Podcasts about walid azami

In this week's episode, renowned photographer and director Walid Azami delves into the future of photography and the critical role of video in 2025. Drawing from his experiences with high-profile clients like Jennifer Lopez, Usher, and Mariah Carey, as well as major brands such as CBS, VW, and Pepsi, Walid shares invaluable advice for photographers aiming to thrive in a competitive market. Discover strategies to develop your unique style, build a compelling personal brand, and create multiple revenue streams beyond traditional client shoots. Walid also discusses the importance of embracing social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok to enhance visibility and attract clients through storytelling. Whether you're an amateur, semi-professional, or professional photographer, or someone looking to establish a photography business, this interview offers practical tips to navigate the evolving industry landscape.#photography #PortritaPhotography #WalidAzami******************************************************************SUPPORT THE PODCAST: www.buymeacoffee.com/camerashake******************************************************************JOIN THE CAMERA SHAKE COMMUNITY for the latest news and some behind the scenes insights:  www.camerashakepodcast.com******************************************************************Check out our sponsor: www.platypod.com******************************************************************THIS WEEK'S LINKS:INTERESTED IN THE LOFOTEN VIKING PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP?https://www.idavewilliams.com/trainingWalid Azami on the web:https://jakehicksphotography.com/Walid Azami on Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakehicksphotography/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/JakeHicksPhotographyJOIN THE CAMERA SHAKE COMMUNITY for the latest news and some behind the scenes insights:  www.camerashakepodcast.com======================================CAMERA SHAKE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE:https://www.youtube.com/camerashakeFULL EPISODE 243 ‘CAN YOU SURVIVE as a Photographer in 2025? with WALID AZAMI' IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON: YouTube - https://youtu.be/ubkun--IKFsApple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2Y2LmfmSpotify - https://spoti.fi/304sm2G FOLLOW US ONInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/camerashakepodcast/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camerashakepodcastTwitter: https://twitter.com/ShakeCameraKersten's website:www.kerstenluts.comKersten on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/kerstenluts/https://www.instagram.com/threeheadsinarow/

In the world of photography, every click of the shutter captures not just an image but a unique perspective, a story waiting to be told. Yet, the industry has often fallen short in amplifying voices from marginalized communities. Today, it's crucial to explore how we can empower photographers from diverse backgrounds, ensuring a rich tapestry of narratives that reflect the true diversity of the human experience. Visibility matters. Empowering photographers from marginalized communities involves actively promoting their work and ensuring that they receive the recognition they deserve. This can be achieved through exhibitions, features in publications, and inclusion in industry events. When diverse voices are in the spotlight, it paves the way for future generations to see themselves reflected in the field. In this episode of the podcast, I speak with photographer Walid Azami about this is not just a call for diversity; but as a commitment to justice, representation, and the celebration of the many stories that make up our world. By advocating for change, we can create an inclusive photo industry that truly captures the beauty and complexity of the human experience. The camera becomes a powerful tool not just for capturing moments but for rewriting the narrative of who gets to hold it and tell the stories that matter. Episode Promos Pixifi - CRM Software for the modern creative - https://nerdyphotographer.com/recommends/pixifi Let's Be Real Unposed Photography Prompts - https://nerdyphotographer.com/lets-be-real Manscaped - Save 20% and get free shipping with discount code NERDYPHOTO - https://manscaped.com Support The Nerdy Photographer Want to help The Nerdy Photographer Podcast? Here are a few simple (and mostly free) ways you can do that: Subscribe to the podcast! Tell your friends about the podcast - sharing is caring Leave a review for the podcast. Follow on Instagram - https://instagram.com/thenerdyphoto Follow on Threads - https://threads.net/@thenerdyphoto Follow in Tiktok - https://tiktok.com/@thenerdyphoto Get some Nerdy Photographer merchandise - https://www.teepublic.com/stores/nerdy-photographer If you're feeling extra generous, check out our support page - https://nerdyphotographer.com/support-nerdy-photographer/ About My Guest "I'm a photographer, director, and creative director. I've worked with people you may recognize like Usher, Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Ricky Martin, The NFL, Mary J Blige, Volkswagen, Target, HP Computers, and more…a lot more! I started my career by photographing weddings and family photos. I now oversee big productions, photograph for magazines, big brands, celebrities, and more. My biggest honor though goes to helping my peers do well!" Website: https://www.walidazami.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/walid.azami/ YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@WalidAzamiTV  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@walidazami?lang=en What Will You Do to Make the Photo Industry More Inclusive? Tell us how you plan to promote inclusivity in the photo industry. Just reach out to The Nerdy Photographer on Instagram, Threads, and TikTok. If you have feedback on this episode or thoughts about a topic we should cover on a future episode, feel free to send us a note or voicemail via our contact page. We look forward to hearing from you! About The Podcast The Nerdy Photographer Podcast is written and produced by Casey Fatchett. Casey is a professional photographer in the New York City / Northern New Jersey with more than 20 years of experience. He just wants to help people and make them laugh. You can view Casey's wedding work at https://fatchett.com or his non-wedding work at https://caseyfatchettphotography.com 

Welcome to Season 5 Episode 9 of Art Is... a podcast for artists, where we brainstorm the future of the art world and the creative industries.In this week's illuminating episode, Lauryn and Isotta embark on a journey to decode the art of strategy in both your creative studio practice and your online presence. Join them as they explore invaluable insights and strategies that will transform the way you approach your creative endeavors.Lauryn shares her coaching strategy that's bound to elevate your productivity and impact. Discover the power of honing in on just three results, the true "needle movers" in your work. Drawing inspiration from Brian Tracy's Eat That Frog, she explores the concept of tackling discomfort head-on to get things done.Isotta then takes the stage to unravel her story and strategy for sharing her creative work effectively in the digital realm. Learn how to find inspiration in your own body of work and leverage it for compelling content creation.Lauryn also breaks down her social media strategy, unveiling the profound connection between consistency and increased sales. If you've ever wondered how to make social media work for your creative business, this segment is a must-listen.They then go onto explore the anxiety created by thoughts of sharing openly in your creative journey and then getting taken advantage of. They discuss how to conquer the fear of being copied or exploited with a compelling clip from none other than Walid Azami, the renowned celebrity photographer and coach. They also dive deep into the transformative power of replacing jealousy and scarcity with an abundance mindset. Lastly, Lauryn and Isotta guide you through the process of creating a positive self-concept. How to identify your unique strengths, passions, and talents to empower your strategy for both creative work and business. This episode is your roadmap to strategic success, both in the studio and on the digital stage. Tune in and take the first step toward crafting your own creative strategy for lasting successTopics covered: Understanding how to create strategy in your work and in your studio practiceLauryn's coaching strategy: Focus on 3 results ie needle moversEat that Frog by Brian Tracy - get it done so you don't sit in discomfort Creating momentum in your workflow and setting realistic goals Isotta's strategy for sharing work online - the segments of her work and how she shares Drawing on work already done (ie artist statement or portfolio, presentation slide deck etc) for content creation Lauryn's social media strategy broken down, how being consistent leads to more salesExploring the idea of sharing openly, fear or being copied or taken advantage through clip of Walid Azami celebrity photographer and business coach for creatives Walid Azami's strategy for sharing his knowledge and teaching other creatives, his attitude towards people copying you, “if they copy they are always behind you”Competition vs collaboration and scarcity vs abundance mindset, racing down to the bottom of the barrel, elevating the field Replacing jealousy and scarcity with abundance mindset, “if this can happen for them this can happen for me too” Creating positive self concept- what are your strengths, passions, talents? To create empowerment in your strategy for your creative work and businessResources: Eat that Frog by Brian Tracy https://www.briantracy.com/blog/time-management/the-truth-about-frogs/Curated Splash Resources https://www.curatedsplash.com/blog Jiggle and Juice Resources https://www.jigglenjuicecollective.com/support-resources Walid Azami photographer and business coach https://www.instagram.com/iamwalidazami/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/walid.azami/ TASCHEN Publishing https://www.taschen.com/en/ Learn more about our partner ART MO: https://artmo.com/Follow along @artmo__Article about Isotta, Art Is… & ARTMO https://artmo.com/buzz/artmo-introduces-its-new-partner-art-is-podcast Learn more and read transcripts at https://www.artispodcast.com/Follow the podcast at @artispodcastLearn more about Isotta at @isottapage and see her work http://www.isottapage.com/Learn more about Lauryn @curatedsplash and her work https://www.curatedsplash.com/Original music by Black Wonder TwinsFollow them @blackwondertwinsDonate to the podcast https://app.redcircle.com/shows/375bbc0d-c052-4330-b73b-aad1ba5ed2d9/sponsorSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/art-is/donations

In this episode of the podcast, Ryan is joined by Walid Azami to discuss the business of video production. They dive into the importance of positioning oneself as a solution to clients' problems, understanding clients' needs, and how to approach pricing and sales. Key topics include: The importance of being a solution to a problem clients have or will have. How to stand out in a crowded market. The power of reaching out to people and building relationships. The impact of surrounding yourself with positive, idea-driven people. Key Takeaways  You should walk away knowing how to position yourself as a solution to clients' problems and stand out in a crowded market - and a little strategy you can use to compound the opportunities for new work that can have HUGE dividends. You'll discover the importance of reaching out to people, building relationships, and surrounding yourself with positive, idea-driven individuals. You'll gain insights into the power of being human, connecting with others, and making a positive impact in the video production industry. About Walid Azami Walid Azami is a photographer/director based in Los Angeles. Walid is a refugee from Afghanistan, he had always had a major interest in the creative/entertainment business and in photography. He started his photography career with singer Usher. Some of his work is the cover of RollingStone Magazine Italia with Tiziano Ferro. He has worked with people like Bob Proctor, Bernie Sanders, Perry Farrel, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, and Madonna. Walid has invested the last 7 years in helping thousands of photographers/videographers, teaching them how to build a business from scratch. In This Episode  [00:00] Welcome to the show! [03:55] Meet Walid [06:25] Walid's story [15:22] Race to the bottom [18:32] Starting from the ground up [19:13] Solution focused [19:40] Break trends [20:44] Reaching out [21:58] Serving people [29:16] Curate your circle [38:38] Overcoming self-doubt [44:10] Connect with Walid [45:42] Outro Quotes "Every time I post, every single time I write a blog, every single time I pick up the phone or I text or email a client, I have to answer one question. How am I going to be a solution to a problem they have?" - Walid Azami "Anyone that does that today is gonna stand out. I would not follow trends." - Walid Azami "I reached out to three people every single day. I'm an intense guy. So I wasn't allowed to go to bed until I learned, I learned one thing and I reached out to three people." - Walid Azami "The amount of money that will come your way is astronomical, astronomical. Good karma, good relationships." - Walid Azami "We have to reach for humanity. And man, there's something about people that feels good when someone asks about you and notices you and all that." - Walid Azami Guest Links Find Walid Azami online  Find out more about "S.T.E.P. Pricing" (the course for photographers) Follow Walid Azami on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube Links Learn more about the Onward Summit FREE Workshop Available "How to Consistently Earn Over $100k Per Year in Video Production While Working Less Than 40 Hours Per Week" Join the Grow Your Video Business Facebook Group  Follow Ryan Koral on Instagram Follow Grow Your Video Business on Instagram Check out the full show notes

In this episode of Architecture, Design & Photography we sit down with Walid Azami, Photographer and Commercial Director based in Los Angeles, CA. Walid Azami is a photographer & director based in Los Angeles, CA. He has worked with people like Bob Proctor, Bernie Sanders, Perry Farrel, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, and Madonna. For over 6 years, he has mentored the photography & video community with business education. Much of his focus was on marginalized populations, helping them increase their rates and book more clients. More from Walid: Website: https://www.walidazami.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/walid.azami/?hl=en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH51liqq0Va1M7zLnYlATqA TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@walidazami?lang=en More from us: Website: http://www.trentbell.com Instagram: http://instagram.com/trentbellphotography/ Podcast: www.adppodcast.com

Walid Azami shares his secrets to success in the competitive world of celebrity photography in Los Angeles

Walid Azami shares his secrets to success in the competitive world of celebrity photography in Los Angeles

How Walid Azami overcame the challenges of being a refuge to start and grow his photography business. Walid shares his experiences as a professional photographer – including overcoming the challenges of being an immigrant to build his successful creative business. If you are a creative artist, like a photographer, videography, makeup artist, hair stylist, or any other type of creative content creator – any business where you are turning your creative passion into a small business – then this episode is for you. Henry Lopez is the host of The How of Business podcast – helping you start, run and grow your small business. The How of Business is a top-rated podcast for small business and entrepreneurs. Find the best podcast, resources and trusted service partners for small business owners and entrepreneurs at our website https://TheHowOfBusiness.com

One of the most frequent question I see other photographers asking is "how much should I charge for my services or prints?" Pricing your photography can be tricky, no matter what genre of photography you are engaged with. As such, it was awesome to have a conversation with this week's guest on Episode 305 of the F-Stop Collaborate and Listen podcast. This week I had a blast speaking with Walid Azami. Walid is a photographer and commercial director living in Los Angeles and originally from Kabul, Afghanistan. He photographs celebrities, commercial products, and a lot more while offering his services as a coach and mentor to other photographers relating to business practices and pricing. On this week's episode, we discuss: Similarities between landscape photography and other genres as it relates to pricing and monetization. The biggest mistakes photographers make in relation to pricing their photography. Determining when monetization is worth pursuing. Strategies for pricing your artwork and services. Dealing with customers that low-ball you. How to differentiate yourself as a photographer in the crowded marketplace we find ourselves in. Advice for how to start thinking monetization of your work. And a lot more! Other topics/links discussed on the podcast this week: Support the podcast on Patreon. AirBnB Experiences. Walid's Course. Walid's website for photographers. Walid on YouTube. Here is who Walid recommended on the podcast this week: Sean Tucker. I love hearing from the podcast listeners! Reach out to me via Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter if you'd like to be on the podcast or if you have an idea of a topic we can talk about. We also have an Instagram page, a Facebook Page, and a Facebook Group - so don't be shy! We also have a searchable transcript of every episode! Thanks for stopping in, collaborating with us, and listening. See you next week. P.S. you can also support the podcast by purchasing items through our B+H affiliate link.

Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area. Walid Azami of www.walidazami.com is a celebrity photographer and commercial director based in Los Angeles. He got his start in photography by working with Madonna and contributing to her many projects. He realised then photography was going to be his thing. He [...] The post 493: Walid Azami – Photography business advice from a celebrity photographer appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.

The conversation around pricing has become unnecessarily complicated in the photography industry, and photographer Walid Azami is here to fix that! Listen in to this episode with Walid to learn how to simply establish pricing that not only makes sense to your clients, but also sets your business up for profitability. The Bokeh Podcast is brought to you by Photographer's Edit: Custom Editing for the Professional Photographer. You can subscribe to the Bokeh podcast on the Apple podcast app, follow on Spotify, add to your playlist on Stitcher, or listen on Overcast. Show Notes: Walid Azami's Introduction (1:24) What is behind Walid's passion for pricing? (5:48) At what point did Walid shift his thinking on pricing in photography? (9:36) What is Walid's opinion on package pricing vs. a la carte pricing? (12:08) How are packages more profitable than a la carte photography? (22:20) How should photographers build their package prices? (30:07) 1. Tier packages intentionally to push clients to the higher package 2. Put yourself in the client's shoes in order to customize for each client 3. Look for a "double thank you" How do you build trust with clients to that a customized package doesn't come across as the client getting "ripped off"? (37:30) Why should photographers break down pricing to clients? (42:20) What is the balance between charging a premium based on experience vs. providing less expensive photographic services because of the ease of technology? (49:21) What steps should photographers take to explain pricing (52:48) 1. Never defend your value, present your value 2. Take a bottle of water when presenting your pricing - share the price, then take a sip of water and let the silence do the heavy lifting 3. Adapt pricing to the economy 4. Maintain confidence in your own ability Links: https://walidazami.com https://instagram.com/walid.azami https://photographybusinesscourse.com

Hey Wicked Hunters,  Welcome back to the art of photography podcast with Stanley Aryanto. This week we welcome a celebrity photographer all the way from LA.  Walid Azami is a photographer & video director based in Los Angeles, California. Originally from Kabul, Afghanistan. He has worked with people you may recognize like Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Ricky Martin, Mary J Blige, Wendy Williams, Bernie Sanders, and many more. His work has been featured in magazines such as Rolling Stone, Glamour, Allure, and Teen Vogue. He's known for holding the client's hands through the entire time, creating dramatic images, and evolving the experience and creative process for everyone on set. He invests his time empowering the community of photographers, creatives, and visual artists with amazing business/life advice through his platform.  Platform: Website: https://www.walidazami.com/ Blog: https://photographybusinesscourse.com/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/walid.azami/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/WalidAzamiTV  Other ways to listen and subscribe to the podcast: • Spotify - http://bit.ly/twhspotify   • Apple Podcast - https://bit.ly/Theartofphotography   • Google Podcast: https://bit.ly/TheArtOfPhotographyWithStanleyAr   • Website: https://podcast.thewickedhunt.com      • Tune In (Alexa) - https://bit.ly/TuneInTheArtOfPhotographyPodcastWithStanleyAr     For those of you who want to learn more about The Wicked Hunt Photography by Stanley Aryanto: • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewickedhunt/    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewickedhunt/  • Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/thewickedhunt/  • Photo prints: https://www.TheWickedHunt.com/ Don't forget to leave a review on the podcast if you enjoy this conversation. It would help us to get found and help to inspire other photographers.  ------------------ Transcription: Walid Azami  0:00   value yourself. Because without your work, you can't launch pretty much any industry without the work of a photographer. Without a photographer capturing those, the community will never know who you are what the food looks like, that's photography, that is the value of what we do. Now, we, you need to charge for that, because what you're doing is they're not doing you a favour by calling you you're doing them a favour by lending your talent. Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  1:37   Welcome to the Art of Photography podcast, how are you? Walid Azami  1:43   I'm good. Thank you so much for having me that I have really appreciate it. Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  1:47   Yeah, no, it's, you know, I love you get in touch and I look at your prom, your profile your portfolio, and I was just intrigued. So it's a lot of my audience, or a lot of my guests are, you know, from the travel landscape, and I have a few people from portrait, but you know, never from the celebrity niche. So this is really exciting for me, I never, you know, know what's going on in there. So I have a whole lot of questions for you. Walid Azami  2:15   Awesome, awesome. Well, hopefully they accept it. And I know that they will. But like, you know, it's something new for the photographers that are accustomed to hearing your podcast. So, you know, maybe maybe we'll all learn a little bit Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  2:27   100% 100% I mean, you know, me myself, I do a whole lot of genre of photography. And I know there are a lot of landscape photographers out there who also love doing portraits, fashion and so forth, right. But we just have like the main thing, which was, you know, landscape or astral photography. So, this definitely will apply to everyone. But before we get started, give us a little bit introduction about who you are, what's your background, and you know, just a little bit about how the audience can get to know you better. Walid Azami  3:02   Sure, I'd be happy to thank you. I'm number one, my name is Walid Asami. So I'm in Los Angeles. And, as you mentioned, yeah, I do a lot of celebrity, but I also do a lot of commercials and big brands, domestic and international. And I've also started to branch out to directing music videos and commercials, and now creative directing, too, and then also mentoring photographers in their careers. And I'm very interested in landscape photography for what that's worth too. But I've been shooting for maybe about 12 years. And it's been a very rough road. I think, like most photographers listening to this podcast, but I just, you know, my goal has been for the past six years, still continuing my photography career, but then really designating a big chunk of that, I would say, almost like a third of my energy into making sure my peers do well, too. And whether it's from my mistakes, or my big accomplishments, I think there's something that I can teach people and make sure that nobody ever takes advantage of photographers, and that they do well, and that they get the compensation that they deserve to. So that's pretty much a little bit of a lowdown on me. Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  4:16   That's incredible. Yeah, that's love to hear that, you know, I think, you know, as a photographer, it's really important to, or as an artist, I shouldn't say photographer, because this apply kind of on the board is that we are we are stamped with this notion that you know, it's we can't make money from photography and you know, it doesn't produce it doesn't make a living basically, you know, like the starving artist mentality. And we know that it's not true. Because you know, like, there are so many different photographers already have made it and there is a lot of mentality I think behind that. So I was curious, are you were you I'm born in grew up in LA itself, or what's a little bit of your personal background? Walid Azami  5:08   Um, no, definitely not raised? Well, I guess somewhat raised in LA. But I was born in Kabul, Afghanistan. So I'm a total war baby. And that sense, refugee, and America never took a photo class in my life. Never ever, like not even one class. One time, actually. I did at the junior college, take, like, try to take an intro to photo class, but I'm on week number two, I quit. Because the way that they were moving at that speed, and I just thought was like, Oh, my God, you want to tell me about the history of this. I just want to know how to do it. And so I just didn't show up anymore. Terrible student in that way. But yeah, that's my background. So I didn't come from a family that had photography and its blood, I didn't have any special connections. Just a lot of hard work some luck, and lots of hard work again. Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  6:05   That's incredible. And so what did you you What did you study in, in, in college or university? Where did you get into or you ever go into college and university or you just throw yourself through into photography right away? Walid Azami  6:20   No, I was going to actually become a teacher. And not because I really, really wanted to be a teacher, I actually think it's the most important job in the world I really do. Besides being a good parent, is that but my mom was a teacher, my aunts were a teacher, my grandfather was a teacher. So really, that does run in my blood. And I think that was the most, at least on paper, like the most free job like the freeing, liberated, independent job, it's really not these poor teachers, they have to work, especially in America, it's really hard for teachers. But my, my, I was a history major. And then my specialty was the Israeli Palestinian conflict. So I just became obsessed with that story, and really dug deep into that one. And then after that, I ended up working with Madonna right afterwards, completely different 180 degrees. But I will say, though, that my history was what really helped me excel in that office, because Madonna would be, hey, we need we need to research this one thing for the World Tour. And people could not research. I don't know why people couldn't research and I was like, just wait, just wait, I'm about to kill you guys with like, the 17 books I pull because of this, you know, so it helped me in that sense. But no, I never study photo, that is incredible kind of fall in my lap. Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  7:51   What is story? You know, I think this is what, actually, you know, just the other weekend, we went for a catch up with a few friends. And he mentioned this notion that, you know, everything we do in life is an admin at administration to get to what we want to achieve. And this is exactly it, right? A lot of people nowadays, especially with the instant gratification, we we don't want to put into work, we don't want to do this admin and we just wanting to get the result. But without this administration work, you're never gonna get there because you won't have enough information knowledge. And this is a really good, great demonstration of the day just show that you know, you the the study that you did have nothing to do with photography, but yet, it is what opened you to the world of photography. Now. I'm quite interested. How did you come across Madonna though, like, you know, like the teachers? Were you working for her? Or you know that because that's a pretty different niche. Right. So that's interesting to hear. Walid Azami  9:02   Yeah, I know. And I know that when I say that a lot of people are like, Well, great. Somebody, somebody just opened the door for him and and lucky kid at the time, and you know, and life was just easy. It actually wasn't easy. And here's the thing is that now I had, and I still do a small list of people that I really wanted to work with. One was like director, documentary director, Michael Moore. Another was Bill Clinton. Not not not anymore, though. But just like at the time, it was important that was like, I really want to work with this guy, because I thought he was going to make a lot of positive change and everything. And there was some other people too on that list. But on that list was Madonna. And why I really, really liked her as because visually, I was a fan of every single person that she ever brought on her team. And I watched because if you think about you know her age Now watch the world likes to make a really big deal out of her age. But the last I don't know, like 40 Somethings, 30 Somethings, 20 Somethings, 50 something, even 60 something, they all have a significant part of those younger years, with her being the soundtrack, Michael Jackson, you know what I mean? Like you to some of these people. So I had a chance to really watch her, break the mould and everything. But all that to say that she was always on my list of people that I wanted to work with. And I am I will say that of course, I worked really, really hard. My parents taught me a lot of hard work and honest hard work. But I also very, very much subscribe to manifestation and law of attraction. And so I, you know, I Okay, I'll say this, socially, I'm supposed to say, Oh, my God, it was such a surprise. But it wasn't. And neither was like, some of the other people that I work with because I, I am such a good manifester that, I don't know, I've always just knew is going to happen. Is that crazy, but it's just how that happened. And it's not just Madonna, it was like, Bernie Sanders was like that, like, Jennifer Lopez was another one. Like, it doesn't have to be like a long time being it's like I really, really focused on it. I mean, where is my, it's not here at my desk right now. But I I journal, like, several times a week, like a script. And I kind of write like a make believe of things that in this world that hasn't happened yet, but I believe that they've happened like in a parallel universe. And I, so I always played with manifestation. So so she was on that list. That's a very long answer, but I'm sticking with it. Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  11:55   No, that's incredible. I love that. And it's, it's a couple of things that I have a question with, based on what you're told me is the first, you know, you have a list of people that you want to work with. And I was, I'd love to know, what makes you what makes them to be on your list, what make you want to work with, you know, work with them, basically. Walid Azami  12:23   No one's ever asked me that question before. So thank you. And I never even thought about that, really, until you just asked that question. I really admire people that want to change the world, even if they've negatively accidentally made like a really, but people that impact like, that's one thing to be on stage and to go, Oh, look at me with beautiful lights and beautiful costumes and all that. But it's another but how many artists do that now. I mean, there's a lot of artists that have incredible shows. But how many of them change culture. And I don't think any of them really have changed culture in that capacity. Michael Jackson will be another one. You know, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, these people change culture globally. And so that I admire that like some of the people that I've worked with, like Bob Proctor is an author, he's become like the father of like law of attraction, he changed the way and entire culture, he introduced law of attraction to so many people, now, the world is catching on to it, at least the Western world finally is catching up to so to me, anyone that wants to change, make an impact, I'm always going to be a huge fan. Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  13:37   That is incredible. You know, I think I'm a big, big believer on purpose in life and finding that you know, the purpose and not just, I mean, it's also important to do stuff that, you know, just doesn't have purpose. But at the end of the day, you know, we want to look back at our life and see what we've done, you know, how far we make a change, whether it's true, the smallest thing, you know, in our life, or the bigger thing, but you know, that what you've done is very important, right? Being able to push that positivity to the world. And basically, you know, expose them to your photography and the way you story child to that. So that's incredible. Thanks for sharing that. Walid Azami  14:24   Thank you for asking that. I think even you know, like, if I can just even add to that. It's like, yeah, it doesn't have to be celebrity doesn't have to be like a big, big author. It could be like, for example, you have large part of your audiences, like they're landscape photographers, but if you are exposing that landscape to the world, and you're able to show the beauty of a place that people normally may not have thought about, that's like a huge service, they think you've added to mankind Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  14:51   100% And you know, like it's, one of the things that I do in this podcast is not having people that have big followers or You know, like they are famous, but also people who just have really get great inspiring stories. And like you say, that's really important to like, just spotlight them right. Now, the second question that I have based on your previous answer was like, it's really interesting how you brought up manifesting and journaling and all this stuff, right? And I know there's a lot of people out there that literally it's like, you know, this is this is, you know, a bullshit basically is like, Oh, I've been doing this forever. I say, it's like, I want to get rich, I want to get rich, I want to get rich. But yeah, here, I am still not selling a single print. Right? So, right, give us a little bit insight of how you manifest and how you manifests in a way that you can actually make what you've think about or what you've manifested, come through. Walid Azami  15:58   Give me Give me an example of that. Or, like, oh, do I do it? Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  16:02   A little bit of both, as I suppose you can give a little bit example, or actually give us? Yeah, just like how, like, how do you do it? What's the difference between those people whose who have manifested, but haven't made things come through from their manifestation? Walid Azami  16:20   Sure, um, well, I think that what it is, is that I'll start off by by saying this, there is something bigger than us. And it doesn't matter what you believe in what religion or if you don't have a religion, there just has to be something bigger than you. And that's where I really, I just hope that everyone that is listening to this podcast, is like, they believe there's nothing whether you call it God or energy, or Buddha or Allah or Mother Nature, whatever it might be. So there's something running this whole show. But the other thing too, is I don't have a course I don't have a book, I don't have an ebook. I don't have a workshop and manifestation. So when I see this, there is no gain for me. But just to see our hopefully, one day see how it benefited someone's life, if they've, you know, heard it. So much of my success has come from Law of Attraction manifestation, they kind of overlap, a way that it's about feeling. That's the biggest thing. So I used to be one of the worst students you will ever meet. But I was one of the best daydreamers in class, I would sit there, and just daydream. But what I didn't know is that as a student in the public school system of America, I was failing, I wasn't failing, because I knew how to play the game and turn in every homework, and every extra credit and everything. I wasn't the best student, okay, but I had personality. And I would, like try to charm the teachers and everybody and just try to be funny when I could, and all that. But what I would do is spend an immense amount of time, an immense amount of time daydreaming to the point that I don't even remember sitting in the classroom. And I just was like, Oh, my God, oh, my God, I have to like now be friend a nerd. Because I didn't I have like two blank pages. And they have two full pages, front and back. Right? So and I'm like, hey, everybody come to my house this weekend. I'll get pizza, let's compare notes, you know, and try to figure this out. But in that process, I didn't know what I was doing was manifesting, I was truly feeling what it would feel like to do this. To the point to the point that one of my one of my fears, I remember consistently in high school was, okay, so if I get an award, if I get invited to an award show for a music video, and they only give me two tickets, like who am I going to invite like, I used to sit there and worry about it. And it was a really real, real fear. But I did get nominated for for Soul Train Music Video of the Year, I did only give, you know, I only had one ticket. My horrible agent at the time used it and didn't tell me about it. But that's a separate story. But it's like it comes. So true. I guess. Okay, so your listeners are like, Yeah, okay, great, great work for you. How do you do it? One thing that I do is called scripting. And scripting is like, Oh man, where's my actual journal somewhere in a bag or something? But I sit down for maybe 15 minutes, and I'll sit at a desk I'll go in a coffee shop just somewhere comfortable and I will write five things. So this is like truly Okay. Five things that I already have in my mind. I may not physically have At the moment, but it is coming for me it is coming to me. And so I'll write five things. And I will write, I'm so grateful that blank, I'm so grateful that five times, then I will take those five things. And then write almost like a like a journal like a diary, journal, one, two pages, something like that. And then I will use those five bullet points in a story as if it already happened. So for example, I might say, I'm so I'm so grateful now that I finally have the beach house that I wanted three levels on the side of a hill, not across the street, but the side with the ocean, right. And then I'll just say I have that. But for me to really believe it to really feel it. What I will do, then as all after I list those five bullet points, and I'll write like a journal. And I'll say, I'm so thankful now that I finally have my beach house that I wanted. And it's amazing. It has like the Spanish tiles that I really like, which makes it very uncomfortable in the winter, because you have to wear socks all the time inside the house. But but in the summer, it's amazing. And the only part I don't like is when my friends come over, my family comes over, and then all the footprints are there. And I have to mop it up afterwards. But I'm so thankful I've that many people in my life because we get to go downstairs down the grace steps made of wood to the ocean, and we get to swim and come back up to my house and barbecue. Like I write exact things, right. But then I'll actually I'll write those five things as if it happened that day. So I'm so thankful my parents could do it. And I'm thankful my sister brought my nieces too. And they got to, and I'll just sit there. And it's actually kind of sounds dorky, but it's actually fun for a minute, and you're just pretending you have it. And the idea is that you write it until you feel it. And then you just leave it alone. I will say I'll give you one quick example. Because I know you have other questions too, is here's an example of scripting, just one of many that have worked out for me. And the past three years, I had a job where I was photographing for a new startup clothing line. And the owner decided to decided to go to Bali, and go on vacation. And, and that's amazing, right? Amazing for you. But if you have a brand new company, why would you leave all of us alone for your first ever photoshoot? Very bad decision as a CEO, it was a disaster. The lady at his company had designer awful the the agent for the models complained and said, We never want to work with her again, the models complained, I complained the assistants all separately complaint and I told the CEO of this company, you know, I, I really like you. And if I didn't tell you everything that happened, I would never be a good person, a friend to you. And I kind of missed the beginning of the story. But the beginning of the story was basically that I wanted to still do photography, I still want to direct but I wanted to start creative directing. I wanted to work from home and I wanted to work maybe 15 or 20 hours a week. That's it. I didn't want to go to anyone's office. But I wanted people to start trusting me as a creative director, the shoot now the shooting happened in real life. It was a disaster. So I told the CEO how bad it was. And then he's like, I appreciate you telling me everyone else kind of complained and said she was awful. And then I sent him the pictures. And he called me like the next day or so. And he said, you know Walid, considering everything you said, considering everything everybody else said. These pictures are phenomenal. And you guys were up against a lot. And it's phenomenal. And I'm really curious, I have this weird idea. Just think about it. You can come back to me a different day and think about it. Would you be open to being the Creative Director for the the startup company no more than 15 or 20 hours a week and you can work from home? That right there is an example that happened within two weeks of me writing it in my journal. Now I know all your listeners at this point are like, Who is this guy? This is? This is crazy. That's like one example. That's how I do it. It's about feeling and that's like one example of it actually working. Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  24:37   That's really cool. And I mean, I just remember I just got into Lena and this manifestation and meditation and I think the difference I mean if we take away you know, all of this spiritual aspect is it's all about making you believe in yourself. And you know, when you feel it, then you can believe that it already happened and therefore it's more likely that you will work towards, you know, I mean, a good example that I always use is like, let's say you need to get something from the grocer, and it's about to close in five minutes, and you're an hour away. You're never gonna make an attempt. Right. But if it's like five minutes away, and it's almost close, you know, in five minutes, I was like, Oh, maybe I could go really quick. Maybe I could not tell them. You know, it's that is the difference. It's the signal that telling yourself and that is, I love how you share, you know, the journaling, the scripting that is so powerful. Now, yeah, to segue back to, you know, photography. Yeah, yeah. This is really cool, right? Because most people in photography, you know, I know, like, most people gonna be like, What does manifesting have to do with photography? Most people in photography, they have some sort of goal, whether they want to make money of their photography, they want to capture, you know, a certain image. And I believe the only way to make that come true is to believe in the journey to believe in their in their self, right to believe that there is one day they will be able to get there so that they keep going. Now, that's it. I want to, I want to ask you a little bit from your experience and your journey. What are some of the hardest struggle that you have come across that almost make you give up this journey? That almost give it all away? And you know, take the easy route? And how did it all unfold for you? Hmm. Walid Azami  26:44   Well, your podcast is asking questions that generally other podcasts don't ask, which I mean that in the most complimentary way. So I appreciate that. What made me almost give up? Well, let me just be really honest. Not this past year. But there are good years and bad years. I think that a lot of times people are like, oh, did you almost give up? I almost give up three times a month. Not gonna lie to you. So if anyone's like, Oh, my gods like, so I'm not crazy. I'm not alone. Well, you were crazy, because this is what we want to do for an occupation. So there is a little bit of crazy, but it's like a fun, crazy, you know, I wanted to give it many, many times, because I think to myself, we need health care. And we need long term retirement and we need stable income. But then I also think to myself, like after you have like a mass, like you have a big win, that could be a massive job. That could be a beautiful photograph that you're just like, staring at it for a long time. The high of that. I don't do drugs. But I would imagine it's like the high that you would feel if you have a powerful drug. And then that right there pulls me right back into it. But the things that have bothered me, that have made me put the camera down, I've now decided to try to be an answer to that problem. So how people treat artists and photographers, well, no, we are photographers, artists. How people treat artists has really angered me how people treat marginalised populations. I'm sure it's like this around the world, but I just have experienced in America, they they make if you're a woman, if you're Brown, if you're black, if you're Asian, they make you feel that just having the opportunity is the paycheck don't ask for money. And so they add in their attitude and the what they say the microaggressions and everything. So for me, it was like okay, well, instead of giving up what a giant waste of my experience, what a slap in the face to all of the hard work that I've done. So why don't I try to be the anti everything that made me put my camera down, you know, because I did for eight months. I did stop photography. I did open a studio and I was like, Well, I guess this is it, you know, like, be thankful for what you've done. But you guys, it's not easy. If it was easy, every single person will be doing it. Who doesn't want to take photos and have people say oh my god, I love the way you see. It's incredibly special. Or, you know, or who you happen to be stumbling on this podcast or this particular episode and you're a filmmaker or you're a writer or what have you. Like it's an immense privilege to have people you know love the way you think. What was the exact question was how do I give up or did I ever think about giving up or none of those Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  29:43   so what you know like what what was the moment and how you get out of it? Walid Azami  29:48   Hmm. anger anger pulled me out. So for me, the anger was after eight months of putting my camera down and and manifesting nation. Okay, so here's, this is gonna take a little bit, but I promise listeners, it's worth it. Okay, so anger got me really upset when I said, Okay, enough is enough. And I'm going to make sure that I use my experience to help other people. So I started, what at the time, it was called How to photograph. Now it's called Walid Asami, on Instagram. And I was anonymously, helping photographers with tips and suggestions and pricing and marketing and copyrights, and lighting and editing, and all those different things. And I just was like, you know, what's going to happen, no one's going to take advantage of any of these other people. And I'm going to use that experience of the bad in the good. And then that account grew. Now we're like a 50, something 1000. And it grew and grew and grew, because people are like, what is this because it's like, legitimate information that's really helping people do better. And now my name is attached to it, just because it's easier, you know, and I want people to know, who I am and, and reference my work, you know, to weigh it against the advice. So it was one way that I beat it was just saying, you know, what, I'll show you, I'll show these record labels that no one can take advantage of photographers anymore. Also, these big corporate companies that you can't just bulldoze over people. And I'm going to make sure that I give my community the tools that they need so that they know how to get out of your name and get out of the way the punch back basically. So I've I have tonnes and tonnes and tonnes of screen captures that people are like thank you so much. Because of you have gone full time because of you, I was able to stop a situation. But the manifestation one, here's a, is it. Okay? If I go into one more example of that, because I want to give this gentleman Yeah, radish, who's no longer with us. But if you've ever seen the DVD, the movie, The Secret or read the book, The Secret by Rhonda burns, the movie is opened by a gentleman by the name of Bob Proctor. Bob Proctor is like the they consider like the father of law of attraction. And I was in my studio when I told you I was in my studios, it was rather large. And I I I had given up photography and the studio was the attic of an old grocery store. So me, I'm watching YouTube, and I'm like how to apply drywall. Okay, and I would just do it, how to fix electrical and I would do it how to fix plumbing and I learned everything off of YouTube. And then nobody really helped me and I was like, I stopped in the middle of all this. And I had to move into the studio because I put all my money into helping my family and I also got rid of my apartment so I can move in and invest in this business. And there were like boxes and boxes and boxes in there. And let me tell you real fast. When it was cold, it was colder in that studio. When it was hot. It was hotter in that studio. Okay, there was no installation, nothing. I don't know what I was thinking, but I did it. And so I was looking. I was looking at these boxes, all my personal belongings and I was like, I need to find the DVD for the secret. I just know there's a message in there for me. I know there's a message in there. And I don't know don't ask me why didn't decide to YouTube the video, it didn't cross my mind. I needed to find the DVD, okay, and then find my DVD player in one of those boxes. And I couldn't find it. And for three days I searched. I really really searched through everything that Mike who was here, you know when something is right there and you're like I saw it just like a week ago now I can't find it. And I gave up and I was like forget it. Just continue building the studio. So you can open this up and start making money. But that's what happens with manifestation you have to want something so bad. And then you have to let it go and release it. You know, and I did but I wasn't trying to manifest it. I was like frantically like it was literally a man at his wit's end. And, and, and I finally found it, or excuse me, I didn't find that I finally gave up when I couldn't find it. That day that I gave up. It was either later that day, or immediately the next day my phone rang. And it was a girl. Her name is Lisa. And Lisa said hi is Waleed there. First of all, I'm very private about my number. And and I was like yes, and she's like Hi, my name is Lisa. I got your number from another mutual friend of ours, and I've been looking for your information. I just found that we have a mutual friend. My boss needs new photos for new book new projects new everything. my boss's name is Bob Proctor. I didn't even know Bob Proctor knew I existed in this planet. Okay, or on this planet. I didn't Not No. Like, I had no connection to this man. And so, in the midst of all this, my students almost getting done. I was like, what I was just looking for his footage. And now his office calls me. And they're based in Arizona. And when he came, I told my producer, Matt, I was like, go all out all out, like make him feel like a king, take out of my money, take out of any department money, make sure there's beautiful flowers and like desserts and like just a beautiful thing, because I just, I was so nervous about this. And Bob came, so we shot some stuff. And the pictures are still being used. And they're widely used still. And I was by the window of the, and maybe Isabelle, my assistant can send these photos, I'll give her these photos to you. But I was by the window. And Bob and his partner, Sandy Gallagher, were in the hair makeup studio. And I was just by myself setting up the next shot. And Bob is a very airy, light, little walk, you know, like a much older man. And he walked up behind me, and he just put his hand lightly on my shoulder. And he said, You know what, lead I photographed with a lot of photographers in my life. And one of the other reasons why gave up too is because I thought I was no longer an artist, and my agent made me really feel like I hit it was gone, you know, that was just a machine. And so he put his hand on my shoulder, and he said, I've shot with a lot of photographers, and I gotta let you know, shooting with you is different. He's like, I, he's like, I've just the way you shoot, the way you see things, the way you direct things like I've never shot with anyone like you. And then and this was like in a YouTube video. So if anyone's questioning it, this has been timestamp many times over and blogged and everything. And he said, I just feel you need to hear this. But you're truly an artist. And so I had like this weird, perfect storm of like anger, I was like, I'm going to help these photographers, I'm gonna make sure that the industry never abuses photographers. But at this other time. At the same time, I was also manifesting literally, a one particular human being on this planet. And he called my office, and he came to my studio. And then he put his hand on my shoulder and said, You're an artist when I thought I wasn't anymore, so please, you guys, please don't dismiss law of attraction and manifestation. That was really the main point of that example. Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  37:40   Wow, that was a really great story. Thanks for sharing a long story. I get better at these nuggets. That's great. And you know, like, sometimes when you shorten it, you kind of miss the, the whole sense of it. So I think it's it was great. I love hearing, you know, a lot of photographers out there or? Yeah, I would say a lot of photographers stopped being artists, when they started trying to earn from their photography, right? I mean, yeah. I really don't know any photographers who got into photography, because they want to make money because there are hundreds other photography, jobs or other profession that is much simpler if that's what you're after. Most of the photographers who want to earn money is because they love photography. They love how that makes other field through the storytelling and photography. And they want to do more of that. Right? Yeah. So I feel like an AI. Don't get me wrong, I got there as well, you know, I actually hit a burnout. And that's exactly it's very similar to what you say is that I stopped being an artist instead, I was like about, you know, how do I make money, what people like, you know, what sort of photo photo that will give me the most likes on Instagram and so forth. So your message right there, I think it's just very important that you should never forget why you started, why you get into this business, that you are an artist and that is the thing that you know, make. What you do is beautiful, right? So thanks for sharing that while he that is, you know, a lot of message behind that story and a lot of advice behind that story. That is incredible. Now. So, you know you have turned into you know, from being an artist to making being able to make money from it and doing basically a job that you love. And now you take that a step further to contributing to other photographers and empower them how Help them to, to be out there in the industry without being stepped on. Now, one thing that I'd love to hear from you is how do people value themselves and their work, because I feel like as an artist who cannot get into whoo hoo, trying to transition or even who's been in the industry for a long time, as an artist, we love to get our story shared, we love to have our photography, you know, in this publication, and so forth and show our message and our vision to the rest of the world, right. And for that reason, I feel like a lot of us don't take don't value, monetary, monetary incentive as much compared to being exposed until we really meet the man and says, like, Well, man, I can't really make money from this, you know, this is not working out. Photography is not a good profession and so forth. And I feel like that's when a lot of people kind of give up. So going back to the question is, you know, despite all the feeling of wanting to share our work, share our story to more people out there, how do we value ourselves and say, Well, I do want to share this, but I also need to eat or also need a roof to live in? And how do you connect that to so that photographers who listening right now, whether they want to do it full time as a hobby or part time know exactly how to value their work? And, and sell as well as you know, offer their work to? Basically, you know, anyone like the audience out there? Walid Azami  41:56   Yeah. Great question. Well, I went on, I lately have been going on a huge tangent about this. value yourself, because without your work, and it doesn't matter if you do landscape or or commercial or portraits or babies or weddings, what have you. You can't launch pretty much any industry without the work of a photographer. Okay? So it's just not going to work. You can't launch a world tour. Without the photos. I just like did something for Tiziano. Ferro, he's about to go huge in Europe, about to go on a major world tour. That's my photo. He released an album this last Friday, two days ago. That's my image. He's on Italian TV shows right now, with my images behind him. Amazon has massive billboards all over Italy, like building size ones that we can send you, you know, copies of those. That's my image. You can't do that without my work. Right. Now, let's talk about what about the personal photography, because not everyone wants to do commercial, you can't tell family history, you can't tell future generations that haven't even been born. If the photographer didn't push the button and perfectly frame people. That's your value. You can't sell your grandma's favourite recipes in your restaurant that you've been working over. And like, you put the kids to bed and you pay them and put them to bed and you feed them. And then you go and you work on this little by little perfecting the recipes. Without a photographer capturing those, the community will never know who you are, what the food looks like. That's photography, that is the value of what we do. Now. We, you need to charge for that. Because what you're doing is they're not doing you a favour by calling you you're doing them a favour by lending your talent. Now let's look at okay, if you said a large percentage of your audience is landscape photographers. Imagine just the way you can represent a geographic area, the way you can represent places that people will go to like the amount of landscape photographers I get jobs with, let's just say unique situations, tours, like wildlife tours, like boutique hotels that just like you can't dress something you can't sell an expensive home anymore. Without beautiful portraits on the wall. The image behind you is as beautiful nightscape with the Milky Way galaxy and all that that you want it to pay money for that and hang that up on your wall. I don't know if that's a wallpaper that's truly your living room. So I just realised that could be a wallpaper but that regardless, it's someone's living room. And it's like we do so much. And even if you do landscape like you're literally selling serenity, your selling piece somebody wants to pay for your art put it up on their wall in their living room. They want to stare at it. They want it to be in the background of home videos and photos and everything. like that they want that art to be a part of their Christmas dinners and Ramadan dinners and Hanukkah dinners and everything else, you have a tremendous amount of value. The problem is that somebody told you a long time ago, that you can't love what you do, and make money for it. And that is one of the most criminal things ever. And then to make it worse, you believe that to further make it worse, you choose to pass it on little by little by little by little complete bullshit. And if you think about it, you should be able to put food on your table, have money for retirement, a vacation, love what you do, and make an impact and enjoy a full time income from it. Because I would say this to any photographer. What if you hated your job? Like, what if you hated your job? And I don't want to disparage any occupations? I won't name anything. But we all would hate to do something, would you charge for it? And they always will say, Oh, yeah, for every minute that I'm there, I will charge for it. So why do you want to get paid? If you hate something? What? Why can't you love something and get paid for it too. But people like me, that are yourself, you know, like with this amazing podcast, we can share our stories with you, we could tell you that we're able to do it, we can tell you that we want to help you do it, like knowledge on us, but execution on you, you have to believe that you have value. And Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  46:35   that is incredible. I love a few things that you say but the one thing that really hits me is the fact that we do the things that we hate and we want to get paid for it. But when it's doing the things that we love, we don't seek as much and that why not? Yeah, interesting. Yeah. I love that. I love that. That is great. So, all right, so Okay, now, you gotta look at you, I suppose, you know, coming through what you just said that, you know, we have to kind of step back and realise, what is this false belief that we tell ourselves, you know what it was? Who told you a long time ago that you can make money from what you love? Which which what you said earlier right? Now, okay, let's say we find that right? Okay, I know, there was this time and then okay, it's not true. Based on you know, the story that you tell that it's very true, you know, without photography, without artistry, life is boring, right? Everything is just black and white. It's just a plain wall with nothing in it. Right? So yeah. So you value yourself you value or your art, your art. Now, the problem that I see a lot of photographers come across is that, okay? Well, you know what, I valued this an X amount of money, and then you go to other, you go to your customer and say, Well, this is an X amount of price, if you want to have this beautiful piece on your home, and they will go like, no, that's too expensive. I was like, I could get an X amount of dollar, which is, you know, probably like 10% of the I could only pay 10% of that from somewhere else and you know, get the same amount of a feel, for example, and I feel like that is one of the problem that we come across in this industry is that we're continuously being compared with something cheaper, and we that really take away our confidence, right before it's like, man, like, I feel like this worth $1,000. But this guy told me that, you know, he only willing to pay like maximum $200. And you know, you saw it somewhere else for $200. How do you overcome that? And yeah, like, how do you go from there? Walid Azami  49:02   Yeah, that's a solid question. So how you overcome that there's two things that's going on here. And number one, you have not fully expressed your value to your client. Now you never want to say I am valuable. No. They're they are saying to a particular person, I only want to pay $200 for this because in their mind, no, you say your 1000 but I think you're only worth 20% of that you are acting like a heavily discounted item. Okay? So a lot of this is psychology. And I'll talk about in I talked about this in my step Pricing course secret to easy photography, pricing, and it doesn't matter what kind of photography you do, we break down what kind of like how you present your prices, what to ask the clients. How to analyse a situation. If they say this, you say that you know all kinds of scripting and everything your market value and all that. So what I would say number one is determine your value, it should be high, and then portray that to the client. So one example would be, okay, here's an example. I will have a photoshoot on Tuesday. And the client was referred to me. She emailed me through my website, I got the email. And I said, amazing, I kind of vetted who this person was. And then I said, Would you be open to having a phone conversation? Because I don't really just give my numbers out to anybody. And she said, Sure. And we had a zoom call. And I, I asked the questions that I teach in my course. But I also asked these questions. Tell me about you tell me how you want people to feel. Tell me about the goal of these images? Why are you doing it? Why did you not like the other one? What did you like about the past? Shoot? And what did you not like about it? And I built this entire thing, because I can't price something for you, if I don't know what you want. I'm not I'm not a vending machine where I'm just like, here you go two bucks. And that's it. No, what we do is the photographers, you are luxury items, but sometimes you behave like a discount item. So pause a little bit slow down and really get to know them in the process. She said to me, while either I've never had a photographer, inquire this deep about what was important to me why I was doing the shoot. And it really, really made me think thank you so much. That right there. I didn't have to say, hey, hey, I have value. Nope, I just displayed that in the kind of work that I do. Now, for example, if let's just say there's a big Airbnb, let's just say it's a mansion. And they have a lot of property and they want to bring a landscape photographer to photograph for them. You can just say, Oh, I mean $1,200 For that, well, what a disservice. Or you can say, what kind of clients would be there? Okay, what kind of decor Do you have? Like, what's your colour theme? So we're doing more of an evening light? Are we doing morning? What would the mood be is like hard sun? Is it like foggy? Do we want it to be songbird? We want it to be cheery, like all these extra questions, right? That raises up your value because they're like, Oh, she or he is not like any other person that I've interviewed for this job. That's the first part. The second part is that poor people hang out with poor people, rich people hang out with rich people. Both are wonderful humans. However, if you keep serving the audience that says I know you're 1000 But only have $200. They have cousins who believe the same thing. They have neighbours who believe the same thing. They have friends and co workers who believe the same thing. You are going to get stuck in this. What is that thing of the ocean that goes in a circle? If you're weak swimmer, it's like a whatever. It's like it's not a title. It's a it pulls you out. And Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  53:10   I know what you are correct? Yeah, that's right. Yeah, Walid Azami  53:12   yeah. So it's like this ripcord that keeps pulling you out. Or even like a hurricane, it just keeps spinning around throws you right back into the cheap people, the cheap people, the cheap people. Now, they deserve great photos too. But let that be someone else's problem. That's not your problem, dear listeners, okay. But if you decide to serve an audience that really values, the time, the expertise, your artistry, they hang out with people, they refer people to you, that have the same belief. So if you have clients being now I know, you're 1000, but I only have $200 $300, you are very much in the wrong circle. At that point, do everything you can to leave that little rip current that keeps pulling you in and go somewhere else. That's easier said than done. But oh, you know, like a really short cut way of saying it is okay. Where would your client hang out? Where would your perfect ideal client hang out? If you're doing let's say landscape photography, and you want to sell $1,000 for a massive print, I would really want to be at the wineries you know, and taking pictures out there and letting these people that can enjoy these these little weekend getaway vacations. See you with a camera and ask questions and see the work. Put yourself where they hang out. You don't want to go photograph outside of a Walmart parking lot. Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  54:42   That is a great advice. And I love how you give a lot of example for people at different niche and I think that's really cool. speaks a lot about what you probably you know, teach in your course because I haven't taken it myself so I can't really say to it, but yeah, that's Walid Azami  54:59   kind of what And over these landscape photographers? Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  55:03   No, it's really good. Because yeah, like, you know, you really bring it back, you know, your celebrate photographer, fashion portrait, but you really bring it back to like, you know that. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what sort of artists, you are the fundamentals the way you think is the same, right? And I feel like a lot of people get really caught up on that. It's like, well, yeah, like, you know, I don't know if that works for me, because I'm a landscape photographer. And like, well, I don't know, landscape photographers, are miniature photographers. And I feel like we we label ourselves. And instead of using that as a string, we actually use that as a weakness as an excuse. So I really love how you can merge all this together and say, Look, guys, it doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter what sort of artists you are, this still works. Right. So that is incredible. I love hearing that. And I'm sure the audience will get a lot of value for that. Now, one more question around around the pricing. Right. So excuse me, this is something that I also come across a lot. Is that okay? Well, while he, you know, it's really good advice. I agree with you, I need to get out of this, you know, current and retired and I need to go to where my customer. Right, right. But the problem that I have is that I need that money, I need that money to put my next meal on my table. Right? I need that money to, to pay for the rent for the electricity. I, I don't know, how long will it take to build, you know, all of this, right. And I know that that is one struggle that a lot of artists come through, they decide to bring their price down, they price down the price, the in hope to get that little money, just enough to pay whatever they need to pay. And I believe that is the origin of the belief that we are in that, you know, the broke artist mentality, basically. So what would you what would your advice? What would you what advice would you give to people who are thinking that way? And who are in that situation? Walid Azami  57:28   Sure, I think that that's important to say that is like the gateway to like, when it just starts spinning out of control faster and faster, and just keeps slipping out of your hand. And that's how you buy really cheap cameras, everybody from photographers who have given up and you buy it used, okay. But I will say this, I don't I wish I you know, that wouldn't be the case. But that's literally Hey, it becomes like a gravestone, or a graveyard of like people who gave up. Um, the one thing is, I will say this, if you're a photographer, I don't care what you photograph. Do not ever, ever charge hourly, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever. In fact, when like in my step Pricing course, you also get like a year's worth, inside this private Facebook group. I have told them that if I find out because I will Snoop because I do care about my students, that if I see you guys charging hourly, you're out of the programme out? I don't like it. Absolutely not. So that first of all, please don't charge hourly, everybody. But what do you do? Well, I'll say this. Sometimes you just have to put food on the table. And that's your only choice. So you have to do what you have to do and take care of yourself and your family first. Assuming you have a tiny bit of a cushion, okay, you have a little bit of freedom to be able to try something new. I don't, I would much rather you go deliver food for people and get tips. Rather than take cheap clients. Because it's a very, very small industry. If you work in fashion, everyone knows each other. If you work in documentary, everyone knows each other. And all that once word gets out that you are the cheap photographer. Good luck trying to find your way back to the top. It's kind of like in high school. We knew the people who were a boy, okay, we knew the people who were easy. And you can hook up with them if you needed to. And you know, the people who were like, Nah, they're not that type of a person. It's doesn't mean it's right. But it happens. And word gets out so fast. Everyone knows, like, you might as well get like this, like this tag on your forehead that says easy, cheap, free photographer, whatever. So don't do. I'm just going to use just for round numbers. Let's just say you want to charge 1000 And please, everyone charged more than that. But let's just say you want to charge 1000 And you're like I'm just gonna grab these $200 jobs and pay the bill. I wouldn't much rather you go deliver food, go drive an Uber, because at least what you're, what you're doing is preserving your name and your brand in the market. Because once you're the cheap one, good luck coming up, it's nearly impossible. I would almost rather say rebrand yourself, get a whole different business name, or go to a different market, you can start high, and you can find reasons to come down. Maybe it's a Christmas special, maybe it's like, favourite clients type of special Valentine's Day. Okay, and I'll give you an example of how you can charge cheaper and still win. If that scares you don't care what you do. Now, this might be a little harder for landscape photographers. But portrait, family, babies, engagement, modelling, restaurants food, do something called mini sessions. And mini sessions are such a stealth way of so many benefits. Okay, so let's just say you have a goal of $1,000 per photoshoot, please, again, everyone aim higher, especially if you're in the United States. But your goal is $1,000 Who's going to trust you as a snoo photographer with their $1,000 as we're going into a recession, so but you still need to grow your portfolio, you still need to grow your network, you still need to make some money. So what I would do is do mini sessions, Hey, you want to do family portraits, great book out at a time in a day and go to a local park and make it special for them. Bring bottles of water, bring your little boombox speaker play music have like little kits of like hair and makeup and hairspray and like the things that people do for their shiny skin that dab that paper, whatever it might be, have it fun, have some snacks, everything, make it an experience, people love to pay a lot of money for experiences. But instead of booking one client in one day and saying okay, I barely got one for $1,000. And that's your whole day. Why don't you do a bunch of mini sessions $400 each $350 each. And instead of one client, you try to fit like five or six. And you actually end up making way more money. You ended up getting more practice as a newer photographer, because you don't have to manage somebody for like five hours, you haven't for 45 minutes, you have way more images in your portfolio, because you have all these different faces. And you get to benefit from these people who so if if you were to take my family photo for $1,000 you hope that I put you on Instagram and I tag you. But if you were to put like eight 910 families there, at least half of them are going to tag you, you're going to enjoy the benefits of their network and it starts growing. So invest in mini sessions. That also means that if they can't yet afford your full rate, and they can only pay the mini session rate, then what happens is they get a little sample. It's like an appetiser at a restaurant you get a little sample, and they will save up. They're like oh my god was such a fun experience. We should do like a half day with a photographer next time, or maybe a full day. And that's how you grow your business. So like a tactical thing that I would do that never charge hourly, ever, ever, and make it an experience too. But if someone doesn't want to pay, you're in the wrong audience, go get another job and treat that other non photography job as an investor. So I don't care if you don't want to drive people around in an Uber. You just say cool today I made $125 That's the Think of Uber as an investor in your company. And now you can start saying, Okay, I'm going to now go sit at the expensive coffee shops and edit my pictures there so I can run into rich people. You can also find yourself a rich husband or wife that way to podcast. Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  1:04:18   That is great. I love that. I Walid Azami  1:04:19   love that how do people do it? How do people find their you know, their? Their sugar mama sugar daddy, they go to rich bars. Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  1:04:28   That is funny. And yeah, that's that's what a great advice and you know, that's that's just I think that will open up a lot of objections, a lot of doubts that people have, and it just goes to show how much value keep on your course. Right. But one thing that I do, I'd like to kind of follow up on that. Is that, okay? You talk about this notion of okay, go to where your customer is. hang up your ideal customer, I should say, yeah, just your customer, you go to where your customer, your ideal customer hang out and appeal to them in a way that they want to be appealed to, right? Because that's, that's what like you can't I think one way that you were, you put it earlier, it's like you can't, you know, dress all hippie and go to a high end place and try to sell people at the high end place for example, correct, right, you harassed to kind of walk the talk and basically be become one of them or you know, relate to them. Now, one thing that I like to get your, your response on is, once you do that, there is still this one thing that is difficult to break, right? To be able to put your work out there is trust, right? Well, yeah, they may come to you. And then you might you may be the dress and you know, walk the talk and talk to talk or whatever it is. And you go like, well, you know, I'm here and this is, you know, I'm looking fancy. And, you know, I'm this sort of photographer, but they look at us like, Okay, well, you know, have you ever sell, you know, for example, an art with the high end price? Or, you know, what's, what's the value and so forth? Right? How do they trust you? If you just got out of this riktigt you know, and you move into this? The people who just want to bring you down and you know, ask for everything for nothing to this place where people actually value your work. Right? How do you get that trust? And how do you get them to invest on you, and your art? For the amount or the value that you value your art? Walid Azami  1:06:58   So, so that I fully I want to make sure I understand how do you get people to trust you with their money and their project and all that, right? Stanley Aryanto - The Wicked Hunt  1:07:08   Correct. Oh, even if you if you just got out of this, like, you know, like, let's because you say earlier, like, leave this thing that like, keep asking for more but doesn't pay anything, you know, go find a different place. Exactly. Cheap town. Okay, we're going into a new city. So but you're nobody there. Right? You're nobody there. So how do you build that trust? How do you get that trust so that people invest on it? Because you know, that first person who believe in you really going to open up the doors, right? That yeah, gonna become your portfolio, they're gonna become your success story. But how do you get that first person to invest and belief in you? Walid Azami  1:07:49   Of course. Well, here's the thing, what I touched on a minute ago, which was many sessions, so you're new in a market and you're like, hey, normally I would charge let's say, $1,000 or $500. For this quick family Christmas card photoshoot? It's $150. Right? That's a fast way. And like a small investment for people to be able to give you a chance. That's the first one. And the second one. How do you get people to trust you as let them see your work? So walk with a camera? What like, like, people walk their dog, walk your camera, go to a coffee shop, put your camera right next to your laptop. Okay? Invite people for that. You know, they say like, Okay, if someone dresses very sexy, they're inviting. Eyes to like, look at them. If someone dresses very intimidating. They're inviting a judgement. So when you walk in, I'm not saying it's right or wrong. I'm just saying like, it happens right? When you like, it's kind of like the people that fly with their Louis Vuitton bags and like you are inviting theft for people to open your bags at the airport and start going through stuff. So when you go with a camera, you are inviting conversation. And people will ask, Oh, are you a photographer? No, I really have this giant thing for fun, you know, but and so. But people will talk and then they'll see. Get out of the house. Get out of as artists we hide in these little caves. Like as artists if you disappeared sometimes your friends and family may not know for three days that you have been kidnapped. Because we don't see the sun as much we sit in this corner and we stare at the monitor and we work and we work and we work get out and sit at a coffee shop. Go to a cafe and eat a little slower and do some work. Go somewhere. Go to a bookstore go like just be outside let people see you. If your ideal client let's say you're in a new year like okay, suddenly I'm the higher price photographer but what kind of photographer Are you? Are you As a family photographer, where do the families go? They you can be there too, and not be creepy about it, you know. So for example, let's say there's beautiful hiking trails by your house. And that's where people like to take their kids and their dog and they go, you go there too, and you take some beautiful photos, just enjoy nature be just be present. People will walk by, and you will start having conversations with people. Okay? So put yourself again, in the space that they want to be. The second thing is Wait, the exact question was, how do you get them to trust you is? Yeah, yeah, is word of mouth really, really is important. You know, nowadays, we can have the world's biggest stars say, Do you must buy this computer monitor? I don't care. I want to know what the photographer with 700 followers says about this monitor. That's what I really care about. So ask people in your life to help you. Most people. 1% are really terrible people, I will say this 99% of people are really good. They want to help you. They don't know how to help you. So they don't help you. Okay, so I'll say that one more time. 99% of people are really good. They want to help you. They don't know how to help you. So they don't. If you were to actually ask for

On today's episode W. Scott Olsen is talking to Walid Azami, a photographer and commercial director in the Los Angeles area, originally from Kabul, Afghanistan. This podcast is brought to you by FRAMES - high quality quarterly printed photography magazine. You can find out more about FRAMES over at www.readframes.com.Find our more about FRAMES:FRAMES MagazineFRAMES Instagram feedFRAMES Facebook Group

Support this podcast in return for exciting perks: https://greatbigphotographyworld.com/ Join our free online photography community to interact with this podcast guest, get access to fun photo contests, find inspiration daily, and much more! https://photographycourse.net/groups/photographycourse-net/forum/main-forum/podcast-guests/ How to Start a Photography Business is led by award-winning American photographer Krystal Kenney. Over 6 modules and 50 lessons, you'll learn everything you need to run a successful photography business from anywhere in the world. Krystal covers everything including website design, finding customers, marketing, and much more! https://photographycourse.net/course/how-to-build-a-photography-business/ In this episode, we talk about: - Walid's fascinating introduction to photography - Tips for working with models - What everyone should know about photography on a technical level & much more! Check out Walid's work: Website: https://www.walidazami.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Walid.Azami/  and  https://www.instagram.com/iamwalidazami/ YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH51liqq0Va1M7zLnYlATqA

Today I am joined by Walid Azami. Walid has photographed, directed, and creative directed for some of the world's biggest names like: Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, Bernie Sanders, Kanye West, Usher, Mariah Carey, NFL, Volkswagen, Vanity Fair, TeenVogue and more! For the past 6 years he used this experience to uplift the creative community and help them build a successful business! He helps them with marketing, pricing, building a robust business, and teaches them how to stand up for other artists and to trust their instincts. We talk about crashing a 100k car, trusting our instincts, how he got to photograph Usher, and so much more.To connect with Walid https://www.walidazami.com/podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This episode is gonna rock. Today I have the privilege to bring on my photography mentor Walid Azami to talk about his incredible journey of following his intuition and building an incredible career.I connected to Walid after hearing him on an episode of AskPat (a coaching podcast from Pat Flynn) an instantly knew this was who I needed to follow in order to build a photography business, not just take pretty pictures. That one decision has been a game changer in the overall JohnnyBoy Studios business, and the JohnnyBoy Photos pillar specifically.Sit back, tune in, get motivated, and enjoy this conversation I have with my Photo Mentor Walid Azami.Let's connect!JohnnyBoy Studios on YouTubeJoin my mailing list for more content delivered directly to your inbox!Join me on clubhouse! @johnnyboy_LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEWalid Azami - Professional PortfolioHow To Photograph - by Walid AzamiWalid's PodcastWalid on InstagramWalid on TickTockWalid on YouTubeSmart Passive Income Podcast Episode 350Superfans ~ by Pat Flynn (The book Pat mentions Walid)Let's connect! I'd love to hear from you.Subscribe on YouTube, join my mailing list, or send me an email!

How do you become an influencer and start a 6-figure business after hitting rock bottom and having no money in the bank? Despite having no proper training or lessons in photography, Walid Azami did not stop working hard and learning the basics of photography. His intuition had him pick up this camera to take to a video shoot. This led him to be asked to be the personal photographer for Usher, which then had him become a social media influencer while running a 6-figure business, working with famous music artists such as Kanye West, Jennifer Lopez, and Mariah Carey.

A few weeks ago a shared a conversation on Clubhouse with photographers Ben Von Wong and Tim Tadder and I received a lot of positive feedback. If you're not familiar with Clubhouse, it's new social audio platform. It's currently still in beta, so access is still limited. So grateful to be able to record a couple of these and share them out so you can listen in. Today I'm back with hosts Walid Azami (@walid.azami) and Mathieu Young (@mathieuyoung) in a Clubhouse conversation talking about creativity and my book Creative Calling. Some things we get into: We are the only species that trains the instincts out of our children. Inherently, we are creative machines, and tapping into that is key to not only success, but also more importantly, fulfillment Pulling the thread on the thing you know about yourself, whether it's inconvenient or not, you pursue it because you're following your intuition. Knowing when the burn the boats, but protecting against the downside Writing has been reborn in my life- radically important for galvanizing my thoughts, if you can't write it down in a way that makes sense to you, it's going to be hard to put that out in the world. Short term urgency, long term patience Seasons of life- we can't perform at the peak forever, the folks at the top of their craft take time to recover, heal, train and improve Once you find your thing, how do you execute? The creative challenges and tug-o-wars are universal- we all go through it. You're not alone. Enjoy! Have a question? Text me 1-206-309-5177
 Tweet me @chasejarvis --- Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times.

Recently I joined photographers Ben Von Wong and Tim Tadder, along with hosts Walid Azami and Mathieu Young on Clubhouse to chat about "Things Photographers Spend Too Much Time Talking About".  But this is not about photography widgets, lenses, and photo shoots. It's not even really specific to photography. This is about career choices. It's about following your heart. And of course - the title is tongue-in-cheek because it's actually about the stuff we don't talk about enough. Some things we get into: How to let go of goals that aren't serving us Short term vision vs long term vision Wandering off our path and how to listen to our intuition to weave back toward what we know we need to be doing The seasons of our careers and how to manage through the down cycles where we might not be firing on all cylinders So many good nuggets in this one. Please shoutout to @vonwong and @timtadder if you like what you hear. And if you're on clubhouse, follow me (@chasejarvis) and hopefully we can connect in a room very soon. Enjoy! Have a question? Text me 1-206-309-5177 Tweet me @chasejarvis --- Today's episode is brought to you by CreativeLive. CreativeLive is the world's largest hub for online creative education in photo/video, art/design, music/audio, craft/maker and the ability to make a living in any of those disciplines. They are high quality, highly curated classes taught by the world’s top experts -- Pulitzer, Oscar, Grammy Award winners, New York Times best selling authors and the best entrepreneurs of our times.

James Dantas e Thiago Mello trazem um papo bacana sobre consistência no Instagram. É preciso postar todo dia ou dá pra engajar seus seguidores postando menos? Eles comentam os experimentos da Squared Academy sobre postar 3 vezes na semana e a estratégia do fotógrafo Walid Azami sobre postar apenas 1 vez na semana. Coloque o fone de ouvido e aperte o play :) Siga o Mobgrafando: https://www.instagram.com/mobgrafando Conheça o nosso canal no youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfqPDCfdtPonLfk1UfL5ymQ Entre no nosso grupo oficial no telegram: t.me/mobgrafando Use o cupom "Mobgrafando" e ganhe 10% de desconto em qualquer acessório no site da @funnycamerastore: https://www.funnycamera.com.br --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/mobgrafando/message

You know when you have a conversation and you get full body goosies? That's what today's conversation was for me. We're diving deep into the value and the power of intuition with a very special guest. And the story about how this guest ended up on the show is really interesting. Walid Azami is a photographer and a director and he has worked with Madonna, he has photographed Kanye West, Usher, J.Lo and worked with some of the biggest brands and companies in the world. And his story blew my mind! My intention for this episode is that you walk away better tuned into your own intuition, so that you could make the best possible decisions for you and for your life and for nobody else. We've also put together a WORKBOOK for you with key takeaways and highlights from this episode. Go to http://sunnylenarduzzi.com/098 to download your free workbook. Let's dive in!   If you enjoy the episode, please be sure to take a screenshot and share it out on Instagram and tag me - @SunnyLenarduzzi and Walid @howtophotograph and I'll be sure to share your comments and big takeaways on my Instagram Stories as well.   Also, please make sure to give us a review on iTunes (or Google Play, Stitcher, Android, TuneIn, Spotify).   You can find the Show Notes for this episode HERE ____________________________________________   RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Download your WORKBOOK with key takeaways and highlights from this episode.   Walid Azami on Instagram   Walid Azami on YouTube   “Building Your Empire and Your Impact with Marie Forleo” (Podcast Episode 053)   “How To Get What You Want Most in Life With Marie Forleo” (Podcast Episode 081)   “Creating a Course that Sells & Cashing in on Your Story with Danielle Leslie” (Podcast Episode 090)   Sunny's Authority Accelerator Program. Wanna kill it on YouTube? Team Sunny is accepting applications now to work with us in a small group. Apply here to see if you qualify.   Sign up to my FREE TRAINING on How to 100x Your Subscriber Base and Double Your Revenue Using YouTube.   Sunny Lenarduzzi's YouTube Channel _____________________________________________ Say hi to Sunny Lenarduzzi on social: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunnyLenarduzzi/ Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/sunnylenarduzzi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SunnyLenarduzzi YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SunnyLenarduzzi Instagram: http://instagram.com/sunnylenarduzzi/   Sign up to my FREE TRAINING on How to 100x Your Subscriber Base and Double Your Revenue Using YouTube.   Listen to The Sunny Show Podcast here: iTunes Google Play Stitcher Android TuneIn Spotify  

It's the 25th episode of the Music Producer's Treasure Box podcast. Today we continue to look back at some of the highlights from the show so far during the conclusion of this two-part series ‘The Best of The Music Producer’s Treasure Box.’ It has been a blessing to discuss so many things with awesome upcoming musicians on the show and to hear from our guests when they get 'AHA' moments from the content. ----more---- In the episode, we hear clips from previous interviews with: King Kashmere (Gawd Status), Late Night Messages, DogmaBeats, BruceBeats, Walid Azami, Tai.Kun and many more. Music from the show is FERMI's track N!GHT L!GHT----more----Special thanks to all our listeners and cheers to the many more great moments ahead! ----more---- ||| Join Our Facebook Community: http://www.fermimusic.com/facebook ----more---- ||| FERMI on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fermi_music/ ----more---- ||| Get Your Tracks on More Playlists With MySphera: http://bit.ly/2MFzJbc  

Walid Azami dropped out of his teaching credential program and pursued his career in the creative space, particularly in the field of photography. Included in his photography portfolio are celebrities such as Kanye West, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Ricky Martin, Maria Carey, Madonna, and more. His music video work includes Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, and his video for Tamar Braxton received a Video of the Year nomination.    Walid is the creative director for growing brands. He is a public speaker. He teaches online courses to photographers globally and gives daily business advice via an assortment of online avenues.   What We Discuss with Walid Azami: Why he decided to drop out of his teaching credential program How he got down the photography path His internship experience with Madonna The power of asking for opportunities Using people vs.utilizing people and relationships How to overcome the fear of getting things started The importance of listening to your instincts Going on tour with Usher as a photographer     Like this show? Please leave us a review here -- even one sentence helps! Consider including your Twitter handle so we can thank you personally!

Walid Azami speaks about why it is good to follow your instincts and explains why it is important to know your camera inside out. Walid is a photographer & director who got his start by working with Madonna + Co to help create a multitude of projects under her brand.

Bonus content from our last regular episode featuring Walid Azami. Walid talks us through valuable insights he has made over-years of creating art and doing business on trusting your instincts including how he landed his deal with J.Lo.    You have to develop the ability to tap into your sixth sense - starting from childhood! So listen up, parents. When you are a creative artist that gut feeling and instinct you feel is of the utmost importance to tap into and have awareness of so listen in to this artists’ input on developing the trait despite common parenting practices and societal norms!   Walid’s website & portfolio: http://www.walidazami.com/ Walid’s @howtophotograph IG: https://www.instagram.com/howtophotograph/ FERMI on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fermi_music/ FERMI’s Chiptune Gameboy T-Shirt: http://fermimusic.com/shop Make Your Own Merch With Printful: https://bit.ly/2xUhUM3

Walid Azami started his career assisting and project managing for Madonna but has since shot for Usher, Mariah Carey, and Christina Aguilara (just to name a few!). Walid’s “How To Photograph” project started our as a clandestine, secretive passion project that was built to help fellow creatives (in this case photographers) learn the mindset that Walid has realized is a key to longevity and fulfilling success. ----more---- In this episode he chats with music producer FERMI on how you should always remember to value yourself and your creativity - never let someone force you to change who you are or to follow the latest trend. Listen to your inner voice and be true to you as you express yourself with your works of art!  ----more---- “There is an audience for you… and you would rather have 1,000 really devout people than 100k that don’t care that much about you.” So stay true to you and don’t chase the flavor of the month.   Why photographers who charge more and have a consistent style in their portfolio are probably ideal to work with compared to diverse yet bargain priced photographers.   Yes people are poison for your career - you need people that will tell you the truth about the projects they are working on with you and risk their comfort for the betterment   For you to not share your true self and your true artists is almost like you are stealing from the world and from all the people that NEED to hear and see your true message and true talent.  ----more---- Walid’s website & portfolio: http://www.walidazami.com/ Walid’s @howtophotograph IG: https://www.instagram.com/howtophotograph/ ----more---- FERMI on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/fermi_music/ FERMI’s Chiptune Gameboy T-Shirt: http://fermimusic.com/shop Make Your Own Merch With Printful: https://bit.ly/2xUhUM3

Personal Branding and Celebrity Photography I am discussing personal branding and celebrity photography with Walid Azami is an LA-based photographer who captured images for the likes of Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, and more... From his experience of working with legendary artists in the entertainment industry, Walid now wants to help future photographers share in the success and help them start their profitable business. Nathaniel SchoolerWell, it's great to have you, have you on the Build Business Acumen Podcast. And we're going to talk personal branding and celebrity photography today, because you are you are celebrity photographer. I know you're quite a humble kind of guy. But you've you've you've recently been taking photos of like, all sorts of celebrities. And you understand more than anyone how the personal branding kind of fits into the photography. And, you know, I'm just so excited to to hear more about it, really! Walid AzamiThank you. Thank you. I'm happy to be here. And glad we finally were able to schedule something. Yeah, I think personal branding is, it's what gets you into every single person's brain first, so I'm happy to talk about it. Nathaniel SchoolerI think from from a wording point of view, a lot of the people when they come to you, they've already had someone say. You know this is why you're amazing. These are the things that you do. This is what gives you credibility. This is what gives you authority, and this is why you're different, right? But for the people who struggle with that, I think that that's the problem is when they go straight into photography, and they don't brief the photographer because if someone comes to you and says :-"I want you to do some shots" You'd ask them some questions! Walid AzamiAbsolutely. Some people almost say too many questions. But I don't think that's such a thing. Nathaniel SchoolerOkay, so what what would you ask me if I if I came to you? And I said, right. I need some. I need some shots. Yeah, what would you ask me? Walid AzamiI think it's it. I love that you put it that way as I need some shots. I think it's kind of that's the equivalent of going into Russia and saying "I need some food and they'll start asking you, what's your diet like? What do you like? What do you feel like? You want warm food? Cold food? Walid Azami - in His Studio in LA We start breaking it down. Most people will come to me and say:- "Hey, I need some photographs for this upcoming record cover or my new fashion brand or whatever. And so I ask him questions that, I realise that when they come to the photographer at this point, they've done what they are a master in. And so they have an idea about photography, but they're not the master in it. So anytime somebody gives you an I call it their baby, as cheesy as that might be. But anytime somebody gives you their baby and says:- "Here, I've done the most that I could do with it. Now I need you to help package it together." I take that opportunity to lead the project. And so I will ask him all kinds of questions. So I actually had a call about a music video right before this. We talked about what do you want the viewer to see? What do you want the viewer to feel when they first see you on screen? What do you want them to walk away with after they're done experiencing your video? You know, do you want to be likeable/ hateable? Do you want people to envy you? Do you want people to relate to you? I mean, so many questions that a lot of times there there's long pauses because no one's ever asked them that before. But it's a good thing. And it makes them dig a little bit more. And then based on what they tell me, then we start constructing something. But until they give me all the ingredients, they know what they want, but you have to pull it out of them. And then we have everything we put on the table and say, Okay, here's what I'm getting. And then my expertise really comes into play as. Okay, well,

#350: Walid Azami transformed his life and business in just six months, and you can too! In this episode you'll hear two AskPat coaching sessions with Walid—a before and after—so you can get inspired by his journey. Podcast show notes available here: https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/session350

Today I'm talking with Walid Azami, who was featured back in Episode 1022 of the show. Back then, he was struggling with the idea of selling to his audience. He's come a long way since then: He's here today to tell us what happened and to get some advice on his next steps. Find Walid on Instagram or on his website, HowtoPhotograph.net.I'm throwing my first-ever live event next year, FlynnCON1, in San Diego, July 26-28! The theme is Press Start, and I'd love to see you there at this family-friendly event. Act fast before the rest of the tickets disappear!If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com.If you enjoyed today's episode and you love the format of this show and helping other entrepreneurs, can you help me convince others to listen too? All you have to do is leave a quick review and rating on iTunes (and subscribe if you haven't already). That would mean the world to me, so thank you so much!Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

This week I'm coaching Walid Azami, a successful photographer who wants to get out there and help others do the same. He wants to monetize his business through ebooks, courses, and coaching, while also building his following and staying conscious of his followers who might not have a lot of money. How should he proceed? Check out Walid on Instagram and at WalidAzami.com. If you want to be considered for a coaching session, apply via the form at AskPat.com. I haven't asked for this in a while, but if you have a minute it would be so helpful if you subscribed and left an honest review on iTunes. If you haven't done that yet please do so, and thank you so much to all those who already have left a review. I appreciate you! Today’s sponsor is FreshBooks, who make the best financial management software out there. It’s ridiculously easy to use and their interface is highly-visual and super-intuitive. You can actually get an unrestricted, thirty-day trial for free; just go to FreshBooks.com/askpat and enter “Ask Pat” in the “How Did You Hear About Us?” section.

Walid Azami has quite the tale to tell on this week's Artists Arguing.

R&B/Pop artist Alexa Ferr was born in 1995 and raised in Toronto, Canada. At just the age of 20, she has already made a name for herself, with media outlets globally coining her as the "Rugged Popstar!" With over 8 years experience in jazz, tap, ballet, hip-hop and contemporary dance, Alexa is also a triple threat. Alexa also acts as well landed an extra role in Disney's Camp Rock 2 alongside The Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. In 2009, Alexa flew to LA for a talent convention and was scouted by many producers, which lead her to fly back and forth to LA often to record her demo album. She then proceeded to record her first single, FELL, which she released under Universal Music Group/Dauman Music. The single featured Disney star Matthew "Mdot" Finley, who was also featured in Camp Rock 2. After success with her first single, in 2013, Alexa began working closely with production duo known as The Invaders and later released an EP entitled, LIPSTICK ON THE GLASS in September of that year, which caught the attention of renown celebrity photographer and director Walid Azami, who created Alexa's video for the title EP track. Since then, Alexa has also performed in various famous venues in LA such as The Viper Room and The Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, the Tiki Bar in Newport Beach, CA, and the famed House of Blues in Hollywood. Now 19-years-old and living in Los Angeles, CA, Alexa has been attending many red carpet events, and networking with some of industries biggest acts. Alexa recently released her first single for her new EP, NO GOOD, alongside songwriting and production duo, The Invaders. Alexa worked alongside director Blair Caldwell who shot the official music video for her single and released it November 20th, 2014! Alexa dropped a new single called "Saved A Boyfriend", which is available for download on her SoundCloud. She is currently working with a variety of producers such as Matthew "Mdot" Finley, Yonni Fairchild, as well as others in the studio and has plans to release more music in 2015, in addition to writing songs for other artists and working with other writers and producers.

R&B/Pop artist Alexa Ferr was born in 1995 and raised in Toronto, Canada. At just the age of 20, she has already made a name for herself, with media outlets globally coining her as the "Rugged Popstar!" With over 8 years experience in jazz, tap, ballet, hip-hop and contemporary dance, Alexa is also a triple threat. Alexa also acts as well landed an extra role in Disney's Camp Rock 2 alongside The Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato. In 2009, Alexa flew to LA for a talent convention and was scouted by many producers, which lead her to fly back and forth to LA often to record her demo album. She then proceeded to record her first single, FELL, which she released under Universal Music Group/Dauman Music. The single featured Disney star Matthew "Mdot" Finley, who was also featured in Camp Rock 2. After success with her first single, in 2013, Alexa began working closely with production duo known as The Invaders and later released an EP entitled, LIPSTICK ON THE GLASS in September of that year, which caught the attention of renown celebrity photographer and director Walid Azami, who created Alexa's video for the title EP track. Since then, Alexa has also performed in various famous venues in LA such as The Viper Room and The Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, the Tiki Bar in Newport Beach, CA, and the famed House of Blues in Hollywood. Now 19-years-old and living in Los Angeles, CA, Alexa has been attending many red carpet events, and networking with some of industries biggest acts. Alexa recently released her first single for her new EP, NO GOOD, alongside songwriting and production duo, The Invaders. Alexa worked alongside director Blair Caldwell who shot the official music video for her single and released it November 20th, 2014! Alexa dropped a new single called "Saved A Boyfriend", which is available for download on her SoundCloud. She is currently working with a variety of producers such as Matthew "Mdot" Finley, Yonni Fairchild, as well as others in the studio and has plans to release more music in 2015, in addition to writing songs for other artists and working with other writers and producers.