Skip to content
Work with mePhotography

Photo Fuel

A podcast for family photographers about learning to love what you do AND how you do it. Pack your creative toolbox and get closer to the art you're dying to make and the life you're ready to live.

podcast for family photographers
  1. // 1.

    Vision

    We zoom out with planning, dreaming, and big-picture ideas to fuel a business that works for your life, your inspiration, and your market - not someone else's.

  2. // 2.

    Art

    Practical take-aways for everything from how to shoot in any home to seeing beauty in all kinds of family dynamics - we go there so you can become a better artist and make the pictures you envision in your head.

  3. // 3.

    Business

    The nitty gritty of client experience, tools, workflows, and more, all with a dose of relatability from a host who's been photographing families for 20 years.

Recent episodes

  • Cover art for "The Summer Reflection: 5 Questions for Quarterly Review and Prep" — the Photo Fuel podcast

    Ep 82

    The Summer Reflection: 5 Questions for Quarterly Review and Prep

    This summer brought a lot of unexpected delights and frustrations, personal curveballs and a business that needed to sway with them. When you work by yourself, it's easy to let seasons slide by until suddenly the whole year's gone by and you're asking yourself - WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! This is the firs

    · 24:50

  • Cover art for "Ditching Duct Tape Systems in Favor of Connection and Peace with Erin Wissig" — the Photo Fuel podcast

    Ep 81

    Ditching Duct Tape Systems in Favor of Connection and Peace with Erin Wissig

    We assume established photographers have it all figured out. Erin Wissig sees something different: talented, successful photographers whose backend systems never had the chance to catch up. I'm talking with Erin about why so many of us end up duct-taping our systems together as our businesses grow,

    · 37:15

  • Cover art for "The 'Why Not' Mindset (REPLAY)" — the Photo Fuel podcast

    Ep 80

    The 'Why Not' Mindset (REPLAY)

    This is the last in a series of summer replays for the podcast, but I thought a short and sweet reminder was just the thing to kick off the next season. It's one that applies to pricing, but also to your work as a whole - the art of it, the backbone of decisions and creation together. I'm talking ab

    · 6:44

  • Cover art for "Welcome to Photo Fuel - Trailer" — the Photo Fuel podcast

    Ep 79

    A Fall Pep Talk for Family Photographers (REPLAY)

    This episode was originally published this time last year, but I'm bringing it back because the reminders are still just as relavent! It might still feel like summer, but fall is coming — and with it, the mix of excitement and overwhelm that hits every family photographer this time of year. I'm walk

    · 29:25

  • Cover art for "REPLAY | Why I don't offer fall mini sessions" — the Photo Fuel podcast

    Ep 78

    REPLAY | Why I don't offer fall mini sessions

    In case you're starting to think about fall (good for you!!!) and setting those fall mini session dates - listen to this first! Not villianizing them, but simply offering an alternative approach and something to think about before you sell your soul to fall mini sessions. Since this episode, I've of

    · 25:23

  • Cover art for "Putting in the website work to get found online with Jamie Bugbee" — the Photo Fuel podcast

    Ep 77

    Putting in the website work to get found online with Jamie Bugbee

    What business owner doesn't want to get found through Google and AI search? Jamie Bugbee spent over 20 years as a dental hygienist before postpartum depression led her back to a camera and a way to come home to herself. And once she put herself fully into learning and tackling SEO for family photogr

    · 32:41

  • Cover art for "Guide to In-Home Family Photography Part 3: Story Filters" — the Photo Fuel podcast

    Ep 74

    Guide to In-Home Family Photography Part 3: Story Filters

    In Part 1, we prepped. In Part 2, we got the ball rolling. This episode is all about how to open your dang eyeballs, guide with your heart, and sink into a session that is less pose and more honest family gold. If you often leave sessions feeling like you checked the boxes but you never really GOT a

    · 16:43

  • Cover art for "Guide to In-Home Family Sessions Part 2: The First 10 Minutes" — the Photo Fuel podcast

    Ep 73

    Guide to In-Home Family Sessions Part 2: The First 10 Minutes

    You've done your prep. You've watched the walkthrough video. You knock on the door - now what? The first 10 minutes of an in-home session do more than most photographers realize. They're where trust gets built in person, the tone is set, and where you either make it feel like an experience or a perf

    · 25:21

  • Cover art for "Guide to In-Home Family Sessions Part 1: The Walkthrough Video" — the Photo Fuel podcast

    Ep 72

    Guide to In-Home Family Sessions Part 1: The Walkthrough Video

    If you're working on improving your process for in-home family photography or adding home as a location this year, this series is for you! This first episode is one of four that kicks off a short, practical series on in-home family photography, starting with the one thing I do before every session t

    · 12:27

  • Cover art for "What I Learned From Hosting a Photography Retreat and Mastermind" — the Photo Fuel podcast

    Ep 71

    What I Learned From Hosting a Photography Retreat and Mastermind

    A few weeks out from the first PhotoFuel Retreat and Mastermind, this episode is the honest debrief — what I got right, what surprised me, what I'd do differently, and one big decision I made about the future of the program. Regular reflection is tool I use often in my photography business so I want

    · 26:12

leah o'connell, charlottesville family photographer

Meet the host

I'm Leah

-allergic to fluff, real-talking, lifestyle family photographer of 20 years.

Here, you'll find honest opinions, topical industry conversations, and interviews with experts I know and admire. If we're not sitting across a table having coffee together and talking business, this is the next best thing.

Leah O'Connell, host of the Photo Fuel podcast

Want to dive in and learn more? Take a look at my guides and free resources.