Bokeh - The Photography Podcast

Join Bokeh Podcast host Nathan Holritz for the last episode of the show, as he shares the most important lessons from the podcast over the last 7 years! Many thanks to all of our listeners for being part of the Bokeh Podcast community, and to all the guests for giving their time and wisdom over so many episodes! 🤗 Show Notes Highlighting the intentions and accomplishments of the Bokeh Podcast over the last 7+ years (0:40) Why this is the last episode of the Bokeh Podcast (7:25) Reviewing the most important principles from The Bokeh Podcast over the last 7+ years (9:25) Choice and Belief (11:28) Finding Ourselves (18:58) Big Picture View (24:27) Proactive vs Reactive (34:20) From Shawn Lee: Look for opportunities to serve and add value (47:51) Will Bokeh Podcast content live on? (53:29) Links The Bokeh Podcast is produced by Photographer's Edit - https://www.photographersedit.com Nathan's website - https://www.nathanholritz.com Nathan's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nathanholritz Learn about Cheezoo - https://www.cheezoo.com/photography-industry ReAwaken the Giant Within, Tony Robbins - https://core.tonyrobbins.com/atgw-ebook Bokeh Episode 464 with Shawn Lee - https://www.photographersedit.com/bokeh-podcast/episodes/developing-a-brand-that-makes-a-difference

Interested in using your photography skills in the beautiful outdoors? Join photographer Roo Smith - who has photographed for brands like Patagonia, North Face, and Outside Magazine - to learn how to break into the adventure photography genre, and build a successful business! Show Notes: Introduction of Roo (0:49) The important principles that enables Roo to manage your time effectively in order to maximize freedom and flexibility as an entrepreneur (2:04) The 2 elements of the adventure photography genre that make it Roo's favorite (14:19) 3 common misconceptions about adventure photography, or building an adventure photo business (27:25) The 5 most important principles that will enable a photographer to build a successful adventure photography brand (36:57) Links The Bokeh Podcast is produced by Photographer's Edit - https://www.photographersedit.com Roo's website - https://www.roosmith.com Roo's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/roosmith6

Most of us know we should be using video content to promote our photography business, but how do you go about creating a compelling video that will grab the attention of potential clients and draw them in? Join us for a conversation with videographer Alexandros Tzorouchof to learn how! Show Notes Introduction of Alex (1:01) Important principles that enable Alex to manage his time effectively in order to maximize freedom and flexibility as an entrepreneur (3:01) Alex's favorite gear for filming reels? (10:23) 4 key ideas to keep in mind if you're going to film your promotional reels with your phone (instead of dslr or mirrorless cameras) (16:45) 7 important principles that enable a photographer to create a compelling reel for the purpose of promoting their photography business (37:18) Links The Bokeh Podcast is produced by Photographer's Edit - https://www.photographersedit.com Alex's website - https://www.chromaodyssey.com Alex's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/chroma_odyssey_films

Any established photographer knows what it's like to get bogged down during the busy season, barely keeping up with the work that needs to be done. Free time? Time to travel? Time to hang out with friends and family? Is that even a thing during those busy months?! Photographer McKenzie Bigliazzi is here to share with us how she runs her business AND has time to do more than just work. Make sure to listen in to find out how you can get your life back as a photography business owner - and not just during busy season! Show Notes Introducing McKenzie (0:59) How long did it take McKenzie to realize that life wasn't all about running her business? That having freedom and flexibility as a business owner needed to be more of a priority? (6:50) Does organization and structure to create freedom come naturally for McKenzie? (10:36) What does an average day or week look like for McKenzie? (16:45) How did McKenzie develop a business model that would enable more freedom and flexibility as a photography business owner? (21:40) How McKenzie chose Dubsado as her CRM (33:14) Three ways that McKenzie uses Dubsado to streamline her business workflows for the sake of more freedom in her daily life (34:38) The importance of simplicity in choosing tools to server our customers (44:10) Three ways that McKenzie uses Cloudspot to streamline her business workflows for the sake of more freedom in her daily life (46:38) How does McKenzie make herself accessible to clients - without getting overwhelmed with the communication process? (50:27) What has enabled McKenzie to give up her editing to Photographer's Edit so that her work week isn't taken up with editing? (53:09) Links The Bokeh Podcast is produced by https://www.photographersedit.com McKenzie's website - https://mckenziebigliazzi.com McKenzie's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mckenzie_bigliazzi Dubsado's website - https://www.dubsado.com Cloudspot's website - https://www.cloudspot.io Photographer's Edit's website - https://www.photographersedit.com McKenzie's Discount Codes - Dubsado: 20% off their first month or year using code: mckenziebigliazzi Cloudspot: 20% Off https://cloudspot.io/?af2=_VbFWkDxBdPu Photographer's Edit, 50% off your first order: oes.photographersedit.com/mckenziebigliazzi or code: mckenziebigliazzi at checkout

Putting ourselves out there as introverts in an effort to build a personal photography brand can feel a bit overwhelming! How can we step beyond that discomfort and build the business that we want? Join us for a conversation with photographer Caitlin Wilcox to learn how! Show Notes Introduction of Caitlin (1:00) What important principle enables Caitlin to manage your time effectively in order to maximize freedom and flexibility as an entrepreneur (2:57) Caitlin's definition of "introversion" (9:38) What Caitlin feels is behind her introversion (10:59) What Caitlin has felt was most challenging about marketing her business as an introvert (20:47) Four specific ways that introverted photographers can step beyond the label and still put themselves out there on social media, on their website, during in-person meetings, or when photographing sessions or events for the sake of their brand (23:42) Three specific ways that photographers can promote their business that feels more comfortable in light of being an introvert (37:09) The education Caitlin offers to photographers (53:23) Links The Bokeh Podcast is produced by https://www.photographersedit.com Caitlin’s website – https://www.caitlinwilcoxphotography.com Caitlin’s Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/caitlinwilcoxphotography FREEBIE – Five Personal Content Ideas for When Your Social Battery is Low - https://caitlinwilcoxphotography.com/personal-content-freebie FREEBIE – Five Questions to Ask on Your Next Inquiry Call - http://caitlinwilcoxphotography.com/bookmore

It's easy for someone to create a motivational post on social media telling you to "go chase your dreams", but how do you actually do that on a tangible, practical level? Join us for a conversation with photographer Amelia Soegijono to learn how! Show Notes Introduction of our guest, Amelia (0:47) What important principle enables Amelia to manage your time effectively in order to maximize freedom and flexibility as an entrepreneur? (2:37) How does Amelia define a dream? (16:14) The backstory behind Amelia's dream (24:56) How Amelia learned to dream practically (33:30) What can photographers do to take the first step to chasing their dream? (36:45) Now that photographers have taken that first step toward their dream, what steps do they need to take to follow through and actually make the dream a reality? (44:20) Information about Amelia's photography workshop (62:15) Links The Bokeh Podcast is produced by https://www.photographersedit.com Amelia's website - https://www.ameliasoegijono.com Amelia's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/ameliasoegijono Amelia's photography workshop - https://www.ameliasoegijono.com/workshops

If you could implement a new strategy in your business that would help you increase revenue AND bring more freedom to your life as a business owner, you'd go for it, right?! Building an associate photographer team can bring both of these benefits, but there are some innate challenges to the process. Photographer Jill Smith is on The Bokeh Podcast to help us overcome those challenges so we can build our business and have more independence from that same business! Make sure to listen in! Show Notes Introduction of our guest, Jill Smith (1:15) Jill's tip for creating a photography business that encourages freedom and flexibility (2:35) Three ways an associate photographer team can translate to business growth (12:56) How to establish baseline, standard operating procedures for your business before you build a team (19:04) Three ways an associate team can mean more freedom and flexibility in our lives as photography biz owners (27:37) Three ways that photographers can minimize overwhelm in the process of building and running an associate team (30:49) Three ways that photographers can more effectively communicate - and thus delegate - in order to have a positive experience with an associate photographer team (53:51) Additional education that Jill offers for those that want to build an associate photographer team for their family photography businesses (63:45) Links The Bokeh Podcast is produced by photographersedit.com Jill's website - jillcsmithphotography.com Jill's Instagram - instagram.com/jillcsmithphotography Jill's associate photography team course (for family photographers) - jillcsmithphotography.com/roadmap FREEBIE! An intro to associate photography team building - jillcsmithphotography.com/scale

It's a busy marketplace with LOTS of photographers. You may be friends with those photographers, but you still have to stand out amongst those photographers to capture the attention of your potential clients! In this episode, host Nathan Holritz helps super-talented senior portrait photographer Clark Sanders explore how to best position his brand and business in his local marketplace in order to more effectively grab the attention of potential clients that come across his website and social media! Show Notes Introducing Clark Sanders (1:51) Definition of Brand Position (3:38) The significance of Brand Position (6:26) The reasons Clark got into photography (8:10) The reason for asking Clark questions about his business when considering Brand Position (12:15) The markets Clark is currently working in (13:30) Why Brand Position matters when most of your business already comes from word of mouth (15:34) What genre or type of photography Clark specializes in (17:50) What is unique about Clark's senior photography in his marketplace (22:45)What are Clark's clients' pain points? (27:03) What kind of help does Clark need with his Brand Position? (33:38)The value of sharing prices on our websites (37:04) 4 ways to establish a distinct Brand Position (40:03) The importance of a Big Picture View in establishing a Brand Position (45:17) The importance of market research for establishing a Brand Position (46:32) Observations of what other photographers' brand positions are in the marketplace Clark is serving (49:44) Initial suggestions of Brand Position statements for Clarks' business after observing his competition (62:29) The importance of sharing the Brand Position statement prominently on your website (68:14) The significance of matching the client experience and images to the Brand Position statement (70:27) SEO tips as a Brand Position statement is implemented on a website (73:00) Links clarksandersphotography.com instagram.com/clarksanders

Here on The Bokeh Podcast, we've emphasized the importance of niching down when building a photography business for the sake of growing more easily. But is that always the best way to go? Listen in to this conversation with photographer Simon Yau for a different perspective on generalizing versus specializing! Show Notes Introduction of our new guest, Simon Yau (1:00) The importance of focusing on adding value to your client, versus talking about yourself so much on your website (3:02) Simon's recommendation for maintaining freedom and flexibility as a photography business owner (7:23) The most important lesson Simon has learned so far as a photography business owner (12:19) What led Simon to start his sports photography business (17:21) Potential misconceptions of sports photography by others in the photography industry (20:13) The three most important elements of good sports photography (22:07) How to begin thinking about pricing for sports photography (25:50) Why Simon added an additional brand and genre of photography to his work as a photographer (30:47) The challenges of juggling multiple photography brands (36:23) The benefits of running multiple photography brands in different genres (38:15) Simon's suggestions for how to best juggle multiple photography brands (39:34) Links The Bokeh Podcast is produced by https://www.photographersedit.com Simon's Websites - https://www.syausportography.co.uk/ https://www.bysimonyau.co.uk/ Simon's Instagrams - https://www.instagram.com/syau.sportography https://www.instagram.com/bysimonyau

While many SEO specialists may focus on the importance of keywords and backlinks, photographer and SEO consultant Cody McCracken thinks there's a lot of value in two other principles for improving SEO! Listen in to this episode to learn more! Show Notes Plans for the Bokeh Podcast in the near future (0:22) Introduction of our guest, Cody McCracken (1:47) Cody's tip for creating a photography business that encourages freedom and flexibility (3:14) Cody's tips for improving keyword density and backlinks for the sake of improving SEO (12:23) Cody explains how user experience is tied to SEO (17:59) Cody's three recommendations for improving user experience on your photography website (19:51) Cody's definition of "topical content" (28:57) How to come up with topical content relevant to your target audience (33:07) Cody's three recommendations for adding and improving topical content on your photography website or blog (35:05) Links The Bokeh Podcast is produced by https://www.photographersedit.com Cody's Website - https://www.onefocusphotos.com Cody's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/onefocusphotos (make sure to DM him to set up an SEO consult!) Episode 455, Brand Position Consultation with Cody McCracken - https://www.photographersedit.com/bokeh-podcast/episodes/brand-position-cody-mccracken/ Ubersuggest - https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/ AnswerThePublic - https://answerthepublic.com/

There is a lot of conversation in our culture - and even our photography industry - about "finding ourselves". But is this concept of finding ourselves one that enables us to be better humans and business owners? Is it even rooted in a healthy premise? Listen in to an exploration of what it means to find ourselves, what the notion is rooted in, and a potentially more powerful alternative - all with Bokeh Podcast host, Nathan Holritz. The Bokeh Podcast is brought to you by Photographer’s Edit: Custom Editing for the Professional Photographer. You can subscribe to the Bokeh podcast on the Apple podcast app, follow on Spotify, add to your playlist on Stitcher, or listen on Overcast.

One of the most important elements of both launching and building a photography business is your website. Listen in to this conversation with website designer Kelsey Christine to learn how to build and launch your new website quickly and with minimal stress! 😅 The Bokeh Podcast is brought to you by Photographer’s Edit: Custom Editing for the Professional Photographer. You can subscribe to the Bokeh podcast on the Apple podcast app, follow on Spotify, add to your playlist on Stitcher, or listen on Overcast. Show Notes: Kelsey's Introduction (2:12) What big principle allows Kelsey to run a business while still having flexibility in her own life? (4:00) Why does Kelsey use Showit for website design when working with photographers? (14:07) What are the advantages and disadvantages of using templates when designing websites? (19:15) What does the process look like when working with Kelsey to design a website? (23:00) What does "strategy" mean when designing a website? (26:15) What should photographers be working on prior to working with a website designer? (30:20) How can photographers get in touch with Kelsey about working with her on building or tweaking a website? (35:00) Links: Kelsey's first Bokeh episode https://instagram.com/launchyourdaydream https://launchyourdaydream.com https://showit.co https://seoforphotographers.com

Pinterest is more than just a place to create inspiration boards! Listen in to this conversation with Meg Mohyla to learn how to use the Pinterest platform to convert potential clients and grow your business! The Bokeh Podcast is brought to you by Photographer’s Edit: Custom Editing for the Professional Photographer. You can subscribe to the Bokeh podcast on the Apple podcast app, follow on Spotify, add to your playlist on Stitcher, or listen on Overcast. Show Notes: Meg's introduction (2:00) What is one big idea that enables Meg to maintain freedom and flexibility while running a business? (5:00) What is one of the biggest mistakes photographers make when using Pinterest in their business? (10:00) What big ideas will help photographers convert visitors to paying clients? (14:40) 1. Provide value and next steps 2. Have your website set up for conversions 3. Utilize lead magnets 4. Blog What type of content should photographers focus on in their blog posts? (44:50) How can photographers find the questions searched or asked on Pinterest that can help guide what to include in their blog content? (48:49) Links: https://instagram.com/leanonmeg https://leanonmeg.com

Curious how to create better candid photos for your portrait or wedding clients? Listen in to this conversation with photographer Charles Moll to learn the key principles that drive his candid photography! The Bokeh Podcast is brought to you by Photographer’s Edit: Custom Editing for the Professional Photographer. You can subscribe to the Bokeh podcast on the Apple podcast app, follow on Spotify, add to your playlist on Stitcher, or listen on Overcast. Show Notes: Charles's introduction and background (2:35) What big idea has allowed Charles to find a balance between work and personal life (5:20) How does Charles define "candid" photography? (14:30) 8 Ideas for taking great candid photos (16:50) Mindset: Practical: Links: https://charlesmoll.com https://instagram.com/charles.moll_photo

One of our most valuable sources of business is referrals, and referral business is driven in large part by customer reviews! Misha Guseynov is a successful, Miami-based wedding photographer who has amassed over 500 reviews in less than 3 years, and he's on the show to share his strategy so you can increase the number of public reviews you're getting from your clients, and grow your business as a result! The Bokeh Podcast is brought to you by Photographer’s Edit: Custom Editing for the Professional Photographer. You can subscribe to the Bokeh podcast on the Apple podcast app, follow on Spotify, add to your playlist on Stitcher, or listen on Overcast. Show Notes: How does Misha run a successful business yet still have time for himself? (3:20) Which platforms does Misha get the majority of his reviews on? (11:20) How customer experience drives positive reviews (16:47) How does Misha encourage clients to share reviews? (26:35) How does Misha handle a negative review? (32:07) How can photographers leverage their reviews to get more clients? (39:50) Links: https://qmflorida.com https://instagram.com/qualitymediaflorida

While social media is the most convenient and most popular method of business-building to discuss in 2023, we can’t forget that there are a variety of alternative sources of business! Photographer and entrepreneur, Jane Goodrich, is here to shed light on a few of those alternatives that will help you build your photography business this year! The Bokeh Podcast is brought to you by Photographer’s Edit: Custom Editing for the Professional Photographer. You can subscribe to the Bokeh podcast on the Apple podcast app, follow on Spotify, add to your playlist on Stitcher, or listen on Overcast. Show Notes: What is one big principle that Jane follows to allow her to effectively manage time? (4:00) Why does Jane encourage photographers to go beyond social media for marketing efforts? (11:18) 3 specific ways that photographers can market in ways other than social media (14:45) How can Picsello help photographers with marketing outside of social media? (35:10) Use code "Bokeh30" to receive 30% off your first year with Picsello at https://picsello.com! Links: https://instagram.com/teampicsello https://picsello.com https://janegoodrich.com https://facebook.com/picsello

Make money traveling to beautiful locations to photograph couples in love? Destination weddings seem idyllic, but how do you even get your first? And then if you want to build a business around destination weddings, how do you go about that process? Listen in to this conversation with Lilly and Vic to learn how! The Bokeh Podcast is brought to you by Photographer’s Edit: Custom Editing for the Professional Photographer. You can subscribe to the Bokeh podcast on the Apple podcast app, follow on Spotify, add to your playlist on Stitcher, or listen on Overcast. Show Notes: What big principle enables Lilly and Vic to run a successful business while still having a life? (6:45) Lilly and Vic's photography backstory (13:02) Tips and strategies for diving into destination wedding photography (20:20) 1. Identify your style and brand 2. Create content 3. Develop marketing funnels using your content 4. Provide an epic client experience 5. Stay consistent in the small steps Links: https://instagram.com/elisabettalillyred https://lillyred.it

We live in a world that makes it seem like we can have overnight success at the drop of a hat! But is that realistic? And more importantly, is that the healthiest approach to building and running a business? Mary Marantz is on the show to discuss why a slow-growth approach might be your better bet! The Bokeh Podcast is brought to you by Photographer’s Edit: Custom Editing for the Professional Photographer. You can subscribe to the Bokeh podcast on the Apple podcast app, follow on Spotify, add to your playlist on Stitcher, or listen on Overcast. Show Notes: Mary's Introduction (5:08) What is the driving principle that allows Mary to run multiple businesses while still having a life? (9:55) At what point did Mary realize that slow growth was the key to success in business? (14:48) Principles that will enable photographers to approach their business through slow growth (23:30) 1. Embrace the character, wisdom, and good stewardship of business that can only be built over time 2. Focus on doing less, better, than doing more just for the sake of doing more 3. Avoid the tendency of comparison Links: https://marymarantz.com https://instagram.com/marymarantz https://achieverquiz.com

Show Notes: What drives a great customer experience? (2:45) What does capturing a client's "higher self" mean tangibly to Madi and Micah? (5:40) What big principle enables Madi and Micah to find the balance between running a business and having time for their personal lives? (9:00) What are Madi and Micah's favorite business or self-help books? (19:10) What is Micah and Madi's favorite piece of gear? (29:00) The focus of this episode is a discussion on how Madi and Micah invest in their personal growth, and how that growth translates to growth in their business as well. The conversation is driven by posts that Madi shared on Facebook over the last few months. Those posts are listed below, but make sure to listen to the full episode to hear a deeper dive into the backstory behind the posts (34:05). April 20 "The past few years I knew where I was headed but instead of looking the part, pretending I was already there, I’ve been quietly doing the inner work to become the person I knew I could be from the inside out first." April 13 "Not sure there is a human alive who holds more love, vision, and strength all wrapped up in one person. He’s so freaking stubborn he won’t do anything not aligned with deep purpose, trust me I’ve tried. He empowers himself, our family, anyone he meets to live their best life - like the amount of conversations he’s had with people where they end up in tears, realizing they had their own answers all along He is sexy, athletic, smart, can learn and become anything he wants to, and he has the biggest shoulders imaginable to hold space for me and the kids." March 16 "I used to be a break pad in all my relationships. A LOT of you women know what I mean. I’d change and morph myself to make sure everyone was happy and then share whatever was safe after I knew what they wanted. I did that in our marriage too. A few years ago Micah and I noticed our polarity/chemistry wasn’t where we wanted. We had everything else… We were best friends, business partners, parents, amazing communicators, etc I even shared what I thought was all of me… Hint: it wasn’t. In the last couple years I’ve started doing something I didn’t know I was capable of and it’s changed our chemistry so much I want to jump him all day long. I bring him ALL OF ME: my storm, my anger, my love, my excitement, my LIFE, all of it. And I do it with an OPEN heart, trusting that he can handle and hold me. Guess what? He can. And watching just how much he can might be the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. I don’t know who needs to hear this but the people you value most in your life deserve to be given the chance to show you just how much they can handle all of you (with an open heart) March 27 "It’s Monday and that means you get to create the week, life, business, family, mindset etc that you want to live in." May 4 "If you don't love it, change it." Links: Madi and Micah's firs Bokeh Podcast episode: #277 https://instagram.com/7seconds_media https://7secondsmedia.us

Nothing builds business like community, and one way to leverage community to grow your business is Facebook groups! Listen in as photographer Olivia Smith shares how she’s built a Facebook group that has enabled her to build a multiple six-figure photography business! The Bokeh Podcast is brought to you by Photographer’s Edit: Custom Editing for the Professional Photographer. You can subscribe to the Bokeh podcast on the Apple podcast app, follow on Spotify, add to your playlist on Stitcher, or listen on Overcast. Show Notes: What has been a key strategy for providing clients with a great customer experience? (1:35) Olivia's introduction (3:50) How does Olivia manage time so that she has a life outside of her business? (4:45) What is the most impactful self-help or business book that Olivia has read? (11:50) What was the "aha" moment that made Olivia decide to try Facebook groups as a way to build her business? (17:15) 3 ideas for photographers when creating a FB group with potential clients (23:15) Questions to include in your FB group new member sign up (31:00) How does Olivia use FB Messenger for booking clients? (36:00) How does Olivia determine what to post in her FB group that provides enough value to encourage members to be active? (42:40) Links: https://photographersedit.com https://bellemarieboudoir.com/free https://instagram.com/bellemarieboudoir https://www.youtube.com/@RachelPedersensocial https://elite360.io