Wisdom in the Tangents Photography Podcast

This Mini Episode, John shares 5 pieces of software that will save you time and energy, and create an elevated client experience.

Sponsor: ScanDisk Extreme Pro SD cards

Check out our favorite SD cards at Lightdarkco.com/scandisk

Try Photo Mechanic Here

Quickly cull, organize and export your photos with custom metadata.

Photo Mechanic shaves hours of my culling time. It usually only takes me around 45 minutes to cull through 2500 images. This saves me 3-4 hours from my workflow when I culled before Photo Mechanic.

Try BackBlaze Here

Back up your photos, videos, and files with this cloud based storage backup system.

It’s easy and automated. You can quickly restore any files you need

Try BackBlaze and receive a free month of service.

Try JPEGmini Here

Compress your images to the smallest file size without compromising on quality.

It takes up less space on your hard drive, makes for quicker uploads, and easier downloads for your clients.

Try Gusto Here

Easy to manage payroll service, so you can organize direct deposit payments to contractors and employees.

Gusto also puts together all your payroll tax documents for you as well as your contractors.

You can set up a 401(k), 529 College Funds, HSA and FSA healthcare funds and more for yourself and your employees.

Try Gusto and Receive $100 back after you run your first payroll.

Try Pic-Time Here

Amazing image delivery gallery service.

It’s very customizable with style, color scheme, layout, branding and more.

The print sales campaigns that Pic-Time creates for you are so useful. Easily add them to your galleries and wait for the sales to roll in without having to schedule email campaigns, social media posts or anything.

Try Pic-Time for free and when you upgrade to a paid plan, get your first month free! Just use Promo code: HE9BB3 at checkout.

All the links to these software are affiliate links. We get a little kickback, while you get a deal on an amazing service. We don’t advertise for companies we don’t absolutely love, so know these are great.

Find John at

allheartphoto.com

instagram.com/allheartphoto

allheartphoto.com/education

We record each episode LIVE in our Facebook group and we would love to connect with you there. You can join at Light + Dark Photography Podcast Group on Facebook.

Follow us at

www.instagram.com/lightdarkco

www.instagram.com/allheartphoto

L6zJxyZgvLhBh4cMBxhV

Michelle Harris is a destination wedding photographer based in Washington DC, a business coach, Speaker, and she hosts a fantastic community of hustling photographers.

Today we’re talking about 3 reasons why wedding photographers are getting ghosted and how you can fix them.

This episode is sponsored by Freedom Edits.

Get 30% off your first order by going to lightdarkco.com/freedom

Whether you believe you can or your can't, you're right. If you truly believe you can get something done, then you absolutely can. It doesn't matter how many people around you don't believe it, if you believe it, then that confidence will help you succeed.

Getting ghosted is when you get an inquiry, send over your information, and then you get no response in return. They just turn into a ghost and are never seen again.

There is usually something that is missing and that's the reason why you're getting ghosted.

You need to pre-qualify your leads. Without pre-qualifying your leads, you'll receive a great number of leads, however not all of them will be a good fit for you. Especially when it comes to budget. So place your started price on top of your contact form. It doesn't matter where else on your website you have your pricing, place it at your contact form so you can pre-qualify those leads before they hit your inbox. This will save you and them time and energy.

Make every inquiry go through your contact form. Sometimes you'll get inquiries over Instagram but send them to your contact form to fill that out and to see that starting price.

Get your leads on the phone. Call them immediately and if they can't talk, you can tell them that you'll send over an email with the info.

It will probably feel uncomfortable to talk to them on the phone, but the impression that will last with them if far worth it, since no other photographers are getting them on the phone either.

You pricing may be confusing your leads. A La Carte (build your own) style is making your leads do a lot more work than they want to and that may be causing them to ghost.

If you have 3 or 4 collections in your pricing list, have an "All collections include" section that lists all the

line items that are included in every single collection. That way they aren't looking through 15 items in each collection trying to figure out what the difference is between the collections.

Don't offer a "complementary" engagement session. Nothing else in your collections are complementary, why is this?

When it's "free" it loses it's value to the couple. So include engagement sessions if you want, but have a value for them instead of telling your leads that it's complementary.

Don't include things in your collections that you don't want to do. If you don't like doing bridal portraits, don't offer them.

If you don't like rehearsals, don't offer that coverage. Only offer the things you want to photograph.

When setting your prices, don't have 99 at the end of your prices. That's a discount price. $1999 looks cheap and like a commodity. Round out your numbers. That'll look more upper scale and luxury.

Your investment guide does not need to have pages and pages of helpful tips and articles in order to share your prices.

This should be shared later or in a separate email. That is causing more confusion that it is providing help for them.

Find Michelle at

Instagram.com/mharris_studios

M Harris Hustlers

Hustle Vault

Master The City Workshops

What Are We Loving?

What Michelle is loving:

Podcasts

The Rich Man Podcast by Melanie Auburn

The Kelly Roach Show

Business and Life Podcast with Angela Henderson

What John is loving:

TV Show - Ozark Season 4 Part II (Netflix)

We record each episode LIVE in our Facebook group and we would love to connect with you there. You can join at Light + Dark Photography Podcast Group on Facebook.

Follow us at

www.instagram.com/lightdarkco

www.instagram.com/allheartphoto

This Mini Episode, John shares a few ways you can elevate your client experience to move yourself from Good to Great and cultivate clients who will rave about your services to others.

"Sponsor": ScanDisk Extreme Pro SD cards

Check out our favorite SD cards at Lightdarkco.com/scandisk

Most clients can’t tell the difference between good and great photos, but they can tell the difference between good and great service.

By elevating your client experience will move you from good to great in their eyes and the referrals will start pouring in.

3 Ways to elevate your client experience:

• Gifts like welcome gifts, post cards, some of yours or their favorite things
• Guides and educational articles to help them prepare for your services
• Taking extra care and attention by asking them questions about themselves, and going above and beyond what they expect from you. Always deliver more value than they expect.

Check out more about elevating your client experience in episode 78 with the Elevate Photo Awards Team

Find John at

allheartphoto.com

instagram.com/allheartphoto

allheartphoto.com/education

Krista is a photographer, business coach, and creator of the She Calls Her Shots Membership & Podcast. She helps creatives ditch the overwhelm and create thriving businesses by focusing on the tactical strategies, habits, and mindset & confidence work that's crucial to seeing long-term growth.

Today we’re talking about how you can get back to your goals when burn out is creeping up on you, and how to set yourself up to avoid burn out in the future.

This episode is sponsored by Freedom Edits.

Get 30% off your first order by going to lightdarkco.com/freedom

There is an industry separation between full-time and side-hustle photographers.

Don't let that impostor syndrome slow you from growing in the photographer you are.

Just because you aren't full time doesn't mean you are less of a photographer than someone working full time in their business.

And don't expect to see the same growth in your business when you're allocating 40+ hours a week to another job, when others aren't doing that.

Burnout creeps up on you. It often doesn't hit all at once, you slowly get to burnout. Accept that you are burnt out and move to a mindset that you can recover from burn out. Having that vulnerability to say that you are burnt out and that you need to change things, is a big first step.

Find your triggers. What is triggering you to feel like an imposter or to feel like you are not doing as well as others? When you see where those places and who those people are, you should adjust yourself away from them.

Find someone who can support you, someone who understands that it's part of the business and can encourage you through that.

Don't just jump back into what you were doing before you were burnt out, but figure out a more sustainable way of attaining what you need to get done.

This could be better time management, or delegating tasks to others, hiring an editor, or planning out your days in a more efficient way.

Start to think of your goals and what you want to accomplish, and tell yourself that you are going to accomplish them.

That positivity and the forward focusing mindset will help you stay on track for your goals.

Find Krista at

shecallshershots.com

instagram.com/krista.marie.photography

Planning for Profit - Free Masterclass

What Are We Loving?

What Krista is loving:

Indoor Cycle Bike

What John is loving:

TV Show - Wild Babies (Netflix)

We record each episode LIVE in our Facebook group and we would love to connect with you there. You can join at Light + Dark Photography Podcast Group on Facebook.

Follow us at

www.instagram.com/lightdarkco

www.instagram.com/allheartphoto

Ashley is a brand photographer and podcast host (The Purpose Gathering) based in Mesa, Arizona. She coaches mom photographers to help elevate their side hustles, grow a profitable business while working less.

Sponsor: Táve

Receive an extended 60 day free trial of Táve at Lightdarkco.com/tave

Time blocking is a budget for you time. Instead of letting your time be spent on whatever comes up, you budget out how much time you'll spend on different tasks during that block of time.

Time Blocking Steps:

1 - Look at the week ahead of you and block out those times you have set aside to work.

2 - Create a masterlist of all your tasks for the week. Write out each of your tasks so you can organize them.

3 - Braindump and write down the things you need to do. So instead of shifting gears into another task, just write it down in your master to-do list, then you can stay in the same mindset of your current task.

Set a timer for 15 minutes and see how much of the task you can finished before the timer is finished. If it’s not completed, then set another 15 minutes and see if that task can be completed in 30 minutes of less.

Setting a time limit for your tasks will help you stay more focused because you only have so much time to work on that task.

Parents working from home, talk to your kids about your time blocking. Let them know that you have 20 minutes of work and then you’ll have 45 minutes to play with them. Giving them that timeframe will help them be more patient while you’re working and it’ll help you with bleeding in and out of work and family life.

Set aside the time to work on your time blocking. Pick an hour, set it in your calendar, and that’s your time block to work on your time blocking.

Mentioned in the episode:

Dr Laura Markhum - Special Time

Find Ashley at

The Purpose Gathering Podcast

thepurposegathering.com

instagram.com/thepurposegathering

What Are We Loving?

What Ashley is loving:

Audiobook - The Memory Making Mom by Jessica Smartt

What John is loving:

TV Show - Russian Doll (Season 2 on Netflix)

We record each episode LIVE in our Facebook group and we would love to connect with you there. You can join at Light + Dark Photography Podcast Group on Facebook.

Follow us at

www.instagram.com/lightdarkco

www.instagram.com/allheartphoto

John shares a few ways you can train yourself and your brain to create a more positive outlook on life, and attract more positivity from your surroundings.

Sponsor: Táve

Receive an extended 60 day free trial of Táve at Lightdarkco.com/tave

If Only and At Least

When we look at the past, we often will say things like “If only this had happened,” or “If Only I had done this thing,” the outcome would have been better.

A positive way of looking back is not saying “If only” but saying “At Least.” “At Least I was able to do this thing or things could have been worse.”

Our brains have a network called the Reticular Activating System (RAS) and this does a few things for us, one of which is it filters how we view the world. Some RAS lean more toward the negative, and some to the positive. When you are faced with a circumstance, it’ll get filtered one way or the other, which is why some people tend to focus on the negative aspects of their circumstances, while others always seem to see that silver lining.

You can train you RAS to filter more positively but doing a few things. Speaking positivity to yourself. Positive affirmations can train your brain to see those positive things first. It’s like when you buy a new car, and suddenly you start to see that model of car everywhere. That’s the RAS filtering toward that model of car because you’re brain is aware of it’s importance now.

Elyse Myers shared how when she looks at a photo of herself, she usually sees all the imperfections, but she has trained herself to at least say one positive thing about the photo. Even if it’s just that she likes the clothes she’s wearing in it.

Another way to train your brain is to write down those affirmations. People who write down goals are 42% more likely to achieve those goals.

In episode 70, Shaun Austin spoke about how he reframes things he “has” to do, into things he “gets” to do. Having to do things feels more like an obligation, while Getting to do things feels more like a privilege.

Find John at

allheartphoto.com

instagram.com/allheartphoto

allheartphoto.com/education

What am I loving?

Taking the family to sporting events. Basketball and Baseball in particular.

We record each episode LIVE in our Facebook group and we would love to connect with you there. You can join at Light + Dark Photography Podcast Group on Facebook.

Follow us at

www.instagram.com/lightdarkco

www.instagram.com/allheartphoto

Alli is a the founder and creative director at Trio Creative Studios, a fully remote brand creative agency where she helps transform your scattered business into a cohesive brand powerhouse. She’s based in Boston, Massachusetts and works worldwide.

This episode is sponsored by Freedom Edits.

Get 30% off your first order by going to lightdarkco.com/freedom

You should have way more photos than text copy on your website. Yes, you still need good copy to express your brand, but a lot of people are scrolling to look at the photos first. Ask yourself if what you say on your website is the most concise version that still makes sense.

At the top of your website (before the scroll/fold) are you painting a picture of who you are, what you do, and how you do it? You need a scroll-stopping image and some copy to hook the viewer to stay on your site.

Have Calls-to-Action on your website. These are specific buttons, or text that guides your viewer along to the next area of your website you want them to see. All the pages on your website should be linking to each other.

Have Cohesive visuals on your site. Keep the editing style similar, keep your branding colors and your fonts consistent throughout your website. 5-7 branding colors, and 2-3 fonts will keep your brand cohesive and memorable.

Have high quality copy on your website. Make sure you have more client-focused text on your site rather than you-focused text which talked about you and what you do. The client focused copy talks about their experience and allows them to put themselves into that character so they can see themselves as your clients.

Think of the steps your leads are taking while looking for a photographer, then speak to those steps on your site.

Mentioned in the episode:

The Photography Branding Blueprint (free download)

Showit (Website builder) - Get a free month when you subscribe

Allison Ewing Photography (Episode 103)

Find Alli at

The Photography Branding Blueprint (free download)

triocreativestudios.com

instagram.com/triocreativestudios

What Are We Loving?

What Alli is loving:

Food - Cinnamon Rolls Recipe (Cinnabon Copycat)

Podcast - Welcome to Our Show (New Girl Rewatch Podcast)

Drink - Stōk Ice Coffee

What John is loving:

Podcast - The Office Ladies (The Office Rewatch Podcast)

We record each episode LIVE in our Facebook group and we would love to connect with you there. You can join at Light + Dark Photography Podcast Group on Facebook.

Follow us at

www.instagram.com/lightdarkco

www.instagram.com/allheartphoto

Evie is a destination and elopement photographer, business coach, educator, and podcast host of The Heart and Hustle Podcast with past guest Lindsey Roman (Ep 76), and she’s a serial entrepreneur with her sustainable swimsuit business, Evie Swim, and a few other forms of income too.

Today Evie and I are talking about how you can become a traveling photographer. So break out your notepad because Evie’s got some fire tips for you today.

This episode is sponsored by Freedom Edits.

Get 30% off your first order by going to lightdarkco.com/freedom

People won’t book you as a traveling photographer if they don’t see that you are traveling. So to show that you are traveling, you need to travel.

Evie began traveling for free while charging small fees for the session itself in order to build a portfolio that she could use to show that she traveled.

Once you have traveled and photographed in a new location, post those photos everywhere. And not only the photos, but post the behind-the-scenes about your trip, post photos of you in that location. Post about the entire process, not just the end photos.

There is a lot of added stress and pressure when it comes to traveling for photography. You have to block off extra days for travel that will take away from your editing/work load. You have to be willing to put in that extra time that traveling takes from your day-to-day schedule.

Switch everything to show that you are a destination and traveling photographer. Post on your blog about different locations, “best of” lists, and target keywords for what those clients would be searching for.

Attach yourself to your brand as a traveling photographer. Show up in your stories, blog personal life stuff, and show your face in your stories, in your posts, and on your website. That personal brand will attract your ideal clients and cause them to want to work with YOU over someone else.

Find Evie at

theheartuniversity.com

The Heart and Hustle Podcast

evelyngrace.com

instagram.com/evierupp

instagram.com/theheartuniversity

Swim Wear - evieswim.com

What Are We Loving?

What Evie is loving:

Drink - Vanilla Cloud drink

What John is loving:

Movie - 41 (Australian time travel love story on Amazon Prime)

We record each episode LIVE in our Facebook group and we would love to connect with you there. You can join at Light + Dark Photography Podcast Group on Facebook.

Follow us at

www.instagram.com/lightdarkco

www.instagram.com/allheartphoto

Ben is a wedding photographer and business coach based in Ohio and soon to be Tampa, FL. He hosts the Six Figure Photography Podcast and offers meaningful business coaching every week in his Facebook group.

I’ve wanted to have Ben on the podcast for a while because I greatly how he coaches. He tends to swim again the stream and focus more on your mindset and how you treat others rather than shallow statistics to boost sales.

Today we’re talking about Chain Reaction Marketing and how you can maximize your marketing efforts by being mindful of these chain reactions.

This episode is sponsored by Freedom Edits.

Get 30% off your first order by going to lightdarkco.com/freedom

Be patient and give time for new marketing techniques to work. Keep showing up, but show up where you want to belong.

If the marketing effort is unilateral, it’s either inefficient or not thought through. It’s a single domino falling be itself.

Each marketing effort should compound with the next. Nothing should be done in isolation.

The things in your business that are going to get to you to what you say you want - the things that are going to make the difference in your life - they are most likely the things that are important but not urgent.

How is the marketing you’re about to do going to move you closer to goal you have for your life? Set an aim for what you’re moving toward and then think of marketing efforts that will move you toward that goal.

Find Ben at

sixfigurephotography.com

Join Ben’s Facebook Group Mastermind - Text “Join” to 614-714-1644

What Are We Loving?

What Ben is loving:

Movie - Everything Everywhere All At Once (Trailer)

What John is loving:

Movie - The Lost City (Trailer)

We record each episode LIVE in our Facebook group and we would love to connect with you there. You can join at Light + Dark Photography Podcast Group on Facebook.

Follow us at

www.instagram.com/lightdarkco

www.instagram.com/allheartphoto

Roy is a wedding photographer who stays in the moment with his couples. He’s also and business coach. He writes blogs for photographers, and he’s based in beautiful Orlando, Florida.

Today we talk about how you can attract more leads by networking and how important relationships are for your business.

Sponsor: Táve

Receive an extended 60 day free trial of Táve at Lightdarkco.com/tave

When moving to a new market and a new state, Roy traveled to Florida often to meet with venues, take pictures and take notes on what he liked about them and what he thought his couples would appreciate about them too. Then turned them into blogs.

A great way to rank up in Google is to update your older blogs too. Updating lists, swapping out photos, writing more copy about the topic, those are all great ways to update your blogs and make them more relevant to Google.

When looking for networking opportunities, don’t just look for events for people in your industry. But you can look for events that you think your ideal clients would attend.

And you may not even meet your future clients at these networking events, but you might meet someone who knows your future client and can tell them about you, this cool person they connected with at this event.

Look through local events at Eventbrite and Facebook Events.

When you’ve met people at these events, take them and place them in a spreadsheet. This spreadsheet will have rankings for how well do you know them and how likely are they to introduce you to someone.

In networking scenarios, it can be uncomfortable to make those connections, and you should just embrace the uncomfortable. Extravertedness can be a learned behavior. Push yourself to be uncomfortable and make those connections.

Having someone else sing your praises is worth so much more than you telling someone that you are the best photographer out there. People trust people they know.

When someone has already talked you up to a potential client, all you have to do is show up and not prove them wrong.

Mentioned in the show:

Fuel your Photos Podcast

Eventbrite for searching for Networking events

Roy’s Previous Episode on Growing by Removing Services (EP #79)

Find Roy at

roythephotographer.com

instagram.com/roythephotographer

Roy’s Facebook Group - The Talent Pool

What Are We Loving?

What Roy is loving:

Universal Studios and all the theme parks in Orlando

What John is loving:

Movie - The Adam Project (Netflix)

We record each episode LIVE in our Facebook group and we would love to connect with you there. You can join at Light + Dark Photography Podcast Group on Facebook.

Follow us at

www.instagram.com/lightdarkco

www.instagram.com/allheartphoto