B&H Photography Podcast
B&H Photo & Video
Categories: Arts
Listen to the last episode:
Professional tree planting is back breaking piecework—a combination of high intensity sport and industrial labor that requires both technical finesse and remarkable physical and mental endurance. Using techniques more often associated with high-performance athletes, experienced planters (commonly known as high-ballers) leap up and down through uneven and debris-strewn terrain, armed only with a shovel and 30-kg bags of seedlings on their backs.
In recent years, tree planting has become a rite of passage among young Canadians not afraid of hard work and dirt under their fingernails. As seasonal work, it attracts many students from Canada’s southern cities. Due to the brutal physical demands, most are under 30 years old. Out on the cut block inclement weather is common, and the swarms of biting insects are legendary.
Working in—rather than on—the land for months on end, and sharing an isolated camp site creates a solid bond among planters. This has molded into a subculture of sorts, which is the subject of today’s show.
My guest for this episode is Canadian photographer and filmmaker Rita Leistner. Rita documents communities living in extreme conditions, typically investing months or years in a project. After spending a decade as a tree planter during her youth, Rita returned to the forest in 2016 to document a new generation. In 2021, she released her results as an Art Trifecta, featuring large fine art photographs, a 256-page photo book, and the documentary feature film “Forest for the Trees.”
Equally in her element in forests and war zones, Rita’s photographs and her writings about photography, art, and war have been published, exhibited, and collected worldwide. She is represented by the Stephen Bulger Gallery for art, and by Green Planet Films for film.
Guest: Rita Leistner
Above photograph © Rita Leistner
For more information on our guests and the gear they use, see: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/podcasts/photography/picturing-world-cultures-rita-leistner-canada
And if you haven’t already listened, check out all episodes from our Picturing World Cultures podcast series here.https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/promotion/picturing-world-cultures
Episode Timeline:
2:02: The backstory to Canadian tree planting as a business
5:21: Rita’s interest in photography and her early days as a tree planter.
12:43: Comparisons and contrasts between Rita’s early tree planting experiences and what she found when returning to the forest to document this subject.
18:21: A typical day in the life of a tree planter and the actual planting process
26:31: How Rita landed on her distinctive photographic style of capturing fast moving planters with a PhaseOne camera and Profoto lighting.
32:40: Rita talks about how the young planters responded to her sudden presence in the camp.
36:17: Rita’s lighting set up with Profoto B1 lights and coordinating with an assistant to carry all the gear.
41:56: Episode Break
43:10: Rita talks about power consumption, batteries, generators, workflow, and more when working in remote locations.
45:03: Inclement weather, dirt, and bugs when shooting both stills and video footage out in the wilderness.
48:41: The lighting details behind Rita’s enchanted forest nighttime images and timelapse footage.
53:38: How the work of tree planters is perceived by both the logging industry and environmentalists, and the effects this has on the planters themselves.
1:03:47: How Rita’s Tree Planter project has affected her sense of Canadian identity.
1:06:04: Rita Leistner answers our PWC Visual Questionnaire.
Guest Bio: Rita Leistner is a Canadian photographer and filmmaker who creates portraits of communities living in extreme conditions, typically investing months or years in a project. After spending a decade of her formative years as a tree planter in the Canadian wilderness, she returned to this theme to document a new generation of planters from 2016 to 2019. In 2021, she released the project as an Art Trifecta, featuring fine art photographs, a 256-page monograph, and the 91-minute documentary film Forest for the Trees.
Additionally, Rita has been captured by insurgents, assaulted, and shot at, and she has run into gunfire to get a photograph. She has published four books of photography including Unembedded: Four Independent Photojournalists on the War in Iraq (2005), widely considered one of the most influential anti-war books to come out of the Iraq conflict. Rita’s photographs and her writings about photography, art, and war have been published and exhibited worldwide, and are in major corporate and museum collections. From 2010 to 2016 she served as Associate Professor in the History of Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the University of Toronto. She is represented by the Stephen Bulger Gallery for art, and by Green Planet Films for film.
Stay Connected:
Rita Leistner Website: http://ritaleistner.com/
Forest for the Trees Website: https://www.forestforthetreesdocumentary.com/
Rita Leistner Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ritaleistner/
Rita Leistner Twitter: https://twitter.com/ritaleistner/
Stephen Bulger Gallery Website: https://www.bulgergallery.com/artists/45-rita-leistner/overview/
Green Planet Films Website: https://greenplanetfilms.org/products/forest-for-the-trees?_pos=1&_sid=90a01a45d&_ss=r
Canadian photographer Lorraine Gilbert: https://www.lorrainegilbert.com/
Previous episodes
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405 - Picturing World Cultures: Rita Leistner - Canada Thu, 04 Apr 2024
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404 - Still Photography & the WWE, with Brad Smith & Rich Freeda Thu, 28 Mar 2024
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403 - Ecliptic Visions—with Rebecca Boyle, Gabriel Biderman, Atlas Obscura & B&H Thu, 14 Mar 2024
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402 - Picturing World Cultures: Daniel Rosca - Romania Thu, 07 Mar 2024
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401 - Photography in the Age of AI, with Stephen Shankland Thu, 29 Feb 2024
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400 - B&H Podcast: Chat with Inventor of the CMOS Chip, Professor Eric Fossum Fri, 16 Feb 2024
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399 - Picturing World Cultures: Joshua Irwandi - Indonesia Thu, 01 Feb 2024
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398 - Holding to Truth: Radio Encryption & the Press, with Todd Maisel & Lloyd Mitchell Thu, 18 Jan 2024
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397 - Picturing World Cultures: Kiana Hayeri: Iran / Afghanistan Thu, 04 Jan 2024 - 0h
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396 - 2023 Photo Gear of the Year with Kevin Rickert Thu, 28 Dec 2023
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395 - Adobe's First Evangelist: Russell Preston Brown Thu, 21 Dec 2023
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394 - Picturing World Cultures: Wayne Quilliam - Australia/Tasmania Thu, 07 Dec 2023
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393 - Lee Miller: Combat Photographer, Fashion Model & Muse, with Antony Penrose Thu, 30 Nov 2023
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392 - A History of Hip-Hop Photography: Encore Episode from November 2017 Thu, 23 Nov 2023
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391 - 1950s America as Seen by Robert Frank & Todd Webb, with Lisa Volpe & Bill Shapiro Thu, 16 Nov 2023
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390 - Connecting the Creator Community: B&H Bild Ambush Interviews Thu, 02 Nov 2023
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389 - Communicating Visually: Expert Tips from Photo Editor Sarah Leen at Bild Thu, 26 Oct 2023 - 0h
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388 - Taking Chances on Stories to Tell: Photojournalist Deanne Fitzmaurice at Bild Thu, 19 Oct 2023 - 0h
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387 - Why Oceans Matter: Underwater Photographer Brian Skerry at Bild Thu, 12 Oct 2023 - 0h
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386 - Fake Memories, Promptography, and Generative AI, with Boris Eldagsen Thu, 28 Sep 2023
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385 - Photographer-Driven Projects, with Ashok Sinha and Anabel DFlux Thu, 14 Sep 2023 - 0h
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384 - Rodney Smith’s Leap of Faith: An Intimate Chat with Leslie Smolan & Terence Falk Wed, 06 Sep 2023
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383 - Finger-Lickin' Food Photography, with Mica McCook, the Austin Food Guide Thu, 31 Aug 2023
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382 - A Closer Look at Bruce Gilden: Depth of Field 2023 Thu, 17 Aug 2023 - 0h
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381 - Adobe Software and AI: Scott Kelby & Kristina Sherk at Depth of Field 2023 Thu, 03 Aug 2023 - 0h
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380 - Legal Matters for Photographers, with Rachel Brenke, TheLawTog® Thu, 20 Jul 2023
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379 - Lighting Whisperers: Eric Stoner & Joe McNally at Depth of Field 2023 Thu, 06 Jul 2023 - 0h
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378 - Photographic Innovation: Steve Sasson's Invention of the Digital Camera Thu, 22 Jun 2023
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377 - The Business of Family Portraits: Michele Celentano & Monica Sigmon at Depth of Field 2023 Thu, 08 Jun 2023 - 0h
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376 - #Kittens & Picturing Pets, with Karen Hoglund & Nancy Borowick Thu, 25 May 2023
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375 - Confronting Algorithms and AI: Tati Bruening & Anya Anti at Depth of Field 2023 Thu, 11 May 2023 - 0h
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374 - Photographic Craft & Connections: Sam Hurd & Dixie Dixon at Depth of Field 2023 Thu, 27 Apr 2023 - 0h
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373 - Notable Lens Releases of 2022 & 23, with Kevin Rickert Fri, 14 Apr 2023 - 0h
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372 - The Business of Luxury Wedding Photography with James x Schulze Thu, 23 Mar 2023 - 0h
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371 - A World History of Women Photographers with Luce Lebart and Pauline Vermare Wed, 08 Mar 2023 - 0h
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370 - Building and Maintaining Your Web Presence with Alex Vita and Ben Von Wong Thu, 23 Feb 2023
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369 - Flora Photographica A Potpourri of Pictures with Danae Panchaud and Abe Morell Thu, 09 Feb 2023 - 0h
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368 - Visual Narratives for the 21st Century with Mike Davis Thu, 26 Jan 2023
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367 - Filling the Access Gap with ASMP’s Photography Mentorship Program, The Bridge Thu, 12 Jan 2023 - 0h
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366 - Fire & Lights and Wild Nights: Jill Waterman’s New Year's Eve Project: The B&H Photography Podcast Thu, 29 Dec 2022 - 0h
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365 - 2022 Cameras of the Year: The B&H Photography Podcast Thu, 15 Dec 2022
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364 - Master Blaster - Charles Daniels Reveals his Unseen 60s Era Photo Archive: The B&H Photography Podcast Thu, 01 Dec 2022 - 0h
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363 - Festive Food Photography with Joanie Simon Thu, 17 Nov 2022 - 0h
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362 - Vintage Cameras and a Fondness for Film: The B&H Photography Podcast Thu, 03 Nov 2022 - 0h
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361 - Ringside Access: Lori Grinker Captures Mike Tyson’s Rise Thu, 20 Oct 2022 - 0h
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360 - Fall Foliage East and West with Jerry Monkman and G Dan Mitchell Thu, 06 Oct 2022
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359 - Graham Nash: Ace Photographer, Digital Printing Pioneer, Music Legend Thu, 29 Sep 2022 - 0h
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358 - Abelardo Morell, Alchemist of Photography Thu, 15 Sep 2022 - 0h
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357 - On Location and Studio Portraits with Monica Sigmon & Michael Taylor Thu, 01 Sep 2022
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356 - Conservation Storytelling with Jaymi Heimbuch & Anne Readel Thu, 18 Aug 2022 - 0h