RAWtalk 164: Jared vs Tony Northrup (The Conversation NO ONE Expected)

·1 hr 17 min·5 clips

Jared calls Tony's rear-screen stability test 'flawed and failed' as they clash over the 'proper way' to hold a camera.

Jared Polin hosts Tony Northrup on Raw Talk episode 164, setting the stage for a debate on contentious photography topics they usually avoid. The conversation begins with Tony explaining his viral 'simple photo hack' video, which encouraged using the rear screen instead of the viewfinder, generated with an AI-suggested clickbait title. Jared immediately challenges this, leading to a heated exchange about stability, composition, and intent, with Jared insisting the viewfinder is the 'proper way.' They move to the raw versus JPEG debate, where Jared dismisses sports and wedding photographers who shoot JPEG as 'fucking idiots,' while Tony acknowledges practical scenarios like buffer limits. Tony reveals he shoots raw 99% of the time, contradicting his earlier controversial video. The discussion shifts to cropping, with Jared stating he never crops personal work and dictating terms to a major company for a press image. Tony disagrees, seeing cropping as necessary for different formats. They recall an awkward live interview with wildlife photographer Moose Peterson, who claimed he doesn't edit raw files. Tony then predicts AI-generated video will displace human creators by 2026-2027, describing a future where AI avatars create customized tutorials. Jared shares concerns about AI revising history and deepfakes. Both express boredom with incremental camera improvements, though Jared finds pre-capture useful. They touch on camera manufacturers' secrecy and NDAs. The episode ends with light banter about food, highlighting their off-camera friendship despite professional disagreements.

As heard by us

A practical talk about raw files, heavy shooting, and the discipline behind the shutter.

RAWtalk 164 settles less on raw-versus-JPEG theory than on how file choice changes the way a photographer works. The episode keeps returning to intent, from Tony's wildlife work in Kenya and the rush of thousands of frames to his 4x5 film comparison, where every exposure carries…

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Why you'd press play

Raw files, JPEGs, and shooting with intent, with Tony Northrup in the room.

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