LEVEL UP: A Wedding Photography + Videography Podcast

Some of those lessons came from investing in education and learning from people who were further along than me. Others? Well, let's just say I learned them the hard way. 😂 In this episode, I'm sharing 10 of the biggest lessons I've learned over the last decade as a wedding filmmaker, and the things I wish I had known sooner! We're talking about everything from staying motivate...

Has Instagram made wedding photographers and filmmakers LAZY when it comes to marketing? 👀 Okay, hear us out. When Kelley started her wedding filmmaking business in 2010, Instagram wasn't even a thing. And guess what? She booked 30 weddings in her first full season WITHOUT social media. Fast forward 16 years, and those SAME grassroots marketing strategies are helping her book $20,000 wedding...

Should wedding photographers and videographers offer UNLIMITED coverage? Or could that decision actually be costing you thousands of dollars? 👀 It's a question we get ALL the time, especially from creatives looking to break into the luxury wedding market. And while unlimited coverage might sound like an easy way to elevate your client experience and stand out from the competition, there&apos...

If there's one thing Kelley will openly admit, it's that she is NOT a numbers girl. 😂 After 16 years in the wedding industry, she's always been much more comfortable behind a camera than sitting in front of a spreadsheet. Thankfully, she married someone who actually enjoys that stuff! But recently, Kelley and Paul started looking back at the numbers from their earlier years at 618...

You can only grow your wedding business alone for so long. 👀 There was a point in both of our businesses when we realized that posting on Instagram, relying on inquiries to magically find us, and simply showing up to weddings to do our jobs wasn’t going to get us where we wanted to go. We needed PEOPLE. Real relationships with wedding planners. Friendships with other photographers and filmmakers....

What happens when a business that has been successful for YEARS suddenly… slows down? A year ago, Kelley was staring at an almost empty wedding calendar. After 15+ years in business and hundreds of weddings, 618 Studios had lost momentum. Somewhere along the way, the business had slipped into autopilot. So Kelley decided to become the student again. She went back through the exact strategies we te...

We are keeping the party going with these reruns and today's is such a good one. We loved hearing Tayler's story in October 2025 and it has been so fun to watch her growth since then! Every photographer and filmmaker hits that moment when they realize something has to change. The work is there, the passion is there, but the business side feels heavy. The pricing conversations, the bounda...

We have another rerun for you today and this one is a good one!! In this episode of The Level Up Podcast, Taylor Petrinovich and Kelley Gilster sit down with Skylar Ball to share the exact strategies that helped him break through pricing plateaus and start booking luxury weddings. If you've ever felt stuck at the $5,000 mark or struggled to make the leap to five-figure bookings, this episode...

Today we are running it back with a very special TLM Alumni Myla Li!! This episode was recorded in August of 2024 so make sure you go take a peek at her work to see how much she has grown since then! What if you could scale your wedding photography business from $3K to $10K+ weddings in just one year? That’s exactly what Myla Li did, and she’s sharing her journey in this episode of The Level Up Po...

What if the thing standing between you and your next level isn’t your talent... but believing you’re actually capable of getting there? This week on The Level Up Podcast, we’re sitting down with wedding filmmaker Taylor Nichols, who filmed her first wedding for a whole $10 😅 Fast forward to today and she’s traveling the world filming destination weddings, and after joining The Luxury Mastermind,...

After 3.5 years and over 400 students, this chapter is coming to a close. The FINAL round of The Luxury Mastermind will start in Fall 2026! We are thrilled to welcome you inside our signature 10 week program. Learn more + save your seat here >> https://thelevelupco.com/mastermind 📲 Love this episode? Screenshot and share it on social media! Tag us on Instagram at @TheLevelUpCo and let us kn...

What if the thing standing between you and your next level isn’t your talent, but the way you’re positioning it? In this episode, we’re sitting down with Southern California wedding photographer Alysha Miller to talk about her 10-year journey in the wedding industry, what finally made her realize she was ready for MORE, and the changes that led to her first five-figure wedding booking. For years,...

Wedding albums are making a comeback… but maybe not in the way you think 👀 In this episode, Kelley sits down with Antonia from Dekora Albums to talk about the shift happening with Gen Z couples and why, despite growing up in an incredibly digital world, they’re craving things that feel REAL, tangible, and personal. From scrapbooking and needlepoint to printed invitations and wedding albums, physi...

Disappointment is part of running a wedding photography or filmmaking business. No matter how experienced you are, there will be moments where a client is frustrated, expectations get crossed, or something doesn't go according to plan. The good news? Those moments don't have to define your business. In this episode of The Level Up Podcast, Kelley sits down with destination wedding photog...

What if growing your wedding business didn't mean booking more weddings? So many photographers and filmmakers believe the only way to make more money is to raise their prices or fill their calendar. But there are other ways to build a more profitable, sustainable business. In this episode, Kelley sits down with Taylor Nixon from Narrative to talk about the power of diversifying your income th...

What if the biggest thing holding your business back isn't your talent... it's your perspective? In this episode, Kelley sits down with wedding photographer Bailey Pianalto to talk about the moments that completely changed the trajectory of her business. From attending her first industry conference to realizing there was a much bigger world outside of her local market, Bailey shares what...

Let's be honest... most wedding photographers and filmmakers didn't start their business because they love bookkeeping, spreadsheets, or talking about profit margins. We started because we love creating. But if you want a business that gives you more freedom, more income, and long-term sustainability, you can't afford to ignore your numbers. In this episode of The Level Up Podcast,...

It sounds like you're working hard to build a business that attracts higher-end weddings, raises your prices, and gives you more freedom... but what if the biggest opportunity isn't another portfolio update or Instagram trend? In this episode, Taylor sits down with destination wedding photographer Micah Cook to unpack the mindset shifts, business decisions, and marketing strategies that...

There are some conversations that are just too good to keep behind closed doors. In this special episode, recorded live at Hybrid Conference, we're answering real questions from wedding photographers and filmmakers who are navigating the same challenges you probably are. From posing plus size couples with confidence, to creating better work-life balance as a business owner, to staying consist...

Success in business is rarely about one big breakthrough. More often, it's the result of hundreds of small decisions, years of consistency, and a willingness to keep growing long after you've figured out the basics. In this episode, Kelley sits down with Shauna Cooney of Shauna & Jordan Photography to talk about the journey of building a business alongside your spouse, navigating the...

What happens when a wedding photographer walks off the job? Or when a photographer shows up to a wedding dressed completely inappropriately? Or when a client demands their gallery while their photographer is grieving the loss of a parent? In this episode, we're trying something completely different. We dove into some of the wildest wedding industry stories we could find and gave our honest ta...

Most wedding professionals spend years trying to figure out how to stand out. They tweak their websites. They refine their portfolios. They spend hours creating content. But often the thing that creates the deepest connection with clients isn't another perfect image or beautifully curated post. It's you. In this episode, Kelley sits down with Steve Sinclair of Sinclair & Moore to tal...

What does it actually take to move from the middle market to the luxury market? In this special live Q&A episode recorded at Hybrid Conference, we sit down with wedding photographers and filmmakers from across the country to answer some of the biggest questions about growing a profitable, sustainable business. We cover everything from creating a luxury client experience and building stronger p...

What if the thing holding your business back isn’t your talent… but your workflow? 👀 In this episode, we’re sitting down with wedding photographer turned tech founder James Broadbent, the creator of Narrative, to talk about AI, business growth, workflow optimization, and how photographers + filmmakers can stop spending countless hours stuck behind a computer and start creating more freedom in the...

In this episode, we’re sitting down with internationally recognized wedding photographer Samm Blake to talk about what it really takes to build a long-term, creatively fulfilling career in the luxury wedding industry. From shooting her first wedding for $500 and losing money on the job to now starting at $40,000 per wedding, Sam shares the mindset shifts, creative risks, and intentional decisions...