Photo Fuel | The Vision, Art, and Business of Family Photography

You're a family photographer, and like it that way... so where does school photography actually fit into your business — and is it worth the time?

This is part 2 of my school photography series, and today we're getting into the numbers. I'm sharing exactly what school photography looked like in my business in 2025, all done with the gear I already owned, while still photographing a full family photography fall season at my fu...

Over time, we've decided as an industry that the way to make a school photos is to line a hundred kids up against a vinyl backdrop and give them 10 seconds to say cheese. We can do better!! This episode is all about how I became so passionate about offering an alternative to school photography and why it's about more than a pretty picture or a money grab. We talk about why it's an easy yes for schools which schools it works well f...

This summer brought a lot of unexpected delights and frustrations, personal curveballs and a business that needed to sway with them. When you work by yourself, it's easy to let seasons slide by until suddenly the whole year's gone by and you're asking yourself - WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! 

This is the first in a new series of reflection episodes I want to record at the end of every quarter. It's a process I've been doing on my own...

We assume established photographers have it all figured out. Erin Wissig sees something different: talented, successful photographers whose backend systems never had the chance to catch up.

I'm talking with Erin about why so many of us end up duct-taping our systems together as our businesses grow, what it actually looks like to build automations that hold while still maintaining the flexibility for humanity. We talk about why the ...

This is the last in a series of summer replays for the podcast, but I thought a short and sweet reminder was just the thing to kick off the next season. It's one that applies to pricing, but also to your work as a whole - the art of it, the backbone of decisions and creation together. 

I'm talking about the fear-based thoughts that show up around raising your rates, why "is there any reason not to?" is a better question than "...

This episode was originally published this time last year, but I'm bringing it back because the reminders are still just as relavent!  It might still feel like summer, but fall is coming — and with it, the mix of excitement and overwhelm that hits every family photographer this time of year. 

I'm walking through the four pain points that tend to hold us hostage in the fall:

- overbooking and burnout

- marketing str...

In case you're starting to think about fall (good for you!!!) and setting those fall mini session dates - listen to this first! Not villianizing them, but simply offering an alternative approach and something to think about before you sell your soul to fall mini sessions. Since this episode, I've offered mini sessions each summer as a test (because I don't like making assumptions and wanted to make sure this advice held up - spoile...

What business owner doesn't want to get found through Google and AI search? Jamie Bugbee spent over 20 years as a dental hygienist before postpartum depression led her back to a camera and a way to come home to herself. And once she put herself fully into learning and tackling SEO for family photographers, she was able to grow her photography business by 400% and leave her day-job to go full-time.

Jamie is a Portland-based family,...

Becca Lueck has been photographing families in the Portland, Oregon area for 16 years, but she didn't find lifestyle photography until year seven. Once she did, everything changed. We talk about the before and after of learning to fall in love with the work you're doing, how it changes, and how to keep it interesting. 

Becca is the founder of Becca Jean Photography, a membership for family photographers, and a suite of courses...

You're halfway into a session, things are flowing, and then — nothing. The energy drops, your brain goes blank, and you're thinking - WHAT NOW. 

This is the final part of the four-part in-home family photography series, and I'm giving you eight specific moves to pull out when a session stalls or you need to jolt yourself in to a new perspective. 

Stay to the end for a preview of what's coming this summer!

Find ...

In Part 1, we prepped. In Part 2, we got the ball rolling. This episode is all about how to open your dang eyeballs, guide with your heart, and sink into a session that is less pose and more honest family gold. If you often leave sessions feeling like you checked the boxes but you never really GOT anywhere emotional, this is your next-level. 

I originally learned the concept of "elements of family story" from Brooke Schultz,...

You've done your prep. You've watched the walkthrough video. You knock on the door - now what? The first 10 minutes of an in-home session do more than most photographers realize. They're where trust gets built in person, the tone is set, and where you either make it feel like an experience or a performance.

I'm walking through five things that shift the energy in those opening minutes and two things I'm careful not to do in a ses...

If you're working on improving your process for in-home family photography or adding home as a location this year, this series is for you! This first episode is one of four that kicks off a short, practical series on in-home family photography, starting with the one thing I do before every session to walk in feeling prepared.

This is the biggest asset to preparing for an in home shoot - without requiring a consult call, zoom meetin...

A few weeks out from the first PhotoFuel Retreat and Mastermind, this episode is the honest debrief — what I got right, what surprised me, what I'd do differently, and one big decision I made about the future of the program.

Regular reflection is tool I use often in my photography business so I want to model what that looks like and how it can lead to purposeful alignment. If you're curious about the inner workings of craftin...

Have you ever wondered what working with a mentor actually looks and feels like over time?

Lydia Fine is back as our first-ever returning guest. She's a purposely part-time photographer with a full-time marketing career and two kids, and over the past few years she and I have worked together across just about every format. In this episode, she breaks down exactly what that journey has looked like: the doubts going in, the breakthro...

The last thing you as a photographer want is for your family photo sessions to feel stiff or overly posed. That's why I believe in exploring the idea of creative play inside your sessions.

We just hosted the very first Photo Fuel Retreat and Mastermind, where we got to do exactly that. We not only found ways to bring more of each photographer into their businesses, but we also got to play with how they can break through the techni...

What if the next step in scaling your business isn’t just about adding something new, but about building something that finally matches what you’ve believed all along? For a long time, I thought being a photography educator meant I needed a shop full of templates, mini-courses, and downloadable resources. While I've found that courses and digital products have their place, what I was longing for in my educational offeri...

Have you ever looked at your work and thought, This is fine… but something feels off? In this episode, I’m talking about the sneaky middle season no one prepares you for—the growth plateau. It’s not burnout or failure. You’re seeing success, booking clients, and producing solid work. Deep down, though, you know what got you here isn’t going to get you there - wherever there may be for you.

I&rs...

Building a photography business doesn’t always mean choosing just one lane and staying there forever. For many photographers, the most sustainable paths are layered, seasonal, and shaped by the realities of life.

That’s exactly the story of my guest today, Rebecca Hunnicutt, a lifestyle family photographer based in Portland, Oregon. Rebecca and I first connected in real life at Reset Conference, and in this conversatio...