The MOOD Podcast is a long-form conversation series exploring photography, creativity, identity, and the inner life of artists. Hosted by Matt Jacob, the show moves beyond technique and trends to examine why people make work, how creative voices are formed, and what it takes to sustain a meaningful artistic life.Through thoughtful, unhurried conversations with photographers, filmmakers, and creative thinkers from around the world, the podcast explores themes of process, mental health, ethics, purpose, legacy, and the tension between art and industry. Episodes are grounded, reflective, and often philosophical, offering listeners provocation of thought rather than formulaic answers to copy.The MOOD Podcast is less about instruction and more about understanding, aimed at emerging and established creatives who care not just about what they make, but why they make it. At its core, The MOOD Podcast is the art of conversation, one frame at a time.Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_moodpodcastInstagram: @the_moodpodcast /@mattyj_ayWebsite: https://themoodpodcast.com
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Q&A: Why Your Photos Might Feel Stagnant (And How to Fix It) - Moments of Mood, 4.2
Oct 15, 2026
This is a Q&A with questions sent in by photographers from my community. I answer whether your audience needs to understand your photography, if a project shot in a few days can have real depth, how…
Why Photobooks Will Outlast the Internet - Matthew Genitempo (Part 2)
Oct 08, 2026
THIS IS PART 2 OF A 2 PART CONVERSATION WITH MATTHEW GENITEMPO. In Part 2 of my conversation with photographer and publisher Matthew Genitempo, we go deep into his photobooks Mother of Dogs and…
If You Still Question Your Photography, You Are Not Alone, So Does Matthew Genitempo (Part 1)
Oct 01, 2026
THIS IS PART 1 OF A 2 PART CONVERSATION WITH MATTHEW GENITEMPO. I sat down with photographer Matthew Genitempo, the graphic designer turned photographer and publisher behind the photobooks Jasper…
Andrea Modica's answer to the question every photographer asks eventually: what's the point? E134
Sep 24, 2026
I sat down with Andrea Modica, the ‘Italian Story’ photographer (as well many other books) who has made every photograph since 1980 with an 8x10 view camera and prints all her work herself. Andrea…
Your Worst Thoughts Arrive Dressed as Your Best Ideas - Moments of Mood, 4.1
Sep 17, 2026
In this week’s Moments of Mood episode, you’ll learn why I believe meditation is the most direct route to a photographic voice that is unmistakably yours, and exactly what it does to your attention…
Richard Sharum On 600 Deaths And His New Book 'American Homicide', E132
Sep 10, 2026
In this week’s podcast episode you'll learn why the photographs you're most proud of are probably the ones hiding you, and what a documentary photographer who has stood at 600 deaths says it actually…
Work Does Not Speak For Itself - Moments of Mood, 4.0
Sep 03, 2026
In this week’s Moments of Mood episode, you'll learn the 4 questions curators, juries, and publishers silently ask about every photography project, and how to answer them in 100 words so your work…
Why Should Anyone Care About Your Photography? Shana Lopes, E130
Aug 27, 2026
Learn exactly what an SFMOMA photography curator looks for, what she passes over, and how to get your work seen without an MFA, a gallery, or a 6-paragraph artist statement. I sat down with Shana…
Stop Explaining Your Photographs - Moments of Mood, 3.9
Aug 20, 2026
In this Moments of Mood episode, I get into the question of whether we as photographers should explain our images or let them try and ‘speak for themselves’, why the readings you want to correct are…
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Why Your Photos Are Boring - Photographer David Chancellor Explains..., E128
Aug 13, 2026
On this episode, I sat down with David Chancellor, the award-winning documentary photographer behind ‘Hunters’, ‘Handle Like Eggs’, and the Taylor Wessing Prize-winning portrait ‘Huntress with Buck’…
One Photograph Is All You Get Now, and Why That's Good News for Photographers - Moments of Mood, 3.8
Aug 06, 2026
Attention has collapsed, and every photographer feels it. In this Moments of Mood episode, I make the case that this might be the best thing to happen to serious photography in a generation. You'll…
Odette England Answers Every Photographer's Worst Fear, E126
Jul 30, 2026
Odette England makes her photographs and then damages them, and this conversation is about why that is the most honest thing she has ever done with her voice. Odette is an Australian artist, writer…
How To Find Your Voice Without Building a Signature Style - Moments of Mood, 3.7
Jul 23, 2026
In this Moments of Mood episode I sit with a single photograph from my own archive, one I made by accident in under ten seconds, and use it to unpack an idea Cristina Mittermeier gave me: that the…
Trent Davis Bailey: Every Photographer Hits The Wrong Notes Before Finding Their Voice, E124
Jul 16, 2026
Trent Davis Bailey spent 7 years photographing a remote farming valley in Colorado, convinced he was making documentary work. He wasn't. The pictures knew before he did: he was searching for the…
The One Skill That Actually Makes Photography Beautiful (It's Not Composition) - Moments of Mood, 3.6
Jul 09, 2026
In this episode you'll discover why beauty in photography is made by your attention, not found in your subjects, and how reading your own form reveals the photographic voice you've been searching for…
The Inner Voice That Stops You Taking the Photo And Lies to Every Photographer, with Rory King - E122
Jul 02, 2026
If you have ever felt technically capable but creatively lost, this conversation shows you how one photographer turned a decade of pictures, and the hardest years of his life, into a body of work…
What Koudelka's Photos Show Photographers About Finding Their Voice in the Age of AI - Moments of Mood, 3.5
Jun 25, 2026
In this solo episode of Moments of Mood, you'll learn why the flood of AI images is about to make real, human photography more valuable, not less, and how to find the voice that's unmistakably yours…
Why Photographer Ridwan Didot Asks Every Artist "What's Wrong With You?", E120
Jun 18, 2026
In this episode you'll learn how to tell whether your photography is actually art, why chasing technical perfection is holding your work back, and how to develop a photographic voice that's…
Your Body Decides the Photograph Before You Do - Photographer Tim Carpenter, E119
Jun 11, 2026
Matt sits down with photographer, writer, and educator Tim Carpenter, author of 'To Photograph Is to Learn How to Die' and photobooks such as 'Local Objects', 'Little' and 'Christmas Day, Bucks Pond…
Zahra Ciardi - The True Self, Limiting Beliefs & Why Photographers Crave Validation, E118
Jun 04, 2026
Matt talks with psychologist Zahra Ciardi, founder of Ascendant Bali, to explore the inner life of the creative person: why so many photographers feel their work isn't truly theirs, the limiting…
Cristina Mittermeier Explains Why Being A Good Photographer Isn't Enough Anymore, E117
May 28, 2026
Cristina Mittermeier is a National Geographic photographer, co-founder of SeaLegacy, and author of "Hope." Her work has been featured in National Geographic's series "Photographer" and in…
The One Question That Helped Rich-Joseph Facun Find His Photographic Voice, E116
May 14, 2026
In this episode, Matt sits down with Rich-Joseph Facun, a celebrated American documentary photographer, former photojournalist of 15 years, and founder of the independent publishing imprint Liars…
Pricing, Prestige & The Business Of Photography - Miriam Schulman, E115
Apr 29, 2026
In this episode, Matt sits down with Miriam Schulman, professional artist, art business coach, host of the Inspiration Place podcast, and bestselling author of Artpreneur (HarperCollins). Miriam left…
The Psychological Trap Quietly Destroying Your Photography - Moments of Mood 3.4
Apr 22, 2026
In this Moments of Mood episode of The MOOD Podcast, Matt returns after a road accident left him physically immobilised for several weeks, unable to photograph, travel, or work, and uses that…
Mark Power - 14 Years Photographing America, The Democracy of Photography & Why Stillness Matters More Than The Decisive Moment, E114
Apr 15, 2026
In this episode, Matt sits down with Magnum photographer Mark Power for a wide-ranging conversation about long-term documentary photography, creative process, and what it means to spend 14 years…
Chico Review, part 2 - What a Portfolio Review Taught Me About My Photography (That 10 Years Didn't)
Apr 10, 2026
Listen to part one here Watch part one here ________________________ In Part 2 of this special Chico Review 2026 episode, Matt continues documenting his week inside one of photography's most…
Chico Review 2026 - part 1: Why Feedback Beats 10,000 Followers
Apr 02, 2026
The Chico Review destroyed my confidence. Then built it back... THIS IS PART 1 OF A 2 PART FEATURE ON CHICO REVIEW 2026 - SEE PART 2 NEXT WEEK. I arrived at the Chico Review 2026 thinking my work…
Every Photo Is a Crime Scene - Brad Zellar on How He Reads Photography and Inspects an Image, E111
Mar 19, 2026
In this episode of The MOOD Podcast, I sit down with writer Brad Zellar, whose deep relationship to photography, photo books, storytelling, and visual culture makes this one of the most…
Before You Improve Your Photography, Read Yourself First - Moments of Mood, 3.3
Mar 11, 2026
In this episode of Moments of Mood, I explore why self-awareness is the missing foundation behind meaningful photography. After spending a few days at a silent retreat in Bali, I began reflecting on…
“25 Years With National Geographic” Joe McNally on What Photography Lost (And What It Gained) - E110
Mar 04, 2026
Joe McNally, legendary professional photographer best known for his work with National Geographic, Life, and major commercial clients, and for his mastery of lighting and flash, joins me on the show…
