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How Do You Deal with Imposter Syndrome?

In this week's photography podcast, we are so lucky to be joined by Diana of Joy and Light Photography!

Diana Cottam is an emotive Arkansas wedding and elopement photographer obsessed with capturing in-between and authentic moments of your story. And today? We are chatting all about imposter syndrome! 

Today, we are chatting about:

• Diana's Photography Background
• Leaving The Corporate World for Creative Entrepreneurship 
• 7 Ways to Deal with Imposter Syndrome

Here's an awesome introduction from Diana about imposter syndrome!

Do you ever find yourself doubting your photography skills, despite all your hard work
and achievements? You're not alone. Many female photographers who own small
businesses experience a common phenomenon known as imposter syndrome. This
nagging feeling that you're not good enough can be a major roadblock to success. But fear not, because in today’s podcast, we're going to explore actionable steps to help you
conquer imposter syndrome once and for all.

This episode is so good! Thank you so much to Diana for joining me today!

Want to learn more about Diana? I've got you!

Diana of Joy and Light Photography: Website | Instagram | Facebook

*Marked explicit in case there's swears! (But honestly I don't think there's any in here today, lol)

NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY

Want to be a guest on the podcast? Contact me here!

LINKS TO ALL THE THINGS!

Photography Website | Opal and June | Education + Books | Photographer Merch | Instagram

Are you the girliest photographer ever? Hooray! My side business, Opal and June, was made for you!

At Opal and June, we have the most fun tees for photographers. And beyond that? We have so much more! We have tees for art history lovers, history girls, teachers, artists, animal lovers, and everything you can imagine. Go grab yourself a tee or grab a gift for a loved one!

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What If I Miss The First Kiss When I Photograph a Wedding?

In this week's photography podcast, we talk about:

• A Time I Missed The First Kiss (!!)
• You're Never Going To Get Every Single Moment
• Don't Be Full of Angst!
• It Is Okay To Make Mistakes

Wanna know this episode in one quote? I got you!

“There can be a lot of pressure when you're photographing things... You're the one preserving the memories. And if you let yourself get in your head about that, it's enough to stress anybody out even if you're, like, not anxious at all.

We've all had bad moments at weddings... It's easy to angst yourself out and not say anything but this is never the path to go on." 

*Marked explicit in case there's swears!

NOTE: I talk super quickly about contracts in this episode but am not a lawyer. Don't take anything on this podcast - on this episode or any episode! - as legal advice. I'm 10000% just talking as a wedding photographer / photographer mom. 

NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY

Want to be a guest on the podcast? Contact me here!

LINKS TO ALL THE THINGS!

Photography Website | Opal and June | Education + Books | Photographer Merch | Instagram 

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Send us Fan Mail

How Can I Support My Partner Who Has a Creative Business?

In this week's photography podcast, we talk with my husband Andrew about a few ways we manage our schedule with one partner in a creative, self employed career + one partner in a traditional career. Here's a few of the topics!

• Communication is Key
• Devoted Work Days
• Finding a Groove with Scheduling 
• Some Days, It's Just Madness
• Think of Ways to Work Together 

Wanna know this episode in one quote? I've got you!

"It's not always easy and it's definitely not aways pretty but, when one partner has a creative career and another has a traditional career, it is possible to merge two totally different schedules and make something awesome."

*Marked explicit in case there's swears! We are a swearing household, lol.

NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY

Want to be a guest on the podcast? Contact me here!

LINKS TO ALL THE THINGS!

Photography Website | Opal and June | Education + Books | Photographer Merch | Instagram 

Are you the girliest photographer ever? Hooray! My side business, Opal and June, was made for you!

At Opal and June, we have the most fun tees for photographers. And beyond that? We have so much more! We have tees for art history lovers, history girls, teachers, artists, animal lovers, and everything you can imagine. Go grab yourself a tee or grab a gift for a loved one!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

How Can You Find The Right Photography Mentor for YOU?

In this week's photography podcast, we talk about:

• Your Fave Photographer v The Right Mentor
• Being Critiqued is Emotional! 
• My Experience Being Mentored + Mentoring
• How To Interpret Your Mentor's Feedback

Wanna know this episode in one quote? I got you!

“When you are looking for a photography mentor, you need to go for someone who has something that you are looking for… find something in their work that you want in yours.”

*Marked explicit in case there's swears!

NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY

Want to be a guest on the podcast? Contact me here!

LINKS TO ALL THE THINGS!

Photography Website | Opal and June | Education + Books | Photographer Merch | Instagram 

Are you the girliest photographer ever? Hooray! My side business, Opal and June, was made for you!

At Opal and June, we have the most fun tees for photographers. And beyond that? We have so much more! We have tees for art history lovers, history girls, teachers, artists, animal lovers, and everything you can imagine. Go grab yourself a tee or grab a gift for a loved one!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Do I Need To Shoot With Props?
In this week's photography podcast, we talk about:

• Props Can Help Clients Settle into Photos
• Not Every Prop is for Every Person
• Having 3-5 Recommended Props for ALL Session Types
• Simplicity Can Be Its Own Kind of Prop
• Have Fun With It!

Wanna know this episode in one quote? I got you!

"Props are kind of like people: They can be really reserved, really loud, really colorful, and really quiet. They can be subdued, funny, kitschy, silly, and just a little bit out there. Just like personalities, not all props will hit the same. And that’s totally cool! Everyone starts from a base point and, for some, that means shooting with props. For others, the only prop they want is the wind… and even most of the time they are not really even into that."

*Marked explicit in case there's swears!

NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY

Want to be a guest on the podcast? Contact me here!

LINKS TO ALL THE THINGS!

Photography Website | Opal and June | Education + Books | Photographer Merch | Instagram 

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

How Can I Shoot In My House?
In this week's photography podcast, we talk about:

• All You Need is a Window or a Door
• Look at Your House as a Location, Not Your Home
• How to Create Makeshift Studio Spaces
• We Are All Our Own Worst Critic 

Wanna know this episode in one quote? I got you!

"If we approached every location we’ve ever shot at with the same scrutiny we use in our own homes, we’d never shoot anywhere. That downtown doorway you love?  There’s paint peeling. The garden you love shooting in? There’s bugs on those flowers. The lake dock you love? There’s spiderwebs somewhere on that sucker.

Give yourself some grace! And more important? Give yourself some creative freedom!" 

*Marked explicit in case there's swears!

NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY

Want to be a guest on the podcast? Contact me here!

LINKS TO ALL THE THINGS!

Photography Website | Opal and June | Education + Books | Photographer Merch | Instagram 

Are you the girliest photographer ever? Hooray! My side business, Opal and June, was made for you!

At Opal and June, we have the most fun tees for photographers. And beyond that? We have so much more! We have tees for art history lovers, history girls, teachers, artists, animal lovers, and everything you can imagine. Go grab yourself a tee or grab a gift for a loved one!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

What If Someone Ghosts You?
In this week's photography podcast, we talk about:

• A Few Of My Own Ghosting Stories
• Ghosting Can Happen to ANYONE
• Client Ghosting + Creative Ghosting
• Approaching Inquiries as Inquiries
• Not Every Client or Creative Professional is The Best Fit for Every Photographer (or Creative)
• Don't Let Ghosting Gnaw Away At You!

Wanna know this episode in one quote? I got you!

"Don't let it (ghosting) impact your work! And most of all? Don't let it impact how you feel about yourself. If you stick to shooting for a long time, you're going to have days that rock and days that really suck. This is just a day that sucks!"

*Marked explicit for swears!

Photography Website | Opal and June | Education + Books | Photographer Merch | Instagram

NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY

Want to be a guest on the podcast? Contact me here!

Are you the girliest photographer ever? Hooray! My side business, Opal and June, was made for you!

At Opal and June, we have the most fun tees for photographers. And beyond that? We have so much more! We have tees for art history lovers, history girls, teachers, artists, animal lovers, and everything you can imagine. Go grab yourself a tee or grab a gift for a loved one!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

What If No One Likes My Photos?

In this week's photography podcast, we talk about:

• How PPD Let Me Into Happy Photos
• Not Everyone Is Going To Like Your Photos
• Visions (and Styles!) Take TIME!
• My Experience Designing Shirts v My Experience with Creating Photographs

Wanna know this episode in one quote? I got you!

"If no one likes your photos? It's okay! YOU just need to like your photos."

*Marked explicit for swears!

Photography Website | Opal and June | Education + Books | Photographer Merch | Instagram

NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY

Want to be a guest on the podcast? Contact me here!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

How Can I Nail Focus if I Love Bokeh and Blur?

In this week's photography podcast, we talk about:

• Quick Overview on Aperture
• Shooting Wide Open
• Tying Blurry Photos Into a Gallery
• Switching Mindset Between Creative and Technical Focus

Wanna know this episode in one quote? I got you!

"Creative focus - blurry photographs, photos shot through a surface, light painting, etc. - are all created to convey an emotion. While photographs with traditional focus also convey emotions, the end goal is a little different. Think of creative focus as abstract and traditional focus as, well, traditional. Together, these two types of focus can really elevate a gallery to have a ton of emotion that they could not achieve if the gallery was only made up of one type of focus."

*Marked explicit for swears!

P.S. So sorry for some of the audio quality in this one! There's some thumping + background of my fluffy pups barking that I couldn't quite remove but hey! We're learning this together, lol.

Photography Website | Opal and June | Education + Books | Photographer Merch | Instagram

NEW EPISODES EVERY FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAY

Want to be a guest on the podcast? Contact me here!

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

What Kind of Photos Do You Like, Anyway?

In this week's photography podcast, we talk about:

• What Photos Are You Drawn To?
• What Do You Like?
• Everything Worth Doing Is A Little Vulnerable 

Wanna know this episode in one quote? I got you!

"Ask yourself: What do you like?

Do you like color? Do you like patterns? Glitter? Minimalism? Do you like the outdoors? Dappled light? Or do you like even light? Ask yourself these questions and write down the answers. And after that? I want you to look around your house, your wardrobe, and a bundle of your own photographs. What do you see? Do you see commonalities?"

*Marked explicit for swears!

Photography Website | Opal and June | Education + Books | Photographer Merch | Instagram

NEW EPISODES EVERY FIRST AND THIRD TUESDAY

Want to be a guest on the podcast? Contact me here!

Support the show