Today's guest, Candice Zugich, “The Blissful Maven” has overcome hurdles, haters and setbacks to become the most successful boudoir photographer. After hearing her story, there's no reason why you can't be exactly who you want to be and shoot what and how you want in your photography business.

I tell myself every single day that I'm a badass – Candice Zugich

Married and a Mother of 2, Candice lives in and works from Southern California. She is the eldest of 9 children. Candice suffers anxiety issues and says it hinders her from taking chances. Somehow she has overcome all that and recently went through a full rebrand.

I read a quote from Candice who says…

“I never went to college and never finished high school …I’m uneducated, but driven, and in no way feel bad for what I haven’t accomplished… because what I’m accomplishing now is all that matters to me.”

Her work is emotional, raw, gritty and has a totally unrestricted feel about it. I love it and I love that she’s with us for this interview.

Here’s some of what we cover:

  • Women in business as photographers today – what's changed?
  • Anxiety issues Candice deals with in her photography business
  • Why Candice chose boudoir and self-portraits as her niche
  • How children can change everything when it comes to life and business
  • How you can channel self confidence into your photography
  • Empowering women to be bold and confident by becoming their role model
  • Why Candice takes her self-portraits
  • How Candice overcame her anxiety issues and gain self confidence
  • Understanding, then using the knowledge that words are power
  • How Candice prepares for her self-portraits
  • Why you need to constantly showcase something that scares you if you want to grow
  • How Candice feels about people's perception of her work
  • Candice' thoughts on her haters
  • Landing in hot controversy when photographing your own children
  • Why go through a re-brand for our photography business?
  • How Candice transitioned to find her niche today
  • Finding new couples to build your new portfolio
  • Who are Candice's clients today and how does she attract them to her business?
  • Targeting people that understand the value of what you are giving
  • Sustaining your household income with your photography business
  • How deciding to become your own brand instead of having a brand changes everything
  • Thoughts on being called an artist and what defines one
  • The difference between an artist and a photographer
  • What would happen if you mix passion with your photography business?
  • Being in control of your vision for each photo session
  • The reason clients are booking Candice today
  • How to handle an unhappy client or complaint

Candice Zugich 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:

  • Are women photographers more effective shooting boudoir than men?
  • Can men really understand women's vulnerabilities and insecurities?
  • Why Candice doesn't attempt to sell prints to clients who come in on free photo shoots
  • How Candice started to get bookings following her rebrand and new vision
  • Pricing and packages for boudoir photography
  • Average number of shots Candice shoots at her sessions
  • Outsourcing to increase productivity and family time
  • Finding the right niche client for your photography business changes everything
  • Using word of mouth and social network sharing as great advertising strategies
  • Why you should practice the ‘look busy' strategy when encouraging clients to book you
  • Why creating scarcity strategy works in the photography world
  • How Candice markets her business today
  • Shooting digital to look like film
  • How to find what makes you unique
  • How to separate yourself from the competition
  • The best thing Candice has done for her business
  • The biggest setback Candice has had in her business
  • Candice's current workflow from shoot to deliver

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 Candice Zugich, get access to an amazing back catalogue of interviews and ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

By sharing your vulnerability, it exposes our confidence and it kinda bursts through – Candice Zugich

Plus, access to a members only Facebook group where you'll 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 cooler, more motivated and caring photographers online.

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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.

I tell myself everyday that I can do something that I'm afraid of doing – Candice Zugich

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

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A very cool and thought inspiring quote from Jake Olson

If you don't follow previous guest on the podcast, Jake Olson, you absolutely have to, his Facebook feed is filled with personal thoughts that seem to spill from brain to timeline with absolutely no filter… I love it.

The post below while funny is real food for thought:

Have you noticed the same poses over and over? I did it with roads. The more people bitched about me using that road the more I posted it. It branded me. I'll be doing it going forward with poses.

And that's how you do it SUCKAS.

Don't run from the criticism run toward it. I will annoy the shit out of everyone yet again this time using poses instead of that God Forsaken Road. YOU WATCH and THEN YOU WATCH EVERYONE ELSE WHO BITCHES ABOUT THEM FOLLOW. It's pretty cool.

You can find Jake on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/JakeOlsonStudio

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Competition Time with The Image Salon

Jean-Michel from the Image Salon has been in touch about sponsoring the PhotoBizX Podcast. The Image Salon offers professional editing services for wedding and portrait photographers to help free up your time to do more of whatever it is you want to do – more shooting, more time with the family, personal photography projects or just less time in front of the computer.

I explained that there are no ads and no sponsors for the show so we came up with an idea I think will benefit you. A competition to have one of your jobs (wedding or portrait) edited by The Image Salon for free then come onto the show as an interview guest and talk about your experience from start to finish – a brutally honest look at outsourcing.

You can find the details of what's included below and you'll be happy to know photographers like Gabe Mc Clintock, Two Mann Studios and Chrisman Studios are all clients at The Image Salon which tells me, these guys know what they're doing.

For wedding photographers, we’d offer the following:

  • A test run process with one of our editors in order to lock into the winning photographer’s editing style
  • A gallery of up to 500 images edited at our BASIC+ level, along with 25 images edited at our BEST level
  • A three to five business day turnaround for the job

For portrait photographers, we’d offer the following:

  • A gallery of any size edited at our PORTRAIT level
  • Three to five business day turnaround for the job

Every one of our clients is assigned their own editor, with whom they can develop a close working relationship. Photographers can provide direct feedback to their editor, in a way that guarantees consistent growth over multiple jobs.

Jean-Michel www.theimagesalon.com

How To Enter The Competition

Simply leave a comment below about todays show – anything you like about anything you heard.

A randomly selected winner will be drawn and offered the chance to take the prize and come on the show. If you left a comment but don't want the prize (too worried about coming on the show), no problem, I'll contact the next randomly selected winner.

Candice Zugich 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 and your name.

The BEST Photography Business Education

In iTunes by Chris Szulwach of The Story Photography in the USA on January 14, 2016

I’ve been to photography workshops with 2 of the top 10 wedding photographers in the world and the content that Andrew provides here is easily the best business education content that I’ve come across.

The fee to access the full premium content is a small token to pay for the returns that it can bring to your photographic life & business.

Thank you Andrew!

Unmissable

In iTunes by Documentary wedding photographer Mike Riley from Devon in the UK on January 27, 2016

Worth every penny of the subscription for the premium content.

Interviews from photographers around the world new and established who are all generous and giving of their experience.

For someone wanting to follow in their footsteps I would say it’s unmissable.

Candice Zugich Photography Podcast

A Special Email from an Inspired Listener

I want to share this email from long time listener and Premium Member, Todd Langille who although giving weddings a try, just didn't feel like it was a good fit for him. Now at age 53, Todd discovered his passion… Head Shot Photography.

Hello Andrew!

You just made a comment after mine on the FB group and when the alert came up it reminded me that I wanted to send you a note of thanks. I think you’ll be proud but I’ll try to keep this short.

As you know I’ve been a premium member for a year or so now – listened to all of them – many times more than once. There is some amazing ‘stuff’ there. I have learned a ton but most of all I am now aware of what is possible. I wasn’t before.

One thing I had never heard you do was to deviate from Weddings and Portraits so you can imagine how I thought it was a huge SIGN FROM WHOMEVER when I heard you introduce Delane Rouse a few episodes back.

I have been struggling to get something to happen in the wedding department for over a year and a half now. Frankly, although I loved the rush of doing my three or four weddings. I wasn’t getting any leads, find myself still on page twelve of Google because there is stiff competition and any leads I was getting ended up going with someone more their own age (in my mind) who a friend had used. I was getting discouraged and didn’t think I could get this going fast enough. Couple that with not having a great portfolio and it looked daunting. (also given I’m 53 and there are only so many years to build a business)

As you may remember my day job is that I work in sales for a radio station. I had always been afraid to talk to current day-job clients about photography despite the fact that I wanted to make use of all of the commercial contacts I have and my expertise in advertising in fear that it was a conflict. I decided to ask my employer. Strange enough as long as it didn’t interfere they were fine. They even hired me to do some work this month at an event we held.

Better even than commercial work… there isn’t really any one photographer here in Ottawa specialising in HEADshots? Sure everyone does them but no one is a specialist! I believe it’s a real niche and I love it. I bought all the studio gear, have been taking courses and am just about set to go.

I had been following Peter Hurley, or at least his style, for the past few months and liking what he does. Then Delane’s show. Then Peter’s show. Like I said, it was a sign.

This is where you’ll be proud.

After Delane’s episode I reached out to him on LinkedIn. He responded right away when I mentioned that Ottawa like Washington DC is the capital of our country. Lots of Government and white collar business here and lots of room to be a HEADshot photographer in a market of one million people.

He emailed me back and forth a couple of times and I guess the timing was right. He asked me if I was close to Montreal and if so would I would give him a price to do 17 HEADshots for one of his North American clients who has an office there. Well as luck, or the universe, would have it Montreal is nothing more than a 1.5 hour drive and I am there all the time. I gave him the price and two weeks later the work was complete!! It was a great experience and profitable for both of us I believe.

As mentioned the ‘uncanniness’ of it all is that just as you had Delane on air I had already started getting a website built and I had decided to create a new niche myself. I plan to ‘work’ it like I do my sales job by creating the lead magnet download to attract email addresses and by chasing down contacts by direct sales activity. That’s where my skills are; I couldn’t believe that I wasn’t these skills AND it seems to be something many of your listeners express concern doing.

Thanks!

Since I have made the decision to focus on HEADshots and Commercial work things just ‘feel’ right. They didn’t with weddings even though at the time I thought it did. Funny how that works! When you are feeling right about it and the signs are all there, suddenly so is the business. In the month of December I completed, billed and have been paid on over $5,000 in work. I know there is a lot more to come but that’s not a bad start in one month. Plus – more than the money – I love it.

I have a new website (that although it IS live still needs LOTs of work ) at www.headshotphotos.ca You’ll notice that I am going for it and copying Delane’s format with sites for every major city in Canada at the bottom. I don’t know how that will work out but surely it can’t hurt my SEO. If it does work you might also remember, and this feels right too, that for thirteen years I owned a large local landscape business here and the model was using sub-contractors as labor. I was a sub contractor expert. I think that is why Delane and I hit it off. I knew what he wanted and how he wanted me to talk to his client. If I start getting work across Canada I’ll find other keen and capable people like me in other markets to do the work or if it gets big enough I do love to travel.

Anyways… thanks again. I’m off to the races and it feels right this time. I will continue to be your biggest fan as whether it is weddings, portraits, HEADshots, commercial or whatever, it is still photography and it is business. All your interviews are very relevant to anyone starting a photography business of any sort.

Keep up the good work. (I don’t know how you do it 🙂 )

Todd Langille

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Get Inspired, Moved and Emotional with Amanda Palmer

I'm not sure how or why I came across “The Art of Asking” but Amanda Palmer but it has been a fantastic listen – I use Audible and listen to most books while driving – which has given me ideas, inspiration and moved me.

Had you seen me on a recent long drive you would have witnessed laughter, tears, sadness, joy and excitement and surely would have come away thinking there's a crazy dude driving that car, an emotional wreck.

Although the book comes across as “self help type” it's written more like a biography with stories, anecdotes and life experiences from Amanda's days as the lead singer of the Dresden Dolls, finding her way as an artist and life dressed as a white-faced bride, silently using her eyes to ask people for money, the beginning of the internet, social media and crowd funding.

You won't be disappointed with this one!

The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help – By Amanda Palmer

Candice Zugich Photography Podcast

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

Candice Zugich Website

Candice Zugich on Instagram

Candice Zugich on Ello

Candice Zugich on Periscope

Candice Zugich on Facebook

Candice Zugich on Pinterest

5 Things You Don't Know About Candice Zugich

8 Questions with Photographer Candice Zugich

The Emotional Artist by Candice Zugich (ebook)

Elizabeth Gilbert

Sally Mann

Sue Bryce on Creative Live

Episode 005: Ian Wilkinson – Style, Unique Pricing, Holidays and a Photojournalistic Approach to Wedding Photography

Episode 133: Jake Olsen – Niche Down in Your Portrait Photography Business for Success

VSCO Film

VSCO Film Users Facebook Group

Looks Like Film

Looks Like Film Facebook Group

Do More Wear Less Forum

Animoto

Lightroom

Photoshop

Exposure on Alien Skin

Dropbox

Jake Olson on Facebook

The Image Salon – professional editing services for portrait and wedding photographers

Episode 135: Delane Rouse – How To Build a Successful Headshot Photography Business

The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help – By Amanda Palmer

Equipment

Nikon D700 12.1MP FX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD (Body Only)

Nikon D750 FX-format Digital SLR Camera Body

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G ED Fixed Zoom Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

Nikon AF FX NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4D Fixed Zoom Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 85mm f/1.4G Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras

Sigma 340306 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Lens for Nikon (Black)

Polaroid

Candice Zugich Photography Podcast

Thank you!

Thank you again for listening to the show and thanks to Candice for coming on and sharing so much.

If you want something, you have to go get it – Candice Zurich

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