Photo Field Notes Podcast: Career Advice for Photographers

Stories and career inspiration from professional photographers

Episode 99: Working With Friends as a Professional Photographer

 

how to work with friends as a professional photographerA lot of professional photographers struggle to find a balance between work and friendship—especially when friends played a crucial role in portfolio building in the first place. Today on the podcast, I’m talking about how to work with friends as a professional photographer in a way that avoids awkwardness and makes sure that you’re not giving aways hours of free services that you don’t really feel comfortable giving away.

I’m also talking about when I do give away free photos and how I do it in a way that doesn’t take over the time that I’ve set aside to spend on paid projects.

Be sure to access the note I send my own friends when they ask for photos. Feel free to adapt this note for your own use.

Do you have your own opinions about how you like to work with friends? Message me at @photofieldnotes, and your comment could be included in next week’s show. Be sure to let me know if you want to be credited for your comment or remain anonymous.

Episode 98: Finding Opportunities in the Failures and Diversifying Your Photography Income With John Greengo

Finding opportunities in the failures and diversifying your photography income with john greengoToday on the podcast, I’m talking with photographer John Greengo about how he’s managed to turn career failures into opportunities as a photographer and how he found a way to diversify his photography business income beyond taking photos.

And here’s the truth—this conversation with John took place more than TWO YEAR AGO, and my eight-months-pregnant self at the time had every intention of publishing it before my second daughter was born, but after she came a bit early, I went into survival mode and put the podcast on hold for a little more than a year until I figured out how to balance parenting two little people with a full time business (for more on balance with kids, check out my bonus Mother’s Day episode with Katrina Russo). Forgive me, John. I’m so excited to finally share your interview and insights with the world.

Episode 97: Bonus Mother’s Day Episode: Katrina Russo on Running a Photography Business as a Mother

Bonus photo podcast episode: Running a photography business as a motherI interviewed Katrina Russo from K. Russo Photography ages ago, and I’ve been sitting on the interview for a while, because the themes leaned a lot toward motherhood and being a female entrepreneur.

I decided Mother’s Day is the perfect time to finally share this open conversation with Katrina—whether you’re a parent now or plan on becoming one day, I hope you can relate to this episode and appreciate Katrina’s openness in sharing her own journey as a photographer.

If you’re looking for another great resource that tackles running a business as a mother, check out my friend Sarah Peck’s podcast, Startup Pregnant.

Episode 96: Getting Clients to Feel Natural in Front of the Camera with Cathrine Taylor

 

Getting clients to feel natural in front of the camera with Cathrine TaylorToday on the podcast, I’m talking with photographer Cathrine Taylor about getting clients to look and feel natural in front of the camera – if you’re ever stressed about how to pose clients, this is the episode for you.

In preparation for today’s episode, I put up two polls on Instagram to ask you how you feel about posing. In the first question, I asked which is more important – posing or lighting. 30% of you said that posing is more important, and 70% said that ligting is more important.

Then I asked which you struggle with more. 68% of you said that you struggle more with posing, while 32% of you said that you struggle more with lighting. Today’s episode should be a big help for those who struggle with posing clients.

I also have another freebie for you to help you get natural laughter from your clients. We came up with this prompt during an Allie & Co. team dinner, and I tested it out at my wedding last weekend. It was a hit, and you’re going to love it. Grab the prompt details here.

Find Cathrine Taylor online:

 

Episode 95: How to Use Automation in Your Photography Business

How to use automation in your photography business with Allie SiartoI’ve talked to some of you about using automation in a photography business in the past, and I was surprised to hear that a lot of you are afraid to automate areas of your business (e.g. have emails go out automatically at set times without you being there to press the button, having actions trigger reactions for leads or clients, etc.). You think automation will make you appear inauthentic, or you’re afraid that a rouge email will accidentally go out at the wrong time and embarrass you.

So today on the episode, I’m covering a few key areas about automation:

  • Why photographers shouldn’t be afraid to use automation
  • How I put parts of my own photography business on autopilot
  • How to get started with automation in your photography business

Episode 94: CloudSpot’s Gavin Wade Offers His Counterpoint: Should Photographers Share Images with Vendors?

sharing images with vendors as a photographerLast week on the Photo Field Notes podcast, I talked with Mikkel Mihlrad about protecting yourself as a photographer while sharing images with vendors. This week, I have a follow up interview with Gavin Wade of CloudSpot to talk about his view on sharing images. Should photographers share openly? If we do choose to share, how much time should we invest? How can we make it easier to share the images?

As a special gift to Photo Field Notes listeners, use the coupon code fieldnotes to take 25% off your first year with CloudSpot Online Galleries.

And don’t forget to check out Mikkel’s sample vendor photo use agreement from last week.

Next week, I’ll be talking about why photographers shouldn’t be afraid of automation. Leave a comment over in Instagram to let me know how you use automation in your business (or why you’re afraid to), and you could be featured in the next episode.

Episode 93: Should Photographers Share All Images with Vendors? An Open Conversation with Mikkel Mihlrad

 

Should photographers share all images with wedding vendors?Mikkel MihlradToday on the podcast, I’m talking with wedding photographer, Mikkel Mihlrad, about how much she’s willing to share with wedding vendors and how she makes sure that she’s getting a return on her time. Do you share your photos with vendors? Have you ever wondered about whether you might be sharing too much or spending too much time? Hear what Mikkel has to say—it might just change how you approach sharing images.

Cake by SugarHigh Bakery in Frankenmuth, Michigan

 

Episode 92: How to Book Destination Weddings and Attract Clients at Home With Jacqui Cole

how to book destination weddings and attract clients at home with Jacqui ColeToday on the podcast, wedding photographer Jaqui Cole tells us how she managed to start landing destination weddings, and even if you’re not interested in how to book destination weddings, Jacqui has some great general tips for attracting new leads to your photography business.

Find more from Jacqui:

@jacquicole
jacquicole.com

Related Episodes:

Episode 91: What I Learned About My Photography Business From Six Weeks Traveling the Country

What I learned about my photography business from six weeks traveling the countryI’m back! Today I’m talking about what I’ve been up to since the last episode, including what I learned about myself and my business during six weeks of travel (and yes, I’m including lessons from Disney World’s brand – I can’t resist).

Related Episode: Goal Setting and Self Confidence for Photographers

Related Resources: This is the voice amplifier that I plan to buy for weddings (consider using this affiliate link to support the show)

Latest From Instagram

Copyright © 2026 · Theme by 17th Avenue