Welcome to your regular dose ofCharlottesville, VA
A podcast for family photographers about learning to love what you do AND how you do it. Pack your creative toolbox and get closer to the art you're dying to make and the life you're ready to live.
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We zoom out with planning, dreaming, and big-picture ideas to fuel a business that works for your life, your inspiration, and your market - not someone else's.
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Practical take-aways for everything from how to shoot in any home to seeing beauty in all kinds of family dynamics - we go there so you can become a better artist and make the pictures you envision in your head.
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The nitty gritty of client experience, tools, workflows, and more, all with a dose of relatability from a host who's been photographing families for 20 years.
Recent episodes
Ep 84
You're a family photographer, and like it that way... so where does school photography actually fit into your business — and is it worth the time? This is part 2 of my school photography series, and today we're getting into the numbers. I'm sharing exactly what school photography looked like in my b
Ep 83
Over time, we've decided as an industry that the way to make a school photos is to line a hundred kids up against a vinyl backdrop and give them 10 seconds to say cheese. We can do better!!This episode is all about how I became so passionate about offering an alternative to school photography and wh
Ep 82
This summer brought a lot of unexpected delights and frustrations, personal curveballs and a business that needed to sway with them. When you work by yourself, it's easy to let seasons slide by until suddenly the whole year's gone by and you're asking yourself - WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! This is the firs
Ep 81
We assume established photographers have it all figured out. Erin Wissig sees something different: talented, successful photographers whose backend systems never had the chance to catch up. I'm talking with Erin about why so many of us end up duct-taping our systems together as our businesses grow,
Ep 80
This is the last in a series of summer replays for the podcast, but I thought a short and sweet reminder was just the thing to kick off the next season. It's one that applies to pricing, but also to your work as a whole - the art of it, the backbone of decisions and creation together. I'm talking ab
Ep 79
This episode was originally published this time last year, but I'm bringing it back because the reminders are still just as relavent! It might still feel like summer, but fall is coming — and with it, the mix of excitement and overwhelm that hits every family photographer this time of year. I'm walk
Ep 78
In case you're starting to think about fall (good for you!!!) and setting those fall mini session dates - listen to this first! Not villianizing them, but simply offering an alternative approach and something to think about before you sell your soul to fall mini sessions. Since this episode, I've of
Ep 77
What business owner doesn't want to get found through Google and AI search? Jamie Bugbee spent over 20 years as a dental hygienist before postpartum depression led her back to a camera and a way to come home to herself. And once she put herself fully into learning and tackling SEO for family photogr
Ep 76
Becca Lueck has been photographing families in the Portland, Oregon area for 16 years, but she didn't find lifestyle photography until year seven. Once she did, everything changed. We talk about the before and after of learning to fall in love with the work you're doing, how it changes, and how to k
Ep 75
You're halfway into a session, things are flowing, and then — nothing. The energy drops, your brain goes blank, and you're thinking - WHAT NOW. This is the final part of the four-part in-home family photography series, and I'm giving you eight specific moves to pull out when a session stalls or you
Ep 74
In Part 1, we prepped. In Part 2, we got the ball rolling. This episode is all about how to open your dang eyeballs, guide with your heart, and sink into a session that is less pose and more honest family gold. If you often leave sessions feeling like you checked the boxes but you never really GOT a
Ep 73
You've done your prep. You've watched the walkthrough video. You knock on the door - now what? The first 10 minutes of an in-home session do more than most photographers realize. They're where trust gets built in person, the tone is set, and where you either make it feel like an experience or a perf
Meet the host
-allergic to fluff, real-talking, lifestyle family photographer of 20 years.
Here, you'll find honest opinions, topical industry conversations, and interviews with experts I know and admire. If we're not sitting across a table having coffee together and talking business, this is the next best thing.
Want to dive in and learn more? Take a look at my guides and free resources.