Podcast: Photographer/Physician Eric Korenman

It’s not the case of a doctor becoming a photographer. Instead, it’s a lifelong photographer who became a physician and then returned to his roots. After putting the camera down to dedicate his entire time and focus on becoming a radiologist and building his practice, Eric Korenman rediscovered his passion of photography when his first child was born in 2000. This time, no one could take the camera out of his hands. Eric’s passion for documenting, capturing the moment and sharing sheer authenticity has led to incredible new experiences, shoots with household names in comedy and show business, as well as lifelong friendships. His goal is for his subjects to “forget the camera is there” and he quips that his shoots are like a therapy session. The results speak for the themselves. Shooting some of the best comedians in the business in New York City began years ago because of Eric’s pure audacity to simply reach out and ask them. Being the doctor photographer has never been part of his brand (many know him much better as a photographer than a physician), it sure did help, as he mended one famous comedian’s infected toe. That’s just one anecdote that Eric shares in our conversation. We also discuss how his passion for photography helped in his decision to choose radiology, which he calls the photography side of medicine, his evolution of work from landscapes to portraits as well as fine art, his friendship with the late Gilbert Gottfried and his family, the transition from film to digital over the years, his love of podcasts and old-time radio shows, NPR, WAMC and the spoken word, raising his children in the Berkshires and much more. I hope you’ll enjoy my conversation with Eric Korenman. Check out Eric’s work on his website: www.korenman.com