This Conversation with Jed Taufer

Audrey Wancket owns the high-end portrait studio, Wancket Studios in Spring Grove, Illinois. Audrey’s portraits have earned her numerous awards at the state and national levels, which has made here a sought after speaker to amateur and professional photography groups across America and as far away as Korea.

Degrees and Certifications:

·  Master of Photography degree from PPA in 1996

·  Craftsman degree in 1998

·  Certified Professional Photographer

·  Honorary Master of Photography degree, PPA 2021

·  Board of Director, Professional Photographers of America 2012-present

·  2019-2020 President of Professional Photographers of America

·  2020-2021 Chairman of the Board, Professional Photographers of America

·  Approved International Juror, PPA

Photographic Awards:

·  Canon Par Excellence award, 2012 and 2013

·  6 Regional(district) Medallion awards, American Society of Photographers

·  Kodak Gallery Elite

·  2-Imaging Excellence awards, PPA

Audrey’s philosophy to “never settle for good enough” has been instrumental in the reputation she has earned in her business.

Natalie Keyssar is a documentary photographer whose work focuses on inequality, youth culture, and the personal effects of political turmoil and violence, in the Americas. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in painting and illustration from The Pratt Institute, has taught New Media at the International Center of Photography in New York and has instructed at various workshops across the US and Latin America. She has received grants from the Pulitzer Center, the IWMF, and the Magnum Foundation, was the winner of the 2018 ICP Infinity Emerging Photographer Award, and the 2019 PH Museum Women Photographer’s Grant. She’s a regular contributor to National Geographic, The New Yorker, and The New York Times among many other publications. She is currently based in Brooklyn, New York.

Dorie Howell is a published photographer serving the Northern Virginia and Washington, DC Metropolitan area. She loves serving her clients in all genres but specializes in Newborn, Family and Corporate Headshots.

As well as running her photography business, she has also become a top photography mentor to other photographers all over the world. Her previous experience in the corporate world working in small professional offices taking care of everything from payroll, employee management, customer service, and sales, to running her own photography business, then having an idea to start and run one of the largest photography education memberships in the industry, has given her the experience and knowledge to help creative business owners in any field.

Her passion remains with the photography industry and helping photographers define their goals and then give them the tools they need to meet those goals. She has worked with tens of thousands of photographers worldwide and loves seeing their success!

Dorie is a highly sought-after speaker, podcast guest, and teacher in the areas of marketing, social media, mindset and workflow.

Allison English Watkins specializes in capturing family portraits that will be treasured heirlooms for generations. For over 25 years Allison has been creating portraits for her beloved clients and celebrating their lifetime milestones. Living in the beautiful mountains of Park City, Utah, Allison loves incorporating the gorgeous landscape into her portraits as much as possible.

Besides being a Master Photographer, Craftsman and Certified Professional photographer, Allison’s portraits have won numerous awards during her career. A few career highlights include being PPA Diamond Photographer of the year, IPPA Master Photographer of the year and having 3 wedding albums finish in the IPC Top 10 wedding albums of the year. Allison has won multiple LexJet Sunset Awards, Kodak Gallery Awards and Fuji Masterpieces and has been international published. In 2018 she was the recipient of the Professional Photographers of America National Award presented by the Intermountain Professional Photographers Association for her service to the photographic community. Currently, Allison stays busy serving on the Professional Photographers of America Board of Directors and is a PPA Approved Photographic Juror. Allison also travels and educates photographers on the fine art of family portraiture. Allison is also part of the Camera Craftsmen of America, a group dedicated to the fine art craft of photography.

Allison’s greatest joys are her husband of almost 25 years, her 3 kids and her cat S’mores.

Vanessa Joy is a Canon Explorer of Light that has been an influential speaker in the community for over a decade. Starting her photographic journey in 1998, she has since branched into public speaking, earned 5 college degrees, received a PPA Photographic Craftsman degree, been named a WeddingWire Education Expert, sponsored by Canon, Profoto and Animoto to name a few. Vanessa has spoken at almost every major convention and platform in the event industry such as CreativeLIVE, The Wedding School, Clickin’ Moms, WPPI, ShutterFest, Imaging USA, Wedding MBA, WeddingWire World, MobileBeat, in addition to hosting personal workshops and numerous small business and photography conventions around the globe. Recognized for her talent and more so her business sense, her clients love working with her and industry peers love to learn from her tangible, informative and open-book style of teaching.

William Branson III

M. Photog. Cr., Fellow - ASP,

A-BIPP, A-RPS, MPP-MPI

“As a portrait artist, I help families hold onto time by creating portraits from their dreams.  I write their story and the story begins with their family – their journey – their dreams.  I create a world around them, a world beyond a photograph.  It is a portrait that will become their most treasured possession and it will endure when their other material property has been discarded and forgotten.  My goal is to bring a tradition of quality and refinement to portraiture for the walls of my client’s homes.”

A much sought after speaker and teacher to professional artist, William holds Fellowship and Associate degrees from around the globe.  Families and institutions from all over look to him to help and guide them as he captures the most important people in their lives.  Carefully preserved, these treasured portraits are admired in beautiful homes and institutions around the globe, iconic traces of each person’s heritage.

It has been said . . . 

“You never own a portrait by William Branson III.

you merely take care of it for the next generation.”

Mark Rossetto is an international award-winning Double Master Photographer with the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP), an international keynote speaker and a qualified Photography Business and Life Coach. Mark is highly regarded and has coached hundreds of photographers from beginners to seasoned professionals all over the world including Australia, USA, UK, Europe and NZ.

Brooke Shaden is a conceptual fine art photographer specializing in self-portraiture. After graduating college with degrees in film and English, she turned to photography to tell the stories she always wanted to let loose. Photography provided a medium that was faster than film with the richness of story that writing had, and she built a career from those passions.

Her work has received awards for it’s cohesion and storytelling abilities. Many of the images are dark yet timeless and whimsical, creating a sometimes disturbing yet beautiful montage of worlds that people feel connected to. Shaden’s work reminds us that there is dark and light inside us all, and that element has allowed for openness and sharing of the ideology behind the works, garnering more than one million followers online. 

When not creating personal work, Brooke is a dedicated philanthropist, teaching self-expression workshops for survivors of human trafficking. She has also started photography schools for the same community in India and Thailand. Brooke lives in a small mountain town with her husband and kitties.

Gary Hughes covers being a Girldad, the Hobby Paradox, and much more as we discuss how one must Learn to Play.

As the child of photographer parents it would have been natural for Gary to step right in to the family business, but he had to go out and try pretty much everything else before finding his way back to photography. In the 13 years since picking up a camera he has earned local and national awards including 3 Gold Medals and an Imaging Excellence Award from the International Photographic Competition and a Fuji Masterpiece Award. His work has been featured in Professional Photographer Magazine, Shutter Magazine, Professional Image Maker and he has published multiple articles on photography for the Huffington Post as well as an educational book, /Photographing Headshots/. He lives and works in Orlando, FL with his partner and wife, Julie and their children.

Marc Silber is a 3-time bestselling author, photographer, filmmaker, and producer of the very popular YouTube series Advancing Your Photography, where he has interviewed scores of some of the biggest names in photography.

He started out learning darkroom skills and the basics of photography at the legendary Peninsula School in Menlo Park, CA, in the ‘60s, and moved on to hone his skills to professional standards at the famed San Francisco Art Institute. Marc moved into teaching photography in workshops all over the country, he became renowned as an engaging and helpful speaker and coach, as his greatest joy comes from helping others.

He loves adventure and you will find him out backpacking surfing or snowboarding, or maybe just chilling, taking a walk-through Carmel with his wife and Golden Retriever.

David Hume Kennerly is an amazing PJ photographer based in LA with years of experience going back to the Vietnam war. He was the presidential photographer for Gerald Ford and has published several books of his work including “Seinoff: The Final Days of Seinfeld.”

David is a wonderful story teller not only with his pictures, but also in casual conversation. He is one of the founding members of Canon’s EOL program and has seen, and been at the forefront, of the transition from film to digital.

Don’t miss the CTRL-ALT-DEL RETREAT with Mary Fisk-Taylor and Kira Derryberry on August 15th and 16th 2021 at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas! Go to www.getyourshoottogether.com for more information and to sign up!

For almost 25 years Mary Fisk-Taylor has owned a portrait and wedding business with her business partner, Jamie Hayes in Richmond, Virginia. Hayes & Fisk Photography is one of the most sought-after Portrait and Wedding studios in their industry.  Mary and Jamie are both incredibly committed to preserving family legacies, professionally capturing and printing portrait and milestone memories.  They both believe that these fleeting need to be proudly displayed in family’s homes, not living digitally on phones, computers and modern technology.  Mary co-hosts the podcast Get Your Shoot Together with Kira Derryberry and has her own consulting company helping other small business creatives be more profitable, sustainable and successful.

Kira Derryberry is a Tallahassee based photographer focused on Family and Commercial portraiture. Kira has spent the last 10 years of her career photographing hundreds of clients all over the southeast as well as sharing her knowledge with thousands of photographers across the country. Kira is a proud member of Professional Photographers of America and has earned Master Photographer, Master Craftsman and Certified Professional Photographer, is an approved judge for International Photographic Competition, as well as a member of PPA Board of Directors since 2017. Kira is also cohost of the Get Your Shoot Together Photography Podcast alongside fellow photographer and friend Mary Fisk-Taylor. She's a Paul C Buff Ambassador, Tether Tools Pro, Spider Holster Ambassador and WHCC Speaker. When not slinging a camera or volunteering for her favorite photography organizations, Kira is a wife and a mom who publicly loves karaoke jams and bad science fiction.

Allison Tyler Jones talks about developing a product line in Part 1 of her four-part series “From Pixels to Products”.

Allison Tyler Jones spends her days capturing spontaneous portraits of children and their families in her Main Street studio in Mesa, Arizona. Committed to the art of the photographic print, Allison works with her clients and their interior designers to create iconic art pieces and family galleries for their homes.

An author of four photography books, her most recent title, “100% Kid” (Peachpit Press) focuses on photographing rambunctious kids in gorgeous light. Allison owned a retail store for 12 years in a former life and has leveraged that business expertise to create a studio that ranks as one of the nation’s most profitable, according to Professional Photographers of America. 

Allison is committed to helping photographers create their own success through her workshops, speaking and as a business mentor. 

Owning a business is hard, and Allison is excited to share her down-to-earth, practical, take-no-prisoners advice.

It has been said that photographer and educator Gregory Heisler possesses “the eye of an artist, the mind of a scientist, and the heart of a journalist.” Renowned for his technical mastery and thoughtful responsiveness over a career spanning more than 35 years, his enthusiasm, curiosity, and drive are manifested in his hands-on approach to all aspects of the image making process. 

Having photographed luminaries ranging from Bill Clinton to Bruce Springsteen, he is perhaps best known for his more than 70 cover portraits for TIME magazine. His iconic portraits and innovative visual essays have graced the covers and pages of many other magazines, including LIFE, ESQUIRE, FORTUNE, GQ, GEO, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED, ESPN, and THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE. He has also photographed major advertising campaigns for such clients as American Express, Benson & Hedges, Dewar’s, Ford, Guinness, Marlboro, Merrill Lynch, Nike, Pfizer, Reebok, and United Technologies. 

Private portrait commissions are another important focus of Gregory’s work.The first photographic portrait for New York’s City Hall was his lithographic print of Mayor Edward I. Koch. He has also completed a suite of large-scale portraits of noted authors and actors for the National Arts Club in New York. 

Among the kudos he has received are the Alfred Eisenstadt Award and the Leica Medal of Excellence. Gregory has been profiled in AMERICAN PHOTO, COMMUNICATION ARTS, ESQUIRE, LIFE, and numerous industry periodicals.

Having been a founding member of the elite Canon Explorers of Light, he has just been chosen to be a Canon Legend, and is also an Ilford Master. 

As a sought-after speaker and educator, he has taught at scores of workshops and seminars throughout the country and overseas. He is currently focused on personal projects and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students as Distinguished Professor of Photography at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. 

His widely acclaimed book, /Gregory Heisler: 50 Portraits, with a foreword by Michael R. Bloomberg, New York City Mayor (and Presidential candidate),/published by Random House/Amphoto in October 2013, and in its third printing. 

Annie Marie tells her story, addresses the challenges she’s faced, and talks about Kindimosity, a term she coined that describes how she looks at life and treats others.

0:40 - About Annie

9:49 - Awards

14:23 - Two Markets

19:52 - The Burnout

24:48 - Positivity is a Choice

34:18 - Viewing 2021

I began my photography journey as a child following my photographer dad around with a camera, wanting to learn as much as I could. I would spend hours out in nature photographing anything that caught my eye and late nights in the darkroom he built in our home.

Years later, in 1994 after college and some adventures in Guatemala, I started Annie Marie Photography in Miami where I was living at the time.  After eight years of building a successful studio, I moved back home to Minnesota with my two kids and started all over again. This time with experience backing me up, I went digital and built my business up again stronger than before.

My business has taken so many twists and turns though the past 27 years. I have worked out of my home, in large studios, and now on location and studio shares. I have loved each stage that I have gone through and love where I am in my business today. Even though I feel solid with my business model and style.

I continue to learn and push myself to always evolve. I have learned so much about myself and my photography the past couple years through awards and accreditation. I have earned Minnesota Photographer of the Year two years in a row as well as 2020 SYNC Photographer of the year as well as several awards from International competitions. The best one yet was just earning my Fellow accreditation with the Portrait Masters. I am honored to be one of nine in the world.

I also have a side hustle creating and selling marketing templates for photographers in hope to make their life easier and business more successful. I also mentor photographers as a way to give back and offer something I wish I had when I was starting out.

Now, off to see what I can create next…

Jessica Robertson talks about what we actually do as photographers. It’s so much more than you might think.

0:40 - About Jessica

3:16 - What We _Actually_ Do

20:00 - The Impact of Senior Photographers

24:59 - What Can Somebody Do?

35:29 - The Road Ahead

38:42 - Finding Jessica

Jessica Robertson has been a professional photographer for over 20 years and currently serves the Richmond, Virginia area from her 3000 square foot retail space in Ashland. With the support of her team, Robin and Karen, Jessica personally photographs over 200 seniors each year. She also photographs families, children, pets, and headshots. These additional 100 sessions a year create a full circle of life studio based upon relationships.

The studio’s authentic imagery reflects their commitment to timeless, creative, memorable, unique, and storytelling portraiture. Because of her commitment to her photographic style and her pragmatic business philosophy, Jessica has established a reputation as the premier photographer in her area.

Although the photography market is ever changing, she has been able to increase her gross sales and profit margin consistently each year. Jessica creates imagery that stands the test of time and forges relationships with her clients that withstands fluctuations in the economy.

Jessica holds a degree in Art with a Concentration in Photography from Guilford College. She has earned her PPA Masters of Photography, PPA Master Craftsman degree and she is also a PPA Certified Professional Photographer. Jessica has earned her Associate Fellow and Fellow of Photography degrees from the Virginia Professional Photographers Association.

Her professional life is balanced with being married to her husband, John and raising their two girls Grace, age 9, and Jaclyn, age 5.  A full and busy life for sure! She is grateful for her family and for her ability to build and maintain a sustainable business based on her passion for photography.

Simon Bruty talks about the importance of concentration when you’re in a position to capture a moment that might exist for a mere second…or less. Originally from the U.K., Simon Bruty now lives in Washington D.C.

During his career, Simon has traveled extensively to work on large sporting events such as World Cup Soccer, Super Bowls, and the Olympics. His feature stories are as diverse as golfers in Greenland, soccer in Zambia, and badminton in Indonesia. Somewhere along the way Simon learned how to make people sit still and has created portraits of some of today’s most memorable athletes.

His editorial and commercial clients include the International Olympic Committee, Sports Illustrated, the All England Lawn and Tennis Club, ESPN, and Canon. He received a Lucie Award in 2016 for Achievement in Sports Photography. He has also received awards from the World Press Foundation, Pictures of the Year, and the International Olympic Committee. The London Observer chose one of Simon’s photographs to be included in their list of the World’s 50 Greatest Sports Photographs.

Lynsey Weatherspoon knows Something Greater is out there, and she’s determined to work hard to get it.

“Suddenly this camera, this thing, allowed me to move around the world in a certain kind of way, with a certain kind of purpose.” Carrie Mae Weems

Lynsey Weatherspoon’s first photography teacher was her late mother, Rhonda. Like her mentor-in-her-head Carrie Mae Weems, that first camera - a gift - delivered purpose. Her career includes editorial and commercial work that has been inspired and powered by her first teacher’s love and lessons. 

The “blackqueergirl” is a photojournalist and portraitist based in Atlanta and Birmingham. Using both photography and filmmaking as tools to tell stories, Weatherspoon’s work has been featured in print and online in such publications as The New York Times, USA Today, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Time, ESPN and ESPN-owned The Undefeated. 

As a member of a modern vanguard of photographers, she is often called on to capture heritage and history in real time. The Equal Justice Institute’s Bryan Stevenson. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. The Legacy Museum. Ronnie the shoe repairman in downtown Birmingham. The people of the Gullah-Geechee Corridor. An entire family infected with and affected by a pandemic. Demonstrators with raised fists and sad, vulnerable eyes. The sons and daughters of history. The mothers of children who died making history. The majesty of Mardi Gras. The loving hands of family caregivers. 

Lynsey Weatherspoon’s work has been exhibited at The African American Museum in Philadelphia and Photoville NYC. She is an awardee, The Lit List, 2018. Her affiliations include Diversify Photo, Authority Collective, and Women Photograph.

0:40 - About Lynsey 

4:57 - A Hard Worker

6:05 - Honor

9:08 - Purpose

12:45 - A Generational Gap

17:42 - Success

23:27 - The Best is Yet to Come

27:59 - Canon Explorer of Light

30:37 - Legacy

When not traveling the country teaching, Cris and Deanna are at home in Lubbock, Texas operating C j Duncan Photography where they specialize in family, senior and commercial photography. In their 18 year career the Duncan’s have photographed numerous portraits, weddings, commercial assignments and even two Presidents.  Cris currently serves at the President of the Texas Professional Photographers Assoc. The Duncans’ are both Master Photographic Craftsmen, CPPs and the founders of Find Your Focus Photographic Education and have one daughter.

0:40 - Mr. President

2:57 - What We Don’t Know

5:53 - The Top Dog

9:06 - Importance of TPPA

16:31 - Image Competition

22:20 - Moving Forward

31:11 - A C+ Student

World renowned child photographers, Regis and Kahran Bethencourt are a husband and wife duo and the imaginative forces behind CreativeSoul Photography. The pair gained global recognition with their AfroArt series. The collection, which showcases the beauty and versatility of afro hair, was conceived as a way to empower kids of color around the world. The couple recently authored their New York Times best selling coffee table book, “Glory” which brings to life past, present, and future visions of black culture. With more than eleven years of working with hundreds of children, families and brands, they specialize in child and lifestyle photography while incorporating authentic visual storytelling.

0:40 - A Bit of an Agenda

2:40 - Web Designers

10:02 - Taking The Leap

15:47 - Growing The Business Together

20:34 - Complimenting One Another 

24:17 - Working With Your Spouse

28:02 - Our Mission

38:45 - Canon Explorers of Light

Spanki Mills lives life on her own terms. From Spanki: Hey y’all. I’m just a girl named Spanki. Yep, that’s my real name…long story short, it was a dads nickname (Spanky from the Little Rascals), my mom was clearly so blinded by love she wasn’t thinking and in the end there was a baby girl who looked like her dad… named SPANKI!  

I am an ENFP and an enneagram 7…so what does that mean? It means at 40 something I am still trying to figure out who I am..join me on my journey! 

I am a mother to four…yes Lord please have mercy on me…FOUR teenagers! Which leads me to express my love and crazy desire to travel…it is how I cope with stress, I fly as far away from it as possible! I am a multifaceted entrepreneur running a few businesses because any smart business owner knows not to put all their eggs in one basket. I am a photographer, an educator in the photography industry, I work on home design and just started offering online design consults. I also work for the leading anti-aging haircare company in the world helping women change the health of their hair while creating financial freedom. My heart hungers for helping women just like you let go of the expectations you put on yourself, I am here to offer a hand to help you crawl out of societies box of the “perfect woman” because believe it or not…you already ARE! 

I am so glad you are here to help me journey through the busy life of a creative mind that has more balls in the air than hands to catch them, who has a heart that is so full of love it aches for her growing kids and a sense of humor while navigating her mid-life crisis.

Sarah Petty, MBA, is a highly-acclaimed speaker, best-selling author of Worth Every Penny, and photography business teacher, inspiring thousands to use the boutique model to build their dream business. Her expertise is based on 20+ years of helping build the Coca-Cola brand, meeting client goals at a top regional advertising agency, and building her own photography studio in Springfield, Illinois. PPA named Sarah Petty Photography one of the most profitable studios in the USA (just five years after opening). Sarah has mastered the science and art of making marketing simple, actionable, and fun— without sacrificing time for the most important thing in life: family.

Go Boutique Live is a 3-day virtual spectacular for boutique photographers who want to inject joy, purpose and freedom into their photography businesses (and their families’ lives, too). This event will show you there’s a better way to be a professional portrait photographer, where you can truly make the income you want and still put your family first. Here’s a preview of what you’ll discover at GO Boutique Live: how to shoot for, price and service a $3,000 order; how to sell wall art without being pushy; how to elevate your brand so boutique clients FIND you and INVEST more with you; and so much more! The event is LIVE February 23-25, 2021. Get your tickets at goboutiquelive.com or apply for a scholarship at  goboutiquelive.com/scholarship.

Jamie attributes the success of their studio, along with business partner Mary Fisk-Taylor, to their sound management and business skills combined with their love and passion for photography. His commitment to creating priceless portraits, wedding albums and commercial imagery has earned him an extremely loyal clientele as well as a sterling reputation in the state of Virginia. Their business savvy and creative marketing concepts have enabled them to establish an extremely profitable and fulfilling portrait and wedding gallery. As a PPA Approved Business Instructor and PPA Approved Photographic Instructor, Jamie offers informative and motivational programs to working photographers.

Jamie has participated in several state, regional, national and international conferences giving both full-day and week long classes. As an affiliate PPA juror, he has the pleasure to judge several international print competitions throughout the US. He is a proud member of several professional photography organizations, including: Professional Photographers of America (PPA), Virginia Professional Photographers Association (VPPA), The Society of XXV and the International Society of Portrait Artists.

Jamie has been honored with many awards on both state and national levels. His achievements include the Kodak Gallery Elite Award of Excellence, numerous Kodak Gallery Awards of Excellence, PPA Loan collections, multiple ASP Regional Medallion Awards, SEPPA Distinguished Awards, Best Wedding Albums VPPA, Best of Category, Fuji Masterpiece Awards and the VPPA Photographer (Highest Print Case) several times as well as one of the Top Ten Photographers for the entire state of Virginia. Jamie earned the distinguished honor of ASP Fellow in January of 2018 as the 122nd photographer in the world to earn this degree. Jamie shares his simple lighting concept applying a down to earth and easy formula for lighting any subject indoors or outdoors.

Accomplishments:

Photographic Craftsmen Degree Master of Photography Degree Imaging Excellence Degree Approved Photographic Instructor Approved Business Instructor Member of The Society of XXV

Scored a perfect 100 in SEPPA competition using film

4 for 4 in PPA Loan Collection (2 wedding albums and 2 prints using film ) Kodak Gallery Elite

Award 1st place

16 Kodak Gallery Awards 14 Fuji Masterpiece Awards

4 VPPA Photographer of the Year Awards 4 ASP State Awards 2 ASP Regional Awards

2 Top 10 PPA Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards 8 PPA Charities Legacy Award PPA Affiliate Juror

PPA Directors Award Recipient

Certification Committee Member

Speaker Selection Committee Member

PPA Charities Dream Studio Giveaway Committee Member PEC Committee Member

VPPA Print Salon Chair

Born in Staffordshire, England. Lara Jade first picked up a camera at the early age of fourteen - influenced by self-portraiture and conceptual photography. Growing up with the rise of social media and digital techniques enabled Lara to see the bigger picture of an international industry. After graduating college she made the move to London, where she naturally felt the transition to fashion photography. A couple of years later - she embarked on her first trip to New York and never looked back.

Lara enjoys creating timeless and emotive imagery. She is inspired by feminine strength, unique beauty and lasting style.

She currently resides in Brooklyn, New York with her husband James and regularly travels for assignments, working between NY, LA and London.

Lara also enjoys teaching & speaking at photography conventions and runs her own photography education business Lara Jade Education. Her love of education has been recognized by some of the largest brands in photography and most recently she was named a Canon Explorer Of Light.

As 2020 comes to a close, the last This Conversation episode for the year is a classic podcast from the "early days". This episode featuring Teri Fode was originally released on April 23, 2018. Teri Fode is an award-winning photographer specializing in fashion-inspired teen and senior portraits that also grow into family portraits, boudoir and headshot opportunities. She has created a successful luxury brand in her market, having started 13 years ago by growing from a small in-home production studio using the client's home for sales and consults into a boutique-style brand. She is passionate about offering an unforgettable experience and has grown her business with a high client-return base. Teri is also the creator of VoiceYourBrand.com, teaching photographers how to market their own brands on purpose and with intention using actionable systems and strategies.

As 2020 comes to a close, This Conversation will be featuring two classic episode from the "early days". This episode featuring Brooke Shaden was originally released on January 8, 2018. Brooke explores the darkness and light in people, and her work looks at that juxtaposition. As a self-portrait artist, she photographs herself and becomes the characters of dreams inspired by a childhood of intense imagination and fear. Being the creator and the actor, Brooke controls her darkness and confronts those fears. 

After studying films for years in college, she realized her love of storytelling was universal. She started photography then in 2008, excited to create in solitude and take on character roles herself. Brooke works from a place of theme, often gravitating toward death and rebirth or beauty and decay. 

Ultimately, her process is more discovery than creation. She follows her curiosity into the unknown to see whom her characters might become. Brooke believes the greatest gift an artist has is the ability to channel fears, hopes and experience into a representation of one's potential. 

While her images come from a personal place of exploration, the goal in creating is not only to satisfy herself; her greatest wish is to show others a part of themselves. Art is a mirror for the creator and the observer . 

Brooke's passion is storytelling, and her life is engulfed in it. From creating self-portraits and writing to international adventures and motivational speeches, she wants to live a thousand lives in one. She keeps her curiosity burning to live a truly interesting story. 

Self Description: Intensely anxious, powerful little creative soul. 

Favorite Memory: Flying into the sky before she lost her wings at the age of 5. 

Greatest Achievement: Starting The Light Space, a photography school for survivors of human trafficking in India and now Thailand. 

Greatest Fear: Whales. 

Favorite Book: Dune by Frank Herbert.

Darren McBurnett “McB” (SEAL) Ret. is a combat veteran, professional photographer, author, corporate speaker, and ambassador. His 24-year SEAL career included numerous combat zone deployments for which he earned 53 individual, unit, and campaign honors, including a Bronze Star. During his time as a military free fall instructor, he taught himself photography. His professional portfolio now includes images for NIKE, National Geographic, Fox and Friends, Rolling Stone, and the movie “Act of Valor.” He is the first Navy SEAL to have photographed the rigorous Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training, which lead to the creation of his book Uncommon Grit.

Be sure to check out McB on Instagram @mcteams3842

Clay Blackmore was blessed to have worked with a photographic legend in Monte Zucker and one of the things he learned was how to bat 1.000 with his clients. Clay is an enthusiastic leader in the photographic industry. Not only is he revered for his development of innovative lighting and portrait techniques, but he is highly sought after as an instructor and considered one of the most passionate photographers working in the country today. 

Clay meticulously developed his photographic, teaching, and business skills during his 25-year association with Monte Zucker, first as an assistant, then as a co-educator and business partner. His clientele has included celebrities such as Tiger Woods, Forest Whitaker, Jenna Elfman, Maria Sharapova, and many of Washington D.C.’s top families.

Clay is a champion of innovation and growth in the photography industry, pushing the boundaries of storytelling with the latest innovations in technology. In addition to his mastery of lighting and classic portraiture, Clay was among the first to test and evaluate new products for photography and HD-DSLR cinematography. 

As a Distinguished Canon Print Master, Clay has been part of the Canon team for over 20 years.  In 2018, he received the Tom McDonald Award from the Professional Photographers of America for supporting photographic education. He is also part of the Westcott Pro Team, a member of the elite Cameracraftsmen of America. His Rockville, Maryland, studio supports a team of passionate photographers and filmmakers working with the most cutting-edge technologies in the field.

In addition, Clay is active in ministry and his local community, volunteering his time to help others through photography. He believes that the best way to teach is by example. “Confidence comes from success, and success comes from practice,” he says.

It’s great when your passion becomes your career but if you don’t fuel that passion, eventually it’s just going to die. Your community is very similar in that it’s built, not found. It needs to be constructed and nurtured and cared for…not merely discovered or stumbled upon. This episode features Chicagoland videographer, Aaron Bean. Aaron describes himself like this: I love Jesus, live concerts, playing drums, coffee, and anything that puts joy in people’s lives. I shoot Wedding Photography and Cinematography. I love telling stories through photos and videos. I’m fun, energetic, and passionate about capturing people’s stories. I want to show off how fun you are, how beautiful you are, and how important your story is. You can find out more about Aaron here.