Our Creative Commune

Happy birthday to us! Our Creative Commune turns four this episode, and Bee's marked the occasion with a homemade cake and a look back at four years and well over a hundred episodes of the podcast. But birthday chat aside, this one's got plenty in it. The team compares notes on surviving back-to-back weddings in a proper heatwave (electrolytes, hotel rooms with zero aircon and one particularly ill...

Drone audits, drizzle disasters, and the eternal question of whether putting your prices up is ever a good idea. This week Pete, Laura, Liam and Bee dive into Pete's upcoming CAA drone audit and the surprisingly strict "flying currency" rules that come with it, before getting into a deep discussion on shooting weddings in bad weather, including the bride who left a bad review because it was too su...

What does it actually mean to care about your couples? Not in a vague, wholesome sense - but practically, between the booking email and the wedding day? This week the four of us are back together after a busy stretch of weddings (and one very long drive to Skye), and this question pops up in most of what we're talking about today. Liam kicks things off with tales from the road - a 22-hour round tr...

There's a photographer out there who has received 430 enquiries since January. We don't fully know how she's doing it - and that's kind of the point. Is this level of success replicable, or largely accidental? This week Pete, Laura, and Bee dig into what's really going on in the wedding photography and videography market right now: why some people seem to break through while everyone else is fight...

Half the episode was recorded before anyone noticed the mic wasn't on. That's the vibe this week. Pete, Laura, and Bee (Liam is off conquering Scotland and London simultaneously) are talking about the real pressures hitting the wedding industry right now - and what, if anything, we can do about it. Bookings are shifting. Budgets are tighter. Midweek and shorter-coverage weddings are on the rise. A...

The busy season has officially arrived, and we are already feeling the heat (literally and figuratively). This week on  Our Creative Commune , Pete, Laura, Liam, and Bee sit down in the sun to catch up on a wild few weeks of local weddings, destination showcases, and the ever-changing landscape of booking clients. Are we all suffering from Zoom fatigue? We debate whether it’s time to stop vid...

This week on Our Creative Commune, Liam is missing in action, but for a good reason: he is currently surviving a chaotic schedule of destination weddings, 16-hour days, and driving lessons. Pete, Laura, and Bee sit down with a coffee to discuss the very real dangers of the "hustle mindset" and why saying yes to every inquiry might actually be hurting your business. We also chat about the rising tr...

Grab a cup of tea and join Pete, Laura, Liam, and Bee for another catch-up inside the Creative Commune. This week, we're diving deep into the frustrating reality of the modern wedding industry. Ever had a consultation where you absolutely nailed it, gave the couple amazing advice, shared a few laughs, and then... absolute silence? We’re breaking down the psychology of "ghosting," debating whether...

Spring has finally sprung, and the wedding season is officially waking up! In this week's episode, we’re back on the sofa to tackle some of the biggest shifting trends in the wedding photography and videography industry. Liam kicks things off by sharing his experience working alongside a dedicated content creator at a recent London wedding. Have content creators just become a normal part of the da...

Grab a coffee and join us at the holiday cottage! We're recording straight from our annual Shropshire retreat to catch up on everything happening in our creative lives right now. With the cost of living crisis changing how couples plan their big days, we dive deep into the rising trend of reduced-coverage weddings. Are these shorter, "smash and grab" days a refreshing change of pace, or do they ro...

Is it time to delete the app? In this episode, we tackle the growing sentiment that the golden age of social media is behind us. Inspired by industry leaders stepping away from Instagram, we debate whether the constant hustle for likes, reels, and algorithm appeasement is actually worth the mental toll. Can a creative business survive today without a social presence, or is that a luxury reserved f...

Happy 2026! We are back by the fire for our first chat of the year, and we have a lot to catch up on. In this episode, we dive deep into the current state of the wedding industry. After judging hundreds of films for the British Wedding Film Festival, we’ve noticed some polarizing trends - from AI-generated voiceovers to the resurgence of "home movie" Super 8 vibes. We also discuss the controversia...

It’s just the boys in the studio this week! With Laura and Bee away (all that end of year editing!), Liam and Pete sit down to debrief on a recent luxury wedding they shot together in Whitehall, London. While the venue was five-star, the day wasn't without its hurdles. We discuss the reality of shooting in high-end establishments - from the stress of strict dress codes to dealing with "smothering"...

In this special episode of Our Creative Commune, we're swapping things around! Pete and Laura are hijacking the podcast with their co-founders of the British Wedding Film Festival, Joce Boissin and Jeff Wood, to dive deep into everything you need to know about this brand-new event for the wedding film industry. We start off sharing some stories from the end of the wedding season, including Jeff's...

How many photos are too many? In this week's episode, we dive headfirst into a hot topic rattling the photography community: are we overwhelming our clients by over-delivering images? We debate whether a curated gallery of a few hundred photos is more valuable than a folder of over a thousand, and question what we'd want from our own wedding photographer. We also get real about the struggles of so...

Ever come back from a conference feeling like a total fraud? This week, Pete & Laura are recovering from the social hangover of the CODA conference and so we’re diving deep into the anxieties of networking as an introvert. We discuss the pressure to be "on" all the time, navigating imposter syndrome, and that cringe-worthy moment when you're introduced to one of the cool kids as the "King and...

In this episode of Our Creative Commune, we're fresh from a beautifully emotional wedding in the heart of Storm Amy and a fun-filled autumnal family shoot. We also take a moment to celebrate the incredible work of fellow creative, Damian Brandon ( https://damianbrandon.com/ ) This leads us into a passionate discussion about the current state of the wedding photography industry. Are we seeing a dec...

In this episode, we discusses the most talked-about trend in the wedding industry right now: the rise of the content creator. Are they replacing videographers, and how should creative professionals adapt to a TikTok-driven market? We share our honest thoughts on the challenges and potential solutions, from offering next-day clips to staying true to your unique style in a sea of trends. Is it possi...

This week, join Pete, Laura, Liam, and Bee for a catch-up packed with wild wedding stories and industry insights. Liam shares a tale from the depths of Scotland, where he photographed the first and only elopement inside a massive, disused WWII underground oil tank - complete with world-record-breaking echoes and drone flights in the dark. He then takes us to Iceland for a vow renewal, revealing th...

After a much-needed holiday break, the gang is back behind the mics and feeling refreshed... mostly. Join Pete, Laura, Liam, and Bee as they catch up on a wild few weeks of work, life, and misadventure. Liam kicks things off with tales from a three-day wedding in Spain, complete with tuxedos in the ocean, an aggressive jellyfish, a competitive bucking bronco incident, and an unexpected visit from...

Join Pete, Laura, Liam, and Bee for a special "postcard" episode, recorded live from next to their tents during their wholesome (and feral) camping holiday! Swapping the studio for a field, the team gets real about the highs and lows of the creative life in the middle of a busy August. In this episode, we chat about our recent travels, from a stunning but stormy cruise through the Norwegian fjords...

Driving through the night fuelled by nothing but caffeine and desperation? Or wondering if a popular wedding trend is all it's cracked up to be? This week - that's us! Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OurCreativeCommune Join Pete, Laura, Liam, and Bee for a debrief on the delightful chaos of being a wedding creative. We recount our most stressful travel nightmares—from car breakdowns in...

Ever felt like you're just one wedding away from snapping? In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the intense mental and physical toll of being a wedding creative. We dive deep into the chaos of a 500-guest, multi-day wedding and the logistical nightmare of shooting solo in a massive venue. It's a candid chat about the pre-wedding anxiety, the pressure we put on ourselves to constantly do&nb...

Liam is from his epic month away! In this episode, he recounts his insane month of travel, from shooting weddings in Spain and the Austrian Alps to starting a brand new career as a driving instructor. We share stories of driving down stairs in a hire car, cameras overheating at altitude, and the joy of a ceremonial beer keg tapping. Then, we get into a huge industry debate: hybrid shooting. With s...

Is it possible to be a photographer AND a videographer at the same time, on your own, at a wedding? In this episode, we chat one of the photographers doing just that. The lovely Lewis Fackrell walks us through his complete hybrid shooting workflow. Are we won over? From his one-camera setup and "PVP" method, to his post-production process and business strategy, Lewis shares the secrets that have a...