EPISODE #102

Are You Loving What You’re Shooting?

Guest: Kathryn Langsford

Owner of Photos by Kathryn
Vancouver, Canada
photosbykathryn.com

DATE: November 02, 2023

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Let’s check in. How are you feeling about what you’re shooting right now? 

Is every session making your heart sing with creativity or are you just checking the boxes off a shot list? 

Are you leaping out of bed each morning excited to get to work, or are you dreading your next session because you’re sick to death of everything you’re shooting?

Every artist experiences a creative slump. The trick is, how to get out of that slump as quickly as possible and today’s conversation with Kathryn Langsford is going to help you do exactly that. 

Join us as we talk about the ruts we find ourselves in and how to, quickly, motivate and inspire ourselves back to a creative mindset. 

In this episode, you’ll learn how to:

  • Find actionable, easy ways to keep each session fresh and exciting
  • Avoid shooting only from a “task list”
  • Focusing fully on the clients and their personalities brings out your creativity

Here’s a glance at this episode:

  • [2:39] – We have all been at a point in our career where we’ve not felt in love with it.
  • [3:40] – Creativity is hard to manufacture and problems are harder to solve.
  • [4:42] – Sometimes something that we think is a problem, leads to something really great.
  • [6:54] – For Kathryn, connecting with the people in front of her is what gets her creativity going.
  • [8:50] – We’re all going to have bad days. But paying attention to the individuals in front of you keeps you present and grounded.
  • [10:17] – A new piece of furniture can make a huge difference. It could make you see things differently.
  • [12:15] – When you get your style down, it is easy to get stuck in a rut due to lack of “playing around”.
  • [13:59] – After moving to a new studio space, Kathryn felt very stuck because she couldn’t figure out the lighting and angles that worked best.
  • [15:52] – Allison spent a lot of time looking through interior design books to see how art and photography is displayed. It helped her find a lot of motivation.
  • [22:18] – Kathryn shares the experience of shooting a family every single year for ten years and every year it’s a new energy.
  • [24:18] – For Kathryn, planning too much makes things harder for her to be creative.
  • [27:20] – The personality of the clients, especially the children, make the biggest difference for creativity.
  • [28:38] – When in a rut, Kathryn gets in the mode of making a “task list”.
  • [30:37] – Creativity is not always energized by the same thing.
  • [32:39] – Running through a set list is going to happen sometimes if a client has requests.
  • [34:36] – Kathryn stuck with a really strict scheduling setup this year and it has helped her maintain her creativity.
  • [35:47] – Manage your energy, rather than managing your time.
  • [37:25] – Rotating through different props and furniture and moving over a few feet keeps things fresh.

Links and Resources: 
Download a Transcript
The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz

Kathryn Langsford
Website | Instagram

Do The ReWork
Website | Instagram

Allison Tyler Jones
Website | Instagram | LinkedIn