Escaping The Ordinary Podcast Ryan Teague

We are kicking things back off this year with a solo pod, recapping 2021. Recovering what was a crazy and difficult year for creatives, some highlights from the conversations with fellow photographers both on and off the pod. So kick back with your notepad, ready to storm 2022.

What I talk about
Finding your own personal style and creativity
To stand out from the crowd you need to stop trying to fit in
Curate your work to curate the work you want to shoot
You can’t cheat time to build style and skill
Being easier on yourself as a new photographer
Stop comparing yourself to other photographers
Habits throughout your day outside of your business are directly mirrored in your business
The power of unplugging and active movement
Reducing distractions from your own mind
Pivoting your business - how to move forward and adapt
What’s next for Feather & Finch
Look to the future and map out where you want to be
Invest in yourself and invest in your business


My biggest takeaway of 2021
2021 was a massive wake up call for many photographers. What it highlighted to me is the value and essential nature of investing in yourself. A shiny new lens or laptop might give you a momentary one up in your everyday working, but getting a mentor, taking time off, going on holiday with your family, going to a workshop have life-long benefits. No matter how challenging the photography climate gets if you are strong individually nothing can hold you back.

Today we have the owner of Kings and Thieves Benjamin Urquhart, an incredible creative and inspiration for photographers across the world. He has such a unique perspective on the business and creativity, one which he’s used to mentor some of my personal close friends in the industry. Ben is a busy man and I was super stoked to have him on the pod with us today.

What we chatted about
Where he’s based and his multi use office space
His micro-wedding business
Challenges of working from home and evolving the business
Rolling photography into his laid back wedding business
How constraints can forge creativity
How Ben created his style and his want to create a shift in the industry
Leaning into his own style after not feeling like himself in his work
Showing up as a person rather than just a photographer
His process working with couples
Time allocation at weddings
Going with the flow on shoot
Focus on light vs subject
His work vs ‘generic’ work - the power of being human
Getting your couple started without pushing to pose
His stance on advice with weddings - making them feel as little stress as possible
How he charges his services without getting too heavy
How his price guide has helped with the quality of his leads
Adjusting times to give better photos - why lighting matters
Helping people to create a wedding they actually want
Learning to channel your inspiration to fuel your creative voice
Does Ben ever think he’ll do video?
Are his boudoir sessions just for clients or for anyone?
His feelings on creativity during the boudoir sessions

My biggest takeaway
What struck me about Ben was his adaptability and raw creativity. Finding opportunities for businesses in his work space, expanding his range into the boudoir sessions and encouraging couples to push the boundaries of what their weddings can be. Looking and being open to opportunity is a key tenet which can really set you apart from being a good photographer to being an awesome one.

Links mentioned in the pod
Kings & Thieves website https://www.kingsandthieves.com.au/
Kings & Thieves Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kingsandthiev.es/
His personal Instagram https://www.instagram.com/benjamin_urquhart_/
My website https://ryanteague.co/
My Instagram (for guest DMs) https://www.instagram.com/ryanteague.co/

E045 Escaping The Ordinary - John Gazzingnato

Today we have John Gazzingnato making his return to the podcast after a crazy year. He is an Tasmania-based award-winning photographer who has really thrived throughout the last 12 months despite the pandemic. Rather than going back to his roots, we look at the last year in depth, discussing his business growth, success and forging moments of true creativity.

What we spoke about in the pod
His journey from 12 months to now
Working with COVID and overcoming adversities throughout
Rediscovering motivation after the pandemic
His business growth - creative style vs business foundations
The power of his artistic approach
Storytelling & curation - creating a portfolio that attracts the work you’re looking for
Creating work he loves and times he wasn’t
Moving out of what’s expected of you or trending
How to read wedding situations differently - some practical tips
Scheduling a wedding - getting it just right
His default start for couples shoots
GIving cues and helping couples to feel more comfortable
Lighting and couples shoots - telling a story
Colouration with portrait sessions
His ‘secret sauce’ when it comes to editing
Leaning into your local area and the light you like using
Over exaggeration of presets
His luscious hair secrets
His dream shoot if he could plan one
How to make recommendations for clients & the importance of building the relationship
His favourite shoes for shooting weddings
The Rangefinder Rising Star Award
What's changed over the last year - mentally and practically
What the future hold for John

My biggest takeaway
John’s journey is the most clear evidence of the power of leaning into what you’re excited about. Rather than just creating images that you think are expected or trendy, it’s all about creating moments and stories. This year has been a massive year for his personal growth and assertion of his style and brand voice - so find it and don’t look back!

Links mentioned in the podcast
John’s website https://www.jongazzignato.com/
His Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jongazzignatophotographer
His Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jon.gazzignato/
My Website https://ryanteague.co/

E044 Escaping The Ordinary - Bec & Andrew - Willow and Wolf

These guys are the epitome of adventure photography - creating stunning elopement images as well as capturing beautiful moments of their travels together. Today we chat about their road to starting Willow and Wolf, how to capture epic landscapes and how they run their business together. They are such an inspirational couple and have a lot of wisdom to share.

Get to know Bec & Andrew
Bec & Andrew met in Canada while Bec was travelling from her hometown Byron. They bonded over a love for the outdoors and passion for photography. Ben had business roots and Bec in graphic design but both found themselves feeling a little astray from their paths. After parting ways after a fun summer there wasn’t much on the cards. Creating a photography business was always a dream but didn’t come to fruition until Andrew came to Australia two years later. After a few years of back and forth from Australia to Canada and burning out, they have moved permanently to Canada, now basing themselves in Banff.

What we spoke about in the pod
An insight into their background
Their journey to starting a business together
Similarities and differences between Canada and Australia
Capturing epic landscapes
The challenges of hiking and photography
Planning a mountain shoot
How they manage out there enquiries
Picking locations and exploring
Letting your couple come forward with their idea
How to move into adventure photography as a professional
Some professional horror stories
Why they haven’t done styled shoots - using clients for this
How to photograph weddings together
Their process working with clients
How they prep their clients for outdoor weddings and get the shots at the top of a hike
How COVID has affected their business
Organising their blog and portfolio
How they’d work their business to Australia
Their kit and how they work them during a wedding shoot

My biggest takeaway
There was so much to take from our chat. But, my biggest takeaway has been about the way to work crazy elopements and the sheer amount of work that goes into every one of them. The key is being prepared - over prepared in terms of kit and items which can make the process all the more easy and getting your couple up to speed too.

Links mentioned in the podcast
Willow & Wolf Website https://willowandwolf.co/
Their Instagram https://www.instagram.com/willowandwolfweddings/
Their Facebook https://www.facebook.com/willowandwolf/
My Website https://ryanteague.co/

In today’s episode, we have the incredible Omar Diaz, founder of wedding photography business, By The Wilde. We met at a workshop in early 2021 and since then he’s gone from strength to strength - pushing his creative boundaries and creating a business that aligns with his style and values. It was an honour to chat with him and discover more about his journey to becoming a recent full-time photographer.

Get to know Omar
Omar is based in Hobart Tasmania - a beautiful part of the world that attracts a lot of interstate travel for elopements. He started his photography journey inspired by travel after burning out from years of social work. Backpacking through parts of Asia, Europe and the Americas he captured stunning images of nature and progressed onward to people-focused photography in the streets of South America. This sparked an obsession with wanting to collect and curate those special moments - building a story around every one of his subjects. He did his first official wedding in the summer of 2019 and has since been building his skills and business into the impressive portfolio you see today.


What we talk about
Omar's roots and photography journey.
The benefits of having a fantastic wife who has wedding industry knowledge.
How he’s feeling 6 weeks into full-time photography - an honest and raw perspective.
Creating his new website and honing in on his personality.
Why community is important to him.
How to build and search for a sense of community.
Mentoring and peer-reviewing.
How he chose certain creators to review his work.
Practical things Omar took away from mentoring.
How to make your clients feel comfortable.
The power of humanising the space and levelling with your clients.
His kit and how he uses it throughout the wedding day.
Building relationships and rapport - and what it means to him.
His ratio of creativity to business person.
How much of a factor his editing has on the end image result.
A few practical things you could do to create that ‘magical’ feeling with light.
Personal projects and style shoots - the benefits he’s seen.
How to handle others' expectations of style shoots: balancing creativity with meeting the brief.
Documenting his son’s life and the guilt of not documenting enough.

My biggest takeaway
It’s awesome to see someone who has stepped into their own style so early on in their career. But my biggest takeaway from our conversation was the power of human connection in photography. And this comes in different, but all equally important forms. His connection to his wife and her network. His connection to the community of peers and mentors he’s built around himself. And, creating a human connection with his clients. It’s this connection that drives purpose, supports creativity and truly helps you tell stories.

Links we mentioned
The By The Wilde website: https://bythewilde.com/
By The Wilde Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bythewilde/
By The Wilde Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bythewilde
By The Wilde Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/bythewilde/_saved/
My Website: https://ryanteague.co/
My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ryanteague.co/

Shari & Mike are veterans of the photography scene - based in Vancouver and working in the industry since 2005. They share valuable insights into the journey, the lessons they’ve learned, how they dealt with the pandemic and what their ‘aha’ moment was - something I know a lot of listeners are waiting to try and find.

Get to know Shari & Mike
Shari & Mike started their journey in completely different industries, dabbling in photography on the weekends. However, when things started to pick up Shari went full time - still supported by Mike who continued to work full time. As they moved to Vancouver Mike also made the leap to go full time - and there was plenty of work for the both of them. Since then, they’ve built an awesome reputation in the wedding space around Vancouver as a laid back and creative couple which has also taken them around the world to destination weddings. Their focus more recently has been localised with COVID making it difficult to travel, however this has been a useful shift in their work - allowing them to appreciate their own city and stay closer to home and family.

What we talk about in the pod
Their family set up with a 4-year-old.
Their pace of work and busy seasons.
Both Shari & Mike’s journey into photography - from dabbling to full time.
Co running the business and photographing weddings together.
Using your roots to propel you forward in your new journey.
COVID and the wedding industry in Vancouver - how they’ve coped throughout and the post lockdown boom.
The benefits of not travelling - yes, there are some!
How their business has changed since having a daughter.
How their practical shooting has changed with having a daughter too.
A shift in shooting and approaching weddings - focusing more on relationships.
Bringing parenting to your approach - putting yourself in the attendee's shoes.
Getting out of your own head and ‘off plan’ when it comes to weddings.
Emotive stories and the privilege of being part of such a special day.
Falling in and out of love with photography - and how their perspectives are quite different.
How removing the tool can help you to reconnect with your art.
Keeping balance when documenting your child growing up - keeping the fun & joy in special moments.
What they think hold photographers back from creating images that are full of life and personality.
Being a calming presence at weddings and lifting your client’s anxiety.
The power of personalising your approach with every client - creating as you go.
Not trying to fit into a formula.

My biggest takeaway
Shari & Mike shared so much knowledge from years of being successful in the industry. However, the biggest takeaway for me was their thoughts on personalising your approach with every client and not trying to fit in with a formula. As a business person and photographer, it can be easy to slip into a process-driven mentality. But their style which has brought and continues to bring them much success focuses on the individual and fitting the mould of what they need at the time.

Links we mentioned
Shari & Mike’s Website: https://www.shariandmike.ca/
Shari & Mike’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shariandmike/
Shari & Mike’s Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/shariandmikephotographers/_created/
My website: https://ryanteague.co/
My workshop tickets: https://ryanteague.co/