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Photo Op: An Occasional Series Day to Day's Photo-Op explores photography and photographers and how they help us to see and interpret the world. From images of child brides in Afghanistan (left) to new techniques that help transform the medium, photographers provide a glimpse into their world.
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Photo Op: An Occasional Series

A conversation about photos and photographers and how they help us to see and interpret the world.

Howard Ruby: From Capitalist to Environmentalist

Howard Ruby first took up a camera as a kid – taking pictures of other kids. Eventually, he put away his camera and became a wealthy CEO. But a trip to the Canadian Arctic, and a run-in with polar bears, put him back in touch with photography. The avowed capitalist and CEO is now an ardent environmentalist.

Howard Ruby: From Capitalist to Environmentalist

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Photographer Finds World View in NYC Children

New York City, a historic entry point for immigrants arriving in the U.S., is the appropriate setting for Danny Goldfield's project, NYChildren. He is trying to photograph children from every country in the world who live in New York.

Photographer Finds World View in NYC Children

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'To the Ends of the Earth' with Gordon Wiltsie

Photographer Gordon Wiltsie has shadowed the world's best mountain climbers and bravest explorers for his new book. Wiltsie talks about how he kept his sanity during some life-risking adventures, documenting daring moves in exotic locales.

'To the Ends of the Earth' with Gordon Wiltsie

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View from Lebanon of Israel-Hezbollah Conflict

Hundreds have died in Lebanon since Israel began its military operation against Hezbollah militants last week. Freelance photojournalist Stephanie Sinclair talks with Alex Chadwick about her photos of devastation from Israeli airstrikes.

View from Lebanon of Israel-Hezbollah Conflict

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Photo Op: Child Brides in Afghanistan

A photo essay featuring Afghan men and brides as young as 11 will appear in this Sunday's New York Times Magazine. Photographer Stephanie Sinclair shares her experiences on the photo shoot with Alex Chadwick.

Photo Op: Child Brides in Afghanistan

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Unflattering Photo Prompts 'NYT' Correction

The New York Times magazine ran a correction about their photo of former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner. The correction acknowledged the film used for the shot distorted the colors of Warner's outfit. Political observers say the unflattering picture could hurt Warner's presidential ambitions.

Unflattering Photo Prompts 'NYT' Correction

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Gregory Crewdson's Photo Alchemy

Artist and photographer Gregory Crewdson doesn't so much take photos as make them. Alex Chadwick talks with Crewdson about how he uses techniques of film to stage pictures -- and, some critics say, transform the medium of photography.

Gregory Crewdson's Photo Alchemy

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From the Congo, Photos of 'Last Place on Earth'

National Geographic photographer Nick Nichols calls the Congo Basin jungle of Africa The Last Place on Earth — the title of his new book detailing his adventures in the region.

From the Congo, Photos of 'Last Place on Earth'

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Re-Creating an Ansel Adams Masterpiece

Astronomers have pinpointed the exact moment when Ansel Adams snapped his famous photo "Autumn Moon," capturing a serene night in the Yosemite Valley. Now there's plans to re-create that photograph Thursday night.

Re-Creating an Ansel Adams Masterpiece

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Photos of Old New Orleans

The images of New Orleans struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina have been painful and disturbing. Life-long New Orleans resident and award-winning photographer Louis Sahuc talks about what's lost -- and how his photos preserve a city's memory.

Photos of Old New Orleans

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Photo Op: Devoted to Kodak's Tri-X Film Stock

NPR's Alex Chadwick talks with National Geographic Society photographer Chris Rainier about Kodak's Tri-X film, the black-and-white film stock that has been a staple of photographers for 50 years. Rainier talks about photos taken by two of his favorite shooters: Eddie Adams and Philippe Halsman.

Photo Op: Devoted to Kodak's Tri-X Film Stock

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Photo Op: John Szarkowski's Art Vision

National Geographic Society staff photographer Chris Rainier talks with NPR's Alex Chadwick about a retrospective of photos taken by John Szarkowski, an influential photo curator for New York's Museum of Modern Art from 1962 to 1991.

Photo Op: John Szarkowski's Art Vision

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'Ancient Marks': Charting Sacred Origins of Tattoos

NPR's Alex Chadwick talks with National Geographic photographer Chris Rainier -- once a student of the famed Ansel Adams -- about his latest collection of photographs, Ancient Marks. Rainier travelled across the globe documenting a wide variety of cultures that apply tattoos and other markings to their bodies.

'Ancient Marks': Charting Sacred Origins of Tattoos

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