This is Reportage Podcast

Such a pleasure to chat to the great Sophie Callewaert today! Sophie is one of Belgium's best wedding photographers, with 9 Reportage Awards and 2 Story Awards under her belt, and, though I've only met her once very briefly, she's a lovely person, and just really lovely to talk to. Tune in today, as Sophie talks about: growing up in her family's restaurant, personal projects, living a curious life, authenticity, what makes a good wedding photographer, 'day in the life' family sessions, driving from Belgium to Ireland for Doc Day, and much more... Head to https://thisisreportage.com/podcast-episode-53-this-is-sophie-callewaert/ for a link to Sophie's website, and to see the two images that Sophie talks about (amongst many other things) in the episode. Interested in joining us? Find out all the benefits of membership and join our documentary wedding photography site at https://thisisreportage.com or our sister-site for documentary family photography at https://thisisreportagefamily.com

Excited to chat to the fantastic Kristof Claeys for episode 52 of the Podcast today! Kristof was in our Top 30 Photographers of 2019, and has won a pretty staggering 9 Reportage and 6 Story Awards. He's also a fantastic family photographer, and has already won 2 Reportage Family Awards and 2 Family Story Awards on our sister-site, This is Reportage: Family. Tune in today as Kristof talks about: letting your clients be themselves, learning to fail, a momentous event that led to him making a 180 in his life, the story behind a couple of his wedding awards and a family story award too (that features a cat in every frame!), tips on submitting, what makes him happy, and so much more... Head to https://thisisreportage.com/podcast-episode-52-this-is-kristof-claeys/ for a link to his website, to see the two Reportage Awards that Kristof discusses in the episode, as well as his unique Family Story Award that he talks about too (amongst many other things). Interested in joining us? Find out all the benefits of membership and join our documentary wedding photography site at https://thisisreportage.com or our sister-site for documentary family photography at https://thisisreportagefamily.com

The Podcast is going to be a little bit different going forward, as, with the launch of This is Reportage: Family a few months ago - our sister-site for documentary family photography - we're going to be featuring family photographers on the Podcast, as well as wedding photographers, too. It's still going to be the same fun mix of photography, life and personal stories - as the Podcast has always been just as much - if not more so - about the *people*; their stories, what makes them tick - as it has been about the photography itself, but we'll just be talking to photographers who specialise in both disciplines. For some episodes I'll be talking to people who specialise in families, in others I'll be talking to people who only do weddings, and for others I'll chat to people who do both. I hope that you'll still want to listen to the photographers who work in a different field as to what you do, because the skills and tips we discuss really are virtually always *so* valid between both wedding and family coverage (and there's often universal business advice, too) - but also because, as I've said, these Podcasts are really more about the people, and their life experiences and stories are always so interesting and insightful. Today I'm really excited to be talking to the fab Alice Chapman. Alice is a documentary family photographer based in Cambridge in the UK, and is currently ranked no.1 in the UK after our first two Awards Collections on This is Reportage: Family, with 7 Reportage Family Awards and a Family Story Award too. Alice shares so much today, including: her top tips for documentary family photography, the story behind one of her specific Reportage Family Awards, her journey into her photography career, which day she would choose to live over and over again, being on the other side of the camera and having her own family photographed, life in these corona times, children, plants and much, much more... Head to https://thisisreportage.com/podcast-episode-51-this-is-alice-chapman/ for a link to Alice's website, and to see the specific Reportage Family Award she talks about on the episode too. Interested in joining us? Find out all the benefits of membership and join our documentary wedding photography site at https://thisisreportage.com or our sister-site for documentary family photography at https://thisisreportagefamily.com

Can't quite believe we're up to our 50th Podcast episode! It was less than a year ago that we launched (on November 7th 2019), and I really didn't know how it was going to pan out; it was my first foray into the world of podcasting - would people tune in? Would they like what they heard? Would we have any listeners at all...? Fast-forward almost a year later and I have to say the Podcast journey has been incredible - with over 32,000 plays so far, with listeners from all over the world. I want to say a massive, massive thanks to everyone who has tuned in - it really means a lot to know that the incredible photographers who share their time and expertise with me each week are being heard and appreciated. And many thanks to those listeners who have been so kind as to leave us a review on iTunes, or to share something about an episode on their Insta Stories, or who have sent me messages via Insta or FB or by email...your kind words and support really mean so much to me - they really make my day to hear how you're enjoying listening, they really do - so thank you so much. A final - and very important! - thanks to each and every photographer who has joined me for an episode; you have all shared *so* much, been so incredibly generous with your advice and tips, and have been *so* open; no questions have ever been out-of-bounds, and I adore how honest and sharing you have all been. You've also put up with some of my truly awful and/or random questions, so, for that, I do indeed salute you. I know that, personally, I've learned so much over the course of these 50 episodes so far, and I know many people around the world have also benefitted from your openness - thank you all so much. So, to celebrate this milestone of our 50th episode (as I do believe that milestones are worth celebrating in life, for lots of different reasons) I thought we'd do a special episode! I thought long and hard about what we could do that would be fun and different - and yet would still stay true to the core theme of the Podcast (which, incidentally, I think is just as much about the people - if not more so - than it is about the photography-side) and I thought....Game Show! Ha, why not? A '50-themed' Game Show to celebrate our 50th episode. So that's what we've done! I've asked back a few of our Podcast guests (as I thought that would also be a fun thing to do for this special episode, bring back a few people who have already been on the Podcast) and we've done an entire 'game show' type episode, complete with prize...! Thanks so much to my wonderful returning guests: Adam Johnson, Adam Riley and Anna Hardy. For one of the 'rounds', I asked This is Reportage members various 50/50 questions (see the '50' theme there...? Ha!), and thank you so much to everyone who replied - we had 173 responses, which was absolutely amazing. The results of these are all revealed in the very first round of the game show, so if you want to know things such as whether most people shoot solo or with seconds, whether they get nervous before each wedding, or if they prefer eating or sleeping, make sure you listen in. We also have lots more rounds, all loosely-based around the '50' theme - it was a lot of fun to record; I really hope you enjoy listening, and maybe you'll play along too. As a little bonus, TiR members can also watch the video-recording of this episode if you want to see all our squirming faces too....! GIVEAWAY! Another way we're celebrating this milestone is by having two separate chances to win a This is Reportage or This is Reportage: Family T-shirt! Visit https://thisisreportage.com/podcast-episode-50-this-is-the-50th-special/ for full details on how to enter. Interested in joining us? Find out all the benefits of membership and join us at https://thisisreportage.com If you're also into documentary family photography, you may be interested in our new sister-site, This is Reportage: Family. Find out more at https://thisisreportagefamily.com

An absolute pleasure to talk to the fab Kristian Leven today! Kristian is one of the UK's very best documentary wedding photographers, and has won 8 Reportage Awards and 5 Story Awards from us, as well as two Reportage Family Awards over on our new sister-site for family photography, This is Reportage: Family. He was also in our Top 100 Photographers in the World in 2019, and was a judge for us back in our very first Collection. He's also just a lovely, lovely guy! Tune in today to hear Kristian talk about his top tips for documentary-coverage, how thoughts about creativity led him into this photographic-life, how he's been dealing with these covid times, the story behind one of his specific Reportage Awards, his street photography adventures, photographing my own sister's wedding, and much, much more.. And just before we get on to Kristian, do keep an ear out for next week's show, as it'll be our 50th episode! We're going to do something a bit special for it, which will include a giveaway as well, so make sure you tune in for that one... Head to https://thisisreportage.com/podcast-episode-49-this-is-kristian-leven/ for a link to Kristian's website, and to see the specific Reportage Award he talks about on the episode too. TiR members can also watch an exclusive video with Kristian, where he talks about every image from one of his Story Awards - one of the many educational videos our members have access to. Interested in joining us? Find out all the benefits of membership and join us at https://thisisreportage.com If you're also into documentary family photography, you may be interested in our new sister-site, This is Reportage: Family. Find out more and join us at https://thisisreportagefamily.com

Fab to talk to the brilliant Els Korsten today! Els is one of the best photographers in Holland, and has won 4 Reportage Awards and a Story Award from us. She's also won lots on our recently-launched sister-site for documentary family photography, This is Reportage: Family, where she's picked up 7 Reportage Family Awards and 2 Family Story Awards already. Phew, that's quite a haul, and a real testament to just how good a photographer she is. She was really lovely to talk to, as well. Tune it today as Els shares so much, including the importance of being yourself, photographing cows (and how not to be scared of them), feeling the love of weddings, the day she'd live over-and-over again, why listening is vital, the story behind a specific Reportage and Reportage Family Award of hers, and much more... Head to https://thisisreportage.com/podcast-episode-48-this-is-els-korsten/ for links to Els' websites, and to see the Awards she speaks about on the episode. Look out for our special 50th episode in a couple of weeks, too - which may include a giveaway... Interested in joining us? Find out all the benefits of membership and join us at https://thisisreportage.com If you're also into documentary family photography, you may be interested in our new sister-site, This is Reportage: Family. Find out more and join us at https://thisisreportagefamily.com

It was a real pleasure to chat to the fab Adam Riley for episode 47 of the This is Reportage Podcast today! Adam was ranked 14th Worldwide on our Top Photographers of 2019 list, and has won an amazing haul of 8 Reportage Awards and 7 Story Awards. He's a lovely guy as well, really enjoyed talking to him. Adam shares so much with us today, all in a very relaxed and entertaining way, too - including how he went from forensic scientist to wedding photographer, why street photography has had such an impact on his work, the story behind one of his specific Reportage Awards, Netflix recommendations, family photography, why a conversation over a game of FIFA changed his life, and much, much more... Head to https://thisisreportage.com/podcast-episode-47-this-is-adam-riley/ for a link to Adam's website and to see the Reportage Awards that he mentions in the episode. There's also his fab self-portrait there too. Interested in joining us? Find out all the benefits of membership and join us at https://thisisreportage.com If you're also into documentary family photography, you may be interested in our new sister-site, This is Reportage: Family. Find out more and join us at https://thisisreportagefamily.com

Great to have the fab Darren Kirwan with us today! Darren is one of the very best wedding photographers in Ireland; he's won 7 Reportage Awards from us, and is a speaker at Doc Day 2021 as well. We talk about lots of different things in the episode, with Darren sharing all about how he likes to work close (and tips for doing that), the story behind one of his specific Reportage Awards, Zinedine Zidane, thoughts on the power of cropping, his journey into weddings, tips on working with videographers, and much more... Head to https://thisisreportage.com/podcast-episode-46-this-is-darren-kirwan/ for a link to Darren's website and Doc Day 2021 too. Interested in joining us? Find out all the benefits of membership and join us at https://thisisreportage.com If you're also into documentary family photography, you may be interested in our new sister-site, This is Reportage: Family. Find out more and join us at https://thisisreportagefamily.com

Super to talk to the fab Anna Hardy for episode 45 of the This is Reportage Podcast! Anna was originally a wedding photographer and has transitioned fully to family photographer now - as well as being an educator, too. She was also one of our judges for our first Collection over on our documentary family photography sister-site, This is Reportage: Family. Anna shares *so* much with us today, including top tips for if you're a wedding photographer looking to get into family photography, an exhilarating story of one of her skydives going wrong (and how that links in with the importance of doing things your own way - in life, and business), why empathy is vital to family work (and things you can do to boost that), tips on marketing and how to get more family clients, and so much more... This is Reportage and This is Reportage: Family members receive an exclusive discount on Anna's 'The Roost' online family photography course, too - sign in to your account and visit the members area to see how to get this exclusive discount. Head to https://thisisreportage.com/podcast-episode-45-this-is-anna-hardy/ for more info on Anna and her brand-new upcoming membership-site, The Shutterhood - there's a link there to more info and to get on the waiting list. Interested in joining us? Find out all the benefits of membership and join us at https://thisisreportage.com If you're also into documentary family photography, you may be interested in our new sister-site, This is Reportage: Family. Find out more and join us at https://thisisreportagefamily.com Deadline for our Awards submissions for both sites is just days away now: Submit by 23:59 BST on 23rd September 2020.

Photography website design expert Alex Vita shares valuable insights on common website mistakes, user experience over SEO, image optimization, standing out from competitors, and showcasing personality. He discusses the positive impact of the pandemic on web design and the importance of creating a niche in the photography industry, with examples from wedding photography. The conversation also includes recommendations for TV shows and comedies, reflections on success definitions, and insights on lazy loading for web pages.