The word authentic gets thrown around a lot these days by photographers. And it's usually photographers describing themselves on their about pages or in their marketing copy. I don't believe many photographers are truly authentic, not these days with so much exposure to so much photography and so many photographers.

I think to be truly authentic you'd have to be unplugged. No internet. You would have no choice but to shoot the way you see things. I don't think Jeremy and Ashley are unplugged but from what I can know, they are as close to authentic as I've seen.

They have been credited as one of the Top Ten Wedding Photographers in the world by American Photo Magazine and I'm curious to find out how much that actually means to them.

The paragraphs above are the introduction I planned and read at the start of this interview with Jeremy and Ashley from “We Are The Parsons” – little did I know, they are in the midst of a social experiment, a year with no social media! It's no wonder they and their photography come across as truly authentic.

I know you're going to love this interview. I certainly did!

Here’s some of what we cover:

  • What being authentic means to The Parsons
  • Photography stalking and the damage its doing to your photography business
  • Why it's not ok to aspire to be someone else and copying their style
  • What it means to feel fantastic about the work you're producing
  • The Parsons' business structure and how they work
  • Is it violable to rely on faith to bring the clients you want
  • Why the Parsons rely more on God than Facebook
  • How will turning-off your social media for a year affect your photography business?
  • Will your business possibly survive without using social media?
  • The impact of social media and how it affects your relationships
  • A different perspective on what social media means (coming from a 10-yr old)
  • Photography sales
  • Why the Parsons shifted and changed their business model
  • How to find your purpose as a photographer

We are the Parsons Photography Podcast

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 lots more content from where we dive deeper into some of the earlier topics plus some new ones that I pushed hard for that include:

  • Is making money as important as you think it is?
  • Why it's so easy for the Parsons to turn down clients who are not the right fit for them
  • When to talk about pricing with your clients
  • Why having more money can rob you of a quality life
  • How things changed for the Parsons after their business transformation
  • What triggered the need to change their business
  • Shooting as if it's your last shoot… at every shoot
  • How clients find the Parsons without using SEO strategies
  • How to use couples and clients as great marketing tools for your photography business
  • Does life and business change after being named Worlds Top Ten Wedding Photographer?
  • Why you should never use your business to nurture your relationship as a couple
  • The importance of living a full life instead of chasing the rat race
  • What photographer couples should do to develop their relationship outside of the business

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 Raymond Hatfield, get access to an amazing back catalogue of interviews and ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your podcast app.

We are the Parsons Photography Podcast

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know what your biggest takeaway is – what is the one thing that you’d like to implement or learnt from what was shared? Let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.

You are worth what you charge. If they won't spend it, they don't deserve you – We Are The Parsons

If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Jeremy and Ashley or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them below.

We are the Parsons Photography Podcast

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 just like Rose and Thomas did below.

Thank You!

In iTunes by Rose and Thomas of Bittersweet Designs from USA on August 24, 2015

Thanks so much Andrew for giving us the opportunity to share our story on your show. What a great resource for photographers to tap into.

This year we set out to be more transparent and share more of what we do and how we do it. We look forward to listening to more of your future guests.

We are the Parsons Photography Podcast

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

We are the Parsons Website

The Boredom Experiment Podcast on iTunes

Transform: A short Film by Zack Arias

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Fine Photography

StarNow

Model Mayhem

We are the Parsons Photography Podcast

Thank you!

Thank you again for listening to the show and thanks to Jeremy and Ashley for being a fantastic guests and such beautiful people. I can honestly say I came away from this interview feeling moved and ready to make some changes in my life. I'm sure, you will too.

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