Beyond the Image Podcast

Bookings for photographers, videographers, and other creative professionals are dropping—and it’s not just you feeling the pinch. From shrinking marketing budgets to rising inflation, tighter interes…

Photography is supposed to be a passion — but too often, it turns into exhaustion, resentment, and the dreaded creative rut. 

In this episode of Beyond the Image, James Patrick unpacks why so many …

Sometimes the most powerful portraits come from the simplest setups. In this episode, I’m breaking down one of my favorite one-light techniques—a beauty dish in a butterfly formation—that blends the …

What happens when you stand your ground as a creative… and it costs you the job?

In this episode, I share the wild story of a fashion campaign that went completely sideways — complete with last-minut…

You saw a magazine cover. Gorgeous. Flawless. Totally fake.

A magazine recently published what looked like a professional photo — until AI detection software flagged it as entirely AI-generated. No c…

Too many photographers fall into the trap of thinking better images come from buying more gear. A new modifier, another light, the latest lens. But the truth? Mastery doesn’t come from what you have—…

The best and the worst portfolio reviews I've ever had in my career were actually both with the same exact client - just three years apart from one another.

In this episode of Beyond the Image, I unp…

I just had my work stolen by another photographer who tried to pass it off and claim it was their own work.

It all started when I received a DM from one of his past clients letting me know that this …

In this episode of Beyond the Image, I dive headfirst into the AI-manipulated Bezos wedding photos — not just as a viral moment, but as a symbol of something much deeper: the collapse of trust in vis…

Once considered the pinnacle of photographic achievement, shooting for magazines has drastically changed. In this episode of Beyond the Image, I’m pulling back the curtain on what the editorial lands…

On the surface, shooting celebrities or high-profile athletes seems like a golden ticket to a stronger portfolio. But here’s the truth: it’s not the name—it’s the image. In this episode, I break down…

After photographing over 800 magazine covers and producing countless brand campaigns, James Patrick knows the one thing that separates pros from pretenders: being prepared. In this episode of Beyond …

Here are proejcts I was convinced would make (or break) my career as a photographer.

The truth is - they didn't do either.

This is about the culmination of our efforts.

https://jamespatrick.com/

I recently experienced one of the worst, if not THE WORST, attempts at marketing and busienss develiopment from a photogarpher I think I have ever seen. But what I did about it may shock you even mor…

Last week we hosted our annual photo marketing roundtable here at The Hive Studios in Phoenix, Arizona.

At this event, a handful of creative professionals (photographers and videographers) sat around…

Peerspace is a brokerage site used for short-term rentals for photo shoots, video productions, events, podcasts, meetings and the like.

Historically, Peerspace made their revenue by taking a percenta…

There is one mistake that I've seen photographers, videographers and creatives make over the course of my 20+ year career. This mistake is often what separate photographers who build sustainable and …

Let's face it - if you expand the timeline long enough - you're going to find there is quite a fair amount of toxicity within the photography community.

From jealousy to envy to downright aggressive …

I want to be clear, right off the top, that I have personally made every single one of these mistakes myself in my 20+ year career.

The goal is not to shame photograpehrs for making the mistakes that…

You were asked by a client to bid on a project and either intentionally or unintentionally they did not give you all of the information you need to accurate prepare an estimate that fully reflects yo…