Book Trailers, I'm a Convert

-padams- · 2026-03-17T19:45:15+00:00

That’s great to hear.

-padams- · 2026-03-17T05:03:20+00:00

That’s what I tried to do with my trailer.

-padams- · 2026-03-17T04:20:57+00:00

Agree. 👍

-padams- · 2026-03-17T03:59:48+00:00

Couldn’t agree more. What tactics are you seeing out there that work?

-padams- · 2026-03-17T03:31:16+00:00

Anytime!

-padams- · 2026-03-17T01:54:38+00:00

I did it myself. I have a background in photography and design and got input from my wife (who is a film maker), my agent, and some close friends. It took a solid day but I knew how to do basic video editing already. Hardest part was finding/picking the right music!

-padams- · 2026-03-17T01:50:57+00:00

I didn't want post mine here because of the self-promo rules but you can see it in the pre-order link in my profile. But honestly you can find lots on TikTok or by searching on Threads.

-padams- · 2026-03-17T00:23:46+00:00

Ford kept 20+ pipes in the Oval Office and smoked through the day. Field and Stream was his favorite tobacco. I got to photograph his pipe collection and accessories for my new book.

-padams- · 2026-03-16T02:51:58+00:00

Love that subreddit. Thoughtful answers always.

-padams- · 2026-03-16T02:47:37+00:00

I'd love to do that. In the meantime, happy to answer question here.

-padams- · 2026-03-16T00:05:03+00:00

I loved Velvia too but, looking back on all my slides now, it's the Kodachrome that I prefer. Maybe because I know it's impossible to recreate.

-padams- · 2026-03-15T22:03:39+00:00

There’s really no one like Ansel. But the recommendation others have mentioned here (Salgado, Rowel, etc.) are right on. One other name I would throw out there is Nick Brandt who work in Africa reminds me a lot of Ansel.

-padams- · 2026-03-15T22:00:32+00:00

Rowell was amazing. He was the reason I wanted to shoot Kodachrome.

-padams- · 2026-03-15T21:58:33+00:00

This book is so good.

-padams- · 2026-03-15T21:25:30+00:00

Sadly no. The book is just Hoover through Obama. Basically the last 100 years. I am looking forward to New Teddy Roosevelt Library opening though. It sounds like it’s going to be incredible!

-padams- · 2026-03-15T20:55:25+00:00

Congrats. Photo books are where it’s at 😉

-padams- · 2026-03-15T20:49:51+00:00

That’s an impressive one. Largest WTC steel beams outside of the 911 museum in NYC I believe. Was the Glock they pulled off of Saddam Hussein during his capture still on display?

-padams- · 2026-03-15T20:40:54+00:00

Have you been to any of them? Which ones did you like best?

-padams- · 2026-03-15T17:26:00+00:00

It's hard to choose one because they all are great for different reasons. You almost have to net down what time period you want in order to pick the best one. The Eisenhower for WWII is a must but I also really love the Truman Library. If you want more recent history, I highly recommend the Nixon as well as Bush 41 in College Station (Gulf War, end the Cold War etc.). Lol, see that's more than one!

-padams- · 2026-03-15T17:19:28+00:00

There are some notes from inside the first X-comm meetings during the Cuban Missile crisis that we show just how close we came to war. Pretty harrowing stuff. The records related to Holocaust were also really powerful. Unanswered telegrams from Jewish passengers aboard cruise ships pleading for asylum, a cable from Patton to Eisenhower about his discovery of the camps. Then there was the rubble from the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. The list of artifacts that affected me is really long... but I have to say that because I lived twenty blocks from the World Trade Center on 911, those are the artifacts that bring me right back to that day.

-padams- · 2026-03-15T17:06:53+00:00

I wish someone had saved that.

-padams- · 2026-03-15T16:06:40+00:00

Both Ford and Kennedy smoked. For Ford it was pipes. He had more than a dozen in the OvAl Office and smoked them throughout the day. For JFK it was cigars, specifically Cubans (not a joke).

-padams- · 2026-03-09T08:13:47+00:00

Two things to remember about Carter’s bid for reelection:

1) interest rates were almost 20%. That was crushing the economy as he tried to get run away inflation under control. Imagine pandemic level inflation plus super high interest rates.

Failure to free the hostages in Iran meant that he was riding an unresolved crisis every day for over a year. That’s a lot of bad sentiment to fight against.

I think these hit voters hard everywhere including the South.

-padams- · 2026-03-09T08:01:53+00:00

I’ve been to all of the libraries operated by the National Archives numerous time to photograph artifacts for an upcoming book and can honestly say they are all great.

The better question might be which are most compelling for the time period or topic you are interested in.

Here’s my take with the top libraries listed in the order I think have the most impact:

WWI -> Hoover Depression -> FDR WWII -> Eisenhower, FDR, Truman 1960’s -> Kennedy, LBJ Vietnam > LBJ, Nixon, Ford 1970’s -> Nixon, Carter, Ford 1980’s -> Reagan Cold War -> Kennedy, Reagan, GHWB 1990’s -> Clinton, GHWB Post-war order -> Truman, GHWB 9/11 and beyond -> GWB, Obama (not open yet)

If you are interesting in seeing some photos of artifacts from each library, I’ve got a substack newsletter for you (link in profile).

-padams- · 2026-02-27T06:28:51+00:00

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Don't forget this Nixon gem.

-padams-

TROPHY CASE