The Candid Frame: Conversations on Photography

• TCF Ep. 648 - Mark Comon

  When photographer and educator Mark Comon talks about photography, his passion is unmistakable. As the owner of Paul's Photo in Torrance, California, and founder of the Creative Photo Academy, Mark has spent decades helping photographers at every level discover their creative potential. Through economic downturns, digital revolutions, and even the pandemic, he has kept Paul's Photo thriving—one of the rare family-owned camera stores to endure and grow in an industry transformed by change. Mark's philosophy is rooted in community and education. He believes that photography flourishes when people learn, share, and make images together. Whether teaching composition, lighting, or visual storytelling, he focuses on empowering others to connect with their subjects and themselves. His enduring dedication to the photographic community has made Paul's Photo and Creative Photo Academy not just places to buy gear, but true centers for inspiration and learning. Resources: Mark Comon Paul's Photo Creative Photo Academy Altadena Photographers https://www.altadenaphotographers.org/ Support Ibarionex & The Candid Frame GoFundMe BuyMeaCoffee eBook Purchases Websites The Candid Frame Patreon Page The Candid Frame PayPal Contribution Link Signed Editions of "Making Photographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow." Sponsors Charcoal Book Club https://charcoalbookclub.com Frames Magazine FRAMES Magazine | Because Excellent Photography Belongs On Paper (readframes.com) Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops https://momentaworkshops.com/workshops/ Candid Frame Resources The Candid Frame Newsletter & Substack Blog The Candid Frame Alexa Skill Making Photographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow The Candid Frame Flickr Pool The Candid Frame YouTube Channel Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee https://buymeacoffee.com/thecandidframe Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort. You can do this by visiting patreon.com/thecandidframe or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via PayPal. You can follow Ibarionex on Instagram and Twitter.

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• TCF Ep. 647 - Frank Jackson

  When photographer Frank Jackson first picked up a camera, he discovered more than a tool—he found a way to translate how he sees and feels the world. Known for his street photography and portraiture, Frank has built a career rooted in curiosity, observation, and a relentless drive to make work that is true to himself. His images often balance rawness and elegance, revealing moments that might otherwise pass unnoticed. For Frank, photography has always been about more than the subject in front of the lens. It's about the challenge of pushing beyond comfort zones, whether in the streets of Los Angeles or in the studio, to create photographs that resonate on a personal and universal level. Rather than conforming to trends or expectations, Frank continues to pursue his own evolving vision—one that speaks to the dignity, humor, and mystery of everyday life. Resources: Frank Jackson https://www.fotographz.com Altadena Photographers https://www.altadenaphotographers.org/ Support Ibarionex & The Candid Frame GoFundMe BuyMeaCoffee eBook Purchases Websites The Candid Frame Patreon Page The Candid Frame PayPal Contribution Link Signed Editions of "Making Photographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow. Sponsors Charcoal Book Club https://charcoalbookclub.com Frames Magazine FRAMES Magazine | Because Excellent Photography Belongs On Paper (readframes.com) Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops https://momentaworkshops.com/workshops/ Candid Frame Resources The Candid Frame Newsletter & Substack Blog The Candid Frame Alexa Skill Making Photographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow The Candid Frame Flickr Pool The Candid Frame YouTube Channel Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download it for iOS. Click here to download it for Android Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee https://buymeacoffee.com/thecandidframe Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort. You can do this by visiting patreon.com/thecandidframe or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via PayPal. You can follow Ibarionex on Instagram and Twitter.

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• TCF Ep. 646 - Jonas Paurell

  When photographer Jonas Paurell set out to explore the relationship between humans and the natural world, he embraced a practice that moves fluidly between art, documentary, and environmental storytelling. His images are rooted in a deep engagement with place—whether remote mountain landscapes or fragile ecosystems—and they reflect both an aesthetic sensitivity and an ecological urgency. Jonas's work doesn't simply document the environment; it raises questions about belonging, responsibility, and how our presence shapes the land we inhabit. That journey has led to long-term projects that blend collaboration with communities, careful observation, and a visual language that feels both timeless and immediate. Rather than leaning on spectacle, Jonas turns toward intimacy—capturing the quiet tension and beauty that emerge when people and nature meet. The result is a body of work that challenges us to reconsider not only how we see the world but how we live within it. Resources: Jonas Paurell https://www.jonaspaurell.com Altadena Photographers https://www.altadenaphotographers.org/ Support Ibarionex & The Candid Frame GoFundMe BuyMeaCoffee eBook Purchases Websites The Candid Frame Patreon Page The Candid Frame PayPal Contribution Link Signed Editions of "Making Photographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow. Sponsors Charcoal Book Club https://charcoalbookclub.com Frames Magazine FRAMES Magazine | Because Excellent Photography Belongs On Paper (readframes.com) Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops https://momentaworkshops.com/workshops/ Candid Frame Resources The Candid Frame Newsletter & Substack Blog The Candid Frame Alexa Skill Making Photographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow The Candid Frame Flickr Pool The Candid Frame YouTube Channel Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download it for iOS. Click here to download it for Android Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee https://buymeacoffee.com/thecandidframe Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort. You can do this by visiting patreon.com/thecandidframe or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via PayPal. You can follow Ibarionex on Instagram and Twitter.

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• TCF Ep. 645 - Dimitri Staszewski

  When photographer Dimitri Staszewski began his Close to the Bayou project, he was drawn to the layered and deeply personal relationship between people and place in southern Louisiana. His photographs explore the impact of land loss, environmental change, and cultural resilience, capturing stories that exist at the intersection of identity, heritage, and survival. Rather than portraying the region solely through the lens of crisis, Dimitri embraces its complexity—revealing beauty, strength, and an ongoing dialogue between past and present. At its heart, the story also reflects an intimate exploration of mortality, acknowledging how lives and traditions are shaped by both loss and continuity. His work asks us to consider how landscapes shape lives and how photography can honor both fragility and endurance. Close to the Bayou is a testament to the power of visual storytelling to preserve memory and amplify voices in communities too often misrepresented or overlooked. Resources: Dimitri Staszewski https://dimitri.studio Close to the Bayou https://dimitri.studio/close-to-the-bayou Altadena Photographers https://www.altadenaphotographers.org/ Support Ibarionex & The Candid Frame GoFundMe BuyMeaCoffee eBook Purchases Websites The Candid Frame Patreon Page The Candid Frame PayPal Contribution Link Signed Editions of "Making Photographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow. Sponsors Charcoal Book Club https://charcoalbookclub.com Frames Magazine FRAMES Magazine | Because Excellent Photography Belongs On Paper (readframes.com) Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops https://momentaworkshops.com/workshops/ Candid Frame Resources The Candid Frame Newsletter & Substack Blog The Candid Frame Alexa Skill Making Photographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow The Candid Frame Flickr Pool The Candid Frame YouTube Channel Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download it for iOS. Click here to download it for Android Contribute a one-time donation to the show thru Buy Me a Coffee https://buymeacoffee.com/thecandidframe Support the work at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort. You can do this by visiting patreon.com/thecandidframe or the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via PayPal. You can follow Ibarionex on Instagram and Twitter.

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• TCF Ep. 644 - Javiera Estrada

  When multi-media artist Javiera Estrada speaks about her work, it's not just about aesthetics or technique—it's about transformation. Born in Acapulco, Mexico and raised in the United States after emigrating in 1989, Estrada brings a rich cultural memory of vibrant color, ritual, and mysticism into everything she creates. Whether working with photography, photograms, textiles, or mixed media, her art bridges the seen and unseen—merging earthly material with spiritual inquiry. Her work doesn't divide the physical and metaphysical, the beautiful and the chaotic—it unifies them. Philosophically, Estrada rejects the idea of separation. Artistically, she explores this through layered, immersive processes that slow time and call her deeper into presence. From sculptural explorations of the female body in communion with nature, to cosmic fields of ink and color that evoke the prima materia of existence, her pieces are meditations on unity, consciousness, and becoming. Estrada describes her process as both frenzied and laborious, embracing mess and unknowing as necessary steps to uncover what lies beneath the surface. In a world defined by speed and distraction, her work is an invitation to move differently—to let intuition guide and to give the sacred a place in the mundane. It's bold, beautiful, and deeply human. Resources: Javiera Estrada https://www.javieraestrada.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/javieraestrada/ Altadena Photographers https://www.altadenaphotographers.org/ Support Ibarionex & The Candid Frame GoFundMe BuyMeaCoffee eBook Purchases Websites The Candid Frame Patreon Page The Candid Frame PayPal Contribution Link Signed Editions of Making Photographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow Sponsors Charcoal Book Club https://charcoalbookclub.com Frames Magazine FRAMES Magazine | Because Excellent Photography Belongs On Paper (readframes.com) Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops https://momentaworkshops.com/workshops/ Candid Frame Resources The Candid Frame Newsletter & Substack Blog The Candid Frame Alexa Skill Making Photographs: Developing a Personal Visual Workflow The Candid Frame Flickr Pool The Candid Frame YouTube Channel Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device Download for iOS Download for Android Contribute a One-Time Donation Buy Me a Coffee Support the Show Monthly on Patreon You can also support the show via PayPal. Follow Ibarionex on Instagram and Twitter.

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