More Than Photos

You want to make better work.So you save photographs. Study photographers you admire. Build mood boards. Buy the camera. Try on editing styles...And somehow, you still feel stuck.In this episode, Brad shares his own journey of trying to grow creatively, including the mentoring experiences that changed how he saw his work, 3 days in Brooklyn with Ritual Collective, and the realization that his creative voice wasn't something someone else could hand him.This is an episode about inspiration, taste, mentorship, creative resistance, trusting your own work, and learning to hear the quiet voice that says: Go there.CHAPTERS00:00 — When wanting to grow keeps you stuck02:40 — Inspiration vs. participating in your own creativity04:41 — When successful work stops feeling like your work07:00 — Looking for mentors to help me “see the ants”09:09 — Three days in Brooklyn with Ritual Collective11:31 — The good photographs I didn't actually need13:31 — What if creative growth is about removing, not adding?14:45 — Changing how I photograph to stay connected to myself15:55 — Joel Bedford and “go to the balcony”17:57 — Your creative voice whispers19:28 — Arriving creatively uncluttered20:19 — The man behind the glass door22:43 — Did any of this actually fix the stuckness?24:06 — The walking reveals the mapLINKSMore Than Photos episode w/ Joel & Justyna: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2xYjmcfls4e1OoBG01u9qJ?si=6d81e69289ce4e17Brad & Jen Education: https://learn.bradandjen.com/Holger/Ritual Collective: https://ritualcollective.net/KEYWORDScreative voice, creative growth, photography inspiration, photographer creativity, finding your photography style, photography style, creative block, photographer burnout, photography mentorship, Ritual Collective, Holger Thoss, creative resistance, artistic voice, photography education, wedding photography, wedding photographer, photography inspiration, finding your style, developing your style, creative confidence, trusting your work, comparison, photographer mindset, artistic growth, making better photographs

A few years ago, Sav & Cam found themselves in a place a lot of photographers know well.The business was working, but the work didn’t feel like where they wanted to stay. That realization started a pretty massive shift.In this episode, we talk with Sav & Cam about what changed over the last few years, from the weddings they were photographing and the work they were making to the opportunities, relationships, and clients that followed.But this isn’t really a conversation about “making it.”It’s about giving yourself permission to want something different. Getting serious about your work. Learning to say no to opportunities that don’t fit where you’re going. And realizing that even when things are working, you might still need to stop and ask whether they’re taking you where you actually want to go.We also get into creativity and taste, working together as a married photo + video team, their relationship with social media, the unexpected connections that changed their career, and why some of the photographers who appear to have “made it” are still figuring it out too.THEMES• Changing direction when your business is technically working• Getting out of the box you’ve built around yourself• Developing stronger taste and creative conviction• Why better-fit work often requires saying no• The invisible relationships and decisions behind growth• Film, imperfection, and making photographs that feel honest• Documentary photography and creating space for real moments• Social media, attention, and protecting your creativity• Working together as a married photo + video team• Ambition, determination, and the myth of finally “arriving”CHAPTERS00:00 – Meet Sav & Cam07:30 – Hawaii, home, and building a life together15:00 – Working together as a married creative team24:00 – Photography, filmmaking, and finding their roles32:00 – The breaking point that started a bigger change40:00 – Getting out of the box and believing something different was possible48:00 – Film, creativity, taste, and making work that feels like you57:00 – The unexpected relationships that changed their career1:05:00 – Saying no, better-fit weddings, and protecting what you actually want1:14:00 – Documentary photography and making room for real moments1:22:00 – Social media, attention, and the wedding industry1:30:00 – Ambition, success, and why nobody really “arrives”1:38:00 – What Sav & Cam are questioning and chasing nextLINKSSav & Cam:https://www.savandcam.com/Purpose & Profit:https://learn.bradandjen.com/purpose-and-profit-courseKEYWORDSSav and Cam, Sav & Cam, wedding photography, wedding photographer, wedding videography, wedding filmmaker, film photography, documentary wedding photography, creative growth, photography business, wedding photography business, photography career, destination wedding photographer, luxury wedding photography, photographer mindset, creative process, artistic voice, photography style, working with your spouse, husband and wife photography team, social media for photographers, photographer relationships, wedding industry

What makes a photograph last? Reni Maria has spent years thinking about that question, both through her own work as a documentary wedding photographer and as the founder of Counterpart Photos, a collective celebrating some of the most distinct voices in wedding photography today.In this conversation, we talk about learning to notice, trusting your instincts, finding your own way of seeing, and why Reni isn’t necessarily looking for beautiful photographs. She’s looking for photographs that surprise her.We also explore what weddings look like when you stop trying to manufacture moments, why Reni believes fewer photographs can sometimes tell a better story, and the responsibility we have as photographers to decide which images deserve to survive.Reni takes us inside the thinking behind Counterpart, including why she places contemporary wedding photography alongside photographs from Magnum archives and generations past. It opens up a much bigger conversation about weddings as historical documents and the role our photographs may play long after the trends, clothes, and aesthetics of today have passed.And ultimately, we come back to the photographer. Who are you? What do you notice? What photographs actually feel like you? Because as Reni says, “People should book you for how you see the world. Not because you take beautiful photographs.”THEMESArtistic voice and originalityDocumentary wedding photographyThe art of noticingTrusting your instinctsCuration and editingFewer, stronger photographsCounterpart PhotosWedding photography as historyTimelessness vs. trendsFinding yourself in your photographsCreating work beyond InstagramCHAPTERS00:00 – Meeting Reni and the life behind her photography06:28 – Photography as a practice of noticing13:52 – Culture, travel, and letting weddings surprise you18:30 – Recognizing meaning instead of manufacturing it22:51 – Finding a way of photographing that feels like you27:21 – How Reni recognizes distinct photographic voices33:50 – The story behind Counterpart Photos43:19 – Why fewer photographs may matter more48:05 – You are the photographer AND the editor55:18 – Getting booked for how you see the world58:15 – Wedding photography in the larger frame of history01:02:42 – What actually makes a photograph timeless?01:06:46 – How to find yourself in your own photographsConnect with ReniWebsite: https://www.renimaria.comCounterpart Photos: https://www.counterpartphotos.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/renimariaphotosCounterpart Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/counterpartphotos/Connect with Brad & JenInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bradandjen/Education: https://www.instagram.com/bradandjeneducation/KEYWORDSCounterpart Photos, wedding photography, documentary wedding photography, wedding photographer, artistic voice, photography curation, timeless photography, photography inspiration, wedding photography trends, documentary photography, editing, photography portfolio, creative growth, photography mentorship, wedding photography history, photographer creativity

There’s a frustrating point in business where things are working, but it starts to feel like there’s nowhere obvious left to go.You’re making good work. You’ve raised your prices. You’ve built a reputation. But you’re still being compared to the same photographers, competing for the same couples, and wondering how much further your market will let you go.In this episode, we’re talking about what happens when we hit that ceiling, and why getting beyond it may require us to question some of the expectations we’ve learned to follow.We talk about the fear of doing something differently when the business is already working, why being easy to compare can eventually limit our growth, and how some of the photographers we admire most built permission to work differently over time.Because we can’t become meaningfully different while making sure we never do anything differently. At some point, differentiation has to feel like something.CHAPTERS00:00 Why being different can feel so personal02:30 What hitting a ceiling actually feels like04:53 Why success can make us afraid to experiment07:20 “I want to grow, but I’m afraid to stop doing what everyone else does”09:28 Sneak peeks and the fear of breaking expectations11:47 If we do it differently, we have to bring people with us13:00 How great photographers earn permission to break the rules15:20 Why risk often comes before permission17:23 The other risk we rarely think about18:32 Which risk are we actually more afraid of?20:32 The greener pastures might already be in your marketREADY TO BREAK THROUGH YOUR OWN CEILING?We currently have one spot available inside our Mastermind.If you’re ready to raise your rates, create more demand for your work, and build a business that feels more like you instead of following someone else’s blueprint, we’d love to hear from you.Apply Here: https://learn.bradandjen.com/mastermind-coachingKEYWORDSwedding photography business, photography business, wedding photographer pricing, market ceiling, photography pricing, creative differentiation, standing out as a photographer, wedding photography marketing, creative business, photography competition, raising photography prices, luxury wedding photographer, photographer mindset, photography coaching, wedding photographer mastermind

What does it actually look like to raise three kids, homeschool, run a business, work from home, and still have a life?We’re sharing a behind-the-scenes look at what’s worked for us, what hasn’t, and what we’ve learned after nearly 10 years of parenting while running our business. We talk childcare, routines, quiet time, Sunday planning, outsourcing, marriage, decision fatigue, and why we’ve stopped looking for the schedule that will finally “figure it all out.”Chapters:00:00 Recording from the Trader Joe’s parking lot02:11 The biggest lesson: flexibility07:02 What we thought parenting + business would look like09:26 Can you actually “do it all?”14:11 Why there’s no perfect schedule16:38 Creating rhythms that reduce decisions21:00 Our Sunday meeting + defining a successful week25:31 Boundaries between work and family26:15 How we use childcare27:51 How we divide work when the kids are home30:16 Outsourcing inside the business31:40 Why we hired a family assistant34:00 Protecting your marriage while working together35:03 Extra grace required39:47 Good doesn’t always mean right42:09 Building the family you actually want43:00 You’re not alone in figuring this outConnect with us:Instagram: @bradandjeneducation @bradandjenlearn.bradandjen.comKeywords:working parents, working from home with kids, work life balance, parenting and business, homeschooling, homeschool parents, entrepreneur parents, working mom, family business, childcare, family routines, time management, marriage and business, family rhythms, raising kids, creative entrepreneur