The Art & Soul Show - Photography Podcast for Newborn and Family Photographers

“We remember the handful of tough clients louder than the hundreds who adored us.” Every creative knows this feeling. You have a mountain of glowing reviews, grateful clients, emotional gallery reveals, and people who sing your praises, yet your brain fixates on that one person who wasn’t happy. In this episode, I talk about the clients who live rent free in your head and why our brains cling to n...

Art is changing and very fast. But even as technology evolves, our creativity and human touch will always matter most. In this episode, I’m joined by Olguta Goddard of Oh My Goddard Photography to talk about artistry, authenticity, and navigating creativity in the age of AI. Olguta shares how she’s stayed grounded in her artistic vision, protected her energy, and kept creating from the heart, even...

“Everyone tells you to charge more. No one tells you what happens when you actually do.” Photographers love success stories. The ones where raising your rates brings dream clients, bigger sales, and overnight growth. But what about the other side? The side no one talks about online. The side where you raise your prices and the inquiries slow to a halt, your confidence cracks, and you wonder if you...

Creativity isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it’s the quiet seasons that bring us home to ourselves again. In this episode, I’m joined by Kelsey Freeman of Kelsey Freeman Photography, and we’re diving into what it really looks like to show up online and take care of your creative energy at the same time. We talk about TikTok wins and the reality behind them, how to develop the confidence to post imper...

“Clients aren’t a social life.” As photographers and creatives, we give so much of ourselves to our clients, creating joy and memories for their families. But if we’re not careful, our clients can become our only source of adult connection and the loneliness that creeps in is real. In this episode, I’m sharing my honest reflections on hidden loneliness, why client interactions can’t replace real f...

Newborn photography is part art and part patience, and no one embodies that balance like Johna Musarra of Three J’s Photography. In this episode, Johna joins me to share her journey from 20 years at Starbucks to 13 years behind the camera as a full-time newborn photographer. We talk about how her style evolved through trial and error, the importance of patience (both with babies and yourself), and...

“If your business looks amazing online but secretly drains the life out of you, that’s a problem.” In a world obsessed with aesthetics, metrics, and viral posts, it’s easy to confuse visibility with success. But what if the business that truly supports your life doesn’t photograph well for Instagram? In this episode, I’m getting honest about redefining success, setting boundaries, and building a b...

Newborn photography is an art—but it’s also a responsibility. Ensuring baby safety while ALSO protecting your own body is key to a long, successful career. But when it comes to caring for our own bodies, how can we actually fit that into our busy photographer lives? Well, Jamie Noyes, a photographer with a background in physical therapy, is here with her best tips for caring for ourselves while we...

“Your energy is a luxury item—and not everyone can afford it.” When Taylor Swift said this, it hit me right in the gut. Because it’s true: your energy, presence, and emotional labor aren’t disposable. They’re rare, valuable, and worth protecting. In this episode, I share how I've learned to guard my energy in my photography business and life. From saying no to summer sessions that drained me,...

What happens when a self-proclaimed perfectionist swaps carefully posed newborn photography for the chaos of in-home lifestyle sessions? For Natasha Sewell, it meant rethinking everything she knew about photography. In this episode, Natasha tells the story of how she transitioned from posed newborn photography to in-home lifestyle sessions. She shares how she prepares for the unexpected, helps cli...

“If I’m not tired and busy, I’m probably not doing enough.” Sound familiar? So many of us as photographers are grinding ourselves down with work and stress because that’s just what it takes to run a successful business, right? And if we’re struggling with it, it’s because we’re just not dedicated enough?  No friends. That’s not right. Burnout is NOT a normal state of being.  And in this episode, I...

Have you had this thought? “I’m so overwhelmed. Maybe it would be better just to walk away from this work entirely.” If you have, you’re not alone. So many of us find ourselves in this position: overworked, overbooked, and with no end in sight. And we don’t know how to get ourselves out without giving up completely. So in this episode, I’m sharing my own personal story of finding myself in this to...

Slowing down isn’t always easy—but for Tiffany Crenshaw, it’s become essential. As a photographer, mentor, and mom of four, Tiffany has learned how to build a business that aligns with her life instead of competing with it.  In this episode, she shares how her priorities have shifted in recent years and how she’s helping other women create businesses that actually support their families. Tiffany o...

We’ve all felt that pang—a new photographer that’s blowing up right in our home town, a beautiful session at a location you’re just dying to shoot, or maybe something small like seeing more comments or compliments on another creative’s work instead of yours. This jealousy doesn’t often feel good, bringing shame, guilt, and resentment if we don’t address the root causes. But jealousy doesn’t mean t...

We all come to photography from different angles, but for Melissa Barnes, loss and love cemented her affection for the medium. But photography isn’t her only love. Melissa is also a full-time architectural designer and doesn’t plan on giving up either career anytime soon.  In this tender episode, Melissa shares her family history, how it’s shaped her love of photography, why she has no plans to be...

Some photographers find their passion after becoming a parent—but for Cally Petersen, photography came first. And over the years, her love for it has only grown deeper. Now a decade into her business, Cally has built a creative life that reflects her values, honors her limits, and stays true to her “why.” In this episode, Cally shares how she found photography before motherhood, how her confidence...

We’ve all had those moments of feeling stuck in-between something. Either we’re waiting for a new stage of life or we’re on the verge of a breakthrough and what we’re doing currently just isn’t working quite right.  It can be a deeply frustrating place to find ourselves both in life and in our photography businesses. But it doesn’t have to last forever, and we can come out the other side of this m...

In photography circles, influencer marketing sometimes gets a bad rap. From getting ghosted after photographing a session or having filters applied to your hard work, it can feel intimidating to step into this realm. But in this episode, Cydnee Jex is here to walk through her whole process of working with influencers. She shares how she finds influencers to work with, how she sets expectations and...

After nearly two decades of working, it would be understandable for any photographer to feel a little less enthusiastic about their work. But not Kim Hildebrand! She’s still honing her skills and stoking her passion for capturing those tender real life moments. In this episode, Kim shares how she’s managed to grow and find stability over her last 17 years as a photographer. She shares the lessons...

When it comes to… basically anything, everyone has an opinion, and our photography and businesses are rarely exempt. And because our work is often so personal, the feedback can hit hard. But not all feedback is useful, relevant, or even true. It is just information, and we get to choose what to do with that information and how much we let it affect us. In this episode, I’m sharing why feedback can...

Are you excited to create marketing and brand content for your photography business? If you’re saying to yourself, “Uuuhh, no. Not really…” You’re not the only one.  Creating the content to market our business when we really just want to create artwork for our clients can feel like such a chore. And that’s where Tania comes in. In this episode, Tania Barbieri is sharing her wisdom on how we can bu...

There’s a lot going on in the world right now (and has been for a few years!) Trying to stay productive and focused while the world feels so chaotic can be tough. The news, the economic worries… it can be so overwhelming. But you’re not alone in this struggle. In this episode, I’m sharing all the ways I’ve found to stay grounded both in my life and my business. From connecting with friends to limi...

Do you ever get those moments, where you think back to your childhood, and wonder how much of your memory is accurate or if you just imagined certain details? Rebecca Hunnicutt is in the business of capturing those memories for families and enshrining their happy moments forever, instead of leaving it up to guesswork years from now. Through her lifestyle family photography business, she captures t...

As professional creatives, we can often get wrapped up in our creative output. Are we creating enough? Is it getting the attention we need? Is it leading to more revenue, a larger audience, etc? But the truth is, our creativity at its core isn’t about that. It’s about play and experimentation and making space to just let things happen sometimes. Putting pressure on the outcome of creativity often...

It’s no secret that most photographers get uncomfortable around the selling process. They don’t want to feel pushy, salesy, or like they're pulling a bait-and-switch on their clients. And often, they don’t want to do sales in person, as it can heighten their discomfort. But Maggie Robinson of Tog Academy is here to show us there is another way… a way to make in-person sales feel comfortable a...