Ep 121 - Noel McIntyre - The Photograph Is Only the Beginning

Noel McIntyre has one hell of a résumé. But that’s not really why I wanted to talk to him.Noel is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker based in Mullingar, Ireland, whose work crosses documentary, reportage, street photography, filmmaking and sport.He’s been named IPPVA Irish Reportage Photographer of the Year three years in a row, his work has been selected for multiple Leica Mastershots, and in 2026 he placed third in the World Sports Photography Awards.His documentary work around Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann became a bestselling book and is now held by institutions including Trinity College Dublin, Oxford’s Bodleian Library and Cambridge University Library.Then there’s “Frenzy.”In 2025, the photograph was selected for Ireland’s Higher Level Leaving Certificate Art examination, where students were asked to critically discuss Noel’s work alongside some pretty ridiculous company, including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.That’s all incredibly impressive.But I wanted to know about Noel McIntyre, the photographer.What makes him stop and raise the camera?How does he know when there’s actually a story in front of him?How do you photograph real people without taking away the thing that made the moment interesting in the first place?And after years of shooting, creating films, winning awards and building a career, what still makes him want to pick up a camera and go make something?That’s where this conversation goes.We get into documentary photography, street photography, reportage, filmmaking, Leica cameras, visual storytelling, Irish culture, creative instinct, approaching people, building a body of work, and why the best photographs are rarely just about what’s happening inside the frame.Noel has the awards and the résumé.I was more interested in the human being behind all of it.This is my conversation with Noel McIntyre on The P.H.Y.S Podcast.Visit Noel McIntyre:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ThreadsWebVisit The Show:⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Web⁠⁠⁠⁠Support The Show:⁠Patreon ⁠⁠Go Fund Me⁠