Paris Chong welcomes back renowned photographer Jeff Dunas, who dives into the photographic books he produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily from his archive. These projects include a small, limited-edition book with publisher Nazraeli called Highway 61 to Honeyboy, a Renaissance garden book, and a collection of his American pictures. He discusses the changing landscape of photo book publishing, particularly the unique crowd-sourced model used by Michelle from Minor Matters, who also designed his earlier book, State of the Blues . Dunas also reflects on his early career, including his widely known nude photography and work for magazines like Playboy.
Dunas shares his deep connection to Leica cameras, which he has used since the early eighties, noting he still owns an M3 and M7. He highlights his attachment to the M9 Monochrome, calling it "perfect" for black and white work—like shooting an M6 with Tri-X film. He contrasts the slow, deliberate process of shooting with film (the psychological importance of a 36-picture limit) and the mastery of the darkroom with the current, faster pace of digital photography. He likens his new hobby of making sourdough bread to the focused, scientific process of working in a darkroom.
The conversation also covers the Palm Springs Photo Festival, which Dunas co-founded and ran for 17 years. He proudly defines its portfolio reviews not as critique sessions, but as a crucial "job fair," connecting emerging photographers with industry people who could hire, publish, or exhibit their work. While the festival itself is currently on hold due to the high costs of maintaining its high-quality faculty, the reviews continue online. Finally, Jeff discusses his successful "Palm Springs Photo Festival podcast," which he started in 2020 to maintain a sense of community during the pandemic. You can find Jeff Dunas's work on his website, dunes.com.
Episode Timestamps
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:00:51) Jeff Dunas
(00:01:19) A Few New Books
(00:05:07) Paris's First Art Book
(00:08:28) Famous For Nudes
(00:11:25) Super Rare Books
(00:15:26) Palm Springs Photo Festival
(00:18:48) Marker 12
(00:22:45) Leica Store
(00:25:24) Other Hobbies
(00:32:25) Didn't Know You Had A Daughter
(00:36:26) Landscape - Palisades Fire Talk
(00:39:04) What's Next?
(00:46:33) Outro
Links to Jeff Dunas
- Jeff Dunas' Website
- Jeff's Instagram
- Jeff's Facebook
- Jeff's Wikipedia
- Some of Jeff's Photography
🎵 Music by Andrew Raiher
📸 Shot & Edited at Visible Audio Studios
