and this is Episode 455 for the week of May 22, 2025. In today’s stories, the SD card turns 25, Adobe Price increases and more.
Adobe increased the prices of some of its Photography plans earlier this year, and the situation got pretty complex. Now the company is changing its broader Creative Cloud plan offerings in North America, including a new, more expensive option that replaces the existing Creative Cloud All Apps plan.
The Creative Cloud for individuals plans will change for customers in North America starting on June 17, 2025. Among the most notable slated changes is the discontinuation of the Creative Cloud All Apps plan, which currently starts at $59.99 monthly and includes all of Adobe’s apps, including Photoshop, Lightroom, Premiere Pro, and more, plus Adobe Firefly and generative credits. This plan is being renamed to “Creative Cloud Pro.”
This new plan will include unlimited access to standard generative features (such as Generative Fill in Photoshop) and 4,000 monthly credits to generate up to 40 five-second videos or translate up to 14 minutes of audio and video per month. The plan will also include Firefly Boards (a new concept board platform), the option to choose to work with non-Adobe generative AI models inside compatible Adobe software, and 100GB of cloud storage. Creative Cloud Pro also includes full access to all free and premium features for Adobe’s mobile and web creative apps, including Photoshop and Lightroom. The plan starts at $69.99 per month.
While Creative Cloud Pro technically replaces Creative Cloud All Apps, existing users can switch to a different, less expensive plan. Adobe is introducing a new “Creative Cloud Standard” tier for $54.99. Creative Cloud Standard is aimed at users who do not require Adobe’s latest AI technology.
For existing subscribers, this plan must be manually selected, otherwise users will be billed the higher subscription rate and moved to Creative Cloud Pro during their next renewal after June 17, 2025. Subscribers nearing their renewal date will be emailed to alert them of the pending price changes.
Creative Cloud Standard does not include access to premium features within Adobe’s mobile and web apps (but does include access to free features), comes with just 25 generative credits per month, cannot access premium generative features or Firefly Boards, and subscribers cannot switch to non-Adobe generative AI models inside Adobe apps.
It is also worth noting that applicable student and teacher customers cannot subscribe to Creative Cloud Standard at all. Instead, they must use Creative Cloud Pro for at least $29.99 monthly for the first year and $39.99 afterward.
At this time, there will be no further adjustments to Adobe’s Creative Cloud Photography plan beyond what went into effect earlier this year. Creative Cloud single app plans remain available at the existing price.
Adobe says it will alert users of imminent price changes for their plans when their renewal date approaches. However, users can adjust their plans anytime by visiting their Adobe account page. Certain changes may incur additional fees.
If users switch to Creative Cloud Standard, their monthly rate will decrease by $5, or $60 per year, but they will lose access to some features they previously had, including complete access to all Adobe mobile and web application features, and their monthly generative credits will decrease from 1,000 to 25. Further, there will be no access to premium generative features like Generate Video or Translate Audio.
New users will also be able to sign up for Creative Cloud Standard, starting at $54.99 per month. As of writing, the relevant Adobe HelpX page says only existing subscribers can sign up for Creative Cloud Standard, but that is inaccurate.
“If a new user in North America wanted to sign up for a new Creative Cloud plan now or after June 17, they can sign up for Creative Cloud Standard for $54.99/month,” an Adobe spokesperson tells PetaPixel.
Those wishing to keep all their existing features and get expanded AI access must accept the move to Creative Cloud Pro and pay $10 more monthly, or $120 a year.
“Creative Cloud Pro includes all the core applications and new AI capabilities that power the way people create today, and its price reflects that innovation, as well as our ongoing commitment to deliver the future of creative tools. It incorporates the performance and workflow improvements that speed your work in our core creative applications, like Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro and Lightroom, with the additional benefit of unlimited standard AI generations, such as image and vector generations, and thousands of credits for premium generations,” Adobe says.
“The combination of Creative Cloud Pro and Adobe Firefly provides one of the most comprehensive creativity and AI plans, combining core creativity tools with AI-powered capabilities and third-party AI models for maximum creative flexibility.”
For customers outside North America, there will be no changes to plans, naming, or pricing at this time. Again, Creative Cloud Standard and Pro plans arrive on June 17, and current subscribers are advised to investigate their options before their first renewal period after June 17. Additional help and information is available on this Adobe support page.
When I mentioned to friends and family that I was heading to Iraq, the reactions were a mix of surprise and concern. Questions like, “Is it safe?” and “Why Iraq?” were common. But as a photographer driven by curiosity and a desire to capture unique experiences, I saw Iraq as an opportunity to explore a land rich in history, culture, and resilience.
Our route took us from Baghdad to Babylon, Najaf, Karbala, Samarra, Mosul, and up into the mountains of the Kurdistan autonomous region. At every stop, I found myself drawn to the everyday texture of life in Iraq — the vibrant bazaars, rugged geography, and friendly locals who welcomed us with open arms. As a photographer, I know it’s not a well-known destination, but it was a dream nonetheless. Iraq is layered with history, color, and contrast, from ancient ruins and immaculate mosques to bustling city streets and hidden alleyways.
Also worth mentioning, the locals absolutely loved being photographed and weren’t bothered by cameras. People would pose, wave, invite us in for tea, or simply smile and wait patiently for the photo to be taken. Even without sharing a language, photography became our bridge.
Photographing Iraq required a balance between versatility, flexibility, and portability. We were often out and about for the entire day, so I had to be pretty selective with the gear in my sling bag so that I wouldn’t be lugging around heavy equipment all day. Below is a breakdown of the gear that helped me document this incredible journey.
My main camera was one of the best hybrid cameras out there, in my opinion, the Sony a7RV, and it was the only camera body I brought with me for handling both photo and video. The 61-megapixel full-frame sensor was ideal for capturing immaculate details in architecture and gave me tons of flexibility to crop in on portraits if I needed to.
As for lenses, I brought the Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art because it would be perfect for street portraits or low-light situations, offering a shallow depth of field and tack-sharp images. All of the portraits in this article were shot on this lens – it’s an amazing piece of glass! I also carried the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art. I brought this lens specifically for the Kurdistan region of the trip since I knew we would be in the mountains and I could utilize the f/1.4 aperture for astrophotography. It’s a beast of a lens, but pretty large and heavy, so it mostly stayed in my camera bag until the last leg of the trip. I also had two zooms with me: Sony’s 24-70mm f/2.8 GM II and Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM II.
Fujifilm X100F: I borrowed this camera from a friend (Thanks, Faizal!) so that I’d have a smaller digital camera to default to when we went out for dinner or at night, since it has a built-in flash and could easily fit in my sling bag.
GoPro Hero 11 Black: In my opinion, this is the easiest way to film POV footage that isn’t super noticeable or intrusive. I used a chest mount and tried to wear a button-down shirt or jacket over it so it was less obvious.
Kodak PIXPRO WPZ2 Digital Camera: This was a recent gift from a friend (Thanks, Andy!), and I felt like this trip was the perfect opportunity to put it into use. It’s a teeny tiny camera that I could easily throw in my bag without noticing the weight, and it was fun to shoot low-res video (with 4x optical zoom). It’s also waterproof up to 50ft — not that I used it underwater on this trip, but the possibility was there.
Leica Minilux: This is a 35mm point-and-shoot film camera that my uncle passed down to me. It is another small camera that I like to throw in my bag and have on me because nothing matches the vibe of film other than film.
iPhone 16 Pro: One of my most-used cameras of all time, I ended up using my phone not only to shoot photos in RAW, but also to shoot video in Apple ProRes Log.
We started our journey in Baghdad, visiting various landmarks and getting our first round of Iraqi history lessons. From wandering the streets of Old Town to photographing Al-Shaheed Monument (The Martyr’s Monument), it was a crash course in Iraq’s modern identity. But what truly stood out was our first Iftar at Al-Kadhimiyya Mosque, where we broke fast with hundreds of locals who treated us like honored guests, reminding me how powerful shared moments can be, even without shared language.
From there, we traveled south to Babylon, Najaf, and Karbala. Babylon was an ancient city in Mesopotamia, recognized as one of the world’s earliest civilizations. We wandered through the old city grounds, casually coming across ancient relics with Sumerian Cuneiform on them (the first written language). Unfortunately, there are numerous historical landmarks like this in Iraq that haven’t been properly excavated and preserved due to a lack of funding.
Najaf and Karbala are two of the holiest cities in Shia Islam, and we visited at one of the busiest times of the year, to celebrate Eid al-Fitr at the end of Ramadan. Navigating the shrines through hundreds of people was chaotic to say the least, but we got a private tour of certain areas that weren’t yet open to the public, where I was able to take these photos.
One of the most unexpected highlights of the trip was Mosul, a city still rebuilding after the devastation of ISIS occupation in the 2010s. We met locals who shared their stories, visited churches that had once been occupied and destroyed, and witnessed the resilience of a community determined to move forward. It was raw, honest, and visually shocking.
For our last two days, we headed north into the Kurdistan autonomous region, starting in Erbil, where I wandered through the souk (street market) and found so many interesting characters to photograph. I shot all of these on the Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art lens, which was easily one of my most-used lenses throughout the entire trip. The shallow depth of field and beautiful rendering gave a softness and intimacy to the portraits, even in the midst of the market’s constant chaos. It’s sharp, fast, and made my street photography feel personal and cinematic.
We continued north and spent a night camping in Choman among snow-capped mountains, which was one of my favorite memories of the entire week.
I brought the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens with me specifically for this leg of the trip. The ultra-wide focal length let me fully capture the snow-capped mountains, our dreamy little tents, and the golden light spilling across the wooden decks all without distortion.
When golden hour quickly turned into blue hour, the lens handled the quick shift in lighting beautifully, preserving sharpness and detail even as the mountains disappeared into shadows. I set up my tripod for a timelapse to shoot into the night and take advantage of the lens’s f/1.4 aperture, but only 30 minutes later had to abandon the mission as a huge storm started to roll in. This was a total contrast to everything we’d seen so far and felt like a different country altogether. It was a perfect way to close out the trip.
Iraq is a land of contrasts: ancient and modern, serene and bustling, resilient and welcoming. Through my photography, I aimed to capture not just images but stories that challenge perceptions and highlight the country’s rich heritage and vibrant communities.
For photographers seeking to explore beyond the conventional, Iraq offers a truly unique and rewarding experience, not only shifting how you shoot, but also how you see the world.
The SD Association (SDA) is getting out the candles and celebrating the SD card’s 25th birthday. Calling it “the world’s favorite memory card,” the SD is now old enough to rent a car in the United States.
The SD card is the longest-running form of storage media that is still in active use. While the CF and CFast cards have long since gone the way of the dodo, the SD card remains a mainstay in modern cameras and is still the most popular memory card format on Earth. Originally launched in the year 2000, the SD card was a joint initiative by SanDisk, Panasonic, and Kioxia meant to succeed the MultiMediaCard (MMC) and was designed to compete directly against Sony’s Memory Stick flash storage. That was clearly a success as the Memory Stick quickly fell out of use in the ensuing years and the SD card has undergone multiple upgrades over the years which has contributed to the longevity of the format.
In a 2003 story from Toshiba, it was explained that the trademark logo for the SD card comes from the failed competitor to the DVD, the Super Density Disc, and to differentiate it, the second “D” was removed and the single “D” was styled to resemble half a disc.
“Throughout the last 25 years, SD and microSD memory cards have sold more than 12 billion cards and evolved by offering massive storage capacities and lightning fast speeds, meeting industry needs. SD memory cards remain the most used removable storage card for consumer electronic devices,” the SDA says.
2025 is not only a landmark year for the original SD card but it is also a the 20th anniversary of the microSD card.
“This year, the SDA is celebrating another significant milestone, the 20th anniversary of the ground-breaking microSD. microSD memory cards remain a powerful and popular storage choice and played a pivotal role in transforming the mobile industry as the first storage expansion option for billions of mobile phones,” the SDA adds. “Selfies, mobile phone photography, enjoying music and videos on a mobile phone all became possible because of innovation driven by the SDA. Today, SD memory cards remain a valued part of the consumer and industrial products, allowing people to download and enjoy content from the world’s most popular video streaming services, store games and run apps directly from a card, and use those cards as an efficient memory expansion of their products.”
“SD memory cards continue delivering portability and convenience, letting people upgrade the storage in their devices at any time thanks to the dedication and vision of our nearly 800 SDA members,” Yosi Pinto, Chairman of the SDA, adds. “The cards continue to help product manufacturers innovate and provide better user experience because SD is a proven storage solution that continuously evolves with technology evolutions and market needs requiring higher speed data access and larger capacities.”
Chinese smartphone maker Nubia’s latest handheld, the Z70S Ultra, goes all in on a Leica-inspired photography experience. However, unlike some smartphones that have official Leica-engineered imaging systems and photo features, the Nubia Z70S Ultra is more of an homage, complete with Leica’s iconic red dot logo.
As Timothy Coleman of TechRadar cleverly says, the Z70S Ultra is a “look-a-Leica,” at least when customers opt for the Photographer Edition model, sometimes referred to as the Retro Kit. This kit has a leather case with a built-in grip for holding the phone like a compact camera, a full shutter release, two control dials, and even a shoe mount. Without this kit, the Nubia Z70S Ultra still has the same Leica-inspired style, at least in its Photographer Edition color way, but ditches all these extra camera-inspired physical controls.
In either scenario, the camera system is the same. The Nubia Z70S Ultra has an unusually long 35mm equivalent f/1.7 main camera (50-megapixel “Neo Master” Type 1/1.3), a 64-megapixel 70mm equivalent telephoto camera (Type 1/2), and a 50-megapixel 13mm equivalent ultra-wide camera with a small Type 1/2.88 sensor. These specs aren’t groundbreaking, but the phone is under $750, so it would be unreasonable to expect industry-leading features. The 35mm main camera and Photography Kit add-on are definitely differentiating factors, though.
By the way, there is also the Nubia Z70 Ultra — without the “S” — which is $40 less expensive. Beyond looking less like a Leica camera thanks to the lack of leather covering, there is not much difference between the devices. The telephoto and ultra-wide cameras are the same, but the standard Z70 Ultra trades out the “Neo Master” sensor for a 50-megapixel Sony IMX-series chip. Both have a 35mm equivalent lens, albeit one with an adjustable physical aperture (f/1.6-4) in the case of the standard Z70 Ultra. The Z70S Ultra also has a slightly larger battery and a more advanced version of Nebula AIOS, which is based on Android 15.
Both Z70 Ultra models have a 16-megapixel front-facing camera hidden beneath their 6.8-inch HDR displays. The panel has a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, which is quite bright. The Nubia Z70S Ultra runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.
The Nubia Z70S Ultra is expected to ship on May 28. Nubia describes the Retro Kit for mobile photography as “coming soon” and does not disclose a price for the optional add-on. Complete details and purchasing options are available on Nubia’s global website, and yes, the Z70 Ultra series ships to the U.S.
Google is hosting its annual I/O conference today, and while much of the focus is on the company’s own tech, there’s also fresh news for photographers. Google and Skylum have partnered to bring Luminar photo editing software to Android and ChromeOS.
The launch promises to bring Luminar’s AI-powered photo editing tools to more mobile and Chromebook users. Skylum has worked to ensure its software’s user interface and the overall user experience are well-suited to each compatible device, whether a phone, tablet, Chromebook, or even foldable device. Luminar dynamically adjusts to different screen sizes and aspect ratios. “This level of UX refinement ensures a seamless, device-aware editing experience that stands out across platforms,” Skylum promises.
“By bringing Luminar to Android, we’re showcasing our greatest strengths: professional-grade imaging technology powered by an intuitive, engaging interface,” says Ivan Kutanin, CEO, Skylum. “It’s this unique fusion that sparks the urge to create, giving every photographer, on any device, the confidence and excitement to push boundaries and tell new visual stories.”
For its part, Google is excited to bring Luminar photo editing software to its significant user base across multiple devices.
“We’re excited to collaborate with Skylum to bring its powerful AI-driven photo editing tools to the Android and ChromeOS ecosystems. This partnership showcases the potential of AI to enhance creativity and simplify complex tasks for users across different devices,” adds Maria Schmidt, Strategic Partnership Manager at Google.
Skylum believes its new partnership with Google reinforces the company’s position as a market leader.
Luminar photo editing software relies heavily upon AI technology to help photographers quickly and easily edit and improve their photos. The app includes features like Enhance AI, which automatically adjusts up to a dozen photo editing parameters using a single slider, Relight AI that can transform the lighting in an image, Sky AI to replace an existing sky with a new one, and more.
Beyond these AI-powered editing tools, Luminar also includes more traditional manual photo editing functions, including direct adjustments to exposure, temperature, color tint, contrast, highlights, shadows, vibrance, and more. The app also includes AI-infused tools designed to help improve specific types of images, including Landscape Enhancer and Skin AI tools to improve landscape and portrait photos.
Luminar is available to download now from the Google Play store and includes in-app purchases. Monthly plans start at $5. Annual plans are $30, providing a 50% savings compared to going month-by-month. There is also a lifetime license for $60.
Polaroid and The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) are collaborating on a stylish new version of the Polaroid Now Generation 3 instant film camera and accompanying limited-edition i-Type Film adorned with the MoMA logo or quotes from artists in MoMA’s collection.
Starting with the Now Generation 3 camera. The new camera was announced in early March in two versions, the standard Now Generation 3 and the Now+ Generation 3. Both new models feature an improved light meter position, a better ranging sensor, and an upgraded two-lens autofocus system. The key difference between the standard Now and the Now+ is that the latter connects to Polaroid’s smartphone app, which enables the user to control the camera remotely.
The vanilla Now Generation 3 series cameras come in various colors, including black, white, and a mix of mostly soft hues. The Polaroid Now Generation 3 Instant Camera — MoMA Edition instead rocks a vivid monochrome blue color and a big, bold MoMA typeface logo across the front. There are also three new camera strap designs, each with large “MoMA” text and bold colors.
Alongside the camera, Polaroid and MoMA teamed up for new i-Type film. Each pack of eight shots comes with one of a dozen possible designed frames marked with the MoMA logo or quotes from artists featured in MoMA’s vast collection.
“This series captures the ethos of those who dared to see the world differently and invites today’s creatives to do the same,” Polaroid says.
Among the featured quotes on the new film are:
“You are no longer the same after experiencing art.” — Milton Glaser
“If one truly loves nature, one finds beauty everywhere.” — Vincent van Gogh
“You can make art out of anything.” — Betye Saar
“I am interested in restless ideas.” — An-My Lê
Additional quoted artists include An-My Lê, Carmen Herrera, and Meret Oppenheimer. An-My Lê is an exciting inclusion. Unlike the other five featured artists, save for the late Oppenheimer, who did photography as part of a multi-disciplinary career, Lê is the only dedicated photographer in the group.
“Polaroid has long held a place at the intersection of art and technology. Edwin Land’s pioneering invention of the instant camera sparked creative freedom for artists like Andy Warhol, Nancy Burson, Ansel Adams, and Robert Frank,” says Robin Sayetta, Head of Business Development, The Museum of Modern Art. “We’re thrilled that with the MoMA edition camera and film, photographers have the chance to imbue their work with the wisdom of MoMA collection artists and capture moments in time that express their creativity in bold new ways.”
The Polaroid Now Generation 3 MoMA Edition camera is available now from Polaroid, MoMA Design Store locations, the MoMA’s website, and select Polaroid retailers. The special edition camera is $129.99, essentially the same price as the standard Now Generation 3 instant camera.
The new Polaroid i-Type Color Film — MoMA Edition is $21.99 and is also available now.
Astronomers have captured a supermassive black hole tearing a star apart — and doing so far from where the mysterious celestial objects are typically found.
The image, obtained using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and supported by observations from multiple observatories, marks the first time a rogue supermassive black hole has been directly associated with a stellar destruction event outside a galaxy’s core.
The event, dubbed AT2024tvd, took place in a galaxy approximately 600 million light-years from Earth. The black hole responsible has a mass about one million times that of the Sun, but unlike most of its kind, it was not located at the galaxy’s center. Instead, it was found some 2,600 light-years from the nucleus — a surprising offset confirmed by Hubble’s imaging.
This black hole revealed itself by disrupting a passing star in what is known as a tidal disruption event (TDE). When a star strays too close to a black hole, gravitational forces stretch and tear it apart, releasing a flare of energy detectable across space.
The flare from AT2024tvd was first detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility in California and later observed by the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Very Large Array. But it was Hubble that pinpointed the flare’s origin as off-center in the galaxy — providing the first direct image of a TDE caused by a supermassive black hole not located in a galactic nucleus.
“AT2024tvd is the first offset tidal disruption event (TDE) captured by optical sky surveys, and it opens up the entire possibility of uncovering this elusive population of wandering black holes with future sky surveys,” says lead study author Yuhan Yao, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.
These wandering supermassive black holes are theorized to exist but are difficult to detect unless they consume a nearby object and emit a flare of light. “Theorists have predicted that a population of massive black holes located away from the centers of galaxies must exist, but now we can use TDEs to find them,” according to Ryan Chornock, a UC Berkeley astronomer and study co-author,
Mashable notes that the galaxy hosting AT2024tvd already contains a central black hole around 100 million times the mass of the Sun. The newly imaged black hole is not gravitationally bound to this larger one, ruling out a binary system. Its presence suggests it may have originated from a smaller galaxy that merged with the host or may have been displaced during a past gravitational interaction.
Such scenarios raise questions about the formation and movement of black holes across galaxies. Astronomers hope further observations of TDEs will help locate more of these hidden objects and provide insight into the dynamics of galaxy evolution.
The findings will be published in an upcoming issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
In the hustle and bustle of modern everyday life, sometimes it’s nice to slow down and appreciate the world around you, and that’s exactly what photographer Micah Cash does. In photographing the mundane everyday as a landscape, Cash finds beauty in overlooked places, particularly with his recent series, Waffle House Vistas.
Cash was kind enough to share his insights into his unique projects with PetaPixel for a glimpse into the mind of a fine artist.
If you’re wondering how Micah Cash came to be a photographer of Waffle Houses, it began with his first career, as a painter with an MFA from the University of Connecticut. To inform his paintings, Cash used photographs for reference as well as documentation of his process. However, while traveling across Tennessee in 2013, his reference photos for a suite of paintings about hydroelectric dams quickly turned from part of the process into the actual finished objective. With the fine-tuned eye of an artist through his painting experience, he recognized the truth in capturing scenes exactly as they are, no paintbrush required.
“I realized that there were narratives I wanted to explore that couldn’t necessarily be expressed in how I used painting. So I began making photographs,” Cash explains. “That inquiry grew and those photographs turned into my first [photography] book Dangerous Waters: A Photo Essay on the Tennessee Valley Authority.”
This first book helped shape Cash’s early photography career and solidified his identity as a fine artist and photographer. He applied his experience and creative process from his formal fine art and painting training to his photography through careful reflection. Combining his skills elevates photos of everyday locales beyond a simple snapshot. Cash’s photos are thought-out, fully-planned projects, including photo essays and books.
To Cash, the subjects of his work are what he calls “the built environment, and economics, representing those themes through the languages of landscape and architecture.” His photographs are at times poignant, other times inquisitive or informative, but all utilize everyday places or scenarios as meaningful metaphors to which he can be accurately called a “documentarian,” however, he prefers to forgo labels.
“Labels can be misleading, and I’ve heard people describe my work in a variety of ways, but I tend to call myself a conceptual landscape photographer. But my definition of landscape includes all the components of what is seen interacting with the land: the built environment, the people within it, and the signifiers that the land is cultivated and utilized for some purpose. I’m rarely making escapist vistas.”
Cash continued, “Creatively, my process always begins with questions. Why is that space,place, [or] landscape like that? Who owns it? Why are there so many people here? Why does it make me feel a certain way? Then I dig into those questions and look for the narratives that speak to us as a society. My role is to ask questions rather than provide answers.”
That kind of straightforward approach is also how Cash approaches equipment. When asked about his typical kit, he said that he works with what he has, brand or type matters little. If the project needs something outside his kit, he adjusts, preferring solution-based methods to problem-solving.
“My current project required night photography, so I purchased a 30mm f/1.4 lens. I also needed the option to occasionally zoom, so I added a 70-200mm lens to my backpack. In both situations, those additions changed how I worked and I did my best to leverage what those lenses allowed me to do.”
Like his logical approach to gear, Cash’s workflow begins with a thought-out, methodical formula. It starts with the conceptual phase of imagining an idea for a project, which he describes to PetaPixel as: guessing, thinking, and initial research. Once he has that outline, he will schedule field work sessions to create a proof of concept, like dipping your toes to test the waters. Sometimes that testing is quick. However, other times his projects take years to complete.
“Can I create compelling images about this subject, or do I need to rethink my approach? If it works out, the fieldwork truly begins. Depending on the project it could take a couple of months or a couple of years, but my favorite creative space are those initial times in the field when I’m surprising myself and adapting how I work to best capture the content I want to. Once I begin to figure out what I have and exactly what the narratives are, then my remaining fieldwork is spent filling in the gaps and rounding out the project to its resolution,” Cash explains.’
“Then I need time. Time to think about what I’ve made and time to distill the thousands of images I have into the handful that make the final presentation, whether an exhibition or book publication.
“For instance, my current project, which I’ve been working on since 2023 and am hoping to publish this fall, I had to sort through 30,000 images. Ultimately, I identified about 2,500 that I printed at the drugstore, then narrowed those down to about 250 images which I printed on 8×10 paper. Those final prints are what I used to create a final sequence for the publication, aiming for about 80-95 photographs.”
Surprisingly, he does not identify culling through so many images to curate his final selection as his greatest challenge. Instead, as many can likely relate, his biggest challenge is trusting his gut and allowing the process to play out.
Cash says there are also times when he sets out on a planned project, and just by being present and in the moment, the adage of being in the right place at the right time comes into play, and he will capture something special purely by instinct. Those organic images, rather than interrupting his carefully laid-out plans, are a welcome part of the artistic process of documenting real life.
And documenting real life is exactly what Cash excels at, as his work has been collected in multiple photography books and magazines, essays and projects, he’s made a name for himself with his Waffle House Vistas series drawing additional attention to his photography pursuits for its thoughtful simplicity. With Waffle House Vistas, it was the kind of moment that, as soon as he took the key image from it, he instantly knew it was the one.
Recalling the moment he made his signature image (shown above), Cash said, “I’m proud of all my projects that have been collected into photography books and zines, but even the best photo essays and projects need a signature image or two. The photograph, Store #1449: Calvert City, Kentucky, is the key image from Waffle House Vistas and one that I remember absolutely knowing would be a good one when I made it.”
“I was the only customer in that Waffle House, and it was mid-afternoon, right after a shift change. That particular restaurant had a lower bar area with chairs and for some reason I sat there. The server was the only person working at that time and we struck up a rich conversation about the local area, what he wanted to do with his life, and my project. I didn’t make a photograph for almost 45 minutes, and when it was time to get to work, the light was just right to get the stark shadows seen in the image. That’s what I mean about being present. In that instance, it was more important to talk to the server than it was to drink my coffee and make photographs.”
“This is when my painting experience helps. I’ve always been a bit of a colorist, so I have a knack for seeing particular palettes and color combinations. Compositionally, I think back to neo-classical and baroque painting, framing my subjects with naturally occurring geometry. My work can be operatic or cinematic, and I think much of Waffle House Vistas is that way, but I show you what I want you to see. Compositionally, I tend to pack a lot of information into my images, forcing viewers to slow down and enter the frame for longer than they might be accustomed to.”
From accomplished painter to equally renowned photographer, Micah Cash is documenting contemporary scenes in a new light, drawing viewers into his world where time runs a bit slower, slow enough to make you breathe and give you space to think.
“I’m always looking to explore new content and grow as an artist, but the images need to be good. To be rich and surprising to both me and the viewer. My aspiration is to not be afraid of new techniques, but instead to get a bit uncomfortable with what I’m doing so that I can harness that energy and anxiety into something unique,” Cash says.
“I’m excited to get my new project about Walt Disney World out there and to have conversations about it. While it is quite different than Waffle House Vistas, it has visual and conceptual threads in common with that project. It has been a lot of work and I’m quite proud of it."
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Sign up for VidIQ using the following link:
https://vidiq.com/liamphotoatl
Check out my ThinkTank Affiliate link. When you buy using this link you help the channel, pay nothing extra and can even get a free item!
I now have my own discount code for my Subscribers and Podcast audience at http://www.platypod.com use my code WD20 to get 20% off on any Platypod branded items, excluding bundles which are already discounted by 20% or more. One user per customer.
I also have an affiliate code for Dehancer Film profiles at http://www.dehancer.com and use code LDPHOTO
Check out the awesome gear Ulanzi has for photographers and Content Creators!
https://www.ulanzi.com?aff=1002
You can buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/liamphotoaf
Also be sure to join the Liam Photography Podcast Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/liamphotographypodcast/ You can reach the show by call or text @ 470-294-8191 to leave a comment or request a topic or guest for the show. Additionally you can email the show @ liam@liamphotographypodcast.com and find the show notes at http://www.liamphotographypodcast.com.
You can find my work @ https://www.liamphotography.net and follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @liamphotoatl. If you like abandoned buildings and history, you can find my project @ http://www.forgottenpiecesofgeorgia.com. and http://www.forgottenpiecesofpennsylvania.com.
Please also stop by my Youtube channels Liam Photography
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