Summer School - A Photography + Creative Podcast

In this episode, I sit down with Brjánn Batista Bettencourt - a Toronto-based photographer and cinematographer known for his analog and Super 8 work - to talk about what it actually looks like to shoot film in the wedding industry today.

Brjánn shares how his journey from photojournalism to weddings, his skateboarding background, and his Portuguese-Canadian roots shaped the way he tells stories. We dive into why he’s so committed to analog, what Super 8 brings to a wedding day, and the realities (and challenges) of shooting film for clients in a digital-heavy industry.

Meet Brjaan

Brjánn (Brian) Batista Bettencourt is a Toronto-based photographer and cinematographer whose work lives at the intersection of documentary truth and nostalgic longing.

Brjánn’s career spans photojournalism, editorial portraiture, and motion-picture work, with tenures at the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, and Country Music Television, where he photographed renowned artists such as Shawn Mendes, Shania Twain, Dierks Bentley and Florida Georgina Line. His analog film work has been featured by CBC and placed him on the cover of PhotoLife Magazine for his work with Kodak Ektachrome.

Today, Brjánn works internationally across weddings, editorial assignments, and long-form personal projects, drawing inspiration from his coming of age experiences in the skateboarding community and duality of cultures as a Portuguese-Canadian. He lives in Toronto with his wife and collaborator, photographer and designer Ryanne Hollies.

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Stay tuned for a potential Super 8 workshop happening in 2026!

This time I’m joined by photographer Lukas Piatek to talk about AI, lighting, and composition - three things shaping photography right now. We break down the AI tools worth using, how to elevate your images with stronger light, and why developing your own style matters more than following trends.\

Meet Lukas:

Lukas Piatek is a destination wedding and elopement photographer known for his cinematic, emotive imagery and work across more than 30 countries. Based in Germany, and splitting his time between Europe and beyond, Lukas captures weddings with a raw, storytelling approach that blends editorial elegance with genuine emotion. Lukas is also the creator behind Meridian Presets, used by thousands of photographers worldwide to achieve natural, film-inspired tones. Alongside his photography work, Lukas mentors creatives in SEO and brand strategy, helping photographers elevate their online presence and grow sustainable businesses.

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Hi everyone! Today I’m talking with Bay Area photographer Ryan Shaver, who shoots exclusively on Polaroid. We get into how he built a business around instant film, what makes the medium so different to work with, and how he’s carved out a unique spot in the industry.

Meet Ryan:

Ryan Shaver is a Polaroid photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area who stands out in the professional photography world for shooting exclusively on Polaroid. After completing his graduate research paper, Predictive Processing for Artificial Intelligence & Cognition, Ryan leaned fully into instant film as a way to preserve memories with honesty and imperfection.

In 2022, he bet that people would eventually grow tired of the overly polished look of AI-generated imagery and crave something real. He went all in on a niche few pursue due to its high costs and challenges, landing his first client within a year. Since 2023, Ryan has photographed weddings, portraits, and major corporate events — including a recent donors event at the Exploratorium — and now also serves as the Creative Director for Siempre Golden clothing brand.

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Corporate Holiday Party Season is coming up, and Ryan is still taking bookings!

The first ten people to book a wedding package next year, if they drop the code "SUMMER", will get 10% the total negotiated package price.

This week, I’m catching you up on what’s been going on lately -our move back to the Pacific Northwest, settling into a new routine, and how I’ve unexpectedly started shooting more families. After years focused on weddings, it’s been a refreshing change that’s been teaching me a lot!

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This week I’m joined by New York based photographer and director Tiana Michele, whose creative journey perfectly blends art, risk-taking, and reinvention.

We met at Nikon’s Creator Camp in Utah, and I was instantly drawn to her work and the way she tells stories through both photo and film. In this episode, we dive into how she transitioned from weddings to directing short films, the beauty of collaboration, and what it really looks like to keep evolving as an artist.

Meet Tiana

Tiana is a Sierra Leonean-American photographer, director, and writer based in New York City. She has a BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography. She began taking photos in 2020, during the pandemic after taking a break from dance immediately after graduating. She works with film and digital format and much of her personal work is inspired by things happening in the world around us with an emphasis in feminism, fashion, movement, and things she has dealt with personally as a third culture woman of color. Her most recent notable work in film is her directorial debut Manspread.

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