Our Creative Commune

Our Creative Commune
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Professional wedding photographers/videographers and bffs, Pete & Laura Lawson and Liam & Bee Crawley invite you to join them for a morning coffee. They'll be chatting all things work and life. Liam and Bee have recently moved and we all now live in the same little village; not quite the commune we always used to talk about but we do get to hang out every day. This podcast is an offshoot of our daily conversations, sometimes creatively inspiring, sometimes just having a good moan, but always fun. liamandbee.com lawsonfilms.co.uk lawsonphotography.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 21 hrs ago

    Finally putting our prices up!

    Drone audits, drizzle disasters, and the eternal question of whether putting your prices up is ever a good idea. This week Pete, Laura, Liam and Bee dive into Pete's upcoming CAA drone audit and the surprisingly strict "flying currency" rules that come with it, before getting into a deep discussion on shooting weddings in bad weather, including the bride who left a bad review because it was too sunny, and the violinist who nearly walked out over a bit of drizzle. The conversation moves into the business side of things, with Bee and Liam unpacking a recent price increase that coincided with enquiries dropping off a cliff, and whether that's down to pricing, a fiddled Google Ads budget, or just a quiet patch. There's also a chat about website portfolios, ad spend, and Pete and Laura's attempt to make their photography site sound less negative without losing what makes it them. On the gear side, Liam debates renting an expensive lens for a castle wedding in Spain, Pete and Laura talk through their new 85mm lens and a Lightroom preset fix using Claude AI, and the group ends up arguing about which AI chatbot has the best personality. Plus reunion highs, root canal lows, and a real-time cat-versus-bird incident that derails the recording entirely. As always, it's highs, lows, and everything in between for wedding photographers and videographers trying to navigate the job, the business, and each other. Timestamps: 00:00 Cold open: memory card chaos and a lost SD card 02:01 Pete's CAA drone audit and the flying currency requirement 05:51 Eyeing up a new drone after seeing one at a wedding 06:46 Liam's Scotland wedding at Dunglass Estate 07:55 The sock-on-the-smoke-alarm pub incident 09:49 Pete's rainy Watermouth Cove wedding in Devon 11:06 Handling bad weather and difficult outdoor ceremonies 12:42 The violinist who nearly walked out 13:54 The one-star review from a bride who wanted rain 16:00 Pete's wedding at Goodnestone Park, Kent 19:42 Working alongside an editorial photographer's 20+ group shots 22:14 Price increase versus a sudden drop in enquiries 25:34 Debating Google AdWords and Meta ad spend 29:22 How many photos should be in a portfolio 32:01 Upcoming trips: Pete to Tuscany, Liam's multi-country wedding run 35:28 Liam considering renting an expensive lens for Spain 38:55 New 85mm lens and adapting old Lightroom presets with Claude AI 42:00 Favourite AI chatbots and their personalities 43:11 Bee's 25-year school reunion 44:08 Root canal woes and charging for consultation Zooms 45:08 Hugo the cat brings in a bird mid-recording 45:59 Highs and lows: mountain bikes, finished films, and 2:30am starts 53:05 Wrap up Say hi on Instagram @ourcreativecommune Get a free 14 day trial of Musicbed: https://www.musicbed.com/invite/935Cy The British Wedding Film Festival https://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.com/ Lawson Film School: https://www.lawsonfilms.co.uk/lawson-film-school liamandbee.com lawsonfilms.co.uk lawsonphotography.co.uk #weddingphotography #weddingvideography #filmphotography #creativepodcast #weddingindustry #ourcreativecommune Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    53 min

  2. 8 June

    Do Your Couples Actually Feel Cared For?

    What does it actually mean to care about your couples? Not in a vague, wholesome sense - but practically, between the booking email and the wedding day? This week the four of us are back together after a busy stretch of weddings (and one very long drive to Skye), and this question pops up in most of what we're talking about today. Liam kicks things off with tales from the road - a 22-hour round trip to the Isle of Skye for a four-hour elopement, accommodation that shared a building with a funeral director, and a mid-ceremony nature emergency that he handled with more resourcefulness than dignity. There's also the heartwarming news that Bee's daughter Betty shot her very first wedding and, by all accounts, absolutely smashed it. Pete and Laura relive their Paris trip - a 1920s indoor fairground, a ringmaster officiant, Britney-soundtracked backup dancers, and the "Inception bridge" - before the whole group spirals into debating whether they should all move to Scotland (Pete: no; midges: also no). From there, things get deep: a recent opinion arguing that photographers and videographers should position themselves as "creative leads" on wedding days. The group picks that apart honestly - where the idea has merit, why it mostly doesn't work (for us), and what actually happens when the makeup artist is still doing BTS portraits while you're trying to shoot.  Pete raises something that's been coming up in consults lately: couples are booking "editorial" photographers thinking the word signals a natural, unposed approach - because "documentary" now sounds old-fashioned to them - when editorial often means the opposite. The terminology has become almost meaningless. It's the same problem that existed when everyone called themselves documentary photographers but still whisked couples away for two hours of portraits. And then: a TikTok from a wedding-industry bride saying no vendor made her feel cared about. Do we? Should we be doing more between booking and the big day - automated check-ins, WhatsApp groups, gifts? Or does showing up fully and delivering exceptional work speak louder than any amount of pre-wedding communication? Honest, warm, and occasionally extremely disgusting - this is a good one. Timestamps 00:00 Intro & welcome back Liam 03:45 How long can you leave an inquiry unanswered?  04:10 Isle of Skye elopement - the drive, the cost, the hostel  07:00 The wilderness incident (you'll know when you get there)  09:25 Betty's first wedding shoot 12:30 Paris Musee des Arts Forains wedding - fairground, ringmaster, Britney 17:50 Filming vs. photography - why variety makes both better  18:35 Should we all move to Scotland?  20:00 Stefan sells up and goes full Viking  21:30 Should photographers be "creative leads" on wedding days?  27:00 The rise of content creators at weddings & its knock-on effects  30:00 Editorial vs. documentary - the language is broken 33:30 The wonky camera trend & the Adlington Flip  37:00 Do our couples feel cared for?  38:50 Automated check-ins, WhatsApp groups  42:00 The photographer who delivers nothing for months 44:00 Highs & lows of the past few weeks  46:30 A funeral & finding joy in hard days  48:00 What's coming up - Devon, Scotland, and Liam's eight-day gauntlet Say hi on Instagram @ourcreativecommune Get a free 14 day trial of Musicbed: https://www.musicbed.com/invite/935Cy The British Wedding Film Festival https://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.com/ Lawson Film School: https://www.lawsonfilms.co.uk/lawson-film-school liamandbee.com lawsonfilms.co.uk lawsonphotography.co.uk #weddingphotography #weddingvideography #filmphotography #creativepodcast #weddingindustry #ourcreativecommune Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    50 min

  3. 25 May

    Less Website, More Bookings

    There's a photographer out there who has received 430 enquiries since January. We don't fully know how she's doing it - and that's kind of the point. Is this level of success replicable, or largely accidental? This week Pete, Laura, and Bee dig into what's really going on in the wedding photography and videography market right now: why some people seem to break through while everyone else is fighting for scraps, whether your website might actually be working against you, and the uncomfortable truth about pricing: most of us haven't raised our rates in nearly a decade, even as everything around us has got more expensive. We also get into a debate that's been doing the rounds on photographer socials: where does your responsibility end for how your couples look in photos? Should you be straightening ties, smoothing dresses, and fixing every wrinkle - or is that just not the job? With AI making clients think any edit is a simple fix, is that expectation about to get a whole lot worse? Plus: Bee's extraordinary doctor's appointment, Pete and Laura reflect on what it feels like to shoot a wedding together again, Bee & Liam's daughter Betty is about to second shoot her first wedding, and Liam is, once again, somewhere on a motorway. Honest, unfiltered chat for wedding photographers who are trying to figure it all out alongside everyone else. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro: post-yoga chaos and sweaty coats 03:00 - Saturday's wedding at Middleton Lodge - why it felt like the good old days 06:40 - The joy of switching between photo and video 09:00 - Upcoming schedule: Paris, half term weddings, and Scotland 09:59 - Liam's Isle of Skye elopement: 11.5 hours of driving, and the great mattress debate 11:19 - Betty's first wedding as second shooter 13:12 - Industry chat: the photographer getting 430 enquiries since January 17:00 - What's actually driving all those enquiries? Referrals, likability, and being flavour of the month 18:45 - Pricing: why haven't we all raised our rates since 2015? 22:14 - Should we be listing future year prices on our websites? 26:24 - More photographers, fewer weddings, less money - the market in 2025 31:26 - What Jade's four-page website tells us about friction and attention spans 33:57 - Who's responsible for how couples look in photos? 38:50 - AI retouching expectations: the bow on the dress that broke three pieces of software 43:50 - Highs and lows: no edits, Rivals, Betty's big debut, and a very confusing GP Martin Chueng’s podcast with Jade Greenbrooke: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/430-enquiries-since-january-how-jade-built-a/id1685148348?i=1000767529953  Jade Greenbrooke’s instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jade.greenbrooke/  Say hi on Instagram @ourcreativecommune Get a free 14 day trial of Musicbed: https://www.musicbed.com/invite/935Cy The British Wedding Film Festival https://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.com/ Lawson Film School: https://www.lawsonfilms.co.uk/lawson-film-school liamandbee.com lawsonfilms.co.uk lawsonphotography.co.uk #weddingphotography #weddingvideography #filmphotography #creativepodcast #weddingindustry #ourcreativecommune Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    49 min

  4. 11 May

    Please, stop making it so hard to book you

    Half the episode was recorded before anyone noticed the mic wasn't on. That's the vibe this week. Pete, Laura, and Bee (Liam is off conquering Scotland and London simultaneously) are talking about the real pressures hitting the wedding industry right now - and what, if anything, we can do about it. Bookings are shifting. Budgets are tighter. Midweek and shorter-coverage weddings are on the rise. And one person out there reckons full-time wedding photography might not even be viable anymore. Then there's the ghosting. Bee's Instagram post on the subject got 30,000 views and 122 comments, almost entirely from suppliers saying same. So why is it happening - and is it actually couples being rude, or are we just making the booking process too hard? The Coda Podcast gets a mention, contact forms get a roasting, and Zoom calls are on trial. They also untangle the word "editorial" - which apparently now means "natural and relaxed" to couples, despite meaning the opposite to everyone who actually shoots it. And when a content creator couple rocked up in a Lake Como wedding group claiming to be the only people capturing candid, in-between moments, the documentary photographers and videographers in the room had some thoughts. Plus: Bee's Super 8 film comes back from the lab. Pete's British Gas bill arrives and it is not good news. Table tennis glory. And the completely startling realisation that this podcast is nearly four years old. Oh, and then we end with Pete being packed off to live on a narrowboat survivng on only Huel, and no cushions. Timestamps 00:00 - Didn't record the first half, Pilates is evil, and Liam is everywhere at once  01:50 - Work lethargy: the post-holiday slump is real  04:07 - The Mandela Effect: both Pete and Bee have vivid memories of uploading galleries that never happened  08:05 - The state of the wedding industry: midweek bookings, shorter coverage, tighter budgets  13:25 - Is full-time wedding photography still viable?  14:06 - Bee's viral ghosting post: 30,000 views and 122 comments  20:50 - Is the booking process the problem? Zooms, forms, and friction  22:15 - The Coda Podcast: what videographers discovered when they became the clients  28:05 - Rethinking how we communicate with enquiring couples  30:03 - "Editorial": what couples think it means vs what it actually means  33:28 - The content creator controversy: who's capturing the in-between moments?  38:35 - Highs and lows: Bee's Super 8 film and Lawson Film School  43:05 - Pete's £1,400 British Gas nightmare  47:25 - Laura's TV high and general tiredness low  49:04 - The podcast is nearly four years old Say hi on Instagram @ourcreativecommune Get a free 14 day trial of Musicbed: https://www.musicbed.com/invite/935Cy The British Wedding Film Festival https://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.com/ Lawson Film School: https://www.lawsonfilms.co.uk/lawson-film-school liamandbee.com lawsonfilms.co.uk lawsonphotography.co.uk #weddingphotography #weddingvideography #filmphotography #creativepodcast #weddingindustry #ourcreativecommune Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    54 min

  5. 27 Apr

    Should We Stop Doing Client Zooms?

    The busy season has officially arrived, and we are already feeling the heat (literally and figuratively). This week on Our Creative Commune, Pete, Laura, Liam, and Bee sit down in the sun to catch up on a wild few weeks of local weddings, destination showcases, and the ever-changing landscape of booking clients. Are we all suffering from Zoom fatigue? We debate whether it’s time to stop video consultations altogether and build a brand enigma instead. We also share some wild on-the-job stories, including a dream local shoot at Rivington Barn, the chaos of tracking fire-breathers in Spain, and Liam’s incredibly awkward encounter with a "secret" second photographer hired by the mother of the bride. Plus, we dive into some massive business milestones - including the joy of finally paying off that dreaded COVID bounce-back loan! Grab a coffee (or a matcha) and join us as we chat through our highs, our lows, Pete's foray into the EV world, the heartbreak of airport security ruining analog film, and a surprisingly mind-blowing fact about apples. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and review on your favourite podcast app - it really helps us grow the commune! Chapter Timestamps00:00 - Catching rays and the start of the busy season 03:20 - Zoom fatigue and changing client booking psychology 05:13 - A dream local photo & video shoot at Rivington Barn 11:10 - Bosh! Smashing out a one-week video edit turnaround 13:26 - Wedding horror story: Dealing with a secret second photographer 17:18 - A rapid road trip to France and scanning questionable family negatives 19:30 - Destination wedding showcase at Castell d'Empordà in Spain 23:22 - Photographing fire-breathers and a rogue drone incident 26:24 - Business strategy: Should we stop doing client Zooms entirely? 30:43 - Are jet fuel prices and logistics threatening destination weddings? 32:57 - Pete's new car: Buying an EV for wedding travel 37:22 - Pete's Highs: Disputing energy bills and paying off the bounce-back loan! 41:24 - Liam & Bee's High: Quality time in Spain and overcoming separation anxiety 44:43 - Liam's Low: Heartbreak as a driving instructor 46:55 - Bee's Low: Left-behind outfits and airport security ruining film 51:12 - Laura's High & Low: London museum trips and canceled Pilates classes 56:18 - Mind-blowing apple facts and wrapping up Say hi on Instagram @ourcreativecommune Get a free 14 day trial of Musicbed: https://www.musicbed.com/invite/935Cy The British Wedding Film Festival https://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.com/ Lawson Film School: https://www.lawsonfilms.co.uk/lawson-film-school liamandbee.com lawsonfilms.co.uk lawsonphotography.co.uk #weddingphotography #weddingvideography #filmphotography #creativepodcast #weddingindustry #ourcreativecommune Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    58 min

  6. 13 Apr

    Why "Human-Made" is the New Luxury

    This week on Our Creative Commune, Liam is missing in action, but for a good reason: he is currently surviving a chaotic schedule of destination weddings, 16-hour days, and driving lessons. Pete, Laura, and Bee sit down with a coffee to discuss the very real dangers of the "hustle mindset" and why saying yes to every inquiry might actually be hurting your business. We also chat about the rising trend of analog wedding filmmaking - from Super 8 to 90s camcorders - and why "human-made" art is becoming the ultimate luxury in a world increasingly flooded with lazy, AI-generated content. Plus, we recap our recent destination wedding in Spain, talk through the painful realities of buying expensive new camera gear (hello, Canon R5 Mark II), and ask a question every creative eventually faces: at what age do we actually retire? Where is the line between a successful wedding season and total burnout? Finally, we wrap up with our weekly Highs and Lows, featuring wild podcast listener encounters, the isolation of solo parenting during wedding season, and why sleeping alone in a hotel room is the ultimate parent fantasy. Oh, and If you see us in the wild, come say hello! Getting recognised on the street made Bee's day! Timestamps 00:00 - Intro: Where is Liam? (The reality of creative burnout and extreme schedules) 04:30 - The danger of saying "yes" to everything and managing the VAT threshold 06:00 - Pivot to corporate: Why we still prefer the emotional connection of weddings 10:30 - Laura’s trip to the Wedding Videographer Podcast Summit in Glasgow 11:45 - The Super 8 revival and passing a 90s camcorder to a bridesmaid in Spain 16:45 - AI vs. Authenticity: Why "human-made" is the new luxury in the wedding industry 21:30 - Recapping our beautiful destination wedding in Spain 24:30 - Gear Talk: Pete’s broken drop-in filters and buying cheap grey market replacements 26:10 - Do we need the Canon R5 Mark II? (And the struggles of financing gear) 28:40 - Will we be shooting weddings at 68? Discussing the myth of creative retirement 34:25 - Divide and conquer: How Pete and Laura tackle a wedding day together 35:50 - Highs & Lows: Bee gets recognised by a podcast listener in the wild! 37:20 - Bee's new fine-line tattoos and her pottery wheel dilemmas 39:50 - The hidden loneliness and decision fatigue of solo parenting during wedding season 44:00 - Pete’s Highs & Lows: Booking weddings and the absolute nightmare of car shopping 49:30 - Laura’s Highs & Lows: The bliss of a solo hotel bed vs. the struggle of being away from home Say hi on Instagram @ourcreativecommune Get a free 14 day trial of Musicbed: https://www.musicbed.com/invite/935Cy The British Wedding Film Festival https://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.com/ Lawson Film School: https://www.lawsonfilms.co.uk/lawson-film-school liamandbee.com lawsonfilms.co.uk lawsonphotography.co.uk #weddingphotography #weddingvideography #filmphotography #creativepodcast #weddingindustry #ourcreativecommune Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    53 min

  7. 23 Mar

    Ghosted after a perfect Zoom call

    Grab a cup of tea and join Pete, Laura, Liam, and Bee for another catch-up inside the Creative Commune. This week, we're diving deep into the frustrating reality of the modern wedding industry. Ever had a consultation where you absolutely nailed it, gave the couple amazing advice, shared a few laughs, and then... absolute silence? We’re breaking down the psychology of "ghosting," debating whether giving too much free advice on a Zoom call is actually hurting your booking rate, and discussing the exact timeline of when you should be sending your follow-up emails. We also take a hard, uncomfortable look at inflation. If you haven't significantly raised your prices in the last five years, you might actually be taking a massive pay cut without realizing it. We crunch the numbers on what a £2,000 wedding from 2010 should cost today. Plus, we talk about the pains of getting shooed away by wardens while shooting in London, why Pete absolutely refuses to set up those cliché "groom by the window" prep photos, and Bee shares the surprising results of letting ChatGPT dictate our Instagram strategy for a month. Finally, we share our weekly highs and lows—including the tragic loss of a local village legend and the anxiety of developing a six-year-old roll of film. Timestamps00:00 - Intro, morning coffee, and Pete’s table tennis heartbreak 01:17 - The secret joy of cancelled Reformer Pilates classes 05:40 - Upcoming destination weddings: Scotland, Spain, Italy, and Vietnam 09:33 - Getting kicked off private land in London and National Trust rules 13:30 - We let ChatGPT run our Instagram (and it's actually working) 17:33 - Marketing vs. Art: Should you post what works or what excites you? 18:50 - The ghosting epidemic: Why do couples vanish after a great Zoom call? 22:50 - Zoom strategies: Pitching and advising vs. just chilling out 26:15 - How and when should you send the follow-up email? 32:00 - The inflation calculator: Are you secretly taking a pay cut every year? 36:40 - How the photography industry hustle has changed over the last decade 38:50 - Highs & Lows: Developing 6-year-old film and the horror of wet leggings 41:29 - RIP Hilda: Mourning our 94-year-old village window-waving legend 43:40 - Liam’s Isle of Skye elopement excitement 46:27 - Pete's return to blogging and the debate over staging groom prep photos Say hi on Instagram @ourcreativecommune Get a free 14 day trial of Musicbed: https://www.musicbed.com/invite/935Cy The British Wedding Film Festival https://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.com/ Lawson Film School: https://www.lawsonfilms.co.uk/lawson-film-school liamandbee.com lawsonfilms.co.uk lawsonphotography.co.uk #weddingphotography #weddingvideography #filmphotography #creativepodcast #weddingindustry #ourcreativecommune Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    52 min

  8. 9 Mar

    Couples Don't Care About Your Instagram

    Spring has finally sprung, and the wedding season is officially waking up! In this week's episode, we’re back on the sofa to tackle some of the biggest shifting trends in the wedding photography and videography industry. Liam kicks things off by sharing his experience working alongside a dedicated content creator at a recent London wedding. Have content creators just become a normal part of the day, or is the hype starting to fade? We also dive deep into the latest Bridebook survey to find out what couples are actually looking for right now. Spoiler alert: they don't care about your social media following, and the "editorial" trend might not be as dominant as Instagram makes it seem. We also tackle the frustrating reality of getting "ghosted" by couples after seemingly perfect Zoom meetings. Are we making it too hard for clients to book us? We discuss the power of WhatsApp, ditching 20-page PDF brochures, and streamlining your workflow to capture leads while they're hot. Plus, Bee shares the wild ChatGPT strategy she’s using to completely retrain their confused Instagram algorithm, Pete questions if it's finally time to stop hoarding terabytes of old raw footage due to skyrocketing hard drive prices, and we wrap up with our weekly Highs and Lows—featuring magazine awards, film festival backlash, Reformer Pilates, and Pete's quest for table tennis glory. Grab a coffee and join the commune! Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro, spring vibes, and Laura’s high-maintenance gardening 03:34 - Liam’s first London wedding back and working with a content creator 09:08 - Bee’s darkroom update & Pete/Laura’s Spice Kitchen commercial shoot 13:30 - Pete’s table tennis championship (Rocky montage pending) 15:25 - Bridebook 2024 Survey: What styles and traits do couples actually care about? 22:00 - The ghosting epidemic: Why are couples disappearing after great Zoom meetings? 28:00 - Streamlining your booking process and the power of WhatsApp 34:30 - How to retrain a broken Instagram algorithm (and Liam's weird "zooming" theory) 42:00 - Skyrocketing hard drive costs: Is it time to delete a decade of raw files? 47:20 - Highs & Lows: Professional Photo Magazine's Top 50 list & Reformer Pilates! 53:30 - Handling complaints and backlash from the wedding film festival 01:01:48 - Liam’s shiny new mountain bike and driving instructor woes Say hi on Instagram @ourcreativecommune Get a free 14 day trial of Musicbed: https://www.musicbed.com/invite/935Cy The British Wedding Film Festival https://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.com/ Lawson Film School: https://www.lawsonfilms.co.uk/lawson-film-school liamandbee.com lawsonfilms.co.uk lawsonphotography.co.uk #weddingphotography #weddingvideography #filmphotography #creativepodcast #weddingindustry #ourcreativecommune Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1hr 5min
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About

Professional wedding photographers/videographers and bffs, Pete & Laura Lawson and Liam & Bee Crawley invite you to join them for a morning coffee. They'll be chatting all things work and life. Liam and Bee have recently moved and we all now live in the same little village; not quite the commune we always used to talk about but we do get to hang out every day. This podcast is an offshoot of our daily conversations, sometimes creatively inspiring, sometimes just having a good moan, but always fun. liamandbee.com lawsonfilms.co.uk lawsonphotography.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Our Creative Commune
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    134
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Our Creative Commune
  • Show Website
    Our Creative Commune

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