Advertise on podcast: Capturing Motherhood

On today’s episode, I chat with Charlie Summers about how she relocated her photography business and changing photography genres. This is a lovely chilled out chat and we hope it will support anyone else going through major changes within their business.   Connect with Charlie: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charliesummersportraits/  Website: https://www.charliesummersportraits.com  Connect with Suzi: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzibirdphoto  Website: https://www.sunlightportraitstudio.co.uk 

On todays podcast I am talking to Janine Fox from New Zealand. We are going into detail about her experience with IVF & miscarriage, and also her work with a charity which captures families going through infant loss.   Janine shares reassuring advice for families going through similar experiences, however if infertility, miscarriage and infant loss is a triggering subject for you, please do feel that you can skip this episode.   If you or someone you know is going through something similar, there are a number of organisations you can contact for support.   You can head to sands.co.uk - Sands is the leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity in the UK. The organisation exists to reduce the number of babies dying and to ensure that anyone affected by the death of a baby receives the best possible care and support for as long as they need it.    You can also visit arc-uk.org - Arc is a charity that helps parents and healthcare professionals through antenatal screening and its consequences.   We really encourage you to reach out for support if you’re going through anything challenging in your life, whether that’s surrounding baby loss and fertility or anything else.   We’re sending you all the love in the world, and want to give everyone listening a huge hug after delving into this episode.   Baby Loss Photography Charities: https://remembermybaby.org.uk https://www.heartfelt.org.au https://www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org   
Connect with Janine: Website: https://www.janinefoxphotography.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janinefoxphotography/   Connect with Suzi: Website: https://www.suzibirdeducation.co.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzibirdphoto/ Suzi’s Photography Studio: https://sunlightportraitstudio.co.uk/

Today on the podcast, I am chatting with Holly from Nulla Content. Holly works with businesses to create an online presence that breaks through the noise, helping them to stand out. We are going to chat about the power of showing up online, the different ways you can do this and our top tips for anyone who feels unsure about how to boost their online presence. Connect with Holly: Website: https://nullacontent.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nulla_content/ Connect with Suzi: Website: https://www.suzibirdeducation.co.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzibirdphoto/ Suzi’s Photography Studio: https://sunlightportraitstudio.co.uk/

I'm back! After a little break in January to reset and re-evaluate, I am back with my first solo episode of the year. This episode covers the 3 lessons I've learnt since running my photography business: 1. Respect your time 2. Get help when you're struggling 3. Only you can control your life I cover each of these topics in detail and tell you my top strategies on how to feel more in control of both your business and your life.

In this episode, I chat with Jo Greenfield about her journey though IVF, a pandemic and motherhood. We discuss the ins and outs of her fertility journey, along with how she balances running her photography business alongside motherhood. It’s a powerful conversation that many of you may be able to relate to, and we encourage you to reach out to either or us, or your friends and family if you feel ready to talk about your own fertility journey and need some support. Read Jo’s blog about her IVF journey here: https://jogreenfield.com/blog/ivf Connect with Jo: Website: https://www.jogreenfield.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jogreenfieldthephotographer/ Connect with Suzi: Website: https://www.suzibirdeducation.co.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzibirdphoto/ Suzi’s Photography Studio: https://sunlightportraitstudio.co.uk/

This week I am chatting with Jessica Raphael, a lifestyle photographer who specialises in weddings. We are going to chat about her journey to achieving a better work/life balance, and her top tips for taking ownership of your business schedule. Making your business work for you is a journey. You have to get it wrong before you get it right, and we hope that this episode can help to reassure you that it’s ok to feel overwhelmed, and that there are certain things you can do to help avoid this in the future. Connect with Jess: Website: https://https://www.jessicaraphaelphotography.com/ Instagram: https://https://www.instagram.com/jessicaraphaelphotography/ Connect with Suzi: Website: https://www.suzibirdeducation.co.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzibirdphoto/ Suzi’s Photography Studio: https://sunlightportraitstudio.co.uk/

On this week's episode, I chat to Aukland based photographer Renaye Mclachlan. Renaye specialises in newborn and family photography, and is a wonderful example of how you don't need a degree to be a successful photographer. We chat about her journey, from photographing her friend's baby and buying her first camera, to starting to charge for photoshoots. We cover a wide range of topics including her main inspirations, her tips for social media and how to stay in your own lane without comparisionitis creeping in. If you'd like to see more of her work, you can find out more over at: www.renayemclachlan.co.nz Connect with Renaye: Website: https://www.renayemclachlan.co.nz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/renayemclachlanphotography/ Connect with Suzi: Website: https://www.suzibirdeducation.co.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzibirdphoto/?hl=en Suzi’s Photography Studio: https://sunlightportraitstudio.co.uk/

3 Ways to Grow Your Photography Business This week I’m bringing you my first ever solo episode! I cover 3 different topics that can help you to grow your photography business: * Client experience * Keeping it personal * Staying consistent Want to know more? Dive into the episode to find out! If you’d like to continue the conversation, head over to https://www.instagram.com/suzibirdphoto on Instagram and I’d love to hear from you.

In this episode I am chatting to Kitty Clark, a fine art photographer who captures soulful motherhood images. Kitty tells us about her battle with mental health and how she has maintained her business through it. Kitty is relatively new to photographing, but things are definitely happening fast for her business. Currently, she shoots motherhood, maternity, wedding, and branding but is looking to soon niche down into a more motherhood-based photography business. With everyone’s opinions differing on whether you should niche down or not, it can be kind of daunting. But ultimately, it comes down to whatever works for you and your business. In 2006, Kitty met her husband Henry at university. They now have a 2-year-old girl, Thea. Kitty describes motherhood as dichotomous because of all the contrasting emotions involved, but she wouldn’t change it for anything. Throughout her early teens and through her 20s, Kitty suffered from severe depression and anxiety. Things came to a head in 2018 when she suffered a breakdown. Following the birth of Thea, Kitty has found purpose and her daughter have had a huge positive impact on her mental health. Nowadays, Kitty is very selective with who she has in her life and has let go of any toxic relationships. She practices mindfulness regarding her mental health, and says it’s important to recognize when someone is having a negative effect on your life. Kitty also credits the support of her husband, Henry, who has always supported her endeavours. Learning a new business while also dealing with a family life and mental health struggles can be difficult and hectic – don’t be afraid to ask for advice and a different perspective.   Connect with Kitty: Website: https://www.kittyclarkphotography.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kittyclarkphotography https://www.instagram.com/weddingsbykitty/   Connect with Suzi: Website: https://www.suzibirdeducation.co.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzibirdphoto/?hl=en Suzi’s Photography Studio: https://sunlightportraitstudio.co.uk/

I am chatting to Lindsay Kellar-Madsen today, a Canadian author based in Denmark. Lindsay has just released her children’s book “The Lovely Haze of Baby Days,” a tribute to the beautiful chaos of motherhood. Lindsay joins me today to talk about finding your way through the postpartum haze. With 4 children under the age of 6, Lindsay has just published her first children’s book and is also a business developer at the University of Southern Denmark. Lindsay and her family have been living in Europe for roughly the last decade. Having her children away from her family and support structure has been difficult – not having your community around you to help and answer questions can be tough. The flipside is that it pushed her to build new relationships, friendships, and support structures. It’s also allowed her to listen to her inner voice and intuition more. With her first daughter, it felt like everything was new and shocking. When her son came along it was a more peaceful time and Lindsay felt more confident. When she was carrying her twins in 2019, the stress returned due to the increased risks. The physicality and mental energy to care for 2 newborns as well as her older children was a lot for her to carry. For Lindsay, the most important thing you can offer a new mother is support and understanding. It’s important to remember that so many things change with new children. To ease the load, Lindsay tried to focus on creating routines and structures for when the babies came. She also turned more to writing and used it as an outlet for her feelings.   Connect with Lindsay: Website: https://www.lindsaykmadsen.com/product-page/the-lovely-haze-of-baby-days-1 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.madsen.littles   Connect with Suzi: Website: https://www.suzibirdeducation.co.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzibirdphoto/?hl=en Suzi’s Photography Studio: https://sunlightportraitstudio.co.uk/

Nina Goks, a London based family, motherhood, and wedding photographer, is our guest in this episode. Nina will discuss developing your photography style, staying in your lane, and preparing for maternity leave. Nina focuses her work on the raw, natural side of motherhood. While motherhood is her primary focus, she does also do wedding photography and has been in business for about 2 years. Nina studied film photography at school and taught herself digital photography. For a time, photography became a side hobby while she explored other avenues. After the birth of her first son, Nina realized she needed a creative outlet, and photography called her back. To be an artist and be successful a way that works for you is such a blessing in this world where the 9-5 grind is taught to us from an early age. For Nina, her signature style has developed naturally over time. She pushes for the raw, primal power of motherhood coupled with the raw, primal power of nature. Nina also takes inspiration from art and the ethereal for her pictures, bringing a fairy tale edge to her work. In her shoots, Nina is vocal with her clients. She has seen it all before and there is no shame in what you show. It’s all about the client’s comfort level, although many of her clients do lead with wanting to take nude or semi-nude shots. Other times, it’s a more organic process during the shoot. It’s a part of our society to hide our light, but Nina wants to make women shine without fear in her work.   Connect with Nina: Website: https://www.ninagoks.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninagoksphotography/?hl=en   Connect with Suzi: Website: https://www.suzibirdeducation.co.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzibirdphoto/?hl=en Suzi’s Photography Studio: https://sunlightportraitstudio.co.uk/

I’m happy to once again have Samantha from Fox and Feather Photography in Melbourne, Australia on the show today. Samantha wants to discuss lockdowns, staying inspired, and keeping the momentum going in your business if you have to close briefly. Currently, Melbourne is in lockdown number 6 due to COVID-19. While not all of Australia is currently locked down, many of the larger population centres are. Samantha has had clients that rescheduled shoots and weddings during the first lockdown, and are having to change their plans yet again. While the initial lack of cases in Australia was good news, it has led to widespread vaccine shortages and general population that is only 20% vaccinated. For Samantha, it has been hard to stay inspired. Being fully locked down means no shoots, but she is finding some ways to stay creative. Samantha is planning on giving some of her clients tips on how to take photos so they don’t miss out on these moments. She also keeps an ideas journal where she jots down anything that comes to her. Now, Samantha feels like there is nothing left to give. Throughout initial lockdowns, she was super active with work and social media. Now it’s time to take the time to rest and relax and learn to throttle back. For years, she would put photography first, but lockdown and her son’s cancer diagnosis has put the world into perspective. It’s okay to take a minute to look around and evaluate what is truly important.   Connect with Samantha: Website: http://foxandfeatherphotography.com.au/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/foxandfeather/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/foxandfeatherphoto/   Connect with Suzi: Website: https://www.suzibirdeducation.co.uk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzibirdphoto/?hl=en Suzi’s Photography Studio: https://sunlightportraitstudio.co.uk/