Lens Talk

You know her. You love her. She’s back. Brooke is back and this time she’s a guest. Shermon and I get to interview her about how her life as been since departing the show, she shares exciting news about the growth of her business and even hints at some big things she has in store so you do not want to miss this one!

On todays episode we interview Kodjo Somana of KodjoArts Videography! He is one of the leading videographers in the city AND the state and he is here to share his insight! Stay tuned to the very end for a funny story told by Austin!

This week on #LensTalkTuesday we have another guest from our very own community, Sheree Cortijo. Sheree is a very talented makeup artist who we have worked closely with on different jobs. We learn more about her background, what community over competition means to her and she even gives advice to those who may want to become a makeup artist so you do not want to miss this episode! Stay tuned for next weeks guest and thanks for listening!

This week on #LensTalkTuesday Shermon & Austin discuss how they have built their community in Columbus, Ohio by using Facebook groups and unique Instagram hashtags! Listen to the end for tips on how you can do the same thing no matter what city you are in!

Wedding photographer and videographer Eric Floberg joins Lens Talk to discuss how photographers can lean into what makes them different! Follow him on Instagram @eric.floberg

Lens Talk is finally back with season 3 and there are so many updates! Brooke is forever apart of this show as she helped start it - due to mom life and work life she doesn’t have the time to commit as a full time cohost but don’t worry you WILL hear her again! Get to know the new cohost, Shermon! Shermon is a long time friend and photographer her in Columbus, Ohio. Catch up with us and hear all about our plans for this season of lens talk!

We have our first guest of season 2, and she is a very familiar voice because she was our first guest of season 1. Welcome back friend to the show Camille aka Cammy. She is our friendly neighborhood massage therapist and she joins us today to provide us with more amazing self care tips! Be sure to enter our giveaway on Instagram for a free 30 minute massage from Cammy at her downtown Columbus location!!! Follow us on Instagram @lenstalkpodcast Join our Facebook group called Lens Talk Photography Group Email us at lenstalkpodcast@gmail.com with episode ideas or any questions or comments you may have!

Have you found yourself wishing you could be like “that photographer” or wondering how someone edits their photos? Unfortunately we all do it. But in this week’s episode, we talk about why it's so easy to compare and provide some helpful tips to become more confident in your own work! "A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it, it just blooms." - Zen Shin Follow us on Instagram @lenstalkpodcast  Join our Facebook group called Lens Talk Photography Group  Email us at lenstalkpodcast@gmail.com with episode ideas or any questions or comments you may have!

In our last episode, we mainly focused on the stress that this pandemic  brought on but today we want to discuss how there are daily anxieties that come with running a business, Covid or not! Here's how we can get through those anxieties: breath. It may sound cliché but taking a deep breath will help relax you and calm you down. Seek out a community of others in similar situations as you, providing you someone to talk to and ask questions which helps you feel less alone. This is the biggest reason we created Lens Talk - we wanted a safe space for all photographers and creatives but especially those of color to feel seen and heard as business owners! Follow us on Instagram @lenstalkpodcast Join our Facebook group called Lens Talk Photography Group Email us at lenstalkpodcast@gmail.com with episode ideas or any questions or comments you may have!

This pandemic had quite a negative impact on everybody and today we want to discuss how we personally dealt with that stress and all of the uncertainty surrounding Covid. But we also want to discuss some positives that came from it :) We hope you all stayed as safe as possible during this pandemic. Our hearts go out to those who were affected the pandemic whether it be job loss, catching the virus, or unfortunately losing a loved one to it - and thank you to all of our front liners who put themselves in harms way every day! Tune in to the next #LensTalkTuesday when we discuss how to manage anxiety when working! Follow us on Instagram @lenstalkpodcast Join our Facebook group called Lens Talk Photography Group Email us at lenstalkpodcast@gmail.com with episode ideas or any questions or comments you may have!

Welcome back to Season 2 of the Lens Talk Podcast! Today Austin + Brooke discuss all of the exciting happenings while we have been away, which leads us perfectly into our episode topic of balancing photography (or any side hustle) with a full time job! We hope you enjoy and benefit from our tips for balancing your side hustle with your day job! Stay tuned for the next #LensTalkTuesday when we discuss "Business after Covid" Follow us on Instagram @lenstalkpodcast Join our Facebook group called Lens Talk Photography Group Email us at lenstalkpodcast@gmail.com with episode ideas or any questions or comments you may have!

Thanks to modern technology there are so many business related apps that small business owners and creatives can benefit from! Today we share our top 5: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/canva-graphic-design-video/id897446215. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/adobe-lightroom-photo-editor/id878783582. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/later/id784907999. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pinterest/id429047995. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mileiq-mileage-tracker-log/id578830929

On today’s episode we dive into our camera bag essentials. Do you double check your camera bag before your shoot to make sure you have everything you need? Wanna know some items that you may have forgotten to add to your bag? Well enjoy this episode as we discuss some much needed items to have in your camera bag before every shoot and even some of our personal faves! Thanks for tuning into episode 11!!! Like us on Facebook: fb.me/LensTalkPodcast  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenstalkpodcast/  Follow Brooke on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_brookenicolephotos_/  Follow Austin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austingarnette/  Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform AND send us voice messages to be featured on our show: https://anchor.fm/lens-talk

Today we answer YOUR questions! We want to thank all of our listeners for sticking it out as we've made it to 10 episodes! We are excited to continue putting out great content and growing a community of photographers! Stay tuned to our Instagram for sneak peeks of future episodes!

On today’s episode we tackle the subject of nightmare clients! We all have had clients or even potential clients that just know how to push our buttons. Whether it be constantly asking us when they are getting their pictures or showing up late to their sessions - we talk about those and more! Follow us on IG so you can be apart of our 10th episode! Send in questions that you’d like us to answer for our first Q&A episode on the next #LensTalkTuesday

The beauty of being cohosts AND best friends is that we have PLENTY of bloopers every time we record! Enjoy 10 minutes of us being hilariously imperfect and be sure to join us next week for #LensTalkTuesday

Does planning stress you out? Whether you're planning a styled shoot, portrait session or a large event, planning goes into everything a photographer does! This episode begins a series where we discuss how to plan successful shoots. On today's episode Brooke & Austin are joined by our friend Sharee the owner of 'Couture Events by Sharee' based in Charlotte, NC.  Sharee joins us today to discuss how she got her start in the wedding & event industry and how those experiences have contributed to her success as a business owner today. We specifically ask Sharee about how styled shoots can be not only beneficial for our portfolios and getting us more clientele but also how we can better plan them so that they can be successful! In fact one of the most important tips she shares with us today is how important it is to have clearly defined roles, but keep listening because Sharee gives us many more gems on today's episode! Not only is she extremely knowledgeable in the industry but she also gives back to her community! She founded 'Mint to Be' which is an organization that educates, empowers and gives back to single pregnant women in need. Follow her Instagram @mint_to_be so that you can donate gifts for her first annual Mint to Be baby shower for single moms to be in Charlotte, NC. Thanks for tuning into episode 7 and be sure to follow us on our social media platforms listed below so that you can be the first to know what our next #LensTalkTuesday episode is about! Like us on Facebook: fb.me/LensTalkPodcast  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenstalkpodcast/  Follow Brooke on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_brookenicolephotos_/  Follow Austin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austingarnette/  Follow Sharee on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coutureeventsbysharee/  Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform AND send us voice messages to be featured on our show: https://anchor.fm/lens-talk

Last week we talked about Gear vs. Creativity and how we as photographers should not get to hung up over what gear we have, but instead let our creativity shine through and set us apart from others. So, on today's episode of Lens Talk we have come up with 6 tips to grow your photography business on a budget. These 6 simple tips cover everything from social media presence and branding, to affordable ways to elevate our imagery and different types of photography that could produce an increase in income. You do NOT want to miss this weeks episode. Here is a link to Mango Street's video about Stock Photography (Tip #6): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_WrBouZsls&t=295s Join us next week as we have another special guest, our friend Sharee the owner of Couture Events by Sharee. We will begin our "successful planning" series and start by chatting with Sharee about how we can work with wedding & event planners as herself to successfully plan a styled photo shoot! Follow us on all of our social media platforms listed below but also check out our NEW Facebook group for photographers and creatives to network and support each other, because that is what it's all about: Community over Competition!!  Join our growing private Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lenstalkphotography/ Like us on Facebook: fb.me/LensTalkPodcast  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenstalkpodcast/  Follow Brooke on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_brookenicolephotos_/  Follow Austin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austingarnette/  Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform AND send us voice messages to be featured on our show: https://anchor.fm/lens-talk

On today’s episode we challenge gear vs creativity. Do you have to have the most expensive or the latest gear to produce quality images? How important is it to know how to use what you have to the very best of your ability? Well if you are thinking about upgrading your equipment to the latest and greatest but wondering where you’ll get the money from - listen to this episode because we will be discussing this very subject and offering our personal tips on how we’ve been able to master the equipment we have while saving up for something better!  Thanks for tuning into episode 5!!!  Like us on Facebook: fb.me/LensTalkPodcast  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenstalkpodcast/  Follow Brooke on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_brookenicolephotos_/  Follow Austin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austingarnette/  Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform AND send us voice messages to be featured on our show: https://anchor.fm/lens-talk

Tyler Mitchell. Dana Scruggs. Dario Calmese.  These 3 black photographers have made history and opened doors for those to come. Tyler became the first black photographer to shoot the cover of Vogue in 2018, followed by Dana being the first black photographer to shoot the cover of Rolling Stone in 2019. And most recently these two were joined by Dario Calmese who just last week became the first black photographer to shoot the cover of Vanity Fair.  On today’s episode we not only celebrate the history these photographers have made, but we also discuss the need for more diversity in photography. Even when it comes to representation, if you’ve ever done Pinterest searches for inspiration then I’m sure you noticed the lack of people of color in those photos. We need more people of color behind the camera shooting these covers and telling our stories but we also need more people behind the scenes to support and make these things happen. Shout out to Radhika Jones (editor of Vanity Fair) for her commitment to showing more people of color on the covers of magazines but also having more people of color behind the scenes.  Be sure to join us next week when we discuss Gear vs. Creativity. Which do you think will win?  Thanks for tuning into episode 3!!!  Like us on Facebook: fb.me/LensTalkPodcast  Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lenstalkpodcast/  Follow Brooke on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_brookenicolephotos_/  Follow Austin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/austingarnette/  Follow Dario on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dario.studio/  Subscribe to our podcast on your favorite platform AND send us voice messages to be featured on our show: https://anchor.fm/lens-talk