Photo Field Notes Podcast: Career Advice for Photographers

David Bean is the founder of Visual Reserve out of Nashville. David grew up on what he calls “hippy communes,” barely graduating high school and never going to college. Now he’s built a successful business photographing celebrities from Nikki Taylor to Taylor Swift. In this interview, David tells the story of how he created his own business out of nothing.

Check out David’s work below, and be sure to visit his Visual Reserve and David Bean on Instagram to see more.

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A few topics from this show:

- Breaking into music photography

- The anatomy of an Instagram takeover

- Moving to a new location

- The challenges of photographing live concerts and festivals

Ellie Pritts actively resisted trying to turn photography into a business, but she eventually ended up leaving school to pursue it full time. She’s now a music photographer based out of Austin, Texas.

A few topics from this show:

* Breaking into music photography

* The anatomy of an Instagram takeover

* Moving to a new location

* The challenges of photographing live concerts and festivals

Check out a few of Ellie’s photos below, and be sure to look at her website and Instagram account: Ellie Pritts to see more.

Your Turn to Share!

I’ve set up a call-in line you to call in and have your comments included in future episodes. To share your feedback to this episode, photography questions or your own tips to be featured on the show, call my Google Voice number and record your message: (616) 522-2515

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A few topics from this show:

- How Michael quit his full time job to pursue photographing performances and events

- How Craigslist has helped his business

- Michael's advice for getting started as a performance + event photographer

A few topics from this show:

* How Michael quit his full time job to pursue photographing performances and events

* How Craigslist has helped his business

* Michael’s advice for getting started as a performance + event photographer

Notable quotes:

“Even in the moments where I wake up and I’m still kind of struggling to either find the client or feel happy with some of my work that I’m doing, I would not trade it in for anything…I get to do what I love, so I know that the moments of struggle are still better than any other job I’ve ever had.”

“You will get it as long as you stick with it. It’s so easy for people to look at their work and look at other people’s work and be like, ‘I’m never going to get there. I’m just going to quit.’ I never really took that approach. I see other people’s work and I’m like, ‘I can be that one day if I keep with it.'”

“Don’t get frustrated with what other people are doing. Just keep doing it because you love it, and eventually you’ll get there.”

Check out some of Michael’s work below, and be sure to check out his website to see more.

Your Turn to Share!

I’ve set up a call-in line you to call in and have your comments included in future episodes. To share your feedback to this episode, photography questions or your own tips to be featured on the show, call my Google Voice number and record your message: (616) 522-2515

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I’ve known Mikkel since we met on a photography forum and ended up sharing a hotel room at WPPI back in 2011. The same outlook that led her to share a room with a complete stranger at a conference has driven her to take other leaps of faith in her photography career—including starting over after two huge moves. In this interview, Mikkel shares the story of how she got started as a photographer, what drove her to take the leaps she’s taken, how it all worked out and the lessons she’s learned along the way.

Check out Mikkel’s awesome work below, and be sure to check out her website and Instagram account for more.

Your Turn to Share!

I’ve set up a call-in line you to call in and have your comments included in future episodes. To share your feedback to this episode, photography questions or your own tips to be featured on the show, call my Google Voice number and record your message: (616) 522-2515

Never Miss an Episode

To get future episodes and other goodies, be sure to subscribe in iTunes, and sign up below:

First Name

Email Address

I've known Mikkel since we met on a photography forum and ended up sharing a hotel room at WPPI back in 2011. The same outlook that led her to share a room with a complete stranger at a conference has driven her to take other leaps of faith in her photography career—including starting over after two huge moves. In this interview, Mikkel shares the story of how she got started as a photographer, what drove her to take the leaps she's taken, how it all worked out and the lessons she's learned along the way.

LeAnna Gerety had degrees in business and marketing and a great job with a wonderful company, but she was tired of getting up every single day to go work for someone else. In this interview, hear how how LeAnna built LeAnna Theresa Photography into a full time career through hard work, great client experiences and word of mouth recommendations.

A few topics from this show:

- The unique way that LeAnna prepared herself to take on weddings of her own.

- How LeAnna has shifted her business mindset to adjust to changes in the photography business today.

- How LeAnna connects with clients in a way that has them referring her to friends.

- How LeAnna uses her photography to give back to her community.

- How LeAnna balances clients by scheduling shoots during the week (and getting clients to take time off of work to come to her).

A few topics from this show:

- How Sara transitioned from a single photographer to a team, and how she grew into multiple cities.

- Building a team with likeminded photographers while protecting a specific vision and style.

- How Sara balances training and managing her team, selling new business across multiple cities, shooting ten weddings a year and editing every wedding that goes through her company.

- How Sara learned to do sales.

- What the client experience looks like with a team setting.

- How Sara feels about studio space—does it matter for selling?

- What is the mistake that many young photographers make that Sara has overcome?

- Setting clear expectations with clients