The Photo Report

“Considered the Andy Warhol of his generation, Tyler Shields has produced images that play with notions of the gaze, power structures, hyper-realism, iconoclastic-tendencies, and cinematographic practice, but his Mouthful series of works are among his best known” – Sotheby’s  

How many people actually make a living selling their prints as a photographer? The number is really tiny, then to have your work in galleries all over the world is remarkable.  In this episode, Tyler shares about his work and the intentionality that goes behind making a print. Taking the photo with the print in mind, coming up with concepts for shoots, how he got started and so much more.  

Elizabeth Austin is a talented photographer who has moved a lot throughout her career. And in the process of moving, she has developed some strategies that have worked for her to establish herself in an area she wants to be shooting in before she actually gets there. This works if you want to shoot closer to home or if you want to be a destination photographer.

This conversation could be used in a broader sense as well, if you're trying to pivot the type of photography you shoot, not just the region you're currently getting most of your work.

Darren Bagwell is a licensed therapist, a coach, has run and operated his own small business (before getting into counseling) and understands the entrepreneur's journey as well as it's struggles. A lot of entrepreneurs, especially the creative types, are extremely hard on themselves. In this episode, Darren and Braedon discuss how shifting your mindset, which doesn't change your circumstances, can actually change you.

Find Darren on IG: http://instagram.com/darrenbagwell

His Counseling Practice - http://relationship180.com

Having an Abundance Mindset is such a valuable thing during this time. We have been given the gift of a huge interruption to our normal way of life. An interruption in our business, the way we gather, the way we do family, so many areas of our lives have been disrupted. This disruption can be a gift. 

Pinterest exists, people use Pinterest - a lot but do you - for your business? I think this episode may change your mind.

The internal voices in our heads can be the most brutal voices we encounter. And during this time of uncertainty, possible lack of work, lack of income...those internal negative voices can be loud and nasty.

In this conversation with Aaron Anastasi, we talk through this topic and how to combat these voices.

Aaron's Books:

This is a special episode from a live Q&A held with branding experts, wedding industry veterans and educators from the Evolve Workshops community.  We hear conversations and techniques that are working for them, and be a part of supporting this amazing Evolve Family.

Some of the leaders that joined us were: James and Jess Wittmayer, Braedon Flynn, Rodney Brown, Shaun Austin Gordon, Eric Kelley, Monique Serra, Vanessa Kynes, Devin Robinson, Ross Tanner, Anni Graham, Jennifer Ryals & Jamie Findlay! The first of MUCH more to come. Hope you like this one and stay encouraged.

Jai Long - http://jailong.co

A lot of small business owners are married (or plan to be married at some point in their lives). And owning a small business can be like a marriage in itself. You then add the complications of many couples who work together as partners or a team. That brings on all sorts of complications.

Then you are stuck at home, quarantined together, with no work to escape to and you possibly now have to deal with issues you've been running from. Some of you have small kids at home with no parks to take them to, no sports to drop them off at, no school - all together all the time.

"If you're not good at running the business side of things, you are pretty much just spending a bunch of time in a hobby." - Sam Jacobson

How do you get to the next level?

Sam Jacobson will dive deep into this topic. Sam is a wedding sales expert. He guides pros in all fields and markets to get website visitors to become clients.

You will hear him share how you can go from a $6,500 price range to the $10,000 price range.

Also, Sam will teach you on how to answer client’s pricing questions.

Lastly, you will hear important information about the whole sales process and how to approach customers or clients that you are trying to sell to.  

Enjoy!

In this episode, Sam discusses

• The importance of understanding a buyer’s journey stages
  
• How to respond to pricing questions
  
• Proven ways to make you stand out from competitors
  
• One key to improving the buyer experience
  
• How to take your business to the next level
  

Resources:

"Always evaluate your past in order to take steps towards your future" - Jenni Tyhe

How am I going to be profitable is an important question that gets overlooked often.

Jenni Thye tackles those big questions in today's episode.

Jenni is an Arizona based wedding planner. She has a background in pre-law, teaching, and event planning.

In this episode, Jenni discusses

- How she works as an event planner while taking her pre-law degree. 

- Transitioning from being an educator to starting her own business.  

- Jenni’s market research on wedding planning before starting her own business plan. 

- Her anxiety about the idea of, “this one person who was a wedding planner”. 

- Why she prefers having team members than working independently.

Enjoy!

"Your being successful at that thing, your failing at that thing, that's not who you are, whether you want it to be or not. You're a million other things" - Lance Nicoll

Have you ever tried to tackle the bigger questions about failure, success, and the journey to rise against the competition?

Lance Nicoll tackles those big questions in today's episode.

Lance is a New Orleans based wedding photographer. He has a background in teaching, graphic arts, and competitive wrestling.

In this episode, Lance discusses 

- How he started as a graphic designer and as an educator and how he transitioned into photography.

- The struggle of booking gigs as a freelance photographer.

- Shooting for himself and what drives him as a photographer to create amazing images.

- Developing his brand and the search for his ideal client.

- His views on success and failure, and how it has changed over time.

Enjoy! 

"My mother is my best friend. She is my hero. I strive every day to be more like her." - Nikki Santerre.

Nothing can compare to being a mother, and capturing that experience on film is not an easy task. Ever wondered how a professional does it?

In this episode, Nikki discusses her process of capturing the season of motherhood and her own experience as a mother.

Nikki is a Virginia based fine art/film hybrid photographer. She specializes in shooting weddings and portraits of mothers and their babies.

In this episode, Nikki talks about:

- How she got started with motherhood photoshoots after her own struggles with infertility. 

- Her unique way of capturing the season of motherhood in her shoots 

- Elevating her brand to the next level 

“When they are able to look at a photo of themselves, and they see something in that image, a reflection of themselves that they have never seen before, that is what inspires me to just literally go to work every single day.” - Chris J Evans

Ever wondered how professionals handle high volume wedding shoots and still deliver a unique experience to clients?

Chris J Evans will answer that, and more in today's episode.

With over a hundred wedding shoots every year, photographer Chris J Evans and his amazing crew have found their success in Maui, Hawaii.  A fashion photographer and a former touring musician, Chris creates a unique experience for his wedding shoots.

In this episode, Chris J. Evans talks about

- Starting his company and growing his wedding photography business.

- The workflow and the art of managing his time to accommodate the high volume wedding shoots that his company does every year.

- Learn how being a musician has helped Chris present himself and the experience he brings as a wedding photographer.

- Chris discusses the challenges that come with the high volume wedding and how his crew helps him handle that.

- Discover how Chris established his style, look, and voice in the wedding photography world.

- Find out how Chris manages work-life balance amidst his tight work schedule.

- Chris talks about how building relationships with the community continues to inspire him and keeps him from burning out.

Enjoy!

"If you don't push boundaries, you're going nowhere." - Wendy Laurel.

Have you ever wondered how experimental photography could boost your creativity and add a range of emotions on your photos?

Wonder no more, this episode Wendy will answer it for you. 

As a Maui based photographer, she shoots for weddings, families, and local clients throughout Hawaii. Wendy expresses her creativity through experimental photography that she achieves over a variety of techniques that she discusses in detail on this episode.

In this episode, Wendy Laurel discusses

- How she uses experimental photography to heighten the emotion in her shots.

- Learn Wendy's methodology on how she delivers her clients’ expectations while adding in her own creative style

- Getting started with experimental photography through lomos, holgas, light leaks, cross processing, and film souping

- Find out the art of pushing boundaries to keep your shoots fresh

- Discover how to have fun and enjoy photography 

Prepare to be inspired!

Follow Wendy Laurel on Instagram: @wendylaurel

I do not have a work life and a personal life. I have one life. - Sheri Salata

Have you felt like you wanted to be efficient, manage your time, structure your day, get things done, yet you don’t know how to make it come to fruition?

If so, you would want to listen to this entire episode with Laura Murray. 

She is a photographer and a visual story teller based in Denver, Colorado. Laura is was trained in Mathematics prior to photography but have always had a desire for creativity.

In this episode you will discover:

What does family photography mean?

In today's episode, Braedon sat down with Brooke Schultz, whose secret power is photographing love in an authentic way.

Whether it’s your wedding day or an ordinary day with your favorite souls in the world, Brooke would want nothing less than magic for you.

Today, she spoke about how to approach a lifestyle photo sessions.

Brooke also discussed how she helped family members to go through the challenge of having children in a photo shoot.

Lastly, she gets vulnerable and shared personal struggles and how she faced it.

Enjoy!

Is social media a "necessary evil?" Is it bad for business? You will find the answer to these questions in today's episode.

Abby Jiu has had a passion for gorgeous imagery and creating art since before she can remember. But in 2009, she picked up a camera and hasn’t put it down since. 

Lisa Ziesing has loved wedding photography long before she became the one creating it. She has been shooting film since her high schools days on the yearbook staff and hasn’t stopped since.

Together, they are a team from Abby Jiu Photography.

Listen as they both share how they promote each other.

Also, you will discover how they become under one brand.

Lastly, Abby and Lisa gave advice on how you overcome the feeling of being overwhelm.

Enjoy!

Resources:

Second time is a charm, that is why we are bringing back John Dolan in the podcast. 

John Dolan has woven a career of advertising, editorial and fine art photography. He is a recognized leader in contemporary wedding photography. Wedding clients include magazine art directors and editors, as well as celebrity couples Will & Jada Smith, Ben & Christine Stiller, Kate Bosworth & Michael Polish, Bridget Moynahan & Andrew Frankel, and most recently, Gwyneth Paltrow & Brad Falchuk.

Jacob is the man behind Brumley and Wells, as well as J Lambert Film. He has an incredibly successful wedding photography business but in this episode, we talk about his passion project. He has traveled numerous times to India and his photos on film are absolutely incredible.

This is a really good episode where we talk about the stresses of shooting at a really high end level. Jose is one of the Top photographers in the wedding industry, he also shoots commercially and has set the tone for most film shooting photographers in this industry.