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Ever wish you had a photography mentor you could turn to for advice, so that you could learn photography quickly, and without the frustration and overwhelm that often comes with it? That’s exactly what you’ll get when you tune into the Photography Made Simple podcast! I’m on a mission to help photographers just like you grow their photography skills quickly, so you can shorten the learning curve and get photos you love faster. In this show you'll get actionable techniques, helpful insights a ...
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Welcome to The Simple Sales System™️ for Photographers Podcast! My name is Annemie Tonken and I'm the photographer behind the System that has revolutionized the portrait industry, allowing photographers to stop focusing so much time and energy on sales and admin and get back to doing what they love best: making photos! Since 2020, I've been on a mission to share this System far and wide, and now have a community of over 1000 photographers who use and love this system that gives them in-perso ...
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In this episode, I’m answering a question from one of our listeners, Emma, who wanted to know a little bit more about documentary and lifestyle photography, and what the difference was between the two. She asked: “I’m never sure whether to call myself a lifestyle or documentary photographer. I like capturing unposed shots, and more candid moments, …
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I know from personal experience that when you first start out in photography, it can often feel very overwhelming and frustrating, and for many new photographers, this leads to you giving up, thinking you might “never get it” or that you’re just not cut out for photography. Which is why I want to share with you 11 things that I think you should kno…
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Fall is one of the best times of the year for portraits, whether that be of your child, your family, your pet, maternity or any type of portrait! That’s because nature creates a fantastic backdrop for us in fall (or autumn in you are in the UK) with the leaves on the trees turning into beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow, creating a vibrant,…
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One of the questions I get a lot from my students was about lens filters, so I created a free training for them inside our student community, the Live Snap Love Insiders Club. But I thought that you would probably enjoy it too, so today on the podcast, I’m sharing the audio of that free training. Although it was obviously created with slides to sho…
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Have you heard the terms aperture, f-stop and depth of field and wondered what the **** they all are, and how they all work together? Then this is the podcast episode for you! Today, listen is as we go over what Aperture is, what the term F-stop means, and how this impacts your depth of field, and how this changes the look of your photo. (Want to s…
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In this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of our brand new community for our students! We recently moved our student community away from Facebook, and into a new home on our course website. Today I want to get into what you’ll find over at the new community, and why we made the switch, and how you access the community if you are a student, …
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Learn how to get started with macro photography, from which gear you need, to camera settings and composition! Macro photography has been an unexpected joy for me in my photography journey. . It allows you to see the world in a whole new way, and appreciate the beauty that can be found everywhere if you get close enough! So many people come to me a…
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How to find more time in your day for learning photographyWhenever I ask people about what the number one thing is that is holding them back from learning photography, one of the most common answers I get is not having enough time! I can definitely relate to that - most of us are struggling, trying to juggle several plates at the same time, so lear…
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The 5 must-know editing tips to help you edit your photos like a pro! If you have been following Live Snap Love for a while, you'll know that I LOVE editing photos. It’s a HUGE part of photography for me, because it's another area where I get to be creative, or get the photo looking exactly the way I want it to look! Editing is like the icing on th…
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How many times have you heard that in order to get the best photos, you should try to shoot in the Golden Hour, in other words, the hour right before sunset or just after sunrise? Probably a lot! However, many times, we simply cannot shoot at that time of day. Maybe we’re taking our kids to the beach or the park later in the day, or we’re photograp…
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There has been a lot of chatter recently about the use of AI in photography, especially as Photoshop's AI tools have been growing steadily, and very recently both Lightroom and Lightroom Classic introduced a new generative AI tool inside Lightroom, making it even more accessible to use AI on your images. So where do YOU draw the line when it comes …
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Over my 17 years of practicing and learning photography, I have had plenty of a-ha moments or changes I have implemented that have totally changed my photos for the better. So today on the podcast I am sharing just three of these, but these three are ones that you can do today (as in right this minute!) and they don’t require any new equipment, spe…
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In need of a new photography project for summer? Then I've got you covered! In this episode of the Photography Made Simple podcast, I'm giving you 4 ideas of photography projects you can do that will help you document summer, get more creative photos, or just motivate you to pick up your camera. Whether you are photographing your young family, or y…
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The way that you show movement or motion in your photos can give your images a totally different look and feel, and today on the podcast, we are looking at all the different ways you can capture it! Using motion is a great way to make your images look more creative, have stronger compositions, or just play and have fun! You can choose to freeze the…
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As much as I love using Lightroom Classic for editing my photos, it doesn’t mean that it can do absolutely everything you need! There’s a damn good reason why Adobe bundled both Lightroom Classic CC and Photoshop CC together in their Photography Plan - because when you have access to both programs, you can do absolutely anything your little editing…
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Choosing a lens can feel like a difficult and overwhelming task- there is so much choice that it can be hard to narrow it down and decide which would be the best lens for YOU. Let’s face it, lenses are expensive, so it’s an important thing to get right! Although you can always sell your lenses if they turn out not to be the one for you, it’s easier…
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This week’s episode is a little bit of an indulgent one, because I’m talking all about the courses we have at Live Snap Love, and the biggish changes we are making to these in 2024, and what we have coming up! If you are new to the world of Live Snap Love, then you’ll learn exactly what courses are coming up, so you can see what might suit you base…
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Do you know how to find beautiful, dramatic, interesting light for your photos? Light is EVERYTHING in photography. Good light will illuminate your subject, draw your eye to what you want the viewer to focus on, minimize distractions, make images more dramatic or magical, give them a three dimensional quality and just generally make our images more…
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Learning how to use and modify light is essential for taking your photos to the next level in photography because how you use and control the light will determine how your photos turn out! One tool you can use to modify and shape light is called a reflector. If you’ve heard people talking about using a reflector, but weren’t quite sure what it does…
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Light is the single most important element of your photo, and is one that can lift a mediocre, mundane scene into something incredible and awe-inspiring. That’s why learning how to use light to its full potential is so incredibly important if you want to take your photos to the next level. However, I understand that working with natural light can s…
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“What do all these numbers on these camera lenses actually mean?!” This was one of my very first questions I had when buying my first DSLR and I don’t mind telling you, it took me a little while to figure out! So in this week’s episode, I’m going to break down what the numbers on your camera lens actually mean, so that you can figure out how a part…
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In today’s podcast, I’m answering a question that has been submitted by one of our listeners, about shooting to 0 in manual mode. This is such a great question, because I’m sure that so many people wonder the same thing when they first make the switch to shooting in manual mode. Tune in to find out the answer! Tune into today’s episode to learn: Wh…
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These days, smartphones are not only a way to keep in touch with people, they are also a great tool for photographers! Not only can you take great photos with your phone, you can also use a number of apps that have been created especially for photographers. In this podcast, I’m going to share 5 apps that I personally use and love. Even though I don…
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Whether you’re a long time user of Lightroom or Lightroom Classic, OR you’re brand new to editing and just wondering which program to get, you’ve probably come to realize that there are two different programs available from Adobe, both (confusingly!) called Lightroom. This always raises a lot of questions, particularly for those who are just starti…
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I’ve always said that photography is a game of two halves - one side of our brain needs to focus on the technical aspects, such as our camera settings, where to focus, finding the light etc. The other side needs to see the creative possibilities - the composition, angles, or unique twist we can stamp on our photos! As photographers, it’s pretty com…
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There were so many times back at the early stages of my photography journey where I felt totally disheartened and frustrated, because no matter what I did, my photos just didn't turn out the way that I had envisaged in my head, and nothing like the photos I wanted to take. Of course, there can be several reasons why each individual image doesn’t qu…
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Do you ever feel like you’re not really in control of your image? That you’re just winging it, and hoping for the best when you press the shutter? Or maybe you get all flustered and not sure what you should be doing? Then you are going to love this week’s episode! In it, I’m going to break down the FIVE questions you should ask yourself when you ta…
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Are you thinking of starting your own photography business, but wondering if you are ready to take the plunge and start charging for your work? Or how long you need to have been shooting for? Or what experience do you need?? Then this week’s episode is for you! I'm going to talk about some of the things that I personally think you should have in pl…
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In this week’s episode, we’re going to be talking about lenses, specifically one type of lens, called “fast lenses”. You may have already heard this term bandied about and wondered what the heck it refers to! Or maybe you’ve already heard of it, but not sure exactly WHY you might want one, if this is something you should get, and what you should lo…
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As we kick off a brand new year, it’s a great time to think about how to organize and clean up your digital image files, and a great program that can really help you do this, is Lightroom Classic. In fact, that is exactly why Lightroom Classic was created - to give photographers like yourself a tool to manage your photos with a complete end to end …
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Did you get a brand new DSLR or Mirrorless camera under the Christmas tree last year? Then this episode is for you! Getting your first camera is both exciting and terribly overwhelming! There’s so many dials, buttons and menu options that it can feel a bit daunting at first. I know both from personal experience, and from teaching photography to tho…
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Most portrait photographers are accidental entrepreneurs - they're talented artists who wake up one day and think, "Hey... maybe I could actually make some money doing this thing I love!" Fast forward a few years and the vast majority of those artists have closed up shop, not because they didn't have the talent, but because running a business - no …
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Meet Mackenzie. A year ago, she was burning out on the constant hustle treadmill when she found Simple Sales. Less than 8 months after launching, she's hitting 5 figure months... a feat she never dreamed was possible. Before we dive into the nitty gritty of the system, I wanted to paint a picture of what's possible for you, and Mackenzie's journey …
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In 2017, I was this close to becoming a statistic. Despite the fact that my per-session average was close to $2K and the seven-year track record of happy clients I had (many of whom came back year after year), I was on the verge of having to close up shop and go back to my job as a nurse. Why? Because the photography industry was built on a two-mod…
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Steve Jobs famously said, "It takes a lot of hard work to make something simple, to truly understand the underlying challenges and come up with elegant solutions. To be truly simple, you have to go really deep." So as we dive into the six steps of the Simple Sales system, I want to warn you: don't let the simplicity of the system fool you! It DOES …
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Within just a few months of launching Simple Sales, my entire business had transformed. In this episode, I'm sharing alllllll the details: How I increased my income by 30%, crossing the 6-figure mark for the very first time How I cut my work time in half, allowing me to spend much more time with my kids How I overcame my mental blocks against autom…
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A simple solution with extraordinary results? You wouldn't be the first photographer to be skeptical! So let's break down WHY Simple Sales is so effective... not just for me, but for thousands of photographers around the world. In this episode, we'll explore the psychology behind the System: five keys to success in sales that often feel counterintu…
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What's better than one case study? How about three! I'm excited to share this in-depth conversation with Robyn, AnneMarie, and Christina: three recent students who've launched Simple Sales in their three very different businesses. We discuss: How and why each of them decided to give Simple Sales a try - what was (and wasn't) working in their busine…
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At this point, you likely have some burning questions... about the pricing, the logistics, the tech, or about how this could impact your bottom line. You're not alone! In this episode, I address some of the most commonly-asked questions: How does the system GUARANTEE profitability? What tech do I need (i.e. how much more do I need to learn/spend) t…
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Hey... guess what? Your business doesn't HAVE to be a source of stress, exhaustion, and frustration! I'm a firm believer that a profitable, sustainable business based on your values and goals is not only achievable, but necessary! The Simple Sales System allows you to set up efficient processes so work flows smoothly. You'll feel organized, confide…
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You've heard about my successes and the successes of my students, but perhaps you'd prefer the objective data from a larger pool of people using Simple Sales, not just the anecdotes from a few. For that, I turn to my gallery software provider of choice, Pic-Time. In this final episode, I share the story of how Pic-Time noticed my much-higher-than-u…
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Back in 2015, I completed my first ever Project 365! Taking a photo every single day for a year not only improved my photography skills, because it gave me the opportunity to practice every single day, and try out new things, but also gave me a wonderful record of my day to day life. Taking a photo a day is almost like your own personal journal, so…
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Photographing Christmas morning can be a little tricky - there can be lots going on, the lighting is often less than ideal, and of course, you want to actually be present in the moment and not stuck behind a camera all the time! Plus if your day starts out like my Christmas mornings used to work out, you’re woken up by the kids, dragged downstairs …
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We’re doing something a little bit different on the podcast today, as I’m sharing the audio from a free lesson we share in our FREE Christmas Photography Boot camp! I highly recommend that you join the bootcamp to get the full video training, so that you can get the fun diagrams and image examples, plus of course, get the video training we have com…
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Whenever you try your hand at anything new, you are bound to make a few mistakes along the way! And learning photography is definitely no exception. Although making mistakes can actually be a good thing, as they are part and parcel of the process for learning photography, that doesn’t mean that we need to keep making them, or indeed, make them in t…
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I have no doubt that you have heard, time and time again, that if you want to improve your photos, and most importantly, get the images that you see in your head to translate to the camera, you need to learn how to shoot in manual mode. But I also know that no matter how many times you hear that, you can feel reluctant to make that final switch to …
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Learning photography can often feel very overwhelming - there is much to learn, so many different factors and element, and so much information to get your head around, that it can feel very daunting to know where to start, or what to focus on next. This is obviously worse at the very beginning of your photography journey, when everything is brand n…
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In this episode, I’m time traveling back to 2007 when I first picked up my camera, and giving you a guided tour of my photography journey over the last 17 years or so! I’m sharing my ups and downs, the mistakes I’ve made, the challenges I’ve had, and the lessons I've learned along the way. Most importantly, I’ll also be sharing what actually moved …
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Have you wondered about whether you should get an external flash unit, particularly if you are a hobbyist who doesn’t shoot weddings - because you’re just not sure when or where, or even why, you would use it? If so, you’re going to enjoy this week’s episode, because I’m diving into why you might find that an external flash unit a good idea, the si…
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One of the questions I get asked a lot is about how to go about choosing your camera settings when shooting in manual mode, and whether there is a correct order in which to set them. I know it can feel a little daunting when you move from having the camera make decisions for you, to making ALL of them yourself, so in this week’s episode, I’m going …
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