The Terrible Photographer Podcast

• The Light Hits Back - What if the worst thing for your art… is being seen?

  What happens when the thing you made in the dark suddenly ends up in the spotlight? This week, Patrick gets personal about the strange pressure of being “featured,” and why attention might be the most creatively dangerous drug of all.From a viral photo in the dunes to the slow collapse of chasing relevance, this episode dives into the algorithm’s indifference to honesty, the myth of momentum, and what Johnny Cash’s American Recordings can still teach us about making art that matters.This is for the ones who still believe in disappearing. In pausing. In letting the light hit you… without immediately bottling it.Includes a clip from “The Beast in Me” by Johnny Cash (used with reverence, not profit).All other music licensed via Artist.io.Episode photograph by Casey Horner — Instagram: @mischievous_penguins.

  --------  

  17:29

  --------

  17:29
• The Technician - When the identity you built starts to crumble, what do you build next?

  "I thought the work would save me. I was grossly mistaken."What happens when a stranger on Clubhouse calls you a technician instead of an artist? Patrick breaks down the brutal midnight conversation that cracked open everything he thought he knew about his photography career. From the golden handcuffs of corporate work to the humbling reality of freelancing for $650, this episode is about dismantling the fantasy of what creative success looks like.No metaphors. No inspiration porn. Just the uncomfortable truth about technical skill versus authentic voice, and why sometimes the thing you think defines you is actually limiting you.Part one of a two-part series on creative deconstruction and what comes after.In this episode:A photo campaign that felt more like forgeryThe invisible shift from artist to technicianWhy being trusted isn’t the same as being seenThe quiet way burnout creeps inWhat I learned after walking awayLight Leak: A Creative Check-InAre you being hired for your vision, or just your ability to mimic someone else’s?Grab The Darkroom – a free guide to creative clarity and finding your artistic voice terriblephotographer.com/darkroom-downloadMusic licensed via Artlist.ioAudio excerpt from Conan O’Brien’s farewell message on The Tonight Show (2010). Used under fair use for commentary and inspiration. All rights belong to NBC/Universal.Subscribe, support, or scream into the void at: terriblephotographer.comEmail me: [email protected] – I’m always interested to hear your thoughts, ideas, and read hate mail. I respond to every message.Follow: @patrickfore & @terriblephotographer

  --------  

  31:18

  --------

  31:18
• Angry - A brutally honest episode about creative burnout, anger, and the choice to keep going.

  Everyone loves a comeback story. But what about the part where you’re just… sitting in a garage at 2 a.m., surrounded by half-charged batteries, broken gear, and a growing sense that something inside you might be cracking?This episode isn’t about triumph. It’s about that strange, quiet middle, the one nobody posts about, where you’re not broken, not healed… just angry. Angry at the industry. Angry at yourself. Angry at the space between who you are and who you thought you’d be by now.But that anger? Maybe it’s not a problem to solve. Maybe it’s fuel.Topics Include:The weird middle space between burnout and breakthroughHow anger can be creative fuel—if you let itWhy “healing” and “finding joy” aren’t the pointThe choice to keep working, even when the work feels pointlessDepression, resistance, and what it means to show up anywayOpening Song:“Demons” by The NationalUsed under license. All rights to 4AD Records and the artists.Support the band at: americanmary.comAll other music provided by:🎧 Artlist.ioMentioned in the Episode:A broken laptop standThe hum of depressionThat 2 a.m. garage airThe space where the butterfly might landSubscribe to the Newsletter + Get the Free Download:Want more of this kind of honest, no-BS creative conversation?Subscribe to The Terrible Newsletter and get The Darkroom — a free digital download about making real work in dark seasons. terriblephotographer.com/thedarkroom

  --------  

  25:33

  --------

  25:33
• Insider/Outsider - A Personal Reflection on Photography, Survival, and the Struggle to Make Meaning

  What happens when you still love photography but start to wonder if there’s any place left for you in the industry?In this raw, vulnerable episode, Patrick Fore gets brutally honest about what it means to be a working photographer in 2025. From a moment of personal crisis in a cluttered garage to the soul-draining grind of cold outreach and algorithm-chasing, this episode pulls back the curtain on the emotional and existential cost of staying in the game.You’ll hear:Why radical honesty might be the only antidote to creative burnoutThe tension between art and commerce, and why it matters more than everA reflection on the dark side of the photography education economyA personal story about hitting the wall, and choosing not to walk awayA deeper dive into the concept of Flow vs. Resistance, and how to find your way back to meaning in the chaosWhether you’re a full-time freelancer, a weekend warrior, or someone questioning the whole damn thing, this episode isn’t about pretending. It’s about naming the mess, wrestling with it, and finding a way to keep going.📬 Subscribe to Field Notes, the weekly companion to the podcast:https://www.terriblephotographer.com💬 Let’s connect:Instagram @TerriblePhotographerNewsletter: Field Notes (via Substack)Book: Lessons From a Terrible Photographer (coming soon)Email me - [email protected]:This episode contains a referenced clip from “How to enter ‘flow state’ on command” by Steven Kotler for Big Think (Watch here) and a short excerpt (under 30 seconds) from Pixar’s Soul, used to illustrate the concept of creative flow.Music provided by and licensed through Artlist.io.

  --------  

  32:04

  --------

  32:04
• Why Shapes How - On Intention, Execution, and the Lie of Objectivity

  Episode Title:Why Shapes HowOn Intention, Execution, and the Lie of ObjectivityDescription:You can nail the lighting. Get the shot. Hit all the settings.But if you don’t know why you’re making the image, it’s just visual noise.In this episode of The Terrible Photographer Podcast, we dig into the lie at the heart of modern photography — that technical mastery is the pinnacle of the craft. It’s not. Intent is. And most people are scared of it.We talk motorcycle maintenance, emotionally hollow images, and what happens when a “family photo session” turns into something that actually means something.Whether you shoot portraits, weddings, branding, or weird experimental self-portraits at 2am with a desk lamp, this episode is a reminder: your camera doesn’t make meaning. You do.Inside this episode:Why so many photographers stop learning once they hit “base camp”The family shoot example that reveals what intentional work really looks likeThe myth of photographic objectivity — and why your perspective always leaks inWhy TikTok’s rough, real content hits harder than a polished campaignWhat separates technically perfect images from the ones that actually stickWant to go deeper?Sign up for Field Notes — a free weekly email for photographers who want something more honest than gear reviews and Instagram hacks.When you sign up, you’ll get the first chapter of my book Lessons From a Terrible Photographer — in PDF andaudio, delivered straight to your inbox.👉 Get it at www.terriblephotographer.comCredits:Music licensed and used by permission through Artlist.ioEpisode Art Photography by Earl Wilcox – shot in Santa Barbara.

  --------  

  30:01

  --------

  30:01

More Arts podcasts

Trending Arts podcasts

About The Terrible Photographer Podcast