Podcast Review: Founders Podcast by David Senra

I listen to a lot of podcasts, and one of my favorites is called ‘Founders,” hosted by David Senra. Every week for about the last 90 weeks, Senra has shared insights and quotes from many amazing biographies and autobiographies in a very friendly, “let’s learn and grow together” type of way. I can’t put into words how much I’ve learned from his synthesis of so much information. I have also purchased a number of the books, including the one pictured below, which helps support the hard work of the authors.

Cover of the book: Insisting On the Impossible: The Life of Edwin Land by Victor K. McElheny

I especially enjoyed David Senra’s overview of the book: Insisting On the Impossible: The Life of Edwin Land. Polaroid cameras and instant film have been such an important part of my life, both personally and professionally. Much like with electricity, automobiles, planes, etc. (Senra covers the people behind those stories as well!), it’s easy to take for granted the incredible amount of time and effort that went into creating Polaroid’s various instant films and cameras. It’s also fascinating to learn how much Edwin Land influenced Steve Jobs. I doubt Apple would be the same company today had it not been for Dr. Land and Polaroid.

PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL STORIES

I can remember my family taking photos with Polaroid cameras from a very early age, and the sound of a Polaroid sheet of film coming out of a Polaroid film pack is one that’s etched deeply into my memory banks. For years, as a photographer in New York City, I also used Polaroid film backs on a Hasselblad camera, which gave me and my clients a sense of security re: the exposure and the overall look of an image before shooting the job on 120 roll film. I also have fond memories hiking with a dear friend and using a Speed Graphic 4×5 camera with a Polaroid 545 Film Holder and Polaroid Type 55 Pos/Neg film. If you want to see those exact items on one page, I found a website with them HERE. And I can’t leave out Polaroid Transfers, which I created for years using 35mm slides and a Vivitar Polaroid Instant 35mm Slide Printer. This page has a nice overview of Polaroid transfers and “emulsion lifts,” which you have to see to believe!

To see thumbnails of all the books David Senra has read and distilled on his podcast, as well as podcast episodes, you can visit his show’s website HERE. He has decided to have a premium model for his show, which means that some of his podcast episodes are reserved for those who become supporters of his show. That’s why you’ll see that some of the episodes are short “previews.” But more than half are full episodes, which probably totals about 75-100 hours of audio. I would recommend downloading his episodes through a podcast app on the Apple App Store (Overcast is my favorite, but you can use Apple’s Podcast App) or Google Play Store (Pocket Casts is free and an excellent choice) so that you can listen to them on the go.

Hugs and all the best,
Andrew

P.S.- As I mentioned a few days ago, I’m a partner once again for The Complete Photography Bundle VII from the folks at 5 Day Deal, and this year, it has an estimated value of just under $3,000 for only $89.  The amount of video training, presets, e-books and much more from a wide range of professional photographers and video professionals is incredible. Also, 10% of all sales is donated to charities (about $1.5 million has been donated to date, and more than $50,000 has been raised in the first three days of the event). Whether or not you decide to purchase the bundle, you can enter a $10,000 giveaway that includes a free copy of a piece of software for everyone who enters from Skylum Software called AirMagic. Just look for the entry form toward the bottom of the 2019 Bundle Page. There are only two days left to take advantage of the bundle (ends on 10/8/19), and you can find it HERE.