Shoot Wisely the Creators Podcast with Amir Ebrahimi
Shoot Wisely podcast host Amir Ebrahimi has over 20 years of experience in production and has traveled the world as a documentarian covering a wide range of projects including the 2016 Olympics in Rio, social issues for the health ministry of Ethiopia, extensive global and national coverage of the NBA on and off the court, and documenting Cambodian orphanages to name a few. Host Amir Ebrahimi talks to guests about their process of creation and the road that led them to create for a living. The Shoot Wisely Podcast will have a heavy focus on photographers and videographers/DP's but will be open to inspiring creators such as artists, writers, designers, editors, etc. The main aim of the show is to talk to creates about their journey and process of creating to inspire people to create and shoot wisely. The show will have a very loose format but will touch on the who, what, where, and why. With a small portion of the conversation dedicated to the tools each creator utilizes. Thank you and please leave a review and share.
Shoot Wisely the Creators Podcast with Amir Ebrahimi
09 Adam Berstein Legendary NBA photographer of 30+ years
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
Episode 09 — Andrew D. Bernstein
In Episode 09 of the Shoot Wisely podcast, I sit down with legendary NBA photographer Andrew D. Bernstein to talk about a career spent documenting basketball history from courtside.
We discuss his close friendship and working relationship with Kobe Bryant and the process of creating the book The Mamba Mentality — a project built on years of trust, access, and shared vision. Andy reflects on capturing Kobe’s mindset, discipline, and evolution both on and off the court.
We also dive into photographing Michael Jordan throughout his career, and what it was like watching those moments resurface in The Last Dance. From witnessing historic championships to defining cultural moments, Andy shares what it means to document greatness in real time.
The conversation also explores his technical innovation — including introducing strobes and flash photography into live NBA action — a move that reshaped the visual language of professional basketball photography.
This episode is about proximity to greatness, technical mastery, and earning trust at the highest level of sport.
In This Episode
- Building a trusted relationship with Kobe Bryant
- The making of The Mamba Mentality
- Photographing Michael Jordan’s career
- Watching history replayed in The Last Dance
- Introducing flash/strobe photography to live NBA games
- Capturing iconic moments from courtside
- The responsibility of documenting legends
About the Guest
Andrew D. Bernstein is a pioneering NBA photographer whose career spans decades of basketball history. Known for his innovation in lighting and unparalleled access to the game’s biggest stars, his images have helped define how the world sees professional basketball.