Photo Fuel | The Vision, Art, and Business of Family Photography

Today's episode is coming in short and sweet with a pep talk / tough love about a trend I've been seeing in the family photography industry. If you've been frustrated about working with families who aren't showing up and looking or acting the way you hoped, you need to take a listen. Have an open mind and humble spirit for this one, friends.

We are the vision casters and it's time we set a table that is welcoming. 

**Two 1:1 and/or Voxer mentorships open for the last quarter of 2025. If you want extra support in real time through your fall family photography season, learn more about mentoring at https://www.leahoconnell.com/mentoring

Free Resources for family photographers: https://www.leahoconnell.com/education

// CONNECT WITH LEAH // 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahoconnell.photo

Website: https://www.leahoconnell.com

Mentoring: https://www.leahoconnell.com/mentoring

In this episode, I’m joined by the incredibly talented Lyndsay McNiff of Lyndsay Hannah Photography. This one’s packed with the kind of perspective that only comes from learning through the doing (for a very long time!) and so much knowledge about creative growth in family photography.

We talk about what it really looks like to fill a calendar season by season—not just chasing bookings, but shaping a business that fits your life. Lyndsay shares so many real-life insights about the early years of running a family photography business, from finding her footing with marketing to figuring out her offers, and how she has grown a reputation and repeatable business in her local area.

We also get into ideas around creative evolution—like how your style shifts over time. Lyndsay shares how learning off-camera flash changed the game for her in-home sessions and the horrible session experience story that set the whole thing off. Since then, Lyndsay has also grown from family photography into adding brand photography as well, and working with associates to support her demand.

Whenever we're talking about sustainability and growth in family photography, we obviously have to touch on boundaries, too. Lyndsay's tactical perspective on scheduling sessions with flexibily for both her clients and her own family is so insightful and might offer an alternative to the classic advice you've heard before.

If you’re somewhere in the middle of building your business—or honestly, just figuring it out season by season—this one’s going to meet you right where you are.

Fall photography season can feel like a whirlwind. Once you're in it, it's full steam ahead. Sure it's typically the most profitable for family photographers, but it can also be the most overwhelming. In this episode, I'm candidly breaking down four common fall pitfalls that can derail your season, plus practical strategies to set yourself up for success. 

The four traps we unpack are

Plus, I won't leave you spinning - this episode wraps with a pre-fall pep talk to remind you are the BOSS. Trusting yourself to make those choices is where the real power lies. Let's prep for fall together by getting ahead of the mess and choosing to be in charge. 

// LINKS MENTIONED //

The Complete Guide to Flodesk for Family Photographers: https://leahoconnell.com/the-complete-guide-to-flodesk-for-family-photographers/

Try Flodesk for 50% off - https://flodesk.com/c/PHOTOFUEL

Try Honeybook: https://share.honeybook.com/leah9738526

Other CRM's options for photographers: 

Cloudspot

Shootproof

In this week’s episode of Photo Fuel, I sit down with Annemie Tonken—photographer, educator, and host of the This Can’t Be That Hard podcast—for a thoughtful, no-fluff conversation about what it really takes to run a sustainable photography business in a changing world.

This conversation goes beyond productivity hacks or pricing formulas, because while all those logistics are so important, they are secondary to the heart and brains of your business. So today we’re talking about things like how handle discomfort and failure, the parallels between business and parenting, and how to find peace and momentum even when things feel hard.

We talk about things like:

// LINKS // 

Connect with Annemie:

Connect with Leah: 

Website: https://www.leahoconnell.com

Education + *NEW* Voxer Coaching https://www.leahoconnell.com/education

Join The Firefly Letters: https://www.leahoconnell.com/newsletter

Join the Email List for Photographers - https://www.leahoconnell.com/learn

We’re now over 50 episodes into the Photo Fuel Podcast, and I’m coming to you from the messy middle with some real talk. In this episode, I’m sharing a big update on the future of the podcast and why I’m choosing to step back from weekly episodes—for now.

If you’ve been tuning in regularly, you know I’m all about sustainable business practices and aligning your creative work with your actual life. In this episode, I take you behind the scenes of my own quarter-end reflection around creating educational content and the red flags that have me pausing.  

Whatever your dreams and visions were for the first part of the year, I hope you'll give yourself grace to consider the full picture. 

// LINKS MENTIONED // 

Episode 6 - The Key Ingredient to your success

Episode 8 - Resetting your inspiration when you don't feel like shooting

The Shop - https://www.leahoconnell.com/shop

Learn Page - https://www.leahoconnell.com/learn

// CONNECT WITH LEAH //

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahoconnell.photo

The Firefly Letters: https://www.leahoconnell.com/newsletter

One of the biggest questions that comes up for clients when preparing for their session is "what do I wear?" As the photographer, it's good service to help them with that!  But that doesn't mean you have to become a full-on stylist, stock a client closet, or put them in a cookie cutter formula of "what looks good." Of course, full styling is an option that serves some photographers and clients very well! It's all about your goals and the type of images you're marketing.

But if you want to empower your clients to make clothing choices that feel natural and genuine to their actual style and make them feel great just being themselves... this episode is for you. 

I'm coming in with 6 tips to help your clients decide what to wear without *TELLING* them what to wear. This episode is quick and actionable to encourage you that providing great customer experience can look a lot of different ways (and so can your clients!). 

// LINKS MENTIONED // 

connect with Leah: www.leahoconnell.com

1:1 mentoring: https://www.leahoconnell.com/mentoring

THE SHOP: https://www.leahoconnell.com/shop

IG: https://www.instagram.com/leahoconnell.photo

Extended family sessions can feel like a whole different ballgame compared to standard family shoots—more people, more potential, and more opinions! In this episode, I’m sharing why I actually love extended family sessions and how you can approach them with confidence and creativity.

We’ll cover:

Why photographing at home makes a difference and how to make it work

My philosophy on pricing extended family sessions

Balancing posed portraits with candid, natural moments

Navigating group dynamics, including when tension arises

Activities that help families relax and connect naturally

Tips for keeping it fun, intentional, and drama-free

Whether you already love extended family sessions or they make you nervous, this episode will give you practical strategies to create beautiful, meaningful images—no matter the size of the group. 

// LINKS MENTIONED //

THE SHOP: https://leahoconnell.myflodesk.com/wnln59l5yj

Blog posts about extended family sessions:

A backyard large extended family session

Extended family photos at home with all adults

An extended family session at home (with Thanksgiving dinner + backyard baseball!)

// CONNECT WITH LEAH // 

Website: https://www.leahoconnell.com/education

Learn for free: https://www.leahoconnell.com/learn

IG: https://www.instagram.com/leahoconnell.photo

Creating a standout brand and an unforgettable client experience is key to building a thriving photography business, and Christine has mastered both. In this episode, she shares how her bold, playful branding attracts her dream clients and how she ensures stress-free, enjoyable sessions through thoughtful preparation and communication.

From detailed prep guides to surprise gifts and heartfelt follow-ups, Christine’s client experience strategies go the extra mile. In this episode she gives us all the details for her process from start to finish. 

We also dive into the importance of finding community, trusted mentorship, and staying inspired through playing with your camera just for fun! Whether you're looking to refine your workflow, strengthen client relationships, or elevate your brand, this episode is packed with insights to help you refine your family photography business with purpose. 

www.christinedammann.com

IG: @christinedammannphotography

Christine’s freebie for glowing google reviews: https://christinedammann.com/google-freebie

// OTHER LINKS MENTIONED //

Christine's Brand design by Bella Maven: https://bellamavenstudio.com/

// CONNECT WITH LEAH // 

Website: https://www.leahoconnell.com/education

Learn for free: https://www.leahoconnell.com/learn

IG: https://www.instagram.com/leahoconnell.photo

COMING SOON - THE SHOP: leahoconnell.com/shop

🎉 Happy One-Year Anniversary to Photo Fuel! 🎉

This week marks a full year since I launched this podcast, and I want to celebrate with a special Q&A episode! I asked my email list to send in their biggest questions—about photography, business, motherhood, and more—and wow, you guys delivered.

In this candid, coffee-chat-style episode, I’m answering:

Thank you for being here—this milestone wouldn’t be possible without you! 💛

// Links & Resources Mentioned//

Enjoying the podcast? If you’ve been loving Photo Fuel, I’d be so grateful if you could leave a quick rating or review on Apple Podcasts with why you love the show! And always feel free to DM me (@leahoconnell.photo) to let me know what you'd love to see more of on the show in the next year!

Around Black Friday last year, I made a big decision to switch my CRM from Sprout Studio to HoneyBook—a huge move after nearly five years with the same CRM. One of my big goals for Q1 was managing this migration myself, and in this episode, I’m sharing how it’s going so far. 

I’ll walk you through:

If you’ve been considering a CRM switch, or if you just want to refine your client experience, this episode is packed with insights! Plus, if you want to try HoneyBook, you can grab 30% off your first year with my link below + in the full show notes.

TRY HONEYBOOK: https://share.honeybook.com/leah9738526

TRY PICTIME: https://leahoconnell.pic-time.com/referral

Grab coffee with me! Schedule a free 20 minute call to talk business and see if/how I can help: https://www.leahoconnell.com/call

Website: https://www.leahoconnell.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leahoconnell.photo