Living to Work, Not Working to Live: A Conversation with Summer Grace

We love conversations like this. Staci Brucks sat down with Jared and me and let us into the real story. Five years ago she was working in cardiac rehab. Today she’s a fast-rising wedding photographer with a gift for connection and a presence online that feels honest and fun. We talk about how she found her voice, why consistency beats perfection, the realities of destination work, packing smart, and how simple behind-the-scenes clips can build trust with the right clients.Staci’s approach is all heart and all hustle. If you’ve been stuck second-guessing your work or overthinking your marketing, this one will feel like a reset.Join PHOTOCO to hear the exclusive AFTERCAST with Staci where we dig into her workflow, social strategy, and the little systems that keep her business moving: www.mileswittboyer.com/photoFollow Staci:Instagram: @stacibrucksphotoWebsite: stacibrucksphoto.comFollow your hosts:Miles on Instagram: @mileswittboyerJared on Instagram: @jaredmarkfincherWatch the video episode and more:YouTube: The Photographic Collective

In this episode of The Photographic Collective Podcast, Miles and Jared sit down with LA-based photographer and educator Summer Grace. Known for her film and digital artistry, as well as her growing influence in education, Summer shares a raw, authentic look into her journey of balancing business, motherhood, and creative fulfillment.The conversation touches on her shift from shooting a heavy wedding load to focusing more on Summer School, her educational platform, while raising her daughter Georgia alongside her husband Jake. Summer opens up about the tension between business and art, why success is not defined by six-figure income metrics, and how she finds balance by prioritizing sustainability, creativity, and family.Listeners will hear candid insights on avoiding burnout, defining personal success, resisting trends, motherhood as a creative discipline, and embracing business as an art form.Success is Personal: Summer redefines success as living to work (loving what you do so it doesn’t feel like work), rather than working to live. For her, success blends creativity, financial sustainability, and family balance.Business as Art: She views business not as separate from creativity but as a complementary art form. Running a strong business allows her the freedom to be a better artist and parent.Resisting Trends: Summer emphasizes staying true to personal style and brand rather than conforming to industry fads.Education with Integrity: Instead of teaching “get rich quick” six-figure formulas, she focuses on holistic growth—helping photographers create art they’re proud of and a life they love.Motherhood & Discipline: Parenthood has made her more disciplined and efficient, valuing her time more deeply while still embracing imperfection.Creative Renewal: Some of her best work comes from self-initiated, unpaid projects. She encourages artists to carve out time for shoots that are purely creative.✅ Key TakeawaysSuccess is Personal: Summer redefines success as living to work (loving what you do so it doesn’t feel like work), rather than working to live. For her, success blends creativity, financial sustainability, and family balance.Business as Art: She views business not as separate from creativity but as a complementary art form. Running a strong business allows her the freedom to be a better artist and parent.Resisting Trends: Summer emphasizes staying true to personal style and brand rather than conforming to industry fads.Education with Integrity: Instead of teaching “get rich quick” six-figure formulas, she focuses on holistic growth—helping photographers create art they’re proud of and a life they love.Motherhood & Discipline: Parenthood has made her more disciplined and efficient, valuing her time more deeply while still embracing imperfection.Creative Renewal: Some of her best work comes from self-initiated, unpaid projects. She encourages artists to carve out time for shoots that are purely creative.Stay connected with the hosts and exclusive content:Listen & SubscribeDive deeper into creative entrepreneurship and photography by listening to The Photographic Collective Podcast Instagram+6Apple Podcasts+6YouTube+6.Unlock the AftercastAccess exclusive Behind-the-Scenes content, extended lessons, and bonus material—like the conversation with Summer Grace—by enrolling in PhotoCO, the members-only platform: [ mileswittboyer.com/photo ]Apple Podcasts+10Miles Witt Boyer Photographic Collective+10Miles Witt Boyer Photographic Collective+10.Follow the CreatorsMiles Witt Boyer (Host & Educator): [@mileswittboyer]YouTube+1Instagram+8Instagram+8Apple Podcasts+8Jared Mark Fincher (Co-host & Creative Director): [@jaredmarkfincher]Miles Witt Boyer Photographic Collective+4Instagram+4YouTube+4

Join Miles Witt Boyer and Jared Mark Fincher on the Photographic Collective Podcast for a deep dive with acclaimed photographer and educator Tom Wright. In this conversation, Tom unpacks how to design a streamlined photography workflow that protects your creativity, enhances your client experience, and fuels long-term business growth. Whether you’re shooting weddings, portraits, or commercial projects, you’ll walk away with practical strategies to refine your process, market your brand, and deliver images that resonate long after delivery day.Follow & Connect:📸 Tom Wright — Instagram📸 Miles Witt Boyer — Instagram📸 Jared Mark Fincher — InstagramDON'T MISS THE EXCLUSIVE CONTENT - IN THE AFTERCAST. Tom, gives step by step information on how to build the perfect backup workflow, what systems need to be built to create redundancy for peace of mind, and how to protect our creativity with structure.Join The Photographic Collective:The Photographic Collective is a growing community for photographers who want to level up their craft, grow their business, and connect with like-minded creatives. As a member, you’ll gain access to quarterly courses, exclusive podcast extras, monthly live call-ins, and our signature business training protocols. Whether you’re just starting your journey or scaling a thriving studio, The Collective gives you the tools, knowledge, and support to create a business that serves your life — not the other way around.🎯 Sign up now at mileswittboyer.com/photo and become part of a network committed to inspiring, educating, and empowering photographers around the world.

In this raw and powerful episode, we sit down with Nikon Ambassador and viral photography sensation Lauren Ashley, whose story goes far beyond the lens. With over 600,000 followers on Instagram and 850,000 on TikTok, Lauren has built more than just a brand—she’s built a movement grounded in vulnerability, resilience, and radical authenticity.What unfolds in this conversation is not your average industry talk. Lauren opens up about surviving unimaginable personal loss, raising a son with level-three autism, leaving a toxic relationship, and rebuilding her photography business from the ground up. Her story is one of deep emotional truth—and it's reshaped how she sees life, art, and the true value of a photograph.This episode isn’t just for fans of beautiful imagery—it’s for anyone who’s ever doubted their worth, faced heartbreak, or questioned if they could still succeed after hitting rock bottom. Lauren’s journey will challenge you to stop hiding behind your portfolio and start leading with who you are.🎧 Photographers, prepare to feel empowered, inspired, and deeply moved.SEE LAURENS WORK HERE💡 PLUS: Don’t miss the exclusive “After the Pod” bonus episode inside The Photographic Collective platform, where Lauren shares a 10-minute masterclass on going viral, building a loyal audience, and monetizing your story. It’s pure gold. CLICK THIS LINK TO HOLD YOUR SPOT IN LINE : https://mileswittboyer.myflodesk.com/photocowaitlistSubscribe now and hear why vulnerability is the most powerful tool a creative can wield.Download our FREE GUIDE on how to photograph DYNAMIC SPACES

FREE GUIDE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS https://mileswittboyer.myflodesk.com/captureBut don't call it a come back. Miles Witt Boyer and Jared Mark Fincher are back for a brand new season of the Photographic Collective Podcast with an all new vision and some exciting news. This episode breaks down the absolutely Chat GPT written vision statement for the new pod, sets some big goals for new and returning guests and explains what is so exciting about the Photographic Collective Platform launching August 15th.Exclusive content available via PHOTOCO after launch but you can get on the waitlist RIGHT NOW using the link https://www.mileswittboyer.com/photo Affiliate discounts, huge giveaways, community collaborations, monthly live calls, trainings, behind the scenes, and early access to retreats and industry hang outs all available inside the PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTIVE.In this episode Miles + Jared chat through favorite guests from the past like Fer Juaristi, Jonas Peterson, and Jai Long and paint a clear picture towards the goals of a new season of episodes. If you're not familiar with the podcast yet : The Photographic Collective Podcast with Miles Witt Boyer and Jared Mark Fincher is a bi-weekly conversation with creatives who are chasing depth over hype. No ego. Very Little gear talk. Just real stories from people who’ve built something meaningful — and the mess, growth, and grit it took to get there.This show is a seat at the table. Sometimes it’s business, sometimes it’s art, sometimes it’s about navigating what it means to be human — all through the lens of a camera and a calling. If you're looking for honest conversations that feed your soul and push you forward, welcome home.Join us wherever you listen to your podcasts or simply by clicking this link https://open.spotify.com/show/7iYqQmx...OR Hangout with us on VIDEO on YOUTUBE at https://youtu.be/s8SbYnnIxvE?si=ehUw9K0yZyb0P4hFThis episode is brought to all platforms via the power of AI and the strongest most advanced Photo Ai platform on the Market! ICONIC is our all new profile available exclusively on the Imagen Ai platform. Click here to try ICONIC for FREE and watch your images come to life with the power of over 25,000 of our own edits powering every click. Imagen : https://imagen-ai.com/homepage-lp/?re...AUGUST 15 : https://www.mileswittboyer.com/photo SIGN UP NOW.

FREE GUIDE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS https://mileswittboyer.myflodesk.com/captureThe photo educator that the world kind of needs. Especially for the ladies, this episode dives DEEP behind Alora Rachelle. From Burned Out to CEO Alora is a successful photographer turned mindset coach that focuses on inspiring female photographers to level up their businesses. She's a mom, a brilliant voice, a talented artist, and a really entertaining podcast host over at the Wedding Atelier Podcast which I (Miles) was just a guest on, ALSO releasing TODAY. CHECK HER PODCAST OUT AT https://podcasts.apple.com/ky/podcast/how-to-be-authentically-artistic-with-miles-whitboyer/id1494012135?i=1000706473782If you need a marketing coach, CEO coach, or just super rad new friend connect with Alora athttps://www.alorarachelle.com/

Guess who's back. Back again. MiRad's back - tell a friend. (Evidently I'm in a weird mood) but we're sitting in our brand new studio just having some fun talking through an absolutely wild summer with cameras in our hands and even some fun moments away with our families. This episode is just fun. A refreshing late summer recap on a wild year and a look into a few things we're looking forward to in the new year. We're testing out lighting and video for our podcast to be over on YOUTUBE as well which we're excited about, as well as dreaming up new guests and topics to cover as we look at ways to keep the PHOTOCO community active and engaged while we continue to evolve our businesses. A few key notes : We're about to launch a few exclusive training opportunities alongside our friends at Shoot The Veil that we're really excited for. This new app based learning platform will be filled with trainings and inspiration from incredible photographers from all over the world so make sure you check them out as we're only about a week away from that launch! https://www.shoottheveil.com/ We're also continuing to partner with our friends from Narrative on Narrative Select + Edit, a new Ai based editing process that allows photographers to edit their RAW files using Ai training color science by US. If you've ever wondered what it would look like for us to edit your photos click over to Narrative and check that out! https://narrative.so/select If you're more of an independent editor and love to be able to play more of a chef in your own kitchen make sure you check out the ABIDE preset pack from G-Presets. We spent 7 months working hand in hand with Greg Peterson on this preset pack and have heard from photographers all over the world about how regardless of their camera model or sensor these presets lay an incredible foundation for their editing and help them save time getting their work ready to be delivered. https://www.gpresets.com/product/abidepresets/ Finally - we're excited to be a keynote speaker for the EVOLVE Retreat happening in Florida this winter! Evolve is a remarkably intentional company that brings together top educators and photographers from around the world and builds not only conversation but community together in the process. We'll be discussing client experience and hosting an exclusive live shoot at the event and would love to have some listeners in the audience! https://evolveworkshops.org/2025-retreat-30a⁠

Jay Cassario is the photographer every known photographer knows. He's been around for long enough to see the industry eb and flow and has this remakably simple outlook on life. A Leica Ambassador with a decade of weddings under his belt Jay didn't come into the wedding industry until long into his adult life. A career that left him feeling unfulfilled gave way to an opportunity to get back to doing what his mom did when he was a kid. Wedding photography was literally in his blood however this simple desire to live authentically, raise his son on the farm he grew up on in southern New Jersey, and photograph weddings from a place of intentionality is all his. Jay has this magnetic composure to him. A larger than life guy with a million stories who has maintained a posture of humility and kindness despite incredible success. We're excited to share with the world the Jay so many photographers know and call friend. The normal dude with a big laugh behind some absolutely remarkable images. https://www.jaycassario.com/ Check here for Jay's website or find him on instagram https://www.instagram.com/jaycassario/ This episode mentions our new partnership with Narrative Edit - the one place where you can cull, ship, and curate Ai edited images right through Adobe Lightroom with our very own color science applied. https://narrative.so/edit for more information and make sure you try the Iconic Color Style by Miles Witt Boyer. For more information on the Photographic Collective find us any time @mileswittboyer and @jaredmarkfincher on instagram.

It's 2024. The landscape of instagram and tik-tok (RIP?) and X (twitter?) and Facebook (is that still a thing?) is exhausting. It's a daily shift of what is trending and how to utilize the right audio, the right format, the right hashtags at the right times so that people even (gasp) see the work. If you're exhausted with even trying to wander through the darkness of social media you're not in the minority. The fact of the matter is the days of posting a photo, a super deep quote, and sitting back and watching clients roll in are over and catchy reels seem to be here to stay for awhile. Before you spend hours designing reels in Adobe or downloading some horrible tacky app that Instagram lowkey penalizes you for using anyway we're bringing in the expert in Instagram Reels to walk us through the future. Angela isn't JUST the founder and CEO of Social Templates, she's also a really talented photographer with a long history of taking beautiful images and getting those images into the hands of the right couples. This chat is all about the practicality of the future and how important being intentional with social media can be. This in depth conversation is all about the growth of this idea. How Angela went from being an educator at WPPI to being a brand on the tradeshow floor and how you as a photographer can benefit from utilizing better instagram strategies in 2024 to reach the clients you're searching for. For more info about Angela and Social Templates follow them on Instagram @socialtemplates.co and when you drop them a DM make sure you tell them we sent you!

Hey there! Welcome to another episode of The Photographic Collective Podcast. Today, I'm thrilled to take you on a whirlwind adventure through the lenses of destination wedding photographers – that's us! Come along as we spill the beans on all things travel tips and cherished memories from wild globetrotting escapades. Picture this: exotic locales, stunning backdrops, and a million pounds of camera equipment. Yep, that's the world of destination weddings, and I've got the inside scoop to share. From packing hacks to navigating cultural quirks, I've learned a thing or two about making the most out of shooting in far-flung places. And trust me, it's not always as glamorous as it seems – but oh, the stories I could tell! Join me as I reminisce about some of my favorite moments behind the lens, and some of the best things to consider when flying with cameras in the overhead storage. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just dreaming of chasing sunsets with your camera in tow, this episode is for you. Let's dive into the art of destination wedding photography and uncover the secrets to creating images that truly stand the test of time. Get ready for a laid-back chat filled with wanderlust and wedding bells. It's time to celebrate the joy of travel, photography, and love – one frame at a time. Let's dive in! The PhotoCo podcast is a production of the Photographic Collective llc based in Bentonville, Arkansas hosted by Miles Witt Boyer and Jared Mark Fincher