Life Between the Poles

I talk about the newspaper photo assignment photographing Liberty Wildlifes releasing a rehabbed Golden Eagle back into the wild.  While driving on a primitive road looking for the wild life group I mistakenly drove into a camp of heavily armed people shooting guns and firing bowling balls hundreds of feet into the air.  This is the story and the life of a community photojournalist on a rare and humorous day.Send us a textThank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

In this episode I introduce my friends and listeners to my new blog bradarmstrong.blog.   I talk briefly about how Instagram has turned into a mini TikTok.  It's video and advertising.  There still is good photography on Instagram but I don't find engagement other than seeing empty emoji's.  I guess it's a conformation that people are seeing your work but it seems to fall intellectually short.  With the blog I can write the stories behind the photograph's.  It hopefully entices folks to read plus see the photographs.  Facebook and Instagram don't support long reads.  People don't have time for it and want to scroll quickly.  The blog is different.  At least it is for me.   Send us a textThank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

Letting people know about my new WordPress blog.  I tell some stories about my recent entries into the blog.  I speak about the stories behind the photo's.  I talk about how much I dislike Instagram and transferring to the blog.  The blog is bradarmstrong.blogSend us a textThank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

I have a gym update with the experience of the Walrus in the Jacuzzi.  I then tell the story of my camping trip with the Arizona Photography Alliance to the Barry M. Goldwater Gunnery Range.  The AZPA, is a diverse group of men and women with over 100 members.  AZPA, includes amateurs, enthusiasts, collectors and professionals.  Five of use went on the camping trip.  I concluded with the announcement we'll talk after the new year.  Send us a textThank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

We drove over to Santa Monica from Phoenix for a few reasons.  One to have our wedding blessed by a Catholic Priest which created quite a bit of anxiety on my part with the usual response of "No" I'm not doing that.  But, I always give in and in the end I'm grateful I did.  We also had the celebration of life for my brother-in-law Barry which was truly fantastic and special. Also, I wanted to try my hand at pseudo street photography photographing people with a point and shoot camera at Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier.  Send us a textThank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

In this episode I give my usual update of my triggers at the gym then I go into few interesting personal stories of extraordinary assignments and  projects I covered as a newspaper photojournalist.Send us a textThank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

I've been doing some but learning more about the craft of Street Photography by reading books and watching YouTube documentaries on various photographers old and new about their methods for moving through the public space capturing humanity.  It seems to me that Street photography is defined with a very wide brush but primarily means candid.  What is now called street photography sometimes has nothing to do with the human condition but more of a graphic illustrative art form.  It's with this knowledge that I am trying to figure out if I want to attempt this and what do I want to say in reference to the images. Send us a Text Message.Thank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

This episode is about the Circle of Life where we lost two very close people in our families lives and we had the birth of a third grandson.  Send us a Text Message.Thank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

This episode describes my calamity with kidney stone surgery and my experience at the company Christmas Party that immediately followed my medical proceedure.Send us a Text Message.Thank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

This episode updates us on a few triggers from the gym with pretty good news.  I also talk about cart management and the parking lot at Costco, which I'm sure many of you can relate to.  Then I move on to a heartwarming story from 1993 that I did for the Scottsdale Progress newspaper where I photographed a young  girl named Kristi McCrey.   Kristi was born with Down Syndrome  and went on to compete in the Special Olympics equestrian event.  Kristi and her horse, Dud, won the Gold Medal in her division.  You can see the page from the newspaper on my Instagram account @barmst360. Send us a Text Message.Thank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

Send us a Text Message.Cutting the corner is more observations about humanity which annoy me on a daily basis.  I was going to talk about a photo project I did but I got caught up in keeping with my frustrations.  In this short podcast, I'm describing how absolutely rude people are unknowingly or perhaps on purpose with extreme entitlement that justifies there self centered attitude of I don't care about you.Thank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

Send us a Text Message.This episode is a fallow up to observations made when people seem to have know sense of spacial awareness.  In this podcast spacial awareness will be explained and how some people in society  have no sense of where they are or possibly could care less.  I'll leave it up to you if you think I'm crazy or you can relate with your own experiences.  At the end of the video I talk about Photography and some of my favorite You Tube Chanels.  I sincerely thank you for your support and sharing my Podcast with family and friends.Thank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

Send us a Text Message.This episode is about my involvement when witnessing three burglars who just committed a smash and grab jewel heist running from the Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall.   I coincidentally happened to be at the location where the three made their escape from the mall.  There was car a jacking at gun point, a high speed chase and a foot pursuit.  As a photojournalist at the time, I was in the right place at the right time but still struggled to get the quintessential story telling photograph.  This podcast tells the extraordinary adrenaline bumping story of this event and my struggle to capture the decisive moment.  Thank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

This episode is a about my involvement in witnessing an accident where a young boy was pinned under a moving vehicle.  My actions may have saved his life!  As a result I was awarded the National Humanitarian Award by the National Press Photographers Association.  This event was shortly after Princess Diana's death when she was chased by paparazo.  When her vehicle crashed the paparazo continued to photograph her dying inside the car instead of rendering aid to save her life.  This award was given to me because I didn't take pictures.Thank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

This episode, I talk about finalizing an 8X10 contact print toned in coffee and my experience with the Mesa Art Center gallery show where they got my name wrong in the announcement  mailer advertising the show to the public. Thank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

This episode I talk about getting older and being judged by younger people.  How getting older has been an adjustment realizing I know longer blend in.  In the past 11 years the only young people I have spoken to are servers at restaurants.  My friend and I asked our most recent server how do you see us?  Do you see two grandpa's?  She said, she didn't think about, we are just people.   We asked why don't young people speak to use she said,  you don't speak to young people because you don't hang out where young people do.  So true!Thank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

I talk about the fun I've been having making small silver gelatin prints in my darkroom.  When I say small I'm talking 7 by 5 inch prints from 6X9 negatives.  They are beautiful and so much easier to print and a penny saver for sure.  Then I go into a side bar story of my experience at my dentists retirement party.  I talk about our conversation about playing music together and other experiences I've had jamming with friends.Thank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360

Welcome to my first Podcast!  Yes, this is a podcast about photography, but there are those occasions where I digress with events around me such as this.  Prior to publishing this I had my friend listen to it and he thought I should do this type of podcast all the time.  Photography, is for photographers where this is for almost everyone, he said.   I was a newspaper photojournalist for 20 years and then a commercial photographer for 11 years until I retired 3 years ago.  I still do personal work which is all analog with multiple formats.  With my experience as a photojournalist, I have been trained to be an observer for the suspicious and for the unusual.  In my retirement it has carried over into my daily life.  I have an obsessive sensitivity to humanity good and bad.  The title of my Podcast is Life Between the Poles which has nothing to do with a football goal posts.  It's about the state of mind between the glass half full and the glass half empty.  Thank you for listening and help me grow this channel. Have a great day. Many of the photographs I talk about here are on Facebook: Brad Armstrong the Avatar picture is my wife and I with Smokey the Bear, Instagram @ shade_image / commercial and editorial portraits Instagram @ barmst360