0:00:00 - Christy Hunter

I think it goes back to doing what you love. Like I said before, you know just what ignites you, what sparks the fire in you, because when you discover that, then everything else you'll figure out, like the logistics. You know, I didn't know how to run a tour operator business and now here I'm about to speak at a tour operator conference because I love it, because I love this little thing that I created.

0:00:34 - Natalie Jennings

This is the Photo Business Help podcast, a resource for photographers of all levels, from brand new to burnt out, who believe that business growth starts with personal growth. I'm your host, natalie Jennings. I created Jennings Photo back in 2010 and have been happily full time since, but not without some mistakes along the way. Those lessons, plus what's really helped me thrive financially and personally, are what I want to share with you so you can grow with your photo business too. You'll also hear stories from other photographers and industry folks, as well as my favorite ways to be more mindful and happier on this journey.

You know that I like to say pay attention to how you feel. What does that mean? It means that when you get inquiry into your inbox and it feels poopy, that maybe you know it's not the gig for you. Today I'm talking with Kristi Hunter, who is the founder of Photo Walk Nashville, and this is such a cool iteration of her journey as a photographer wedding photographer, fashion photographer and we talk a lot about how following that feeling following what you love can really bring you into some amazing spaces in your business.

So if you're feeling a little stuck, or you're not quite sure what to do next, or you're not even really sure what you like about photography, necessarily, or you've kind of lost the spark. This conversation is really amazing and you'll definitely want to check out the links in the bio and check out all of Kristi's stuff, because she's doing some amazing work in the photo space. But before we get into that, as always, a few words from the folks that support this show. Thanks again for coming on and I think, after looking through everything that you've been up to, I have lots of questions. But maybe just kind of give folks the sort of short version of what you do and then we can talk a little bit about your story.

0:02:36 - Christy Hunter

Sure, I am the owner and founder of Photo Walk your Travel and Photo Walk Nashville, and that is a photo shoot tour company where we take your photos at all the hot spots in Nashville and Scottsdale those are our two current markets and we give you a photo shoot by a professional, but then also a little bit of an insider tour. So we're not just walking around taking pictures, we're also giving our guests lots of information and telling fun stories and really just you know, it's like having a best friend that's your photographer in a new city or for locals that want to come and do it. But it's just really fun. It's very relational, it's very interactive, it's a photography experience is what we call it. So I had the idea to start it about five years ago and I can tell you that story here in a minute, but it just ever since I began.

It's really changed my life and it has become my main business, and I still love different forms of photography and I still love to shoot in different projects, but I feel like this is where it's at for me. My career in photography kind of all led to this, so yeah, it's really cool.

0:03:54 - Natalie Jennings

It's such a great idea and it's amazing that it's only been five years. I mean, that's very impressive, especially like looking at everything you guys have done. This is really cool, but you're based in Nashville. What brought you into the Scottsdale space?

0:04:06 - Christy Hunter

So Scottsdale is the number two market next to Nashville for bachelorette parties destination, and so, yeah, we work with a couple of different. We call them OTAs, like online travel associations, and one of those is called the Batch App. And the Batch App let us know that, hey, scottsdale is popping. You know, that's where the bachelorettes are going on the West Coast. It's kind of the secondary. Nashville is the number one, it's the capital the capital of bachelorettes.

0:04:35 - Natalie Jennings

I was hung out down there and I'd seen it firsthand many times where I'm like, okay, I see what's going on here.

0:04:42 - Christy Hunter

But you will definitely see it, you can't miss it. And you know I didn't actually set out to, you know, build a photography, bachelorette photo service. They kind of came to me that scene and that demographic. I began, I started it off with the focus on travelers, couples, families, influencers that were coming to Nashville, you know, a lot of times for business or leisure reasons and for those people. And then I started getting inquiries from bachelorette groups and we're like hey, can we do this?

And the way I structured photo walk was for it to be a group experience, kind of like a regular tour, Like if you went on a walking tour you're gonna be on it with other people. And so that's how I was able to bring, like make the price point a little bit lower and make that level of entry a little bit easier. And so I would have like a couple and then a batch party group and I was like this does not jive, Like we cannot mix these two groups. So I had to make a separate experience just for bachelorette parties, and that led to being our top seller, our top selling product.

0:05:51 - Natalie Jennings

That was my next question. I was just imagining like a middle-aged couple with a bachelorette party.

0:05:56 - Christy Hunter

It does not work. No, it's a recipe for disaster.

0:06:02 - Natalie Jennings

I'll tell you that there was a couple that that's cool that you figured that out, because that seems like an important detail.

0:06:10 - Christy Hunter

Yes, definitely. Once I began, it really started the path, for it became clear and evident that I needed to make different experiences and create different products for different demographics. Now we have 10 different options on the menu. We've got photo walker dog. You can do a dog experience. Because the same thing, where it was like people wanted to bring their dogs, whether they were local or traveling out of state or other country, we were like, yeah, we'd love to take pictures of you and your dog at all the cute murals and all the spots. But then we realized them on the group with other folks it wasn't always the best. We created photo walk your dog.

0:06:55 - Natalie Jennings

Do you end up sometimes with just one person and their dog, or do you wait until a group fills up, or how does that work on your end?

0:07:02 - Christy Hunter

Yeah, we make that like a private, so there's either a private or a public option for all of our experiences and those are just automatically private. So, yeah, the price point is a little higher. It's more like a regular shoot, but that's because you've got a dog with you and we're going to take the time to really not rush here, rush them and make sure that we're getting to all the spots, make sure they've got water and potty breaks, all those things.

0:07:29 - Natalie Jennings

So how long is the average walk then? So what it would like, maybe walk me through the walk. What is the yeah? How does it work?

0:07:38 - Christy Hunter

So the structure for photo walk is very curated and that's one thing that the beginning of it since I really transitioned from being a photographer, that was in, I did weddings, I did fashion a lot of influencers, that sort of thing. So you know, with those kind of shoots there's a lot of back and forth. First, right, there's a lot of inquiry, then a counter, then let's figure out the date. Then all this back and forth, right, that is, it takes a lot of time. And so with this structure I first started it on Airbnb experiences. So that platform is where I launched it on, and that really just forced me to hone in and make it a curated experience and not just, ok, where do you want to shoot, let's do this. It's like, no, this is what it is, this is the experience. Where do you start? You know it made me pick a starting point and then a description of what the deliverables are, and so we still start at the same point that we did five years ago. And so when I guess books my experience, whether it's on Airbnb or on our website, they're using a res tech software that has a live calendar and it's so easy. They just pick their time and date and then they pay, and then I get the notification that they've booked it and then nothing else seems to happen. There's no more back and forth, unless they have a specific question, but we try to have all the FAQs to answer their question. They get an automated text and email saying confirmation Thanks for booking. Here's more details what to wear, where to meet, where to park, all that. So all of that is automated, so the guests can just show up and then we meet them there. There doesn't really need to be any more interaction. We show up, greet them, let make sure that we know hey, are you Natalie? And you know a group of two? All right, welcome, you know. We welcome them. Tell them what to expect, tell them that we're going to go on a fun filled romp around this little neighborhood and we're going to take their picture for them. We're also going to have a lot of fun and we're going to tell you all about this amazing neighborhood and we want to get to know you as well.

And so we start in a store called Winky Lux that I partner with and we get some pictures in there, and then we begin our little walk around and buy, you know, the first 10 minutes. We're friends with these people. You know we've created a bond, whether it's me or someone on my team, and you know it's not just this like contractual, you know service thing, where it's like, okay, take your picture. It's we're interacting, we're giving them posing ideas, direction, we're getting to know them, and we just stop along the way at different spots and they're not all murals People think, oh, it's a mural tour, not specifically a history mural tour.

It's just like, hey, this is a good spot to take a photo and we really do curate it to. You know, whatever, if it's a couple and they're more, you know, I can kind of start to feel out their style and we can figure out where to take the shots at. But it's an hour long. And then we end and I give them a little card with a QR code saying here's where you can leave a review, here's our guide to all the places we talked about. And we give them a hug and say, hey, you know, we're going to give you the pictures in three to five days. They're delivered to you through the same way you booked it. It's easy, stay in touch, follow us on Insta, come back and see us. That's what it looks like.

0:11:00 - Natalie Jennings

That's awesome. There's a couple things that you said that I think can apply to anybody's business, in particularly in this industry. But the first one's automating some of the stuff that you don't need to be dealing with right, like even just having a CRM, like even just making sure that is taken care of is so game changing, I think, for anybody in business. I think with a lot of folks that, like when they first start out, they you know nothing's automated and that's okay, but like getting to a point where, like you don't have to worry about it is massive. And then the other piece that I think I mean I'm sure it's why you guys continue to have so much success, but it's like being a real person. When you show up, you know, like you made a point to say like it's not just like a contractual, like you sign up and we're there and whatever. I mean that it doesn't work for to grow any brand. I don't think.

0:11:50 - Christy Hunter

No, it doesn't. It's very personal and one really amazing story that I have that speaks to that is on one of my very first photo walk tours. Five years ago I had this sweet couple from Connecticut and we did the photo walk. It was really one of my first ones, maybe the first six months, so I was still getting used to it, getting into it, getting my route, but we had the best time with them. They were so sweet and a few months later they followed me on Insta, of course, and you know we kept in touch. A few months later they got engaged. I said, oh my gosh, congratulations, love it. They ended up flying me to Connecticut to do their wedding.

So had an amazing time with them. Wedding was beautiful. I brought a second shooter, all that good stuff, and then a couple years later they had a baby so sweet. And then two days ago they flew to Nashville and she asked me if I could do the shoot where I got to meet their baby, who's two years old adorable. And then also she announced to her husband baby number two in front of my like on another walk and another photo walk tour with me. They wanted to make sure that.

I was the one that took the pictures. That's so sweet. I mean. It doesn't get more personal and connected than that. I love that You're the one there and that's how you know, like their life photographer, you know, even though they live in Connecticut like how cool is that? So?

0:13:20 - Natalie Jennings

it's so cool and that's one of the cool things about this industry is just connecting Like. If you are doing this, not wanting to like connect with people, then it's probably not going to work out very well for you, no matter what you're doing. If you're doing photo walks or weddings or whatever and I did weddings for over 10 years too and it's like having that return, like we're having a baby and you know I mean that's part of the fun for me is just watching. I have some families that I've been shooting for over 10 years and it's like they now they went from like zero to like four kids and it's crazy. It's really fun, yeah.

0:13:55 - Christy Hunter

It's a relationship Like you're capturing the biggest moments in their life, like when you capture a wedding, that's the biggest day of these people's life and so for you to be the one that has the honor to take the shots of that, like to me I never took that lightly when I was doing weddings and you know I'm sure you didn't either Like it's about the relationship that you are kind of this very important third party in their relationship for that day, you know, and during that time in their life. And then that carries over. Every time they see those photos they think of you in some way, like in the subconscious, like because you were the artist behind that, like you took it. And so I mean that couple told me that the other day that you know, when we see those pictures, like you just did the best job, like that's unconnected to that. So that's so strong and that's so special to me as a photographer.

Just it's cool to get to speak to another photographer like you, because you get it Like you get that.

0:14:54 - Natalie Jennings

It's really fun. I mean, that's what makes it especially like if you're going into weddings and if you're listening to this, going into weddings, like you get to be the person in all the rooms. You get to be the like, only other person. When, maybe, like mom and like daughter are exchanging something before the wedding, or when the couple are exchanging private gifts with each other, or when people are getting dressed. You know it's like intimate.

0:15:18 - Christy Hunter

Yeah, it's a level of intimacy that you are allowed into that not everybody else is. They're going to kick that event planner out. They're going to the caterer, nobody else, no other vendor or supplier. It has that privilege that we have as a photographer and it's special and I think it should be valued and should be not taken lightly.

0:15:40 - Natalie Jennings

Now, I agree with that. I also just fully agree with, I think, when photographers come into the space of wanting to do photography, yes, you need to be able to be provision at the skill, you need to know what you're doing and, like, understand photography. But I think like maybe even more important would be just how you conduct yourself, how you are as a person, like your energy that you bring. I mean, it's almost more important than how good you are at photography, and I know that sounds weird, but like people will tell me like you did an amazing job and I'm like you haven't even seen the photos yet. Like what are?

0:16:16 - Christy Hunter

you talking about you know people will never forget how you made them feel.

0:16:21 - Natalie Jennings

Yeah, exactly Exactly that was. I used to be a high school English teacher and it was always that like they might forget what you teach them, but they'll never, ever forget how you treated them and made them feel so. I think that's if there's one takeaway, even just from this part of the conversation, I think if you're struggling in your business or you're not really sure why people aren't coming back, it might not be the photos, it might just be, you know, like maybe there isn't like a warmth or a connection happening, or you know, maybe that could. That's always something to look at like are you just being transactional in your approach to stuff or are you really trying to connect with people?

0:16:58 - Christy Hunter

Absolutely, because you can feel it and I've seen it when I've been a guest at other weddings or things like that. I've seen Photographers where there's this kind of barrier, you know, or there's a wall up and you can see that it is just a transaction. They're just getting the shot, checking off a list and when. If that's your style, great. But you're right. If you're not getting called back, that could be, and there are people that want that style. Maybe they don't want somebody. You know it's close in. But For that is how I have built my career. Period is on relationship, because I've had people hire me never having seen my photos before, just like you said. I've had people say you did a great job and you haven't seen the shots yet. You have no idea.

0:17:41 - Natalie Jennings

It happened a lot when I was doing weddings. I haven't done weddings for a few years, but we're like a bridesmaid or somebody would come up to me and be like we want you to do our wedding and I'm like you haven't even this, we're still at this wedding.

0:17:57 - Christy Hunter

But no, it's about that, how you carry yourself, and I always have gone into my shoots like just being hundred percent me and Knowing that the people that I want to work with will be attracted to that.

And Back to wedding stuff, because I think we're both like how you know our war stories of weddings. But I had a couple the groom was a fashion designer and a pretty well-known one here in Nashville and I got to do his wedding and His fiance she was. We were talking, you know, before and I was like, hey, you know that I'm probably gonna wear like sequence to your wedding. Like you know, I'm probably gonna wear something, you know, real shiny and sparkly as your photographer. And she goes Well, duh, christy, we wouldn't expect anything less of you Like well, of course, you know I've never been, and I had another photographer one time say to me when I showed up in like a fur coat to a wedding and she was like Like literally horrified as she was, just like I could not believe you're wearing that, like I would never want to steal the thunder from the bride and I was like, girl, my prize.

No, this is how I roll, and I'm gonna show up to their wedding, like looking the part of me, but also I Think a wedding is a fancy event and I think it's almost more disrespectful to show up in yoga pants and, you know, a t-shirt or whatever. That's just not my style, it's not how I view things and so it just goes back into, like the people, how you coming into your suits, being you and the people that you're supposed to work with will be drawn to you.

0:19:36 - Natalie Jennings

Yeah, I think that's huge One thing I wanted. It just caught my eyes that you have Donald Miller's book behind you on your desk and I was just re working through story brand because just it's a good book and Think of your website. And one of the things I think is use. I'm always trying to think of like what is useful for people listening. But like, one thing that you guys do super, super well is just clearly communicate what it is you're doing. You're just like this is what we do, period. It's not complicated, it's not unclear. But the time I get just past the fold, I'm like I know what's going on and that's, I think. One thing again If this podcast is sort of dedicated to helping folks, like I think that's another thing to consider you can Definitely we've covered the idea of just being a real human being, but are you communicating what you're doing to people? Are you communicating that like effectively?

0:20:29 - Christy Hunter

Yeah, and that's always been somewhat of the pain point too is that since it is something that is not, we're kind of paving the way of this concept that it does get confusing sometimes and I think people still, even in my elevator pitch, I keep trying to like refine it a little better.

To explain to a person you know, on an airplane or that I'm just walking up to, and explaining what it is we do, because I don't want to, I don't just say anymore, like I'm a photographer, because that brings a connotation to a person's mind of like, okay, she does X, y, z, whatever they think it is I shoot. And so to explain to them in one sentence what we do is actually a little bit tough, you know, because I don't want to make it sound like a mural tour, I don't want to make it sound too much like this is a high end photo shoot where you need to come and be all dressed up and it's somewhere in the middle of all that. So describing it. So that makes me happy to hear that you, that it is clear to you, because it's something we're always looking at, refining to make it as clear, and that goes into marketing too, into all of our messaging. The copy of what is this? Who is it, for how much?

0:21:41 - Natalie Jennings

does it cost you?

0:21:42 - Christy Hunter

know those very basic questions, with a quick and easy answer to something that not everybody thinks about, like it's still a little bit of an abstract thought that like oh, I can get a photo shoot and a tour in one. I've never done that before, I've never heard of that.

0:21:58 - Natalie Jennings

Yeah, it's so helpful if you have a new idea or if you're trying to go a very specific direction within the photography industry to like, yeah, talk to people on a plane, you know, like, try and tell people that don't know you what you're up to, or you know, and see how that goes for you, because a lot of times that can help you iterate and iterate, because it is it's a constant iteration until you really hit it. You're not going to hit it out of the park the first time, but being focused on that communication for people that want to hire you is, you know, like a confused customer never buys right.

0:22:33 - Christy Hunter

So right and just you introduce yourself. I mean, I don't know if do you introduce yourself as a photographer? I just felt like I did for so long and people would immediately. Just their first response was like, oh well, you should shoot like this, like you should. I know somebody who you know. Or do you do homes because I need my you know real estate photography. And I'm like, no, I don't do that, you know.

0:22:56 - Natalie Jennings

Yeah, I usually tell people that I do like lifestyle storytelling photography that's my main thing, like going to your house and letting the kids just run wild and like that's kind of my favorite thing. But I also do like I have a whole other arm of branding stuff that if I'm talking to the right person I'll tell them that you know. It's sort of like that discernment of like who am I talking to? But I try to be really clear about like it's that I'm not like a posy kind of like family photographer and make sure that's something that we talk about if they ask a question.

But yeah, I think early on, all photographers and I actually encourage people, if it's like your first year, try stuff. Like you might like food photography, you might love real estate photography, you might hate doing weddings, like it doesn't have to be what everyone else is doing. I mean, look at what you've developed. It's like you love that format and it's like it didn't exist before because you just were trying things and you're like maybe I should do this, you know, and it's so. It's like definitely try things but like stop if you don't like it. Right, absolutely no right at all.

0:24:01 - Christy Hunter

I feel like I really went through in the first five years and I picked up a camera about 10 years ago, so I'm taught, you know, did not? I feel like I tell people I went to the school of America's next top model for photography, like I watched every episode come full circle. Last week I got to meet Nigel Barker.

0:24:21 - Natalie Jennings

How did that happen?

0:24:22 - Christy Hunter

At New York Fashion Week. Oh great, nice, yeah, I was there and I kind of flowed between being a guest at shows and then being a photographer for some celebrities and bloggers and I got to meet him, so my celebrity photographer crush that I feel like I learned so much from, and that that goes back to relational too. I just seen Nigel the way he interacted with models, the relationship that that, the trust that he built, the way he communicated to them and would show them, like that's kind of where I picked up a lot of my habits from, and so picking up a camera 10 years ago and then realizing from the beginning that you know, I have four kids on my own and back then my littlest was still young.

And so I had a young kids at home and then I realized when I would go out and shoot and work with other families, I was like this isn't really fun for me, you know. I mean I love kids, but this is not where my heart is as far as like. Of course I loved, you know, getting their memories and everything, but it just wasn't given me as much joy as when I started asking designers if I could pull clothes and then I started meeting models and working with models in Nashville and then I realized like oh yeah, all those books that I read in the nineties and looked at of, like you know, different fashion designers and Vogue magazine and all that, that I could bring that to life right in front of me, that I could be the one to orchestrate and be the creative director and put all this together and make. That's where the magic started happening for me. And so discovering that and then that leading to other you know, bloggers, influencers, then that gradually led to the idea of photo walks.

So one thing kind of led to another, but it all was within the vein of doing what sparks something within me. You know, and I've tried it all, but that's what sparked the fire.

0:26:15 - Natalie Jennings

That's so important. I think that's a great place to kind of like start wrapping this up as, like I say this all the time on the show. But pay attention to how you feel. Like when you get an inquiry and you're like don't do anything else, like respond and put it aside. Like you know, if you are doing family sessions, like you said, but you're like you've got a busy house at home all the time, I don't have kiddos, so I like I have all the energy for that in my job, and then I come home and I'm like it's quiet here, you know, and it's just figuring out like what works for you. It's not going to be. You know, I have a lot of folks that have been listening to this show for many years now and like don't do exactly what I'm doing. I mean, you can try it, but like really pay attention to how you feel, because that's how you're going to get to where you want to go, you know.

0:27:02 - Christy Hunter

Yeah, absolutely.

0:27:04 - Natalie Jennings

I appreciate that you brought that up out of curiosity. Have you read that Donald Miller book? I'm just like looking at it at. Sid Meier how to grow your small business.

0:27:13 - Christy Hunter

Yeah, that's, you know how to grow your small business. Yeah, I'm in the middle of it and it's incredible. He's so good, oh man.

0:27:19 - Natalie Jennings

He's so good.

0:27:20 - Christy Hunter

Yeah, and with this model that I've kind of gone from a switch of photography business to more of a tour operator business. But there's a lot of similarities. There's a lot of, you know, like co-lines that we've throughout both of them. And so figuring out and I now have a business partner, so, you know, running a business that has multiple people now working within it, we've got a team of gosh I think 10 people total between here and Scottsdale. So I mean, I remember the days where it was just me you know, it was really just me with a camera and doing all these other things, and now I get an email sent to me saying here's your schedule, here's this. But it's because of that gradual growth and because of the structure that we've been able to integrate.

0:28:12 - Natalie Jennings

And.

0:28:12 - Christy Hunter

I got to give a lot of credit to that to my business partner. She's much more structural minded and organized. I'm definitely more the creative visionary of the company. But that's something else too that, as you scale and as you grow, being open to partnerships and collaboration and somebody that really aligns with you, because there's only so much you can do on your own without just burning out yeah, or you know hiring, and so it just depends on which way you want to go but being open to someone coming across your path that you really align with and seeing what can come of that, of joining forces instead of being threatened by them. You know she was doing a very similar tour experience and instead of feeling threatened, I was like, hey, let's work together. And here we are a year later there it is.

0:29:00 - Natalie Jennings

It's always, always the way to go. I mean, there's I again. I feel like I repeat myself a lot. I've been doing this over four years, but it's like there's enough pie for everyone. You know that scarcity mindset stuff does not like you, especially in the arts, like a creative job, like photography, like if you do what you do well, there are enough people out there that will like you and probably you hopefully will be too busy where you have to turn people down and be like I can't, I'm sorry, it's, I can't adjust my prices for you or I'm sorry I don't do that or whatever.

0:29:30 - Christy Hunter

I mean that's where you want to be, you know absolutely and maybe if it's not working that way, then you know, maybe you're in the wrong location. Like for, in Nashville there's more than enough. Like, if you want to do creative shoots, you can. Yeah, there's no reason for me to feel scarcity mindset of like oh, I need to feel upset when I see someone else get a gig. Why? Like there's too much for me to handle on my own and plus, I want to see other people succeed and we each have our own little zhuzh that we put on our shoots and we all have even just our cameras. Like everything about you is unique and so feeling like any kind of thread or imposter syndrome is it should just not even be a part of your mindset of being a photographer. I felt that in the very beginning and then I just was like, no, I'm every photographer I meet, I am friends with, like we are. There's no reason to feel like there's a competition because it's not. It's absolutely there's not one.

0:30:31 - Natalie Jennings

I don't really want to be friends with people that aren't nice, you know. I mean early on, I mean I started back in like oh, nine, 10. And like there was definitely like a mix of people that were really lovely and very inviting and then folks that were not, and I think I just learned to just forge my own path and connect with people that were like nice people.

And the same. Bringing it full circle, like just being a nice person when you're at the gig or when you're talking to other photographers or, you know, just being a real human being, I think goes a long way. Well, where can people find you on the internet?

0:31:06 - Christy Hunter

They can find us on photo walk, your travelcom or, and that'll take you to photo walk Nashville or photo walk Scottsdalecom. And then we're on Instagram photo walk Nashville and TikTok too. And then my personal brand Instagram is Christie the connector, so that's where I'll see my fashion, my travel, food, all that kind of good stuff. So a little more personal, but yeah, with photo walk we just love sharing what we do and all the, all the stories and all the people that we've just had so many amazing guests come through and, like I said, it's personal, it's intimate. We love our guests, we really do make a connection with all of them, and so our social media is just kind of an extension of that, to sharing the love.

0:31:49 - Natalie Jennings

Yeah, you can hear it in your voice that you really love it, and all that stuff will be in the show notes for folks as well. The last thing I like to ask folks everyone that comes on the show is just is there anything and you can take a minute with this, we can cut out the space if you have to think but is there anything that you kind of turn to as, especially as a business owner it's not an easy thing to do like a quote or like a mindset thing or like a post that you have on your computer or what. Is there anything that like has really helped you or maybe it's something new you just heard that you're like really into right now but just something that like kind of helps you on your path.

0:32:25 - Christy Hunter

I think it goes back to doing what you love.

0:32:28 - Natalie Jennings

Yeah.

0:32:28 - Christy Hunter

Like I said before, you know just what ignites you, what sparks the fire in you, because when you discover that then everything else you'll figure out, like the logistics. You know, I didn't know how to run a tour operator business and now here I'm about to speak at a tour operator conference because I love it, because I love this little thing that I created, and so everything else, don't let fear of the unknown of how to do it. All those the factors. If you surround yourself with the right people, if you take the initiative and the to learn to read books, you know when people are like how did you learn this? I'm like well, there's a whole library out there, like in the town A lot out there.

Yeah, there's a library, probably in your town. If you want to learn anything, you have to mention the internet and just free resources and podcasts like yours, where you know if you sit and listen to all of your podcasts you are going to be a better photographer, like you're going to learn about this industry. So you know, like being a part of different communities surrounding yourself. But if you just sit back and expect or take one course or something and that's going to turn everything or get you to where you want to go, then you know you got to take more steps than that.

So I think it's just when, like you said, that feeling, when you open something up, that's, you know, an offer or a gig, like no matter how much money it is, if it's, if it doesn't spark that joy, if it doesn't make you feel like excited to go and do that shoot, then it's probably not for you. And it's okay to say, hey, this isn't for me, because then you're opening it up for the right photographer, the right, you know, client and photographer relationship to happen. So, yeah, that's it. Yeah, don't be afraid, don't let you know fear of failure. Get in your way, because if it's in you and if that spark is there, then you're going to figure it out.

0:34:29 - Natalie Jennings

Yeah, that whole thing of turning a gig down, it's like what are you afraid to let go of for fear that something else won't come and take its place. But something will, you know. You just have to trust that that's going to happen. You don't want to keep repeating the same pattern of like gigs you don't like, you know.

0:34:46 - Christy Hunter

And it'll suck the life out of you. It really will, yeah.

0:34:49 - Natalie Jennings

Yeah, and we're like we're both nodding like mm-hmm, trust us.

0:34:54 - Christy Hunter

When you get paid for it too, you just feel like you know, did I even? Was that worth it? Was it worth it? Especially if you didn't price it correctly, then it's just like no, that wasn't worth the money. But then when you go and do something that you do love and you price it correctly and you're like I got paid to do that, like that I would have done that for free because it was so fun or these people were so great, but I actually got paid and that's the flow, that's the energy, that's the frequency I want to be on. All the time is wow, I just got paid to do that, that was fun, and now I can do the things I need to do with my life and my business, because money flows freely to people who are doing their passion.

0:35:37 - Natalie Jennings

I think so too. Yeah, that's a great place to wrap it up. Thank you, christy, so much for taking the time to do this. I think this is going to be an exciting one for folks, so thank you. We'll do it again sometime.

0:35:47 - Christy Hunter

Yeah, I'd love to. You're amazing, love the interaction with you and thanks for this opportunity.

0:35:52 - Natalie Jennings

Of course, of course.

Transcribed by https://podium.page