Photography Breakthrough System

7:41

Episode 62 - AI Is Changing Everything. But Your...

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/10/04

AI Is Changing Everything. But Your Creativity Still Matters.Welcome to the Photography Breakthrough Podcast. As we begin October, I want to talk about something I know is sitting quietly in the minds of a lot of creatives: artists, designers, writers, photographers, filmmakers, voiceover artists, and creators everywhere. It’s AI. And more specifically, it’s the fear surrounding AI. Maybe you’ve wondered: What happens to photography when everyone can generate an image? What happens to

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7:24

Episode 61 - How to Stop Fearing Rejection

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/09/27

How to Stop Fearing Rejection Speaker: Hello, and welcome to Photography Breakthrough Podcast. Speaker: Today, I wanna talk about a word that nobody likes, no. Speaker: No, thank you. Speaker: Not right now. Speaker: We decided to go in another direction. Speaker: We're looking for something different. Speaker: We'll keep your information on file. Speaker: Everyone knows what this feels like, especially those who work in creative fields. Speaker: You send an email. Speaker: You submit the

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7:26

Episode 60 - Stop Waiting to Feel Ready

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/09/20

Stop Waiting to Feel Ready Speaker: Wait, wait, no, I'm not ready yet. Speaker: Uh, oh, we're on? Speaker: Oh. Speaker: Today, I wanna talk about something that stops a lot of very talented people, waiting. Speaker: Waiting until you feel ready. Speaker: Waiting into your work is better. Speaker: Waiting until you have the right tools, waiting until you have more money, waiting until your website is perfect, waiting until you have enough followers. Speaker: But there's a bigger one

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8:41

Episode 59 - What If They Hate It The Courage to...

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/09/13

What If They Hate It? The Courage to Create AnywaysSpeaker: Fear, Courage, and Creative Breakthroughs Speaker: Hello, everyone. Welcome back to the podcast. This is your host, Matthew Jordan Smith. I want to welcome you to the Photography Breakthrough Podcast. And today, I wanna talk about fear. Not the kind of fear that comes when you're physically in danger. We all know about that Speaker: And maybe right now you're, you're feeling fearful about things that are happening around in the

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19:50

Episode 58 - The Photographer’s Gaze and Represent

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/09/06

Speaker: Hello and welcome back to the show.Speaker: I'm photographer Matthew Jordan Smith Today we're going to talk about representation Today we're gonna talk about representation, race, power, and the photographer's gaze Let me begin with a question that every photographer should ask. Speaker: Who has the power when a photograph is made? Speaker: If we think back in history to images that we can all relate to right away, or many of us anyway Like the picture of the napalm girl from

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13:35

Episode 57 - Seeing is believing

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/08/30

Speaker: A few months ago, I did a shoot with a friend who came to visit.Speaker: The first time I photographed her was about 20 years ago, and back then, we had a lot of fun. Speaker: We used an incredible makeup artist. His name is Samuel Paul. Speaker: He is truly an artist, a painter who is also an incredible makeup artist. Speaker: Back in the day, we'd come up with incredible ideas, and no matter how crazy they were, he could make them happen. Speaker: He could paint a butterfly on a

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22:10

Episode 56 - Human Reality vs AI Image Production

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/08/23

Speaker: Welcome to the debate. You know, when we look at an old silver gelatin photograph, we instinctively trust it as a sort of physical fossil.Speaker 2: Right. Yeah, like a tangible artifact. Speaker: Exactly. We assume a physical law occurred, right? Light from a real sun or a real flashbulb bounced off a real physical object, passed through a piece of glass, and burned a permanent record into a chemical surface. Speaker 2: Mm-hmm. Speaker: It is essentially a physical footprint of a

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20:34

Episode 55 - AI DEBATE_Does Photography Require...

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/08/16

Speaker 1: Welcome to the debate. Speaker 1: So I want you to imagine you are walking along a beach, right, early in the morning, and you find a solitary footprint in the wet sand. Speaker 2: Mm-hmm. Classic scenario. Speaker 1: Right. In that exact moment, you have this absolute proof, undeniable physical evidence that someone walked there before you. Speaker 1: The sand was physically displaced by the weight of a foot. Speaker 1: You're looking at a mechanical record of a literal

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16:10

Episode 54 - Is A.I. Really Photography Part 2

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/08/09

Speaker: Welcome to the Photography Breakthrough Podcast.Speaker: I'm your host, Matthew Jordan Smith, and this week we're diving deeper into the AI conversation. Speaker: Last week, we went into Part One. Speaker: This is Part Two, going deeper into the AI conversation as it deals with photography. Speaker: This is a big one, and it deserves more than just one episode. Speaker: We'll start today with this question: Is AI, as it relates to photography, simply just another tool? Speaker:

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16:04

Episode 53 - Is A.I. Really Photography

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/08/02

Speaker: Today's topic is one that I never thought we'd be talking about. Speaker: If you're listening to this podcast, I'm assuming you're a photographer or like photography in some way, shape, or form. Speaker: So, think about some of your favorite photographs. Speaker: What if those images were never created with a camera? Speaker: Today, we're diving into AI-generated imagery. Speaker: Are they really photography? Speaker: Now, this may be the biggest debate happening right now in

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11:11

Episode 52 - Summer Mojo Reconnect and Move Forward

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/07/26

Summer Mojo_Reconnect and move forwardSpeaker: Have you ever heard that Stevie Wonder album, Hotter than July? Well, here we are, the end of July And summer can do something strange to your energy. The days are longer But somehow you feel slower. The sun is out But your motivation sometimes can feel hidden. People are traveling, clients are distracted, schedules are different, routines fall apartSpeaker: And if you're a photographer that's trying to run a business, summer can start to feel

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49:33

Special Episode - Special Interview with artist Louie...

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/07/23

Special Interview with artist Louie JonesSpeaker: I want you to put yourself in a very specific, deeply uncomfortable room for a second.Speaker: Just picture it.Speaker: Okay, I'm here.Speaker: You are sitting at a desk or you know maybe standing at a workbench and right in front of you is this passion project.Speaker: Oh right, we've all got one of those.Speaker: Exactly, it could be the first draft of a business plan you've been just agonizing over or a piece of code, a novel, maybe a

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7:19

Episode 51 - Fixing the Client Consistency Leak

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/07/19

Fixing the Client Consistency LeakSpeaker: There is one word that has quietly killed more dreams than failure ever has. That word is later. I'll fix my business later. I'll get back to you later Speaker: I'll take that course later. I'll watch that YouTube video later. Later sounds responsible. Later sounds calm Later sounds like you're not saying no. But most of the time, later is just fear dressed up as patience Speaker: If you join me on the Client Consistency Audit Speaker: You already

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8:31

Episode 50 - Client Consistency Audit Live Invite

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/07/12

Client Consistency Audit Live InviteSpeaker: Hi, and welcome back to the podcast. Tomorrow is the big day. Tomorrow, I want you to bring your numbers, not your perfect answers. Tomorrow, I'm going live for the client consistency audit. I want you to be there 'cause this is for you Speaker: Now, I wanna say something very clearly before we begin Speaker: You do not need perfect numbers Speaker: You do not need a perfect business Speaker: You do not need to have everything organized Speaker:

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11:11

Episode 49 - Did she lie to you too?

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/07/05

Did she lie to you too? Have you ever looked at the mirror and thought, "I'm fine. Nothing's really changed"? You know, the mirror has a way of, of comforting us All right. Today, let me start by asking you this question. How many times have you looked in the mirror today? Stop and think about that. Now, have you ever looked in the mirror and thought, "I'm fine. Nothing's really changed"? You see, the mirror has a way of comforting us. It shows us something familiar. It lets us believe that

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4:50

Episode 48 - The Human Moment in Photography

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/06/28

The Human Moment in Photography Speaker: Welcome back. Today's reminder is simple. The human moment, that's your competitive advantage, not your newest lens Not your preset pack Speaker: Not the camera bag you bought because someone on YouTube said it would change your life. And now it mostly holds granola bar wrappers And twelve mysterious cables. Your advantage is the human moment Speaker: It's the mother who says, "I hate being photographed," and then cries when she sees herself looking

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4:05

Episode 47 - Trust-Building in the AI Era Photography...

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/06/21

Trust-Building in the AI Era Photography BreakthroughSpeaker: Welcome, welcome. Speaker 2: Today we're going to talk about AI Speaker: Yes, AI. Can now make beautiful images in about 12 seconds, which is really rude when you think about it. Some of us spend years learning light, composition, posing, editing, And how to pretend we are calm when Lightroom crashes But here's the good news. Speaker: AI can make pictures. It cannot make people trust you Speaker: AI cannot look at a nervous

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4:01

Episode 46 - The Gift Beyond the Camera

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/06/14

The Gift Beyond the Camera Speaker: Welcome back to the Photography Breakthrough podcast. Today, I want to give you some relief Because if you're a photographer watching AI get better and better, you might be quietly asking yourself, "What happens to me if beautiful images become easier to create?" Silently, I think a lot of us are thinking that same thing, wondering, " What's gonna happen to me?" Speaker: And here's the truth Speaker: Your camera skill matters. Your editing skill matters

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9:21

Episode 45 - Building Emotional Connection with...

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/06/07

Building Emotional Connection with Clients through Questions Speaker: For those of you who study with me, you learn this right away. How to build an emotional connection Speaker: The other day, a client came in town and-- let me back up because she never hired me before, so she wasn't a client. But we met a few months ago at a dinner party. We exchanged cards, and then she came back to town because her father unexpectedly passed away While she was in town, she sent me a message saying,

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3:39

Episode 44 - Day Three: Client Conversion Challenge...

Photography Breakthrough System ·

2026/05/31

Day Three: Client Conversion Challenge FinaleSpeaker: Wow. Now that was a fantastic week. Were you there? Last week we did part one and part two of the Client Conversion Challenge, and I've got to say, number one, thank you to everyone who showed up. If you missed it, you actually missed a lot. Speaker: Last week in the podcast, I talked about trust because here's the truth, it's not about your work. A lot of us are trying to be better photographers, and I get it because back in the day,

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