The Beginner Photography Podcast

In this episode of the Beginner Photography Podcast, I chat with Jenny Stein, a heartfelt family documentarian photographer dedicated to capturing real emotions. Jenny reveals the challenges of maintaining a love for photography when it becomes a business and shares powerful insights on how photography can provide closure in times of grief. We dive deep into balancing conflicting emotions and the significance of capturing authentic moments, even during difficult times.
The Big Ideas:

• Balancing Emotions: Conflicting emotions can coexist in photography; both joy and sorrow are real and valuable to capture. This duality enriches your work.
• Authenticity in Moments: Authentic photos during difficult times can offer significant comfort and closure, preserving the true essence of the moment.
• Personal Connection: Personal losses and experiences shape your perspective and add depth to your photographs. Let your unique story enhance your creative vision.
• Evolving Perspectives: As you grow, allow your photography interests to evolve. Focus on what you're good at and what genuinely inspires you to keep the passion alive.

Photography Action Plan:

1. Capture Real Emotions: During your next shoot, create space for authentic moments by engaging with your subjects and encouraging natural interactions. Review your photos with a critical eye, selecting those that genuinely capture raw emotions and telling a compelling story.
2. Diversify Your Portfolio: Set up scenes that depict both joyful and solemn emotions. This practice will help you become more versatile and empathetic in your work. Gather these varying shots into a mixed portfolio to showcase your ability to capture the full spectrum of human experience.
3. Reflect on Personal Losses: Take some time to reflect on moments of personal loss. Consider how these experiences can inform and deepen your photography practice. Write down three ways in which these experiences can shape your approach to photographing others.
4. Engage in Personal Projects: Start a personal project focusing on a theme close to your heart, such as family moments or personal loss, and make it a point to capture these authentically. Share your project with a trusted group or online community to receive feedback and refine your narrative approach.
5. Embrace Daily Practice: Commit to a 365 project where you take a photo every day, focusing on capturing real-life moments. This consistency will improve both technical skills and emotional depth. Maintain accountability by joining a group or setting reminders, and reflect weekly on the emotional journey and learnings from your daily shots.

Download your free copy of
46 Creative Photo Ideas to Get You Out of a Rut
at https://creativeimageideas.com/

Sign up for your free CloudSpot Account today at www.DeliverPhotos.com

Connect with Raymond!

• Join the free Beginner Photography Podcast Community at https://beginnerphotopod.com/group
• Get your Photo Questions Answered on the show - https://beginnerphotopod.com/qa
• Grab your free camera setting cheatsheet - https://perfectcamerasettings.com/

Thanks for listening & keep shooting!

In this episode of the podcast I asked BPP community moderators Jim Sinicki and Kim Irish to join me in a fun discussion about photography and the community. They asked you, members of the BPP community questions and I do my best to answer them.
The Big Ideas:

1. Embrace Discomfort in Your Photography Journey: Challenging environments yield unique opportunities. Whether it’s a rugged landscape or dense urban streets, discomfort can push your creative boundaries.
   • Start planning a photo expedition to a challenging location, like a local street photography workshop or a remote nature hike.
   • Prepare for these conditions with proper gear and mental readiness to turn discomfort into creative success.
2. Tackle Imposter Syndrome Head-On: Feelings of doubt are common, especially when pricing your work or comparing yourself to others. Recognizing them as part of the journey can reduce their power.
   • Reflect on your achievements and client feedback regularly to build confidence.
   • Engage with a supportive photography community for encouragement and constructive feedback.
3. Value Your Work Appropriately: Pricing should reflect the quality and effort you put into your photography. Reassessing your rates can prevent undervaluation and communicate professionalism.
   • Conduct market research to understand the going rates for comparable work.
   • Don’t be afraid to incrementally increase your prices and communicate the value you bring to clients.

Connect with Raymond!

• Join the free Beginner Photography Podcast Community at https://beginnerphotopod.com/group
• Get your Photo Questions Answered on the show - https://beginnerphotopod.com/qa
• Grab your free camera setting cheatsheet - https://perfectcamerasettings.com/

Thanks for listening & keep shooting!

Gaining confidence as a photographer comes down to things and none of them have to do with the camera. You will naturally get comfortable with the camera as time goes on. Confidence 3 things.
#1 Prep

A wise man once said that failing to prepare is preparing to fail. That couldn’t be more true than in photography. If you want to start taking photos with intention you need to know your gear and how it works inside and out. So the prep stage is knowing your gear, how it works, and how it reacts in different lighting sanarios. Take a listen to episode 243 where I break down step by step how to get to know your camera.

#2 Plan

If you want to be successful as a photographer you will need to shoot more than just reactionary photos but shoot with intention. Sometimes that means planning out your photos. Before a shoot really break down each element. What lens will you use, what lights will you use, how will your subject pose. Hammer those details out so when you get ready to shoot you won’t have to think on the fly, they are already planned out.

#3 Practice

You can read every tutorial and watch every video on youtube but if you don’t actually put in time behind the camera you won’t be retaining much. That’s why practice is so important. To be most efficient when practicing, have a clear goal and work on just one aspect of photography. When just getting started I recommend composition. Composition how you compose the frame of your image with the goal of leading your viewer’s eyes to the subject of the photo. Composition is something you can practice anywhere and even with just the camera on your phone which is why its such a great place to start.

Download your free copy of
46 Creative Photo Ideas to Get You Out of a Rut
at https://creativeimageideas.com/

Sign up for your free CloudSpot Account today at www.DeliverPhotos.com

Connect with Raymond!

• Join the free Beginner Photography Podcast Community at https://beginnerphotopod.com/group
• Get your Photo Questions Answered on the show - https://beginnerphotopod.com/qa
• Grab your free camera setting cheatsheet - https://perfectcamerasettings.com/

Thanks for listening & keep shooting!

Im renaming November to MEvember and focusing on my health. Since photography is a large part of my life I wanted to examine how it contributes to my health. Today I want to share with you the 4 ways that photography is incredibly beneficial to your health and well being and how photography can take care of you.

Memory

Have you ever noticed how you have strong memories of taking photos more so than the event itself? Science may have an answer as to why! Reviewing our photographs builds new path ways from our hippocampus to more visual memory parts of our brain.

Creative

Have you ever wished you were a born creative? According to science, creativity really can be strengthened like a muscle when practiced regularly. The key, the more you do, the more experience you have, the more experience you have, the more you can tweak that experience to apply to the current situation at hand.

Physical

I routinely get 20k steps in at a wedding. While photography is not the most physically demanding job it’s far more demanding than a desk job or video game hobby. Physical exercise also helps in the creative aspect. When you move your body, get your blood flowing to the brain, reduces inflammation, and lowers stress hormones which can help create more connections between brain cells and brain areas.

Feels good to give to others

We all know that when we give to others, the mesolimbic pathway lights up increasing activity in the prefrontal cortex and activating the subgenual area which is also associated with higher levels of social belonging.

Resources:

• Memories, Photographs, and the Human Brain
• The Science behind Gift Giving
• Your Brain and Creativity
• Join The Beginner Photography Podcast Facebook Community
• 46 Creative Photography Ideas: Free PDF Download

Download your free copy of
46 Creative Photo Ideas to Get You Out of a Rut
at https://creativeimageideas.com/

Connect with Raymond!

• Join the free Beginner Photography Podcast Community at https://beginnerphotopod.com/group
• Get your Photo Questions Answered on the show - https://beginnerphotopod.com/qa
• Grab your free camera setting cheatsheet - https://perfectcamerasettings.com/

Thanks for listening & keep shooting!

Dina Goldstein began her career 30 years ago as a photojournalist, evolving from a documentary and editorial photographer into an independent artist focusing on large-scale productions of narrative photography tableaux. Goldstein’s work has been the subject of academic essays and dissertations and has been covered extensively in media around the globe. Goldstein continues to independently produce works and show internationally at commercial and public galleries, art centers, festivals, biennales and museums.
In This Episode You'll Learn:

• When Dina knew photography was going to be an important part of her life
• What Dina struggled with most when starting out in photography
• Why Dina left photojournalism
• Where Dina got the idea for her staged project “Fallen Princesses”
• How Dina comes up with concepts for her different photo projects
• The struggle of choosing how to create which images for her various photo projects.

Resources:

• Narrative Photographer Dina Goldstein’s website
• Join The Beginner Photography Podcast Facebook Community

Sign up for your free CloudSpot Account today at www.DeliverPhotos.com

Learn What Camera Settings to Use in our free guide!
https://perfectcamerasettings.com/

Connect with the Beginner Photography Podcast!

• Join the free Beginner Photography Podcast Community at https://beginnerphotopod.com/group
• Send in your Photo Questions to get answered on the show - https://beginnerphotopod.com/qa
• Grab your free camera setting cheatsheet - https://perfectcamerasettings.com/

Thanks for listening & keep shooting!