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A Small Voice: Conversations With Photographers

A Small Voice: Conversations With Photographers

By: Ben Smith
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 Fortnightly in-depth interviews featuring a diverse range of talented, innovative, world-class photographers from established, award-winning and internationally exhibited stars to young and emerging talents discussing their lives, work and process with fellow photographer, Ben Smith. The most recent 50 episodes are on this free feed, 200+ more are in the archive! TO ACCESS THE FULL ACHIVE OF PAST EPISODES + SPECIAL EXCLUSIVE CONTENT, BECOME A MEMBER FOR £5 PER MONTH!© Ben Smith Art
Episodes
  • 263 - Tony Dočekal

    263 - Tony Dočekal
    Aug 27 2025

    Tony Dočekal (Amsterdam, 1992) is a photographer and visual artist. Her work explores identity, belonging, and the friction between autonomy and societal expectations. Working intuitively, she combines personal encounters with quiet observations. Her images balance intimacy and distance, often showing how personal stories and landscapes reflect larger systems.

    Tony’s first book, The Color of Money and Trees, was published by VOID in 2024 and launched at Paris Photo. The work was also exhibited at Biennale Images Vevey alongside her debut short film, Pearls on Credit. She holds a BA in Fine Arts from ArtEZ University of the Arts.

    In episode 263 Tony discusses, among other things:

    • Her Czech dad and Dutch mum’s history
    • Dealing with the ‘weight’ of the photographic history of the American road trip genre
    • The advantage of being an outsider
    • Getting a dream gig early on - a photobook book about alternative schools
    • Going to Lesbos to cover the refugee crisis
    • Working with the unhoused for Dutch non-profit the Sheltersuit Foundation
    • The story behind her picture of a man in a pink frilly dress…
    • … And the one of 9-year-old Lyric in front of a plate of beans
    • The short film she made
    • The amazing 70’s-built house she has bought with her partner


    Referenced:

    • Josef Koudelka

    Website | Instagram

    Become a A Small Voice podcast member here to access exclusive additional subscriber-only content and the full archive of 200+ previous episodes for £5 per month.
    Subscribe to my weekly newsletter here for everything A Small Voice related and much more besides.
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    1 hr and 23 mins
  • 262 - Rankin

    262 - Rankin
    Aug 13 2025

    John Rankin Waddell, or just Rankin, as he is more commonly known, is a British photographer, publisher, and film director. Best known for work that is on the cultural cusp and leading future trends, he has produced rule-breaking campaigns for brands such as Rolls Royce, Unilever, L’Oréal, Lego, and Samsonite; created wide-reaching projects for charities including Women’s Aid and Macmillan; and shot music videos for the likes of Miley Cyrus, Rita Ora, and Kelis.

    As a photographer, Rankin’s portfolio ranges from portraiture to documentary. He has shot The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Kate Moss, Kendall Jenner, Zendaya and Queen Elizabeth II, to name only a few. In 2023, Rankin photographed King Charles III to mark the monarch’s 75th birthday for The Big Issue magazine.

    As a publisher, Rankin co-founded the seminal magazine Dazed & Confused with Jefferson Hack in 1990, and has since published the likes of AnOther and AnOther Man, alongside over 40 books and the fashion and culture publication Hunger.

    His photography has been published everywhere from his own publications to Elle, Vogue, Esquire, GQ, Rolling Stone, and Wonderland, and exhibited in galleries globally, including MoMA, New York, and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

    Rankin lives in London with his wife Tuuli and their dogs.

    In episode 262 Rankin discusses, among other things:

    • The magazine and show Faik, a first foray into AI
    • His love/hate relationship with AI imagery and why he uses it anyway
    • The way in which AI will also transform the music industry
    • The importance of critical thinking
    • The early days - starting Dazed & Confused
    • Using the magazine as a ‘Trojan Horse’
    • Being confrontational
    • Being a ‘dick’ and taking cocaine
    • Being saved by photography and fatherhood
    • Imposter syndrome and the benefit of losing it
    • Making a conscious decision not to be an ‘artist’
    • Teaching himself photography
    • Collaboration
    • Rankin Live - photographing 'normal' people
    • Being prolific
    • Personal Projects

    Website | Instagram

    EPISODE SPONSORS:

    CHARCOAL WORKSHOPS.
    THE ‘SUMMER SERIES’ TAKING PLACE IN PORTLAND, MAINE, SEPTEMBER 15-19, 2025.
    FEATURING: ANTOINE D’AGATA, TODD HIDO AND CHRISTIAN PATERSON. SIGN UP AT THE LINK!

    Become a A Small Voice podcast member here to access exclusive additional subscriber-only content and the full archive of 200+ previous episodes for £5 per month.
    Subscribe to my weekly newsletter here for everything A Small Voice related and much more besides.
    Follow me on Instagram here.
    Build Yourself a Squarespace Website video course here.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 35 mins
  • 261 - Marjolein Martinot

    261 - Marjolein Martinot
    Jul 30 2025
    Marjolein Martinot is a Dutch photographer, based in France. She was always been drawn to photography from an early age, and has continued using and exploring the medium throughout her life, while raising a family of six children. Her photography touches on the poetic, while striving to remain authentic and true at the same time. She aims to evoke sentiments by using and mixing different photographic approaches and analogue cameras. The prime focus of Marjolein’s work is on everyday life: family, friends, and the places and things that touch her. She currently works on personal projects and commissions. Her debut photobook, Riverland, was very recently published by Stanley Barker. On whose website the blurb states:“During times of darkness and moments of deep turmoil in her personal life, Dutch photographer and mother of six, Marjolein Martinot, found herself lost, searching for a renewed sense of self. Each evening, she sought solace in nature, walking to a nearby river in the South of France with her camera in hand. There, she captured the quiet beauty of the natural world in the golden light of dusk, forming connections with the animals and families she encountered at the river’s edges—jumping, splashing, climbing, and swinging from the trees.What began as a ritual of aimless wandering and photographing soon became a form of visual journaling—a quiet meditation on healing and transformation. The water, ever-flowing and unpredictable, mirrored her own emotional state, while the families she met, however briefly, embodied the warmth and belonging she longed for.Through these intimate, unguarded moments—children mid-leap, ripples catching the last light of day, trees bending towards the water, and horses galloping in the fading glow—Martinot began to piece together a new sense of self. Her photographs, though deeply personal, transcend autobiography, offering a universal reflection on resilience, connection, and the subtle magical beauty of the everyday.” In episode 261, Marjolein discusses, among other things:The beginnings of her book project, Riverland.How her mum ran a circus when she was a kidWhat makes a good portraitSeeking comfort in nature during difficult timesThe project having a fairy tale elementPhotographing her six childrenThe end of her relationshipWhat she took away from the workshops she’s attendedFeedback she’s received about the bookReferenced:Vanessa WinshipGeorge GeorgiouIsrael AriñoJH EngstromSally MannEmmet GowanWebsite | Instagram EPISODE SPONSORS:CHARCOAL WORKSHOPS. THE ‘SUMMER SERIES’ TAKING PLACE IN PORTLAND, MAINE, SEPTEMBER 15-19, 2025. FEATURING: ANTOINE D’AGATA, TODD HIDO AND CHRISTIAN PATERSON. SIGN UP AT THE LINK!PICDROPTHE EASIEST WAY TO SHARE PHOTO AND VIDEO SHOOTS. CREATE HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL PHOTO GALLERIES IN SECONDS AND LET YOUR CLIENTS DOWNLOAD, SELECT AND COMMENT ON THEIR FAVOURITE SHOTS. SIGN UP WITH THE CODE “ASMALLVOICE” FOR A TWO-MONTH FREE TRIAL! Become a A Small Voice podcast member here to access exclusive additional subscriber-only content and the full archive of 200+ previous episodes for £5 per month.Subscribe to my weekly newsletter here for everything A Small Voice related and much more besides.Follow me on Instagram here.Build Yourself a Squarespace Website video course here.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 3 mins
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