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Evoke genuine emotion in your photos - Hannah Quintana
150 Plays3 years ago
Happy Woo Wednesdays! Do you want to evoke more emotion in your photos? That's what potential clients want when they are looking for a wedding photographer.
I met Hannah 4 years ago when she lived in LA and I was sad when she moved. I always felt like her images had so much emotion in them.
Hannah is a luxury Colorado & destination wedding & lifestyle photographer for couples madly in love who cherish classic, timeless, and elegant art.
Our hot topic today is how to evoke genuine emotion in your subjects, you couples and people in general.
Hannah incorporated everything that made her unique—her past, her personality, her careers. She's from Korea and joined the airforce after her highschool. She worked in intelligence for large aircrafts. The leadership skills seamlessly transferred over to wedding photography. She talks about her transition from military to wedding photography. I love her story of photographing a guy on the streets playing his cello and how it evoked a feeling she never felt before. We have a vulnerable conversation about balancing motherhood and being a career woman. She has 2 daughters and a boy on the way. Connect with Hannah https://hannahquintana.com/ https://www.instagram.com/hannahquintana/ https://www.instagram.com/justhannahq/ https://www.youtube.com/c/HannahQuintana Connect with Carissa https://www.instagram.com/carissawoophotography https://www.instagram.com/carissawoo https://heckyesmedia.co/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/957498271691816/Recommended
Transcript
Introduction: Meet Hannah Quintana
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome back to Get a Heck Yes with me, your host, Carissa Wu. If you're loving my podcast, please take a screenshot and post to Instagram.
00:00:08
Speaker
Tag me, it's going to make me so happy. So today I chat with my girl Hannah Quintana. Her IG and website is pretty much perfection. She's an artist, she worked in the Air Force, and she's a world-renowned wedding photographer. She incorporated her unique background and personality to get a heck yes from her dream clients. And they truly are dream clients. Today she gives tips on how to evoke emotion in your photographs.
00:00:38
Speaker
Welcome to Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. I'm your host, Carissa, and I've been a Los Angeles wedding photographer for over a decade. I've traveled the world, built my team, and seen it all. I now coach wedding photographers hit 10K a month and build a thriving business. In this podcast, we are going to deep dive into how top wedding creatives get that heck yes from their dream clients.
Podcast's Mission and Listener Appreciation
00:00:59
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We are not holding back on the struggles of the business and how to push through the noise. Some healthy hustle, mindset shifts, up-leveling your money story,
00:01:07
Speaker
time packs because I'm a mom of two, a little bit of woo-woo, and most importantly, self-love and confidence are just a few of the many things we will talk about. I want to give you a genuine thank you for following along my journey. I hope to inspire you every Woo Wednesday so that you say heck yes to listening to this podcast. See you guys soon!
Hannah's Move to Denver and Passion for Photography
00:01:29
Speaker
Hey guys, welcome back to Get a Heck Yes with me, Carissa Wu. I have a very special guest and an old friend. Her name is Hannah Quintana, and she's an amazing wedding and portrait photographer and mommy influencer. And we met when she lived in LA, and I was sad when she moved to Denver, Colorado. She's a lover of light, she's a storyteller, and she wakes up every day feeling grateful that she's able to document love.
00:01:54
Speaker
and also tiny humans. And for the past decade, she's traveled across the globe to capture luxury weddings and love stories through fine art aesthetic with a natural yet intentional approach.
00:02:06
Speaker
Welcome, Hannah. Hi, Grace. That was such a great intro. I was like, hi. I took it off my website. 13 year old's like, okay, okay. That's you, that's you. Yeah, oh my God. So it's been so long. We started our friendship and I was so happy that I found you. You're so awesome. And then you got to leave.
00:02:26
Speaker
Wow.
Transition from Air Force to Photography
00:02:27
Speaker
We met around the time that I started my business, sort of. It was in the beginning of that. Oh my God. I didn't know you were so new because you're already so good. You're so sweet. What have you been up to? I'm out here in Colorado now. It's been about three and a half years and I'm still adjusting to the mountain life because I treated in the oceans for the mountains.
00:02:56
Speaker
And it's been really challenging. Like the other day, the other week, I posted about it in my Instagram stories, but I got stuck in the snow. I'm 29 weeks pregnant. Oh my god. And no cell phone service, not a car or person on site. How did you get stuck? Well, it just I was on it. I was driving on a road that I shouldn't have been like, Oh,
00:03:21
Speaker
And I fell into a ditched nose first and my car just wouldn't back out. It was just fully stuck. And so I spent like an hour trying to dig myself out. And then finally saw like snowmobiles riding across like a mile away. So I just started running. Like if you could just imagine me. What the heck? That's so scary. What was going on in your mind? Honestly, I thought I was gonna have the baby. I thought I was gonna have the baby and die. But I realized like,
00:03:49
Speaker
That's when it hit me. I was like, I don't understand Colorado. I'm not fit for the mountains. I'm not fit for the snow. You know, just kind of like
Evolving Photographic Style
00:03:57
Speaker
underestimate how powerful Mother Nature is. So I'm still adjusting. I'm still adjusting. But other than that, it's it's been great. You guys lived in like Hawaii, right? Yeah, we lived in so we lived in LA for four years and then Hawaii for four years before that.
00:04:14
Speaker
Okay. Okay. So you really did like trade in the water for the mountain. I'm so glad that you survived. That's really scary. I'm getting ready. You I know. So I get anytime and all like with Colorado, all the weddings are in the mountain towns. Okay. Always driving the mountains or engagement sessions are on the mountains. Everybody wants in the mountains. And even the maternity shoots that I do, everybody's like, I want mountain backdrop.
00:04:38
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, I mean every time I like your photos, I'm like, oh my god, like I never even see mountains like that It's beautiful, but it's so it's really Terrifying
Balancing Motherhood and Career
00:04:47
Speaker
because they're just so you just never know what's gonna happen up there Wow, so why did you move out there and what was a transition light? well, I moved out here because we had our first daughter and my husband's family he was born and raised here and his family's here and
00:05:04
Speaker
We needed help and we wanted more space and better quality of life because we were living in like this 700 square foot apartment in Hermosa Beach. I live there. Yeah. That's why it's so tiny. I liked it though. Lots of character.
00:05:22
Speaker
I loved it. And honestly, like when we were without kids, it was the best time of our lives. Yeah. Like there are steps away from the beach. Who cares if it was dumpy and like, yeah, these decor, but it was just, it was a good, it was fun. And then once we had the baby, we're like, uh, yeah, this is definitely like, I know you were a foot away from the beach, but definitely your house is a crazy upgrade because I listen, I watched all your home renovations and it's absolutely gorgeous.
00:05:52
Speaker
Yeah. And that's the quality of life that I was talking about is like we moved over here and we're like, Oh my gosh, we get all this space for our apartment. So it's been, yeah, it's really nice. Colorado is beautiful too. It's like the same thing with California where it's like always sunshine. It's like that way here too. We get the four seasons, but even like after a full winter storm, the next day the sun comes out and melts the snow away. But that's like the hidden secret here.
00:06:19
Speaker
Yeah, for all like the listeners, please check Hannah out like you have a different social account
Artistic Evolution and Niche Discovery
00:06:25
Speaker
for like your mommy influencer mommy mommy stuff and her daughters are the cutest kids I ever seen in my life and she's going to have a boy and I told you I scream when I heard the news that you're having your third. I just I scream. I was like what happy and like scared. Yeah, I mean, you're just such a huge influence like
00:06:46
Speaker
Your house is freaking amazing. I love your style. Your work is incredible. We'll talk more about that later about evoking emotion, but also like how you dress, you sing, you're like a triple threat with you and your sister. Like you're nice.
Building Client Rapport for Success
00:07:02
Speaker
I just, I don't understand. And then you have the third baby. I was just like, what? That's a lot. But it's really fun. Oh, how did you develop your style so quickly?
00:07:15
Speaker
And what is your style? My photography. Yeah. Um, you know, honestly, I think it was like, of course, when I first started out, I didn't know what my style was. And I think that was a struggle was trying to find my style and my identity as a photographer. But I feel like a lot of influence from photographers or like mentors that I love that I liked following.
00:07:40
Speaker
in the photography industry. That helped a lot because it made me identify what I was more attracted to. And then also probably just what
00:07:51
Speaker
I love in photos for me too. Like when I'm taking photos with my husband, he's also a photographer. He used to second shoot with me, but he retired after he got his full-time job out here in Colorado. But just the way that he would photograph me and like the feelings I would get from the images is, you know, I think it was a lot of discovery.
00:08:13
Speaker
You're lucky to have him because Stu is a horrible photographer. It doesn't mean I don't yell at him. Like, no, no, that angle, that angle. No, that lighting's so bad. Maybe that's why he stopped. But yeah, it's fun though, because we go on these photography safaris or adventures. Because he loves landscape. And so it's a fun date, family date.
00:08:39
Speaker
Yeah, I love that. Okay, so take us back to your journey, like, like where you how you started photography, even like way before that as a kid, and just all about you. Yeah, so I started I picked up a camera, my first DSLR. Gosh, I think it was like 2009. But it was right after I had graduated college, because I was going to go into the Air Force as an active duty.
00:09:04
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Uh-huh. That's crazy. I mean, take it back a step, Anna. How, why, when, like, what? So different from what I do now, but like I, cause I grew up in Korea and I grew up on a U.S. army base because my dad worked for the U.S. army. And so when I got offered this scholarship to go to school, I was like, yeah, I mean, this is what I know, so I'll take it. And so that's why after college,
00:09:28
Speaker
the Air Force paid for my tuition and I went straight active duty as an intelligence officer. What? Sounds really cool. Sounds amazing. A lot cooler than it is. But so I went into the Air Force and I knew I was going to travel. So I was like, Oh, I'm going to pick up a camera and learn how to take photos of landscape of all the places that I visit. But as soon as I started shooting landscape, I was like, Oh, I don't know. It like doesn't really give me
00:09:57
Speaker
that feeling and it wasn't until, I remember I was in Europe and there was this artist, he was like,
00:10:05
Speaker
You know, he was just like dressed in raggedy clothes and like didn't have any money, but he was just like killing it on this. I don't even know if it was a cello. It looked a little different than the cello, but it was something like that. Yeah. And I just like photographed him for almost an hour. Wow. I remember like being so excited to get home to look up the images. Oh. And that's when I was like, wow, it's just amazing how much emotions you could get from one person.
00:10:34
Speaker
doing one thing and the way that I felt when I took those photos and the way that I felt when I was looking at the photos. Oh, this is giving me chills because this is like literally how I feel about your whole brand. And that's what we're gonna talk about today. But when I look at every photo, it gives me like the sense of feeling. That's the thing is like it just gave me this emotion that I wasn't familiar with. And so it's like, whoa, and it opened up my world. And I was like, this is something that I could actually seriously
00:11:00
Speaker
that I might want to do in the future, although at the time it was like more Air Force focus. So I didn't think of it as I took photography as a hobby. Okay. But then once I started spending more time with photography and taking photos of people, I just realized like,
00:11:18
Speaker
This is what I want to do. And so after I spent five years in the Air Force and I got out because at that point my equipment was up. And during that time in the Air Force, I met my husband and my husband supported me.
00:11:36
Speaker
a photographer. He was like, you have to do this Hannah. Then go all in and I'll have your back like financially and emotionally. And he really like, I have to owe it to him because I was, I was terrified. And I was like, I can't do that. Like I've, I've grown up being taught that I need to be a career woman that I do smart and make a lot of money for CEO, but I didn't know it was going to be in photography.
00:12:04
Speaker
So when did you come here from Korea? So I came for college which was when I was 18.
00:12:10
Speaker
Okay. Okay. You see Irvine in California. Yeah. Okay. But you just, you spoke English in Korea. Yeah. Yeah. Cause it was like a lot of people don't understand that in, there's all these U S army bases overseas and in Korea, the one that I was, it's like a piece of the U S in Korea. Yeah. We, it's like a gated community. It's really large area. So you have these schools, you have shopping centers, you have a mall, you have hotels and
00:12:40
Speaker
Yeah, so it's it won't like the US. Yeah, I met all your friends at your baby shower all the Like hop up like half Where were you based for the Air Force I was based in a lot of places, but I started off in Texas did some in South Dakota, Florida
00:13:05
Speaker
The first big move was Korea. There was some Japan in there, then Hawaii, which was four years, then California for four years. And then that's when in California was my opportunity to get out. And so I was like, I'll take it. Wow. So what was a typical day like in your life? Like was it always different or like what year? Yeah. Like what is intelligence? Yeah, I know. That's the thing. It's like, it's so
00:13:29
Speaker
vague but intelligence basically there's so many different fields within intelligence so it's a really broad industry but basically what I did was I worked with like C7 like mobility aircraft the ones the big airplanes that would go into like deployment areas overseas and bring in supplies or like the people carry the people on a plane and my job would be to
00:13:59
Speaker
Analyze the area so I had like let's say they were going into Syria then I would have to know the cultural background I'd have to know the military strategies or weapons air ground Water and just having to know the capabilities of these equipment So that our guys can fly and save and so I did that for the big aircraft and then I did it for the fighter pilots Which is probably the coolest
00:14:23
Speaker
But it was the most I ever worked like 12-hour days and this was when I was in Hawaii You couldn't enjoy like hanging just hanging out you're working I definitely enjoyed it because I it's like they because it was like a Hawaiian unit So yeah, one local Hawaiians there and also us mainland Airmen yeah, and so it was
00:14:51
Speaker
there was like this infusion of this Hawaiian mentality. I did get to enjoy Hawaii like they definitely know how to play. Yeah, really hard to but that was probably the coolest
00:15:05
Speaker
Um, just because I felt like what I was doing was really impactful for those guys. Crazy stuff. And so I like, I would stress out and be like, Oh my gosh, if anything bad happens, it's my fault. Crazy stuff. You mean like getting drunk and like doing crazy stuff or like.
00:15:23
Speaker
No, well, I mean, like, like the missions that they have, they would like they work really, really hard and they play hard. But when they work hard, it's like they put their life on jeopardy into these high risk areas. And then depends on my Intel, like my analysis and my research and like my education that I teach them from what I read and what I learn on the classified network and like, so kind of crazy.
00:15:52
Speaker
big responsibility and a lot of pressure. And so that was that was the hardest part about it was that you know, like so you did all that your background and then shooting weddings, it was kind of like easy peasy. Oh my gosh. And I think that's why everybody's like, why do you love weddings? It's so stressful. It's like I love stress. I know because I know like people's lives are at risk for when I was in the Air Force. And like,
00:16:20
Speaker
But I do think a lot of that transitioned over to weddings because people were looking to me to like take control, to lead. I mean, you know, you were a wedding photographer and we just have to step up and we have to guide everybody. So I do think it carried over. So I don't regret the Air Force. Oh yeah, you met Yashaun and have beautiful children.
00:16:44
Speaker
how do you like incorporate like your unique background into like your brand was on always natural and tell me a little bit about that. You know, that's one thing that was the scare the most intimidating thing was like, okay, I was doing Air Force intelligence and I'm trying to transition into photography. Then at this point, I was kind of considered late in the game with my age because every the best photographers start out like what
00:17:11
Speaker
in high school. Yeah. And so I was like, crap, but it's just not like I'm not going to be able to lead in the industry. Like I'm going to be so behind and I have to figure this out. But then I realized it's just all perspective, right? And it's like, and I just thought, let's think about the things that I have a competitive advantage over. So I have all this experience in the military.
00:17:37
Speaker
So I know that I can lead. I know I can direct. I know I can guide. I know that when shit hits the fan, I can stay calm and I can get out and direct people and like guide them. And so that I think is the biggest part that carried over is like being fearless, being a leader, um,
00:17:57
Speaker
and because I think that's the one you were a photographer the whole time too. You were photographing like yeah, I feel like the artistry was always there because I've always had an art background ever since I was little I just loved I just had this affinity for art. I didn't know I was in photography. Oh, yeah. But um, but once I picked up the camera, like I feel like that was developing and the artistry was there naturally. And then so makes
00:18:24
Speaker
the leadership with photography, I would step into a wedding and I was just so comfortable. I remember my first wedding and it was just so hectic.
00:18:35
Speaker
so tired. It's so fun. Like you have energy. Yeah, adrenaline. You know, I love it. What does your parents think when you told them you're going to be a wedding photographer? Oh my god, what any Asian photographer just keep it as a hobby. And I'm like, but I think it I realized I'm doing something that it was so unhappy, like the Air Force was exciting. And it was a really
00:19:05
Speaker
cool time of my life. And I'm so cold. I'm glad that I got to experience that. But I just remember the airmen that were working for me, their eyes would light up when they're talking about surface to air missiles and how far they shoot and how many like, you know, like the technical side. And I just remember there was this twinkle in their eye and I thought, I'm never going to feel that. Like I don't feel that in here.
00:19:30
Speaker
interesting stuff and shutter speed gets me like photography and so I realized I like I don't want to live my life like this like I want to do something that I'm really passionate about and truly care for and I want that twinkle in my eye and so when I fell that way for photography that's when I was like okay I have to I have to do it I don't care what anybody says Sean had my back and my family
00:19:57
Speaker
me, but I knew that they were worried about me. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. What is your biggest heck yes sale strategy? I like to believe that my artistry and the work that I put out and the work that floats out there speaks for itself. That's like my first and then I would say my personality is my next like when people finally link the images to who I am.
00:20:28
Speaker
they trusted me. And I think it's just more like the relationship and the rapport that we're able to build together is just getting to know them and showing them like, my work is good, but my personality is better. Yeah, you have a great personality. I definitely agree with that. Okay, one last question before we get into our hot topic, but what's your biggest accomplishment?
00:20:53
Speaker
I got in the last like two or three days, 18 inquiries. What the heck? Hey guys, you all know me. I'm Carissa Wu and I'm a coach for wedding photographers. I've also been a wedding photographer for over a decade, so I've been through it all. I was a shy, awkward girl and I've come so far. I'm now beyond passionate about helping wedding photographers not struggle how I did for so many years.
00:21:20
Speaker
It was six years into my business and I was so tired of being ghosted, nickel undimed, and hearing the dreaded words, we went a different direction. I also knew I needed to find a way to not rely on referrals or paying $350 a month for the knot to get my leads. I didn't want to have anxiety about when my next payday was going to come and I wanted to scale my business.
00:21:41
Speaker
Fast forward to now, I created my very own stack system to help wedding photographers get constant leads and master the dreaded sales call and get a heck yes in 24 hours or less. And charge more than 4, 5, 6K. No more waiting around, guys. This is our livelihood, our artistry, and our passion, and we deserve to be respected, valued, and paid for what we are worth. I've helped so many wedding photographers.
00:22:07
Speaker
watch my 20 minute masterclass all about lead generation and closing the sale the link is in the bio you don't want to miss out on the wedding boom and you don't want to miss out on booking your calendar for 2022 it's engagement season guys so you don't want to miss this see you guys soon my biggest accomplishment i would say being able to because i've always really wanted a big family like i i have two girls expecting a boy
00:22:37
Speaker
And I've always dreamed of having like four or five kids. Wow. That's not going to happen. I'm going to stop at three, but that's not happening. I think my greatest accomplishment is like what I didn't know is the balancing motherhood and this career was going to be so hard. Yeah. So many roadblocks, so many reasons I could have just said like thrown in the towel with photography and said, no, my focus is my kids.
00:23:06
Speaker
And they are my focus, but I also need something for me. And so I think that's my greatest accomplishment is just never giving that up and holding on to something that I'm passionate about and learning how to balance both because I take it one day at a time. Like honestly, it's really hard right now to be pregnant to wild girls. And then you fell into a ditch. I mean, that's scary. I know.
00:23:33
Speaker
Like, I've never even seen my girls again. Oh my God. That makes me so sad. Yeah, that's a huge accomplishment. I mean, for me, that was the hardest part too. Just after having Piper that first year was a total shit show. That's when I met you actually. Yeah. And I couldn't believe how hard you were working. Like Piper was a hard baby. She was like always crying. Really? Kelly's an easy baby. So she just like kind of goes with the flow. But Piper was not like that.
00:24:03
Speaker
Well, you're being really effortless because I know you're working really hard. I cried like every Sunday in the back. Every Sunday I just ball my eyes out like Piper will be in there like pissing like pooing in the bathroom. I'm just like crying. Well, yeah, I would have never known that. But like people need you inspire me because I was like, if she can do it, I can do it.
00:24:26
Speaker
It's really cool to see like I think that's the coolest thing is seeing mothers pursue their career. Because I was like, is there something that changed in you like a little time hack or like something that you did completely differently after you had the kids like outsource or like did you hire someone or did you have like, like nanny or any
00:24:49
Speaker
I had all of that. I have a nanny and then also I do daycare, so a lot of help. And then I had a copywriter to do my blogging and my website and everything like that. I never outsourced my images because I've always wanted to have a boutique photography feel and do everything myself. But what I have done is now I don't take any more than 10 weddings a year because
00:25:19
Speaker
I set these boundaries for myself in my business because I want to be there for my kids. And so Monday, Wednesday, Friday has been my goal. I will not do more daycare other than Monday, Wednesday and Friday. And so I will be there fully for my kids, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Wow. Which is really hard. And that's why we have to have a nanny too is just because it's like,
00:25:45
Speaker
I just need all the help I can get on those days so I can work to those days and then also like limiting the number of weddings. I like we were just talking about how weddings really take up your weekends and
00:25:57
Speaker
And it's sad because you're at a wedding and my husband will FaceTime me and the kids and they're out. He's out with the kids at the zoo. And I'm just thinking, I know mom was like a real thing. Like you're always reminded to that, that stage, like from zero to five is fleeting, like goes by so quickly.
00:26:16
Speaker
And it's gone. Oh my god. Okay. Yeah, I'm taking 10 this year too. Okay, so let's get into our hot topic. And I mean, just again to the listeners, just check out her work. It really evokes emotion. Like every time you post, it really tell the story even with one image and it could be of you. It could be of a couple. It could be a detail. It could be a kid. It could be hands. It could be
00:26:40
Speaker
Just something so subtle, but I feel like that one image is like so powerful. So yeah, tell us your hot topic and why you chose it. So my hot topic would be how to evoke emotions in these couples or not even couples, but like people, mothers. My big thing is I do weddings during the wedding season and then motherhood photography is like my favorite thing off season.
00:27:05
Speaker
Yes. Okay. Yeah. Okay. So I guess take it away with tip number one, how to book. Okay. So tip number one, and I think this is so important is really getting to know the couple because I know a lot of photographers, you know, once they book the couple is really no, not as much conversation in between booking and then
00:27:25
Speaker
shooting. So for me, like I realized sitting down is like I really because every couple I shoot is so different. Some people don't like the cheese. Some people love a lot of the cheese. Some people are really PDA. So I felt
00:27:41
Speaker
I wanted to save a lot of my time and so I sat down and thought of a strategy and the first thing for me is meeting them face to face. I have to. And if it's not for them, it's for me because I need to know who I'm working with. And so we'll do some kind of video call and I'll get to meet other personalities. I also have them fill out a questionnaire.
00:28:01
Speaker
And I also, this is another thing that translates for my military career, I do some background intelligence. Oh, I love that word. Okay.
00:28:12
Speaker
Well, I feel like these days, it's so easy to look somebody up. And maybe that's creepy, but these are people that are putting their trust in me to capture their true essence, like who they are as individuals and as couples. And so I go into their social media if I can find them, unless at the time I can. Me too. Yeah. And just getting to know who they are. Have you seen them meet the fuckers? Yeah.
00:28:38
Speaker
Oh, yeah. I know. I hope I don't ever do that with my kids. Yeah. I remember like I used to be like such an angel like in like middle school and growing up and then my mom went through my journals and I had like, you would like have a journal with a friend and you know,
00:29:03
Speaker
So we talked about all like this bad stuff we did. And then that was like, when I became bad, because my parents are like, like, they finally realized, oh, we don't have like a perfect angel. And I was like, okay, then I'm just gonna be like rebel. Oh, my gosh. It's your fault. You wouldn't do this. That's crazy.
00:29:24
Speaker
That's so funny. Yeah, yeah, I do the same thing. Like I like to see their Instagram and I'm like, Oh my god, like you went to the Rams game or just, you know, something. Right? Yeah, exactly. Cool. Okay, I love that tip. Okay, number two.
00:29:37
Speaker
Yeah, and the number two is like, is really building off of number one, but building rapport. So now I've done all this background on them. And it's kind of like you said, like reaching out and saying, Oh, I saw you at the Rams game, but like, just kind of connecting with them and breaking down those walls that they might have, you know, have up. And that's, and that can be through email, through phone, I just want them to know that
00:30:02
Speaker
I seriously want to get to know you guys because that's what's going to make me a better photographer the day that we do our photo shoot. And so if I were just responding by email, I feel like that's so formal. And I feel like the time that I could have saved on the day of the photo shoot of making them trust me.
00:30:23
Speaker
know what I'm doing, what I'm like, what I sound like, what I look like. I could save so much of that time taking photos instead of, you know, getting them to trust me. And so that's a good point. So yeah, like building that friendship and building. Yeah, you're really good at that. I feel like yeah, I did a zoom call for the initial meeting and then like a week before the wedding, but I'm like,
00:30:49
Speaker
Zoom calls not just for you it's for me because I want to make sure like I cover all my grounds like ask all the right questions like tell your family dynamic are you guys like affectionate with your parents like all the things like yeah I could just like oh like kiss your your mom and they're like
00:31:11
Speaker
which I have done before. And I'm like, Okay, well, yeah, I was in Hawaii. And then I hired a photographer there to do our family shoot. And she was like, look at your dad. And I was like, my dad like that clothes is really awkward. That's so true. Yeah. And that's like where I those were the learn lessons was like, Oh, I shouldn't have done that. Like, I should have known not to do that. You have any questions like that you asked, like,
00:31:38
Speaker
every time for like your couples, that you like your go to questions, my go to questions. A lot of the times, it's like a buildup of really weird, not weird questions, but like very interesting. So like if they were stranded on an island, what would they take with them? Oh, either really practical, like a knife, food, and I don't know, like a gun.
00:32:07
Speaker
Yeah, people are like the love of my life, my dog and lipstick. That helps me understand what kind of person they are. That's interesting. That's like it. That's a fun one. That's what I like it. Yeah, I think you did that photo shoot with me and Piper and like the mommies. And yeah, I really liked your process. You know, you sent like the contract and you sent like a little questionnaire and like you did like a little write up of us.
00:32:36
Speaker
So yeah, I think you're really good at covering all your bases. Careful baby. Yeah, okay, I love that. Okay, so number one getting to know your couple and then two adding on that breaking down walls and like developing this friendship and then tip number three. Yeah, tip number three and I think this is a kind of a controversial one and it's different for everybody but I
00:33:03
Speaker
I really think we should, well, let me rephrase that. I really like to guide them. And I know a lot of people when they say, if you're evoking emotion, you got to let things unfold naturally. Yes, I believe that wholeheartedly, but I also feel like
00:33:18
Speaker
For my clients, 99% of them are not professional models. And the majority of them are not going to be comfortable with the camera in their face. And then you're just telling them, OK, look at each other and love each other. Be natural. Nobody knows what that means. Yeah.
00:33:34
Speaker
And so I do think the best thing you can do that I can do for them is guide them and educate them, let them know what looks good and what doesn't on camera because like, you know, like with with photos, we like to exaggerate the body's curves or like create angles, but they're not going to know that.
00:33:53
Speaker
And so I like to like, I like to guide them through the poses. But my trick really is that, you know, I'll say like, okay, I want you to go from pose A to pose B.
00:34:06
Speaker
And then, yes, I'll get photos of A to B, but my like, the good stuff, the gold is right in between A and B. And they don't know because they'll do a pose. And then I'll say, okay, go to B. And they're like laughing like, oh my god, you know, like, that's so embarrassing. Interesting. Everything relaxes. All the real emotions come out.
00:34:29
Speaker
And the way that they interact is really cute. And that comes out. And what's an example? Because I don't do this. So what would be like a pose A and then pose B? Well, first I would say like, maybe like, I'd start really simple, like, okay, let's do the traditional bodies together, angled in cheeks together, stare at the camera. And then pose B is going to be four heads together, open your eyes wide, and then close them.
00:34:55
Speaker
And then so they have to think. They're just like, they have to think but also they like when they're that I love this moment where they're like, opening their eyes wide and they're like, looking at each other, they start cracking. They're so close, they start cracking up. They're like, what am I doing? You know, and then like comes out. It's so fun. Or like when they're walking out. One of my favorites is when they're walking towards the camera. I'll have them bump hips and don't stop.
00:35:23
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, that's a good one. Bomb pits and hips and some people like some of the guys are really aggressive. They like fly. She flies but then it's because she's like flinging like holding hands still.
00:35:38
Speaker
they're walking apart and she's like surprised by it but also laughing because it's so funny that he's so aggressive. And so those are the moments that I love. So I love it. One of my favorite tips. Well, I like that like the transitioning of poses because if you don't do that, then you're gonna run out of poses. So like, yeah, one post turn into like three, four poses. But one thing that I found like long time ago was I have to start the shoot like really good energy like almost like
00:36:05
Speaker
Yes, really almost like kind of intense and funny. And then like, the shoots are really high energy. If I start a little bit like blah, like I feel like it just like the whole shoots blah. Oh, 100%. I agree with that too. And like if we're in front of the camera, like on the other side of the camera, one thing I remember this one photographer was like, Oh, no, let's not do that. Or like didn't talk to me the entire time.
00:36:32
Speaker
It was getting to my head and because it's getting to my head, like, do I not look good? Am I like just screwing the shoot up? It was showing through everything. Like my shoulders were raised, my face, all the muscles crunched, you know?
00:36:46
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. Oh, that doesn't work. It just like don't even say it. Can you lift me? Can you give me some energy? Oh, no, you don't like it. That's a good insight. Oh, no, your teeth are ugly.
00:37:03
Speaker
and people do that and it's shocking but on the other hand like guide them but also I tell them when I start I'm like okay I'm gonna guide you guys because I want you to be comfortable and I want to kind of lead you but there's also gonna be times where I'm not talking to and it's because I see something like I see an energy so just carry on the energy like give her a kiss on her head kiss her neck her cheek just do
00:37:26
Speaker
whatever you're feeling in that moment because I see it and that's why I'm not seeing anything. And so that way I get like those natural in between moments that people talk about to get emotions, you know? I love that. How did you learn this so fast? I mean, I don't think I learned it fast. I think it took me some time because at first it was very posey like do this, do this. And like I was talking about going from A to B, but I would focus on A and B only.
00:37:51
Speaker
Interesting. Okay. And so I realized, I'm not really capturing what I've been seeing. So I need to switch this up. And that's when I started focusing more on the in-betweens and you know, okay, that's a really, really good tip. I really like that in-betweens. Okay, so last tip number four, and then we'll go into fun questions about you. Number four was welcoming in those natural moments. Okay, in between moments. And I was like, welcoming that in.
00:38:21
Speaker
letting that unfold between the couple or the person that you're photographing.
00:38:25
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, I'm just trying to think of like, my images and your images. And I think everyone has different styles. When I see yours, like it just does like, it doesn't invoke like they're not maybe like belly laughing, but they're just very like genuine. And like, it's almost like this, like you kind of like takes your breath away a little bit. Yeah. That is like the in between moment. So that's very interesting.
00:38:52
Speaker
inventory moments. And I think because I'm a natural romantic, I really love creating like the soft like breathing in each other like it. I don't know. I don't know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like the mirror like romance emotion. The trend. Yes. Oh, I love it. Okay.
00:39:14
Speaker
Yeah, everything on your website. Cool. Okay, I loved all those tips. It's so good. Okay, let's get to know you a little bit more rapid fire questions. Um, let's see, what is your woo factor, your Hannah Q factor? What makes you stand out? Um, I think
00:39:33
Speaker
I think it is those emotions that you see in the images and really like listening to the couple and understanding them, but also applying my like what I'm good at and what I see in my artistry and applying that to them. So it's kind of like a mix, right? It's taking their personalities and also the way I see them, the way I see the world and incorporating the two of that. Yeah. Hey, that's what makes me stand out. And because you traveled the world, I think that's why.
00:40:01
Speaker
Yeah, that too. Like just interesting. Yeah. Okay, number two, tell us a little bit about like your just Hannah Q. Like mommy influencer. Like, oh my gosh, something near and dear to your heart? Or are you still? Well, okay, so you'll probably see when you look at my answer, I started off strong. And I thought that was something that I wanted to do on the side, because it was such a big part of me. But what I found
00:40:28
Speaker
is that, and I feel bad saying this because you had been, you started off talking about it in the beginning, but I started to find that I didn't like recording my life. Yeah. Yeah. Because we would go on vacation and I would feel obligated to, you know, like show my kids. Yeah. For like PR. And I just, it started to get to me and I thought like, I don't, I think I want a more private life.
00:40:56
Speaker
Yeah, I've actually taken a step back from that. Okay, okay. I still post my family. I still want people that follow me on my professional page to like know who I am through that dinner. Yeah, definitely less on there and less showing my family.
00:41:13
Speaker
I tell you, I try the same thing. I'll be like at Disneyland, like trying to get that one like photo and just be miserable, like sweating and stuff. It's away from it. It's fun. And I don't know how other influencers do it. But after I tried it, I was like, wow, props to them because it takes a village. Like sometimes they have help. The husband's like all for it. Like the nanny's changing the kids. Like it's crazy. Yeah.
00:41:41
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, I post stories and my kids are just like, really like laundry everywhere. Like, yeah. It's so real. Okay, let's see. What's your your favorite place that you traveled to? Oh my god, that's hard. There's so many places. I would say I've got to say Spain because of the food. Really was really good too.
00:42:10
Speaker
But I would say Spain because I went there for pleasure and I also went there for business on a separate occasion. I shot a wedding in Barcelona. I love that wedding. That couple is gorgeous. That couple is gorgeous. The location is gorgeous. But yeah, I ate my way around. And so I like that I was able to mix like my personal life and my business life on
00:42:38
Speaker
those separate occasions that I went to Barcelona in Spain. Oh, yeah. That wedding when you post it, I was like, what the heck? It's so gorgeous. And you got published. Is it Martha Stewart wedding? Yeah. It was one of my favorites. Still is to this day. Oh my God. Okay. Let's see. If you had a magic wand, where would you see your business in three months? Koji question. Business in three months.
00:43:07
Speaker
Well, right now, I'm actually trying to tap into the higher end luxury market. In three months, I would love to be doing like six figure weddings. I'm getting really close. Wow. How do you do that? Just network with the right planners? Yeah, with the right planners. And then I think it's really just word of mouth now.
00:43:38
Speaker
Congratulations. You freaking that's amazing. Oh my God. It's so different like that that type of clientele. It's so different and like the my favorite thing about it is that like there's not a single bad picture because like you said it takes a village and so everything is done like so beautifully set and you just have to document that and then document you know the couple obviously
00:44:06
Speaker
but it's just nice to have this team environment where everybody's contributing equally with their artistry. I just love it so much. Wow, that's crazy. So are you still doing a lot of branding photos too for people? I am not doing that anymore. That's something that I realize I don't really enjoy as much. Once I became a mom, I realized I felt more intrigued or like,
00:44:34
Speaker
more interested in motherhood photography. And so that's something that I'm focusing on overbrain. Yeah, I love that. I love like how me and you like evolve. We kind of
00:44:44
Speaker
We had the kids at the same time, the two girls, and I'm stopping, but you're still going. But I feel like we did a lot of different things, like studio shoots, branding shoots, like different mommy influencers. And then we kind of learned that our time is very, like there's not that much time. So now we've kind of honed in on like what we really like. Totally. And it's also like, art is such a fluid thing, right? And it's like so tremendous.
00:45:14
Speaker
Like it, it, like it involves with what you're going through in life. And so like what I found is when I became a mother, I was like, wow, we're goddesses. Like women are amazing. And I always knew we were amazing, but it was different when I knew what we were capable of and what I could create. Like we create human beings. Yeah. Beautiful one.
00:45:39
Speaker
Like, it's just the coolest thing. So that gives evokes emotion in me. And that's what I'm, that's what I'm more interested in doing. Because I'm like you said, it's a time factor to like, I don't want to waste my time doing things I'm not passionate about. That's so interesting. I love learning about you. I feel like it's like, Hannah, the artist, Hannah, like the military girl, and Hannah, like the mommy, and obviously photographer, but it's like, all of those things about you, like
00:46:08
Speaker
kind of make you this photographer that's shooting six-figure weddings. Tada. Yeah, when you stand like that, it's crazy. Oh, I love it. Okay, so lasting advice for wedding professionals and where to find you and if you have like, anything you want to offer the audience or like any, any just tips for for that. Yeah.
00:46:32
Speaker
Really, I think it's just knowing what you are good at and what you're passionate in and what your competitive advantage is and really mastering that. I don't think it's something that we should just leave on the side. I think it's something that we really tune into and know what your capabilities are and how far they can go in your career.
00:46:57
Speaker
Cause like I always hear like, Oh, I'm not interesting. Or, Oh, I just don't like, I love everything. Or like, there's nothing special about me, but I feel like everybody, like maybe this is cliche to say what everybody's special and unique in their own way. Like I took the military and transferred that to apply that to photography artistry. There's, there's always something that you can do.
00:47:23
Speaker
Oh, I love that. Okay. And then where to find you? Where to find me. So on Instagram, I am Hannah Cantona at Hannah Cantona. And then my website is www.hannahcantona.com. Yeah, my personal life, which is kind of boring right now, is at JustHannahQ. I know. I'm like, post more photos. I'm like, I want to see those cute faces and cute outfits.
00:47:52
Speaker
Oh, I love this conversation. Thank you, Hannah. Thank you so much, Carissa. It was so fun. Thanks for joining me this week on Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. Make sure to follow, subscribe, leave a review, or tell a friend about the show. Take a screenshot and post to IG. Tag me. Also, don't forget to download my free guide on how to become a lead generating machine. See you next time, wedding pros.