⚠️ Note: This episode is from the Intentional Documentary® era, when I was working with documentary family photographers.
My language and platforms may have shifted since then, but the emotional resonance and insight in this episode still hold strong.
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What does it really mean to photograph family connection beyond the buzzwords?
In this episode, Australian photographer Justine Curran shares her journey from Pinterest-perfect frustration to building a business rooted in genuine connection, communication, and creative trust.
We talk about the evolution from people-pleasing to leading with vision, the quiet power of everyday intimacy, and what it means to make images that feel like something, even if they never go viral.
Justine also shares the story behind her “Iconic Photo” — an image of her husband and child asleep on the couch — and why it represents a seismic shift in her parenting, partnership, and self-trust.
Topics covered:
- Justine’s evolution from order-taker to intuitive artist
- How motherhood awakened her eye and shaped her message
- Learning to communicate vision to clients with clarity and care
- The importance of questionnaires, pre-session connection, and honoring emotional safety
- How her images reflect real family values and lived intimacy
- Navigating discomfort with “invading space” and building client trust
- Why connection isn’t a marketing gimmick for her (it’s a lived value)
- The power of sharing photo backstories to help clients “see themselves” in your work
- Why she’s resisting the rush to teach — and refining before expanding
🎧 Browse the legacy archive + get the Mini Mag:
dangerouslygoodstories.com/intentional-documentary-archive
We cover:
- Justine’s photography journey up until now
- the moment that changed her path after spending so much time being a client pleaser (order-taker mode, as I lovingly call it)
- when she started to understand who she was as a photographer + how she shaped her business to allow her to be more HER, including the client communication shifts that needed to happen
- Justine as an artist – her point of view around family connection, which isn’t just a buzz-wordy thing. It’s something she lives + breathes in her work, brand, and family model at home
- the Iconic Photo she submitted (and omgosh get the Mini mag below! I’d never see what she FEELS about this picture without her powerful backstory.)
- her unexpected compositions + how she does this
- invading clients’ space + how she warms up her clients
And yeah, gonna stop here. DEFINITELY get the Mini Mag to follow along as you’re listening.
Show notes + Mini Mag: http://www.fearlessandframed.com/006
Tell us what resonated in a REVIEW here :)
