EPISODE · Jan 14, 2026 · 41 MIN
Cats - Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson & Courtney McCracken
from Photography is Nothing · host Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken
Episode 20 - Cats have been a part of photography since its beginnings. As early as the 1870s, people have been taking silly photos of cats in costumes or staged scenes.In this episode, we look at the beginnings of cat photography, technology that was developed from a scientist studying cats, and some very commercially successful cat photographers. We even bought a photo book expressly for this episode!“Photography is nothing–it's life that interests me.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson Index0:00 - Intro - Hemingway’s cats lounge around the house2:50 - Our cat wants to be on the podcast3:20 - Meet our cats 7:29 - John P. Soule - Stereoscopic cat photography in the 1870s8:56 - Some internet cats we love10:12 - Harry Whittier Frees posed cats in costumes in 191414:38 - Étienne-Jules Marey & the chronophotographic gun in the late 1800s18:10 - Walter Chandoha was the preeminent cat photographer of the 20th century22:17 - Julian Assange used his cat Michi for good PR23:38 - Cats in the Sun, a photo book by Hans Silvester (1993)28:05 - Single cat images by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Sabine Weiss, Danny Lyon, and others30:48 - Photographing Hemingway’s polydactyl cats31:58 - Baby the seeing eye cat by LIFE photographer Loren F. Smith35:37 - Cats do what they want and we accept that40:15 - Things NOT to do when photographing catsFind ZachWebsite: https://zachdobson.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zachdobsonphoto/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@zachdobsonphotoThreads: https://www.threads.com/@zachdobsonphotoFind CourtneyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/courtneymccracken_/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@happy_life_lessonsThreads: https://www.threads.com/@courtneymccracken_About the PodcastPhotography is Nothing with Zach Dobson and Courtney McCracken is a weekly conversation about photography and all its impact. Each week Zach and Courtney discuss their latest adventures, life lessons, and anything else that sounds interesting. Photography is Nothing invites you into the conversations they were already having as a married couple running a photography and media company in the current world.Fair Use StatementThis document contains copyrighted material, the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. I have determined this to be "fair use" of the copyrighted material as referenced and provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. If you wish to use any copyrighted material from this document for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain express permission from the copyright owner.
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Cats - Photography is Nothing with Zach Dobson & Courtney McCracken
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