June 6, 2024 • 50 mins
What if you could turn your family's everyday moments into lasting stories? In this episode, we welcome Kiera Liu, CEO and founder of Frame a Life Project, who shares her passion for visual storytelling. From practical tips on preserving memories to crafting compelling narratives through photography, Kiera offers valuable insights that will inspire you to capture the essence of your family's journey. She discusses her shift from traditional photo sessions to more meaningful, story-driven projects, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and fun. Kiera’s ability to capture real moments goes beyond taking a picture; it’s about creating memories that resonate with the true essence of her subjects, whether they are families or businesses.
In this episode, we discuss:
1. How visual storytelling can help entrepreneurs and mothers with their photos.
2. The importance of preserving family history and memories through photos.
3. Connecting with clients to understand their stories and incorporate these into their branding and personal photos.
You can connect with Kiera on:
Website http://www.frameoflife.co
Instagram http://instagram.com/frameoflifeproject
Photo & Family Heirloom Collection Tracker Template:
https://frameoflifeproject.ck.page/midlife
Join the Midlife Squad:
Want to stay up to date on the Don't Call Me Midlife podcast and community? Click below so we can keep you in the know!
www.itstradish.myflodesk.com/dontcallmemidlife
Hang Out on Social:
Follow Alix on Instagram @everydaywithalix
Follow Nicole on Instagram @touch_of_stass
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Help us expand our mom-tourage! Share our podcast with your fellow mom friends and let's conquer midlife together.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to the Don't Call Me Midlife podcast.
I'm Nicole and I'm Alex.
We're your coffee-addicted,wine-loving, amazon-obsessed mom
squad.
Think of us as your new besties, but with a podcast.
And, just like you, we'renavigating the Google-defined
chaos of midlife while wranglinga pack of boys.
But here's the twist we're morethan just moms and wives.
We're on a mission to reclaimour identities beyond motherhood
(00:24):
, and we're bringing you alongfor the wild ride.
Now, we don't pretend to haveall the answers to life's
mysteries, but we're so good atlearning and laughing our way
through them.
So whether you're sipping fromyour trusty Stanley, indulging
in an oat milk latte fromStarbucks or raising a glass of
Whispering Angel, get ready tohang with us.
Together.
We'll keep it real, have somelaughs and remind you that this
(00:44):
crazy journey called life is oneadventure worth sharing.
Hello, we are so excited abouttoday's episode.
We have one of the most fun andenergetic people I know.
It's Kira.
She is, I guess she's a CEO,founder of her company, frame a
Life, but what she is is avisual storyteller and she works
(01:08):
with entrepreneurs with theirdoing content or pictures.
But she also works with justwomen or men that want to know
how to preserve their picturesand how to make those memories
last, and also how to tell thestory around the picture.
It's really beautiful.
I mean, these are things thatNicole and I need to do right
With our pictures.
Yes, even if I wasn't inbusiness, these are just tips
(01:29):
that I would want to know, justto have in my back pocket.
And she does give some greattips, so.
So you have to listen to someiPhone tips too Like you're not
going to miss this.
Yes, and if you are listening,make sure you check it out on
YouTube, because she shows thephone and step-by-step, and it's
really really incredible.
So, yes, all right, let's getinto it.
(01:56):
Oh my goodness.
Hello, I'm so excited for thisepisode.
I can't wait to dive in andlearn all the things that we're
learning.
But first, alex, what's in yourcup?
I am doing a seven-day cleanse,so I have a little shake in
there.
It's like shakes in the firstcouple of days and then I can
(02:17):
eat some food on day three.
So, yeah, I'm excited about it.
It's only seven days.
I can do it, you can do it.
You just started right.
Uh, yes, today you got this.
Good thing we're not recordingtomorrow, cause I heard you get
a little hangry.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
So, um, so today I am still good.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
I've done a 24 hour fast before.
I am good I am good.
What is in your cup?
Um, I have some collagen.
I'm trying Dr Mary ClaireHaver's.
It's like lemonade acaicollagen and it's really good.
So it was like a starter packetshe had with like fiber and DHA
(02:58):
pills with, I don't know,vitamin D and K.
I don't know You're supposed tolike mix vitamin D and vitamin
K.
So this came with it becauseI'm like let me try it.
It's really good and my boyskeep wanting it, yeah, and I'm
like no Is she the menopause.
She's that big menopause, doctor, right?
Yes, yes, you love her you loveher, I do, I do.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
We need to get her on the podcast.
We do.
Yeah, sorry, I'm going to turnmy notifications off.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Sorry, girls.
Okay, that's okay.
That's okay, okay, so we've got.
I've known this person forprobably a few months, but she
has quickly become one of myfavorite people in the world.
I think she has more energythan like me ever and just such
good ideas and just so creativeand just a really really good
woman mom, wife and she worksher butt off with her business.
(03:49):
So we are so excited to haveyou here, kira Yay.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yay, so excited.
What's in your cup?
Speaker 1 (03:55):
There is a lot coming from you.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Oh, which cup I have like a hundred.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
You do have like a hundred there.
Oh my God, there's more.
There's more, there's more, oh,my god you're like quadruple
fisting, not even triple fisting.
Oh okay, tell us your mostinteresting drink there.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Um, most interesting is I.
I am trying to like do the bonebrothy thing right now.
I'm cold and I'm like trying tolike cleanse out a little bit.
We're going to the KentuckyDerby in a couple weeks and like
I'm really excited.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
so I'm trying to just like get a little bit.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
We're going to the Kentucky Derby in a couple of
weeks and like I'm reallyexcited, so I'm trying to just
like get all the liquids in andhope that does something Backing
up your hydration yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Before you get to drink all the liquids.
Yeah, oh, that sounds like somuch fun.
I've never been to the Derby,even though I went to college in
the South.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
I know a lot of people that did, but I think
that sounds fun.
Are you going to wear a hat andeverything?
Oh, I got a hat.
I have too many hats, I havetoo many.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
That's so fun.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
It's a matter of how to get all the hats there and a
carry on.
You know like I don't want topack them, so I was like, am I
going to wear seven hats?
Did borrow one because I have afundraiser that you're supposed
to wear like a hat in May.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Oh, I got you, girl, and it's like all fun, I got it
really.
I got so many.
Okay, I'm glad we covered that,so okay.
So this woman is incredible.
She calls herself a visualstoryteller, right, so think
about that, that is.
That's someone that's reallyspecial and I love her story.
She's going to tell us a littlebit about it.
She helps entrepreneurs withtheir content, with their photos
, but what she also does is byvisually storytelling, she helps
(05:32):
moms preserve their photos ormaybe even tell them what to do
with it.
I mean, I met with her for likefive minutes one time and she's
telling me all these things todo with my photos because I've
done nothing, and she wasgetting a little anxiety because
of that too.
So tell us your story.
Her company is called Frame ofLife Project on Instagram and
her website is beautiful,beautiful the words you use.
(05:55):
I love, love, love your website.
It like portrayed you perfectly.
But you tell us what your storyis.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
So sweet.
Well, so this time of year Iget really extra emotional
because it kind of ties into mystory In what was it?
2015,?
We lost my mother-in-law, andthe year after we lost my sister
.
And when we lost mymother-in-law it was like the
one year anniversary of ourwedding and it was right when we
were starting to think abouthaving kids and what that meant.
(06:24):
And very quickly my husband'sfamily went from a family of
four to just him and his dad andI found out I was pregnant and
I'm like, oh my God, like thisis life is all happening really
fast and I got reallysentimental about how do I
portray what life is with ourfamily and what generations have
passed now and how do we tellthose stories as we move forward
(06:46):
.
And then I wanted to be able todocument what was happening as I
became a mom, as I witnessedall these changes in my body
happening, as I watched mydaughter come out and grow and
what that meant to life and Iwas a photographer, so, as that
was all happening, so like mynatural way of processing grief
and documenting what washappening and being able to see
(07:09):
everything that was unfolding infront of me was through the
lens of my camera and reallyutilizing that tool to show what
was happening, I saw that likeit was really hard as a young
mom to be able to do work be amom, have your husband, have a
high power career and be thephotographer, be the mom, like
all of it.
It was like really hard tojuggle all of the things.
So I spent a lot of time justat home, really trying to focus
(07:31):
on what mattered most, likeraising the kids, but then also
working with very specificclients that were connected with
their stories and what theywanted to put out in the world
and really helping drive thatconnection through their
branding.
So it kind of started there.
I love that story.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Wow, so did you out of.
I feel like visual storytellinghas been part of your story
since you were a photographerbefore life started happening at
a very you know fast pace foryou.
Life started happening at avery you know fast pace for you.
(08:10):
What, like, did you slowlystart doing things just for
yourself, or were you buildingthings for other people and then
you just took that in into yourown world?
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Yeah.
So what I noticed was that whatset me apart was that I could
connect with people through theart of storytelling.
So I learned that photos meanmore and video content means
more when it's driven with astory behind it and if there's a
real purpose for what you'retrying to convey.
So I started showing that withbranding photography through
(08:39):
some of my business clients andreally trying to understand,
like, what do we want to get outof your cycling studio?
What story are we trying totell here?
That's just different thanstrapping your shoes and ride
the bike.
It's just like how do we makethis cooler and more relatable
and get people wanting to comein?
And it was a really fun way tostart connecting on that side
(09:00):
with businesses and really likedeveloping their storylines and
helping witness them grow,because they started forming
connections with people becauseof the stories they were telling
.
And then on a like on a personalside with the families I was
working with.
I wasn't driven to just workwith one-off families chasing
screaming kids in the publicgardens, like on mini sessions
(09:20):
all the time, Like I was sotired having little kid at home
and I didn't have the timeanymore to be able to like do
all these shoots and have 60shoots a year.
It was more that I had to getspecific about who I was working
with and I found that theclients that stayed were the
ones that wanted to tell theirstory more.
So I wouldn't come just once ayear, I would come a couple of
(09:40):
times a year and weave theirstoryline throughout the images
that we did.
We'd do pancake making sessionsand we would go to parks, but
it would be a park that meantsomething to them and we would
play with the flowers that theirmom planted in the backyard.
It was something more driven toconnect the photos to the
person's story a little bit moreand it just filled me more.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
So that sounds like you're working with clients more
.
You know you think of thephotographers, like you're
saying, like do the photosessions right, that's one thing
.
Here's what you wear.
Let's go do your Christmas card.
How do you work?
Whether it's um, you knowsomeone who's working on their
branding, like your cycle studioor a family.
What is the process that youuse?
Because, thinking of somepeople I wouldn't necessarily
(10:26):
know either for my business ormy family, maybe my story all
the time right, how do you getthat out of people besides
therapy?
Speaker 2 (10:39):
So wine no kidding, wine is also very helpful.
It gets people talking, but Ithink, honestly, it's a lot of
just talking and listening.
You know, understanding wherethey live, why they live there,
what, what are they doing withtheir business?
Like, um, I know you and I Alexhas started working together a
little bit and it's reallydigging into what it is you're
trying to convey to people whoare consuming your content and
(11:01):
why you.
Why are you unique out ofeverybody in the world?
Like, why should they look atyou and come to your website or
talk to you on DMs and Instagram?
Like, what is it that sets youapart?
And then we focus there andlike dive into that, like really
upplay the things that make youunique and have fun with it and
don't.
It's just more about having funinstead of being so serious and
(11:21):
like be like we have to havethe light right and you can't
turn off of nine like 45 degreesand just like just making sure
we have fun.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
It's more of that real content, right.
Let that real, those realpictures, those real moments,
like even with the family, likeyou're saying, if maybe they
have a recipe that they useevery Saturday morning, whatever
for pancakes, you know, yeah, Ilove that.
Ooh, I want you to do that atmy house too.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
You have the best pancakes.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
We're going to have to cook for my photo shoot.
Um, that is, that's awesome.
I mean even thinking about thespin studio, like the stories
and the meaning that come out ofthat right Would be powerful.
Yeah, I do think it takes avery unique eye to be able to
capture somebody's personalitythrough a picture.
(12:07):
I think it's I can't say, oh,anybody could take a good
picture to capture so manypeople's personalities without
even knowing them in a moment,and it just made all the
(12:31):
difference in the world.
And I think, with what you'retalking about visual
storytelling, that is, inessence, what you're bringing to
everyone and I think that'sjust such a gift.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Yeah, you have to be an observer.
It's like it's really kind ofamazing how much you start to
observe when you realize aboutpeople by just watching a little
bit and know you can see thesparkle in someone's eye when
you're talking to them aboutwhat actually lights them up.
You know, like maybe theyactually hate cooking and they
don't want to do a pancake.
That's the last thing that theycould do, and then, let alone
(13:05):
trying to photograph trying toflip a pancake.
But you can really like learn alot about people by their body
language and what they bringforward first and talk about.
And I just I think it's just sofun to just get down on like
whether I'm working with kids,like I'll get down on the ground
and be at their level and seelife from their perspective
(13:25):
instead of just like lookingdown at it.
So it's like just relating withwhoever's in front of your
camera.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Now, how do you get if you have a client?
You know a lot of midlifeladies, maybe they're, you know,
a little serious, or you knowit's like sometimes, like you
said, what I love connectingwith you on the fact of fun,
right?
Have you ever had a client thatis just you know a little?
Speaker 2 (13:48):
bit more on the serious side they have like an
awesome brand and they're anawesome person.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
But how do you get people to open up?
Because I know doing that, um,and I know it would be for
Nicole and I it's a little bitmore vulnerable, right, when
you're telling your storywhether you're selling a Stanley
or whether you have you know a,a studio.
you've worked hard on your brand, right, and that's a.
It's a personal brand too, nomatter what you're doing.
(14:12):
And how do you?
What is your secret, besidessort of listening, of getting
people to open up to thatvulnerability?
Whether that is something thatthey share or not, it doesn't
matter, right, but you have togo to a sort of a deeper place
in order to have that story.
So how do you, how do you makesomeone you know feel
comfortable?
Speaker 2 (14:33):
I I wonder if part of the secret sauce for me is that
most of my clients aren'tpeople that just Googled me and
found me and we just meet offthe street.
So we have a long relationship.
It's they see me posting aboutmy everyday and how it's kind of
messy and I'm doing the best Ican, but this is where we're at.
And then they know I'm abusiness owner doing the hustle.
(14:54):
They see what's happening.
So we have there's a lot ofthings we can relate to
underlying that might not justbe on the surface of
photographer, client.
And then it's we don't with myclients.
It's never just one interaction,it's there's lots of different
buildup points.
It's that initial like I wouldlove a photo shoot and it's like
well, tell me about it.
What are you looking for?
What do you need these imagesfor?
(15:14):
Or is it just to have onepicture on your LinkedIn bio?
Or is it to tell a full storyfor all of your freebies and
like your whole brand?
You know like it can be verydifferent and the amount of
depth you need to go like ifit's just a headshot, I'm not
going to spend a million hourswith somebody like trying to
know them like I can make themyeah that's, that's a little bit
(15:37):
easier I.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Yeah, that's a that's a little bit easier.
I mean you could, you couldlike give someone a glass of
wine or a skinny mug orsomething, maybe.
Yeah, that'd be fine.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Maybe we need to do that.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Wait, I'm in.
I mean I don to like set upsomething with mimosas and I.
I just I kept drinking thembecause I wanted to relax and uh
, I mean I think that was themost relaxed photo shoot I ever
did.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
But yeah, was it good pictures, nicole?
Was it good?
I know I'm curious, was it goodcontent?
Speaker 1 (16:16):
uh, yeah, it was.
Yeah, I always feel like myfirst photo shoots go well, and
then the second one.
I don't know if I'm just like Ijust I don't know.
I feel like I'm just better thefirst time and then the second
time I maybe I'm not as preparedyou always look good.
Our photo shoot was funtogether.
(16:36):
We did one in Colorado and thatwas fun.
It was was long.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
It's a long day.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
I didn't realize when I did a first photo shoot, it
was my best friend that took thepictures for my cookbook and it
was, I think it was only acouple hours, but I was like
exhausted.
I'm like, oh my God, I don'tthink I can smile anymore.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
But smiling hurts your cheek.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
It hurts.
Now, do you ever like becauseyou do this for so many other
people, I feel like we'renormally a bad client to
ourselves, right?
Like?
Doctors are the worst patients.
You know that type of thing.
Do you?
Do you ever get in front of thecamera and how do you?
How do you?
Are you just constantlyrecording and taking pictures of
your kiddos?
Like, do you ever, now that youhave a full fledged business,
(17:17):
right, and you have two littlekids, ps, and your husband
travels a lot for his job, right?
Like you're solo parenting alot, do you like tell us how you
do it within your family?
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Well, I do try to get in the picture.
I don't love it like being inthe picture, you know but I want
to show up for my kids and I,like my daughter, said recently
like she was looking at videosand I got so annoying because
she's like mommy, where are you?
Speaker 1 (17:45):
I'm like.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
I'm talking to you and I'm taking the video.
Like I'm in it, I'm so in it,but they don't see it.
And when she said that to me,it made it like, so, like this
gut punch of like, I have tomake it a priority every year to
be in at least one shoot withmy kids and, like this year, our
daycare did like a fundraiserand I was like, well, 50 bucks,
(18:08):
it could be terrible, it's goingto be 5 PM, they're going to be
melting, I don't care, we'regoing to try it.
And they came out to be likethe best pictures and it was a
five minute shoot.
I was like, just try it, seewhat happens if you get one
picture.
It's great, and I think it wasreally worth doing that, you
know, and it just it was a goodreminder of like, even if my
husband wasn't even in them, Iwas like I'm sorry, we're gonna
(18:28):
have to do it again.
You will do it again.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
I love this evolution of taking more video too.
John just said to me the otherday on our vacation was like why
do you take so much video?
Are you going to post it?
And I'm like, no, I take a lotthat I don't post.
I do post a lot of videos.
But I was like I had one ofthose moments recently where my
dad passed away suddenly 11years ago and my son, he's like
(18:53):
writing some rap music and hewanted a video of my dad for his
video and literally I could notfind one because my phone only
goes back so far.
I had to look up on thecamcorder.
It was like basically ourwedding video, you know.
But I was just like I really Ithink I love the pictures.
I love, love, love those.
But I love this like video justof us sitting at the table or
(19:15):
on vacation, or you know, Ithink I think that is taking up
a lot of capacity on my phone.
But, um, I think it's reallyspecial to have because I don't
have that.
So on my vacation, like I wastrying to take videos of my mom
or you know, I would pretend Iwas taking a picture of the boys
and my mom and I'd be liketaking a video, so that's good.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
I mean, that's my biggest trick with getting
pictures of my kids is I justtake video and then I'll
screenshot it or hit the tap,like you can tap on your phone
if it's an iPhone, and like takea picture while you're
recording the video and that waylike I don't miss it.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Wait, what do you mean?
You're taking a video like wedo a video on our iPhone.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
You do a video on your iPhone and you start a
video on your iphone and youstart recording.
There's this like little buttonright there, like the white
button.
You just hit that and you likeget a photo while you're doing
it, so get out, yeah and itwon't start your video it won't,
no, and it doesn't even make asound, it doesn't even make like
a like it used to do that.
I think that's a good idea,especially for kiddos, to
(20:36):
capture them right in that onesecond.
You take a video and then dothat screen capture or do live
photos.
That's also what I've beendoing a lot, as my kids are,
like, still in that crazy age.
Yes, is the live photos catcheslike I think it's two seconds
before and after the photo, soit gives you a spread that you
can pick the main photo out of.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Wait, if this works, I just did it, you guys.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Oh my gosh.
Yeah, if this works, I just didit you guys?
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Oh my gosh, it does work, but it's funny Cause I
took like 10 pictures because itdidn't click Right.
I was like wait.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
I don't think it got it.
I don't think it got oh okay,okay.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
So that is like a major takeaway, wow.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Yeah, but don't get too excited when you're tapping
it, cause you'll shake yourvideo.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Oh, yes, I can see myself getting very excited yeah
, I got it, I got it so arethere certain settings that you
have on your, on your phone, umto get like the best picture, or
do you have like um?
What's it called like a, not afilter, like a preset?
Speaker 2 (21:38):
yeah, so I mean there the.
I think those are two separatequestions.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
We can have like an hour long lesson with you, about
, about tip sheet.
Do you have a download?
Speaker 2 (21:52):
We should make one.
I can make one for you guys.
Actually, I think that'd be afun takeaway, cause there's some
, there's some settings that Ilike to go in and do, and let's
actually do that for you guys.
Like I'll go through and likemake a little um takeaway of how
to do it.
I don't know what I did with myphone.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Oh, here it is Well, and now people don't want you.
I just took a picture ofsomeone on the beach, like of a
couple, but they were likeyounger than us guys.
But they're like don don't,don't zoom in, we can do the
zoom in, right like it was.
Yeah, I used to always want tozoom in, but now people do their
own editing, I guess I don'tknow.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
Oh, they do a crop zoom after well.
Sometimes the zoom lines willmake it like not let it's more
grainy, so like they probablywanted to keep it on their own.
Um, but this is what you can doLike are we on iPhones here,
friends?
Yes, yes, good Cause.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
I'm not good If you have an Android, don't listen.
You have to press stop.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
I know my sister-in-law has one and one of
my best friends has one.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
It's annoying, oh my.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
God, it's probably you can do this.
Okay, go to like.
Scroll down on your screen soyou can get that search bar that
pops up at the bottom.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
like, like go on your main screen like swipe down.
Oh yeah, you get this searchbar.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Hang on, like I'm searching for an app too, yeah,
and like you can like writesettings down here, like right,
like this.
So like you're searching for anapp type in settings okay, or
just go to settings.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Yeah, we could do.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Mine has too many apps on my screen so I don't
want to switch to it.
Okay, and then in settings onthat top search panel type in
camera, oh I didn't even knowthere was a search engine there.
Yeah, then go to the camerabutton.
There's like an actual camera.
It like shows your camera thing, this one, oh, okay, this is
(23:42):
real compelling content.
Yes, everybody wants to know.
Okay, so for people that arewatching.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
It's like it looks.
It looks like the camera lens,right?
Speaker 2 (23:52):
yeah, the actual camera app that you're gonna get
, okay, okay so this one, we'regonna do some setting change,
like we're gonna adjust somesettings.
So, um, I'm gonna tell you whatI like to do, just for me
personally.
So I like to record my videos,um at 1080p and 60 seconds, 60
fps, which is frames per second.
I don't know what setting areyou guys on on that top one?
Speaker 1 (24:13):
I was at 4k at 60 fps .
Okay, what does that, which isfine, it's fine.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
They're gonna be super large files, um, that can
appear in 4k, when your tvs cando 4k, which we can't do quite
yet.
So it'll be great.
But, like, do we really need it?
So I just shoot in 10k or 1080pbecause it's it's very um
compatible with everywhere.
Okay, so, um, 60 frames persecond is cool because it just
if you slowed it, if you do likea slow-mo from it, it'll make
(24:41):
it smooth.
That's the only reason you wantto do that, um.
And then I just have recordslow-mo at 120 frames per second
, the 1080p at 120.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
I had 240.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Oh, that's going to be really slow.
I mean it's going to be fine,it's going to be all just really
creamy and the bigger files, Ithink, because it's like that's
how many I don't do slow-mo alot, I never do slow-mo.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
I'll do it for a reel .
You can slow it down, but Iwon't ever do slow-mo, so that's
where I do slow-mo too.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
So that's why I'm like I'm just gonna like not
have it accidentally record andtake up all that space, like
because I feel like it's gonnabe like really pretty okay.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
So let's just so we've got record video at 1080p
at 30 frames per second.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
And then 60 frames, oh, 60.
Just kidding, and then I'llmake a cheat sheet.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Slow-mo is 1080p at 120 frames per second.
Okay, I got the first two Yay.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Okay Now, cinematic I have at 30 frames per second.
That's.
That's going to just be be rawout of the camera.
It's just going to make italready slower.
So what is yours at?
Cinematic-wise, 1080p at 30.
Okay, yeah, that's where I'm at.
So the most important one I wantto go to is the formats here.
It's the next one, and you'llsee that there's high efficiency
(25:57):
and most compatible.
Do you see that?
Yeah, where did you go intothat Formats?
It's right after the record andyou'll see that there's high
efficiency and most compatible.
Do you see that?
Where did you go into that?
The formats?
It's right after the record.
Okay, so when you're in there, Ilike to shoot in most
compatible.
So I don't know if any of youguys have made albums recently.
I don't think you have.
No, I don't know why, but ifyou've gone in and sent a photo
(26:19):
from your phone to any of themajor album makers, like
Chatbooks or Mpix or Shutterflyor anything, if you send
something that's been recordedas a high-efficiency file, it's
going to be saving your picturesas heic, which is like not JPEG
, it's not readable by many ofthese manufacturers.
(26:40):
Yet I think in time that'sgoing to change, so it'll
probably be fine, but I'd ratherhave it one less step, so I
just do most compatible and itsaves everything as JPEG and
it's just ready to go and youdon't have to do an additional
conversion yeah, I've been doingthe conversion on my desktop
now.
Yeah, it's like one extra stepso you can do photo in different
(27:02):
modes.
I don't even go there and I'mnot even I'm not shooting on raw
.
You could, if you are likedoing this crazy landscape that
you want to, like print the sizeof your wall like you might
want to shoot in raw.
That's going to be a huge filebut for most people you really
don't need that.
Like the quality, like thehighest you're printing is 8x10,
maybe 11x14.
Like I don't think it'snecessary to shoot in RAW and
(27:26):
those are really like the mainsettings I mess with, so I won't
like bore this whole episode.
Okay, okay.
But I can give a little guidefor you guys that we can just do
the quick settings to change.
That will make it a lot easierto have your photos accessible
when you need them.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Oh, that's awesome.
I think that's so helpful.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
And then I don't remember your other question, it
was different oh, the editing,like what you're doing to edit a
photo, yeah yeah.
So typically I don't editunless like it needs it, like
cause a lot of times these thenew iPhones especially,
especially, are balancing theimages pretty well.
But anytime I do want to editit, I would go in and hit the
(28:04):
edit button and I like to doadjust and I hit that magic wand
thing.
Okay, I don't know if it'sgoing to show because I'm a
little blurry.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
What does that do?
What does that mean?
Speaker 2 (28:14):
I will do that too.
It's auto, so it's going toadjust all the settings just a
little bit and then you can likeslide it up or down if you like
it.
Like it'll usually change theskin tones the most like it
makes like the face a littlelighter, which is always good.
But see how it's like messingthe background up a little bit,
yeah, so I'll just adjust itslightly and I always um will
(28:35):
play with highlights, becausethat's like the clouds and are
like light that's behind you orany places that like get no
detail in it.
I'll usually like bring thehighlights down a little bit and
up the contrast.
So the highlight you'll see itwhen you scroll.
It'll tell you which one'shighlights, like this little
circley guy.
And then contrast I'll often,but that magic wand already kind
(28:58):
of does that.
So it's a good quick one to hitand then you can adjust from
there.
But those are the main things Ido, even when I edit my client
sessions.
Those are the three things Ireally play with.
It's exposure, contrast andhighlights.
So it's a good way to if thoseare the ones you want to really
share without swiping up thefilters on Instagram, it's a
(29:18):
good way to do that.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
I like that.
I have some friends that thinkthey're like professional
editors and I think they use allthose things and I'm like
here's a photo, you edit it,let's, let's crop our arm off,
maybe I don't know, or or youknow, um, but that's so funny.
I didn't think I like the, Ilike that tip of just the
(29:41):
highlighter and the contrast,because I'll try to play with
them all and I'm like, ok, I'mnot a photographer like I don't
even you can tell when people doit.
like you know, now there are somany filters, especially on
social media.
I just learned that you coulddo a filter on your stories and
I did not know that, so I thinkI told you that, yeah, changing,
(30:02):
did not know that, so I think Itold you that, yeah, it's
changing every day.
Oh, I could look a little bitmore glamorous?
Uh, that would be nice, alittle less sleep deprived.
But then when people see methey'll be like who is that?
Alex?
pass out a filter, yeah walkingaround with like a like a filter
stick, like a popsicle noselfie sticks.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
That's a good invention.
It is, guys, the only other tipI have that I think would be
really helpful from the seriesof like us talking about getting
in the picture more.
I love using the timer, like,do you guys?
Speaker 1 (30:32):
ever use the timer on your phone, always, yes.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
That is like awesome way to get in pictures with your
whole family, with everyone.
The 10 second timer gives youenough of a countdown to run and
jump in the shot.
You can set it with your yourApple watch to go off, so like
you don't have to do the runanymore.
That's kind of fun.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
So if you have, an Apple watch.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
I got a reel on this one.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
I'll link that one in our guide.
I told her that I was likethese tips are like genius, like
just three tips.
I love you know.
I love the.
I love the timer.
I use that all the time.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
It's so helpful and you just go through and you can
pick out which one, which keyphoto, is the best, and then you
can turn it into video and loopand bounce it.
You can do all the things youwant with it.
So there's there's ways like toturn it, because it'll take 10
pictures really fast and you canturn it into a little video.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
I'm like girl at Orange.
It's lucky we know how to do areel.
I mean that took a while.
That took a while to figure out.
We're still figuring it out,that's the thing about midlife,
right, you're just alwaysfiguring it out, right.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
I don't know when you're not, and then it changes
as soon as you do.
As soon as you got to figure itout, it's kind of like
parenting.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Just when you think you got to phase down, you're
like wait, wait, come back.
Right, my kids are alwaystelling me what to do with the
photos and all this stuff, andthey're like just give me your
phone.
I'm like no cause you're goingto mess it up.
I know exactly how to do it.
Now what about those midlifeladies like us that literally
(32:07):
haven't done anything with theirphotos for the past 15 years?
Um, besides, I do have a bagupstairs.
I think I spent $500 when Bakerwas five and bought all these
printed photos, and they'restill sitting there.
That's great.
My goal was to so what aboutthe people like us?
Like literally?
I think this wears on me.
Like every year, I'm like I'mgoing to do the photos.
I'm going to do the photos,Like what?
(32:28):
do we do if we've got camcorderswith stuff.
I have hard drives with photos.
I have them on my iPhone Likesomeone.
I'm sure Nicole is moreorganized than me with this
situation.
Yeah, not really Okay, so we'rein the same boat.
No, we're in the same boat Likemine are in boxes.
Like I personally like to havea picture in my hand and I
(32:51):
especially thought that it washelpful.
We lost our mom.
I lost my mother-in-law acouple of years ago and I just
noticed that the first thingthat everybody did is they went
to the photo album.
I, for me, personally, I wantto look at a picture in an album
and flip it, versus looking atit through a phone.
So I do print off pictures, butthey're just not organized very
(33:15):
well.
Um, but for my business, I wantthem easily accessible on
either a hard drive or in analbum in my in my phone.
So mine are just all over theplace that's okay.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
It means you have them and that there's something
you can do with it, like,because some people don't even
take the pictures and have them,but it's so, I think, what the
key that I've walked away with.
So I spent 2020 to like just upto this year really helping
families manage their photocollections, like while we were
all stuck inside and trying tofigure out ways to do something
(33:48):
with their collections, and whatI noticed most is that if we
get so focused on doing itperfect and getting everything
just right like getting everysingle one of your photos in one
specific place backed up thesame way and then moving forward
from that like getting everysingle one of your photos in one
specific place backed up thesame way, and then moving
forward from that, like youcan't actually do it perfect,
because taking photos and havinga photo collection is a cycle
(34:09):
and it always is going tocontinue to get added to and
it's something that you need togo back and refresh as you go,
especially in the digital world.
So anything we have on the cloudor on hard drives hard drives
are only designed to last aboutfive years now and I've started
to.
I just had this happen in mybusiness, like one of my old
cloud services decided to nothold cloud photos anymore.
(34:31):
So all of my client galleriesfrom 10 years ago are now not
accessible on the cloud, so theyjust went away and luckily I
have them on backup hard drives.
But what I noticed is luckily Ihave them on backup hard drives
.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
But what I?
Speaker 2 (34:40):
noticed is like some of them are running a little
slower and some don't even turnon and you think that they're
safe because you put them on acloud or you put them on a hard
drive.
It's just really important tohave them in multiple different
places and so, through, thebottom line of it all is that,
like, what was most importantwas, instead of having every
single photo ever in one place,it's having those ones that are
(35:03):
the most important.
So I like people to focus onthe big moments that matter to
them, or like the things thatlight them up about their kids
that they don't want to forget,like if you're.
It doesn't have to be just abirthday or a major milestone
celebration.
It could be just how tiny yourkids hands, like how big a rock
looks in your kid's tiny hands.
(35:24):
You know it could be somethinglike that.
That's an MVP.
But you can focus on makingsure you have those saved and I
have them saved by year.
Like I'll just go in and justbe like these are my favorites
of my MVPs of 2022 and my MVPsof 2024.
And I make sure that those arethe first things that are backed
up, and then you just kind ofgo backwards.
(35:44):
I like look at differentmilestones that are coming up as
a great time to go and findthose specific pictures.
Like we're coming up on our 10year wedding anniversary at the
end of the week and now would bea great time for me to go
through and like pick one photoevery year, that's it.
Like just give myself that onetask of getting 10 photos, like
(36:04):
not having to get a million, butlike search my husband's face.
Like I don't have as manypictures of him on here, but
like you can go in.
Like I use google to back up myphotos just because I like
(36:25):
their ai so much.
Um, they have.
I find the just the bestversion of facial recognition,
identifying, identifying objectsor locations.
Like you can type in frog ongoogle and it'll pull up a
picture of like a pond.
In a time there was a frog,like if you took a picture of it
.
So you can get really creativeof different keywords to search
(36:46):
to find the images that you'relooking for.
So if it's not popping up thatone time you were at a
restaurant I don't know youcould look up a certain thing.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
Do you work with people just to teach them this,
or yeah?
Speaker 2 (36:59):
So offer one on one consultations to help people
identify what's most importantand go through a system to be
able to find their photos, and Ialso have a photo tracker that
I'm happy to share too.
It's one of the most downloadeditems I have on my website
right now.
It's a place that I've learnedto start using this, because you
(37:19):
start to quickly lose track ofwhere everything is, especially
if you have them printed.
They're in your mom's basementor they're up in the attic or
they're somewhere that theyshouldn't be.
Like like side note, likethings should not be in places
where the temperature isn'tcontrolled.
So attics are often places whereit can get too hot or too cold
or moisture can get in and itcan damage your pictures if
(37:40):
they're not protected.
Or garages those are like thetop two places to just instantly
get them out.
Basements you just don't wantthem on the floor.
As long as, like it's afinished basement, it's okay,
but it's just important to justknow where your photos are, and
this photo tracker helps you,just as you're going through
these MVP moments, to be like oh, that trip to Destin is on this
(38:00):
hard drive, it's on that one.
Here it is, and I did back itup and you can check a box and
be like it's backed up on Google, so you know it's in two places
and you can kind of giveyourself this running list of
what you need to do as you'regoing.
So it's not so overwhelmingwhen you have the two seconds to
work on it.
Speaker 1 (38:19):
Well, it's almost like it has to become a habit
too.
When I was on the plane, I hadno wifi and I was going through
my pictures and it, like yousaid, I wanted to hear about
that little hand.
I found all these pictures andvideos of when, like, the kids
were like five and under and waslike, oh my gosh, they grow so
quickly, like even within a year.
I was finding a picture of mymiddle son from a year ago and
he looks so different.
Um, so it's almost like do yourecommend to your clients going
(38:43):
through it?
Whatever works for them?
Maybe it's like a monthly basis, it's something you do every
month, or when you come backfrom vacation, or your
milestones, or you know, becauseyou have to.
If I mean, for Nicole and I togo back 15 years, it's going to
be a big undertaking.
I don't want to have to do this30 more years or I won't even
know.
I remember thinking when wefirst had this is so silly when
(39:04):
we first had digital phones andI printed all those pictures of
Baker when he was five and I waslike I mean, I'm not going to
need those photos.
Well, what are we?
How are we going to send peopledigital photos, like I had no
clue, like that.
That would really be somethinglike I'd be sending his
kindergarten picture for theyearbook.
I thought we'd still have toprint them.
So I was like I'm on top ofthis.
So I think, like I'm going toput this on my list to do every
(39:31):
first of the month.
I think I'm going to do that.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
It's a great way to start trying.
Speaker 1 (39:36):
Oh, you will yes.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
Especially if you're in a line.
I love I mean, I think we'regoing to be traveling a little
more, but I love when you're ona plane because I feel like
that's the most uninterruptedtime to go through and do it.
No-transcript a way of megetting off of Instagram in the
(40:11):
middle of the night.
So instead of, like, layingdown in my bed the second, I
could go to sleep and, grabbingmy phone and scrolling Instagram
, I would go through my cameraroll and look at what pictures I
took that day and I would, as Iwould go through, I would just
put a heart on each one that Iloved, like, and then I would
zoom out and all the ones thatdidn't have a heart I would
click on and delete and theywould be gone.
(40:32):
So what would happen was allthat was left was just the
things that lit me up in mycamera roll and you would just
really fast see, like, onlyevery time you open it up, it's
just the good ones and it is wasa fast way to start getting a
little bit of control over thatchaos of all the like,
screenshots and the blurryphotos and the things that don't
matter that are getting backedup to the cloud and story like
(40:55):
wasting all your storageeverywhere.
Like helps to start tacklingthat a little bit and it has the
side benefit of like showingyou how much good is in your
world that you might not havereally realized when you just
were snapping a quick picture.
So it's a new way to reframe ita little bit.
Speaker 1 (41:10):
I love that for new moms, for older moms, for
everything.
I like that Cause.
That's like I was going back tosix years ago and I was finding
that daily delight.
Ooh, I like that because that'slike I was going back to six
years ago and I was finding thatdaily delight.
Oh, I like that and I realizedthe best is when your kids would
take our phones when they werelittle.
Literally there was 50 picturesof the same thing.
(41:30):
I'm like oh my gosh boys, I'mgoing to kill you.
Or like it was when the phonesfirst came out, or they were
doing like they're doing TikTok,so I don't even know what was
on my phone.
I'm like, wow, this is beforethey had phones, it's really,
really.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
Maybe I should go through my kids' phones.
We should go through our boys'phones to call oh, look out, see
everything that's on my teenphone, I'll tell them.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
They can do it they can have their own daily
delights.
You know they can do it.
They can have all your dailydelights.
You know I like that becausephotos make you.
Photos can make you happy.
And I just was, I just wasreading something that was like,
also don't wait, likeespecially we talk about our
parents getting older and stuffDon't wait for something.
It's like those moments whenyou have to go find those photos
(42:16):
, like, don't wait till a momentwhen someone passes, or you
know.
So I keep a lot of albums in myphone.
That's what I'm trying to do,like I have ones of Alex and I
or this or that, you knowwhatever, cooking different
things.
So I'm trying to do the albumsin my Google phone.
Speaker 2 (42:32):
And then you have this in your Google photos.
Speaker 1 (42:36):
Google, no, my phone.
Oh sorry, my phone, my iPhone.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
Yeah, I was like I thought you had an iPhone.
Speaker 1 (42:42):
That's a little high tech for me.
Speaker 2 (42:48):
No, I think that that's a helpful way to find
them really fast when you needthem.
And it's not being afraid, Iremind myself, and it sounds
like we've all experienced aloss that's really unexpected,
that really changes theperspective of you with every
time that you're with people,like it's making sure that you
take the picture, even if you'relike didn't do your hair and
the kids are screaming, and thatyou're just hold them in just
(43:10):
to get a shot, like take thepicture or just get in it
yourself with the person, andlike that's okay, like there
might be a next time which wouldbe great, you know, but if
there's not, at least you havethese moments together and like
you're not being shy to sharethe love that you have with the
person that you're with.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
Right, and when you look back, you'll look at it
with a different lens, cause Ilook at pictures of like when my
first and the newborn picturesand I was just so tired and a
lot of the pictures.
I'm like trying to get my headout of the picture, but I'm like
hi, like it was just a season.
I mean, you know you.
(43:46):
Just you don't realize it untilafter the fact.
But, yeah, get in the picture.
Yeah, oh, I love this.
So where can um, where can ourlisteners find you?
Give us all the details.
You can find me over on.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
Instagram.
I love hanging out there asmuch as when my daily delights
are done.
No, I'm not going to.
I've definitely fallen off thebandwagon on those, but I'll try
.
But Instagram you can get me inmy DMs over on it's
frameoflifeproject on Instagramand then my website is
frameoflifeco and I would.
(44:18):
I'd love to connect with yourlisteners because these are all
awesome.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
So you do.
You do different things forbusiness owners, right?
You can do content creation forthem monthly or seasonally, and
then also for, for you know,just moms or whoever who want to
organize their photos.
She has the tracker and she cando one-on-one sessions or help
you sort of eliminate theoverwhelm of, like us, like 15
years of photos that we don'tknow what we're going to do with
(44:45):
, and also staying with thetimes and realizing how to store
these photos, right.
I think that's important,especially a lot of midlife moms
.
This is where I saw this wasdon't wait for your child's
graduation from high school tolook at all the photos, right?
So, like a lot of us have kidsthat are freshmen in high school
, I'm not going to put this off,maybe that's a little project.
(45:06):
Like right, I'll find all thesepictures of Baker and organize
that first.
Like take bite-sized things todo it, but don't wait until
senior year, because then we'regoing to be scrambling and
probably send pictures just todo it Right Instead of enjoying
it.
Right so?
And crying your way through it.
Speaker 2 (45:23):
Yeah, I know, I, I, I .
I had to get off after twomonths, you guys, of the
pictures from 2016,.
Speaker 1 (45:26):
Because I was like oh , I was sitting next on the
airplane to my big kids and I'mlike this is like.
I was like wanting to be like agrandma.
I was like, okay, this has tobe done.
I'm done these kids are so cute,I just want them for like one
day, you know, just one day, andthen give them that Okay.
(45:48):
So it is time for unsolicitedadvice.
There is, there's so muchgoodness in this and the photos
you're really like inspiring meand motivating me to do a lot of
things.
So, nicole, what time is it?
(46:11):
It's my favorite time.
It is unsolicited advice time.
What, nicole?
What would be your unsolicitedadvice?
I think for me personally, theeasiest thing that I started
with and I think this is a goodstarting point for people I you
could correct me here, butstarting an album.
So just maybe start a couple ofalbums.
Um, like, maybe, if you havekids, just start with like your
(46:32):
oldest and kind of look in thesearch button, get the facial
recognition and just startputting things in there.
And then, as you build, youknow it'll just become a little
bit more.
What's the word I'm looking for?
Intentional.
Speaker 2 (46:49):
Yes, not intentional routine.
Both are great.
Speaker 1 (46:51):
Like you do it without thinking whatever that
word is yeah, routine, yes, okay, habitual.
Speaker 2 (46:57):
I don't know, maybe more of a habit.
Speaker 1 (46:59):
Yes, Okay, how about you, Alex?
What's your unsolicited advice?
I have no advice for storingpictures or anything like that,
but I would say my advice wouldbe take the photo, take the
photo right.
And take the video of, even ifit's with your friends, even if
it's this, and just tell themyou won't post it anywhere, and
(47:20):
especially your kids, but justto have that, I think.
I think just the video.
I just love seeing people'sexpressions and little kids
voices or this or that, like youcan't replace that Right you
just can't, and I think ifyou're just, if you're feeling
like you know a happy time, justjust do it, Even if you see
something like I'll take videosof some scenery that I like,
(47:42):
just like things like rainbowsor, you know, the ocean, things
like that Like just doesn'talways have to be people in it,
Just things that really bringyou joy and make you happy.
Or food I do a lot of food, soI think take the photo would be
mine.
Take the video, take the photo.
Speaker 2 (47:58):
Don't miss an opportunity so no, and I think
once you get that photo, like,enjoy the moment.
You know, don't focus ongetting another angle of the
same photo so much.
Just get it and get out andenjoy that time that you have.
Speaker 1 (48:11):
Don't have to be perfect, right, like it doesn't
have to be perfect, like justyou'll remember that moment.
I love that, okay.
So if you had to give us oneadvice for these midlife ladies,
what would be yours?
Speaker 2 (48:22):
God, I know Help us all.
Speaker 1 (48:23):
There's so many.
Help us all.
I know it's like there's somany.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
Help us all.
I think what's making me stillanxious is that we haven't
talked about backup, and I wantpeople to back up their photos
Because we might not have timeright now to go get them, but
like if your phone drops in oryou delete everything, like on
iCloud, like if you delete aphoto off of your camera, roll
it, deletes it off the cloud andit's gone.
(48:47):
So like you don't have a backupif you haven't added Google
Photos or Amazon Photos, or ifyou're not connecting your phone
to your computer and gettingthem on an external hard drive.
So that would be my one.
These one solicited advice forpeople is like get a backup, use
backup, use protection.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
And you have a good suggestion.
I'm just looking for it in myoffice.
I bought that.
Oh, I bought this drive thatyou said to buy.
Speaker 2 (49:10):
Yahoo, this one.
I love these things.
The orange ones, right?
Yes, I love that one.
They're fantastic and I lovethat one.
They're fantastic and they justlike.
I have like seven of them,maybe more, right now.
I'm a crazy hoarder, but I justI witnessed it this month Like
(49:30):
I've needed to go to multiple ofmy drives to get pictures from
10 years ago for clients, andthank God I had it, because
they're just evaporated andthey're important.
You've taken these photos for areason, so back up, back up
ladies, back it up, wrap itimportant.
You've taken these photos for areason, so back up, back up,
back it up, wrap it up, back itup, wrap it up, back it up.
Speaker 1 (49:44):
Well, thank you for coming.
This was so awesome, and I knowyou have more tips, so visit
her Instagram message.
She'll answer you right back.
It's really her too.
Um, it's really, it's reallyher.
So, all right, ladies, we'llsee you soon.
Bye, thanks, kira.
Bye, guys, and that's a wrapfor today's episode of Don't
(50:06):
Call Me Midlife.
We hope you had as much fun aswe did.
Absolutely.
Your support means the world tous.
If you're just waiting in thecarpool line, don't forget to
follow the show, and if you'refeeling extra spicy today, leave
us a rating and review Beforewe part ways.
We've got a special invitationfor you Join our newsletter to
stay in the loop with all thingsmidlife, magic, bonus content
(50:27):
and more.
Head on over to the show notesfor how to sign up.
We can't wait to keep theconversation going.
And, of course, remember, inthe whirlwind of life and
motherhood, don't forget to fillup your own cup first.
You're extraordinary and yourjourney is worth every moment.
Until next time, cheers.
Welcome to the Don't Call Me Midlife podcast.
I'm Nicole and I'm Alex.
We're your coffee-addicted,wine-loving, amazon-obsessed mom
squad.
Think of us as your new besties, but with a podcast.
And, just like you, we'renavigating the Google-defined
chaos of midlife while wranglinga pack of boys.
But here's the twist we're morethan just moms and wives.
We're on a mission to reclaimour identities beyond motherhood
(00:24):
, and we're bringing you alongfor the wild ride.
Now, we don't pretend to haveall the answers to life's
mysteries, but we're so good atlearning and laughing our way
through them.
So whether you're sipping fromyour trusty Stanley, indulging
in an oat milk latte fromStarbucks or raising a glass of
Whispering Angel, get ready tohang with us.
Together.
We'll keep it real, have somelaughs and remind you that this
(00:44):
crazy journey called life is oneadventure worth sharing.
Hello, we are so excited abouttoday's episode.
We have one of the most fun andenergetic people I know.
It's Kira.
She is, I guess she's a CEO,founder of her company, frame a
Life, but what she is is avisual storyteller and she works
(01:08):
with entrepreneurs with theirdoing content or pictures.
But she also works with justwomen or men that want to know
how to preserve their picturesand how to make those memories
last, and also how to tell thestory around the picture.
It's really beautiful.
I mean, these are things thatNicole and I need to do right
With our pictures.
Yes, even if I wasn't inbusiness, these are just tips
(01:29):
that I would want to know, justto have in my back pocket.
And she does give some greattips, so.
So you have to listen to someiPhone tips too Like you're not
going to miss this.
Yes, and if you are listening,make sure you check it out on
YouTube, because she shows thephone and step-by-step, and it's
really really incredible.
So, yes, all right, let's getinto it.
(01:56):
Oh my goodness.
Hello, I'm so excited for thisepisode.
I can't wait to dive in andlearn all the things that we're
learning.
But first, alex, what's in yourcup?
I am doing a seven-day cleanse,so I have a little shake in
there.
It's like shakes in the firstcouple of days and then I can
(02:17):
eat some food on day three.
So, yeah, I'm excited about it.
It's only seven days.
I can do it, you can do it.
You just started right.
Uh, yes, today you got this.
Good thing we're not recordingtomorrow, cause I heard you get
a little hangry.
Speaker 2 (02:34):
So, um, so today I am still good.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
I've done a 24 hour fast before.
I am good I am good.
What is in your cup?
Um, I have some collagen.
I'm trying Dr Mary ClaireHaver's.
It's like lemonade acaicollagen and it's really good.
So it was like a starter packetshe had with like fiber and DHA
(02:58):
pills with, I don't know,vitamin D and K.
I don't know You're supposed tolike mix vitamin D and vitamin
K.
So this came with it becauseI'm like let me try it.
It's really good and my boyskeep wanting it, yeah, and I'm
like no Is she the menopause.
She's that big menopause, doctor, right?
Yes, yes, you love her you loveher, I do, I do.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
We need to get her on the podcast.
We do.
Yeah, sorry, I'm going to turnmy notifications off.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
Sorry, girls.
Okay, that's okay.
That's okay, okay, so we've got.
I've known this person forprobably a few months, but she
has quickly become one of myfavorite people in the world.
I think she has more energythan like me ever and just such
good ideas and just so creativeand just a really really good
woman mom, wife and she worksher butt off with her business.
(03:49):
So we are so excited to haveyou here, kira Yay.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
Yay, so excited.
What's in your cup?
Speaker 1 (03:55):
There is a lot coming from you.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Oh, which cup I have like a hundred.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
You do have like a hundred there.
Oh my God, there's more.
There's more, there's more, oh,my god you're like quadruple
fisting, not even triple fisting.
Oh okay, tell us your mostinteresting drink there.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Um, most interesting is I.
I am trying to like do the bonebrothy thing right now.
I'm cold and I'm like trying tolike cleanse out a little bit.
We're going to the KentuckyDerby in a couple weeks and like
I'm really excited.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
so I'm trying to just like get a little bit.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
We're going to the Kentucky Derby in a couple of
weeks and like I'm reallyexcited, so I'm trying to just
like get all the liquids in andhope that does something Backing
up your hydration yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Before you get to drink all the liquids.
Yeah, oh, that sounds like somuch fun.
I've never been to the Derby,even though I went to college in
the South.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
I know a lot of people that did, but I think
that sounds fun.
Are you going to wear a hat andeverything?
Oh, I got a hat.
I have too many hats, I havetoo many.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
That's so fun.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
It's a matter of how to get all the hats there and a
carry on.
You know like I don't want topack them, so I was like, am I
going to wear seven hats?
Did borrow one because I have afundraiser that you're supposed
to wear like a hat in May.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Oh, I got you, girl, and it's like all fun, I got it
really.
I got so many.
Okay, I'm glad we covered that,so okay.
So this woman is incredible.
She calls herself a visualstoryteller, right, so think
about that, that is.
That's someone that's reallyspecial and I love her story.
She's going to tell us a littlebit about it.
She helps entrepreneurs withtheir content, with their photos
, but what she also does is byvisually storytelling, she helps
(05:32):
moms preserve their photos ormaybe even tell them what to do
with it.
I mean, I met with her for likefive minutes one time and she's
telling me all these things todo with my photos because I've
done nothing, and she wasgetting a little anxiety because
of that too.
So tell us your story.
Her company is called Frame ofLife Project on Instagram and
her website is beautiful,beautiful the words you use.
(05:55):
I love, love, love your website.
It like portrayed you perfectly.
But you tell us what your storyis.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
So sweet.
Well, so this time of year Iget really extra emotional
because it kind of ties into mystory In what was it?
2015,?
We lost my mother-in-law, andthe year after we lost my sister
.
And when we lost mymother-in-law it was like the
one year anniversary of ourwedding and it was right when we
were starting to think abouthaving kids and what that meant.
(06:24):
And very quickly my husband'sfamily went from a family of
four to just him and his dad andI found out I was pregnant and
I'm like, oh my God, like thisis life is all happening really
fast and I got reallysentimental about how do I
portray what life is with ourfamily and what generations have
passed now and how do we tellthose stories as we move forward
(06:46):
.
And then I wanted to be able todocument what was happening as I
became a mom, as I witnessedall these changes in my body
happening, as I watched mydaughter come out and grow and
what that meant to life and Iwas a photographer, so, as that
was all happening, so like mynatural way of processing grief
and documenting what washappening and being able to see
(07:09):
everything that was unfolding infront of me was through the
lens of my camera and reallyutilizing that tool to show what
was happening, I saw that likeit was really hard as a young
mom to be able to do work be amom, have your husband, have a
high power career and be thephotographer, be the mom, like
all of it.
It was like really hard tojuggle all of the things.
So I spent a lot of time justat home, really trying to focus
(07:31):
on what mattered most, likeraising the kids, but then also
working with very specificclients that were connected with
their stories and what theywanted to put out in the world
and really helping drive thatconnection through their
branding.
So it kind of started there.
I love that story.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Wow, so did you out of.
I feel like visual storytellinghas been part of your story
since you were a photographerbefore life started happening at
a very you know fast pace foryou.
Life started happening at avery you know fast pace for you.
(08:10):
What, like, did you slowlystart doing things just for
yourself, or were you buildingthings for other people and then
you just took that in into yourown world?
Speaker 2 (08:18):
Yeah.
So what I noticed was that whatset me apart was that I could
connect with people through theart of storytelling.
So I learned that photos meanmore and video content means
more when it's driven with astory behind it and if there's a
real purpose for what you'retrying to convey.
So I started showing that withbranding photography through
(08:39):
some of my business clients andreally trying to understand,
like, what do we want to get outof your cycling studio?
What story are we trying totell here?
That's just different thanstrapping your shoes and ride
the bike.
It's just like how do we makethis cooler and more relatable
and get people wanting to comein?
And it was a really fun way tostart connecting on that side
(09:00):
with businesses and really likedeveloping their storylines and
helping witness them grow,because they started forming
connections with people becauseof the stories they were telling
.
And then on a like on a personalside with the families I was
working with.
I wasn't driven to just workwith one-off families chasing
screaming kids in the publicgardens, like on mini sessions
(09:20):
all the time, Like I was sotired having little kid at home
and I didn't have the timeanymore to be able to like do
all these shoots and have 60shoots a year.
It was more that I had to getspecific about who I was working
with and I found that theclients that stayed were the
ones that wanted to tell theirstory more.
So I wouldn't come just once ayear, I would come a couple of
(09:40):
times a year and weave theirstoryline throughout the images
that we did.
We'd do pancake making sessionsand we would go to parks, but
it would be a park that meantsomething to them and we would
play with the flowers that theirmom planted in the backyard.
It was something more driven toconnect the photos to the
person's story a little bit moreand it just filled me more.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
So that sounds like you're working with clients more
.
You know you think of thephotographers, like you're
saying, like do the photosessions right, that's one thing
.
Here's what you wear.
Let's go do your Christmas card.
How do you work?
Whether it's um, you knowsomeone who's working on their
branding, like your cycle studioor a family.
What is the process that youuse?
Because, thinking of somepeople I wouldn't necessarily
(10:26):
know either for my business ormy family, maybe my story all
the time right, how do you getthat out of people besides
therapy?
Speaker 2 (10:39):
So wine no kidding, wine is also very helpful.
It gets people talking, but Ithink, honestly, it's a lot of
just talking and listening.
You know, understanding wherethey live, why they live there,
what, what are they doing withtheir business?
Like, um, I know you and I Alexhas started working together a
little bit and it's reallydigging into what it is you're
trying to convey to people whoare consuming your content and
(11:01):
why you.
Why are you unique out ofeverybody in the world?
Like, why should they look atyou and come to your website or
talk to you on DMs and Instagram?
Like, what is it that sets youapart?
And then we focus there andlike dive into that, like really
upplay the things that make youunique and have fun with it and
don't.
It's just more about having funinstead of being so serious and
(11:21):
like be like we have to havethe light right and you can't
turn off of nine like 45 degreesand just like just making sure
we have fun.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
It's more of that real content, right.
Let that real, those realpictures, those real moments,
like even with the family, likeyou're saying, if maybe they
have a recipe that they useevery Saturday morning, whatever
for pancakes, you know, yeah, Ilove that.
Ooh, I want you to do that atmy house too.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
You have the best pancakes.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
We're going to have to cook for my photo shoot.
Um, that is, that's awesome.
I mean even thinking about thespin studio, like the stories
and the meaning that come out ofthat right Would be powerful.
Yeah, I do think it takes avery unique eye to be able to
capture somebody's personalitythrough a picture.
(12:07):
I think it's I can't say, oh,anybody could take a good
picture to capture so manypeople's personalities without
even knowing them in a moment,and it just made all the
(12:31):
difference in the world.
And I think, with what you'retalking about visual
storytelling, that is, inessence, what you're bringing to
everyone and I think that'sjust such a gift.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Yeah, you have to be an observer.
It's like it's really kind ofamazing how much you start to
observe when you realize aboutpeople by just watching a little
bit and know you can see thesparkle in someone's eye when
you're talking to them aboutwhat actually lights them up.
You know, like maybe theyactually hate cooking and they
don't want to do a pancake.
That's the last thing that theycould do, and then, let alone
(13:05):
trying to photograph trying toflip a pancake.
But you can really like learn alot about people by their body
language and what they bringforward first and talk about.
And I just I think it's just sofun to just get down on like
whether I'm working with kids,like I'll get down on the ground
and be at their level and seelife from their perspective
(13:25):
instead of just like lookingdown at it.
So it's like just relating withwhoever's in front of your
camera.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
Now, how do you get if you have a client?
You know a lot of midlifeladies, maybe they're, you know,
a little serious, or you knowit's like sometimes, like you
said, what I love connectingwith you on the fact of fun,
right?
Have you ever had a client thatis just you know a little?
Speaker 2 (13:48):
bit more on the serious side they have like an
awesome brand and they're anawesome person.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
But how do you get people to open up?
Because I know doing that, um,and I know it would be for
Nicole and I it's a little bitmore vulnerable, right, when
you're telling your storywhether you're selling a Stanley
or whether you have you know a,a studio.
you've worked hard on your brand, right, and that's a.
It's a personal brand too, nomatter what you're doing.
(14:12):
And how do you?
What is your secret, besidessort of listening, of getting
people to open up to thatvulnerability?
Whether that is something thatthey share or not, it doesn't
matter, right, but you have togo to a sort of a deeper place
in order to have that story.
So how do you, how do you makesomeone you know feel
comfortable?
Speaker 2 (14:33):
I I wonder if part of the secret sauce for me is that
most of my clients aren'tpeople that just Googled me and
found me and we just meet offthe street.
So we have a long relationship.
It's they see me posting aboutmy everyday and how it's kind of
messy and I'm doing the best Ican, but this is where we're at.
And then they know I'm abusiness owner doing the hustle.
(14:54):
They see what's happening.
So we have there's a lot ofthings we can relate to
underlying that might not justbe on the surface of
photographer, client.
And then it's we don't with myclients.
It's never just one interaction,it's there's lots of different
buildup points.
It's that initial like I wouldlove a photo shoot and it's like
well, tell me about it.
What are you looking for?
What do you need these imagesfor?
(15:14):
Or is it just to have onepicture on your LinkedIn bio?
Or is it to tell a full storyfor all of your freebies and
like your whole brand?
You know like it can be verydifferent and the amount of
depth you need to go like ifit's just a headshot, I'm not
going to spend a million hourswith somebody like trying to
know them like I can make themyeah that's, that's a little bit
(15:37):
easier I.
Speaker 1 (15:38):
Yeah, that's a that's a little bit easier.
I mean you could, you couldlike give someone a glass of
wine or a skinny mug orsomething, maybe.
Yeah, that'd be fine.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
Maybe we need to do that.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Wait, I'm in.
I mean I don to like set upsomething with mimosas and I.
I just I kept drinking thembecause I wanted to relax and uh
, I mean I think that was themost relaxed photo shoot I ever
did.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
But yeah, was it good pictures, nicole?
Was it good?
I know I'm curious, was it goodcontent?
Speaker 1 (16:16):
uh, yeah, it was.
Yeah, I always feel like myfirst photo shoots go well, and
then the second one.
I don't know if I'm just like Ijust I don't know.
I feel like I'm just better thefirst time and then the second
time I maybe I'm not as preparedyou always look good.
Our photo shoot was funtogether.
(16:36):
We did one in Colorado and thatwas fun.
It was was long.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
It's a long day.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
I didn't realize when I did a first photo shoot, it
was my best friend that took thepictures for my cookbook and it
was, I think it was only acouple hours, but I was like
exhausted.
I'm like, oh my God, I don'tthink I can smile anymore.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
But smiling hurts your cheek.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
It hurts.
Now, do you ever like becauseyou do this for so many other
people, I feel like we'renormally a bad client to
ourselves, right?
Like?
Doctors are the worst patients.
You know that type of thing.
Do you?
Do you ever get in front of thecamera and how do you?
How do you?
Are you just constantlyrecording and taking pictures of
your kiddos?
Like, do you ever, now that youhave a full fledged business,
(17:17):
right, and you have two littlekids, ps, and your husband
travels a lot for his job, right?
Like you're solo parenting alot, do you like tell us how you
do it within your family?
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Well, I do try to get in the picture.
I don't love it like being inthe picture, you know but I want
to show up for my kids and I,like my daughter, said recently
like she was looking at videosand I got so annoying because
she's like mommy, where are you?
Speaker 1 (17:45):
I'm like.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
I'm talking to you and I'm taking the video.
Like I'm in it, I'm so in it,but they don't see it.
And when she said that to me,it made it like, so, like this
gut punch of like, I have tomake it a priority every year to
be in at least one shoot withmy kids and, like this year, our
daycare did like a fundraiserand I was like, well, 50 bucks,
(18:08):
it could be terrible, it's goingto be 5 PM, they're going to be
melting, I don't care, we'regoing to try it.
And they came out to be likethe best pictures and it was a
five minute shoot.
I was like, just try it, seewhat happens if you get one
picture.
It's great, and I think it wasreally worth doing that, you
know, and it just it was a goodreminder of like, even if my
husband wasn't even in them, Iwas like I'm sorry, we're gonna
(18:28):
have to do it again.
You will do it again.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
I love this evolution of taking more video too.
John just said to me the otherday on our vacation was like why
do you take so much video?
Are you going to post it?
And I'm like, no, I take a lotthat I don't post.
I do post a lot of videos.
But I was like I had one ofthose moments recently where my
dad passed away suddenly 11years ago and my son, he's like
(18:53):
writing some rap music and hewanted a video of my dad for his
video and literally I could notfind one because my phone only
goes back so far.
I had to look up on thecamcorder.
It was like basically ourwedding video, you know.
But I was just like I really Ithink I love the pictures.
I love, love, love those.
But I love this like video justof us sitting at the table or
(19:15):
on vacation, or you know, Ithink I think that is taking up
a lot of capacity on my phone.
But, um, I think it's reallyspecial to have because I don't
have that.
So on my vacation, like I wastrying to take videos of my mom
or you know, I would pretend Iwas taking a picture of the boys
and my mom and I'd be liketaking a video, so that's good.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
I mean, that's my biggest trick with getting
pictures of my kids is I justtake video and then I'll
screenshot it or hit the tap,like you can tap on your phone
if it's an iPhone, and like takea picture while you're
recording the video and that waylike I don't miss it.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Wait, what do you mean?
You're taking a video like wedo a video on our iPhone.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
You do a video on your iPhone and you start a
video on your iphone and youstart recording.
There's this like little buttonright there, like the white
button.
You just hit that and you likeget a photo while you're doing
it, so get out, yeah and itwon't start your video it won't,
no, and it doesn't even make asound, it doesn't even make like
a like it used to do that.
I think that's a good idea,especially for kiddos, to
(20:36):
capture them right in that onesecond.
You take a video and then dothat screen capture or do live
photos.
That's also what I've beendoing a lot, as my kids are,
like, still in that crazy age.
Yes, is the live photos catcheslike I think it's two seconds
before and after the photo, soit gives you a spread that you
can pick the main photo out of.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
Wait, if this works, I just did it, you guys.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
Oh my gosh.
Yeah, if this works, I just didit you guys?
Speaker 1 (21:03):
Oh my gosh, it does work, but it's funny Cause I
took like 10 pictures because itdidn't click Right.
I was like wait.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
I don't think it got it.
I don't think it got oh okay,okay.
Speaker 1 (21:11):
So that is like a major takeaway, wow.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Yeah, but don't get too excited when you're tapping
it, cause you'll shake yourvideo.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
Oh, yes, I can see myself getting very excited yeah
, I got it, I got it so arethere certain settings that you
have on your, on your phone, umto get like the best picture, or
do you have like um?
What's it called like a, not afilter, like a preset?
Speaker 2 (21:38):
yeah, so I mean there the.
I think those are two separatequestions.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
We can have like an hour long lesson with you, about
, about tip sheet.
Do you have a download?
Speaker 2 (21:52):
We should make one.
I can make one for you guys.
Actually, I think that'd be afun takeaway, cause there's some
, there's some settings that Ilike to go in and do, and let's
actually do that for you guys.
Like I'll go through and likemake a little um takeaway of how
to do it.
I don't know what I did with myphone.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Oh, here it is Well, and now people don't want you.
I just took a picture ofsomeone on the beach, like of a
couple, but they were likeyounger than us guys.
But they're like don don't,don't zoom in, we can do the
zoom in, right like it was.
Yeah, I used to always want tozoom in, but now people do their
own editing, I guess I don'tknow.
Speaker 2 (22:27):
Oh, they do a crop zoom after well.
Sometimes the zoom lines willmake it like not let it's more
grainy, so like they probablywanted to keep it on their own.
Um, but this is what you can doLike are we on iPhones here,
friends?
Yes, yes, good Cause.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
I'm not good If you have an Android, don't listen.
You have to press stop.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
I know my sister-in-law has one and one of
my best friends has one.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
It's annoying, oh my.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
God, it's probably you can do this.
Okay, go to like.
Scroll down on your screen soyou can get that search bar that
pops up at the bottom.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
like, like go on your main screen like swipe down.
Oh yeah, you get this searchbar.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Hang on, like I'm searching for an app too, yeah,
and like you can like writesettings down here, like right,
like this.
So like you're searching for anapp type in settings okay, or
just go to settings.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
Yeah, we could do.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
Mine has too many apps on my screen so I don't
want to switch to it.
Okay, and then in settings onthat top search panel type in
camera, oh I didn't even knowthere was a search engine there.
Yeah, then go to the camerabutton.
There's like an actual camera.
It like shows your camera thing, this one, oh, okay, this is
(23:42):
real compelling content.
Yes, everybody wants to know.
Okay, so for people that arewatching.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
It's like it looks.
It looks like the camera lens,right?
Speaker 2 (23:52):
yeah, the actual camera app that you're gonna get
, okay, okay so this one, we'regonna do some setting change,
like we're gonna adjust somesettings.
So, um, I'm gonna tell you whatI like to do, just for me
personally.
So I like to record my videos,um at 1080p and 60 seconds, 60
fps, which is frames per second.
I don't know what setting areyou guys on on that top one?
Speaker 1 (24:13):
I was at 4k at 60 fps .
Okay, what does that, which isfine, it's fine.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
They're gonna be super large files, um, that can
appear in 4k, when your tvs cando 4k, which we can't do quite
yet.
So it'll be great.
But, like, do we really need it?
So I just shoot in 10k or 1080pbecause it's it's very um
compatible with everywhere.
Okay, so, um, 60 frames persecond is cool because it just
if you slowed it, if you do likea slow-mo from it, it'll make
(24:41):
it smooth.
That's the only reason you wantto do that, um.
And then I just have recordslow-mo at 120 frames per second
, the 1080p at 120.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
I had 240.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Oh, that's going to be really slow.
I mean it's going to be fine,it's going to be all just really
creamy and the bigger files, Ithink, because it's like that's
how many I don't do slow-mo alot, I never do slow-mo.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
I'll do it for a reel .
You can slow it down, but Iwon't ever do slow-mo, so that's
where I do slow-mo too.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
So that's why I'm like I'm just gonna like not
have it accidentally record andtake up all that space, like
because I feel like it's gonnabe like really pretty okay.
Speaker 1 (25:17):
So let's just so we've got record video at 1080p
at 30 frames per second.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
And then 60 frames, oh, 60.
Just kidding, and then I'llmake a cheat sheet.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Slow-mo is 1080p at 120 frames per second.
Okay, I got the first two Yay.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Okay Now, cinematic I have at 30 frames per second.
That's.
That's going to just be be rawout of the camera.
It's just going to make italready slower.
So what is yours at?
Cinematic-wise, 1080p at 30.
Okay, yeah, that's where I'm at.
So the most important one I wantto go to is the formats here.
It's the next one, and you'llsee that there's high efficiency
(25:57):
and most compatible.
Do you see that?
Yeah, where did you go intothat Formats?
It's right after the record andyou'll see that there's high
efficiency and most compatible.
Do you see that?
Where did you go into that?
The formats?
It's right after the record.
Okay, so when you're in there, Ilike to shoot in most
compatible.
So I don't know if any of youguys have made albums recently.
I don't think you have.
No, I don't know why, but ifyou've gone in and sent a photo
(26:19):
from your phone to any of themajor album makers, like
Chatbooks or Mpix or Shutterflyor anything, if you send
something that's been recordedas a high-efficiency file, it's
going to be saving your picturesas heic, which is like not JPEG
, it's not readable by many ofthese manufacturers.
(26:40):
Yet I think in time that'sgoing to change, so it'll
probably be fine, but I'd ratherhave it one less step, so I
just do most compatible and itsaves everything as JPEG and
it's just ready to go and youdon't have to do an additional
conversion yeah, I've been doingthe conversion on my desktop
now.
Yeah, it's like one extra stepso you can do photo in different
(27:02):
modes.
I don't even go there and I'mnot even I'm not shooting on raw
.
You could, if you are likedoing this crazy landscape that
you want to, like print the sizeof your wall like you might
want to shoot in raw.
That's going to be a huge filebut for most people you really
don't need that.
Like the quality, like thehighest you're printing is 8x10,
maybe 11x14.
Like I don't think it'snecessary to shoot in RAW and
(27:26):
those are really like the mainsettings I mess with, so I won't
like bore this whole episode.
Okay, okay.
But I can give a little guidefor you guys that we can just do
the quick settings to change.
That will make it a lot easierto have your photos accessible
when you need them.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Oh, that's awesome.
I think that's so helpful.
Speaker 2 (27:44):
And then I don't remember your other question, it
was different oh, the editing,like what you're doing to edit a
photo, yeah yeah.
So typically I don't editunless like it needs it, like
cause a lot of times these thenew iPhones especially,
especially, are balancing theimages pretty well.
But anytime I do want to editit, I would go in and hit the
(28:04):
edit button and I like to doadjust and I hit that magic wand
thing.
Okay, I don't know if it'sgoing to show because I'm a
little blurry.
Speaker 1 (28:12):
What does that do?
What does that mean?
Speaker 2 (28:14):
I will do that too.
It's auto, so it's going toadjust all the settings just a
little bit and then you can likeslide it up or down if you like
it.
Like it'll usually change theskin tones the most like it
makes like the face a littlelighter, which is always good.
But see how it's like messingthe background up a little bit,
yeah, so I'll just adjust itslightly and I always um will
(28:35):
play with highlights, becausethat's like the clouds and are
like light that's behind you orany places that like get no
detail in it.
I'll usually like bring thehighlights down a little bit and
up the contrast.
So the highlight you'll see itwhen you scroll.
It'll tell you which one'shighlights, like this little
circley guy.
And then contrast I'll often,but that magic wand already kind
(28:58):
of does that.
So it's a good quick one to hitand then you can adjust from
there.
But those are the main things Ido, even when I edit my client
sessions.
Those are the three things Ireally play with.
It's exposure, contrast andhighlights.
So it's a good way to if thoseare the ones you want to really
share without swiping up thefilters on Instagram, it's a
(29:18):
good way to do that.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
I like that.
I have some friends that thinkthey're like professional
editors and I think they use allthose things and I'm like
here's a photo, you edit it,let's, let's crop our arm off,
maybe I don't know, or or youknow, um, but that's so funny.
I didn't think I like the, Ilike that tip of just the
(29:41):
highlighter and the contrast,because I'll try to play with
them all and I'm like, ok, I'mnot a photographer like I don't
even you can tell when people doit.
like you know, now there are somany filters, especially on
social media.
I just learned that you coulddo a filter on your stories and
I did not know that, so I thinkI told you that, yeah, changing,
(30:02):
did not know that, so I think Itold you that, yeah, it's
changing every day.
Oh, I could look a little bitmore glamorous?
Uh, that would be nice, alittle less sleep deprived.
But then when people see methey'll be like who is that?
Alex?
pass out a filter, yeah walkingaround with like a like a filter
stick, like a popsicle noselfie sticks.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
That's a good invention.
It is, guys, the only other tipI have that I think would be
really helpful from the seriesof like us talking about getting
in the picture more.
I love using the timer, like,do you guys?
Speaker 1 (30:32):
ever use the timer on your phone, always, yes.
Speaker 2 (30:39):
That is like awesome way to get in pictures with your
whole family, with everyone.
The 10 second timer gives youenough of a countdown to run and
jump in the shot.
You can set it with your yourApple watch to go off, so like
you don't have to do the runanymore.
That's kind of fun.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
So if you have, an Apple watch.
Speaker 2 (30:54):
I got a reel on this one.
Speaker 1 (30:57):
I'll link that one in our guide.
I told her that I was likethese tips are like genius, like
just three tips.
I love you know.
I love the.
I love the timer.
I use that all the time.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
It's so helpful and you just go through and you can
pick out which one, which keyphoto, is the best, and then you
can turn it into video and loopand bounce it.
You can do all the things youwant with it.
So there's there's ways like toturn it, because it'll take 10
pictures really fast and you canturn it into a little video.
Speaker 1 (31:24):
I'm like girl at Orange.
It's lucky we know how to do areel.
I mean that took a while.
That took a while to figure out.
We're still figuring it out,that's the thing about midlife,
right, you're just alwaysfiguring it out, right.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
I don't know when you're not, and then it changes
as soon as you do.
As soon as you got to figure itout, it's kind of like
parenting.
Speaker 1 (31:47):
Just when you think you got to phase down, you're
like wait, wait, come back.
Right, my kids are alwaystelling me what to do with the
photos and all this stuff, andthey're like just give me your
phone.
I'm like no cause you're goingto mess it up.
I know exactly how to do it.
Now what about those midlifeladies like us that literally
(32:07):
haven't done anything with theirphotos for the past 15 years?
Um, besides, I do have a bagupstairs.
I think I spent $500 when Bakerwas five and bought all these
printed photos, and they'restill sitting there.
That's great.
My goal was to so what aboutthe people like us?
Like literally?
I think this wears on me.
Like every year, I'm like I'mgoing to do the photos.
I'm going to do the photos,Like what?
(32:28):
do we do if we've got camcorderswith stuff.
I have hard drives with photos.
I have them on my iPhone Likesomeone.
I'm sure Nicole is moreorganized than me with this
situation.
Yeah, not really Okay, so we'rein the same boat.
No, we're in the same boat Likemine are in boxes.
Like I personally like to havea picture in my hand and I
(32:51):
especially thought that it washelpful.
We lost our mom.
I lost my mother-in-law acouple of years ago and I just
noticed that the first thingthat everybody did is they went
to the photo album.
I, for me, personally, I wantto look at a picture in an album
and flip it, versus looking atit through a phone.
So I do print off pictures, butthey're just not organized very
(33:15):
well.
Um, but for my business, I wantthem easily accessible on
either a hard drive or in analbum in my in my phone.
So mine are just all over theplace that's okay.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
It means you have them and that there's something
you can do with it, like,because some people don't even
take the pictures and have them,but it's so, I think, what the
key that I've walked away with.
So I spent 2020 to like just upto this year really helping
families manage their photocollections, like while we were
all stuck inside and trying tofigure out ways to do something
(33:48):
with their collections, and whatI noticed most is that if we
get so focused on doing itperfect and getting everything
just right like getting everysingle one of your photos in one
specific place backed up thesame way and then moving forward
from that like getting everysingle one of your photos in one
specific place backed up thesame way, and then moving
forward from that, like youcan't actually do it perfect,
because taking photos and havinga photo collection is a cycle
(34:09):
and it always is going tocontinue to get added to and
it's something that you need togo back and refresh as you go,
especially in the digital world.
So anything we have on the cloudor on hard drives hard drives
are only designed to last aboutfive years now and I've started
to.
I just had this happen in mybusiness, like one of my old
cloud services decided to nothold cloud photos anymore.
(34:31):
So all of my client galleriesfrom 10 years ago are now not
accessible on the cloud, so theyjust went away and luckily I
have them on backup hard drives.
But what I noticed is luckily Ihave them on backup hard drives
.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
But what I?
Speaker 2 (34:40):
noticed is like some of them are running a little
slower and some don't even turnon and you think that they're
safe because you put them on acloud or you put them on a hard
drive.
It's just really important tohave them in multiple different
places and so, through, thebottom line of it all is that,
like, what was most importantwas, instead of having every
single photo ever in one place,it's having those ones that are
(35:03):
the most important.
So I like people to focus onthe big moments that matter to
them, or like the things thatlight them up about their kids
that they don't want to forget,like if you're.
It doesn't have to be just abirthday or a major milestone
celebration.
It could be just how tiny yourkids hands, like how big a rock
looks in your kid's tiny hands.
(35:24):
You know it could be somethinglike that.
That's an MVP.
But you can focus on makingsure you have those saved and I
have them saved by year.
Like I'll just go in and justbe like these are my favorites
of my MVPs of 2022 and my MVPsof 2024.
And I make sure that those arethe first things that are backed
up, and then you just kind ofgo backwards.
(35:44):
I like look at differentmilestones that are coming up as
a great time to go and findthose specific pictures.
Like we're coming up on our 10year wedding anniversary at the
end of the week and now would bea great time for me to go
through and like pick one photoevery year, that's it.
Like just give myself that onetask of getting 10 photos, like
(36:04):
not having to get a million, butlike search my husband's face.
Like I don't have as manypictures of him on here, but
like you can go in.
Like I use google to back up myphotos just because I like
(36:25):
their ai so much.
Um, they have.
I find the just the bestversion of facial recognition,
identifying, identifying objectsor locations.
Like you can type in frog ongoogle and it'll pull up a
picture of like a pond.
In a time there was a frog,like if you took a picture of it
.
So you can get really creativeof different keywords to search
(36:46):
to find the images that you'relooking for.
So if it's not popping up thatone time you were at a
restaurant I don't know youcould look up a certain thing.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
Do you work with people just to teach them this,
or yeah?
Speaker 2 (36:59):
So offer one on one consultations to help people
identify what's most importantand go through a system to be
able to find their photos, and Ialso have a photo tracker that
I'm happy to share too.
It's one of the most downloadeditems I have on my website
right now.
It's a place that I've learnedto start using this, because you
(37:19):
start to quickly lose track ofwhere everything is, especially
if you have them printed.
They're in your mom's basementor they're up in the attic or
they're somewhere that theyshouldn't be.
Like like side note, likethings should not be in places
where the temperature isn'tcontrolled.
So attics are often places whereit can get too hot or too cold
or moisture can get in and itcan damage your pictures if
(37:40):
they're not protected.
Or garages those are like thetop two places to just instantly
get them out.
Basements you just don't wantthem on the floor.
As long as, like it's afinished basement, it's okay,
but it's just important to justknow where your photos are, and
this photo tracker helps you,just as you're going through
these MVP moments, to be like oh, that trip to Destin is on this
(38:00):
hard drive, it's on that one.
Here it is, and I did back itup and you can check a box and
be like it's backed up on Google, so you know it's in two places
and you can kind of giveyourself this running list of
what you need to do as you'regoing.
So it's not so overwhelmingwhen you have the two seconds to
work on it.
Speaker 1 (38:19):
Well, it's almost like it has to become a habit
too.
When I was on the plane, I hadno wifi and I was going through
my pictures and it, like yousaid, I wanted to hear about
that little hand.
I found all these pictures andvideos of when, like, the kids
were like five and under and waslike, oh my gosh, they grow so
quickly, like even within a year.
I was finding a picture of mymiddle son from a year ago and
he looks so different.
Um, so it's almost like do yourecommend to your clients going
(38:43):
through it?
Whatever works for them?
Maybe it's like a monthly basis, it's something you do every
month, or when you come backfrom vacation, or your
milestones, or you know, becauseyou have to.
If I mean, for Nicole and I togo back 15 years, it's going to
be a big undertaking.
I don't want to have to do this30 more years or I won't even
know.
I remember thinking when wefirst had this is so silly when
(39:04):
we first had digital phones andI printed all those pictures of
Baker when he was five and I waslike I mean, I'm not going to
need those photos.
Well, what are we?
How are we going to send peopledigital photos, like I had no
clue, like that.
That would really be somethinglike I'd be sending his
kindergarten picture for theyearbook.
I thought we'd still have toprint them.
So I was like I'm on top ofthis.
So I think, like I'm going toput this on my list to do every
(39:31):
first of the month.
I think I'm going to do that.
Speaker 2 (39:34):
It's a great way to start trying.
Speaker 1 (39:36):
Oh, you will yes.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
Especially if you're in a line.
I love I mean, I think we'regoing to be traveling a little
more, but I love when you're ona plane because I feel like
that's the most uninterruptedtime to go through and do it.
No-transcript a way of megetting off of Instagram in the
(40:11):
middle of the night.
So instead of, like, layingdown in my bed the second, I
could go to sleep and, grabbingmy phone and scrolling Instagram
, I would go through my cameraroll and look at what pictures I
took that day and I would, as Iwould go through, I would just
put a heart on each one that Iloved, like, and then I would
zoom out and all the ones thatdidn't have a heart I would
click on and delete and theywould be gone.
(40:32):
So what would happen was allthat was left was just the
things that lit me up in mycamera roll and you would just
really fast see, like, onlyevery time you open it up, it's
just the good ones and it is wasa fast way to start getting a
little bit of control over thatchaos of all the like,
screenshots and the blurryphotos and the things that don't
matter that are getting backedup to the cloud and story like
(40:55):
wasting all your storageeverywhere.
Like helps to start tacklingthat a little bit and it has the
side benefit of like showingyou how much good is in your
world that you might not havereally realized when you just
were snapping a quick picture.
So it's a new way to reframe ita little bit.
Speaker 1 (41:10):
I love that for new moms, for older moms, for
everything.
I like that Cause.
That's like I was going back tosix years ago and I was finding
that daily delight.
Ooh, I like that because that'slike I was going back to six
years ago and I was finding thatdaily delight.
Oh, I like that and I realizedthe best is when your kids would
take our phones when they werelittle.
Literally there was 50 picturesof the same thing.
(41:30):
I'm like oh my gosh boys, I'mgoing to kill you.
Or like it was when the phonesfirst came out, or they were
doing like they're doing TikTok,so I don't even know what was
on my phone.
I'm like, wow, this is beforethey had phones, it's really,
really.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
Maybe I should go through my kids' phones.
We should go through our boys'phones to call oh, look out, see
everything that's on my teenphone, I'll tell them.
Speaker 1 (41:54):
They can do it they can have their own daily
delights.
You know they can do it.
They can have all your dailydelights.
You know I like that becausephotos make you.
Photos can make you happy.
And I just was, I just wasreading something that was like,
also don't wait, likeespecially we talk about our
parents getting older and stuffDon't wait for something.
It's like those moments whenyou have to go find those photos
(42:16):
, like, don't wait till a momentwhen someone passes, or you
know.
So I keep a lot of albums in myphone.
That's what I'm trying to do,like I have ones of Alex and I
or this or that, you knowwhatever, cooking different
things.
So I'm trying to do the albumsin my Google phone.
Speaker 2 (42:32):
And then you have this in your Google photos.
Speaker 1 (42:36):
Google, no, my phone.
Oh sorry, my phone, my iPhone.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
Yeah, I was like I thought you had an iPhone.
Speaker 1 (42:42):
That's a little high tech for me.
Speaker 2 (42:48):
No, I think that that's a helpful way to find
them really fast when you needthem.
And it's not being afraid, Iremind myself, and it sounds
like we've all experienced aloss that's really unexpected,
that really changes theperspective of you with every
time that you're with people,like it's making sure that you
take the picture, even if you'relike didn't do your hair and
the kids are screaming, and thatyou're just hold them in just
(43:10):
to get a shot, like take thepicture or just get in it
yourself with the person, andlike that's okay, like there
might be a next time which wouldbe great, you know, but if
there's not, at least you havethese moments together and like
you're not being shy to sharethe love that you have with the
person that you're with.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
Right, and when you look back, you'll look at it
with a different lens, cause Ilook at pictures of like when my
first and the newborn picturesand I was just so tired and a
lot of the pictures.
I'm like trying to get my headout of the picture, but I'm like
hi, like it was just a season.
I mean, you know you.
(43:46):
Just you don't realize it untilafter the fact.
But, yeah, get in the picture.
Yeah, oh, I love this.
So where can um, where can ourlisteners find you?
Give us all the details.
You can find me over on.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
Instagram.
I love hanging out there asmuch as when my daily delights
are done.
No, I'm not going to.
I've definitely fallen off thebandwagon on those, but I'll try
.
But Instagram you can get me inmy DMs over on it's
frameoflifeproject on Instagramand then my website is
frameoflifeco and I would.
(44:18):
I'd love to connect with yourlisteners because these are all
awesome.
Speaker 1 (44:24):
So you do.
You do different things forbusiness owners, right?
You can do content creation forthem monthly or seasonally, and
then also for, for you know,just moms or whoever who want to
organize their photos.
She has the tracker and she cando one-on-one sessions or help
you sort of eliminate theoverwhelm of, like us, like 15
years of photos that we don'tknow what we're going to do with
(44:45):
, and also staying with thetimes and realizing how to store
these photos, right.
I think that's important,especially a lot of midlife moms
.
This is where I saw this wasdon't wait for your child's
graduation from high school tolook at all the photos, right?
So, like a lot of us have kidsthat are freshmen in high school
, I'm not going to put this off,maybe that's a little project.
(45:06):
Like right, I'll find all thesepictures of Baker and organize
that first.
Like take bite-sized things todo it, but don't wait until
senior year, because then we'regoing to be scrambling and
probably send pictures just todo it Right Instead of enjoying
it.
Right so?
And crying your way through it.
Speaker 2 (45:23):
Yeah, I know, I, I, I .
I had to get off after twomonths, you guys, of the
pictures from 2016,.
Speaker 1 (45:26):
Because I was like oh , I was sitting next on the
airplane to my big kids and I'mlike this is like.
I was like wanting to be like agrandma.
I was like, okay, this has tobe done.
I'm done these kids are so cute,I just want them for like one
day, you know, just one day, andthen give them that Okay.
(45:48):
So it is time for unsolicitedadvice.
There is, there's so muchgoodness in this and the photos
you're really like inspiring meand motivating me to do a lot of
things.
So, nicole, what time is it?
(46:11):
It's my favorite time.
It is unsolicited advice time.
What, nicole?
What would be your unsolicitedadvice?
I think for me personally, theeasiest thing that I started
with and I think this is a goodstarting point for people I you
could correct me here, butstarting an album.
So just maybe start a couple ofalbums.
Um, like, maybe, if you havekids, just start with like your
(46:32):
oldest and kind of look in thesearch button, get the facial
recognition and just startputting things in there.
And then, as you build, youknow it'll just become a little
bit more.
What's the word I'm looking for?
Intentional.
Speaker 2 (46:49):
Yes, not intentional routine.
Both are great.
Speaker 1 (46:51):
Like you do it without thinking whatever that
word is yeah, routine, yes, okay, habitual.
Speaker 2 (46:57):
I don't know, maybe more of a habit.
Speaker 1 (46:59):
Yes, Okay, how about you, Alex?
What's your unsolicited advice?
I have no advice for storingpictures or anything like that,
but I would say my advice wouldbe take the photo, take the
photo right.
And take the video of, even ifit's with your friends, even if
it's this, and just tell themyou won't post it anywhere, and
(47:20):
especially your kids, but justto have that, I think.
I think just the video.
I just love seeing people'sexpressions and little kids
voices or this or that, like youcan't replace that Right you
just can't, and I think ifyou're just, if you're feeling
like you know a happy time, justjust do it, Even if you see
something like I'll take videosof some scenery that I like,
(47:42):
just like things like rainbowsor, you know, the ocean, things
like that Like just doesn'talways have to be people in it,
Just things that really bringyou joy and make you happy.
Or food I do a lot of food, soI think take the photo would be
mine.
Take the video, take the photo.
Speaker 2 (47:58):
Don't miss an opportunity so no, and I think
once you get that photo, like,enjoy the moment.
You know, don't focus ongetting another angle of the
same photo so much.
Just get it and get out andenjoy that time that you have.
Speaker 1 (48:11):
Don't have to be perfect, right, like it doesn't
have to be perfect, like justyou'll remember that moment.
I love that, okay.
So if you had to give us oneadvice for these midlife ladies,
what would be yours?
Speaker 2 (48:22):
God, I know Help us all.
Speaker 1 (48:23):
There's so many.
Help us all.
I know it's like there's somany.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
Help us all.
I think what's making me stillanxious is that we haven't
talked about backup, and I wantpeople to back up their photos
Because we might not have timeright now to go get them, but
like if your phone drops in oryou delete everything, like on
iCloud, like if you delete aphoto off of your camera, roll
it, deletes it off the cloud andit's gone.
(48:47):
So like you don't have a backupif you haven't added Google
Photos or Amazon Photos, or ifyou're not connecting your phone
to your computer and gettingthem on an external hard drive.
So that would be my one.
These one solicited advice forpeople is like get a backup, use
backup, use protection.
Speaker 1 (49:03):
And you have a good suggestion.
I'm just looking for it in myoffice.
I bought that.
Oh, I bought this drive thatyou said to buy.
Speaker 2 (49:10):
Yahoo, this one.
I love these things.
The orange ones, right?
Yes, I love that one.
They're fantastic and I lovethat one.
They're fantastic and they justlike.
I have like seven of them,maybe more, right now.
I'm a crazy hoarder, but I justI witnessed it this month Like
(49:30):
I've needed to go to multiple ofmy drives to get pictures from
10 years ago for clients, andthank God I had it, because
they're just evaporated andthey're important.
You've taken these photos for areason, so back up, back up
ladies, back it up, wrap itimportant.
You've taken these photos for areason, so back up, back up,
back it up, wrap it up, back itup, wrap it up, back it up.
Speaker 1 (49:44):
Well, thank you for coming.
This was so awesome, and I knowyou have more tips, so visit
her Instagram message.
She'll answer you right back.
It's really her too.
Um, it's really, it's reallyher.
So, all right, ladies, we'llsee you soon.
Bye, thanks, kira.
Bye, guys, and that's a wrapfor today's episode of Don't
(50:06):
Call Me Midlife.
We hope you had as much fun aswe did.
Absolutely.
Your support means the world tous.
If you're just waiting in thecarpool line, don't forget to
follow the show, and if you'refeeling extra spicy today, leave
us a rating and review Beforewe part ways.
We've got a special invitationfor you Join our newsletter to
stay in the loop with all thingsmidlife, magic, bonus content
(50:27):
and more.
Head on over to the show notesfor how to sign up.
We can't wait to keep theconversation going.
And, of course, remember, inthe whirlwind of life and
motherhood, don't forget to fillup your own cup first.
You're extraordinary and yourjourney is worth every moment.
Until next time, cheers.
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