Episodios
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Once considered the pinnacle of photographic achievement, shooting for magazines has drastically changed. In this episode of Beyond the Image, I’m pulling back the curtain on what the editorial landscape really looks like today—shrinking budgets, sponsored content replacing original stories, and the loss of creative control that once made editorial work so fulfilling.
So the big question: Is it still worth it?
I’ll unpack my own experiences, what’s changed over the past decade, and the real reasons I still occasionally say yes to a magazine job—along with why you might want to think twice.Whether you're chasing your first tear sheet or reconsidering how to build your brand, this is the honest conversation every photographer needs to hear.
https://jamespatrick.com/
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On the surface, shooting celebrities or high-profile athletes seems like a golden ticket to a stronger portfolio. But here’s the truth: it’s not the name—it’s the image. In this episode, I break down the myth that photographing celebrities or athletes will instantly elevate your brand.
I share stories from my own career—including a high-caliber shoot with first-round NFL draft pick Beanie Wells, and a less-than-stellar session with actors Eric Bana and Joel McHale—and explain why editors don’t care who is in your photo if the quality isn’t there.
You’ll also learn what photo editors have told me directly during portfolio reviews, and the one situation where working with athletes does give you an edge.
What You’ll Learn:
Why name recognition alone won’t help your photography career
The real reasons some celebrity shots don’t make the cut
How to evaluate whether an image actually belongs in your portfolio
What working with athletes can teach you about professionalism and production under pressure
Why you must separate experience from presentation when curating your book
Key Takeaways:
A weak image of a celebrity is still a weak image.
Your portfolio is judged by quality, not notoriety.
Shooting athletes builds credibility behind the scenes—not necessarily in your visuals.
Every photo in your book needs to serve a purpose and reflect your highest standard.
Resources & Mentions:
Story: NFL athlete Beanie Wells photo shoot
Story: Behind-the-scenes from a difficult Joel McHale shoot
Portfolio feedback sessions with top magazine editors
Connect with Me:
Instagram: @jpatrickphoto
Website: www.jamespatrick.com
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After photographing over 800 magazine covers and producing countless brand campaigns, James Patrick knows the one thing that separates pros from pretenders: being prepared. In this episode of Beyond the Image, James opens up his on-location camera bag and breaks down the exact gear he brings to every shoot—and why it earns a spot.
From the two camera bodies that serve distinct roles to the lenses, lighting, and accessories that keep shoots running smoothly, you’ll learn what’s mission-critical, what’s overrated, and how to build a lean, effective kit that performs under pressure. Whether you’re shooting solo or managing a small team, this is the blueprint to staying fast, portable, and always ready.
If you’ve ever struggled to pack light without sacrificing quality—or if you’ve faced the nightmare of forgetting something essential—this is the episode for you.
Gear strategies Lens selection Forgotten essentials that save the dayPlus, James shares a few war stories, his go-to backups, and a free way to get your own checklist version of the gear list.
https://jamespatrick.com/
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Here are proejcts I was convinced would make (or break) my career as a photographer.
The truth is - they didn't do either.
This is about the culmination of our efforts.
https://jamespatrick.com/
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I recently experienced one of the worst, if not THE WORST, attempts at marketing and busienss develiopment from a photogarpher I think I have ever seen. But what I did about it may shock you even more.
This episode is all about client relationships.
How to establish them.
How to build them.
and most importantly - how to maintain them.https://jamespatrick.com/
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Last week we hosted our annual photo marketing roundtable here at The Hive Studios in Phoenix, Arizona.
At this event, a handful of creative professionals (photographers and videographers) sat around together to discuss ideas, strategies, complications and breakthroughs in their business as business owners.
Through the course of this discussion - there were 5 main areas that were brought up as important means to generate additional and predictable revenue as a creative professional.
Connect with me https://jamespatrick.com/
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Peerspace is a brokerage site used for short-term rentals for photo shoots, video productions, events, podcasts, meetings and the like.
Historically, Peerspace made their revenue by taking a percentage off of every single booking done through their website. However, recently Peerspace has instituted a bidding system which allows location managers to pay to have their spaces ranked higher in the site's search algorithm.
What will this do for renters? What will this do for location managers?
Short answer; things are likely to get more expensive for everyone.
https://jamespatrick.com/
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There is one mistake that I've seen photographers, videographers and creatives make over the course of my 20+ year career. This mistake is often what separate photographers who build sustainable and thriving businesses versus those who continue to have peaks and valleys and often find themselves struggling to bring in new business.
For those in Arizona - we are hosting a photo marketing roundtable on May 22nd at The Hive Studios in Phoeninx, Arizona. RSVP at https://www.hivestudiosaz.com/workshops/p/photo-roundtable-2025
https://jamespatrick.com/
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Let's face it - if you expand the timeline long enough - you're going to find there is quite a fair amount of toxicity within the photography community.
From jealousy to envy to downright aggressive competition - no one is immune from it.
So let's break down the actual sources behind the toxic traits of so many creatives and how we can navigate it better as a community.
https://jamespatrick.com/
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I want to be clear, right off the top, that I have personally made every single one of these mistakes myself in my 20+ year career.
The goal is not to shame photograpehrs for making the mistakes that all of us have made - but to shed light (that is a well-placed pun) on these misconcepts, misunderstandings and mistakes so that we can continue to learn and improve on our craft as creative professionals.
https://jamespatrick.com/
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You were asked by a client to bid on a project and either intentionally or unintentionally they did not give you all of the information you need to accurate prepare an estimate that fully reflects your services and value.
Bluntly - you underbid.
So what do you do?
In this episode of the Beyond the Image podcast, host James Patrick deconstructs how to prevent this scenario from happening to begin with as well as suggestions on how to navigate it with clients should the situation arise.
https://jamespatrick.com/
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Photographers - there are two types of clients we need to STOP chasing.
Clients who don't have money. Clients who don't want to spend money.Instead - let's focus on how we find clients who do have the purchasing power and purchasing assets to support our creative endeavors.
https://jamespatrick.com/
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Social media was never particularly easy - but it sure was a lot simpler. The way to achieve engagement has completely shifted (and we've lost count how many times that has happened).
In this episode of the Beyond the Image podcast - we dive into what needs to happen on your social channels now based upon how audiences are consuming content.
https://jamespatrick.com/
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If all you are sending a prospective client is an estimate sheet - then you are drastically under-selling yourself as a creative.
In this episode of the Beyond the Image podcast - I dive into my strategy for crafting and desgining well curated proposals that I send to clients when bidding.
https://jamespatrick.com/
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In today's episode we answer the question "should photographers niche?" YUP!
Yup they absolutely should! In this episode of Beyond the Image, host James Patrick dives into why photographers should carve out their specialty and unique selling proposition as well as unpacking the biggest fear they have when it comes to niching down.
If I niche down, then I won't get hired for other work again!
The reality is - that simply is not true!
https://jamespatrick.com/
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In this episode we answer the question; should photographers also provide video services to clients?
Overwhelmingly yes! Without question.
Either they need to learn how to construct and deliver video files - or it is important for them to form a partnership with a videographer to offer their services to clients.
Client demand for video assets has only been increasing exponentially.
In order for a creative professional to stay competitive - they have to find ways to meet client demands and expectations in today's marketplace.
https://jamespatrick.com/
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I've been hired to do a handful of gigs over the last three decades with zero experience. Everything from selling wedding rings to modeling for an off campus student housing complex.
But what is even more intense is the fact that I built a photography career over 20 decades having no prior experience. That I built a podcast from the ground up never having spoken into a microphone before. That I created not one, but two, best selling books having never published a book prior.
This is not to say that mistakes were not made or that I did not often fail (I did, a lot).
But I never allowed a lack of experience prevent me from trying something. And neither should you.
https://jamespatrick.com/
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As traditional print media scrambles to find firm ground despite crumbling atrophy - the thing I was still so excited about and hopeful for as a creative was the rapid emergence of unique, fresh, bold and innovative independent publishers.
Sure, independent publishers have smaller budgets (if any) and the audiences are certainly a bit more finite. But also, there is far less overhead, the audiences are hyper focused and there is more bandwidth for creative exploration.
Unfortunately… the same greed, which has been eradicating traditional publishers is now infecting independent publishers.
Zero quality control Abysmal editorial standards (if any) and offensively bad designYet these publishers are charging premium sponsored rates for features on the cover and inside their magazines.
If sponsored content is your business model, and I’m not going to argue in favor or against that, you absolutely need to do better for your advertisers, editorial contributors, as well as potential readers.
https://jamespatrick.com/
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In more than 20 years as a photographer, I've had a few photoshop controversies. There have been times my work was accused of being over-edited (it wasn't) and there were times I even got fired because I refused to edit work beyond what I was comfortable with.
The reality is that it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is art. The abundance of photo editing apps, filters and AI-enhanced manipulations has only added to the confusion of authenticity.
The result is to simply label everything as fake, inauthentic and misleading.
But let's unpack the nuance of photo editing and what can constitute as acceptable manipulation versus what goes too far.
https://jamespatrick.com/
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I honestly thought that just by owning a pack of color gels that my photography career would immediately be transformed and I would instantly be more creative, professional and respected.
Spoiler alert - all I learned at first was that I didn't know squat about how to use gels effectively.
In this episode I talk about the steps I personally took to actually learn how to use gels from lighting backgrounds to creating atmosphere to accenting a subject to actually working as the key light and beyond.
Next week I am going to be hosting a live workshop at The Hive Studios showing you how to leverage gels in your creative portraits.
RSVP at https://www.hivestudiosaz.com/workshops/p/workshop-gels-2025
https://jamespatrick.com/
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