The Focus Trap

Amy and Casey
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Hobbies

A show about cameras, creativity, and the weird shit your brains do while you're trying to make something. Together, we're exploring photography for all levels — asking the silly questions, sharing the expert knowledge, and digging into what it actually takes to grow as a human being and as an artist.

  1. 5d ago

    205: Focus on our Guest - J. Nichole Smith!

    What if the way you’ve been doing it “wrong” is actually the way that works for you? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey welcome their first guest, J. Nichole Smith, for a conversation that starts with a five-page Word document and somehow ends up spanning late-diagnosed neurodivergence, business, community, self-trust, and what happens when you finally have language for the way your brain has been working all along. Nic shares the story behind the Instagram reel that caught Amy’s attention: a frustrating attempt to sign her kids up for a holiday camp, followed by an email that immediately made her wonder whether the problem was the system, or whether she was just being difficult. Amy recognizes that question immediately. It’s part of what originally brought her to Casey: needing someone who could help sort out what actually needed reframing and what was, in fact, just ridiculous. Casey brings that same question into business and learning: when something creates friction, how much energy should you spend trying to make yourself do it “the right way,” and when do you trust the evidence that another way might work better? That leads into experimentation, tiny workarounds, ignoring advice that doesn’t fit, and one of the simplest ideas in the episode: f*****g trust yourself. They also talk about: * Why successful people aren’t necessarily evidence that a system works for everyone * What late neurodivergence diagnosis can explain without actually changing who you are * Why more information may not be what overwhelmed business owners need * Building community instead of collecting more courses and strategies * Joy, color, and creating room for difficult conversations * Why the things that feel easy to one person can be genuinely hard for someone else * Treating your business like an experiment instead of your baby * The “above, around, and below” support every business owner needs * Why buying back your time can matter more than doing everything yourself Along the way, there are conversations about emergency appendix surgery before a keynote, whether neurotypical people actually exist, the visceral horror of group projects, tiny bags of cash, and business strategies operating at approximately the same motivational sophistication as a five-year-old. ------------------- Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. Email us at thefocustrap@gmail.com 📸 Find Amy and learn more about her photography coaching: https://www.skool.com/focus-makers-5374/about 🧠 Find Casey and learn more about what she's up to: www.caseyjourdan.com And follow The Focus Trap @thefocustrap on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok (00:00) - Recording (00:51) - Meet Nic — and the Keynote That Almost Happened (08:40) - Is It Me, or Is This Actually Ridiculous? (22:59) - Maybe More Information Isn’t the Answer (31:11) - Beyond the Information Era (36:28) - What Changes When You Finally Have the Language? (47:26) - Your Business Is an Experiment, Not Your Baby

  2. Sep 3

    204: Focus on How We See

    What if you can make the photograph even if you can’t picture it first? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey dig into aphantasia — Casey’s inability to picture images in her mind — and what it means for photography. But the conversation quickly gets bigger than visualization: How much of “seeing” a photograph happens in your head, and how much comes from experience, pattern recognition, and doing the same thing enough times to know what works? Amy can visualize in full 3D, but even she doesn’t walk around with finished photographs already formed in her head. She talks about the difference between having a shot list and actually visualizing a shot, why years of photographing agility let her anticipate framing and timing before the dog runs, and how learning to read a photograph is a skill built through experience, including plenty of experiments and dead ends nobody sees. Casey looks at the same questions from the opposite end of the visualization spectrum. She talks about scouting locations when she can’t mentally put a dog into the scene, editing when she can’t picture the finished photograph, and why the predictability of studio work suddenly makes a lot more sense. The more they pull apart what actually requires visualization and what comes from skill and experience, the more the answer keeps coming back to the same annoying thing: reps. They also talk about: Aphantasia, visual memory, and face blindnessWhy shot lists aren’t necessarily visualizationLearning to read a photograph instead of picturing the finished editWhy the creative process is much less linear than social media makes it lookWatching the edges of the frame instead of the subjectUsing saturation, blur, and black and white to make your brain see a photo differentlyHow subject knowledge and anticipation can matter more than visualizationUnderstanding how your brain works so you can find the tools that work for you Along the way, there are conversations about Casey and her mom combining their mental skills to identify a VIP in Washington D.C., stuffed animals as legitimate scouting equipment, Amy’s mental map of badly lit agility venues, an eagle photo she really needs to print, whether “de-enhance” is a word, and the mutual certainty that neither Amy nor Casey wants anything to do with wedding photography. Do you have Aphantasia? Here's are a couple of DIY tests to check it out. https://cognitivetrain.com/aphantasia-test/ https://aphantasiatest.com/blog/apple-imagination-scale-what-the-red-apple-test-says-about-your-minds-eye ------------------- Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. Email us at thefocustrap@gmail.com 📸 Find Amy and learn more about her photography coaching: https://www.skool.com/focus-makers-5374/about 🧠 Find Casey and learn more about what she's up to: www.caseyjourdan.com And follow The Focus Trap @thefocustrap on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok (00:00) - Focus on How We See (00:43) - Photographic Memory (03:00) - Aphantasia and the Red Apple Test (11:28) - Back to the Photography Piece (18:39) - Why Studio Work Feels Safer (26:28) - Shot Lists vs. Seeing It in Your Head (44:44) - Tools, Reps, and Not Using Your Brain as an Excuse

  3. Aug 27

    203: Focus on Reading the Photo

    What if the reason a photo feels 'off' has nothing to do with breaking a rule? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey get into the rule of thirds, why Amy has spent years trying to get people to stop calling it a rule, and what actually happens in a viewer's brain when they look at a photo. Amy traces the rule of thirds back to something much more basic: keeping the important stuff out of the middle and away from the edges. She talks about negative space, leading lines (literal and implied), and the idea of "who's the boss" in a frame — deciding what the photo is actually about and letting everything else support it. She also gets into sharpness as her own personal special interest, why the eye goes wherever the sharpest part of the image is, and a story about a friend who spent months telling her "Amy, your photos are blue" before she could finally see it herself. Casey brings the beginner's-eye view of all of this — going back through her early dog portraits and suddenly noticing focus was landing on a shoulder instead of an eye, feeling instinctively when something in an image is "off" without being able to name why, and the very real overwhelm of trying to hold rule of thirds, leading lines, negative space, and golden spirals in her head all at once. She also makes the case for spending time shooting plain background portraits as a way to learn storytelling without any of the usual crutches. They also talk about: Why "learn the rules so you can break them" isn't permission to just make bad photosShooting from ground level (dog's-eye or lower) versus standing heightJudging photo competitions and how that shifted Amy's own definition of "good"Print tolerances and why cropping too tight can bite you laterAlong the way, there's a comic book tangent about speech bubble placement, a riff on Frisbee dogs and the golden spiral, a heartbreaking story about a competition photo with perfect everything except soft focus, and a brief but sincere case for a 12-foot ladder as a legitimate photography tool. (00:00) - S02 E03 - Focus on Reading the Photo (00:48) - The Rule of Thirds Isn't Actually a Rule (11:15) - What the Eye Gets Drawn To (15:19) - Get Down to Dog-Feet Level (19:44) - Negative Space and Where the Story Moves (24:13) - Judging Other People's Definition of Good (27:43) - Leading Lines, Reading the Image, and Simplifying the Image

  4. Aug 20

    202: Focus on the Learning Process

    What if the frustration of not knowing something yet is actually proof you're learning it? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey dig into the gap between not knowing something and knowing it and why that gap doesn't close once you become "the expert." They talk about the pull to learn everything at once, why courses can work better than YouTube for some brains, and how the concept of window of tolerance shows up whether you're troubleshooting studio lighting or shooting agility in 100-degree heat. Amy talks about her own current frustration with the marketing side of running a business and the platform switch to Skool that turned out to solve more than she expected. She also walks through how she teaches photography as a spiral rather than a checklist: you learn rule of thirds, hit a wall, come back around and learn when to break it, hit another wall, come back around and learn how Lightroom or Photoshop can reinforce it. The membership exists because a class can only teach the first layer. The nuance comes from discussion. Casey traces her own relationship to learning back to relearning how to read after her brain injury, and how that experience shaped her preference for friction as a word over frustration. She talks through applying window of tolerance to her recent model call prep and how worrying about only 4 settings produced better results than trying to absorb everything at once. They also talk about: Learning photography is a spiral, not a loopFrustration versus friction, and whether the distinction mattersWindow of tolerance and "over threshold" — a term from dog training that maps onto peopleWhy courses still have a place when the information is free on YouTubeThe gifted-kid identity trap and what it does to adults who hit a learning wallNeuroplasticity, worn paths across a campus lawn, and why the brain needs friction to build new onesAlong the way, there's talk of neck fans in 100-degree heat, a explanation of resilience that comes with sound effects, dogs going "over threshold" at trials, and a St. Olaf/Golden Girls tangent about footpaths on a college campus. (00:00) - S2 E02 Focus on the Learning Process (01:53) - Sometimes Less Is More (08:07) - Learning How to Learn (17:36) - Frustration, Friction, and the Learning Spiral (34:38) - Don't Isolate: Curiosity, Community, and the Little Island (41:27) - Window of Tolerance and Tolerating the Discomfort

  5. Aug 13

    201: Focus on Business

    What if building a photography business has less to do with having a perfect plan and more to do with figuring out what actually works? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Casey takes over the questions and digs into how Amy’s photography business evolved over 25 years. From photographing Great Danes on film to running a national dog sports photography business and teaching other photographers, it’s a conversation about experimentation, adaptation, and building a business that can actually survive the way you work. Amy talks about filling 70 rolls of film at one event, learning Photoshop as she needed it, moving into agility almost by accident, and making business decisions other photographers thought were weird. She also gets into the realities of working at scale, including what happens when a four-day event produces 27,882 keeper photos. Casey brings the perspective of learning photography now, when almost any question produces thousands of tutorials and conflicting answers. That leads to a detour into “education theater,” why information isn’t the same as understanding, and the value of having someone who can look at your actual problem and help you figure out where things went sideways. They also talk about: Why more photos don’t necessarily mean more salesListening to customers without letting them dictate your styleBuilding workflows that can scale without burning you outPutting your photography skills ahead of your logo and websiteFollowing opportunities instead of trying to script a five-year plan Along the way, there are conversations about Amazon when it only sold books, Casey forgetting libraries exist, horses masquerading as very large dogs, throwing Post-it Notes at Spy, the Great Dane, and Amy’s “plans” to travel to events by private jet with a road crew. Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. Email us at thefocustrap@gmail.com 📸 Find Amy and learn more about her photography coaching at https://www.skool.com/focus-makers-5374/about 🧠 Find Casey and learn more about what she's up to: www.caseyjourdan.com Follow us @thefocustrap on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok (00:00) - S02 E01: Focus on Business (00:38) - Two Businesses in One (03:16) - Why Dog Sports? (13:35) - Learning Photography without YouTube (33:54) - 27,882 Photos (46:47) - Rookie Mistakes

  6. Jul 16

    110: The Trap of Imposter Syndrome

    What if feeling like a fraud isn't proof that you are one? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey close out season one by pulling together a thread that's been running underneath almost every episode: imposter syndrome. It's the gap between what you can actually do and what you believe you can do, and it shows up in things as loud as "I don't belong here" and as quiet as editing the same photo for the fifth time before you'll let anyone else see it. They also talk about: Why "I have imposter syndrome" should start the conversation, not end itThe difference between needing more experience and dismissing genuine praisePhotography certifications, authority badges, and what they actually proveWhy detaching from success can be just as important as detaching from failureRecovery time as a better measure of progress than whether the hard feelings show upAlong the way, there are conversations about the Paul Hollywood handshake, a vintage Jungle Book lunchbox full of handwritten thank-you notes, the surprising motivational power of mediocre Facebook reels, and hate-shopping in gift shops for badly focused wildlife prints as proof that your brain isn't always telling you the truth. Season one wraps up here. Season two shifts from the traps photographers fall into toward what deserves their focus instead: intentionality, joy, and maybe even a few guest voices that Amy and Casey are excited to bring into the conversation. ------------------- Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. Email us at thefocustrap@gmail.com 📸 Find Amy and learn more about her photography coaching: www.greatdanephotoadventures.com 🧠 Find Casey and learn more about what she's up to: www.caseyjourdan.com And follow The Focus Trap @thefocustrap on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok (00:00) - Introduction (03:23) - What Imposter Syndrome Actually Is (07:26) - The Credential Chase (21:44) - Action Before Thought (32:49) - Predefining Success (41:41) - Retraining Takes Years, Not Days (44:26) - Casey's Proof Stories (47:31) - Amy's Proof Stories

  7. Jul 9

    109: The Trap of the Hot Take

    What if most photography hot takes fall apart the moment you ask, "Why?" In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey dive into the world of photography hot takes. What starts as a list of opinions quickly turns into something bigger: how photography culture keeps turning personal preferences into hard rules. They also talk about: Why back-button focus won't fix your photographyWhether editing is "cheating"Why beginners should stop trying to learn from everybody everywhere all at onceWhy you don't have to monetize your photography and why you definitely shouldn't rush into itWhen refusing to answer a question is gatekeeping and when it's just a boundaryWhy your ISO is probably too lowAlong the way, Amy discovers her thumb and forefinger are apparently wired together, there's an extremely unnecessary Threads argument over whether RAW is a file type, Casey explains why weightlifting made her appreciate technical photography, and they imagine what it would be like to photograph a portrait with a 600mm lens.  Got your own hot take? Want to tell Amy she’s wrong about something? The email is below so you can tell us about it.  ------------------- Subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. Email us at thefocustrap@gmail.com 📸 Find Amy and learn more about her photography coaching: www.greatdanephotoadventures.com 🧠 Find Casey and learn more about what she's up to: www.caseyjourdan.com And follow The Focus Trap @thefocustrap on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok (00:00) - Introduction (01:50) - Back Button Focus Isn't Magic (12:09) - Is Editing Cheating? (15:43) - Technique vs. Artistry (20:07) - Stop Learning From Everybody (24:51) - Bokeh, Blur, and Pop (33:58) - The Pressure to Find Your Style (43:09) - Monetizing Too Soon (54:35) - Gatekeeping in Photography (59:02) - 80,000 ISO and I Sleep Fine

  8. Jul 2

    108: The Trap of Overthinking

    What if the cure for overthinking isn't certainty, but evidence? In this episode of The Focus Trap, Amy and Casey talk about overthinking: what it actually is, how it shows up in photography and everyday life, and why simply calling yourself “an overthinker” can sometimes become part of the problem. They explore the difference between thoughtful decision-making and getting trapped in loops that keep you from taking action. They also talk about: • Using evidence instead of anxiety to make decisions• Why beginners often try to skip steps in the learning process• Why action creates information that thinking can't• How nervous systems lag behind conscious understanding• Closing loops and knowing when you're done Along the way, there are conversations about 1980s TV theme songs, crying at airport gate agents, stuffed animals as stand-in models, and why sometimes the answer is simply to go take the photo and see what happens. (00:00) - Introduction (04:40) - The Part Where Casey Overthinks Live on Air (10:52) - Boy Scout Brain vs. MacGyver Brain (16:23) - What the Data Actually Says (21:52) - Less Thinking, More Action (46:15) - You're Not an Overthinker, You're Overthinking (59:42) - Closing the Loop

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A show about cameras, creativity, and the weird shit your brains do while you're trying to make something. Together, we're exploring photography for all levels — asking the silly questions, sharing the expert knowledge, and digging into what it actually takes to grow as a human being and as an artist.

Information

  • Creator
    Amy and Casey
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Casey Jourdan llc