Most clients don’t know the bloody difference between a good photo and a strategic photo.
And honestly? A lot of photographers don’t either.
In this brutally honest episode of The Loud Lens, Khandie Rees tears into one of the biggest creative industry blind spots: why “pretty” doesn’t always perform. From influencers chasing aesthetics that don’t sell, to business clients who want Vogue when they need LinkedIn credibility. We’re unpacking why beautiful photos can still be bad strategy.
Expect real talk, real examples, and a bit of tough love about how to stop being “just a photographer” and start being a visual strategist.
Whether you shoot branding, portraits, or creative campaigns — this episode will change how you think about your camera, your pricing, and your purpose.
👀 In this episode:
💬 Join the discussion: Is your biggest client challenge explaining this difference — or are we the problem? Tell me your story in The Loud Lens Facebook group
📸 Follow Khandie on YouTube & Instagram for BTS, mentoring, and more blunt truths about running a creative business that actually pays.
Everyone’s crying that bookings are slow, but few are actually doing the one thing that gets clients — pitching.
In this episode, Khandie dives into the real talk behind pitching your photography to businesses — from understanding what brands actually want, to writing an email that doesn’t sound desperate, to why sitting around waiting for “discovery” is the fastest way to go broke.
Whether you’re in Northampton or New York, the truth’s the same: followers don’t pay your bills — clients do.
And the photographers who treat pitching like marketing (not begging) are the ones still standing when everyone else is panicking.
If you’ve ever said “I just need more visibility,” this episode’s your wake-up call.
It’s time to be seen — because you made them look.
🎧 Listen now for a no-fluff breakdown on how to pitch, who to pitch to, and how to stop underselling your damn self.
Grab tickets for the BIPP bash here: https://www.bipp.com/the-bipp-big-bash-2025/
#TheLoudLens #PhotographyBusiness #FreelanceLife #PitchLikeAPro #CreativeEntrepreneur #PhotographerMindset #UKPhotography #BusinessOfPhotography #MarketingForPhotographers
Every photographer and their bloody ring light is selling Christmas Minis right now — but are you actually making money, or just burning out for mince pie money? In this episode, Khandie rips open the truth about mini sessions: how to market them properly, why most photographers get them wrong, and how to make real profit without wrecking your sanity.
She dives into pricing, burnout, scarcity marketing, and how to upsell products the smart way (including her collab with my-picture.co.uk, who make affordable, UK-made products perfect for your festive sessions — use code Khandie15 for 15% off).
If you’re planning Christmas Minis, this is your festive wake-up call. Brutal honesty, real maths, and no bullshit.
🎧 Listen now and learn how to shoot smarter, sell better, and stop being Santa’s underpaid elf.
Struggling to get clients? Feel like your photography business is invisible?
In this episode, I’m breaking down EXACTLY how I’d market my photography business right now if I was flat broke, had no clients, and no budget — just pure hustle and strategy.
This is a real, blunt, no fluff 7-day plan that actually works in 2025 — especially if you’re a UK-based photographer trying to build your name locally.
We’re talking:💬 Using Facebook groups without being spammy🤝 How to collaborate with purpose🎯 Turning your personality into free marketing🧠 Creating content that builds trust, not just likes💣 Building real momentum when you’ve got no money.
#marketing #photography
Congratulations! You’ve been selected as one of the Top 50 Visionary Creative Innovators of 2025!
…Just send us £250 and we’ll email your certificate.
Yeah. We’re going there. In this episode of The Loud Lens, I’m calling out the bullshit behind pay-to-play photography awards, the fake prestige machine, and the obsession with being “award-winning.” Let’s talk about the money, the ego, and the marketing spin — and whether buying your own applause is ever worth it.
It’s been one year since I wrote Take The F*cking Lens Cap Off* . The book that pissed some people off, empowered others, and reminded me exactly who the hell I am.
In this honest anniversary episode, I’m unpacking why I wrote it, what it cost me, and why I’m still not going anywhere. This is my love letter to the loud, the defiant, and every creative who’s ever been told to stay small.
We’re talking naysayers, growth, authenticity, and taking up space in an industry that still pretends to be polite. Consider this your wake-up call — and your reminder that no one’s coming to save your dream.
If you needed a sign to stand up, speak out, and take the damn lens cap off… this is it.
#TheLoudLens #KhandieRees # photography #CreativeBusiness #PhotographerLife #UnfilteredPhotography #CreativeRevolution #NoGatekeeping #WomenInPhotography #RealTalkCreative #BluntTruths #OwnYourVoice
Specially requested episode from The Loud Lens facebook group. How do you market your photography business when you have no money and very few clients. So after some thought and planning, here is a 7 day plan that might help. I hope it does. I dont have all the answers but this HAS worked for me before.
Feel free to request any episodes yourself and let me see if you impliment any of the tips!
#photography #marketing #free
I only went and got myself another swanky guest! This time it is Matt Curtis who is an award winning photographer and big deal at The BIPP who is massive believer in heirloom photography work over the dispoable imagery the algorithm seems to thrive on. Have prints had their day or should we push them more?
Find out more about Matt here:
www.mattcurtisphotography.com
www.facebook.com/mattcurtisphotography
https://www.instagram.com/mattcurtisphotography
Grab tickets for the BIPP Big Bash 2025:
https://www.bipp.com/the-bipp-big-bash-2025/
When a viral reel exposed a supplier perplexed over a photographer charging £150 for image use/access, the internet split. But beneath the outrage lies a bigger issue: GDPR, contracts, copyright, and the messy expectations between suppliers at weddings. In this episode, Khandie Rees breaks down the reality of who owns what, why photographers charge, and why your business needs to understand usage rights before you kick off on Instagram.
I will admit that resetting yourself in business is so important but what actually does that mean? Is it another cliche buzzword some self professed social media guru is gonna sell me an overhyped overpriced course about? Nah its a legit thing. In this episode of The Loud Lens, Khandie talks about how she resets to keep her business mind sharpe and her work on track.
He started out filming tutorials in his garage and now works with Adorama, runs sold-out workshops, and collaborates with some of the biggest names in photography. But being a photography educator isn’t the same as being a working photographer.
In this episode, I sit down with my mate Gavin Hoey to get real about:
This isn’t your usual polished interview. Expect honesty, laughs, and a few hard truths about what it takes to build a career teaching photography in 2025.
Follow Gavin:
#gavinhoey #teaching #photography
Forget funnels, forget boosted posts. I’ve promoted my photography business in some seriously weird ways — and shockingly, they worked. From offering ‘just in case’ portraits after seeing a missing child poster with a bloody Snapchat filter, to running a Pay What You Can day where people literally paid me in cake, I’m lifting the lid on the marketing experiments that got me remembered.
This isn’t marketing fluff. It’s scrappy, human, and it proves one thing: weird bloody works.
Hit play and maybe you’ll find the guts to try something unconventional in your own business.
Tickets for BIPP photo event in November 2025 https://www.bipp.com/the-bipp-big-bash-2025/
Images of the rubbish https://khandiephotography.pixieset.com/press-khandie/
Think the only way to make money as a photographer is by pressing the shutter? Bollocks. In this episode of The Loud Lens, I rip apart the myth that your camera is your only money-maker.
From selling digital products, running workshops, and teaching, to building communities, affiliate partnerships, and even monetising your bloody personality — I’m breaking down every way you can earn without taking a single photo.
I’ll share real examples, my own experiences building books, mentoring, and this podcast, and give you the blunt truth about diversifying your income.
Because here’s the real talk: if your entire business collapses the second you put the camera down, you don’t have a business — you’ve got a hobby.
👉 DM me or join The Loud Lens Facebook group to share the weirdest way you’ve made money without a camera — I might read it on a future episode.#
Find out about my mentoring here: https://www.khandiephotography.com/1-on-1-mentoring-with-khandie-photography/
#makemoney #photography #mentoring
AI is creeping into the fashion industry but what happens when it starts to erase real people? In this episode, I break down how AI models and AI-generated imagery could impact plus-size fashion, diversity, and even the jobs of photographers, stylists, and creative directors.
The fashion world already struggles with inclusivity. Plus-size bodies, disabled bodies, and people of colour are often treated as token gestures, not the norm. Now AI threatens to amplify those biases. Then creating a world where representation disappears altogether.
As seen on ITV News, I’m speaking out about why fashion without humans isn’t fashion at all. It’s pixels of a biased, unworldly ideal.
👉 Listen in for a blunt, honest take on:
Why AI is biased against plus-size and diverse bodies
The economic impact on fashion professionals
How the industry risks losing its cultural soul to pixels
Fashion needs humans—not just algorithms.
Rainy season and no studio? Stop panicking. In this Loud Lens episode, Khandie Rees goes in hard on survival strategies for photographers who don’t have an indoor space. From hiring studios the smart way (and marketing them so you don’t lose cash), to shooting in client homes or alternative locations, plus ways to keep money flowing when it’s too cold or wet outside — this is your blunt, no-nonsense guide to running a business without blaming the weather. Expect tough love, sharp tips, and a bit of humour to keep you moving.
This isn’t a hate fest on amateur photographers — we all start somewhere. But some amateurs? They just can’t be told. They leap into pro work without the skills, refuse critique, and confuse mates’ compliments with client-level quality. In this episode, I dig into the psychology behind it — from the Dunning–Kruger effect to social media dopamine hits, and even why some men can’t handle being corrected by women in this industry.
If you’ve ever wondered why some photographers crash and burn, or how arrogance drags the whole industry down, this is the blunt truth you need to hear. And if you’re an amateur who listens, learns, and works hard — don’t worry, this isn’t about you. It’s about the ones who think they’re pros before they’re ready
#PhotographyPodcast #DunningKruger #AmateurToPro #PhotographyBusiness #TheLoudLens
Everyone’s obsessed with going viral—but what happens when your business becomes all about chasing likes instead of serving clients? In this brutally honest episode of The Loud Lens, I dive into why so many photographers (especially here in the UK) are gambling on virality as their main marketing strategy—and why it’s a dangerous trap.
We’ll get into:
🔥 The good side of going viral (extra revenue streams, ad deals, visibility)
🔥 The ugly side (burnout, forgotten clients, unsustainable business)
🔥 Why trend-watching matters—and how to use tools like Google Trends, YouTube Trends, TikTok, and Instagram Explore to stay relevant without selling your soul
🔥 Real examples of creators who won big—and those who crashed hard
If you’re a new photographer or struggling with your marketing, this episode will slap you with the reality check you need. Going viral is fun—but it’s not a business model.
#photographypodcast #theloudlens #ukphotographers #viralcontent #photographybusiness
Natural light is trending hard. Blue hour portraits, nostalgic film edits, AI-manipulated wedding shots — they’re all over TikTok, Pinterest, and your clients’ mood boards. But here’s the catch: winter in the UK means light vanishes by 3pm, and clouds are basically the default backdrop.
In this episode of The Loud Lens, I’m breaking down the hottest photography trends right now, showing you real examples of how top photographers actually use them, and giving you the no-bullshit truth about when to adapt… and when to walk away.
You’ll learn how to spot trends before your clients do (hello Google Alerts), how to prepare your business for “Pinterest expectations,” and why chasing hype without skill could ruin your reputation.
If you want to stay ahead of the industry, deliver what clients are asking for, and avoid falling into trend-chasing traps — this is the episode you can’t afford to skip.
Taylor Swift said “yes.” Travis Kelce bent the “wrong” knee. Instagram crashed. And photographers… lost the plot. Instead of learning from the moment, many went online to slate the photos—and in doing so, they revealed why they’re struggling to get clients.
This week on The Loud Lens, Khandie Rees is calling it out: why slagging off celebrity shoots makes you look like a bitter amateur, how negativity kills your bookings, and the smarter way to twist big cultural moments into attention-grabbing marketing for YOUR brand.
Spoiler: the only person you’re hurting with your rants is you.
"No one’s booking your branding photography sessions? Spoiler alert—it’s not the algorithm, it’s not the economy, and it’s not because clients ‘don’t get the value.’ It’s YOU.
In this brutally honest Loud Lens episode, Khandie rips the lid off why so many photographers are struggling to sell branding shoots. From shocking personal branding, cliché poses, and copycat styles to not understanding business, marketing, or even who your clients actually are—you’ll hear every ugly truth laid bare.
This isn’t about bashing you for the sake of it. It’s about waking you up. Because branding photography is BOOMING right now—but if your inbox is dead, you’re the problem.
Expect rants, facts, and zero sugar-coating. If you’re serious about turning branding photography into a profitable niche, this is the episode that’ll slap you in the face and get you moving.”