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.
Recent episodes
Ep 72
If you're working on improving your process for in-home family photography or adding home as a location this year, this series is for you! This first episode is one of four that kicks off a short, practical series on in-home family photography, starting with the one thing I do before every session t
Ep 71
A few weeks out from the first PhotoFuel Retreat and Mastermind, this episode is the honest debrief — what I got right, what surprised me, what I'd do differently, and one big decision I made about the future of the program. Regular reflection is tool I use often in my photography business so I want
Ep 70
Have you ever wondered what working with a mentor actually looks and feels like over time? Lydia Fine is back as our first-ever returning guest. She's a purposely part-time photographer with a full-time marketing career and two kids, and over the past few years she and I have worked together across
Ep 69
The last thing you as a photographer want is for your family photo sessions to feel stiff or overly posed. That's why I believe in exploring the idea of creative play inside your sessions. We just hosted the very first Photo Fuel Retreat and Mastermind, where we got to do exactly that. We not only f
Ep 68
What if the next step in scaling your business isn’t just about adding something new, but about building something that finally matches what you’ve believed all along? For a long time, I thought being a photography educator meant I needed a shop full of templates, mini-courses, and downloadable reso
Ep 67
Have you ever looked at your work and thought, This is fine… but something feels off? In this episode, I’m talking about the sneaky middle season no one prepares you for—the growth plateau. It’s not burnout or failure. You’re seeing success, booking clients, and producing solid work. Deep down, thou
Ep 66
Building a photography business doesn’t always mean choosing just one lane and staying there forever. For many photographers, the most sustainable paths are layered, seasonal, and shaped by the realities of life. That’s exactly the story of my guest today, Rebecca Hunnicutt, a lifestyle family photo
Ep 65
If you have ever felt overwhelmed by how loud and crowded it feels online with the constant posting, optimizing, and trying to stay visible, you are not alone. Over the past few years, I have found myself quietly moving toward something slower, more personal, and more sustainable: analog marketing.
Ep 64
Does your quiet January inbox have you spiraling about your prices? You’re not alone. This time of year has a way of bringing out the darkest corners of our business fears. Questions like, “Did I price myself out of my market?” or “Will I ever get inquiries again?” swirl in the silence of a post-hol
Ep 63
Dave Herring is a photographer, educator, and founder of Very Good CO. He’s also a creative nomad and a long time friend. In this episode of Photo Fuel, I chat with Dave about how curiosity led him to a whole new career as a photographer and educator. From leaving the East Coast and relocating his f
Ep 62
What if you didn’t need to burn down your photography business to feel better in it? In this solo episode of Photo Fuel, we'll explore the idea of micro-pivots—small, intentional changes that can bring more clarity, energy, and alignment to your work without rebranding, quitting, or announcing a bra
Ep 61
In this episode, we’re kicking off a short series all about pivoting, evolving, and exploring new creative seasons as a photographer. It’s so easy to stay siloed inside the same family photography conversations, hearing the same strategies and the same voices. But there is so much to learn from phot