The journal
Ideas for working smarter and living better.
Workflows, gentle productivity, and honest takes on tech — including how any photographer can build their own little tools, and why AI belongs on your admin, not your art.
You can build your own tools. Yes, you.
Code looks scary because it looks weird. But building a little tool with Claude Code is nothing like the coding you're picturing — it's a friendly conversation in plain English. Here's how I got started, and how you can too.
Read itAI should do your admin, not your art
So much of the AI conversation in photography is aimed at the wrong target — trying to automate the personal, creative, human parts. I think that's backwards. Let's give the robots the boring bits and keep the good stuff for ourselves.
Read itWorking smarter was never about doing more
Somewhere along the way, “work smarter” got hijacked to mean “squeeze more in.” Here's what it actually means to me — and why I built The Co Lab around it.
Read itA calmer way to cull a wedding
The cull is where most of us lose our evenings. Here's the simple, low-drama process I use to get through thousands of frames without the dread.
Read itWhy I'm building tools instead of buying another subscription
The average photographer is renting a dozen apps they half-use. I wanted something smaller, calmer, and actually mine. So I started making it.
Read itWhat actually happens at a photographers' retreat
Not a sales funnel. Not a stage with a “six-figure” promise. Just photographers, somewhere beautiful, being honest with each other. Here's the idea.
Read itPricing for a life, not just a living
What if you set your prices around the life you want, instead of stacking bookings until something breaks? A gentler way to think about the numbers.
Read itThe “good enough” edit is stealing your weekends back
Perfectionism feels like professionalism. Mostly it's just a very polite way of working every evening. Here's how I learned to let an edit be finished.
Read itHow to take a real day off (inbox included)
A day off doesn't count if you check your emails at the lights. For self-employed photographers, rest is a skill — and, slightly annoyingly, a system. Here's mine.
Read itYour first automation: replies that still sound like you
You don't need to be technical to take the sting out of your inbox. Here's a gentle first step — canned replies that save you an hour a week and still sound completely human.
Read itThe occasional, unhurried email.
New tools, new journal pieces, and the odd invitation to gather — sent only when there's something genuinely worth your time. No spam, no hustle, unsubscribe in one click.
Not collecting sign-ups just yet — this is coming soon.