What does Web3 mean for photographers? How should you go about pricing your NFTs? What are collectors really looking for when buying art? Why have so many photographers become art collectors themselves? Is there a place for photojournalism in the NFT space, or is it all about pretty landscapes?
Twitter Spaces, created to host live talks, have the answers for new photographers hoping to navigate the world of the decentralized web. For many, the audio component allows for a kind of intimacy and spontaneity that’s rarely found on text and image-only social media. It’s like listening to a podcast, but having the chance to contribute to the conversation. Here are some people to follow for consistently engaging Spaces.
Feature Shoot kicked off our Twitter Spaces with in-depth discussions on the future of community building in Web3, mental health in the digital age, common mistakes made by photographers in the NFT space, why photographers become collectors, and more. Episodes are hosted by our founder, Alison Zavos.
The photographer Omar Z Robles hosts a show on Twitter Spaces, where he introduces us to some of the best projects and collections in the space right now. He also digs into complex topics relating to NFT collecting, from what’s happening in the metaverse to pricing trends. From discussing what makes a photo valuable–today and in 20 years–to the difficulty of knowing how to talk and write about your work, his shows cover the ins and outs of life as a photographer, in the NFT space and beyond.
Kris Graves Projects NFT (@KGPNFT)
KGP, run by the photographer Kris Graves, is creating the first editioned, multi-page NFT photobooks. Their discussions on Twitter Spaces are hosted by the artist Marshall Scheuttle.“Our weekly space, titled KGP NFT WKLY, provides a topic-based roundtable with a group of Artists or Collectors in the NFT Space,” Scheuttle tells us.
“The idea is to create an environment where we can not only make new connections with Artists and Patrons but also provide a place to further the discourse surrounding the issues arising in the NFT Space and their relationship to the history of Photography.” With episodes about curation, sequencing, and editing in digital spaces, they just entered their second season.
NFTPhotographers.xyz (@NFTPhotograph)
NFT Photographers is a community for artists navigating the metaverse. Their Spaces cover critical topics, including the complex and ever-evolving discussion of conservation and sustainability in Web3. From conversations on the early pioneers who helped shape photo history to the nuances of editioning in the NFT space and the basics of smart contracts, their talks span the past, present, and future.
The NFT collector Chikai Ohazama has a show on Spaces called MONOLITH Radio (formerly known as NFT Coffee Break), where he chats with photographers about their creative processes and collections, discusses the future of curation, and covers the ins and outs of the industry. Ohazama collects artists of all genres but has an eye for photography, keeping us posted on some of the latest projects in the space and sharing behind-the-scenes stories from the artists themselves.
Assembly Curated, the fine art photography NFT platform, presents Moving Images, a Twitter Spaces program hosted by Ava Silvery, where they dig into the process and practice behind the work they represent. From a candid talk about navigating motherhood as an artist to a conversation about how art influences society, politics, and culture, this show helps ground what’s happening in the NFT space within the larger history of photography. In one episode co-hosted by Feature Shoot, the team explored the nuances of “slow collecting,” or collecting work you love, beyond the “quick flip.”
Scott Strazzante (@ScottStrazzante) and Barbara Davidson (@Photospice)
Scott Strazzante, a longtime newspaper photojournalist and NFT collector, brings a fresh perspective to the space with reFramed, co-hosted by the photojournalist Barbara Davidson. A recent episode focused on the role of documentary photography in the NFT community, covering the importance of historical and newsworthy work on the blockchain and diving into the complex ethical dilemmas that might come with publishing and sharing works of photojournalism in Web3.
Ayla El-Moussa (@aylaelmoussa)
The photographer Ayla El-Moussa hosts a Spaces show called A Collector’s Perspective, where she picks the brains of top collectors in the space. With gems like “Collectors aren’t ATM machines” and “Don’t let the market dictate what you produce,” her Spaces give us an unfiltered look and what collectors look for and why.
Quantum Art, a curated NFT platform, hosts regular Quantum Talks with creatives they represent. Most recently, they’ve gone in-depth with some of the digital artists they’ve onboarded, in addition to their roster of photographers. Their shows help situate our understanding of photography within a broader landscape of digital art, computer art, and moving images on the blockchain.
Light.art publishes photography NFTs, with the goal of bridging the gap between the digital and traditional realms. Their Twitter Spaces cover topics like juggling financial value versus intrinsic value in the arts and the nuances of NFT curating from a collector’s perspective. Episodes are co-hosted by Frederick Van Johnson, who’s also known for hosting the longstanding podcast This Week in Photo, aka TWiP.
Obscura, the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) created to empower photographers in the NFT space, hosts Twitter Spaces featuring artists they’ve commissioned and partnered with, called Obscura Radio. Their conversations revolve around the projects they have in the works, including a massive archive of found slides; what to expect in the next two to five years as we enter Web3 art galleries; and the wider overlap between traditional photography and NFTs.
NFT Now has a few regular shows on Twitter Spaces, including the 1 of 1 Show, which is devoted entirely to photography in the NFT space. Hosted by Dave Krugman and J. N. Silva, episodes have covered topics like why more photographers are minting editions, what “generative photography” is, and what it means to transition from Web2 into Web3.
Rug Radio is a decentralized Wed3 media platform, with hosts and creators across the NFT space. While Rug Radio is not limited to photography, they present a weekly Twitter Spaces NFT photography podcast hosted by Cath Simard, Ryan Newburn, and Iurie Belegurschi, the creators of The MetaScapes collection.
From blending photography and digital art to choosing marketplaces and even knowing when not to mint your work, their conversations offer a point of entry into the vast NFT photography space. Beyond the hype of celebrity projects that sell out in seconds, they cover the years of work that often go into building something special.