There are few people holding a camera who can move people like Mass Nissan. The two-time World Press Photographer of the Year is a master of producing shots that deliver a full-body experience. He joins me from his home in Copenhagen to talk about his shot The First Embrace, taken in a care home in São Paulo during the height of Brazil’s first Covid wave. It shows a nurse hugging one of the home’s residents through a simple invention called The Hug Curtain, which looks a lot like something you’d have draped around you at a barbershop but allowed people to embrace one another for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

The photo won Mass this year’s World Press Photo of the Year, and he tells me why having empathy should be at the heart of every photo journalist’s mission.

Bob Boilen is the creator and host of NPR Music’s All Songs Considered and of their Tiny Desk Concert series, which hosts well-known and emerging artists for intimate performances filmed at his desk. Anyone who’s a music geek with an internet connection knows what I’m talking about.

But when Covid-19 caught America in its grip in early 2020, Bob found himself with more free evenings than he had ever experienced.

As a composer and musician, Bob has always been passionate about music. But pandemic accelerated his passion for photography - in particular, Macro.

We talked in early Spring about his time behind the lens and what spurs him to take the shots he takes.

You can see a sample of his music, macro and 360 shots on his website at BobBoilen.info, and on Instagram @tinydesk.

And remember, you can follow The Shot on Instagram @the.shot.podcast, and on our website at shotpodcast.com

Song: Lonely Party by Arc De Soleil.

"What happens to your sense of self when you lose your memory? What does it feel like to lose your grasp on time and place, to no longer be able to communicate with the people you love?"

Jennifer Blau is a documentary photographer in Sydney, Australia. She began photographing her mother-in-law Patricia as she approached 90. But over the course of the project, she began to decline. As she lost words and became increasingly isolated, photography became a powerful way of connecting and affirming her fading presence. 

Patricia’s Room is about memory, place, transience and fragility; about past loss and impending loss, and catching what is precious between. 

You can see the full series on Jennifer's website, https://www.jenniferblau.com/patricias-room.html and follow Jennifer on Instagram @jenniferblauphoto

On August 4 2020, a massive amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the port of Beirut exploded. More than 200 people were killed, 7,500 injured, and large swathes of the city were destroyed.

Across the city, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Lorenzo Tugnoli was home in his apartment when the shockwave hit. He grabbed his camera headed towards the port. Amid the chaos, he captured one of the defining shots of the story: a shellshocked port worker named Ali.

But for a photographer who has worked in Afghanistan, Lybia, and Yemen, what happened next surprised him.

Lorenzo's incredible photography can be found on his website — www.lorenzotugnoli.com. 

And be sure to follow The Shot on Instagram at the.shot.podcast

The late Ivan Allen once said, “The City of Atalanta has always had a good spirit.” It’s arguably the cultural epicentre of America’s south – a place where that good spirit manifests in its vibrant music and visual arts scene. But in 2020, attention fell to stories of injustice, protest, and politics.

Photographer Lynsey Weatherspoon lives in Atlanta and played a huge part in capturing the stories that carried Atlanta through 2020. From Black Lives Matter to Georgia’s part in the presidential election, Lynsey’s striking black and white photos told a story that was both timeless and undeniably modern.

You can follow Lynsey on Instagram @InWeatherspoon and see more of her amazing work on her website, www.lynseyweatherspoon.com.

Note: We recorded this episode prior to the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for George Floyd's murder. 

Sports is all about special moments, and sports photography plays a huge part in telling those stories. Tommy Dickson is an Irish sports photographer working for Inpho Sports Photography. In 2018 during a rugby Test Match between Ireland and New Zealand, Tommy found himself perched above the scoreboard at Dublin's Aviva Stadium, amid dead pigeons and bird poop. It was one of those spots where you could capture something, but oftentimes you come back down with nothing. But on a chilly November afternoon, Tommy came back down with one of the most iconic photos in Irish sporting history. 

You can follow Tommy on Instagram @tommyd.d 

Rachel Bujalski is a documentary photographer based out of San Francisco, California. Her work largely examines the lifestyles and personalities of people living on the fringe of society that make up American culture today. 

Her work has been published in The New York Times, National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg Businessweek, ESPN, Vice, NPR, WIRED, and CNN among others. Her 2019 documentary work for ESPN's 'The Squad: E:60' and article, '44 Years, 41 Allegations', won an Emmy for Best in Sports Journalism 2020. And in 2020, she was named one of The 30: New and Emerging Photographers to Watch and selected as Critical Mass's Top 50 artists.

Starting in 2012, Rachel's project On the Streets of California has documented the growing homeless crisis across the state. But since the coronavirus pandemic began in March of 2020, this crisis has become an even bigger crisis than it was.

You can view Rachel's photos on her website - https://www.rachelbujalski.com/ and on her Instagram @rachelbujalski. 

Gurcharan Roopra is an award-winning wildlife photographer from Nairobi, Kenya. His work has been featured in National Geographic, The Guardian, and across numerous conservation projects. He truly believes in the art of photography, and its capacity to bring to life the beauty of the world around us. 

For almost 40 years, Mark Peterson has worked as a photographer, but never have his shots seemed more vital and timely. He has captured some of the most pointed and provocative photos of American political life, pulling back the curtain and revealing a world of theatrics and spectacle. But arguably, his most important work has focused on some of his country's ugliest moments. The surge of white nationalism under Donald Trump has left the award-winning photographer trying to capture a country he has trouble understanding. 

Michael John Oliver introduces The Shot, a new photography podcast.