The Retake

Brady Bates is a wedding and elopement photographer based in Portland, Oregon who fell in love with film photography right before the pandemic. After dusting off a couple of film cameras he inherited from his grandpa, he taught himself the ins and outs of shooting not only on 35mm but on medium format, too.

So many photographers miss out on the joys of film photography because they think that it’s too expensive, or too confusing, or too complicated… and the truth is, it is kind of all of those things! But it’s also amazing. Brady talks us through how it’s changed his shooting style for the better, and how to get started with film the easy way.

Find him here:

https://bradybatesphotography.com

And stay posted for his upcoming film course here:

https://www.instagram.com/bradybatesphotography/

Sophie Lea is a family, maternity, and newborn photographer based in Sydney, Australia. For those of you familiar with Sophie’s work, you’ll know she has a super distinct and consistent style – characterised by a relaxed warmth, and those sweet, intimate, and often imperfect details in family life. 

As newbie photographers, it can often be really hard to define your style. As someone who has been shooting for almost twenty years, Sophie shares so many valuable insights about developing your style as a photographer, and it’s not actually as difficult and complicated as you might expect. Sophie has all sorts of experience in the photography world – from working in marketing at a commercial photography studio to creating a cosy one of her own. Her body of work reflects so many different seasons in her life, and no matter how new you are to the craft, your style probably reflects your life too. 

This is an amazing episode to tune into if you want to develop your style in a way that feels authentic, drives inspiration, and attracts clients who are right for you. 

To be the first to know about Sophie’s upcoming workshops, stay posted via her Insta. To see more of Sophie’s offerings, check out her website.

Website:

https://www.sophieleaphotography.com.au

Insta:

https://www.instagram.com/sophieleaphotography/

Morgan Olsen is a heart-on-her-sleeve kind of photographer who has an infectious passion for human connection. Having had a camera in her hand since the MySpace days, she’s got quite a few lessons to share about her journey – and she does so freely. Now on the faculty for multiple workshops nationwide, and hosting a couple of her own, she talks to us about one component that is part of every workshop she does: styled shoots. From building your confidence to building your portfolio, the importance of styled shoots can sometimes be overshadowed by the fact that they feel really intimidating for newbie photographers. 

This podcast shatters the barriers you might find if you’re starting to think about planning a styled shoot. Morgan tells us about how they don’t need to be as complicated as you think they have to be and gives us tons of tangible tips to help you work through the process of creating your own.

Check out her workshops here:

Honest Chaos: https://inframesphotography.com/honest-chaos

Southern Love: https://southernloveworkshop.com/

Morgan’s presets:

The Lightning Pack: https://www.gpresets.com/product/the-lightning-pack/

And here’s where you can find her:

Website

https://inframesphotography.com/

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/inframesphotography/

KayLa Ruiz is an intimate couples photographer who accidentally went viral after posting her steamy stranger sessions (now called Stranger Sundays). After an unprecedented period of growth, I sit down with her to talk about going full time, how to avoid burnout, and the difference between public perception and private experience. 

She shares tons of amazing tips on how to lean into your own creativity, whatever that may look like. 

Here’s how you can find KayLa and her work:

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/kaymruiz/

Website

https://www.kaylaruizphoto.com/

Kelsey O’Halloran is a professional copywriter helping service-based entrepreneurs (ahem, photographers) turn website visitors into dream clients. Today she’s on the show to teach you how to DIY your way to copy that sounds like yourself, reaches your people, and compels these people to book a session with you.

This is an amazing episode to listen to if you, like most photographers, are a visual person and aren’t really sure how to communicate your unique value and offering in words. Kelsey is super generous with her time and knowledge and no matter where you’re at in your photography journey, the tips that she shares will help you get unstuck, get clear, and feel empowered.

Here’s how you can find Kelsey. Don’t forget to check out her amazingly generous and value-packed FREE course so you can start diving into writing your own website copy.

Website:
Kelsey O'Halloran: Website Copywriter for Entrepreneurs

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kelseyohalloran/

Free course from Kelsey:
10 Questions to Turn Your Website Visitors into Dream Clients

Today on the show, we have Kate Emmons, a natural-light family photographer based in Oahu. 

Kate has become known for her expertise in styled family sessions, and does a wonderful job of finding the balance between taking charge of her art and authentically telling other peoples’ stories. 

In this episode, we talk about her client closet (what a client closet even is?!), her top tips on how to start one, the logistics of having one, how to think about choosing outfits for the location, and how to bring your clients in on your vision. 

She gives us loads of super valuable information on how you can fall more in love with your photography while skyrocketing your client experience, too.

Here’s how you can find Kate.

Insta: @katelarainephotography

Website: http://katelarainephotography.com

Cheryl Kitchener, the founder of the Unscripted Posing App, is a busy mom, wife, Groodle owner, perpetual renovator, and now business owner/app creator. More of a behind-the-scenes kinda gal, it took me a little while to wrangle her into the hot seat. But with a bit of gentle coaxing she hopped on the mic ready to share her tips on posing, prompting, and the awkwardness that led her to start Unscripted in the first place. 

In this episode, we talk about how a simple desire to solve her own posing problem has ended up being the driving force behind encouraging others to get out there and capture real, honest memories for their clients and break down the actual difference between posing and prompting. If you’re trying to create a better shoot experience you know you and your clients will love, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Chelsie Lumen and her partner, Tori Lumen, are a queer and non-binary photo and video team based in New England. They started their business, Lumen Studios, five years ago. Today, they’re multi-award-winning wedding videographers with a knack for making people cry tears of joy every time they watch one of their creations. 

Today I sat down with Chelsie, and we discussed what it means to be an affirming LGBTQIA+ ally, and how this helps you attract queer clients too. We talked about inclusivity, growth, and responsibility, and she shared some stories about how she’s come up against all of this in her own life.

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/thelumenstudios/

Blog - 23 Ways to be an Affirming LGBTQIA+ Ally:

https://thelumenstudios.com/attracting-lgbtq-clients-without-a-model-call/

Blog - Representation without Tokenism:

https://thelumenstudios.com/representation-without-tokenism-a-wedding-vendor-guide/

List of LGBTQIA+ Friendly Wedding Vendors:

https://thelumenstudios.com/lgbtq-friendly-wedding-vendors

Often featured on our feed and in the Unscripted App for Photographers, Marina Williams is a Utah-based portrait photographer making a name for herself on and off social media. During lockdown, she was left without subjects to photograph and locations to shoot them in – forcing her to turn the camera on herself. 

Spontaneous and resourceful by nature, she took a less-than-perfect scenario and used it to drive her creativity in different directions. Using bed sheets as backdrops and the glass from picture frames as light modifiers, she learned about the art of self-portraiture and the importance of slowing down.

Marina’s Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/marinawphoto/

Marina’s website:

https://marinawilliamsphoto.com/

Join Marina’s Patreon community:

https://www.patreon.com/madetomake

Photos by attendees of Marina’s ColorPop portfolio weekend: https://www.instagram.com/shotatcolorpop/

Molly Grunewald is a powerhouse boudoir and wedding photographer, co-founder of Voyage Photography Workshops, and a passionate business educator. 

In this podcast, we discussed self-acceptance and the power of boudoir photography, a topic super close and personal to Molly’s heart. 

In a world that teaches women that their bodies aren’t good enough, the work of boudoir can be really powerful in helping us heal. Molly shares tips on how to help your clients feel more comfortable, talks about boundaries around photoshop, and discusses why being vulnerable is a key part of asking others to be, too.

Links:

Female Empowerment Photoshoot by Molly Grunewald:

https://www.unscriptedposingapp.com/blog/woman-empowerment-and-boudoir-with-molly-grunewald

Voyage Photography Workshops:

https://www.instagram.com/voyageworkshops/

Molly’s Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/mollgrune/

Molly’s Boudoir Photography:

https://www.instagram.com/boudoirbymoll/