Beyond the Image Podcast

Great portrait lighting isn't about owning more lights. It's about understanding what your light is actually doing. After photographing more than 800 magazine covers and working with photographers for years, I've seen...

What happens when someone uses your photograph without permission? Who actually owns the copyright? Should you register every photo you take? What happens when a client wants the RAW files? And what legal protection do...

You created the image. You own the copyright. So what happens when someone uses your photograph without your permission? In this episode of Beyond the Image , James Patrick breaks down one of the most overlooked parts...

What do you do when a company with more than $70 billion in annual revenue asks you to work for one-tenth of your normal rate? You could try to convince them that your pricing is justified. You could explain your...

What happens when you follow a platform's rules exactly as they're written… and still get flagged? In this episode of Beyond the Image , James Patrick shares his recent experience with Peerspace after a potential renter...

If your answer to every slow season is, "I just need more leads," this episode is for you. The truth is, most photographers don't have a lead problem—they have a client journey problem. In this solo episode of Beyond...

What if one of the biggest wastes of money in your business isn't bad gear, a bad hire, or a failed ad campaign? In this episode, James shares one of the costliest mistakes he's made over the last 20 years: repeatedly...

Every creative eventually gets the email or phone call they never want to receive: "We're going to have to cancel the project." Whether you're a photographer, videographer, designer, or creative entrepreneur, canceled...

One of the biggest mistakes aspiring photographers make is believing they need "a little more" before they can start charging. More experience. More gear. More education. More portfolio work. But what if that mindset is...

Every creative entrepreneur will eventually face the uncomfortable question: Should I refund this client? In this episode of Beyond the Image , James Patrick breaks down the only two situations where issuing a refund...

Too many photographers and creatives believe the only way to make more money is to raise their rates. But the reality is that many are already providing valuable services they simply aren't charging for. In this...

Should photographers pay for magazine features, covers, and media placements? In this episode of Beyond the Image, James Patrick explores the evolution of sponsored content, how pay-to-play publishing became...

In this episode of Beyond the Image, James Patrick breaks down a growing issue within the photography industry: photographers turning overlap into warfare. After receiving messages from a photographer attempting to pull...

If you've spent any time in photography Facebook groups, you've seen it. Anonymous posts asking photographers to drop their rates, share their portfolios, and compete publicly for work with almost zero project detail...

On this episode of Beyond the Image , James Patrick shares some of the most uncomfortable experiences of his photography career and why those moments ultimately led to the biggest opportunities. From flying to New York...