Sam Hurd’s Masterclass on Using Prisms, Light & AI to Inspire Your Photography

08/07/24 • 32 min

Photographer Sam Hurd is well-known for bringing wild ideas to life through clever use of light, unique tools, and an unconventional approach to photography.
Join us as Sam talks about his professional journey, how his photography and editing style evolved over the years, how he pulls off some of the most insane shots in-camera, his approach to using AI for photography, and so much more.
If you’re a photographer looking for inspiration to add some creativity to your photo shoots, then this is one episode you should not miss.
Connect with Sam on Instagram: https://instagram.com/iamthesam
Visit his website: https://samhurdphotography.com
Check out his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/samhurdphoto
Check out the Insight app: https://www.insight.photo

Topics:
00:00 - Introduction
02:01 - How Sam got started in photography
03:39 - How Sam’s photography & editing style evolved since his first shoot
05:07 - How Sam shut down his imposter syndrome
06:43 - Pro tip: Start with the light
07:46 - Flash vs natural light
8:50 - Experimenting during sessions & dealing with failures without losing momentum
10:23 - Using the same tool in different ways & environments
14:35 - Doing things in camera vs in post-processing
15:45 - Using real physics to inspire your photos
17:37 - Ethically using AI to inspire real photography
24:55 - The fastest way to transfer photos from your camera
26:08 - How Sam is building the “Insight” app for photographers
28:06 - Experimenting & acting on your inspiration
29:46 - What’s in Sam’s bag during sessions
31:52 - Wrapping up

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Previous Episode

Win Photography Clients with Cassidy Lynne’s Social Media Strategy

If you’re not building your audience on social media as a professional photographer, you’re losing out on hundreds potential clients. Big time.

But fear not, because wedding photographer and social media genius Cassidy Lynne — with 226K+ followers just on Instagram! — is here to show you the ropes.

In the very first episode of After the Shoot podcast, Cassidy and Justin talk about her professional journey as a photographer, how she blew up on social media, and also share advice on how professional photographers can leverage social media to grow and market their business — without getting overwhelmed.

This is an episode no photographer lost in this digital world should miss.

Connect with Cassidy -

Instagram: https://instagram.com/cassidylynne

Website: https://cassidylynnephoto.com/

Her clothing line, Necessidy: https://necessidy.com/

Listen to the Oh Shoot! Podcast: https://aftershoot.co/3W5ee4J

Topics covered:

00:00 - Introduction

01:51 - How Cassidy got into wedding photography

04:21 - How Cassidy blew up on social media

06:29 - How Cassidy juggles all her ventures

07:36 - Why social media is so important for photographers

09:39 - Why Original audio is huge on social media right now

10:40 - How to target customers on Facebook

12:23 - Free vs paid promotion on social media

13:05 - How to keep up with social media trends

15:05 - Do you need 200k followers to run a photography biz?

17:32 - Maximizing virality on social media

19:44 - Overdoing it on social media

23:15 - Finding wedding photography clients on Pinterest

24:56 - Being intentional about what you post across platforms

26:03 - Wrapping up

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Next Episode

Why Clients Pay the Premium to Get Photographed by Lilly Red

If there’s one thing about Lilly Red, it’s that she’s unapologetically herself. And that’s really what her clients want when they book with her.
Join us as Lilly shares her transition from photographing cakes to capturing weddings, her challenges as an artist, and how she embraced her uniqueness as a photographer.
We talk about how Lilly’s individuality and style have attracted a global clientele, particularly Americans seeking an Italian wedding experience, and also go into how she created her unique editing style.
For photographers struggling with authenticity in an era of trends, this episode is a must-listen.
Connect with Lilly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elisabettalillyred/
Visit her website: https://lillyred.it
Check out her Say Cheese! podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/say-cheese/id1597708095
Topics:
00:00 - Introduction
02:13 - Lilly Red’s start as a cake/food photographer
03:48 - Why she transitioned into wedding photography
04:42 - Photographing cakes, weddings, chairs... From Qatar to Italy to all over the world
06:08 - Bringing your style and your life into your work as a photographer
09:59 - Not comparing your work to others
11:07 - How to be YOU and still attract clients?
13:05 - How to command a premium price as a photographer
15:09 - How Lilly developed her incredible editing style
16:39 - Wrapping up

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After the Shoot - A Photography Podcast - Sam Hurd’s Masterclass on Using Prisms, Light & AI to Inspire Your Photography

Transcript

Justin Benson

Welcome to After the Shoot, a podcast where we take a peek behind the lens to get inspired by the stories, challenges, and ideas of some of the most successful photographers in the business.

I'm Justin Benson from Aftershoot, an AI culling and editing software that helps give photographers like you your time back so you can focus on what you do best, while our magical unicorns take care of the most boring and time consuming parts of your job. I'll be