The ARC Creative Podcast: Educating + Inspiring Creatives to Excel as Artists, Entrepreneurs & Humans.

João Guedes has lived and traveled all over the world, and brings his passion for culture and new experiences to his photography. Inspired by anything related to cinematography, João developed his skills behind the camera as a way to work from anywhere in the world. Today he is sharing with us which cities and films have most inspired him, how to find your personal voice and key lessons he has learned along the way.

João's latest project, The Diaries, is his perception on a woman's intimate world, and was created out of curiosity to express his viewpoint. By focusing on the motive behind an image, and taking technical and slow steps to create the perfect scene, João has mastered the line between composition and creativity.

How do you feel about the vulnerability and mise-en-scene João creates in his photos? Let us know your thoughts in regards to his creative process in the comments on the episode page!

In This Episode

• How João is inspired by the way stories are told through movies
• The pros and cons of storyboarding
• Ways to enhance your images through deeper mood connection
• The gear and workflow process behind The Diaries
• Three elements you must master in order to transform your composition into something unique

Quotes

"I think working with anything in cinematography or like photography movies, would be a dream for sure." (6:00)

"People are just people, and even though you feel like you are in different cultures, in the end, we are all very similar." (10:23)

"I think my connections to movies is a lot bigger than my connection to photography itself" (18:06)

"If I'm doing personal work, I'm definitely shooting with someone that at least shows on some level, that they see something in my work that they want to be a part of" (29:23)

"You tell the story you want to tell, it doesn't really matter, the truth. You tell your truth, right." (33:02)

Links

The Experience

João Guedes Photography

Follow João on Instagram | Facebook | Behance

Check out the full show notes page here

Keep up with everything ARC here

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Sachin Khona

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A tad unconventional, Fer Juaristi works to remind his clients that 'their wedding is an experiment' to try and scare away as many traditional couples as possible. Inspired by cinematographers, tattoo artists, and anyone else who is unconventionally artistic themselves, Fer takes his photos with a critical eye and a creative heart, and today shares some of that process with us.

Fer Juaristi is a Mexican Wedding Photographer who has cultivated his passion for photography into a fulfilling career. He focuses on remaining true to his artistic form and thinks about the psychology behind the shot. Fer is sharing how he connects his shooting to emotions, the importance of nostalgia, and why it is important to create a community in which to learn from each other.

As a wedding photographer you get to choose what couples, a task that Fer does not take lightly. By anticipating the moment, thinking fast, and acting slow, Fer wants to inspire others to fulfill their passions and chase their dreams. What do you think of Fer's unorthodox approach to wedding photography? Let us know in the comments on the episode page.

IN THIS EPISODE

• How to balance between family, education, and photography
• How to finding and define your niche
• Getting over those missed moments and trusting your gut
• The importance of finding your own style of curation
• Steps you can take to view your weddings as more dreamlike

QUOTES

"I just feel so lucky to be part of this industry, where everybody is so humble and willing to share their knowledge." (5:36)

"For me, weddings are more like dreams, more subtle. But for me, my personal stuff is to break my rules that I don't follow in weddings." (10:08)

"I love being the underdog. Once they see their slideshow they are going to be like 'Holy mother of God, I didn't know this kind of photography was possible during a wedding'." (17:50)

"It doesn't matter if you have been shooting weddings for 10 years or 10 days, you can learn from the older guys and the newer guys." (31:45)

"I always just react man, I am a freaking animal. So I just react to whatever happens in front of me, and I go crazy." (36:35)

LINKS

Fer Juaristi Website

Follow Fer on Facebook | Instagram

An Audience of One by Robin Dellabough and Srinivas Rao

Follow Canadian Cinematographer on Instagram

Unmistakable Creative Podcast

Make Good Art by Neil Gaiman

Ex Machina Official Trailer

Fer's Patreon Page

Check out the full show notes page here

Keep up with everything ARC here

Follow ARC on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Sachin Khona

Follow Sachin on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

The tables have turned on today's episode as this week, I (Sachin) am taking my turn in the interviewee hotseat. My good friend, and producer of this podcast, Jeremy Enns is asking the tough questions today, and we're digging into my journey from the financial world of London, England, to becoming a full time creative in Vancouver, Canada.

After moving countries, a complete career change and a major health crisis, I was forced to looking inward at the life I was creating for myself. We dig into how learning to honor my body and mind through yoga and meditation has played a huge roll in my transformation as a person and creative, and how I was able to move from one of the most uncreative careers imaginable to full-time creative work.

We also talk about 'living life with no regrets' and the importance of finding gratitude in your daily life. On the photography side of things, we discuss how travel and street photography influence my wedding work, and how I've managed to get established as a photographer.

What was the most surprising answer you heard from the show today? Let us know in the comments on the episode page!

IN THIS EPISODE

• Dealing with the disconnect between the corporate and creative worlds
• The role street photography can play in day to day life and in weddings
• Advice on how to gain the confidence to get your name out there
• The importance of highlighting minority voices in the creative industries
• What Sachin is most excited for during this year's upcoming ARC Experience conference

QUOTES

"It just made a lot of sense to create something like this, where I could dive a bit deeper into the mind of the creative." (6:56)

"I believe thoughts become things, what you focus on is where your energy goes and what ends up manifesting in your life" (18:51)

"I just love the fact that I can be like a guest at a wedding day, and combine the documentary feel of how I love to capture the streets, letting things unfold naturally, shooting that, but then creating some beautiful portraits around that and delivering that to a couple" (34:11)

"When you are truly in the moment there are no worries, there's no regrets or anything, you're just fully in that moment" (40:23)

"We wanna see more representation and more diversity in our community. If you have something to share and people are asking, then just go for it" (51:05)

LINKS

Find out everything you need to know about The Experience here!

Sachin Khona Photography

Follow Sachin on Instagram | Twitter

World Domination Summit

That Creative Life

Russell Brand Podcast

The Obstacle is The Way Book

Jeremy's Podcast Company, Counterweight Creative

Check out the full show notes page here

Keep up with everything ARC here

Follow ARC on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Do you have systems set up in your business? Do you feel as creatively capable as possible? Brian Morrow explains how it's often the un-sexy things like business systems that help us consistently be our most creatively activated.

Brian is the Founder and Creative Director of Shark Pig, a full-service video production company in Los Angeles. He recently helped produce a feature-length documentary called Hal, about filmmaker Hal Ashby which showed at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and is premiering around the US now.

Today he talks to us about how he was able to balance (or not) between documentary work and work for clients. He also talks to us about the power of the human mind and the importance of keeping different aspects of living in balance.

What do you think of balance in the unique way Brian talks about it? Let us know in the comments on the episode page!

IN THIS EPISODE

• Balancing the business work and the documentary work
• The importance of the un-sexy business things like systems
• The power of being fueled by something bigger than paying rent
• The connection between different areas of our lives and the importance of balance

QUOTES

"There's the art of it and the business side of it. The logistics of it, or the structure of it. And those things have equal weight." (17:02)

"Don't waste the amazing power of your brain on things that you can just make a decision and then act underneath the umbrella of that decision potentially for years in a row. Or if you want you can just think about it every week." (25:30)

"When I'm operating at my lowest, it's when I'm too stressed out. And too stressed out is not a high functioning thing. It means that it's out of balance." (43:08)

"If you feel like sh** in your body, it's not rocket science, it doesn't take Sigmund Freud and a whole bag of cocaine to figure out that it's probably going to have an effect on what's happening in your brain." (40:58)

LINKS

Find out everything you need to know about The Experience here!

Shark Pig

Shark Pig Weddings

Hal the movie

Follow Shark Pig on Facebook | Instagram

Follow Shark Pig Weddings on Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Vimeo

Follow Hal on Facebook | Twitter

Check out the full show notes page here

Keep up with everything ARC here

Follow ARC on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

As much as we all love what we do as photographers and creatives, if we're not careful, our dream jobs can end up feeling a lot like, well, jobs. Today, Jacob Loafman shares how he keeps himself inspired, curious, engaged in his work, and avoiding burnout.

Jacob is a creative wedding photographer based out of St. Louis and a former keynote speaker at last years ARC's photography conference, The Experience. Jacob is here to discuss his exciting new Instagram project, what it means for him to be able to do personal work, and how he goes from inaction to action right away.

We are discussing everything from the juxtaposition between photography styles and personalities to why Jacob thinks you should always be kind, plus so much more. Listen in as we reminisce over last year's conference (and after party stories), why you shouldn't care what other photographers think of your work, and how St. Louis public parks are inspiring Jacob's latest photos.

What do you think about Jacob's creative approach to photography? How do you keep yourself inspired? Let us know in the comments below!

In This Episode

• Why pushing yourself to try, is important in photography
• The benefit of using yourself as the subject of self-portraits
• How Jacob's tattoo came to be the best part of his morning routine
• Which speaker Jacob is looking forward to seeing the most at this year's conference
• The importance of making time to let yourself play

Quotes

"I said, 'well, I can make a book out of this', and I can just call it, you know I wanted to focus on the sports that are available to the public in public parks. So it's free right, so I'm just gonna create a different character and focus on every sport that is offered in the public parks here in St. Louis. And just create an interesting photo series where it's not even about being like active with the sport, it's interesting poses, its unusual poses, very still, but very colourful and just very interesting." (5:45)

"So I told myself when I jumped full time, you need to push yourself so that you never even approach the burnt out stage. Try everything, use different light, shoot different things, shoot everything you can, so I pushed myself to keep myself on that path. (6:42)

"It sounds like a simple answer but its because it is. You just go do. We always get these little thoughts that hold us back from why you should do this, right. Like our brains are designed to keep us comfortable, so if its something we're not used to doing, our brain is gonna tell us like 'oh no you usually don't do this'. But the truth is you have a few seconds to say like 'okay ya I'm gonna do this', and then your brain is only on that path of 'okay we're doing this.'" (11:18)

"My presentation was just about how lucky I truly do feel to get to do this for a living, one. And two, how important it is to create for yourself. You know I polled the crowd and asked them who they created for and the majority of the people that answer said for their clients. I'm a firm believer of 'that's great I create for my clients as well', but what do you actually get out of that? I want to create art for my clients, that's what I want to provide them with because then everybody wins, it's a win-win for everyone. (18:57)

"I have always been like the class clown type. And it's not that I do it for the attention, I want to make sure people are having a good time. So if I can inspire people to like let loose a little bit, ill do it." (26:13)

Links

Jacob Loafman Website

Follow Jacob on Facebook | Instagram

RGG EDU

Maria Svarbova

__loafy__ Instagram Page

Hamish Purdy CreativeMornings Talk

Check out the full show notes page here

Keep up with everything ARC here

Follow ARC on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Do you ever find yourself struggling to find stories worth documenting and sharing through your photography? It can often feel like we need to travel to exotic places at the far reaches of the Earth to find captivating stories to tell. As Niki Boon shows us today, however, often the greatest, most intimate and heartfelt stories are right in front of our eyes.

A documentary family photographer, Niki uses the medium of black and white photography as a way to document the journey of her four children growing up in Marlborough, New Zealand. With her camera acting as a visual diary, she strives to tell a deeper story in a picture using light and the uniqueness of her family life.

Inspired by her children and rural lifestyle, Niki takes advantage of the unstructured days of her children's lives to dive deeper into how children live and think. Today she is sharing what she has learned about the Earth and nature through her children's eyes and how photography has enabled her to take a step back and breathe. Niki believes in opening people's eyes to the stories that are right in front of them by following your creativity and getting back down to basics.

Have you ever tried a long-term documentary photography project? What was it about and what did you learn? Let us know how it went in the comments below!

IN THIS EPISODE

• What it's like to raise your children in a rural environment
• How to humbly reconnect with nature
• Capturing a child's freedom through photography
• What Niki's kids have taught her about photography and life
• Combining inspiration and problem solving to unlock creativity

QUOTES

"That's one thing that being outside in nature really can do is make you stop and make you think about the world and not the material." (14:09)

"I'm somebody who wants to be in it, I'm very much a doer. Like let's do this and let's do that, but that's actually taught me to sit back and to just let things unfold. And the photography has helped me with that too, just to sit back and watch things unfold." (19:14)

"Where my photography is at, at the moment, has all been sparked by my kids. I am curious about what it is to live a life that they live, with very little 'have to's' and conformity. That I am very curious about, that is largely what inspires me in terms of my photography. (25:28)

"I've taken pictures of my kids and I think that the pictures are a gift to me, they are a gift to them. And I've taken pictures for others and it's just such an amazing gift to give. You have this ability to make phenomenal pictures and show people how amazing their lives are and how amazing they are as people, and I think that that is the gift. And I think it's pretty special." (28:09)

LINKS

Find out everything you need to know about The Experience here!

Niki Boon

Niki Boon LensCulture Website

Follow Niki on Instagram

Niki's previous ARC interview

Check out the full show notes page here

Keep up with everything ARC here

Follow ARC on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

Do you ever find yourself drying out, creatively speaking? It can be hard to feel inspired to shoot when you've been in the photography business for years and years. As Hugh Whitaker shares, what you need is a method for re-discovering your original reason for photographing in the first place.

Hugh is an extremely talented photographer who's been in the industry for over 15 years. A Junebug award winner and a Rangefinder Rising Star, Hugh also co-founder of the Refresh Workshop, which helps photographers re-find creativity in their art when they're feeling uninspired. He also spoke at the ARC Experience last year, and will be a keynote speaker this year.

Today, we talk about how inspiration can be stimulated and manufactured, rather than waiting for it to strike, as well as how his wedding photography, stock photography, and personal work all interplay, and the difference between stock photography and other types of photography. We also talk about some of the places that Hugh has looked to for inspiration, and - hilariously - some big mistakes he made when he first started out.

Have you ever felt yourself stagnate in your photography? What did you do to bust out of that rut?

IN THIS EPISODE

• Ways to find your own inspiration
• How wedding work, stock photography, and personal work interplay
• How carrying a camera with him at all times has inspired him
• Finding composition inspiration in movies
• The difference between stock photography and other work
• The biggest mistakes he made starting out as a wedding photographer

QUOTES

"You have to find your own inspiration. You can't be inspired by my inspiration. You can't be inspired by someone else's inspiration" (14:28)

"[With stock photography] you have to get into the psychology of what someone is interested in as opposed to the need to create a beautiful image." (43:58)

"With ARC, it's such a community of people, and all the different members of the community are so supportive. It's an environment where you can walk straight into it and just feel right at home." (52:30)

LINKS

Hugh Whitaker

Follow him on Instagram | Facebook

The Refresh Workshop

Larry Fink on Composition and Improvisation book

A Single Man movie

Nocturnal Animals movie

Check out the full show notes page here

Keep up with everything ARC here

Follow ARC on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

We all have areas in both our art and businesses that we know don't measure up to the areas in which we shine. Often we try to cover up and hide those weaknesses, but as Angela Ruscheinski shares with us today, what we should really be doing with those is turning them into strengths.

Angela is the creator of Blush Photography, based in Vancouver, BC. After life as a server left her unfulfilled she picked up a camera and has been crushing the industry for the past 5 years. Always in constant competition with herself, she is making a huge mark in the BC photography game and is the keynote speaker at The Experience coming up this October in Vancouver.

Focusing on a wide range of shoots including family, boudoir and weddings, Angela knew she would always work in the art industry. Angela shares her philosophy behind education and inspiration in photography, how to say no to the couples that don't suit your style, and how holding out for her ideal niche clients has helped increase her happiness, and portfolio.

Have you ever had a weakness that later became a strength for you? Let us know in the comments on the episode page!

IN THIS EPISODE

• Angela's sync or swim mentality
• Saying no to the couples who don't suit your style
• Turning your weaknesses into strength
• The connection between yoga, visualization and photography
• How to avoid burnout by setting goals

QUOTES

"I used to think that success for me was shooting these big lavish blog-worthy ballroom weddings with you know, a wedding cake that's taller than me. But what I have learned is that most of the time those don't make me happy, there's a lot of stress, a lot of attention to details that really don't matter to me." (6:02)

"I'm going to talk a lot about sort of how I've come through photography, and what my day to day life is, and burnout because I experience a lot of that, and how I have found balance." (10:57)

"I am not the most technically perfect photographer, I don't create these incredibly interesting compositions, but I think my niche is in pulling out those intimate, playful, connected images." (20:24)

LINKS:

Take your craft to the next level at The Experience in Vancouver this October

Blush Photography Website

Follow Angela on Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Check out the full show notes page here

Keep up with everything ARC here

Follow ARC on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

How clear is the intention behind your photography? How about the intention behind your life? As Levi Tijerina shares today, while it's important to be in the moment while creating art, it's maybe more important to have a vision of where you're guiding your art, business and life.

After finding a passion for photography while living in Europe, Levi relocated to Denver, Colorado, and begun photographing international weddings. Six years later he is a force in the industry and is always on the cutting edge of creativity.

Offering tips on how to promote your location, ways to get out of your comfort zone and the importance of subtly in art, Levi is a wealth of knowledge and we are thrilled to have him on today's show. Motivated by keeping his images timeless and creating a lasting legacy, Levi definitely knows how to take more than just a pretty picture. Inspired by travel, the couples he works with and the intention of photography,

What's the guiding intention behind your work? Let us know in the comments on the episode page!

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How travel inspired Levi
• The difference between wedding photography in Europe and the US
• Why you need to take risks to improve your portfolio
• Using Instagram as a medium to make a statement
• The importance of being intentional about where you take your work and life

QUOTES:

"One of the biggest things I took away was the ability to take risks, and that things aren't so linear." (2:18)

"Although the photos were pretty terrible, they were my photos, and kind of my way of experiencing another culture. And for me it was a kind of an anthropology experience documenting what I thought was important, and then maybe coming to find out what I had thought was important maybe wasn't as important as I imagined it to be." (7:49)

"I feel like art is the most powerful when its most subtle. So, what I am really trying to do is be really mindful about how I include subtleties in my art that speak for themselves, that aren't necessarily in your face about what I am trying to communicate, but that also don't shy away from things I want to talk about." (16:06)

"I think for a lot of us we just aim too low with those intentions, we say we want to travel or make x amount of money or have a certain type of freedom or opportunity. And those things are usually pretty attainable to some point and so when we get there it's like 'what happens next?'" (21:07)

LINKS:

Take your craft to the next level at The Experience in Vancouver this October

Levi Tijerina Photography Website

Follow Levi on Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Check out the full show notes page here

Keep up with everything ARC here

Follow ARC on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

For most of us as freelancers or small studios, we often get so caught up chasing clients that we forget to put any time into building up our businesses. As today's guests, Carrie and Nicole of Junebug Weddings share, however, creating a strong, unique and recognizable brand is something we all can - and should - be striving towards.

Carrie Schwab and Nicole Seligman are the co-editors of Junebug Weddings, the essential guide to planning a stylish wedding, offering utility tips, wedding inspiration, and vendor relations.

Junebug weddings goal is to help couples plan the wedding they have always been dreaming about. Once their business began to thrive, Carrie and Nicole, realized they needed to be more selective in the bigger picture of their brand to raise their quality standards.

By putting the best of the best out there for the wedding world, Junebug weddings has gained a large following on social media and has set themselves up as a beacon of wedding photography. Listen in on their tips for how to understand a company's vibe, how to get your portfolio to a higher quality and how to master the art of social media marketing.

What do you do to build up a brand around your work? What characterizes your brand? Let us know in the comments on the episode page!

IN THIS EPISODE:

• A day to day look at the operations behind Junebug Weddings
• How to create your own unique brand
• How to up the quality of your portfolio
• Mastering social media marketing
• How you can increase the value of your photography business

QUOTES:

"One of the most fulfilling parts of our jobs is getting to work with such talented people all around the world, planners in Italy and photographers in Vancouver, and being able to connect those people with the readers that are coming to our site." (8:24)

"There are no rules anymore when it comes to weddings, it can be exactly what you want it to be, and that gets me so jazzed to come to work every single day." (10:33)

"We want people to take away from this talk is to use your content to your advantage. Market your business with your content, figure out how to get your content funnel or your marketing funnel in place, to have a long-lasting impact on your business that lasts longer than an Instagram post." (23:44)

"We are storytellers too. And when we receive a wedding and we can't tell what order it happens it's really hard for us to imagine our own feature because we can see the story being told." (38:40)

LINKS:

Take your craft to the next level at The Experience in Vancouver this October

Junebug Weddings

Follow Junebug Weddings on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

Check out the full show notes page here

Keep up with everything ARC here

Follow ARC on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter