The Focus Trap

What if staying in business isn’t about growing faster, but getting better at knowing what needs to change? In this episode of The Focus Trap , Amy and Casey talk about what it actually looks like to build a photography business that lasts. Starting with the question of how Amy built GreatDanePhotos before social media existed, they trace more than 25 years of small pivots — from selling physical...

What if finding your photography style is less about finding it and more about figuring out what you actually like? In this episode of The Focus Trap , Amy and Casey talk about photographic style, creative voice, and the pressure to somehow develop a recognizable “look.” Instead of treating style as something you choose and then stick with forever, they explore what happens when you learn by copyi...

What if the difference between taking a picture and making a photograph is everything that happens before you press the shutter? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey talk about the choices photographers make that disappear from the finished image. Sometimes that means choosing your angle, focal length, or background. Sometimes it means scouting a location, paying for access, or simply...

What if trusting yourself doesn’t mean knowing you’re right? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey dig into self-trust — what it actually means, how it’s different from confidence, and what happens when you’re so busy looking for the right answer that you stop listening to your own. In photography, that can show up everywhere from deciding whether you like a photo to making creative cho...

What if the way you’ve been doing it “wrong” is actually the way that works for you? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey welcome their first guest, J. Nichole Smith, for a conversation that starts with a five-page Word document and somehow ends up spanning late-diagnosed neurodivergence, business, community, self-trust, and what happens when you finally have language for the way your...

What if you can make the photograph even if you can’t picture it first? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey dig into aphantasia — Casey’s inability to picture images in her mind — and what it means for photography. But the conversation quickly gets bigger than visualization: How much of “seeing” a photograph happens in your head, and how much comes from experience, pattern recognition...

What if the reason a photo feels 'off' has nothing to do with breaking a rule? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey get into the rule of thirds, why Amy has spent years trying to get people to stop calling it a rule, and what actually happens in a viewer's brain when they look at a photo. Amy traces the rule of thirds back to something much more basic: keeping the important stuff out o...

What if the frustration of not knowing something yet is actually proof you're learning it? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey dig into the gap between not knowing something and knowing it and why that gap doesn't close once you become "the expert." They talk about the pull to learn everything at once, why courses can work better than YouTube for some brains, and how the concept of wi...

What if building a photography business has less to do with having a perfect plan and more to do with figuring out what actually works? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Casey takes over the questions and digs into how Amy’s photography business evolved over 25 years. From photographing Great Danes on film to running a national dog sports photography business and teaching other photographers, it’...

What if feeling like a fraud isn't proof that you are one? In this episode of The Focus Trap , Amy and Casey close out season one by pulling together a thread that's been running underneath almost every episode: imposter syndrome. It's the gap between what you can actually do and what you believe you can do, and it shows up in things as loud as "I don't belong here" and as quiet as editing the sam...

What if most photography hot takes fall apart the moment you ask, "Why?" In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey dive into the world of photography hot takes. What starts as a list of opinions quickly turns into something bigger: how photography culture keeps turning personal preferences into hard rules. They also talk about: Why back-button focus won't fix your photography Whether editin...

What if the cure for overthinking isn't certainty, but evidence? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey talk about overthinking: what it actually is, how it shows up in photography and everyday life, and why simply calling yourself “an overthinker” can sometimes become part of the problem. They explore the difference between thoughtful decision-making and getting trapped in loops that ke...

What if deciding to bring your camera on a trip has nothing to do with the gear? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey start with a question a lot of photographers have wrestled with: when you're traveling with family or friends, do you bring the camera? What starts as a conversation about vacations, bird photography, and logistics quickly turns into a bigger discussion about relationsh...

What if perfectionism isn’t actually about making better photos, but about trying not to look stupid while learning? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey talk about perfectionism in photography, why so many photos never leave the hard drive, and what’s actually happening when photographers hesitate to share their work. They explore the difference between wanting to improve and getting...

What if “fixing it in post” is just doing the same job twice? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey talk about editing. Not the fun, creative side of editing, but the kind that happens because something went wrong in the field and now you’re trying to rescue it later on the computer. They also talk about: How relying too heavily on editing can sabotage learning The relationship between...

What if the photographers who seem “naturally creative” just took way more bad photos than everybody else? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey talk about creativity, natural talent, and why so many people decide they “aren’t artistic” long before they’ve actually given themselves enough reps to learn. They also talk about: The hidden value of “boring” practice subjects Why beginners u...

What if two people from completely different worlds were actually talking about the same thing all along? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey talk about where they came from, how they each ended up teaching in completely different fields, and how a conversation about email somehow turned into a photography podcast. Amy shares how she went from math and physics teacher to photographing...

What if the thing standing between you and better photos isn’t your camera? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey talk about gear. Why photographers get obsessed with it, when it actually matters, and when it’s just a very expensive attempt to quiet your nervous system. Amy explains why she chooses gear based on photographing fast dogs in terrible light, why megapixels are wildly overhy...

What if the question "am I doing this right?" is the thing actually getting in your way? In this first episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey talk about the pressure to “get it right,” why that question tends to shut down curiosity instead of helping people learn, and why Amy starts photo critiques with a different question entirely.  They also talk about: Why “right vs wrong” is usually the lea...

About the hosts: Amy Johnson is a professional dog sports photographer and the founder of Great Dane Photo Adventures (GDPA), where she teaches photographers at all levels. She has been the official photographer for events including the AKC National Agility Championship and is known for teaching photographers to make better decisions—not follow better rules. [ Click here to see more of Amy's work...