Welcome to Episode 4 of BLCast, the official podcast of BorrowLenses.com.

Ivan Makarov has become a well-known name in the tight community of photographers on Google+. He's the man behind the Plus One Collection, a compilation of images from photographers who've made Google+ their preferred social network. He's also the driving force behind the new Plus One Magazine, for which photographers have submitted hundreds of images.

Thing is, Ivan is a pretty amazing photographer himself. His black and white work is truly astonishing, and a must for any fan of the genre. A while back, I caught up with Ivan Makarov and sat down to chat with him about his photography, the Plus One Collection, and a curious story of a man in two Russian cities.

Ivan's website is at http://ivanmakarov.com. He can also be found on Twitter and on Google+.

You can listen to the podcast right here via the embedded player, or you can subscribe to the BLCast feed in iTunes here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blcast-official-podcast-borrowlenses.com/id509556349.

Android users (and iOS/RSS users using third-party podcasting apps), we have a feed for you too: http://borrowlenses.libsyn.com/rss.

All images courtesy and copyright © Ivan Makarov.

Welcome to Episode 3 of BLCast, the official podcast of BorrowLenses.com.

Taking a photo safari through the African wilderness is something that every landscape and wildlife photographer thinks about. Andy Biggs was so taken with the idea that he eventually left a cushy job to spend more time exploring the continent with his camera in hand. Today, he's a premiere landscape and wildlife photographer specializing in Africa, leading extensive photo tours through countries like Tanzania, Botswana, and South Africa.

I caught up with Andy just before he left for an extended series of back-to-back safaris that would start in South Africa and eventually end in Namibia. Andy was kind enough to talk turkey about his photography, his travels, and his company Guragear, which makes some of the best photo bags on the planet.

Andy Biggs' website is http://andybiggs.com. His blog can be found at http://www.theglobalphotographer.com/. His company, GuraGear, makes some amazing photo bags, so be sure to check them out as well. Andy is also active on Twitter as @andybiggs, so be sure to follow him there.

In this episode of BLCast, I spoke to photographer and filmmaker Steve Bumgardner. Some of you might already be familiar with Steve's work - he's the creator of the web series "Yosemite Nature Notes," for the National Park Service. Listen in to our chat as Steve talks about his work in - and his love for - the national parks of the western United State

We're excited to bring you something really special for our inaugural episode. A couple of weeks ago, Sohail Mamdani, editor and contributor for the Blog @ BorrowLenses.com was fortunate to speak with Shane Hurlbut, director of photography for such films as Drumline, Terminator: Salvation, and, most recently, the military action thriller, Act of Valor

Many of you will recognize Shane's name. That's because he's become something of a pioneer in the world of filmmaking, especially for those of you using HDDSLRs to create video. Shane has been at the forefront of the DSLR video revolution, going so far as to use cameras like the Canon 5D Mark II and the 7D for about 70% of his latest endeavor, Act of Valor. 

Sohail spoke with Shane just a few days before the release of Act of Valor, and had a great conversation about his life, his career, and the challenges of shooting mere feet from live tracer rounds.