The Offline Photographer with Heather Lahtinen Part 1

11/28/23 • 37 min

219 - You spoke up and we listened.

You all loved The Coaching Journals with Heather Lahtinen, Christi Baker and Monica Adalsteinsson that we're bringing them back.
Ish.

Christi and Monica are off soaring like eagles after six months of intensive coaching with Heather and the Elevate program. Today, we're introducing a spinoff series, called The Offline Photographer, and it's inspired by the challenges of the same name that Heather is currently holding in Elevate.

These challenges are designed to make you a networking, marketing boss, getting you out into your community to talk all things pet photography.

Heather is picking a photographer in the challenges each month to interview and share their journey. This month, we're hearing from Laura Wombwell of Hamilton, Ontario, who's making a name for herself with quirky fantasy composites and dramatic portraits.
What to listen for

4:24 The genius behind Laura's fundraising event

9:56 The delicate balance between charity work and business

21:19 How to overcome the fear of rejection

26:49 Why we need to retrain our brains and share our passion

35:23 Heather drops a new challenge on Laura

Guys, I am super excited to see where Heather takes this new series with her Elevate photographers. I'm confident she is going to get even more members of our community flying!

What's your takeaway from Laura's coaching? Comment on the 'Gram.

Connect with Heather

TRANSFORM YOUR BUSINESS WITH COMMERCIAL PET PHOTOGRAPHY - Access our secret podcast now!

Are you enjoying the Freedom Focus Photography Podcast? Please leave a rating or a review!

JOIN THE PARTY:

Connect with us on Instagram
Explore valuable pet photography resources here
Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers.
Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that.
Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

219 - You spoke up and we listened.

You all loved The Coaching Journals with Heather Lahtinen, Christi Baker and Monica Adalsteinsson that we're bringing them back.
Ish.

These challenges are designed to make you a networking, marketing boss, getting you out into your community to talk all things pet photography.

4:24 The genius behind Laura's fundraising event

9:56 The delicate balance between charity work and business

21:19 How to overcome the fear of rejection

26:49 Why we need to retrain our brains and share our passion

35:23 Heather drops a new challenge on Laura

Guys, I am super excited to see where Heather takes this new series with her Elevate photographers. I'm confident she is going to get even more members of our community flying!

What's your takeaway from Laura's coaching? Comment on the 'Gram.

Connect with Heather

TRANSFORM YOUR BUSINESS WITH COMMERCIAL PET PHOTOGRAPHY - Access our secret podcast now!

Are you enjoying the Freedom Focus Photography Podcast? Please leave a rating or a review!

JOIN THE PARTY:

Connect with us on Instagram
Explore valuable pet photography resources here
Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers.
Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that.
Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

Previous Episode

Split Pea Soup and Photo Feedback with Heather Lahtinen

218 - I completely get it if you see the word "soup" and here "NO SOUP FOR YOU" in your head.

It means you might be old enough to remember Seinfeld on NBC every Thursday night. Or maybe you've seen that episode on Prime video.

Heather and I are talking about soup on this week's episode of the Hair of the Dog podcast. No, not chicken soup for the soul.

Split pea soup.

More specifically, the split pea soup Heather's daughter made the annual soup cook-off fundraiser at their church.

It was awful.

And Heather had to find the right way to tell Ella.

Together, we turn it into a mindset shift for you in learning how to take feedback on your photos ...

and equally as important, to whom you should be listening for feedback that will help you grow your craft.

What to listen for

4:38 The ethical dilemma of saying something

11:19 How to serve a "critique" sandwich

16:59 Whose feedback is most valuable to you

26:47 My friend hates my skirt and that's OK

28:39 How to evaluate that feedback and move forward

Feedback and personal growth are so important as a pet photographer and as an entrepreneur but your value as a pet photographer -- heck, as a human -- is not calculated by the opinions of people who don't matter.

See? Your mom was right!

Now do me a favor and give me some feedback on this episode. Comment on the 'Gram.

TRANSFORM YOUR BUSINESS WITH COMMERCIAL PET PHOTOGRAPHY - Access our secret podcast now!

Are you enjoying the Freedom Focus Photography Podcast? Please leave a rating or a review!

JOIN THE PARTY:

Connect with us on Instagram
Explore valuable pet photography resources here
Discover effective pricing and sales strategies for all portrait photographers.
Ready to grow your business? Elevate helps you do just that.
Check out our recommended gear and favorite books.

Next Episode

Finding Success with Social Anxiety with Michelle Crandall

220 - Rejection is part of being a business owner. No ... no, wait ... rejection is part of being human!

Even marketing guru Seth Godin has heard the word "no" but he's at least come to understand that the rejection is more about the rejectee than it is about him. Rejectee ... I just made that up.

That doesn't mean the word "no" isn't difficult to hear. It hurts sometimes and Michelle Crandall of Pets in Focus Photography in Michigan has felt that pain.

And haven't we all? We put so much heart and soul into our work and hearing "no" can paralyze you into not taking any action.

What has helped Michelle move past her fear and anxiety? Coaching with Heather, of course!

Heather has the mic again this week, sharing a recent Elevate one-on-one with Michelle. They have a candid conversation about Michelle's struggles ... and her breakthroughs.

What to listen for

3:40 When Michelle needed to pivot from dog sports to portraits

8:43 The terror she felt at the thought of calling someone

14:25 Why imposter syndrome is so damaging

17:27 How Michelle pushed through the fear and doubt to take action

31:07 Who the real, confident, smart Michelle is

38:28 How coaching with Heather changed her life

I know you can confront your fears, push through the discomfort and reshape not just your business but your entire life too!

I want to know if this episode resonated with you. Comment on the 'Gram.