A Small Voice At Best...: Members Podcast

Eva Voutsaki / Richard Young

Ben Smith — Wed, 27 May 2026 06:15:25 GMT

A Check-In with previous guest from March 2022, Eva Voutsaki, talking about her forthcoming book project, A Human’s Tale. And Richard Young tackles the bonus questions.

Stephen Dupont / Ilvy Njiokiktjien

Ben Smith — Wed, 13 May 2026 06:34:00 GMT

A check-in with previous guest from 2020, Australian photojournalist Stephen Dupont (Episode 137), talking about his dream gig travelling the world to meet and photograph war photographers for a book/film/exhibition project. And last week’s guest, Ilvy Njiokiktjien, tackles the bonus questions.

Ilvy’s picks for:

Significant Photobook(s):
Olifantenpaadjes (…

Jon McCormack

Ben Smith — Wed, 29 Apr 2026 06:45:00 GMT

Last week’s guest, Jon McCormack, returns for the bonus questions.

Jon’s picks for…

Significant Photobook(s):

Ansel Adams, Taos Pueblo
Ernst Haas, The Creation

Favourite photographer(s):
Anastasia Samoylova

Recent Discoveries:
Vincent Munier, Arctic
Hiroshi Sugimoto

Rena Effendi / Dragana Jurišić

Ben Smith — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:13:00 GMT

A check-in with my guest from way back in 2017, Rena Effendi, on her new documentary film, Searching For Satyrus. And last weeks guest Dragana Jurišić returns to tackle the bonus questions.

Dragana’s picks for…

Significant Photobook(s):
Ravens, Masahisa Fukase

Favourite photographer(s):
Walker Evans

Recent Discoveries:
None

Link to Rena's documentary, Searching…

Tom Oldham / Zachery Canepari

Ben Smith — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 09:41:00 GMT

A Check-in with my guest from episode 125 of the podcast, Tom Oldham. And Zack Canepari tackles the bonus questions.

Zack’s picks for…

Significant films(s):
Bowling for Columbine, Michael Moore.
The Thin Blue Line, Errol Morris.

Favourite documentary filmmakers(s):
Errol Morris
Joshua Oppenheimer

Recent Discoveries:
Casting JonBenet, Kitty Green

Jessica Dimmock

Ben Smith — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 08:04:00 GMT

Last week’s guest, Jessica Dimmock returns for the bonus questions.

Jessica’s Picks for...

Significant documentary films:
Brother’s Keeper, Joe Berlinger
Dina, Antonio Santini & Dan Sickles

Notable or influential documentary filmmakers(s):
Theo Anthony
Joshua Oppenheimer

Recent Discoveries:
Nuisance Bear, Gabriela Osio & Jack Weisman

Philip Blenkinsop

Ben Smith — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 11:45:00 GMT

Last week’s guest Philip Blenkinsop returns to tackle the bonus questions.

Philip’s picks for…

Significant Photobook(s):
Ed Van Der Elsken, Bagara
Peter Beard, End Of The Game
Bill Burke, Autrefois Maison Privee

Favourite photographer(s):
John Wolsely - Watercolorist, not a photographer.

Recent Discoveries:
None

Maja Daniels / Joachim Ladefoged

Ben Smith — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 06:35:00 GMT

Returning for a check-in over a decade after our main podcast chat, Swedish photographer Maja Daniels on her book projects Elf Dalia and Gertrud. And last week’s guest Joachim Ladefoged is back to answer the bonus questions.

Joachim’s picks for...

Significant Photobook(s):
Byan Bag Regnen, Krass Clement
Telex Iran, Gilles Peress
Wintereisse, Luc Delahaye

Favo…

Lee Shulman

Ben Smith — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 07:57:00 GMT

Last week’s guest, photographer and filmmaker Lee Shulman, tackles the bonus questions.

Lee’s picks for...

Significant films(s)
Finding Vivian Maier, John Maloof
The Up series (UK TV)

Favourite documentary filmmakers(s)
Too many to answer.

Recent Discoveries
Black Box Diaries, Shiori Ito
The Golden Spurtle, Constantine Costi

Shout out to I am Martin Parr produce…

Rachel Elizabeth Seed

Ben Smith — Wed, 24 Dec 2025 08:04:00 GMT

Last week’s podcast guest, Rachel Elizabeth Seed, takes on the bonus questions.

Rachel’s picks for...

Significant films(s):
Sherman’s March, Ross McElwee
Tarnation, Jonathan Caouette

Favourite documentary filmmakers(s):
Werner Herzog
Kirsten Johnson

Recent Discoveries:
I Like It Here, Ralph Arlyk

An update from Ben

Ben Smith — Wed, 10 Dec 2025 08:00:00 GMT

Just a quickish update from me on all things A Small Voice related! Normal service will be resumed on the next member episode on Christmas Eve.

Need a website or know someone who might? Visit Boat Drinks Studio.

Paul Sng

Ben Smith — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 09:43:00 GMT

Last week’s filmmaker guest, Paul Sng, takes on the filmmaker bonus question.

Significant films(s):

The Filth and the Fury, Julian Temple
London, Patrick Keiller

Favourite documentary filmmakers(s):

Recent Discoveries:

Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk, Sepideh Farsi

Photo Oxford 2025 Special

Ben Smith — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 08:40:00 GMT

An exclusive special report of a flying visit to the biannual Photo Oxford festival.

Featuring…

Katy Barron
Alex Schneiderman
PatriciaBaker-Cassidy
Some musicians whose names I did not get
Jillian Edelstein

Mike Brodie

Ben Smith — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 06:10:00 GMT

Last week’s guest Mike Brodie is back to tackle the bonus questions.

Mike’s Picks

Significant Photobook(s):

Fruit Tramps: A Family of Migrant Farmworkers by Herman Leroy Emmet
America Pictures by Jacob Holdt

Favourite photographer(s):

Recent Discoveries:

James Han

Merlin Daleman

Ben Smith — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 07:54:00 GMT

Last week’s guest Merlin Daleman tackles the bonus questions.

Merlin's picks for…

Significant Photobook(s):

Satellites by Jonas Bendiksen

Favourite photographer(s):

Tony Ray-Jones

Recent Discoveries:

Saul Leiter
As It Was Give(n) To Me by Stacey Kranitz

Eli Reed

Ben Smith — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 06:56:00 GMT

Eli returns to tackle the bonus questions.

Eli's picks for…

Significant Photobook(s):

Leonard Freed photographs 1954 - 1990

Some favourite photographers:

Philip Jones Griffiths
Don McCullin

Recent Discoveries ( or, actually, former students):

Rankin / Tony Docekal

Ben Smith — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 08:30:00 GMT

Bonus questions sessions from each of the two previous guests, Rankin and Tony Docekal.

Guest picks…

Rankin
Significant Photobook(s):

Evidence - Richard Avedon
The Defenders: Heroes of the Global Fight for Human Rights - Platon

Some favourite photographers:

Too many to name. But, Annie Leibovitz “is not given enough love….”

Recent Discoveries:

Nadia Lee Cohen
Pri…

Marjolein Martinot

Ben Smith — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 06:34:00 GMT

Last week’s guest Marjolein Martinot returns to answer the bonus questions.

Significant Photobook(s)

Jasper by Matthew Genitempo
She Dances on Jackson by Vanessa Winship

Some favourite photographers

Recent Discoveries

Studio 54 by Todd Papageorge
I Imagined It Empty by Ruth Lauer Manenti
Epitome by Vic…

Anna Arendt

Ben Smith — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 07:55:00 GMT

Last week's guest, Anna Arendt, returns for the bonus questions.

Anna’s picks:

Significant photobook(s):

Good Days Quiet - Robert Frank

Recent discoveries:

Helen Levitt

A Favourite Photographer:

Masao Yamamoto

(+ filmmaker, Andrei Tarkovsky)

You can find the archive of Photobook Focus video recordings here.

Mohamed Bourouissa

Ben Smith — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 07:32:00 GMT

Last week's guest, Mohamed Bourouissa, returns for the bonus questions.

Mohamed's picks…

Significant photobook(s):

Richard Avedon, In The American West

Recent discoveries:

Marvin Bonheur, La Trilogie du Bonheur

A Favourite Photographer:

August Sander

The archive of Photobook Focus video recordings can be found here.