Breakdown of Der Fotograf spricht mit dem Regisseur, einem talentierten Mann.
ein
a, an (eine)
der Mann
the man
sprechen
to speak
mit
with
Questions & Answers about Der Fotograf spricht mit dem Regisseur, einem talentierten Mann.
Why is the second part of the sentence einem talentierten Mann instead of ein talentierter Mann?
This is called an apposition, which is a descriptive phrase tacked onto a noun to give more information. The rule is that an apposition must be in the exact same case as the noun it describes. Since dem Regisseur is in the dative case, einem talentierten Mann must also be in the dative case.
What puts dem Regisseur in the dative case to begin with?
The preposition mit (with). It is a strict dative preposition, meaning it always forces the noun that immediately follows it into the dative case.
Why does the adjective talentierten end in -en here?
Because the phrase is in the dative case. When an adjective comes after an indefinite article like einem in the dative case, it always takes the -en ending.
I noticed Fotograf is spelled with an 'f'. Is the 'ph' spelling ever used in German?
In older German texts you might see Photograph, but after modern spelling reforms, words with a 'ph' sound derived from Greek are standardly spelled with an 'f'. You will also see this in words like Telefon or Delfin.