Focused Photographers Podcast

EPISODE SUMMARY A conversation about money conjures up all kinds of feelings. For many of us, they’re not warm and fuzzy feelings. I’m no different. Most of my feelings about money came from family and environmental experiences in my impressionable years. I developed a toxic money mindset that I’d call Money Avoidance. I didn’t want anything to do with it because I believed it would change me like I thought it changed many others.   In Episode 27 of the Focused Photographers Podcast, I share how early experiences with money created some bad habits later in life. Those bad habits led to uncontrollable spending and mountains of debt. I share my journey from the tumultuous moment of staring down mountains of debt and the birth of our first daughter to a transformed, renewed, and healthy perspective on my relationship with money.   In a few highlights of this episode, I share: the small spending mistakes that made a not-so-small impact on my financial situation several big and stupid mistakes I made along the way that put me further behind in the journey to financial independence what my first steps were after the “A-Ha!” moment that put me on the actual journey to financial independence the ONE BOOK that had the most significant impact on the financial health of my business the books that helped me reframe my negative money mindset, pay off debt, and organize my personal finances where I’m at now with my habits and behaviors around money.   If you take anything from the episode, it’s this: Wealth is often hidden. It’s hard to study what’s hidden. Don’t confuse “rich” for “wealth.” Getting wealthy and staying wealthy requires some form of frugality and paranoia that it can all go away in an instant. Success today does not guarantee success tomorrow. The same is said with money.   And finally, JL Collins has my favorite quote about personal finance that is easy to memorize and live by:   Spend less than you earn. Invest the rest. Avoid debt. CONNECT WITH HANK PAUL Website: WWW.DANIELMOYERPHOTOGRAPHY.COM Education: WWW.FOCUSEDPHOTOGRAPHERS.COM Wedding Instagram: @DANIELMOYERPHOTO Education Instagram: @GETFOCUSEDPHOTOGRAPHERS LINKS & RESOURCES​ Books that I mentioned in the episode: TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER by Dave Ramsey THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MONEY by Morgan Housel A SIMPLE PATH TO WEALTH by JL Collins YOU ARE A BADASS: HOW TO STOP DOUBTING YOUR GREATNESS AND START LIVING AN AWESOME LIFE by Jen Sincero SUBSCRIBE Thank you for stopping by friend! If you’re enjoying what you’re hearing, subscribe in Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don’t miss an episode! 🙂 SUBSCRIBE IN APPLE PODCASTS SUBSCRIBE IN SPOTIFY REVIEW IN APPLE PODCASTS This podcast is about giving to others in knowledge, joy, insight, and (*hopefully*) humor. You can help too! The more reviews and ratings in Apple Podcasts, the higher the Focused Photographers Podcast will rank and ultimately the more people will listen to it. So if you’re getting value from this podcast, will you consider leaving a rating on Apple Podcasts? Just click below!    LEAVE A RATING IN APPLE PODCASTS!

Joshua Dwain is a Brooklyn based Wedding, Portrait, and Fashion photographer. He and his wife have been traveling together all over the world for nearly a decade photography at some amazing locations. Early in Josh’s career as he was exploring and expanding his talents through workshops, several interactions with well known photographers had an impact on him. At one workshop with Magnum Photographer David Allan Harvey, Josh remembers seeing photographers of all skill levels, some who were very new and not technically proficient. It was mind blowing to Josh that Harvey saw past the technical skills, or lack there of, and commented on the photographers vision or what the photographer was trying to say. As a technical photographer that showed me a more emotional side. In an encounter with another photographer, Josh remembers them telling him not to show details of shoes, the dress, and wedding decor. Which after some thought didn’t make sense to him because “the look” of the wedding is what is so vastly important to the demographic that Josh serves. He said I know my black brides are all about how everything looks and the experience that has on their guests. I have to show those things if I want my couples to be happy. In this slow burn of an episode, Josh and I take a deep dive into the tangled web of finding your vision amidst feedback from other photographers, seeing your clients and what they truly want, and doing what fulfills you so you don’t get burnt out. I’m paraphrasing here but one of my favorite sentiments from Josh is later in the episode as we turn to how easy it is to get burnt out in the wedding photography world because you’re constantly managing other peoples expectations and doing things for them. If you don’t have a brand that’s built on trust and doing what you enjoy, you’ll head down a burn out path pretty quickly. Grab a pen and paper because Josh drops some really important lessons for photographers navigating their way through trying to find their vision and build a business that feels authentic to them. CONNECT WITH JOSHUA DWAIN Website: WWW.JOSHDWAIN.COM Instagram: @JOSHUA_DWAIN LINKS & RESOURCES​ David Alan Harvey – Photographer & Workshops: WWW.DAVIDALANHARVEY.COM

Hank Paul is an incredible photographer based of Sydney Australia. Hank (he/him) is a full-time wedding photographer and educator based in Sydney, Australia, specializing in sustainable and inclusive weddings. He is a lover of board games, indoor plants and all forms of fried potato. He is a co-host of the Profit on the Margins podcast, author of the book “Queer-Owned”, and creator of Queer Wedding Ally Training.   This is a podcast conversation about how to use inclusive language but especially inclusive language at weddings because weddings tend to be very gendered, heteronormative and bride centric. What I loved about this podcast is that this conversation with Hank is so much more than just review your website and your forms and replace outdated language with inclusive language, but also your in-person while your meeting with couples and even while your photographing. The conversations biggest impact for me was about ¾ of the way through the episode. The layers of this conversation build to how being more inclusive ends up making you a better photographer because you’re giving your clients what they deserve by seeing them as individuals and totally unique vs. this one size fits all approach.   Some of the main points that we cover in the episode are: How to adjust all of your language both on front facing like your website and back end of your business like on forms, contracts, guides, etc. How to be intentional with your language when you are in-person with a queer couple and what to do if you mess up. Exploring non-gendered posing and posing prompts so you can break free from typical “man or taller person” stands here and “woman or shorter person stands here.” How all this comes together to create an experience for couples that sees them as the unique individuals they are which allows you to serve your clients better   Enjoy this thoughtful and important conversation with me and Hank about using inclusive language in your photography business! CONNECT WITH HANK PAUL​ Website: WWW.HENRYPAUL.COM.AU Queer Wedding Ally Training: WWW.QUEERWEDDINGALLIES.COM Instagram: @HENRYPAULPHOTOGRAPHY LINKS & RESOURCES​ Hank’s Queer Ally Training: WWW.QUEERWEDDINGALLIES.COM

EPISODE SUMMARY Taylor Jones has an incredible story of coming from childhood in rural West Virginia to actualizing the life that she wants living on a 40+ acre farm in Colorado. Her story weaves through many life changes but the one thing that stayed consistent was her focus on staying true to herself.  In episode 24, listen as Taylor discusses what it takes to build a business that is unabashedly true to yourself and resonates with others. Branding is way more than colors, logos, and websites. It’s what others feel about you and your business. I agree with Taylor when she says that Branding is so much about creating an experience for your clients. Pouring into others lives, building them up, and showing up for them creates the ultimate client experience that will build a following of happy and loyal clients who will become lifelong supporters and friends. “When everything happened with the pandemic, that was our best year financially because we had so many clients tell us, ‘We know your going to be at our wedding. Here’s a check. Keep the money.’ We had clients driving out to our property to do all kinds of sessions. By having this massive following of amazing clients, they showed up when we needed them too.” Check out this amazing episode to learn how you can build a following too! ABOUT TAYLOR FISHER​ Taylor is a Colorado wedding photographer and photography business coach. She lives on her ranch in the heart of the Rocky Mountains with her husband, two toddler boys, alpacas, goats, and chickens. Her passion for education and watching other women pursue their passion and freedom in creativity has lead her to coaching photographers on building a six-figure photography brand. When she’s not working, you can catch her people watching at her favorite small mountain town coffee shops, mountain biking, at a yoga class, binging on The Office reruns, or on outdoor homeschooling adventures with her family and homeschool co-op! Learn more at her podcast, Fearless Fempire, or at TAYLORJONES.CO CONNECT WITH TAYLOR​ Website: TAYLORJONESPHOTOGRAPHY.COM Facebook: TAYLOR JONES PHOTOGRAPHY Instagram: @TAYLORJONESPHOTOGRAPHY LINKS & RESOURCES Taylor’s Education and Free Webinar: WWW.TAYLORJONES.CO

Lindsay Hite is a boudoir and empowerment photographers based near Boston, Massachusetts. Lindsay believes that each of us has an inner light and her job is to help the women she works with to see their unique and beautiful spirit to help their light shine brighter.   Lindsay is a true inspiration! (You may need a tissue or two if you a hyper-emotional person like me.) She shares her journey from photographing everything and anything, to documenting weddings, and finally settling in as a boudoir photographer. Lindsay shares the the crystalizing moment that it all came together for her as to why women need empowerment and the rejuvenating effects of the photographic experience she provides.   The experience Lindsay crafted and the brand she built with the help of other professionals in her network is nothing short of transformational. Here’s a brief overview of what we discussed:   Her transition from weddings to boudoir How she ties in other professionals, like a meditation/life coach and a local artist from her network into her client experience What she does to continue to learn and craft an personal client experience How she builds trust and rapport with women who are vulnerable in many ways The use of a gift fund for her clients to save up for the experience she provides and what she does along the way to build confidence   After this episode, I believe that Lindsay is the definition of designing a business based on intention and a brand is tie to you as a person and what you value. CONNECT WITH LINDSAY HITE​ Website: WWW.SHOWYOURSPARK.COM Instagram: @SPARKBYLINDSAYHITE LINKS & RESOURCES Lindsay mentions this book, The Bo that helped her to craft a restorative Client Experience: THE BODY KEEPS SCORE BY BESSEL VAN DER KOLK

I see it every year in the Fall. The wedding season is winding down and the posts start to pop up about editing queues, delayed emails, mountains of post production, burn out, and looking forward to the season being over. Work/Life Balance is on everyones mind but it doesn’t seem like there’s a great tangible way to think about how to make it all work.  The problem with the current Work/Life Balance model is that it’s binary. You have work on one side of your life with it’s own goals, and Life on the other side with it’s own goals and you’re trying to blindly, or by feel, balance the two. It goes like this. You set your goals for work: booking more weddings, making six figures, more followers, more status, etc. The more you focus on hitting those goals, guess what happens? Sacrifices are naturally made elsewhere. Relationships are strained, physical health put to the side, and then mental health is in jeopardy. How the heck do we measure balance so this doesn’t happen? If it’s by feel then by the time burn out hits, it’s too late. How quickly we forget about how we feel in the Fall of one year enough to make changes for Fall a whole year away.  In this episode, I propose a new model for Work/Life Harmony where we see Work and Life as part of the same path to a happy, joyous, and prosperous life! Listen as I lay out a new idea the web of your life and how every part of it connects and the one area that I see photographers struggling to make the connection. It’s pretty deep so grab a pen and paper and take notes. Then when you’re done email me at daniel@focusedphotographers.com and let me know what you think! The second half of the episode is dedicated wholly to how I’m implementing this new idea in 2022 with my great Work/Life Balance experiment. I discuss in detail the boundaries I set for myself, my family, and my business. It was hard but so worth it! Since booking for 2022 started in 2021, I had put this experiment into effect a year ago but I’m really excited to keep you updated throughout the process and let you know where I’m at in my experiment, what I’ve changed and how I feel on the whole. Thank you for being a long for the ride! CONNECT WITH DANIEL MOYER Website: WWW.DANIELMOYERPHOTOGRAPHY.COM Education: WWW.FOCUSEDPHOTOGRAPHERS.COM Instagram: @DANIELMOYERPHOTO | @GETFOCUSEDPHOTOGRAPHERS Facebook: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/DANIELMOYERPHOTOGRAPHY LINKS & RESOURCES Gratitude Journal that I’m using every morning: THE FIVE MINUTE JOURNAL 1:1 Photography Business Coaching: JOIN THE WAITLIST

EPISODE SUMMARY This time of year we see tons of articles on New Year Resolutions. Some will say that resolutions are pointless because come mid-January or early February you’ll totally forget what your resolution even was. The other side pushes positivity and the fresh start! Set new goals and make this the best year yet! I love both perspectives but maybe you don’t have to change anything. Maybe we can be totally happy with exactly where we’re at and get our mind into a place where we’re thankful. Then and only then can move toward change because we want to and not because we feel like we need to. Today’s short episode is perfect if you need a little pick-me-up, a little more pep-in-your-step, a little motivation, and focus as we head into a new year. So grab a cup of coffee or a mug of tea, something to write on and your favorite writing implement and join me as I share what I hope you do this year. CONNECT WITH DANIEL MOYER Website: WWW.DANIELMOYERPHOTOGRAPHY.COM Education: WWW.FOCUSEDPHOTOGRAPHERS.COM Instagram: @DANIELMOYERPHOTO | @GETFOCUSEDPHOTOGRAPHERS Facebook: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/DANIELMOYERPHOTOGRAPHY LINKS & RESOURCES Grateful Journal – FIVE MINUTE JOURNAL Currently Reading as Mentioned in the Episode: BATTLE CRY BY JASON WILSON

EPISODE SUMMARY We all can agree that the past two years, 2020 and 2021 were tricky. 2020 was a dumpster fire of a year and the high hopes for a normal 2021 we're slowly eroded throughout the year. Going into 2022, I have a different set of expectations but I also have a plan! In this episode I share the 5+ things that I'm doing to make next year a much better year that the past two years. I found myself several times this year dragging myself out of bed and digging deep to get excited to get out the door to photograph a wedding. It was hard and not "the usual" for me. So I'm setting out to "Get Focused" (see what I did there?) on a better 2022 so I can build back the momentum I had before and find the same joy again. Listen as I go through each step of what I'm doing that includes: How I review and manage my finances The one core belief I have about making more money My favorite year end Client Experience booster that my couples love every time I've done it over the last 6 years Goalsetting tips and how I'm giving myself the space to fill my own tank find more joy in 2022 LINKS AND RESOURCES It is AMAZING how much you can do on your own! At some point though, you may ask yourself what’s next? How do I get there? That’s where I come in. If having a photography business coach is something you’re considering, get on the waitlist below for when a slot opens up so we can see if we’re a good fit and go from there! www.focusedphotographers.com/waitlist The Goal Focused Worksheet is designed to walk you through a deep, focused look at your goal and break it down into actionable steps. It will help you adhere to those steps by setting mini-goals along the way and keep you excited for your reward at the end. www.focusedphotographers.com/goalsetting  

Work/Life Balance is on everyones mind in one form or another. As photography business owners, we tend to wear all the hats and sometimes have difficulty letting go of the parts of the process. Inevitably you'll look at a friend and say "I can't wait until the off season. I'm so tired!" It's at that point, you need to take a long hard look at what you're doing in your business and see if it's sustainable. We start businesses for more time, freedom, and money but the shine of that quickly wears off when the typical 8 hours a day job becomes 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. In episode 19 of the Focused Photographers Podcast, Image Salon Sales Manager, Elise Hogberg gives us the behind the scenes look at what she hears from photographers every day before, during, and after they engage in the Image Salon's editing services. "Not to be overly dramatic," she says quoting one photographer she works with, "but you've saved my life." If you've every been so deep in work, client expectations, orders and more, you'll know that this isn't overly dramatic. It's real talk! In today's episode, Elise shares a bit about: what problems she seems photographers having prior to taking the leap,  when you know it's time to outsource,  what you can expect when outsourcing,  the best time to start an relationship with an outsourcing company,  hurdles to outsourcing a bit about their AI editing platform, Phaito   The single biggest thing I love about when I talk to anyone from Image Salon is that they're Team Outsource. Sure, they love their company and think they provide something unique but more than anything, they're pro Work/Life Balance. That gesture speaks volumes about them as individuals and as a company.

EPISODE SUMMARY I first met Daniel at a workshop he and his wife Davina created in Montreal back in 2013. Back then they were photographers traveling all over the world photographing weddings. They founded The Image Salon, a post processing company for photographers that allows photographers to outsource without compromising. They’ve since retired from wedding photography and allowed their curiosity to guide them to new areas of life including moving from Montreal with their two kiddos down to start a new life in Costa Rica. Daniel and I started out this conversation really discussing about outsourcing and how to be more productive but it turned into a conversation on crafting the life that you want: a life that brings you joy, happiness, meaning, and service to others. This is wonderful, feel good conversation that will give you some insight, inspiration, and a fresh perspective on crafting the business and life that you want. CONNECT WITH DANIEL KUDISH Website: WWW.THEIMAGESALON.COM Archived Wedding Photography Portfolio: WWW.DAVINAPLUSDANIEL.COM Instagram: @DANIELKUDISH | @THEIMAGESALON Facebook: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/IMGSALON LINKS & RESOURCES Get Focused Mentoring Waitlist: CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE WAITLIST SUBSCRIBE Thank you for stopping by friend! If you’re enjoying what you’re hearing, subscribe in Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don’t miss an episode! 🙂 SUBSCRIBE IN APPLE PODCASTS SUBSCRIBE IN SPOTIFY! REVIEW IN APPLE PODCASTS This podcast is about giving to others in knowledge, joy, insight, and (*hopefully*) humor. You can help too! The more reviews and ratings in Apple Podcasts, the higher the Focused Photographers Podcast will rank and ultimately the more people will listen to it. So if you’re getting value from this podcast, will you consider leaving a rating on Apple Podcasts? Just click below!  LEAVE A RATING IN APPLE PODCASTS! Thank you! -Dan