257: Finding Balance and Inspiration Through Personal Projects

In this episode, I’m sharing my journey with a new personal project, Silent Vlogging, and how it has helped me find balance and inspiration in life and business.

From reigniting my passion to sparking new ideas, this new personal project has pushed me to grow in unexpected ways. I’m excited to share how these creative pursuits can bring fresh energy, perspective, and purpose to your work!

At the beginning of the episode I mentioned a chat I had with Blair Delaubenfels, you can listen to that episode here: 176: The Importance of Personal Projects

If you want to check out my silent vlogs, just follow this link

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256: The Art of Discovery Calls With Brad & Jen

Friend, if you’ve been hesitant about incorporating discovery calls into your business or think Gen Z clients aren’t interested in phone conversations, this episode is for you!

If you’re not familiar with Brad & Jen, let me introduce them: they’re a husband-and-wife photography duo based in Nashville, Tennessee, with nearly 15 years of experience capturing stories and building a purpose-driven business. From humble beginnings, they’ve grown into a high-budget photography brand centered around heart, balance, and authentic connection.

In this episode, we dive into the art of discovery calls—how to approach them and what common pitfalls to avoid. I hope this conversation inspires you to elevate your customer service in your own photography business.

Brad & Jen are dedicated to helping other creatives succeed in business while staying true to their values. Be sure to check out their education page for more resources!

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255: How to Get more Inquiries in Your inbox with Sam Jacobson

Friend, if you’ve been struggling to get more inquiries in your inbox, today’s episode is exactly what you need.

We’re joined by Sam Jacobson, a sales, pricing, and copywriting expert who’s worked with wedding pros for over 17 years. Sam is all about helping creatives, like you, book more clients at higher prices by applying insights from behavioral economics.

In this episode, Sam shares key strategies to help you attract more inquiries and turn potential clients into bookings. You'll get valuable insights on how to improve your messaging and approach to draw in more couples.

If you’re tired of hearing crickets in your inbox and are ready to get some inquiries, this episode is packed with value!

Sam has been a guest on this podcast several times. If you enjoy this episode, make sure to check out the other conversations as well: Sam’s Episodes On The Tog Republic

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254: Five Mistakes You're Making in Your Blog Posts

Friend, for the past couple of years, I have been doing website reviews and content feedback (on my Patreon), and I keep seeing the same mistakes made over and over again.

I want to be clear and say that done is better than perfect, so if you’re doing your best to publish a blog post, you go! But hopefully, this list episode can give you some insight into how to make your blog posts better for SEO and client experience.

If you are a busy photographer and understand the value of blogging but don’t have the time to do so, get in touch with Nicole from Lattes For Lunch. She specializes in blogging and SEO for wedding pros.

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253: All About Personal Branding with Andrea Eppolito

Friend, welcome to another chat! Today I want you to meet Andrea Eppolito, a fabulous luxury event planner based in Vegas who works with clients all over the world.

In today’s episode, we’re chatting about personal branding and how to incorporate your business with who you are and the things you enjoy and love.

Andrea is the author of four books, including "Redefine Your Wedding Business," "Luxury Weddings Las Vegas," "Leggings Aren't Pants," and "The 24 Hour Hero.” As a global keynote speaker, Andrea inspires businesses to elevate their storytelling, maintain intentionality, and attract their ideal clientele.

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YOU CAN FIND MORE ABOUT Andrea HERE:

her Website

Her Instagram

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252: Answering Your Latest Questions About Pinterest

Friend, welcome back to the podcast! I wanted to break the radio silence with a topic that I love and that I keep seeing many questions about on Threads. Since I love Pinterest so much, I wanted to answer your questions about this platform.

In this episode, I cover what Pinterest is, what you should expect from it, the client’s journey, and a bit more. Feel free to contact me if you still have questions about this topic.

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251: All About Pricing with Tae Kim

Friend, meet Tae a wedding photographer based in LA and also the founder of Be Here Project an educational platform for creatives ( all content in Spanish).

Tae is great at numbers (not a surprise as he has a bachelor's in economics) so in today’s episode we’re chatting about numbers and Tae guides us on the best way to set our prices to succeed.

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If you speak Spanish, Tae was a guest on the show a couple of years ago and we chatted about how to connect with future clients. You can listen to this episode here: 143: COMO CONECTAR CON FUTUROS CLIENTES Y AMPLIFICAR SU EXPERIENCIA CON TAE KIM (EPISODE IN SPANISH)

You can find more about Tae here:

WEBSITE

BE HERE PROJECT

BE HERE PROJECT PODCAST

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250: Everything About Backlinks With Kari Bjorn

Friend, I have been talking a lot about SEO, and the reason why is because it’s a strategy that works! Does it take time? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely, yes!

Meet Kari Bjorn, an Icelandic wedding and elopement photographer currently based in Connecticut. Karry is passionate about small business marketing and SEO — and is currently offering mentorships to wedding photographers.

In today’s episode, we covered the topic of Backlinks and why they’re fundamental for your SEO strategy. Kari also recommends the best ways to get backlinks and explains the difference between them.

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You can find more about Kari here:

SEO for wedding photographers

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249: Five Things I'm Doing To keep My Biz on Everyone's Radar

It’s not a secret that the first quarter of 2024 has been a bit slower than previous years, and if you don’t have data from your own business to compare, this could be very scary.

However, this is the name of the game; some years will be better than others, and the goal is to keep momentum, even when it's harder to do so.

So in today’s episode, I’m sharing with you 5 things I’m doing to keep my business on everyone’s radar! Constant eyes on my brand means opportunities that I can take to book new clients.

I hope you take these strategies and use them in your own business!

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248: Multiplying Your Marketing Mojo With Bobbi Barbarich

Friend, today’s episode is an interview I did with my fellow podcaster Bobbie Barbarich.

Her show, The Tilt and Shift Podcast, features some amazing and deep conversations with talented photographers, so I recommend you subscribe to her feed.

In this episode, Bobbie and I chatted about some recent changes I made to my business and the mindset work I have been doing to implement significant changes in my pricing.

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YOU CAN FIND MORE ABOUT BOBBI HERE:

EDUCATION AND PODCAST:

WWW.BOBBIBEDUCATION.COM

HER WEDDING AND PHOTOGRAPHY WORK:

WWW.BOBBIBARBARICH.CA

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247: Ideas on How to Market Your Family Photography Business

Friends, today we have a question from Rachel Mann Photography (I host Q&A’s on my Instagram Channel) and she asked: “Best way to attract your ideal client as a family?”

Well, over a decade ago, I was solely a family photographer when I had just started my photography business. At that time, we didn’t have Instagram (CALM DOWN, YOUNG PEOPLE!!!), so I had to rely on networking to grow my business.

In this episode, I'll share with you five things I did to attract clients and get my brand off the ground!

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246: A Business Without A Website With Jon Canlas

Friend, if you've been a photographer for over 15 years, you've likely heard the name Jon Canlas at least once. If you shoot film, you've definitely heard his name at least twice ;)

I've been a fan of his work since the early stages of my career, and I'm thrilled I had the opportunity to have this chat at this stage of my business!

A conversation that was supposed to be about a business without a website took many turns into other important topics. Although I'm a sucker for structure, I let Jon guide me into a chat that felt heartfelt and vulnerable, filling me with inspiration. I hope this conversation does the same for you!

If you are new to Jon, he’s been a photographer since 1999. He has created a profession around shooting film. Known for his family work both professionally and personally, he also is known for his workshops FILM IS NOT DEAD and the current FILM SCHOOL ROAD TRIP. He resides in Payson, UT with his 6 kids.

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You can find more about Jon here:

His Website (No website ;)) https://jonathan.instaproofs.com/gallery/#events

Hitoribochi (personal work shot since his divorce) https://jonathan.instaproofs.com/gallery/#events/1897059

Peteetneet (personal work shot in UT since moving from Hawaii) https://jonathan.instaproofs.com/gallery/#events/1517048

Life of Aloha (personal work shot while he lived in Hawaii) https://jonathan.instaproofs.com/gallery/#events/971230

FILM SCHOOL ROAD TRIP https://jonathan.instaproofs.com/gallery/#events/971230

His Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jonathancanlas/

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245: Client's Interview: Inquiries & Perceived Value

Today’s episode is a bit different, as I've invited a previous client of mine to share her experience booking a photographer for her engagement session.

I photographed Dilihana and her fiance, David, in December, a few months after her initial inquiry. The reason I wanted to hear her point of view was that after presenting my pricing, she politely mentioned that unfortunately, she was going with another photographer based on her budget.

However, a gut feeling and perceived value made her reevaluate her original decision and book my services instead, despite the price difference.

This candid conversation is filled with valuable insights on what future clients are looking for and the little things that make a difference.

Before you jump into today’s episode here are some images from their engagement session:

Image by Carolina Guzik Photography www.carolinaguzik.com

Image by Carolina Guzik Photography www.carolinaguzik.com

Image by Carolina Guzik Photography www.carolinaguzik.com

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244: (ENCORE) Five Major Mistakes You Are Making On Your Homepage

I published this episode 2 years ago and since we are talking a lot about websites, I'm going to share this with all of you!

I hope in 2024 you focus on your site as a major component of your marketing strategy!

Enjoy this episode!

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243: Outside of Social Media What's The Best Tool/Place For Marketing?

Did you know that Instagram now has Channels? If you've been living under a rock and this is news to you, I just want to let you know that I have a Marketing Channel, and you can join for FREE. There, I'm sharing bite-sized marketing tips, and you can ask questions too!

The questions from Today’s episode come from 2 fantastic photographers Rachael Mann and Francisco Estarda they asked about the best Tool/Place For Marketing outside social media and trends for wedding photography and video in 2024.I also added a third question I received on Threads!

Enjoy this episode!

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242: Portfolio Building and Curation With David Abel

Friend, the very first impression that prospects get of your business is through your images. Are you showcasing the kind of work that will attract your ideal client?

But here lies the catch-22. How can you attract the clients you want if your work isn't speaking to the right audience?

Allow me to introduce David Abel, an international wedding photographer based in Virginia. He took matters into his own hands with exquisite editorial work that bridged the gap between his portfolio and his dream clients!

In today’s episode, David shares with us how to build your portfolio and curate your images to reach the clients you are most interested in working with.

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YOU CAN FIND MORE ABOUT David Abel HERE:

Website - https://davidabel.co/

Education, Workshops, & Retreats: https://davidabel.co/education

Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidabel.co/

Catch David at Hybrid Co - https://thehybridco.com/

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241: How to get started with SEO With Brianna Parks

Happy 2024! Blogging is back in fashion, and I hope this episode provides you with the encouragement and strategies you need to start using this approach as a fundamental tool in your business.

Brianna Parks is an adventure elopement photographer in Northern California, and her website receives over 300 inquiries per year, thanks to Google!

In today's episode, we discuss her blogging approach, what she's done, and the timeline it took her to reach page one for over 10 different keywords!

SEO is a massive topic, and although we did our best to cover the basics, you might need some extra context or information. If that's the case, please visit my Patreon, where I have several tutorials about SEO and its components.

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You can find more about Brianna here:

Website - ⁠https://briannaparksphoto.com⁠

Instagram - ⁠https://instagram.com/briannaparksphotography

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240: Five Ways to Show Gratitude in the Wedding Industry and Grow Your Business

Gratitude plays a significant role in both my life and business, so here are five ways to show gratitude in the Wedding Industry and Grow Your Business!

In this super short episode, but very applicable, I share with you five simple strategies to show gratitude, while getting noticed by your favorite vendors.

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239: How To Use ChatGPT To Write Better Content With Corey Potter

Friend, so it's been several months since the release of ChatGPT and since AI is going nowhere we might as well learn how to use it.

This chat with Corey Potter from Fuel Your Photos is packed with knowledge, dos and don'ts, and general ideas as to how to use ChatGPT as a tool to help you with your writing.

This episode is perfect for photographers who want to blog more often and feel very intimidated not only by writing articles but also by the content creation process.

You can find more about Corey here:

⁠His Website + Podcast ⁠

ARE YOU READY TO LEVEL UP YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS? CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS:

1:1 coaching program:  This coaching photogram is designed for photographers who haven’t been able to book consistent clients, make lasting relationships in their industry, and are overwhelmed trying to find out why things aren’t working. Get all the information here: https://thetogrepublic.com/coaching

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238: How to Market Your Photography Business When You Are Feeling Overwhelmed

Friend, we all have been there: Overwhelmed, is the reality of running a business, at some point, you will face some things that will overwhelm you, but you need to find a way to reset your nervous system and carry on.

Today’s episode is an honest chat with Aida Glowik a wedding photographer based in Germany. She is also a speaker and host of My Wedding Season - The Podcast! In addition to running two businesses, she’s also renovating her home and taking care of her family.

You can find more about Aida here:

Her Podcast

Free Digital Planner

Her Instagram

ARE YOU READY TO LEVEL UP YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS? CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS:

1:1 coaching program:  This coaching photogram is designed for photographers who haven’t been able to book consistent clients, make lasting relationships in their industry, and are overwhelmed trying to find out why things aren’t working. Get all the information here: https://thetogrepublic.com/coaching

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