Kick Ass Photographers: The Podcast

After an 18-month break, the Kick Ass podcast is back! In this episode, I (Anna Pumer, hi) catch you up on life (mini romance update!), health (and my many hospital visits) and work (it's been busy when I haven't been binging Desperate Housewives), and share fresh marketing ideas for wedding photographers in 2025. From tapping into nostalgia with camcorders and film vibes, to leaning into editorial storytelling and staying true to your creative voice, this is all about finding inspiration without selling out.Personal catch-up: life, health, and business updates2025 wedding photography marketing ideasUsing nostalgia (camcorders, film, imperfections) and tech to book more couplesEditorial style photography - do we have to?Staying authentic and avoiding the pressure to “sell out”If you’re not already a member of my fab community, come in and join us! We have hangout Zooms, co-working, courses, workshops, business and marketing templates, quick wins and loads more to get you more awesome bookings! https://kickassphotographers.com/join/

I tell the story about a huge wardrobe malfunction I had right before a wedding last weekend, as well as chatting about why imperfect and pretty downright crappy content is better than being slick on social media. Plus, how a massage therapist accidentally taught me about the scarcity mindset in marketing. Then I share a top tip at the end about not getting your emails sent to spam when you get enquiries!

This week I chat about: The Google Business Profile drama happening in the wedding photography industry this week A hot Insta tip from our latest workshop, plus a fab Instagram insight from one of my couples A couple of fun tips to take to your next wedding: how to make the group shot, cake cutting and reception entry photos way more exciting for you and everyone else! Join the gang and learn loads of business-boosting stuff, and hang with me more often! https://kickassphotographers.com/join/

This week I chat about: Achieving your dreams Aftershoot's masking tool An unhappy bride ripping into her photographer on Tik Tok Looking after yourself on a wedding day How it’s ok to turn clients away if they don’t feel right for you, and dealing with unhappy clients

Coworking with other wedding photographers Tips for shooting proposals - plus a funny story... Windy group shots - what to do Tips for bossing people around for group shots Benefit of doing Instagram stories at a wedding Why I'm in love with Aftershoot - then vs now Now... I'm off to Yestival! Join us! https://kickassphotographers.com/join/

I'm back BABY! I've missed podcasting, and this was so much fun. It's been a while! I'm now doing the podcast solo, but will go into all the details in this episode... I also chat about working solo and telling my couples about my break up, my house moving drama, plus a hot SEO tip about the future of SEO and what you need to do about it (hint: keywords can do one!). I also share my Premier Inn hack, how I deal with rainy weddings, and how I dealt with being asked a tricky question during a client Zoom. I'm planning to record a new episode every week for you to listen to on your way to weddings or while you're culling and editing to keep you company. You can join the membership at https://kickassphotographers.com/join/

We also talk about: Toxic positivity of goal-setting What to do instead of setting goals that actually impacts your business The super fun way Anna reflects on the past year - and how you can do it too Why we think wedding Instagram posts bomb A super simple SEO tip Doing things just for you, not social media Lower back pain and how our camera gear fixed it Why Christmas is a bit pants Why we won't make new year's resolutions Anna's 90s-themed birthday party plans Todd's excellent new skin regime Sony vs Fuji - why we switched and why we (kind of) went back My super snazzy red skin preset for Lightroom Why photographers need new hobbies Why we think Instagram is dying for wedding photographers I don't care about grid aesthetic - so what? Join us and hang with us more often: https://kickassphotographers.com/join/ Buy cool slogan hoodies: https://kickassphotographers.com/shop/

In this episode, we chat about a few of the best ways to earn winter income as a photographer and answer a member's question about selling mini-sessions.

We chat about: The Zoe health plan I'm on, and the interesting results Groom prep vs bride prep vibes Having to get cover for a wedding thanks to getting Covid Being scared of going into London for a wedding A (very hot) wedding we shot at Asylum London with half the day in a black unlit basement Why a Day in Detail form makes all the difference to a wedding day What happens when your camera freezes mid-wedding Missing important moments at a wedding The best camera belt ever Shooting live tattoos on a wedding day Finding old family movies and important things to capture at a wedding The upcoming Kick Ass Alton Towers trip Taking time off and delivering weddings late Air miles and travel tips Recent street photography workshop - our fave lessons How to make travelling way more fulfilling and unique Join us at https://kickassphotographers.com/join/

Rainy weddings and how we deal with them “Cake Gate” - not working for exposure Being groped at weddings iPhone films vs videographer New Tea Breaks in the membership The Show & Tell session Mini marketing ideas in the membership (plus a bonus idea you can do right now) The Olympus Trip 35 + Mississippi paddle trip Bringing our own food to weddings Want more wedding photography bookings and new friends? Join the Kick Ass Photographers membership! https://kickassphotographers.com/join/

We talk about: Bad lighting at weddings, group photos in the sun, getting sick, social media, photoshop AI, festivals, kayaking, travelling, iPhone films, selfies at weddings, shooting a wedding on your birthday, our fave Instagram account, why we made changes in the membership, Kick Ass merch. Plus, we strip because it's so damned hot. Want more wedding photography bookings? Join the Kick Ass Photographers membership where we have courses on how to make your website convert into enquiries, a ghostbusters course on how to turn enquiries into bookings, an email reply template and tons more ⁠https://kickassphotographers.com/join/⁠

Going on holiday and having a proper break from work Why we don't take a camera on holiday Sending poo in the post Getting fed at weddings Tips for staying hydrated at weddings iPhone films at weddings - why they're so popular Scout camp and going fully offline for a week Taking time off when you need it Scheduling scrolling time and worrying time That time my camera died at a destination wedding Deconstructing a full-on theme park wedding we shot Big changes we've made to our business that have led to more bookings How to get your clients to make your job easier Telling clients no and mitigating anxiety How to get out of doing venue recces We're the Yestival official photographers - it's on this weekend 16-18 June, join us! https://sayyesmore.com/tickets Join the Kick Ass Photographers community! https://kickassphotographers.com/join/https://kickassphotographers.com/join/

We talk about: Shooting film (specifically the Olympus Trip 35) Shooting weddings on an iPhone Shooting behind the scenes at a wedding A wacky engagement shoot we did Buying an ebike to commute to the co-working office - top tips! How to get clients to end up spending loads more on photography Losing 10kg and my new diet Judging the NineDots awards - why I chose the winners and why I didn’t choose the rest The one photo that didn't win that I’m sad about Which photos to submit to awards (and which not to) Chat GPT - how to use it to make marketing faster and easier https://youtu.be/sPa4ptNEnkE Meet my SEO right-hand woman Avoiding illness during wedding season Want more wedding photography bookings? Join the Kick Ass Photographers membership where we have courses on how to make your website convert into enquiries, a ghostbusters course on how to turn enquiries into bookings, an email reply template and tons more ⁠https://kickassphotographers.com/join/⁠

Wanna know everything about all the enquiries and bookings we've had so far this year? We dig into where they found us, what they were looking for, and how they ranked on our Official Ideal Client Scale (not official at all, more a finger in the wind!). We also look at any consistencies between ones we didn't book or who ghosted, or who weren't ideal clients, and found three very interesting similarities between them. Tune in to find out! Want more wedding photography bookings? Join the Kick Ass Photographers membership where we have courses on how to make your website convert into enquiries, a ghostbusters course on how to turn enquiries into bookings, an email reply template and tons more https://kickassphotographers.com/join/

Our first wedding of the year Do you photograph wedding drama? The dreaded Wedding Photo Checklist request https://annapumerphotography.com/the-ultimate-wedding-photography-checklist/ Should you turn down an enquiry for short coverage a year in the future? Which is the best camera to travel with? What film camera has Todd bought this week? Join us! https://kickassphotographers.com/join/

Last week I did a scary thing... a talk in front of about 100 epic photographers for an awesome NineDots event. Here's how it felt, how it went, and how you can be an expert too. That time we modelled for FujiFilm on our first date Visiting scary London My talk at NineDots - how it came about Going to events on your own - it's a bit 'brown in the pants' Meeting lovely new people How my talk went and how it felt to do it Nerves vs excitement Making jokes in front of an audience and bombing The most ridiculous and hilarious and embarrassing moment of my talk A few tips taken from my talk that you can use in your business How to be an expert in your business and how to utilise it in your marketing How you can find your 'thing' to teach other photographers - no imposter syndrome needed! How to do public speaking and smash it Find us here: https://www.instagram.com/kickassphotographers/ Join us here: https://kickassphotographers.com/join/

We talk about why I still charge the same as I did in 2016, and answer a member's question about what to do with an enquiry 3+ years in the future. We also look at all the ways we add extra income to each booking with upsells and how they've become super popular lately. Plus, how you can work out what to charge. Here's our pricing calculator as promised! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s3DrOUhe5K2VC2QFzxVAVreT3sLeRGA6naY8Z219EhI/copy?usp=sharing&fbclid=IwAR258svrrIFz-DV7a0ELLtdAd7q0PEhBA0aAoaMBay1qzy6FG_4o6XGPz4U Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/kickassphotographers/ Join our community at https://kickassphotographers.com/join/

This episode is all about photography awards and what we think of them, and how we'd shake up the awards industry. Plus, we segue into talking about what you can do instead of aiming for awards to attract new clients and feel good about your work, and what we'd do if we were starting a brand new wedding photography business. *explicit warning is a single s-bomb, thanks Todd! Shownotes: Awards - why did all men win a recent award? Our opinion on awards in general The type of images that win awards Impressing other photographers vs doing meaningful work for our clients Has “award-winning photographer” become meaningless? Why I don’t apply for awards External vs internal validation The pressure of shooting for awards What awards systems could do to be more meaningful and inclusive Awards encourage photos that become copies of each other Imposter syndrome and how to feel good about what you're creating Comparisonitis and your mental health Anxiety, depression and low self-esteem in photographers How to not be affected by other photographers’ work Having a folder of inspo photos How to find meaning and confidence in your work The best thing we did for our own creative confidence Endlessly tweaking presets and never being quite happy with it and why it doesn't matter How to remind yourself you’re good enough without needing the kudos of an award Our dream awards - awarding our couples and other suppliers with something fun Wedding photographers getting married Booking anxiety and comparing yourself to other photographers Our booking status Sometimes we worry about not having enough bookings too Why some people get bookings without appearing to do marketing Why you shouldnt focus on other people’s marketing or try to reverse engineer it If I was starting a new business - what I’d do to get bookings Being a marketer vs being a creative Outsourcing so you can focus on marketing The stuff that gets you bookings Marketing strategy session in the membership Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/kickassphotographers/ Join our community at https://kickassphotographers.com/join/

Things we talked about: Our word for the year Failure and how it's a journey to success Not overthinking stuff Why we’re doing the podcast Diana and Lomo cameras and shooting film Hanging out with other photographers and acting like big children The "6-figure income" thing and our thoughts on that Why Anna started doing web design My failed businesses and that time I pitched to Dragons Den Why I (Anna) chose a different name for my business than my actual surname Anna's life as an OG influencer in 2010 How some people succeed despite making all the algorithm mistakes Our marketing strategy for 2023 My viral reel plus getting on Sam Smith's Instagram and what happened How to make Instagram marketing much more pleasant and less stressful Our Bruges trip - the best waffles in Bruges, and how we got through a panic-inducing situation relatively calmly Links we discussed: https://annapumerphotography.com/ https://kickassphotographers.com/ https://www.annapumer.com/ https://getoffthebeatenpath.com/ Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/kickassphotographers/ Join our community at https://kickassphotographers.com/join/