FSB091: Jen Basford

What do you get when you cross a brainiac, with a cheerleader and a photographer. You get the one and only Jen Basford of 3 Girls Photography. Don’t let her barefoot, bouncy, and bubbly personality fool you. This MBA was once ranked #5 in her state in math and worked as a technical consultant at Accenture before starting her portrait photography studio. The meteoric success of her 3-4 year old studio is a clear testament to her marketing smarts and business acumen. In this episode, Jen shares with us her take on what makes a photographer a professional? Which she believes is more important, the photography or the business side? What it was like growing up as an only child and how that influences her as a mom of, you guessed it, three girls. She also shares why she absolutely will not do weddings. Jen has a vibrant outlook on life and an infectious spirit that will keep you smiling throughout the entire interview.

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/mf/play/iky6aq/fsb091-JenBasford.mp3&autoStart=no

Get code to embed in your blog. Subscribe to this show in iTunes.

Our next episode guest will be the internationally celebrated and muli award-winning, self-professed metro-sexual wedding photog superstar himself, Jerry Ghionis.

FSB090: Tasra Dawson

You may notice that the last name of today’s guest matches my own. I admit it. Today’s episode is nepotism at it’s best. But, there’s a very legitimate and exciting reason I wanted to have my beloved wife on the show today. Her story and journey is one I am confident many of you will find inspiring: from being a single mom for seven years, to writing her first novel, publishing her first book, working for Apple Computer, becoming the creative director for my company, and ultimately, forming her latest career endeavor, Teen Identity Portraits. But, most recently she’s initiated a movement that in just the past two days has really caught fire. Bolstered by the encouragement and sage advice of veteran photographer Scott Bourne, Tasra has initiated the tasra365.com challenge. There are many year-long or “365″ challenges out there related to photography. This one is sort of special, and the huge surge in the people joining is proof positive it’s struck a chord. Learn about how it all came about, then head on over to tasra365.com, click the “Join me” button, and tag along for the ride.

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/mf/play/xtucu/fsb090-TasraDawson.mp3&autoStart=no

Get code to embed in your blog. Subscribe to this show in iTunes.

Next week we’ll bring you the bouncy, bubbly, and incredibly brainy Jen Basford of 3 Girls Photography.

FSB078: Scott and Adina Hayne

A little over two years ago, Scott Hayne was running a small courier business that lost a major contract forcing  him into “unemployment.” His wife Adina lost her job as well.  Yet, Scott had a gift for photography, and in the midst of those job losses, they took a leap of faith and invested $10,000 in camera gear and other equipment to start their photography business. Well, their investment paid off. This year at the Annual Senior Portrait Artist event, he was named both Senior Portrait Artist of the Year and Top New Artist of the Year. Scott and Adina seem to be doing everything right. They’ve gathered over 2,500 Facebook friends (half of which are clients or potential clients), have a decent Twitter following, and his meteoric rise to success has prompted other photographers to ask, “How’d you do it?” So, they started their “No Rules “Workshop” to share the what worked and didn’t work for them.

In this interview, Scott and Adina tell us how it all began, the scary start of borrowing the money to start the business, how Facebook has benefited their business, how they went from 4 weddings to 37 in one year, finding one’s “style,” and what it’s like working together as a husband and wife team. In today’s trying economic times, it’s encouraging stories like this that remind you anything is possible!

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/mf/play/6x9zx3/fsb078-ScottAdinaHayne.mp3&autoStart=no

Get code to embed in your blog. Subscribe to this show in iTunes.

Next week we have a very special treat. Uber-successful commercial photog and industry thought-leader Doub Menuez graces the FSB airwaves. You absolutely WON’T want to miss it!

Contest Winners

We also announce the winners of the “Find our ad in RangeFinder Magazine” contest. Congrats to Lydia Takeoka, Rich Mattingly, Patrick Farrington, and George Williams. If you want to bypass the contest winner announcement, the interview starts at 5:36.

FSB075: Kent and Sarah Smith

How many of you would be willing to cut 25% of your revenue so that you could  have a better life for yourself? Today we’ll speak with a couple that did just that—two giants in the world of teen and family portraiture, Kent and Sarah Smith. About 7 years ago at a time when their studio was grossing over $900,000 a year, $250K of that was from weddings. When they were forced to leave a great vacation in Italy in order to get home in time to shoot Saturday weddings, two weddings that involved a lot of stress, it was then and there they decided to quit weddings cold turkey. They’ve since made up that revenue with just their portrait business and life is so much better for them because of it.

Kent and Sarah share with us stories from their 25+ years in the business. A lot of you do same-day slide shows at your weddings. Hah! Kent was doing slide shows at the weddings back in 1982 when he was literally using slides! He’d shoot the weddings on slide film, then develop them in the back of his van and project them later that evening. They comment on leadership, the use (over-use) of Photoshop, we talk about the movie Braveheart, getting paid what you’re worth, and how to keep the passion of your art when running a business has turned your love photography into a “job.” And I get to get back on my soap box about the exploitation of teens in sexually explicit advertising. This is one of those episodes that covers the whole gamut. Don’t miss out.

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/mf/play/ssqjt/fsb075-TheSmiths.mp3&autoStart=no

Get code to embed in your blog. Subscribe to this show in iTunes.

Next week we have on the show wedding photographer, savvy businessman, and music aficionado Fred Egan.

FSBTV021: Jeff and Julia Woods

Last September my wife and I were invited by Jeff and Julia Woods to help with their ONE Conference, a special conference designed for married couples in business together. In addition to shooting a short promo for the event, I naturally took the opportunity to shoot an ad hoc F-Stop Beyond: In Living Color episode. This one was done “on the fly.” So, we don’t have our traditional two camera set up. And it’s also more “home movie” like. But, the opportunity to interview two of the most successful portrait photographers in the industry (international speakers as well as Canon Explorer of Light and multi-award-winning photographers) was too good to pass up to worry about less than ideal production values. I am confident you’ll find their interview inspiring.

Thanks to Kenny Kim for manning the camera during the show intro.

Subscribe to the show in iTunes
http://blip.tv/play/gZ1b96tBAA

MORE OF MIKE COLÓN TO COME

We still have six more episodes of our interview with celebrity wedding photographer Mike Colón, so stay tuned to this blog for those.

Episode 59: Lori Nordstrom

When I mention the name Madison County, for many of you, the first thing that probably comes to mind are the classic covered bridges and the best selling book and critically acclaimed movie. Well, Madison County is also home to today’s guest, star portrait photographer and speaker, Lori Nordstrom. The film buff in me gets to chat a while with Lori about her famous county and the controversy of a romance movie about infidelity filmed in such a conservative midwest county. The discussion about the movie leads to discussions about Lori’s small “Mayberry” town and how she ended up moving from Texas to Winterset, IA.  Lori also shares with us how she balances running a successful portrait studio and raising kids. She opens up about her own divorce and gives our listeners some sage advice about the importance of assigning responsibilities in a marriage in order to set expectations. If you’re in this business with a spouse, even if your spouse doesn’t directly work with you in the business, I encourage you to listen to Lori’s story and be inspired by what she’s learned in life.

In tribute to the romance of the covered bridges of Madison County, and as a nod to the book and movie about the famous county, today’s musical outro is “Love Letters” by Kirsten Vogelsang courtesy of Triple Scoop Music.

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerlightsmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/medias/play/aHR0cDovL21lZGlhMi5wb2RiZWFuLmNvbS8xOTI1NC91L2ZzYjA1OS1Mb3JpTm9yZHN0cm9tLm1wMw/fsb059-LoriNordstrom.mp3&autoStart=no

Powered by Podbean.com

Embeddable Player

Next week, Jay Lawrence Goldman and I talk movies and music. It’s one of the most fun interviews I’ve had. Don’t miss it!

Episode 57: Ann Hamilton

Today we have a very special episode with my friend and insanely talented wedding and portrait photographer Ann Hamilton. After months of bending her arm to be on the show, I finally got the elusive one. Ann is a San Francisco based photographer who frequently shoots with “American Photo” Top 10 photographer, Gene Higa (he’s the Clyde to her Bonnie). Ann is also a world class pet photographer, practicing on the true “man” in her life, her pet pug, Bogie. (She’s actually going to be speaking about dog portraits at the next WPPI).

Today we find out what Ann was like as a little girl; her move from New York (where she grew up) out to San Fran; how she transitioned from being  a corporate communications writer at an insurance firm, to doing PR for a dot com, to professional photographer. (She’s self-taught and admits she started her career on disposable cameras). And we learn the origin of her famous/infamous collaboration with the aforementioned Mr. Higa. This is one of those interviews that will put a smile on your face. But it’s a bittersweet one, as Ann also opens up and shares with us about the death of her dad to cancer on August 1, 2007. The loss of someone so dear and close to her had a profound affect on her life. Your heart will be touched by what she shares.

Today’s uplifting outro song is “Every Single Moment” by Darius Lux, courtesy of Triple Scoop Music.

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerlightsmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/medias/play/aHR0cDovL21lZGlhMi5wb2RiZWFuLmNvbS8xOTI1NC91L2ZzYjA1Ny1Bbm5IYW1pbHRvbi5tcDM/fsb057-AnnHamilton.mp3&autoStart=no

Embeddable Player

Next week, just in time to get you hyped for PhotoPlus Expo in New York, is the I *heart* NY photo master himself, Jason Groupp.

Episode 51: Carey Schumacher and Skip Cohen

What started out as an innocent enough challenge, to see who could grill the better BBQ dog, turned into a major event. RangeFinder Publishing/WPPI President Skip Cohen took on wedding and portrait photographer Carey Schumacher for a battle of the sexes, a la “iron chef.” It probably won’t go down in history as big a battle as the famed 1973 dual between Billy Jean King and Bobby Riggs, but it will be remembered by many as a terrific endeavor for a worthy cause. On today’s episode Carey and Skip come on to talk about the BBQ Smackdown, the worthy cause for which they duked it out on the grill (Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep), and the value of cause-marketing. But not before we get to chat it up with Carey a bit and delve into more simple topics, like “why do bad things happen to good people and what’s the point of praying for good things anyway!” This is a fun episode with an inspiring message. Enjoy!

Also, this week we’re adding a new feature to the show to spice things up a bit. Instead of the usual F-Stop Beyond theme song, for the outro music we’re going to have a new selection each week from the vast library of songs over at Triple Scoop Music. This week’s show features “My Everything” by Violaine.

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerlightsmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/medias/play/aHR0cDovL21lZGlhMi5wb2RiZWFuLmNvbS8xOTI1NC91L2ZzYjA1MS1DYXJleUFuZFNraXAubXAz/fsb051-CareyAndSkip.mp3&autoStart=no

Embed this episode into your blog.

Next week, we have as guest, a master of light, Cliff Mautner, as he shares with us his thoughts on photojournalism, style, life, and photography in his “no holds barred” style.

Episode 50: Catherine Hall

What do a massage therapist and a wedding and portrait photographer have in common? Well, you gotta listen if you want to find out. Perhaps it was Catherine Hall’s experience as the former that contributed to her being such a terrific photographer. Or, maybe it was the Olympic-caliber skiing she used to do that gave her the competitive edge to rise above the rest. Or, perhaps, despite the fact that she was a middle child, instead of embracing a “Jan Brady” (”Marcia! Marcia! Marcia!”) attitude, Catherine always saw herself as Marcia. Whatever the secret, Catherine’s experience as an editorial, portrait, and wedding photographer have made her creme of the crop in the industry (she was one of only a few women selected as “Young Guns” earlier this year at WPPI). This is one of those episodes that will make you laugh as well as give you inspiration. We cover a whole host of topics: childhood; massage therapy; skiing; west coast vs. east coast (she’s bi-coastal, “not that there’s anything wrong with that.”); and, at the end, she gives us her take on two of the most oft-asked questions she gets as a speaker and instructor: how do you get sponsors and how do you get to charge high fees? We cover such a variety of topics, I’ve crowned Catherine “The Tangent Queen.”  Enjoy the ride!

http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerlightsmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://cinematicstudios.podbean.com/medias/play/aHR0cDovL21lZGlhMi5wb2RiZWFuLmNvbS8xOTI1NC91L2ZzYjA1MC1DYXRoZXJpbmVIYWxsLm1wMw/fsb050-CatherineHall.mp3&autoStart=no

Get the embed code to place on your blog.

Next week, Carey Schumacher of Barefoot Memories gets deep and spiritual, just before a guest star appearance from WPPI and RangeFinder President Skip Cohen. The two will give us the scoop on their recent tete-a-tete, the BBQ Smackdown. Don’t miss it!

David Jay's Mentors – Exclusive Episode

In this special episode, DJ talks about the photography and business mentors who helped him along the way. We then surprise DJ with a guest appearance by his college photography professor, Brad Elliott.

This episode is exclusive to our FSB Insiders. There are two ways you can view it for FREE. Either sign up for the CSI ProPhoto newsletter (where you’ll get periodic updates on all the cool happenings and new productions from Cinematic Studios), or join the newly created F-Stop Beyond Facebook Group (we’ll notify group members when an exclusive episode is up and what the password is). Here’s a preview of the episode.

http://blip.tv/play/gZ1byZMnAA

Use the password sent to access the video below

http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1573993&server=www.vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1
David Jay’s Mentors from Ron Dawson on Vimeo.

F-STOP BEYOND ON FACEBOOK!

We’ve created a Facebook group for F-Stop Beyond. For the loyal listeners of the audio podcast, and now the viewers of “In Living Color,” the group will be a place where you can receive passwords to see and download exclusive episodes, share stories that encourage others, or give us ideas of who you’d like to see (or hear) on one of the shows. Come on over and join the group.

SPREAD THE LOVE

It’s so amazing to read comments and get emails from people all over the globe who are being inspired and encouraged by the personal stories and interviews of FSB guests. So be sure to spread the love. You can do that in a number of ways:

• Blog about it: If there’s a particular episode you like, share it on your blog. Each of  the video episodes allows you to copy the embed code for that episode right from each player. For the audio episodes, we’re going to start including a link where you can obtain the code to get the episodes you like.
• Share the group: Facebook group members are allowed to invite others to join the group. So, invite your friends.
• E-mail: old fashioned e-mail works great too. E-mail the permalink to an episode you like to someone who you feel needs encouragement in the area that guest is addressing.

Thanks again to all of you who’ve e-mailed or commented about the show. We’ll continue to work on bringing you interviews with a wide variety of photographers whose lives and testimonies can be inspiring, educational, and entertaining.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Finally, congratulations to Nate Mathai of Chicago, IL and Daniel Heywood of Idaho for being our drawing winners from David Jay Episode 3. Nate wins a free Triple Scoop Music song and Daniel wins a copy of Dane Sanders’ audio book “Fast Track Photograher.”