Shutter Up! Podcast

Buckle up, besties — for our last episode for season 2, we got a juicy one for you. Rachael got hit with two one-star reviews in one weekend… and not from clients 😭. A chill trip to Chattanooga turned into a full-blown investigation involving a cranky waitress, goat milk soap, and a woman named Brooke who seriously messed with the wrong photographer.

In true Rachael fashion, she put on her detective hat 🕵️‍♀️, went full FBI mode, and uncovered exactly who left the fake reviews — and why. Spoiler: it’s even pettier than you think.

We’re breaking down how to handle online hate, why protecting your business reputation matters, and how to laugh through the chaos (with maybe a touch of revenge satisfaction).

If you’ve ever wanted to clap back at a fake review or live out your inner detective fantasy, this one’s for you.

🎧 Tune in for rage, receipts, and sweet vindication.

📲 Tag us @shutteruppodcast and tell us: Would YOU have called her out or let karma do its thing? 👀

This week, we’re diving into your craziest wedding stories — and trust us, they did not disappoint. From a homeless man breaking into a couple’s honeymoon suite, to our favorite speeches, to a groom who was two hours late because he was “just chillin’”… we’ve officially heard it all. Grab your coffee (or as Rachael likes to say your "Cafeitos"), buckle up, and prepare to laugh, cringe, and maybe develop a few new fears.

💌 Have a wild wedding story of your own? DM us or submit it on Instagram @shutteruppodcast — we might read it on the next episode!

Shut up—it’s the Shutter Up Podcast 🎙️ Today we dive into:

• A proposal shoot in a full-on downpour (hello DOUBLE rainbow 🌈) and a camera throwing error mid-session

• The most unhinged inquiry we’ve ever heard: an “explicit newborn session”… for a 60-year-old man 😳🍼

• Second-shooter must-knows (angles, safety shots, how to actually be helpful)

• How to walk the tightrope between letting the day “breathe” and keeping timelines on track without becoming the bad guy

If this gets 15 likes, someone’s getting swaddled. We’re not kidding. 😅

0:00 Cold open + intro

0:30 Rainbow proposal in the rain (and the gear panic)

10:06 New segment: Listener call-ins

10:12 “Explicit newborn session” (adult edition?!)

20:12 Second shooter Qs: what mains REALLY want

28:41 The balance: feel-your-day vs. timeline control

47:51 Outro

💌 Call in your story/question for a shoutout next episode!

👍 Like, subscribe, and comment your wildest inquiry ever.

📸 Follow us on Instagram: @ShutterUpPodcast

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms.

✨ Don’t forget to subscribe, share, & leave a review!

Move over bridezillas — the real chaos usually comes from the moms! In this episode, we spill the tea on wild mother-of-the-bride (and groom!) moments, from moms secretly messaging photographers behind their daughter’s back to mother–son dances that almost didn’t happen. We share our funniest, craziest, and most jaw-dropping “mom-zilla” stories (yes, including the one with earrings coming off 👀).

If you’ve ever had to tiptoe around family drama on a wedding day or wondered how to handle an overbearing parent without losing your sanity, this one’s for you. Laugh, gasp, and maybe cringe a little with us — because wedding day drama is never boring.

✨ Listen now for:
💌 Moms secretly emailing vendors
🫣 Family fights before the ceremony
👠 The case of the disappearing groom’s mom
🎤 And why sometimes, this is why people just elope

If you’re only delivering an online gallery, you’re leaving money—and legacy—on the table. In this episode of Shutter Up, we dive into the why and how of albums, prints, and reveal sessions that actually sell (without being gross).

What you’ll learn:

•The mindset shift: albums as legacy, not upsells

•How to talk value before the wedding (so buying later isn’t a maybe)

•Designing a “yes” album: build big, edit live, let them remove pages

•Parent albums, framed canvases, and easy add-ons

•Reveal Celebration flow (IRL or Zoom): snacks, story, sign-off, paid

•Pricing sanity: simple markups that don’t scare you (or them)

•Avoiding the “we’ll do it later” trap (hint: they won’t)

Chapters

00:00 Cold open

00:29 Part 2 kickoff: the album hot take

01:35 Why files ≠ legacy

04:37 Prints that actually get hung

14:51 The Reveal Celebration (step-by-step)

16:45 Building the album they’ll buy (and how to shrink it live)

20:47 Remote reveals on Zoom

22:44 Parent albums without the chaos

27:32 Education vs comparison spiral

31:45 Getting critiqued (and why you need it)

34:19 Wrap + next episode tease

📸 Follow us on Instagram: @ShutterUpPodcast

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms.

✨ Don’t forget to subscribe, share, & leave a review!

🎙️ Shutter Up Podcast – Episode Highlights✨ Connect with Lindsay:

Website: https://doublenmedia.com

Instagram: @doublenmedia

Big news… we finally have our first real guest on the Shutter Up Podcast! 🥂 We’re so excited to welcome Lindsay from Double N Media, who’s been photographing weddings for over 11 years (even though she once said she’d never shoot them 👀).

In this episode, we laugh, sip, and chat about:

💍 The wildest things we’ve seen go down on a wedding day (including a mom meltdown 👀)

📸 How Lindsay went from sports photography to full-time weddings

🍾 Why engagement sessions should be more meaningful than just the “pretty spots”

✨ The tea about bridal shows

💌 How community + referrals keep you thriving in this industry

This episode is basically like hanging out with your photographer besties—chaotic stories, a little tea, and tons of inspiration. 💕

✨ Connect with Lindsay:

Website: https://doublenmedia.com

Instagram: @doublenmedia

This week on the Shutter Up Podcast, things got way too real. Rachael shares how a simple bagel nearly burned her house down during a wedding timeline call—with alarms blaring, cats running, and her tossing charred bread out the window (all while the bride calmly sat on Zoom 😅).

We also dive into the chaos of consult calls, client expectations, and even whether cats should be part of weddings 🐾.

📸 Follow us on Instagram: @ShutterUpPodcast

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms.

✨ Don’t forget to subscribe, share, & leave a review!

🎙️ Shutter Up Podcast – Episode Highlights

Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro (Shut up, it’s Shutter Up!)

0:15 – Eyebrow catastrophes & beauty fears

0:55 – The bagel incident: house almost burns down 🔥

3:45 – The aftermath (cats running, alarms blaring, bride on Zoom)

6:58 – Craziest consult call stories

8:50 – Why photographers vs. videographers run calls differently

12:30 – Type A vs Type B discovery call styles (and Rachael’s “new fear”)

17:30 – Do long inquiry messages = more bookings?

20:45 – When couples ask weird or random questions

22:55 – Cat weddings?! 🐱💍

27:00 – Discovery call flow: how we start, reassure, and connect

33:00 – The one question couples always ask photographers

36:00 – The consult call that didn’t lead to a booking

41:00 – Direct flash, blue skies, and client expectations

47:00 – Why meeting in person (coffee consults) is risky

52:00 – Favorite part of consult calls

59:00 – Wrap-up (and why Rachael will never broil a bagel again)

If you’ve ever had a consult call go sideways—or you just need a laugh—you don’t want to miss this one.

👉 Comment below: What’s the craziest thing that’s happened to you during a client call?

#WeddingPhotographer #PhotographyPodcast #ShutterUpPodcast

📸 Follow us on Instagram: @ShutterUpPodcast

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms.

✨ Don’t forget to subscribe, share, & leave a review!

The newborn chaos continues! In this week’s episode of the Shutter Up Podcast, we’re back with part two of our deep dive into newborn photography—the swaddle edition. From overconfident dads attempting “professional” wraps to neon yellow blowouts on our favorite white fabrics, we share the messy, funny, and oh-so-real moments that come with photographing little ones.

We also get brutally honest with each other’s newborn galleries—critiquing diaper trash can cameos, swaddles coming undone, and camera angles that make us wonder: why? Along the way, we drop practical tips on choosing swaddles, keeping babies calm, and how to politely reclaim control when parents want to “help.”

If you loved last week’s unfiltered stories, this episode is the behind-the-scenes continuation you didn’t know you needed. Expect more laughs, more chaos, and more honesty from the unpredictable world of newborn photography.

📸 Follow us on Instagram: @ShutterUpPodcast
🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms.
✨ Don’t forget to subscribe, share, & leave a review!

From six-hour newborn photo sessions and surprise blowouts to swaddling secrets and accidental cheesecloth props from a wedding day—this episode of the Shutter Up Podcast dives into the hilarious, chaotic, and heartwarming reality of photographing babies.

We share our very first newborn sessions (and the cringe-worthy mistakes), how we turned nervous parents into relaxed pros, and why some shoots nearly made us swear off newborn photography forever. Plus, insider tips for keeping babies calm, avoiding fussy meltdowns, and the real reason baby acne can ruin your timeline.

Expect unfiltered stories, hard-earned advice, and plenty of laughs from the unpredictable world of newborn photography.

📸 Follow us on Instagram: @ShutterUpPodcast

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms.

✨ Don’t forget to like, comment, & subscribe

📌 Timestamps:

0:00 Awkward Clapping & Cold Opens

1:00 Why Newborn Sessions Feel Like Weddings (But With More Crying)

6:00 The Cheesecloth Prop Story

7:45 The 6-Hour Newborn Session That Almost Broke Us

15:00 Baby Acne & Cradle Cap Challenges

20:00 How to Handle Wide-Awake Babies

22:30 Becoming the “Baby Whisperer”

Welcome back to Season 2 of the Shutter Up Podcast! 🎉 We're kicking it off with a bang (and a few rants) as we dive into our biggest photography pet peeves on wedding days — from chaotic timelines to makeup artists showing up late, guests with cameras, and videographers secretly taking photos for their portfolio 😳.

If you’re a photographer, planner, bride, or vendor — this episode is packed with real stories, spicy takes, and behind-the-scenes truths about what really goes down on wedding days. Grab your coffee, settle in, and get ready to nod your head (or scream into a pillow). 💍📸

👇 Drop YOUR biggest wedding day pet peeve in the comments!

📸 Follow us on Instagram: @ShutterUpPodcast (https://www.instagram.com/shutteruppodcast)

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple, and all major platforms.

✨ Don’t forget to like, comment, & subscribe!

Timestamps:

0:00 - Welcome to Season 2! 🎉

1:05 - What are we talking about today?

1:16 - Pet peeve #1: Nobody cares about the timeline but us 😤

1:59 - That one wedding where hair & makeup NEVER showed up

4:01 - Why choosing the right HMUA matters for your skin tone

4:49 - Late brides & the domino effect

6:19 - Charging extra for early hair/makeup?

8:50 - Shooting in harsh lighting and making it work

9:30 - How to reset your mood after vendor chaos

10:27 - Videographers... taking PHOTOS?! 😡

12:26 - Sneaky second shooters & portfolio drama

14:45 - Should you tag your second shooter?

18:00 - When everything falls on the photographer

20:01 - Guests with pro cameras during the wedding

21:19 - Pet peeve: Friends delivering photos before you do

22:55 - The frustration of being blamed for delays

26:06 - The truth about why timelines fall apart

27:41 - Wedding days are HARD and we still get blamed

28:10 - How many times do we even pee?! 😂

29:01 - Stay tuned for Rachel’s pet peeves next episode!