Photographic Collective Podcast || with Miles Witt Boyer

This week's episode brought to you by IMAGEN Ai.

This week, Miles and Jared sit down with Michelle Harris, luxury destination wedding photographer, Sigma ambassador, and powerhouse educator behind M Harris Studios, Laila Chanel Studios, and the 2K+ M Harris Hustlers community.

From founding multiple brands to raising her daughters as a single mom and teaching thousands of photographers worldwide, Michelle has become a voice of confidence, community, and unapologetic hustle in an industry that often confuses success with perfection.

In this conversation, Michelle opens up about the lessons she’s learned building associate teams in D.C. and Atlanta, creating systems for sustainable growth, and redefining what “hustle” really means. You’ll hear the heart behind her education, the real story of how her Master the City workshops started, and how she built a business that genuinely serves people while raising a family.

Plus, Michelle shares practical steps for managing clients, creating emotional connection, and running consultations that book—and the mindset shifts that make it all possible.

🎧 AFTERCAST BONUS: PHOTOCO members get an exclusive session with Michelle, “How Not to Get Ghosted: How to Book Weddings During a Consultation” — available only inside the PHOTOCO membership community.

👉 Join at mileswittboyer.com/photo to unlock the Aftercast and get weekly education, resources, and coaching with Miles, Jared, and the PHOTOCO team.

• Systems Over Stress: Michelle’s repeatable workflows for posing, lighting, and editing keep her creativity sharp and her brand consistent.

• Education as Legacy: Teaching was never a “pivot” for her—it was a promise. She built her workshops because no one looked like her in education spaces when she began.

• Scaling with Heart: How she grew two associate teams across states while maintaining personal relationships with every client and community member.

• Confidence Is Contagious: Why her energy in client calls and workshops comes from genuine purpose, not performance.

• The Power of Community: How the M Harris Hustlers became more than a Facebook group—it’s an ecosystem of accountability and growth.

• Creative Motherhood: How being a mom fuels her work ethic and keeps her grounded.

• Client Care that Converts: Her signature approach—spending real time, humanizing the process, and becoming the advocate her brides didn’t know they needed.

• Southern Wedding Culture: Michelle shares how moving to Atlanta doubled her diversity in clients and gave her new perspective on style, flash, and culture in weddings.

• Rest Before Risk: Learning to pause, reflect, and let her children remind her to shut the laptop once in a while.

Michelle Harris

• Website: mharrisstudios.com

• Instagram: @mharris_studios

• Associate Brand: Laila Chanel Studios

• Community: M Harris Hustlers

• Education & Workshops: Master the City

PHOTOCO

• Join PHOTOCO + Aftercast: mileswittboyer.com/photo

• Instagram: @photographiccollective

Hosts

• Miles Witt Boyer: @mileswittboyer

• Jared Mark Fincher: @jaredmarkfincher

Join the PHOTOCO community to access Michelle’s full Aftercast episode, “How Not to Get Ghosted — How to Book Weddings During a Consultation.” You’ll get direct insight into her real consultation framework, pricing psychology, and the exact steps that turn conversations into bookings.

👉 Join PHOTOCO for exclusive podcast extras, monthly live calls, and the full Aftercast library.

Preston Luke went from small-town senior photographer to creator, educator, and creative director with an audience of 1M+ across Instagram and TikTok. In this conversation, Preston breaks down the practical steps behind turning your photo brand into a creator business—while staying sane and protecting your love for the craft.

We cover:

• The photographer → creator pivot (and why he paused client work to open new doors)

• Content systems, editing help, and posting cadence that fueled rapid growth

• Pitching and delivering for brand partners (Nikon, Adobe, SanDisk, Best Buy)

• Building a business that goes beyond sessions: presets, workshops, and Slate Studios

• The senior-model team engine he built across 30+ school districts

• Mental health, a 250-lb weight-loss journey, and taking a strategic break when growth got heavy

• Confidence vs. imposter syndrome (and why “showing up” as the brand matters)

🎧 Stick around to the end for how Preston prices seniors at the high end, the full year-round senior playbook, and why delayed posting keeps him present on shoots.

💬 AFTERCAST: Members get Preston’s tactical deep-dive on building a luxury senior offer, annual calendar, and pricing strategy. Join PHOTOCO below.

—
Hosted by Miles Witt Boyer & Jared Mark Fincher on the Photographic Collective Podcast.

Preston Luke

• Website: prestonluke.com Preston Luke

• Instagram: @iamprestonluke Instagram

• Presets (Desktop & Mobile bundle): prestonluke.com/shop/p/preston-luke-presets-desktop-mobile Preston Luke

• Desktop Presets (individual): prestonluke.com/shop/p/preston-luke-desktop-presets Preston Luke

• Events / Workshops: prestonluke.com/events-1 Preston Luke

• “Club Content” workshop preview (IG): instagram.com/p/C3-e2Z1OkuE/ Instagram

Slate Studios (Preston’s all-white natural-light space)

• Instagram: @sl8studios Instagram

• Booking (via IG bio link): slatestudios.as.me (linked from @sl8studios bio) Instagram

• Why “SLATE” (origin story reel): instagram.com/p/C_RfxrBsYpW/ Instagram

PHOTOCO / Aftercast Access

• Join PHOTOCO (membership + Aftercast access): mileswittboyer.com/photo Miles Witt Boyer Photographic Collective

Subscribe to the Photographic Collective Podcast

• Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/photographic-collective-podcast-with-miles-witt-boyer/id1586170715 Apple Podcasts

• Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7iYqQmxuNvgkkkxfnkOfOl Spotify

Hosts

• Miles Witt Boyer (IG): @mileswittboyer Instagram

• Jared Mark Fincher (IG): @jaredmarkfincher Instagram

We love conversations like this. Staci Brucks sat down with Jared and me and let us into the real story. Five years ago she was working in cardiac rehab. Today she’s a fast-rising wedding photographer with a gift for connection and a presence online that feels honest and fun. We talk about how she found her voice, why consistency beats perfection, the realities of destination work, packing smart, and how simple behind-the-scenes clips can build trust with the right clients.

Staci’s approach is all heart and all hustle. If you’ve been stuck second-guessing your work or overthinking your marketing, this one will feel like a reset.

Join PHOTOCO to hear the exclusive AFTERCAST with Staci where we dig into her workflow, social strategy, and the little systems that keep her business moving: www.mileswittboyer.com/photo

Follow Staci:

• Instagram: @stacibrucksphoto

• Website: stacibrucksphoto.com

Follow your hosts:

• Miles on Instagram: @mileswittboyer

• Jared on Instagram: @jaredmarkfincher

Watch the video episode and more:

• YouTube: The Photographic Collective

In this episode of The Photographic Collective Podcast, Miles and Jared sit down with LA-based photographer and educator Summer Grace. Known for her film and digital artistry, as well as her growing influence in education, Summer shares a raw, authentic look into her journey of balancing business, motherhood, and creative fulfillment.

The conversation touches on her shift from shooting a heavy wedding load to focusing more on Summer School, her educational platform, while raising her daughter Georgia alongside her husband Jake. Summer opens up about the tension between business and art, why success is not defined by six-figure income metrics, and how she finds balance by prioritizing sustainability, creativity, and family.

Listeners will hear candid insights on avoiding burnout, defining personal success, resisting trends, motherhood as a creative discipline, and embracing business as an art form.

• Success is Personal: Summer redefines success as living to work (loving what you do so it doesn’t feel like work), rather than working to live. For her, success blends creativity, financial sustainability, and family balance.

• Business as Art: She views business not as separate from creativity but as a complementary art form. Running a strong business allows her the freedom to be a better artist and parent.

• Resisting Trends: Summer emphasizes staying true to personal style and brand rather than conforming to industry fads.

• Education with Integrity: Instead of teaching “get rich quick” six-figure formulas, she focuses on holistic growth—helping photographers create art they’re proud of and a life they love.

• Motherhood & Discipline: Parenthood has made her more disciplined and efficient, valuing her time more deeply while still embracing imperfection.

• Creative Renewal: Some of her best work comes from self-initiated, unpaid projects. She encourages artists to carve out time for shoots that are purely creative.

✅ Key Takeaways

Success is Personal: Summer redefines success as living to work (loving what you do so it doesn’t feel like work), rather than working to live. For her, success blends creativity, financial sustainability, and family balance.

Join Miles Witt Boyer and Jared Mark Fincher on the Photographic Collective Podcast for a deep dive with acclaimed photographer and educator Tom Wright. In this conversation, Tom unpacks how to design a streamlined photography workflow that protects your creativity, enhances your client experience, and fuels long-term business growth. Whether you’re shooting weddings, portraits, or commercial projects, you’ll walk away with practical strategies to refine your process, market your brand, and deliver images that resonate long after delivery day.

Follow & Connect:
📸 Tom Wright — Instagram
📸 Miles Witt Boyer — Instagram
📸 Jared Mark Fincher — Instagram

DON'T MISS THE EXCLUSIVE CONTENT - IN THE AFTERCAST. Tom, gives step by step information on how to build the perfect backup workflow, what systems need to be built to create redundancy for peace of mind, and how to protect our creativity with structure.

Join The Photographic Collective:The Photographic Collective is a growing community for photographers who want to level up their craft, grow their business, and connect with like-minded creatives. As a member, you’ll gain access to quarterly courses, exclusive podcast extras, monthly live call-ins, and our signature business training protocols. Whether you’re just starting your journey or scaling a thriving studio, The Collective gives you the tools, knowledge, and support to create a business that serves your life — not the other way around.

🎯 Sign up now at mileswittboyer.com/photo and become part of a network committed to inspiring, educating, and empowering photographers around the world.

In this raw and powerful episode, we sit down with Nikon Ambassador and viral photography sensation Lauren Ashley, whose story goes far beyond the lens. With over 600,000 followers on Instagram and 850,000 on TikTok, Lauren has built more than just a brand—she’s built a movement grounded in vulnerability, resilience, and radical authenticity.

What unfolds in this conversation is not your average industry talk. Lauren opens up about surviving unimaginable personal loss, raising a son with level-three autism, leaving a toxic relationship, and rebuilding her photography business from the ground up. Her story is one of deep emotional truth—and it's reshaped how she sees life, art, and the true value of a photograph.

This episode isn’t just for fans of beautiful imagery—it’s for anyone who’s ever doubted their worth, faced heartbreak, or questioned if they could still succeed after hitting rock bottom. Lauren’s journey will challenge you to stop hiding behind your portfolio and start leading with who you are.

🎧 Photographers, prepare to feel empowered, inspired, and deeply moved.

SEE LAURENS WORK HERE

💡 PLUS: Don’t miss the exclusive “After the Pod” bonus episode inside The Photographic Collective platform, where Lauren shares a 10-minute masterclass on going viral, building a loyal audience, and monetizing your story. It’s pure gold.

CLICK THIS LINK TO HOLD YOUR SPOT IN LINE : https://mileswittboyer.myflodesk.com/photocowaitlist

Subscribe now and hear why vulnerability is the most powerful tool a creative can wield.

Download our FREE GUIDE on how to photograph DYNAMIC SPACES

FREE GUIDE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS https://mileswittboyer.myflodesk.com/capture

But don't call it a come back. Miles Witt Boyer and Jared Mark Fincher are back for a brand new season of the Photographic Collective Podcast with an all new vision and some exciting news. This episode breaks down the absolutely Chat GPT written vision statement for the new pod, sets some big goals for new and returning guests and explains what is so exciting about the Photographic Collective Platform launching August 15th.Exclusive content available via PHOTOCO after launch but you can get on the waitlist RIGHT NOW using the link https://www.mileswittboyer.com/photo Affiliate discounts, huge giveaways, community collaborations, monthly live calls, trainings, behind the scenes, and early access to retreats and industry hang outs all available inside the PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTIVE.In this episode Miles + Jared chat through favorite guests from the past like Fer Juaristi, Jonas Peterson, and Jai Long and paint a clear picture towards the goals of a new season of episodes. If you're not familiar with the podcast yet : The Photographic Collective Podcast with Miles Witt Boyer and Jared Mark Fincher is a bi-weekly conversation with creatives who are chasing depth over hype. No ego. Very Little gear talk. Just real stories from people who’ve built something meaningful — and the mess, growth, and grit it took to get there.This show is a seat at the table. Sometimes it’s business, sometimes it’s art, sometimes it’s about navigating what it means to be human — all through the lens of a camera and a calling. If you're looking for honest conversations that feed your soul and push you forward, welcome home.Join us wherever you listen to your podcasts or simply by clicking this link https://open.spotify.com/show/7iYqQmx...

OR Hangout with us on VIDEO on YOUTUBE at https://youtu.be/s8SbYnnIxvE?si=ehUw9K0yZyb0P4hFThis episode is brought to all platforms via the power of AI and the strongest most advanced Photo Ai platform on the Market! ICONIC is our all new profile available exclusively on the Imagen Ai platform. Click here to try ICONIC for FREE and watch your images come to life with the power of over 25,000 of our own edits powering every click. Imagen : https://imagen-ai.com/homepage-lp/?re...AUGUST 15 : https://www.mileswittboyer.com/photo SIGN UP NOW.

FREE GUIDE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS https://mileswittboyer.myflodesk.com/capture

The photo educator that the world kind of needs. Especially for the ladies, this episode dives DEEP behind Alora Rachelle. From Burned Out to CEO Alora is a successful photographer turned mindset coach that focuses on inspiring female photographers to level up their businesses. She's a mom, a brilliant voice, a talented artist, and a really entertaining podcast host over at the Wedding Atelier Podcast which I (Miles) was just a guest on, ALSO releasing TODAY.

CHECK HER PODCAST OUT AT https://podcasts.apple.com/ky/podcast/how-to-be-authentically-artistic-with-miles-whitboyer/id1494012135?i=1000706473782

If you need a marketing coach, CEO coach, or just super rad new friend connect with Alora at

https://www.alorarachelle.com/

Guess who's back. Back again. MiRad's back - tell a friend. (Evidently I'm in a weird mood) but we're sitting in our brand new studio just having some fun talking through an absolutely wild summer with cameras in our hands and even some fun moments away with our families.

This episode is just fun. A refreshing late summer recap on a wild year and a look into a few things we're looking forward to in the new year. We're testing out lighting and video for our podcast to be over on YOUTUBE as well which we're excited about, as well as dreaming up new guests and topics to cover as we look at ways to keep the PHOTOCO community active and engaged while we continue to evolve our businesses. A few key notes :

We're about to launch a few exclusive training opportunities alongside our friends at Shoot The Veil that we're really excited for. This new app based learning platform will be filled with trainings and inspiration from incredible photographers from all over the world so make sure you check them out as we're only about a week away from that launch! https://www.shoottheveil.com/

We're also continuing to partner with our friends from Narrative on Narrative Select + Edit, a new Ai based editing process that allows photographers to edit their RAW files using Ai training color science by US. If you've ever wondered what it would look like for us to edit your photos click over to Narrative and check that out! https://narrative.so/select

If you're more of an independent editor and love to be able to play more of a chef in your own kitchen make sure you check out the ABIDE preset pack from G-Presets. We spent 7 months working hand in hand with Greg Peterson on this preset pack and have heard from photographers all over the world about how regardless of their camera model or sensor these presets lay an incredible foundation for their editing and help them save time getting their work ready to be delivered. https://www.gpresets.com/product/abidepresets/

Finally - we're excited to be a keynote speaker for the EVOLVE Retreat happening in Florida this winter! Evolve is a remarkably intentional company that brings together top educators and photographers from around the world and builds not only conversation but community together in the process. We'll be discussing client experience and hosting an exclusive live shoot at the event and would love to have some listeners in the audience! https://evolveworkshops.org/2025-retreat-30a⁠

Jay Cassario is the photographer every known photographer knows. He's been around for long enough to see the industry eb and flow and has this remakably simple outlook on life. A Leica Ambassador with a decade of weddings under his belt Jay didn't come into the wedding industry until long into his adult life. A career that left him feeling unfulfilled gave way to an opportunity to get back to doing what his mom did when he was a kid. Wedding photography was literally in his blood however this simple desire to live authentically, raise his son on the farm he grew up on in southern New Jersey, and photograph weddings from a place of intentionality is all his.

Jay has this magnetic composure to him. A larger than life guy with a million stories who has maintained a posture of humility and kindness despite incredible success. We're excited to share with the world the Jay so many photographers know and call friend. The normal dude with a big laugh behind some absolutely remarkable images.

https://www.jaycassario.com/ Check here for Jay's website or find him on instagram https://www.instagram.com/jaycassario/

This episode mentions our new partnership with Narrative Edit - the one place where you can cull, ship, and curate Ai edited images right through Adobe Lightroom with our very own color science applied. https://narrative.so/edit for more information and make sure you try the Iconic Color Style by Miles Witt Boyer.

For more information on the Photographic Collective find us any time @mileswittboyer and @jaredmarkfincher on instagram.