The Power Of Podcasting As A Professional Photographer: Interview with Marcus Ahmad
In this exclusive interview, I speak with Marcus Ahmad, a Bristol-based branding photographer, speaker, and co-host of the Shoot to the Top podcast.
We discuss how podcasting has helped him to built a consistent and compelling online profile and has allowed him to support and educate fellow photographers, while also building his personal brand and his photography business.
In this conversation, Marcus reflects on what it takes to maintain a podcast, why creativity still matters in the age of AI, and how he’s now bringing his ideas to life through public speaking and workshops as he transitions into photography education alongside his branding and commercial photography services.
Click the link or the video preview below to listen to or watch my chat with Marcus about podcasting, public speaking, and putting your ideas out there. Or scroll down to read the full transcript.
Podcasting as a tool for personal brand growth
Marcus launched Shoot to the Top with fellow photographer Sam Hollis two years ago as a fun experiment, not expecting the podcast to become such a key part of his business.
Over 100 episodes later, the show has become a trusted voice in the UK photography community.
Related: Zoe Hiljemark Interview on the Shoot To The Top podcast
Marcus tells me that simplicity and structure are what have kept the podcast sustainable. The episodes are short, focused, and consistently released, making them easier to produce and easier for busy photographers to consume.
He admits that having a co-host helped with accountability and gave the project momentum, especially in the early days.
Repurposing content into paid opportunities
The Shoot To The Top podcast isn’t just a visibility tool for Marcus. It’s also become a rich source of educational material.
He explains how his solo podcast episodes are now forming the foundation for talks and workshops he’s running across the UK and abroad, since they are based on his wider framework for success as a commercial photographer.
For example, his creative thinking model—the five R’s (Research, Rules, Repetition, Rest, and Reflection)—is now being used in his presentations for photographers and creative entrepreneurs.
Marcus has speaking engagements secured in Wales, Bristol, and even Mexico, with more on the horizon in 2026.
A refreshing take on AI in photography
With so much discussion around AI and the future of photography, Marcus offers a refreshingly calm perspective. He argues that ideas will always matter more than tools.
It’s a sentiment that aligns with his broader ethos: don’t fear change. Instead, focus on originality and connection.
Advice for photographers looking to start something new
Marcus’s success with Shoot to the Top is certainly inspiring and shows how a simple idea of recording a podcast can lead to greater visibility and creative growth.
Watch the interview and subscribe for more
Catch the full interview with Marcus Ahmad on my YouTube channel, or click on the video preview below. (If you enjoy it, please like, comment, and subscribe while you’re there!) Alternatively, scroll down to read the full transcript of our chat.
Whether you’re thinking of launching a podcast, guesting on podcasts or looking for ways to repurpose your content into other creative opportunities, this episode is full of practical inspiration. Big thanks again to Marcus.
Enjoy the episode!
Zoe
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Video Transcript
Zoe Hiljemark: Today I’m really excited to be joined by Marcus Ahmad, who has been a fashion and commercial advertising photographer for 20 years or so, plus more recently turned to branding photography. And he’s also actually been a senior lecturer at university. So, Marcus, you’ve got so much experience that I’m keen to tap into today. Thank you so much for joining me.
Marcus Ahmad: Well, thanks for having me on the show, Zoe. I’ve been really looking forward to this. I know we’ve known each other for a little while now, but this is fantastic to be able to have a chat with you on the show.
Zoe Hiljemark: Well, likewise, because I’ve been on your podcast show.
Marcus Ahmad: Yes.
Zoe Hiljemark: A couple of times even.
Marcus Ahmad: Twice. Yes.
Zoe Hiljemark: Yeah, twice. So it is nice to be able to give back and have you on this show. Essentially what I’ve asked you to come along to talk to me about today and to the audience listening is podcasting because you’ve ventured into the world of podcasting more recently with your co-host, Sam Hollis.
Marcus Ahmad: That’s correct.
Zoe Hiljemark: And I find that really interesting and I’m so keen to tap into that because we wanna find out really like, why have you done it? You know, how’s that working out for you? What have you learned from it, and all of that good stuff. But before we get into that. Do you wanna tell us a little bit about you?
As I said, you’ve got lots of experience, but what, what would you maybe pick out as some of your career highlights of the past 20 odd years you’ve been a photographer?
Marcus Ahmad: Well I started off with a lot of education. You know, I studied down at Bournemouth College down your way, Bournemouth and Poole College? Yes. That was a great course. Very vocationally based. And I went there because Nick Knight was one of their ex-students. I dunno, do you know Nick Knight, the fashion photographer?
Zoe Hiljemark: I don’t, but I’m sure many people listening may well, yeah.
Marcus Ahmad: And then I went off to Brighton and did my degree in Brighton, and then I assisted for four years on top of that. I really enjoy learning and I look back on that with great fondness and it was a rich period for photography as well. It was back in the early nineties, you know? But highlights, of course, you know, work-wise shooting you know, New York, LA, Paris, doing fashion. Campaigns for hair, hair and beauty really is what I started off doing fashion, but I switched it to hair and beauty, well…there’s more money in it, to put it differently!
Zoe Hiljemark: …Let’s be honest. Yeah. But wow, that’s incredible.
Marcus Ahmad: So yeah, those were highlights. And then of course, as you mentioned, you know. Putting it all together and being able to do my Masters in education and then becoming a senior lecturer in photography at University of South Wales where we had a lovely course there, all about photography for fashion and advertising and that was lovely to be able to have an opportunity to give things back as well.
Zoe Hiljemark: Yeah, absolutely. Oh, well that sounds an incredible career and I didn’t realize you got a master’s actually. Wow. You’ve done so much, and all those big brands and fancy locations. Amazing.
Marcus Ahmad: Yeah, it was good fun. It was good fun. Yeah.
Zoe Hiljemark: Okay, cool. So I mean, how more recently then, do you find yourselves now podcasting? Is this just a natural evolution of your marketing as a photographer and in fact how has your marketing evolved over that time?
Marcus Ahmad: Let’s start off with my early marketing as a branding photographer.
Marcus Ahmad: I basically started branding photography just before 2020. A lot of businesses seem to have started just before COVID, just before, isn’t it? I dunno why that is. But so I found myself doing brand photography here in Bristol, a new town for me after being a senior lecturer and Jeff Brown, actually one of your podcast guests.
Zoe Hiljemark: Yeah, my former guests yeah.
Marcus Ahmad: He advised me to get into branding photography, so I thought, yeah, this is great for me, fashion and advertising, that’s what branding’s all about. But I suddenly realized I didn’t know anybody in Bristol, didn’t know any businesses, didn’t really know any people.
So I thought, okay, I’ve gotta grow my network. So that’s where I really started to dig deep into, basically networking, and at that time it was COVID, so it was all online. So I’ve got into building up my brand and understanding how to build up a brand, so networking, website, of course. All the normal ways….Yeah.
Zoe Hiljemark: …social media…
Marcus Ahmad: Yeah. All of it and then LinkedIn. A lot of time spent on LinkedIn. I have to say, that was probably what people know me for. As far as social media. And then a couple of years ago through LinkedIn, Sam Hollis, my co-host on Shoot to the Top, approached me and said, “Look, would you like your podcast together?”
Marcus Ahmad: And I thought, oh wow, okay, let me think about that. And it was just at Christmas time and I was very mature about it. I did something I very rarely do ’cause I normally give answers straight away without even thinking about it. I thought, okay Sam, I’m gonna think about it and get back to you. And there was a reason for that. Of all the social media things I could have done. Podcasting for me is the most fearful.
Zoe Hiljemark: Right. Okay. Why is that?
Marcus Ahmad: The voice thing…. on video I don’t mind doing it so much because I think you can get away with having, you know, hands and whatever, but the podcast is all about the voice.
Zoe Hiljemark: That’s a good point. I haven’t really thought about it like that, but yeah, I can understand how video brings that extra dimension. Definitely. Yeah.
Marcus Ahmad: But anyhow, once I’ve got over the fear, well, I haven’t got over the fear. I still feels me dread, but once I’ve got a little bit more used to it, yeah. Podcasting, I found, was a really good way to go. And we’ve been doing it now for two years.
Zoe Hiljemark: You have. Congratulations. you recently passed that a hundred-episode milestone, which was a huge achievement in itself. And yeah, ’cause I think it’s right to say that I think most podcasts start and do about seven episodes on average and then kind of disappear because people realise the commitment and the effort and the time involved in creating and then not only creating, but publishing, promoting. Yeah, it’s tough, isn’t it? So huge congrats to you and Sam for getting past that.
Marcus Ahmad: Well, I, I think it’s works out well doing it where we’re sharing responsibilities, you know, I mean, obviously, and the idea I had, I guess when it was for the podcast, even though Sam approached me about the podcast, I wanted to do something a bit different, so I said, well, look. Why don’t you talk about marketing? And I’ll talk about the aesthetics of photography, you know, photography itself. Because, you know, even though I’ve done marketing, I’m no expert in it and I don’t want to profess to be, but I do know about photography. Sam is a marketing expert, so…
Zoe Hiljemark: I think, yeah, that’s what makes it so great because you’ve both got such different experiences to contribute in.
Zoe Hiljemark: And I know you sometimes do solo shows and talk about…
Marcus Ahmad: Sometimes. Yeah.
Zoe Hiljemark: …your areas of expertise and then you also have guests as well. But I think that really works, and as you say, that makes you different, doesn’t it? And I think that is ultimately what you need to do, stand out, as with any marketing content. So yeah, I think that was a really smart idea. It’s interesting to hear that he approached you then. Were you friends, colleagues previously?
Marcus Ahmad: No. No, LinkedIn. He contacted me through LinkedIn. Well done Sam.
Zoe Hiljemark: He was proactive! Good on Sam.
Marcus Ahmad: Yes, indeed. Very good. And, it makes for an unusual show, as you say, because, you know, I’m always trying to talk about, well, I guess it’s about photography and Sam is always talking about marketing and so having that makes it, yeah, as you say, a little bit more unique.
But just going back to the idea about how many podcasts actually last, I mean, how many photography podcasts do you think that are? Zoe, do you know?
Zoe Hiljemark: I wouldn’t know to be honest, but I know there’s many. Because obviously as me reaching out on behalf of my clients to try and get them featured, I’ve obviously got numerous on my radar. But I would say hundreds.
Marcus Ahmad: Oh, do you think there’s that many?
Zoe Hiljemark: Yeah. It may be not multiple hundreds, but yeah, there are a lot out there and I’ve got a growing list that I need to keep reaching out to for myself, you know, to position myself on some of those. Yeah. And also for clients.
But I think the beauty is there’s so many niche podcasts, so there’s the more general podcasts talking about photography, or there might be one talking specifically about marketing, like you say. Or there might be, for example a wildlife photography one where it’s all about wildlife, you know, natural experiences in the wild and all that, and I’ve targeted those kinds of shows for my wildlife clients.
There’s newborn photography shows. There’s all the different genres. Yes. So I, I would probably say, yeah, about a hundred. But again, not being exact there, but I think to your point, then you are gonna say there aren’t that many photography shows out there. Is that what you were about to say?
Marcus Ahmad: Well, yeah, I, my figure, I was gonna put it out and it’s hard to say, and this is the well, this is the beauty of podcast – i,t’s very evergreen, isn’t it? It’s a very evergreen thing and you know, I’m sure you know and your listeners might know what evergreen is…?
Zoe Hiljemark: Yeah. Evergreen meaning that it’s not specific to a particular time. Yeah. It’s out there. Once it’s out there, it’s helping you grow and get found.
Marcus Ahmad: Yeah. So when you start looking at the dates of the shows, you start to realise, a lot of them are outta date. So I think it’s quite an open market.
Zoe Hiljemark: I would say so. I mean, I think that’s what’s interesting ’cause we started talking about your marketing, like when you started up versus now. And I think that’s the point. Podcasting is a newish opportunity. It’s been around for a while, hasn’t it? But there is still people just literally getting into it, finding podcasts that they enjoy. And then also people like yourself who are starting podcasts in the more recent years. But as you say, I think the potential is there is massive,, and I think, you know, in time there will be multiple hundreds, there will be thousands of shows perhaps.
And again, I think the niche element can really help people to find that differentiator in the future. So yeah, I think it’s still very exciting, isn’t it?
Marcus Ahmad: Indeed, indeed, exactly. Yeah. And I guess our niche is we’re commercial. We deal with commercial photography, it’s all about, you know, making it as a business. Yeah, and I guess as I’m a branding photographer, it’s quite, I guess there’s a bit of a, you know, leaning towards branding photography on our show.
Zoe Hiljemark: Yeah. So you said the story of you getting together, that was obviously just an idea that was floated initially. You kind of took your time, thought about it, and then in that time of consideration, did you do any your research? What was ultimately the reason why you decided to go for it? Can you remember?
Marcus Ahmad: I do you know what? I can’t really remember. I just, yeah, I think I was a little bit scared about doing it and really had to warm myself into it. Yeah. So…
Zoe Hiljemark: …that’s perfectly natural by the way.
Marcus Ahmad: Yeah. And also to think of the idea that we, what we could do to make it a bit different, you know? As I said, we are moving hopefully towards doing more YouTube stuff as well, because I think that’s a good idea. It’s the platform that I use the most.
Zoe Hiljemark: Okay.That is interesting. And did you initially then start just literally doing the audio so it wasn’t video-based?
Marcus Ahmad: Exactly right. Exactly, exactly.
Zoe Hiljemark: Because I know the two times I’ve been on the show, we’ve spoken on a call like this, but yes, I see what you mean. The audio is then taken for the podcast rather than a video.
Marcus Ahmad: We’ve kept the show shows short, you know, when we’re talking it’s like 15 minutes. And when we have a guest, it’s 25 minutes. And purposely for voice only so people can listen to it when they’re in the car, when they’re walking their dog or whatever, like when I listen to my podcast. But yeah, so with YouTube you always have to sit down and look at it, obviously. So you’re looking for more commitment from the viewer, the listener.
Zoe Hiljemark: Yep.
Marcus Ahmad: But it is growing. YouTube is definitely growing.
Zoe Hiljemark: Yeah, I mean, YouTube’s massive isn’t it? It’s, it’s a search engine essentially, and people are on there obviously searching for content. So, yeah, I think you’re right. And, when I started this series, I considered just doing an audio version only. But did decide to do video, my thinking behind that was, well, you’ve always then got the video out there and available and then you can or cannot use it you know, depending on what you want to do.
But I think, yeah, it definitely helps and ensures that you are on all platforms, essentially in some guise, doesn’t it? Which can really help with your online visibility.
Marcus Ahmad: Exactly. And also for myself, talking about photography, it’s handy. In the future, is we start doing it on video, then I can show photographs or explain it a little bit easier what I’m talking about. It’s quite hard to talk about, like lighting on a podcast, for example.
Zoe Hiljemark: I imagine that is one of the challenges, isn’t it, in this particular subject matter too. Yeah. Yeah. For you particularly, ’cause I guess Sam talking about more the marketing elements for you, it’s quite hard I guess to talk about the visual elements, so clearly. Because I think we take such visual cues, don’t we? When we’re having conversations or when we’re demonstrating something.
Marcus Ahmad: Exactly.Yeah. I mean, I was gonna say, it’s hard for me to talk about anything, but particularly stuff like that. Yes. So there we go. So the podcast, yeah, a couple of years going and it’s you know, we’ve still got market it, it still takes a lot of time.
Zoe Hiljemark: Yeah, it’s a huge time commitment and I know that from this miniseries that I’ve been creating and I’ve been doing videos you know, course-based video content for my students and my mentoring program, for example. But then more recently, this and oh my gosh, editing takes a lot of time! And of course there are tools out there that can help. You could outsource it if you need to. Do you both outsource or do you keep it all in house? That can be a time saver, can’t it?
Marcus Ahmad: I outsource it to Sam!
Zoe Hiljemark: Brilliant
Marcus Ahmad: Sam. Does it.
Zoe Hiljemark: Yeah. Well that’s, I guess the beauty of having you both supporting, isn’t it? I imagine you do something that he doesn’t, in terms of guests, perhaps. Do you source guests?
Marcus Ahmad: Yeah, I do the guests I do the visuals and I get more of the branding of it a little bit more as you’d expect.
Zoe Hiljemark: So that’s also something I wanted to talk about, actually. So, coming up with the name, like the branding for the show, like was that again a collaborative effort? I Are you working on everything together or by having two of you on the show, do you just split roles and responsibilities and kind of say, I’m gonna do that and you are gonna do that?
Marcus Ahmad: Yes. Yeah and no. Most importantly, we split, and I obviously do the visuals and, you know, the concept, et cetera. And, Sam does the editing of the show. He, you know, he looks into the SEO or the marketing side of it. So we differentiate in that way and, people probably know, but Sam’s based in South Africa, in Mozambique, and so I’m in UK. So, you know, we don’t meet up, it’s all online. We maybe meet up once a year.
Zoe Hiljemark: So I mean that’s the beauty of technology, isn’t it these days. Yes. You can do it from anywhere and it all works and that’s fantastic.
And I’ve also enjoyed speaking on this show with people internationally in America, et cetera. And yeah, it’s just brilliant, isn’t it? Just connecting with people, particularly for your interview-based shows, I’m thinking about being able to garner insights from so many different photographers in commercially focused niches, but all offering something different and telling stories about their life as a photographer, but also imparting tips.
I mean, you’ve got a huge archive now, this a hundred plus episodes. Yes. And, but as you say, marketing of it is really, really key because you can’t just sit back and go, oh, we’ve created a hundred shows. That’s it. It’s gonna roll and, you know, keep itself ticking over.
So can you talk to us about what Sam does to support that and also what you do, I presume you are sharing on LinkedIn, et cetera, but what is your marketing for the podcast. And, what’s involved really? How does that look?
Marcus Ahmad: Well, you know, you’ve gotta get out there on all the platforms first of all, you know, Spotify, Apple, whatever it might be. That’s not too difficult. We have our own website, Sam does websites so he was able to do that quite easily and efficiently. We got a Facebook group, like you have Zoe you know, to back it up and to let viewers know what shows are coming up, or we’d give extra tips, and just to grow it through there.
And yeah, appearing on people’s podcasts, that kind of thing to promote it. Yeah, once you get into the cycle, you know, it’s, it’s not too onerous. You know, once you start doing it, yes. You know, you just know on this, this day or this morning, I’ve gotta do this, et cetera, et cetera. Okay.
But what I was gonna say is, when I first started the show, for me, certainly for Sam, there was a definite audience. He does websites for photography, so there was a clear goal he was trying to achieve there. For me, it was not quite so obvious ’cause I was doing branding photography, I did have a vague idea at that time that I was gonna move more towards doing education. And now certainly over these last two months, I’ve got much more clarity about why I am doing the show, as it were, you know, just apart from the fact of just enjoying doing it.
Zoe Hiljemark: Well, and I think there’s a lot to be said for that, isn’t it? Actually doing something that feels fun and enjoyable. Yeah, and and to your point at the very beginning about networking and growing your network, I mean, there’s no better way than to be meeting people, interviewing them and obviously having content to share and promote which hopefully other people will enjoy, discover and then connect with themselves.
And, and I think hearing someone talk or even watching them on a video really helps to forge that connection quickly. Doesn’t it as well, rather than you’re just hiding behind, you know, social media text-based posts perhaps, or you know, obviously being limited geographically to who you can work with because you can only network in a reasonable radius of where you live, I’m presuming.
Whereas the beauty of this platform allows you to reach anyone and who knows what future clients as well. So I think that’s what really what makes it so exciting, isn’t it?
Marcus Ahmad: Yeah, I definitely agree witheverything you’ve said there. Totally. Yeah. Exactly. It’s good to have a reason for doing it, but you know, it’s also a good reason for doing anything is ’cause you wanna do it and enjoy we doing it as well.
Zoe Hiljemark: I think so, because I think so many photographers can sort of dread marketing and therefore put it off because we know we never wanna do anything we don’t enjoy. No. And if you can find a way to market your. Business and whether, like you say, even if you lacked that clarity or that purpose, initially it was just more the fact that you’re doing it.
And I think you’ve learned so many skills as a podcaster, I’m presuming as well, that you wouldn’t have had previously. And they’re all transferrable and obviously really useful. And as you say, it makes you a better podcast guest perhaps because you understand what works for a podcast.
I mean, can you talk around that at all? Do, what do you feel you’ve learned as a podcaster, and how has that benefited you when you do go onto other shows?
Marcus Ahmad: Okay. That’s a great question actually. That is a very good question. I know when I had guests on the show that haven’t done any research into what I do or the show, I do find it a little bit annoying yeah. So I would say if you are gonna be doing a podcast, find a little bit about the person you’re doing the podcast with or not, a little bit, a lot. I would say that’s helpful.
Zoe Hiljemark: Yeah, that’s a good point. And I think there are people who literally just spam loads of podcast shows just want to be on all of them, you know, and, and like you say, I can completely imagine that’s, that’s the case.
Marcus Ahmad: Also I’m saying as a guest, Zoe I’m saying as a guest, when you are actually on the show, ask people about themselves as well, or, you know, be aware of what they do.
Zoe Hiljemark: Oh completely. It’s just a bit rude if you don’t, to be honest. Is it not?
Marcus Ahmad: Or maybe it’s nerves. Maybe people are nervous as well, and they did tend, you know, they just talk in long sentences.
Zoe Hiljemark: Yeah.The beauty of your show though, the informality of it, ’cause you’re really friendly and there’s that natural vibe, there’s that natural chat. You have a laugh with Sam, don’t you? And vice versa. And you know, I think you take the mick outta each other a little bit, and you know, that little conflict between the marketing focus and the photography focus. And I think that’s makes it fun. And as a guest that’s less intimidating, I think.
Marcus Ahmad: Yeah. Yeah. We’re both very passionate about what we do, you know, I mean. I’m moving more towards this idea of teaching people about how photography can make you money, and not through marketing, but just being a good photographer.
Zoe Hiljemark: Yeah. That’s really interesting that this is what you are focusing on a bit more now. So can you tell us about that actually, and how you’ve decided to transition into that? Clearly you’ve got that educational background. Yeah. So it completely makes sense. But where do you see that going? What, what’s your goal then for the next sort of 12 months in that regard, would you say?
Marcus Ahmad: Well, I’m launching this concept, as it were, and it does seem to be a concept, though it seems to be clearly obvious, but nobody else or very few people seem to be talking about it. And it’s the ‘idea of ideas’ – how good ideas can give you long-term clients and subscription clients in my case. And it’s how do you get these ideas? And it’s just, I guess it’s tied into that idea about when I was in academia and, you know, ’cause academia, certainly as a photographer is all based around coming up with ideas.
People think, oh, you know, they don’t teach how to make, you know, run a business or operate a camera. But it’s not, it’s about coming up with ideas. Ideas are gold, especially in this modern age, you know, of AI and video and all this competition. It’s ideas will separate you from other photographers having good ideas.I believe.
Zoe Hiljemark: Absolutely. Yeah. And actually I interviewed on the very first show that I did in this series on YouTube. I interviewed a topic called Andy Scaysbrook, and he was talking about his background and again, made that same point that the ideas has been key to his success as a photographer, because that is what makes you different.
So that’s a really interesting concept actually. And yeah, how are you gonna stand out against AI, you know, where it can potentially come out with absolutely anything you want, arguably, but are they any good ideas? I dunno, but yeah. Can you talk around that a bit? And, do you see that as a threat?
Marcus Ahmad: Do I see it as a threat? Do you know what? I, I don’t, I mean, maybe I’m a bit naive in that I think it’s certainly becoming ubiquitous but you’ve got with AI, it’s basically taking what’s already there and putting it together. It’s something. And it’s not new, it’s just something, it’s a copy, isn’t it?
It’s taken out. It’s mined, it’s gone out there, and we are coming to a stage where there’s not enough information for it to mine any further out there, you know, so various things are happening, especially in the UK, about that. So what I’m getting at is basically if you’ve got have, if you’ve got good ideas, you don’t need to worry about AI, in my opinion. Because you’ve gotta put the ideas into AI to get the photographs or the images or whatever. Someone’s gotta do that, you know?
Zoe Hiljemark: Yeah. And I love the fact that you’re championing that as being the core of photography. It isn’t about you know, what AI can offer. Because I think there is a lot of despair in the industry, like, “oh God, what am I gonna do?” And I think it’s great to have people in the industry with the experience like yourself, who are going, no, it is possible to get consistent, high, high-end clients, perhaps. And you know, this is how you do it.
And yeah. I think I really support that and hope that that’s a great success for you. So where do you see that going then in your busines,s and how is that gonna work with the podcasting and with obviously the other client work that you have? How are you gonna spread your time and fit it all in?
Marcus Ahmad: Well, exactly. It is, I’m in the transition period at the moment while switching over more to my education side. And what I’m doing, I’m speaking, for example, at the Wales and West Photography Show at the end of June, this month on the 21st, talking about my idea of ideas, and then from there I’m doing a two-day branding masterclass in Bristol in September. And this is hot off the press. Literally you are the first I near about this. So two days in Bristol at the end of September and then the big one is next March. I’m doing a three-day workshop in San Miguel, in Mexico, mainly aimed at American photographers. And it’s gonna be a superb event, talking all about ideas, lighting, everything you need to know to become a really unique branding photographer.
Zoe Hiljemark: Sounds fascinating. It sounds like a packed schedule as well.
Marcus Ahmad: Yeah, it hopefully it will be. It should be. It should be really good fun. Yes, indeed.
Zoe Hiljemark: Okay. And is that gonna overlap with the podcast? Would you say this move into the education space slightly, is it, is that gonna see the show evolving its focus?
Marcus Ahmad: Well, as I say, when I started a podcast, I was just doing it for the fun of it. But now I see that I’ve got an audience of photographers, whom I could potentially help out. And you know, persuade them to come into the course. So it’s yeah, it’s evolved fairly naturally, I would say. Yeah.
Zoe Hiljemark: I think all great things do, don’t they? And it is a natural transition into that, isn’t it? Yeah. That’s where you are growing as a photographer as well.
Marcus Ahmad: Yeah, and I’m taking some of the shows that I’ve done on my own and used those as basically like key points within the workshops. For example, I did one show all about how to be creative, how to get creative thinking, and I did the five R’s of creative thinking, which was, research rules repetition rest and reflection.
Zoe Hiljemark: Oh, well, remembered!
Marcus Ahmad: So those are the five R’s…, so I’ve got little concepts like that and, you know, it’s all about, you know, how to avoid the three C’s of branding photography, which is coffee cup and computer. It’s to get away from that. We’ve had a few branding photographers on the show who are quite big names in the industry and we’re all saying that it needs to be an uplift with people are producing images that are very samey. I think I would say there’s scope for more. There’s scope for more.
Zoe Hiljemark: That’s exciting. And I think that’s a really valid point and what you’ve essentially said there is you are repurposing your podcast content and using it into your talks and things, which I think is brilliant. And that’s ultimately what everybody should be doing…Repurposing what you’ve got.
Because actually all that content, all those perhaps blog articles you may have written in the past, even social media posts that you’ve written over the years that you’ve been a photographer, can all be repurposed. You don’t need to keep reinventing the wheel, so to speak. You know, use what you’ve got.
So it’s great to hear that you are managing to do that and to impart some of the expertise that you’ve already shared, but just in a different format and, and obviously attracting a new audience by doing so. So, yeah, top marks for the repurposing there.
Marcus Ahmad: Thank you.
Zoe Hiljemark: Okay.Well this all sounds great. Obviously, I really wish you well with the the talks and everything that you’ve mentioned there, Marcus, in this new direction slightly, and I’ll be intrigued to see how that evolves in line with the podcast. But as I say, I really admire you and Sam for the Shoot to the Top podcast.
Reaching a hundred plus episodes is amazing and also I very much appreciate obviously, having been a guest on your show, not once but twice. So that was a great honour and it’s been brilliant to speak to you. I really wish you well. And thank you so much for spending some time with us today to talk about podcasting. I hope that anyone listening or watching this if the photographers themselves may be thinking about doing it as a means to, you know, reach more people impart their expertise, you know, they’ll be inspired by this conversation and can hear and see that it’s fully possible.
Marcus Ahmad: It’s fully possible.
Zoe Hiljemark: Yeah. Despite those natural fears and it’s great to see that you’ve overcome those and have been consistent with it. And I think that’s really commendable. The challenge of keeping up with content creation, whether it’s podcasting, whether it’s social media, whether it’s blogging, whatever it is. It is tough, isn’t it?
Marcus Ahmad: You just, yeah, you just gotta pick what you’re gonna do and do it, you know? And also, I would say, and having Sam on this is great as well.
Just to conclude is don’t be…I’m a bit over critical or a perfectionist. There are a lot of photographers, a lot of creatives who are, whereas Sam just gets out there. Yeah. Whether it’s you know, mistakes or repeating or, you know, we’ve had, believe me, there’s, I mean every episode still has us talking over each other or something going a bit wrong, but he’s happy to get it out there. And I’ve learned that from Sam. Just do it and get out there. Yeah. Yeah.
Zoe Hiljemark: Yeah, absolutely. I do support that, you know, just get something out there. It’s better than not. Too many people have blog drafts saved on their websites that they’ve yet to get published. That is not helping you rank on Google because it’s just not out there in the world. Equally, any podcast ideas, you know, just…if they’re left as ideas, they’re not helping you reach new people. So yeah, at some point you just have to kind of hit publish, don’t you? And, put it out there.
Well so that’s actually a really good tip to end on, you know, try not to, to let fears and procrastination kind of stall your progress. But, but Marcus, yeah, thanks again so much. It’s been brilliant to chat and I’ve really enjoyed learning about the podcasting side and how you’ve found yourself in this situation and how you are evolving it and how you make it work with Sam.
So thank you so much for joining us. Please, everyone who’s interested in finding out more about Marcus, please check out his website, marcusarmad.com, and he’s gonna share some links with us as he mentioned about his upcoming talks and also the shoot to the top.com website and podcast. You check that out as well. Yeah, for now, Marcus, thank you so much.
Marcus Ahmad: Thanks, Zoe. Thank you so much. Have a good day.
