Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area.
Amy and Jordan of amyandjordan.com are a husband and wife wedding photography team who, in this interview, share how you can accelerate fast, into your photography business they way they have. These two run a thriving wedding photography business in Scottsdale, Arizona’s luxury market. They’re instructors at the International Academy of Wedding Photographers and the authors of The Quickstart Guide to Your Dream Job.
They also write photography and business tips and tricks for thousands of photographers through their exclusive email community every week and blog daily about their life for over 100,000 annual readers at amyandjordanblog.com.
Before any interview, I do some online searching to find what I can about a guest. When searching for todays guests… I was led to page after page about their photography workshops. My concern was, are these guys photographers or instructors? Do they really have a successful photography business or is everything centred around teaching photography?
So I dived into some of the search results and found some of the following…
Attending the Amy & Jordan Workshop was absolutely one of the best decisions I’ve made for my business. – Katie Jane
Then this…
Since we began our wedding photography journey, we’ve made quite a few investments to better our business. None of them compare to the investment we made by flying to Scottsdale, Arizona to be mentored by THE Amy & Jordan Demos – Reid and Brittany
And this…
Encouraging. Educational. Life-breathing. Humbling. Fun. Perfect. These are only a few of the positive words that come to mind when I think of the Amy & Jordan Workshop – Lindsay Davenport
It's obvious they are doing something right!
Here’s some of what we cover in this interview:
What’s on Offer for Premium Members
If you’re a premium member, you should have received an email with links to your version of this episode where you can hear more of the interview where we dive deeper into some of the earlier topics plus some new ones that I pushed for.
We really believe that every single person out there has a story to tell and that your story can make an impact and that you are going to be able to reach people that were never going to be able to reach – Amy Demos
If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interview with Amy and Jordan, get access to an amazing back catalogue of interviews and ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.
Plus, access to a members only Secret Facebook Group where you can connect with other members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take what you hear in each episode and put it into action. You will not find more friendly, more motivated and caring photographers online.
What is your big takeaway?
Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything away from what Amy and Jordan shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below, let me know what your takeaways were, what you plan to implement in your business as a result of what you heard in todays episode.
We really know what it’s like to start and know nothing and being in love with photography but being terrified of photography at the exact same time – Amy Demos
If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Amy and Jordan or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.
iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs
Each week I check for any new iTunes reviews and it's always a buzz to receive these… for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they really are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!
Secondly, iTunes is the biggest search engine when it comes to podcasts and it's your reviews and ratings that help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners means more interviews and ultimately a better show.
If you have left a review in the past, thank you!
If you haven't and you'd like to, head to https://photobizx.com/itunes and you can leave some honest feedback and a rating which will help both me and the show and I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you let me know the URL of your website and your name.
Alternatively, if you've left a review for PhotoBizX and are looking for more backlinks to help your SEO, leave a review for the new Photography Xperiment Podcast and email me your key words or keyword phrase and where you'd like me to link to.
Here's the most recent review….
Pearls of wisdom from every guest
In iTunes by Maori portrait photographer for the Poihakena community, Teowai Ratahi from Australia on April 23, 2017
I started listening to the podcast was back in 2013 well before I started my business. I have gotten more traction implementing the pearls of wisdom I've gleaned from the guests of this show, than from any other workshop and education content I've consumed.
I've grown Poihakena Portraits from nothing in 2014 to a thriving business where a days sales are in the thousands and we are on our way to becoming a 6 figure business.
From the value of a CRM to tips like automated scheduling, online booking calendars and payment gateways this podcast has helped me in building this biz up from scratch.
I'd highly recommend the premium version. The extended version is often where the real gems can be found. The access to the Facebook group and Andrews community of helpful photographers is well worth the small fee for the service.
If you like a laid back conversation with some laughs thrown in you will enjoy this podcast
The NEW Photography Xperiment Podcast is live and available
Following the success and support shown by listeners after the experimental format of the recent interviews, the new Photo Xperiment Podcast has been launched and is available on this site and in iTunes now.
Interviews are underway and I'll be looking for new guests, not restricted to wedding and portrait photographers. If you have someone you think would be a good fit, let me know in the comment area below or email me, andrew@photobizx.com.
The idea behind these interviews is to get into the headspace of the photographer and find what makes them tick, what drives them, their thought process, philosophy on shooting and how they achieve what they do with their photography. So yeah, a little technique type content too.
These interviews will not focus on the business of photography – that'll be preserved solely for the weekly and unchanging format of the PhotoBizX podcast.
To hear these interviews in your podcast app, you will need to subscribe to the podcast – these interviews will not be delivered automatically if you're subscribed to PhotoBizX. Open your favourite podcast app and search “Photography Xperiment Podcast” or enter the feed URL, https://photobizx.com/feed/xperiment/ into the search field of your podcast app.
The last episode featured Pro Cycling Photographer, Kristof Ramon from Belgium who covers some of the worlds biggest and most prestigious races including the Tour de France, the Giro d Italia, the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix.
Kristof was born and raised in Belgium and attended film school at the age of 19. It was here that he discovered photography. He eventually followed his passion for cycling and photography and started photographing the sport.
It's difficult to define Kristof as a sports photographer. His photography captures so much more than the action.
He says the riders are always his main focus… and that comes through when you see his portfolio which features close ups portraits of racers caked in sweat, mud, dust, snow and grime.
The thing is you evolve. When you begin something and you learn a trick or a technique and you try it out, you always tend to overdo it. But in later photography, it’s like those little tricks you try to implement them more subtly and that’s when it becomes interesting because I needed those to go really overboard to be able later on to make that trick more subtle and maybe not noticeable or not as noticeable as the trickery it is, and that’s technique – Kristof Ramon
The interview is available here: TPX19: Kristof Ramon – Breaking through as a pro cycling photographer
Video Replies with Loom
We've talked a little about video replies to photography enquiries in the past and just how good it has been for photographers and past guests like Matt Druin and Brian Boassany.
Now there is a super easy way to record these videos with a service called Loom. It's free, very simple to use and you can share your screen, use your camera or a combination of both. Once recorded, check it if you like and you're given a link to email or send via any message service and whoever clicks on the link will see your video.
It's worth checking out… Loom, Quick Videos
How to run a Facebook Ad Promotion for more photography leads, shoots and sales
Do you have enough bookings for your photography business?
If not, the Facebook Ad Promotion Course will be available later this week.
In a nutshell, the course contains:
- step by step tutorials on how to craft a Facebook ad that appears to your ideal target audience (with lots of examples)
- videos showing you how to set up your ad inside Facebook's Ad Manager and how to use the best targeting for quick results
- “role play” audio recordings showing you how to book the right clients for shoots (and pass on the ones that are only after a free shoot and print)
- separate instructions for different photography genres
The course launches on Friday, May 5th and will cost $47 USD for 5 days only after the release date (after that, it goes to $97).
The course will be available in its entirety once purchased – it’s not an email drip campaign. You get lifetime access.
In the meantime, I've put together a series of video tutorials covering important aspects from the course. Even if you don't purchase the course, you'll get many takeaways from these free videos alone: http://fbadpromo.com
Here's what other photographers had to say about the course:
“Just buy it, you will start making money as fast as you start phoning and shooting sessions. The cost for new clients is so low it's silly. I had figured it used to cost about 60+ dollars per new clients. Now it's about 5.” – Jerry Van
“I'm also happy to say I've already gotten 2 couples who filled out the questionnaire within 2 hours of posting the ad. Really cool to see how well it works, even with someone like me who has been full time for less than a year.” – Carl Heyerdahl
“I have followed Andrews instructions to the letter and in 24 hours I have 24 completed questionnaires, 2 wedding enquiries and the ad has been seen by 4000 people. This stuff is gold. All for £20, and I have 6 days left to run.” – Simon Hawkins
“My mind has been blown! The reach was over twenty thousand, nearly a hundred people applying for the shoot, three wedding enquires, and nearly a hundred page likes! […] Honestly man, can't thank you guys enough for putting this together!” – Daz Mack
“What a fantastic course… Super easy to breeze through and its all killer, no filler.” – James Westray
Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:
Demos Education – Resource for Photographers
Amy & Jordan’s Shooting & Editing Course
Amy and Jordan Recommended Business Book List
Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job by Jon Acuff
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don't by Jim Collins
The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey
YouTube Video Interview with Martin Parr and Kai W
Thank you!
Thanks again for listening and thanks to Amy and Jordan for coming on and sharing so much about their business and exactly what it takes to build something as successful as they have.
You have to define success for yourself. You have to define success and what that looks like to you – Jordan Demos
If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!
That’s it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you in life and business!
Thanks and speak soon
Andrew
Not finished listening to the whole interview yet, but just wanted to jump on in regards the Martin Parr aspect. Ive loved Mr Parr for years and find him a refreshing antidote to a lot of the arrogant self-seriousness of the modern photography industry.
Even though I learnt photography in manual mode, spent many years shooting in Aperture priority I have, for the last 2 years, shot weddings almost exclusively in P mode. This really stems from my background as a candid street photographer – where getting the moment is more important than anything else. It was reading an interview elsewhere with another wedding photographer (sadly I can’t remember who now) who argued passionately for shooting in p mode at weddings, that I decided to take my street approach of shooting P mode into weddings. Of course, there are times when I’ll revert to aperture priority (i.e. The portrait sessions), or fully manual (the evening dance floor when using flash) but 90% of my time it’s P mode. I think P definitely suits a reportage approach to weddings, and yet it gives you enough flexibility and control when you need to make changes…so you can simply focus (pun intended) on the moment.
I also loved Martin Parr’s comments about film snobs and gear snobs. What a top bloke.
Hey Darren – so good to read your comments and love your explanation of why you choose P Mode in the circumstances you do.
I feel exactly the same about Martin Parr – “a refreshing antidote to a lot of the arrogant self-seriousness of the modern photography industry.”
Although I can’t remember the last time I shot in P Mode, I have changed the way I shoot dramatically after using the Fuji camera and electing for Aperture Priority and using the exposure compensation dial to adjust plus or minus exposure. The cameras lend themselves to this style of shooting wth the digital viewfinder but it has been a lot of fun… I’ll be sure to give P Mode a spin too.
I think you’ll enjoy the interview as much as the intro comments and find Amy and Jordan, equally top people.
Quite easily the most inspirational podcast i have heard of making the leap to full time photography! Thank you so much, this is just what i needed to hear!
Awesome! Love how much you got from this interview Chris and appreciate you adding your feedback. Thanks mate!
I know Amy and Jordan will be equally rapt to read your comments.