Leah Jarrett, couple and newborn photographer from Saskatchewan, joins Logan in this episode to discuss boundaries with customers.  We often hear about the need for boundaries in our personal life, listen in and enjoy this tip filled episode about the need for boundaries in business in order to have better relationships with our clients. Leah shares a few tough situations we can find ourselves in and offers helpful ways to handle them with professional grace.  

Show Links:

• https://www.instagram.com/lcj_photography/
• https://www.facebook.com/LCJPhotos
• http://lcjphotography.ca

Show Takeaways: 

• Hear how being excited with your shoot will help you authentically show up for the client, creating a more comfortable customer experience.
• Learn how to set boundaries on how you want to be treated, creating mutual respect, healthy relationships, and setting expectations with clients. 
• Discover why it is important to learn to listen to your gut, and intuition as a photographer.

Today Kirstie, a Dallas-based educator and equine photographer joins us and shares how she developed her marketing model and strategy, combining both methods in a unique hybrid to fit her lifestyle and personality. 

Listeners can expect to hear valuable information about marketing, customer retention and pricing in a clear, applicable, and relatable way with this engaging episode.

Show Links:

• https://kirstiemarie.com
   
• https://www.kmplearn.com
   

Show Takeaways: 

• Be clear on the type of customer experience you want your clients to walk away with. 
  
  
• Assess how your talents, personality, and beliefs can help cultivate the desired client experience and build a successful business. 
  
  
• Listen for ideas to care for clients after the gallery is delivered to foster client relationships.
  
  

Today I’m talking to Tatiana Kiseleva, a wedding photographer based out of Long Island City, New York. We discuss how being an introverted photographer and how accepting her introversion as a strength has changed the way that she runs her photography sessions. We also discuss how being an extrovert, introvert, or ambivert will require a new perspective on how to use your personality to shape your client experience and sessions. 

Show Links:

• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tatianakphoto
• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tatianakphoto/

Show Takeaways: 

• You will learn how to use your personality and natural talents to enhance the way you shoot and interact with clients
• Discover ways to get comfortable with who you are and focus on what you do best to discover your ideal niche
• Uncover some of the benefits to trying out new types of photography while sticking to your area of expertise.  

Finding ways to differentiate yourself from other photographers can be tricky.  Stefanie Cole, a Connecticut family photographer, shares how she started a client wardrobe and the pros and cons to having one.  We also discuss how her pricing has changed due to her large wardrobe and how she’s optimized her website to help showcase the wardrobe closet for client sessions with less work for her. 

Show Takeaways: 

• Learn how Stephanie shifted away from the industry norm to make her business stand apart.  
• The things you should consider when starting a client closet
  • Start small with versatile pieces in style and sizing
  • Focus on timeless neutrals; use color in less expensive accessories
  • Purchase high quality name brand core pieces

Today our guest is Natasha Coyle, a wedding photographer and educator based out of Charleston, South Carolina. She shares her approach to using Instagram Reels and Tik Tok to market and grow her photography business, assist her in coaching photographers, and convert more followers into paying clients. Natasha started her photography business at age 34 and had to learn business and photography. She tripled her social media following in only a few months using short-form video.  

Show Takeaways: 

• Find out how Nastasha leveraged TikTok videos to grow her following and turn  those followers into clients
• Learn why video is the future of marketing, and how you can show up and serve your client through this medium
• Understand the difference between copying someone else’s content and gaining inspiration from it

Today, I'm talking to Mike Glatzer, a portrait photographer who helps creatives and brands tell their story. Mike joins us to discuss why it’s okay to keep your full-time  job and do photography part-time. A full-time biomedical engineer and part-time photographer, he doesn't have any desire to quit his full-time job. (Yes, you read that correctly.)

He shares how having a full-time job has affected his pricing as well as the things you may need to consider before going full-time. We also talk through some time management tips: everything from CRM and task management systems, to time-blocking and knowing your cost of goods. 

Show Takeaways: 

• Why it’s okay to keep your full-time job and do photography
• Things you should consider before going full-time
• Tips for working a full-time and part-time photography business

Photographs have the ability to tell stories, and our guests today, Kirsten Lewis and Tyler Wirken, have got their photography storytelling techniques down to a fine (or not-so-fine) art. The special bond between these two blossomed out of a mentorship program, and has changed their lives for the better, both personally and professionally. Tyler and Kirsten open up about the clarity that has come with age, why less is more when it comes to storytelling through photos, and the benefits of relinquishing control when you are shooting. Kirsten and Tyler both feel that their career paths are not set in stone, but they know that their ultimate goal is for their work to have a meaningful impact on society as a whole. A big focus area for both guests is “day in the life” sessions and they explain, in a very heartfelt way, why they feel there is so much value in doing shoots of this nature and why they always take photos that speak from their own hearts and personal perspectives. This episode will leave you itching to grab your camera and tell a story with it!

From a part-time hobbyist landscape photographer to a full-time professional wedding photographer, our guest on today’s show has a lot of valuable knowledge to share around transitioning, holding onto your passion, and finding your ideal clients. Ara has two branches of her wedding photography business; one which focuses on more traditional weddings and another which feeds her adventurous, outdoorsy spirit. In this episode you will hear about the importance of taking in all the feedback you receive, utilizing a specific marketing tone in order to attract the clients that you want, and the importance of staying true to yourself and being selective in the photos that you use to promote your business; if you don’t want to do baby shoots, don’t post baby photos! Ara also explains why it is so important to her to get close to the couples that she is going to be photographing, and the strategies that she makes use of to build these relationships. If you’re struggling to hone in on your niche or feel like you’ve lost your passion for your work, this episode will go a long way in helping you find them!

Today’s episode is about mistakes the mistakes all photographers are prone to make—and how to avoid them! We speak with Vanessa Renae about the start of her wedding photography business, her work as an educator, and the lessons she’s learned along the way. Our host, Logan Fahey, chimes in with some of her own early missteps.

Listeners can expect teachable moments and relatable anecdotes that they can apply in their own lives and careers. You’ll hear practical advice about creating an actionable business plan,

Hear practical business advice like the importance of having an actionable plan. Vanessa also explains why your mindset might be holding you back. Later, we hear about the nonlinear nature of business, not letting expectations get in the way of your next career steps, and why you shouldn’t be scared of specializing and offering niche services.

Listeners can also expect special tips and insights on marketing and Instagram. For all this and more, tune in today!

For full show notes click here.

To get started with Shootproof for FREE click here.

Making the switch to studio photography can seem daunting after working with the ease and beauty of natural lighting, but as Jessica explains in today's conversation, it might not be as hard as you think. Jessica decided to dive into her passion for photography full-time after she became a mother, and she left her job as a school teacher and started humbly in a spare bedroom at home. When she made the big step to get a studio space and move into the world of studio shooting, Jessica was pleasantly surprised by how well she managed! There are obvious learning curves and hurdles in the process, but our guest insists that if you put in a little research and put aside your fears you can find a practice that really fits your dreams. In our conversation, we get into the technical side of Jessica's work, how she has been aiming to pare things down to the essential elements, and her love of human faces! Tune in to hear it all on how you can make the jump to the studio! 

In today’s social media landscape, authenticity is one of the most important elements when creating an online presence for your business. Our guest today excels at this and is here to share some of her many insights on the topic. During our conversation with Neyssa Lee, we speak about how growing up in foster care and being adopted impacted her passion for photography, and how she came to run her own business photographing moms with their newborn babies and children. She speaks openly and honestly about the pain of miscarriage and why it’s so important to share these experiences with her clients, many of whom have had similar experiences. Listeners can also hear all about how Nyessa started incorporating reels, despite her apprehension, to great effect! We discuss how reels can be used to highlight your personality, educate clients about your brand and authentically reflect who you are. Tune in to hear all about Neyssa’s tips, tricks, and warnings for incorporating reels into your business. 

Being featured as a photographer on the first page of Google is no easy feat, but Valerie Clark knows how to do it! Born out of the need to move around a lot because of her husband's job, Valerie became a self-taught SEO expert, and she joins us on the show today to share some of her top tips. We discuss the keywords you should be using, the free resources provided by Google which will help with your SEO, the importance of having a blog, and why you need to be planning your SEO a few months ahead if you are going to be moving to another state. Valerie also highlights some of the common mistakes made in SEO, and how you can avoid these. If you are interested in learning more about the extremely valuable tool of SEO after this episode, Valerie shares how you can join her one-on-one coaching program, which is launching in April! 

You can be the most flexible, adaptable, and spontaneous when you are starting with a plan. Uncertainty isn’t specific to a pandemic. Uncertainty is the environment that everyone is operating in, and believe it or not, you can be more flexible when you are starting with a plan, rather than just free-wheeling it and operating with no plan. Today’s guest is Katie Wussow, a business coach, and finance teacher who teaches early-stage creative entrepreneurs the foundational financial and business strategies they need to turn their passions into profits. This episode explores the topic of planning for 2021 and how to revise and pivot your goals when needed. Tuning in, you will hear from Katie as she explains goal-setting in a way that takes away all of the stress. She also maps out how to pivot when your goals aren’t actually helping you to grow your business, goes over the mistakes she sees people make when setting goals, and shares her tips for planning during such uncertain times. Tune in today for all this and more!

Think back to when you were a senior in high school, or even where you find yourself today. What could be more amazing than a group of women connected by great memories and friendships? Having a community of girls who are going through the same thing as you are at the same time is so powerful! Welcome back to another episode of Find Your Focus. Today, you hear all about high school senior photography from Maddie Nichole. Maddie is a high school senior portrait photographer who has a senior program that is absolutely amazing and pretty genius. She doesn’t just take senior photos, she has created a senior tribe of girls that get together to participate in activities, adventures, and so much more during their senior year. During this interview, Maddie explains how it all works. There is so much that goes into the Senior Tribe that she’s created and she shares exactly what the girls get out of it, why it’s different from other senior programs, and the challenges that she has faced while running it. Tune in today for all this and more!

So many photographers, at some point in their career, are likely to find that they are struggling to book clients. We’ve brought Michelle Harris on the show today to discuss some of the reasons that you may not be booking clients and to hear her ideas on ways that you can solve this problem. As the most expensive photographer within a 50-mile radius of her home, Michelle explains why you should never price yourself cheaply, the best way to handle phone calls with potential clients, and the importance of never comparing your photography journey to anyone else’s! Michelle’s passion for her business will leave you feeling inspired and ready to take action to improve your own!

Today’s guest is Joe Dantone, a wedding photographer and commercial photographer. When he decided to grow his business by adding commercial photography services, he discovered that it was very different from the other genres he had experience in. In this episode, Joe shares his experience of taking the leap and exploring a new genre, explains how things like bids and contracts work with commercial photography, and goes over his tips for getting started with commercial photography, including always listening, getting on the phone with your clients, and creating spec work. Tune in today!

It’s one thing capturing moments on camera but preserving photographs can be a challenge in and of itself. That’s where Cathi Nelson comes in. Cathi offers white-glove services to clients that help them to preserve their most valuable photographic assets. Her company, The Photo Managers, also offers webinars, masterminds, and marketing classes to those wanting to generate income from managing photos. Kicking things off, Cathi tells us about the genesis behind her company and how she became a leading service provider in her field. We then ask her how about how she has navigated the pandemic and find out the reasons why business is booming. Later in the show, we ask Cathi to share more details about her business as she expands on possible opportunities to be had, how she scans hundreds, if not thousands of photographs, and how you can create and maintain long-term clients. To find out why photo preservation can be lucrative and time-efficient, be sure to join us today!

Building confidence in your business is often not about measuring it against a set of predefined standards, but simply about revolving it around your unique superpower. 

Today’s guest is LaJune King, a portrait and branding photographer from Texas, and she joins us to talk about her journey toward loving herself and owning her work. LaJune talks about how she got into photography and started to see her business grow, and about the hurdles she had to get over in this phase. She shares the insecurities she had and how she moved past them when she realized how good she was at giving clients an experience that was second to none. 

LaJune is also extremely passionate about representing Black families in moments of happiness as a counterpoint to systemic racism and she talks about this in an incredibly moving section of today’s discussion. 

From there, we talk about why LaJune frames her client journey as the ‘Pink Starburst Experience’ and the coaching she offers to help other photographers come up with their own versions of a tailored and distinctive customer experience. Tune in for an amazing conversation about finding your voice and sharing it to make the world a better place today!

Elopement is a sacred and special day that ought to be captured and stored forever. Yet, being an elopement photographer is vastly different from the role of a wedding photographer. Today we speak with adventure elopement photographer Megan MacPhail about her industry and its nuances. We kick off the show by finding out how Megan first got involved in the industry. After hearing about her challenges as a veterinary doctor, she tells us about her burning desire to pursue a career that would feed her soul and give her fire. Megan then tells us how she helps couples plan their elopements. We learn that many couples don’t have knowledge about the process, and it’s up to Megan to furnish her clients with concepts and big ideas. To do this, Megan needs to have an intimate knowledge of a variety of elopement locations. As her business grows, she travels to further corners of North America, expanding her own knowledge-base. To conclude the show we ask Megan to tell us about the most common mistakes she sees from novice elopement photographers. She touches on mindset, staying true to your “why”, and the need for quick turnaround times. Join us today and find out more about this growing niche!

Success doesn’t mean having a fully-booked calendar or raking in huge amounts of cash every month. For senior photographer, adventure, and educator Tracy Moore, success means being able to live life on her own terms. 

Today we speak with Tracy about how listeners can find out what success means for them. We open our conversation by exploring Tracy’s background and how she discovered photography. From offering free sessions to hiring a business coach, she unpacks the steps that she took to become a professional photographer. 

We then dive into how she built her business around her passion for adventure and mentoring seniors. While reflecting on her recent move to Costa Rica, Tracy shares details on how she expanded her services to include providing masterclasses and coaching. 

In an empowering discussion, we talk about what it means to be successful. Later, Tracy opens up about how you can create success for yourself by taking action and overcoming your fears. Tune in for more of Tracy’s insights into living your life through your own lens. 

There are few photography settings on Earth that are as fascinating and rewarding to shoot as underwater. Today we speak with underwater photography expert Elizabeth Blank.

To start, Elizabeth tells us about her history in photography, sharing details about her burnout and what led her to fall in love with the medium all over again. Following this, Elizabeth shares her top tips for novice underwater photographers and touches on different entry levels and the sort of gear you’ll need to get going. 

Finally, Elizabeth describes her own tech and gear setup that allows her to take the perfect shot. From dive masks to weighted belts to ideal camera settings, Elizabeth tells all. To hear about how you can master underwater photography, dive into this episode today!

Burnout. For many photographers, this often becomes their reality, particularly during and after the busy season. Our guest today is Vanessa Hicks, a destination and wedding photographer based in San Diego. We begin our conversation with Vanessa by finding out what photography means to her, as she tells us about her difficult childhood which was characterized by poverty and addict-parents. With just five photographs of her late father, Vanessa realized the power of photography when she was 19. Years later, after her corporate career came to an abrupt end, Vanessa pursued professional photography as her vocation. She has created a successful career as a photographer, educator, speaker, and blogger. With all these responsibilities, burnout became something to contend with. In this episode, Vanessa shares tangible tips to cope with burnout and gives listeners two main bits of advice: understanding your “why”, and setting yourself proper, timely goals. After elaborating on each, Vanessa tells us about her non-negotiables, why she jots down her schedule in pen specifically, and how to arrange off-days. Toward the end of the episode, Vanessa tells us about the most important aspects of her daily routine. Through this, we find out about the power of to-do lists, and how to create them in all their forms. To close the episode, Vanessa touches on the importance of taking time for yourself and why rest isn’t something you should “earn.” Join us today!

How you launch your business is what determines how quickly you book clients and earn a steady income. Today we speak with CC Seder, a full-time special needs teacher, and photographer who booked 33 mini-sessions in her first 30 days of business. As informative as it is inspiring, CC reveals her launch strategy, highlighting easy-to-follow steps that lead to a successful launch. As she unpacks her gameplan, she explains the importance of knowing what your resources are, who your clients will be, and how and where you can market yourself. A key lesson in this episode, we then discuss the value of setting lower price points for your first mini-sessions. We also dive into best practices like having a landing page to show your work, providing clear and kind communication, and being able to adapt to your and your client’s needs. CC’s strategy is tailored to getting in front of a huge amount of customers and then building a strong rapport with them. Tune in for insights on how you can book a flurry of sessions within an equally short space of time. 

Welcome back to our five-day mini-session challenge! This is the fifth and last segment of the challenge and the topic for today is logistics! That’s right, we will be talking all about preparing for your mini sessions, and you will hear a bunch of tips for organizing yourself and the client so that they walk away with a smile and want to keep coming back. We get into the ins and outs of writing reminder emails, as well as how to give clients all the information they will need once their session is complete in the form of a gift bag. You’ll also hear about assembling a box of miscellaneous items that might come in handy during the shoot, checking the questionnaire you sent your client before the shoot, and a few extra touches you can add to the session to make it extra memorable. Tune in today!

Welcome to day four of our five-day mini-session challenge. Today we will be talking about marketing your mini-sessions to get the best possible returns from them. It’s one challenge creating a mini-session, but it’s another trying to book them. We kick off the show by talking about one of the most helpful ways to market your mini-sessions — teasers. We go into what makes a great teaser, how you can roll them out, and what information they should contain. Another great way to book out your mini-sessions is by introducing a waiting list. People frenzy over waiting lists because they always want to be the first in line. Toward the end of the episode, we mention VIP groups and elaborate on why they can be useful, as well as why you should consider partnering up with local businesses in your area. After hearing about trade exchanges, we close the show by talking about charity incentives and how to be responsible with your clients. The episode ends with our challenge expectations, so be sure to listen in!