In this episode of Bad Photographers, Griff takes a quiet, honest look at the line between passion and obsession—and what it costs to live on that edge as a creative. This isn’t a story about hustle culture or chasing perfection. It’s a reflection on the nights you can’t sleep before a shoot, the pressure to live up to your own expectations, and the way the craft can slowly take over more space than you meant to give it.

Through a personal story from early in his career—covering Air Force basic training in San Antonio—Griff explores what it means to be overprepared, overtired, and deeply invested in the outcome. The spiral of visualization, comparison, and self-imposed pressure. The gap between the image you imagine and the one you actually make. And the realization that dedication and delusion sometimes look a lot alike when you’re inside the work.

This episode is about creative obsession, burnout, and learning when to push—and when to pause. A reminder that growth doesn’t always come from doing more, and that reflection is as much a part of the process as effort. If you’ve ever lost sleep over a shoot, chased a perfect frame in your head, or wondered whether your love for the craft is carrying you—or consuming you—this one’s for you.

📍 Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 Passion vs. Obsession
01:21 Restless in the Frame
04:01 San Antonio Shadows
07:01 The Beauty and the Burnout
09:31 Keep the Shutter Open

LINK TO THE LONG ROLL

https://open.spotify.com/show/73uAJzT7ylWI75ezjoQmUx?si=7796b01ab78e4451

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-long-roll-photography-podcasts/id1693186194

#BadPhotographers #PhotographyPodcast #CreativeBurnout #CreativeProcess #ArtistLife #PhotographerLife #MentalHealthForCreatives #BurnoutAndBalance #PhotoLife #StillShowingUp

In this episode of Bad Photographers, Griff reflects on the current state of the photography industry and the lived reality of the unemployed photographer. This isn’t a story about failure—or a search for sympathy. It’s an honest look at how talent, experience, and even accolades don’t always translate into stability, and how luck, timing, and network often shape opportunity more than we’d like to admit.

Through personal experience—from major publications to leadership roles in the industry—this conversation explores rejection, silence, and the slow grind of uncertainty. The emails that say “we’re moving in another direction.” The applications that disappear into nothing. The quiet pressure of trying to protect your creative identity while still paying the bills.

This episode is about endurance, perspective, and staying in the work when the path forward isn’t clear. A reminder that looking back at your own growth isn’t denial—it’s evidence. That your voice still matters. That your work still counts. And that even in a brutal industry, there is a way forward for photographers and creatives who keep showing up.

🧭 Chapters / Timestamps

00:00 The Quiet Weight of Being Unemployed
06:12 Talent, Timing, and the Myth of Stability
12:40 Endurance, Identity, and a Way Forward

#BadPhotographers #PhotographyLife #UnemployedPhotographer #CreativeCareers #FreelanceLife #PhotoIndustry #CreativeBurnout #ArtistLife #Photojournalism #StillShowingUp

What happens when you fall out of love with photography—and don’t know how to come back?

In this photo therapy episode of Bad Photographers, Griff explores the quiet side of creativity: love, loss, burnout, and the moments that reshape our relationship with the camera. Through personal reflection and lived experience, this episode looks at photography not as output or achievement, but as presence—what it means to see, feel, and stay human even when the spark fades.

This conversation sits at the intersection of photography and mental health, examining creative numbness, identity beyond the camera, and why falling out of love with your work doesn’t mean you’re done. It often means the relationship is changing. When assignments feel heavy, edits feel mechanical, and motivation disappears, photography can become less about making images and more about finding your way back to yourself.

This episode is for photographers and creatives navigating burnout, loss, or creative doubt. A reminder that photography is a long relationship—one we return to again and again through stillness, reflection, and the unremarkable moments that quietly restore meaning.

Refined Takeaways

Falling out of love with photography doesn’t mean failure
Photography can be a tool for emotional processing and healing
Creative burnout is a signal, not an ending
Letting go of validation can restore intimacy with the work
Photo therapy begins with presence, not perfection

00:00 Love, Loss, and the Images We Carry
05:42 Creative Burnout and Losing the Spark
11:30 Photo Therapy and Finding Your Way Back

Loss is often framed as something to avoid — but in photography, it may be the thing that shapes us the most.

In this episode of Bad Photographers, Griff reflects on loss, failure, and rejection, and how they quietly become accelerators for growth, transformation, and self-discovery. Through personal stories and hard-earned lessons, the conversation explores how setbacks can redefine creativity, reshape ambition, and deepen our relationship with the work — and with the people around us.

This episode is about photography as a long game: the role of community, the value of reflection, and why chasing the perfect shot often leads to emptiness. It’s a reminder that real progress doesn’t come from winning every time, but from continuing to show up, learning from loss, and finding meaning in the process rather than the outcome.

Refined Takeaways

• Loss can accelerate growth when we stop resisting it

• Rejection often protects us from paths that don’t fit

• Community shapes who we become as photographers

• Chasing perfection can hollow out the work

• Growth often begins where comfort ends

Chapters

00:00 Embracing Loss as a Path to Growth

10:07 The Transformative Power of Community

20:18 Redefining Success Through Reflection

Pulitzer Prize–winning photojournalist Jon Cherry joins Bad Photographers for an unfiltered, long-form conversation about documenting the January 6th Capitol Riot and living with the images that followed.

Cherry takes us inside the chaos of that day, reflecting on what it meant to photograph history as it unfolded, the weight of responsibility that comes with bearing witness, and the emotional toll of covering political violence. He opens up about freelancing under pressure, the long road to healing after trauma, and how his career and personal life, were reshaped in the aftermath.

This 2-hour episode goes beyond the headlines, pairing deep reflection with visual context from the day itself, to explore what happens after the photographs are made — when the cameras are down, the adrenaline fades, and photographers are left to process what they’ve seen.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

01:22 The Impact of January 6th

04:45 Finding a Voice in Photojournalism

08:47 Reflections on Personal Connections

09:41 The Journey to January 6th

12:58 The Build-Up to the Capitol Riot

16:30 The Day of the Capitol Riot

21:40 Experiences at the Capitol

24:58 Documenting the Unfolding Events

26:42 Confrontation and Tension at the Riot

30:46 Preparation and Equipment Challenges

38:31 The March Towards the Capitol

42:50 Chaos at the Inaugural Platform

49:04 Moments of Acceptance and Fear

49:59 Breaking Windows and Capturing Chaos

52:58 The Aftermath of January 6th

55:52 Navigating the Challenges of Freelancing

59:57 The Pulitzer Prize and Personal Reflection

01:05:59 The Sticky Pulitzer and Community Support

01:09:57 Processing Trauma and Building Resilience

01:21:08 The Weight of Experience

01:24:49 Healing Through Reflection

01:30:02 The Journey of Self-Discovery

01:35:35 The Role of a Photographer

01:41:45 Curiosity and Responsibility in Photography

Jon's Website: https://jonpcherry.com

Jon's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonpcherry/

Bad Photographers Website: https://bad-photographers.com

Keywords Elements In This Episode

John Cherry, January 6th, Capitol Riot, photojournalism, documentary photography, storytelling, emotions, chaos, experience, insights, January 6th, Capitol Riot, Pulitzer Prize, photojournalism, trauma, community support, personal growth, freelance photography, emotional processing, storytelling

The holidays are weird. And loud. And emotional. And somehow always involve music, drinks, and family dynamics you forgot you signed up for.

In this holiday episode of Bad Photographers, Griff and Janiqua kick back and talk through their favorite holiday traditions, Christmas music hot takes, and the festive drinks that get them through family gatherings. From playlists that set the mood to the reality of navigating awkward conversations around the table, this episode leans into humor, honesty, and the chaos that comes with the season.

It’s lighthearted, a little unhinged, and meant to feel like hanging out with friends who get it. We also share holiday playlists so you can steal our taste in music and soundtrack your own celebrations.

The Playlist

Low-Fi Christmas

Cozy beats, soft crackle, perfect for editing or escaping family chaos. Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWYK8AUzwi00m?si=f483d5eff7d44faf

Songs that make Janiqua feel the holiday spirit.

Link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj8xv8uWNnAXe3_Ve5fTHcPiVeDXKvPWL&si=rcDLSeL9aJs8DYYZ

Warm, classy, candlelit piano versions of holiday favorites. Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DXbPHTEEyQ6Hv?si=xBNxQrdDRWGuuAKtHOHjqA

Smooth holiday jazz — the “I’m pretending I'm in a cozy NYC café” mood. Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWU0r6G8OGirN?si=0t5-84UDTy2bXe2u2W28Tg

Peak chaotic holiday energy. Track: Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo (Early '50s recording by Cowboy Timmy) Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/0SjKnhnPFrJ1PslS7AP7Ef

13 Horror Christmas Stories

Spooky, eerie, perfect if you like your holidays a little cursed. Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4CfdsIjG8FnQz9H5llJVUC?si=zE1a14nhQBiZCnSpOZuSuw

A fun explainer of how the holiday traditions actually came together. Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/57KNiC48du7T88MoBcS3o8?si=c554cb52b5c74c23

Backstory: Santa Claus Where the Santa myth came from, plus the history behind the character we know now. Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ZW0Xg1tsiR1EyPL6mQJgt?si=InDGuQ9BQgu6jRBubU2zJA

Key Themes

• Holiday traditions look different for everyone

• Music plays a huge role in shaping the holiday mood

• Family gatherings are meaningful… and complicated

• Humor is a survival skill during the holidays

• Festive drinks can make everything better

• Sharing recipes and playlists brings people together

• It’s okay if your holidays don’t look like the movies

• Some topics are better avoided at the dinner table

• Weird holiday stories are half the fun

• Leaning into the season beats fighting it

  
  

  #holidaypodcast

  #christmasvibes

  #badphotographers

  #holidaytraditions

  #podcastclips

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