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Contagious Victories is a community for individuals to share positive perspectives, artistic endeavors and miraculous moments with others. Whether it is through storytelling, art, music or word, the members of Contagious Victories create space for vulnerability and act as an audience for support in creative works. We all have something to courageously celebrate- and even small victories are contagious!
Welcome to the Contagious Victories podcast. Each week, we talk inspiration, explore possibilities, and share insights from creative perspectives. I'm Tori Glass, and I'm here to remind you that your purpose in life is to celebrate the victories because victories are contagious. Friends, we're back. And wow.
Victoria B. Glass:It feels so good to say that. Welcome or welcome back to Contagious Victories, the space where we celebrate creative victories of all shapes and all sizes with a whole lot of heart and enthusiasm for doing what God created us to do. I'm your host, Victoria Glass. And after a beautiful pause, I'm back behind the mic, and I am so ready to reconnect with you. Life has looked a little different lately in all of the best ways.
Victoria B. Glass:And honestly, that time away has reminded me of something really powerful. Sometimes, the most creative and most spiritual and most fruitful thing that we can do is pause. But now it's time to get things rolling again. Before we get into today's episode, I wanna take a quick moment to apologize to our special guest today for the delay in airing this conversation. I actually recorded this interview with the talented photographer, John Mansfield, several months ago.
Victoria B. Glass:But then life threw in a little twist. I found out that I was expecting a baby. Needless to say, that brought about a lot of changes and a lot of shifts in priorities, so this episode had to take a little bit of a backseat for a while. But the wait is finally over, and I couldn't be more excited to share this inspiring conversation with you all today. John is a brilliant photographer whose work captures the beauty of couples in love and also really sweet moments of families.
Victoria B. Glass:In our chat today, we talk about his creative process as a photographer and a podcast host, his journey in starting his own business and how he's given back, and being a father and a husband, two of the most important things that God has called him to do. So without further delay, let's jump into the conversation with John Mansfield. Thank you for your patience, and I hope that you enjoy this episode as much as I did.
Victoria B. Glass:Welcome back to another episode of Contagious Victories. Today I have with me John Mansfield from All Heart Photography, as well as the Wisdom and the Tangents podcast. So I'm just excited to talk to you about both of those things. John, welcome to the show.
John Mansfield:Yeah, thank you so much for having me. Am I'm so excited to talk. And like, I we just recorded a couple days ago on my podcast. I'm like, this is going to be so much like Tori time. This is so great.
John Mansfield:So yeah, excited to be here. Thanks for having me.
Victoria B. Glass:Well, meant a lot that you asked me to be on Wisdom and the Tangents because it was one of the first interviews I've ever done where I got to talk about my podcast share kind of that. So it was such an honor to be asked and it's going to stand out in my mind for as long as I've got this podcast. So thanks for doing that. Yeah. And today we're talking about you.
Victoria B. Glass:So tell me about being a wedding photographer based out of Texas and also a dad and podcaster. What's that like?
John Mansfield:Yeah, it's busy. It's a lot. I'm a primary stay at home parent. I work from home. My wife works out of the house.
John Mansfield:So I am here with the kids all the time. Summer, as we're recording this, it is summertime and, everyone is here. They're right outside my door. So we may get interrupted. Who knows?
John Mansfield:But yeah, it is. It's, it's a wild ride of running, a full time wedding photography business from the house and and also keeping up with a weekly podcast and, finding time to, to be on other podcasts like this and and get to talk to fun people, all while like trying to really be intentional with, spending a lot of time with my kids and being, in the moment with them and not just like sitting there on my phone uploading to Instagram or something while we're building Legos or whatever. Want to be intentional in the moment with them.
Victoria B. Glass:And also sharing good wisdom and tidbits along the way. So how do they feel about watching dad work from home? I had a work from home dad growing up, and it always was really inspiring to me to see him go after his passions and follow his dreams while also working hard for our family. So what do your kids think about having a podcast host and photographer as a dad? Like, do they get to see
John Mansfield:Oh, yeah, they get to see it a lot, especially our youngest. She's usually the one we have three kids, three, six and nine. And our youngest is usually the one that'll come knock on the door during a podcast or while I'm, you know, on a like a video call with one of my wedding clients. And she has made many cameos on the podcast of just me holding her, especially when she was like a little, little baby, and just being on the video or wanting to talk to the guests. But yeah, I think they love it.
John Mansfield:I think they enjoy it. They it's it's a normal for them. Because I started I started the podcast in 2019. So for our six year old, she was a year old at that point. She this is all she remembers our three year old, this is all she remembers.
John Mansfield:And then our nine year old, we I started the photography business in 2013, so eleven years ago. And that's all he's ever known is whenever I say I'm going to work, is dad's going to a wedding, he's going to be gone for most of the day.
Victoria B. Glass:Well, I imagine that it helps you with children at weddings and being able to really show that attention whenever they are maybe in the bridal party or in the groomsmen party. One of the things that I remember you sharing with me when we met at the heart conference are the little cameras that you'll bring along to your weddings.
John Mansfield:Oh, yeah.
Victoria B. Glass:That are for them, whether they're like the little they're not disposable, but they're flat, aren't they? Yes. Yeah. Remind me about the
John Mansfield:Holding it up for the audio. It's a paper shoot camera, and it's really cool. It's smaller than a cell phone, fits right in your pocket. And then it's just got one setting, or I guess it has different filter settings, but there's just a shutter release and that's it. So I just have showed the kids where to press.
John Mansfield:And there's little viewfinder that's pretty much just like a window cut out so they can see what they're pointing at, and they'll just go around taking photos. And sometimes I'll take that to a wedding, especially if I know that there's going to be some kids there because it's really durable. And long as they don't like, know, throw it in a lake or something, we're pretty good. But like them dropping it or something like that, it's fine. And it's all digital.
John Mansfield:So it captures it on an SD card and I can just plug it into my computer and get to see the day through, like from knee height, from a child and what they're doing. And, you know, people are often a lot more, especially the wedding party, if they know the kid, they're a lot more relaxed with them than they are with me, some strangers, some dude with a beard walking in with a couple cameras, and they're just like, yeah. And, but yeah, it gets some some fun candid moments.
Victoria B. Glass:Well, that's really neat that you've been able to use just the curiosity that your kids have for your business and your work life and then also take that to your weddings and be able to incorporate just being a dad and yeah, taking the photos of the little kids in the party and whatnot, like you said. I bet that's really cool to get those developed and to see them later.
John Mansfield:Oh, yeah.
Victoria B. Glass:Well, I know you also you're in Texas, right? Is that where you're based out of?
John Mansfield:Yeah, I'm a little bit north of Houston, Texas. So like the conference that we met at, which it feels weird because that was only like six months ago. And I was like, I'm sure that we've met at some other conference. But no, I think that was the time that we actually met. It just seems like I've known you and Dylan a lot longer we Really?
John Mansfield:Yeah. I was thinking about that earlier this week before we recorded on my podcast. I was like, yeah, no, we've we just met, like, in October. That's crazy. Yeah.
John Mansfield:But yes, so that conference is about three hours from where I live.
Victoria B. Glass:Okay. Well, that's really interesting that you have been to a few conferences too. Sounds like. Yeah. I know you're a student of life, a self proclaimed student of life according to your bio.
Victoria B. Glass:So tell me a little bit about why you believe in continuing education through conferences, even though you've been a wedding photographer for eleven years. Why keep growing?
John Mansfield:I believe that if you stop growing, you just start, like, it's like, that analogy of like the river, the current. If you're continuing to move, if you're continuing to grow, then you're bringing life, you're creating life, you're feeling more fulfilled. You're I believe that there's I'm never going to learn everything. There's always something. Even whenever I go to a conference and I'm like, okay, yeah, these like looking at the bios of the people speaking, I'm like, oh, yeah, they've been in business for like three years and I'm coming in with over a decade.
John Mansfield:I'm like, I probably know most of what they're saying. Being an educator myself, know a lot of stuff, but I always find something, even if it is something that I've always that I've already learned or something like that, maybe I'm not implementing it. And, like, oh, yeah, that's a good reminder. I need to be doing this. So yeah, I believe you should always be learning and always growing.
John Mansfield:Because if you're still in stagnant, then that life, the joy, the creativity, just kinda dies, I have found in in, in my own life, when I stopped moving and growing.
Victoria B. Glass:That's really good. I love that you said that about how you might hear something that you've heard before, but if you're not implementing it, then you may have learned it, but you're not. It's like the difference between wisdom and knowledge and how you you might know things, but it's through the wisdom that you are able to instill it and make it a part of who you are. And that's when we really evolve and change.
John Mansfield:Oh,
Victoria B. Glass:yeah. So that's really good to hear is that even as an educator that you're still able to go to these conferences, like be in the room with people who are in the same field as you, are doing the same things or in the arena in the ring and just being there with them will teach you something just, you know, by observation. But I just heard a quote earlier this week too and I wrote it down. I was going to read it verbatim, but I think I can spit it off. It was, I'm going to stop thinking that everyone else knows everything and also that I know nothing.
Victoria B. Glass:Because a lot of times we think people might know more than us and they might know different things, but also we got to give our own credit of like, I've learned some things in my lifetime. Yeah, hearing you say that really struck a chord again and reminded me of that quote I heard earlier.
John Mansfield:I think that's really good to remember because like imposter syndrome is a huge thing out there. And like I still battle with that. I get imposter syndrome all the time of like, even whenever I'm like reaching out to big name guests who have millions of followers and like they have giant podcasts. I'm like, I don't know. Why would they want to be on my podcast and all of that?
John Mansfield:And I have to, like, get through that imposter syndrome of I'm I'm not good enough. I don't know enough. I'm not, you know, worthy or whatever, and just ask the question. And, and sometimes it's a no. A lot of times it was no.
John Mansfield:But, like, it's, whether that's in podcasting or photography, seeing other people's work and then feeling less than because I'm like, oh, they were shooting in, you know, Cabo San Lucas. I want to shoot there. I was shooting at a barn this past weekend. Was like very different vibes. And and yeah, like kind of not believing in that that I don't know anything and that everyone else knows everything, but that we can all learn from each other no matter where you are on the ladder of success or, you know, the social networks and all of that.
Victoria B. Glass:Oh, yeah. Well, how do you handle those times when you get a no? Like, what is something that you would maybe offer as advice? Do you have anything that you could offer as advice of like where you go? Do you go back to the drawing board?
Victoria B. Glass:Like, what happens in those moments and how do you keep getting back up?
John Mansfield:Yeah, I have had to train myself not to take it personally. I am very much a recovering perfectionist and people pleaser. So any time that someone was just like, no, I don't want Like, like even early on in my career, whenever, I would meet with someone about being their wedding photographer, and then they would say, oh no, we went with someone else, it was like a dagger to my heart. And I was like, Oh no, they've rejected me. And I'm such a terrible person and I'm not a good photographer.
John Mansfield:And like, I would just go down that spiral. And it's not something that you can just like flip the switch and just be like, All right, cool. You know, water off a duck's back. I'm cool. Let's move on.
John Mansfield:But it's definitely been something that I've worked on over the years of not taking it too personally and realizing this is a business. And also I'm interviewing them as much as they're interviewing me. And, you know, maybe we're not a good fit. Maybe, you know, they, they wanted some other kind of editing style or they want more of the editorial and I am more of the candid photography. And it just wouldn't be a good fit if they went with me because I wouldn't be fulfilled in the photos that I was creating because I knew that they wouldn't enjoy them and then they wouldn't enjoy them.
John Mansfield:And the same with like podcasting and too, all that with like big, big guests. If they say no, it's not, anything against me. It's just maybe it doesn't line up. And I've had that a couple of times where it just didn't line up. And then two years later, I reach out again, they're like, Oh yeah, no, I'm available this month.
John Mansfield:Let's do it. So yeah, not taking it personally, which I know is not something that is super easy to do. But taking those little steps and those reminders to yourself of like, okay, this isn't about me. Let's move forward.
Victoria B. Glass:I love that. And so it sounds like you actually gave two little pieces of advice. One, not taking it personally. And two, I'm hearing you say that you've got back up and tried again. It sounds like even with some of the same people sometimes it's likely that they weren't it wasn't even anything about you.
Victoria B. Glass:Like you mentioned that it's not personal. It's usually just a scheduling conflict or maybe they had something going on in their personal life and it was more personal to them and they couldn't do it, but they would later on or maybe yes, the editing style didn't work out. So it would have required you to be someone you're not and that's not what you want. So getting back and trying again, whether it be with the same situation, at a different time or with a completely new person who's more aligned with who you are and what you offer. Sounds really great advice.
John Mansfield:Yeah. And not taking that. Yeah, absolutely. And like not taking that negativity from the no from the last person into the next one. So like the next lead that I get not coming into it with that mindset of, well, they're probably going to say no also because the last three people said no and going into it with that negativity because like they will, they can feed on that energy.
John Mansfield:Like when you get them on a phone call or a video or whatever, they can kind of tell like, oh, this guy is not confident in his prices or he's not confident in what, you know, what he can provide as a photographer. And, yeah, just like not, not taking that negativity in, but kind of like resetting, take a minute, clear your mind, go in with some positivity of this is a different place. Yeah. Yeah. Just breathe in, close your eyes.
John Mansfield:And, you know, this is, this is a different, different scenario, even if it is with the same person. Like I, I follow-up on leads all the time that I used to believe that they were, you know, I make up these scenarios in my mind of, well, they probably didn't like me. They've already booked someone else, you know, my prices were too high or whatever. But going into it, believing the best in them and not creating this like negative version of them in my mind, creating a positive version of maybe they're just really busy. You know, I get really busy sometimes and forget to return emails.
John Mansfield:I get busy when I inquire about something on like Facebook Marketplace. And then two months later, I'm like, Oh, yeah, is this still available? I totally this was like out of my mind, back burner, not even thinking about it. And yeah, having that positivity mindset of maybe they just forgot. Maybe maybe they marked they thought they marked it as unread, but then it got left as read.
John Mansfield:And it's just in the thousands of emails in their inbox, you know, kind of going into it like that. And, it just it changes your perspective on things.
Victoria B. Glass:Yes, giving people the benefit of the doubt. Like, I think we could all use a little bit more of that in our lives on a mass scale of like, just, you know, the person who maybe got your food order wrong or something. Maybe they didn't mean to like, I don't think it was on purpose, but like, yeah, don't take it personal. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt and just roll with what actually does end up happening and let go a little bit and and assume that they're yeah, that everyone's just trying their best. Yeah,
John Mansfield:was some of the best wedding advice that my wife and I got. We had those little like cards that people can write stuff and we'd read them later. And we actually did read them. And one of them that has stuck with us, because we're coming up on twelve years now one that has Wow. Yeah, it's been a while.
Victoria B. Glass:That's amazing. Yeah. That's a victory story, John. It is victory story. Yes, that's amazing.
John Mansfield:Yeah. Thank you.
Victoria B. Glass:Thank you. Go ahead. Sorry. So you're reading your
John Mansfield:advice. This advice is one of the reasons like, we're still best friends. We still want to spend all of our time together. We still just, like, support each other really, really well. And this advice was that of believe the best in each other.
John Mansfield:You're a team now. And, you know, you hear from or at least we did, we heard from other married people about like, oh, well, you know, she wants to go do this and this is her time with, with the girls or it's like, it's his, it's his time to go play golf or whatever. And instead we, it's our time. And if we need a break to go, you know, hang out with some friends, that's cool. And, like always believing the best in each other.
John Mansfield:So if something happens that it's like, oh, kind of rubbed me the wrong way. We play a game that we say, This is what you said. This is what I heard. Is that what you meant? That has saved us from so many fights because we're just like, Oh, hey, hold on a second.
John Mansfield:You said this. I heard this, like this is what that meant to me when you said this. When you said, I wish you would do the dishes more or something or even just like a passive thing of like, oh man, the dishes are overflowing. It's like, oh, I heard you don't do the dishes enough. Is that what you meant?
John Mansfield:Or were you just commenting that there are dishes and one of us needs to do them or now we can get the kids to do them. Like that kind of thing of this is what I heard. Is that what you meant? And sometimes, yeah, that was I was in a bad headspace and I did mean that negatively. I'm so sorry.
John Mansfield:Thanks for calling me out on that. And other times, most of the time it's like, oh, no, I'm sorry. I was just commenting on the dishes that I was planning on doing that later on this evening. Not right now because I'm tired or whatever. But yeah, thanks.
John Mansfield:I don't want this to fester in each other's heads of just like, well, they're always pointing out these things. And that advice has saved so many bad thoughts and so many fights. And we can count on one hand the disagreements that we've had. And we're just like, yeah, we just really enjoy being around each other all the Yes.
Victoria B. Glass:Well, that is good advice. And I could see people using that even outside of their marriage, maybe with their boss or in a situation, maybe with a parent where, sometimes the communication just gets tough and we say things and it's got a lot to do with the time that we say it. Going back to the don't take anything personal. Sometimes it's the timing, sometimes it's the tone or whatever, but getting clear on, hey, I know this is the words, physical words or actual words or whatever you said. This is exactly how I interpreted it.
Victoria B. Glass:Just being able to take that third step and saying, I'm going to get clear. Is this outside of that scenario? Is this what you meant? Because I care about our relationship, whether it be a husband and wife or sister and brother or whatever, you know, like just having that kindness and that intention to go outside of the actual conversation and talk about what the meaning behind it and the intentionality behind it was or That's really good. I'm gonna have to definitely share that one with Dylan.
Victoria B. Glass:And we are always looking for little bits of tools to just use like that. So I'm gonna have to let you know how that works out. Yeah. See us See us utilizing that a lot.
John Mansfield:Oh, for sure. Yeah. We are always looking for like that same thing of always be learning. We're always looking for marriage and relationship advice and tips. And sometimes we find some advice and we're like,
Victoria B. Glass:you know, I don't think that's going to work
John Mansfield:for us. That doesn't seem like great advice. In other times, okay.
Victoria B. Glass:Yeah. Yeah, a funny one. I was going to say that we tried and it didn't work out. But I've got to tell it to you just because you said that. So we saw it on Instagram, Facebook, one of the reels popped up and it was like, when you're fighting, go get a party hat and you can't get mad at someone who's wearing a party hat.
Victoria B. Glass:And so sometimes it's like, we'll just say, okay, party hat. And so it'll be like the visualization. But we tried that one time and it was like, okay, we just feel maybe that was the point. We felt like fools. Right.
Victoria B. Glass:Yeah.
John Mansfield:Kind of takes you out of the emotion of being angry.
Victoria B. Glass:Yeah. So when we heard that one, we did give that one a try. And then it was like, yeah, we just this is silly. But, but yeah, well, thank you for sharing that advice. And if you're listening, utilize it and see if it'll work with your partner or with another relationship that you are having maybe some a little bit of trouble communicating with or even if you're not, then that'll prevent.
Victoria B. Glass:Yeah, prevent any troubles later on down the road. Thank you for that. All right. Well, I want to talk a little bit about one of your many victory stories or we could talk about them all. So I'll let you take us through them.
Victoria B. Glass:But it sounds like you've raised some money at one point, a lot of money, but not just a little bit. Yeah, I want to hear about that story. So I'll let you take the mic and about that victory story.
John Mansfield:Yeah. Yeah. So like that, raising money for charity, has been like a cornerstone of the business since it started. I was at a nine to five job is a pretty toxic relationship between my supervisor and myself where, there was no upward movement for me. And I was just like coming home every day, very, very upset and very stressed, which is not really part of the story.
John Mansfield:But that's just painting a picture of where I was. Yeah,
Victoria B. Glass:no, it is a part of the story.
John Mansfield:I was like, I can just get off on that because there are still some feelings there. But like, that's where I was that day. And I was just over lunch thinking, what can I do on the side to kind of create a business? And I had an idea. I've always had fairly decent camera and enjoyed photography.
John Mansfield:So I was like, I could buy like this lens. I could do this. And I wrote down my expenses to start the business and kind of threw around some ideas for a name and landed on All Heart Photography and then came home. And it was three months into our marriage. And I was like, hey, I have an idea to start a business.
John Mansfield:What do you think? And part of that idea was kind of grown from the fact that my wife and I didn't have a lot of money. We were paycheck to paycheck. We, but we had so many organizations and charities and like missionary friends that we wanted to help fund and we wanted to give to, but we just, we didn't have any to give. So I was like, this would be something that after like the first two bookings, it's already making profit.
John Mansfield:And then we can use a portion of that profit to like, before it even comes into our hands to just go out and we can partner with some different charities. So from the beginning we had, I think it was like 10% at the beginning and then we ended up landing on 15% of everything that came in, went to a charity. And we've partnered with some really great ones over the years. And, I think as of now, we're like right over $90,000 that we've been able to redirect from, from clients who pay us. And then we just move that into the hands of other charities and organizations.
John Mansfield:We've even funded a couple of GoFundMe's for, friends who were going through, cancer and different things and just like being able to, to use our money and our funds and resources in that way has been a huge blessing for us and for them too, for sure.
Victoria B. Glass:I bet. Yes. Oh, yeah. And how does it feel when you are able to say, yes, I can give because I have I've put aside and organized my income to be able to have enough. And how does it feel when you worked backwards like that and found a way a system to say, hey, I can use my camera to literally make something from nothing and say, here, here's what you need.
Victoria B. Glass:And how does that feel?
John Mansfield:I mean, it feels amazing because we can tangibly see the change in other people's lives. And for us, it's not like we're taking food or money out of our house or anything. It's like when it comes in, it goes directly into this savings account that is for giving. So that's its own own thing. And, it doesn't like that's that's kind of one of the hard hurdles to get over is the like, oh, well, we need to write this check for we don't write checks anymore.
John Mansfield:What am I talking about? We need to tell you about like when I first started all this, but
Victoria B. Glass:Sometimes you write checks.
John Mansfield:Mean Sometimes. Yeah, I haven't in years because the last checks I had had the wrong account number. And I was like, you know what? This is a sign. I'm just not doing paper anymore.
John Mansfield:But yeah, like that feeling of being able to help someone else and being able to help fund a GoFundMe so that they can get the operation that they need or to some amazing organizations. There's one that we've been partnering with since the very beginning called the Archibald Project, where they fly around the country. They were both wedding photographers and videographers, and they use their cameras to tell the stories of different orphans in different places and then share it on their YouTube and social media so that their future parents, the parents that are out there ready to adopt them, see them. And they're like, that's our kid. Who we didn't know who it was, but that's them.
John Mansfield:And then they can connect to them. And so they've been a huge, huge thing. Like seeing how many children are getting adopted through the work that they've been doing that we've been able to help fund over the last decade has been really great. And just like, not in like an arrogant way of like, look what I did. I was able to do But just like that fulfillment of like, what I'm doing is bigger than me.
John Mansfield:It's bigger than just my four walls. And we're helping make the world a better place.
Victoria B. Glass:Well, it just the image that comes to mind is like a garden, like you've planted these seeds and you're planting them again, it seems like with your own family and being able to share what you're doing and why you're doing it and help friends, family, and even people that you might ever never get to meet in person, but that you
John Mansfield:can
Victoria B. Glass:see how your involvement, even if it's just a little bit can go a long way because you are acknowledging that bigger story and not taking no for an answer. Like it sounds like at the beginning, you know, you might not have been in the best place, but it was that tension point of not enjoying the job you had that made you look at your camera and the resources that you did have and say, what would it take to get me to that? Not I can't afford it, but how can I afford it? And how can I also not only afford it, but be able to help other people afford what they're needing? And I imagine it also makes you way more willing when you need to, way more willing to ask for help.
Victoria B. Glass:And sometimes we are in those situations where we're like, hey, how can you know, it might seem like a no, but how can I do this? And it might be relying on a friend or asking a friend or not relying, but asking on a friend. And those relationships open up a lot more when we do ask for help and we're able to help. The garden is like so beautiful and you're able to trade and like an old time farmer's market. You
John Mansfield:got tomatoes. I have some asparagus. Here you go. Let's trade.
Victoria B. Glass:Yeah, exactly. And that is so beautiful and just so rich in the way of like not monetary, but just in the way of having everything you need. And when you look around and you're able to have those relationships and you feel like you're contributing and you are able to contribute and you're also sharing with your kids. I mean, let me ask you this, Sean. How do you share with your kids?
Victoria B. Glass:Like, when you do donate and when you're working and stuff, do you share those videos of the children and stuff or at least with your nine year old maybe? Yeah. How do they feel about it?
John Mansfield:I mean, we've shared that kind of stuff with them. I do a lot of like charity events too, where I'm going somewhere. Like I have one coming up next month. That's an annual thing for a charity here in town that they go to Ghana many times a year to set up, like, a fishing town, pretty much teach the people there how to fish, how to, like, build their own business and everything. And that gets them out of child labor and trafficking and all that.
John Mansfield:And they've been doing that for fifteen years, I think now. But they have, a charity event every summer of like this casino night and people silent auction and raising money and all that. And I donate my photography services for that and get to be part of that. So like sharing that with the kids of like, hey, this weekend, I'm going here and like they do this and they go and help these people and here, let's pull out a map and show you where Ghana is because I also don't really know and all of that. And so, yeah, definitely sharing with them in that sort.
John Mansfield:Don't really do like the, hey, we just made a deposit of a couple grand in this thing. Yeah, like sharing that kind of stuff with them for sure.
Victoria B. Glass:Well, thank you too for raising another generation of people who understand how it all can work and that bravery and courage that you're instilling into your little ones to help people because the world does need that and it starts at home and just taking those extra moments to do that from someone who is in the world and experiencing it on the other side, you know, like, obviously, I'm not in Texas, but thank you. Like, thank you for raising more, more really big hearted and all hearted people. Yeah. And speaking of Allheart, I want to focus a little bit on your photography business. Can you tell us why you chose the name Allheart?
Victoria B. Glass:What does that mean to you?
John Mansfield:Yeah, I wanted to choose a name. One, I didn't want my photography business to just be like John Mansfield photography, because I was keeping options open for like expansion and like, who knows, years down the road, I might have an associate team, which I do. And, you know, it just, it seemed weird to me to be like, oh yeah, John Mansfield photography, and, here's Ariel, who's going to be your photographer. But yeah, I wanted a name that wasn't my name. And I wanted a name that kinda, like, gave a good description of how I would show up for them and the work that I would do and also tie in my faith too.
John Mansfield:And it took me a bit of, like, going through different scriptures and stuff. And I found, Colossians three twenty three that says, well, in one one translation that I think it was NIV that says, like, whatever you do, do it with all of your heart as if working for the Lord and not for men. And I was like, okay, all of my heart. That's great. All heart.
John Mansfield:And like, I have that on my website and like that on my email signature and everything of this is I'm going to be showing up not for you, but for God. Like, I want to I want to show up and do my best because, that's that's what I have. And I'm gonna gonna show up with all of my heart, and it definitely comes through. Those twelve hour wedding days are brutal, but like, I'm there the whole time and partying with them and, you know, up like I'm not just like sitting in the corner. I have been to a couple of weddings where I'm just like, oh, the photographer is just chilling right now.
John Mansfield:They're missing moments. Yeah, I'm just in there and they feel that and I want them to feel all that all of my heart is in it. And it's not just like, yeah, all right, well, you're another number on my book and a dollar in the bank. I'll show up and send you some photos.
Victoria B. Glass:Well, you are all in, what is the biggest takeaway from the moments that like when you see your photos? Do you feel a certain way about the ones that you remember being even more tuned in for, like maybe on the dance floor or when you get a moment back with maybe a loved one, like a parent or something? Are there tender moments or exciting moments that you feel shine through your work? And what do those look like to you?
John Mansfield:Yeah. I mean, the ones that shine through the most are like those tiny little moments. Like the grandmother who's sitting in the corner because she can't walk all that well and doesn't want to be walking all over the reception. And she's just there with her grandkid or great grandkid who's just walking up. I got one recently of a grandmother with one of the children at the wedding, and they were just blowing bubbles at each other because that's what they did for the exit out of the ceremony.
John Mansfield:And they were just blowing bubbles. And I was like, yeah, this is a very sweet moment of their relationship that I was able to witness and capture. And, you know, the couple is off on the dance floor and they're dancing right now. They had no idea this was going on. And like, whenever they're looking through their gallery, they'll be like, oh, look at this.
John Mansfield:I love this. I didn't even know, like, when was this? And all that. So, those kind of moments, those really like genuine when people are showing their personalities with each other and don't really know that I'm there. I love those.
John Mansfield:And then, yeah, also the dance floor. I love getting out there with everyone and just like I love feeling the music through the photos and not just like standing on the sidelines and like, okay, yeah, this is what it was. It's like getting in there and feeling the emotions of like jumping around and dancing and screaming to Mr. Bright side.
Victoria B. Glass:Oh, I was just about to
John Mansfield:say that.
Victoria B. Glass:I was like, you can tell the ones where Mr. Bright side are on. I swear I was about to say that. I cannot believe that. That's so funny.
Victoria B. Glass:But yeah, no, I get it. I get it. And your photos do a great job of that. And I think when your heart is open and your shutter is open, then you can, capture those moments because you're open to being able to see them and like the grandmother with the grandchild and the bubbles, I can just imagine that. And I think I saw some bubbles on your story a couple of days ago, or maybe it was yesterday.
Victoria B. Glass:So listeners, you got to go check out those photos. Yes. And I'll share a few on the screen here for anyone who wants to look at the YouTube version of our interview in conversation. But yes, go and check out John on his Instagram and website. John, you want to drop those plugs in real quick so that people can find you online?
John Mansfield:Yeah, for sure. I'm on Instagram all the time, as a good millennial should be. And I'm in the stories and DMs a lot. But yeah, Instagram is all heart photo. And that's H E A R T, just like your heart.
John Mansfield:And, some people are just like, are you John Hart? Is that your name? I'm like, no. No, it is not. But yeah, allheartphoto on Instagram.
John Mansfield:Website is allheartphoto.com. The podcast is Wisdom and the Tangents, which your episode will be out soon. And I am very excited for everyone to listen. If you enjoyed this conversation, you'll definitely enjoy that one, too.
Victoria B. Glass:Yes. And I love that you share wisdom and just conversations, talking to people, letting the wisdom come out. And there's always something you can get from an episode. So go listen to that listeners wisdom in the tangents.
John Mansfield:Yeah. Yeah. And yeah, I think that's about it. Yeah, Instagram. And then from my website, you can find all the other places.
John Mansfield:My educational stuff is on there for photographers. And yeah, that's that's about it.
Victoria B. Glass:Well, before we go, do you have anything that you're loving? I know you asked me this question, and there's probably like four or five things that came to mind. Was like, I don't know why I said what I said. But do you have anything? I know you asked this to your listeners or to your guests on your show.
Victoria B. Glass:And I do the same thing. So what books or podcasts or tools are really lightening you up in this season? It doesn't have to be like this week, but this season that you want to share with other people.
John Mansfield:So many things. Let's see. I'll do a book, a podcast and a tool.
Victoria B. Glass:Oh, yes. Awesome. Very generous.
John Mansfield:A book that I'm really loving, actually one that I just read recently. It's a brand new book from Tamara Darden, who is a great product photographer at DC. And she wrote her first book called The Photo CEO, and it is like a blueprint for creating and running a successful photography business. And it's not too thick either. It's not like 700 pages or anything.
John Mansfield:But yeah, I
Victoria B. Glass:Well, I have to know really quick. What did you take away from it? Because it sounds like you've been doing I mean, you have a successful photography business. So if you read it recently, what's something that that you liked about it?
John Mansfield:I really liked she she talked about like intention of why you do things. And, and that was a good reminder of like, I've heard this before. I know that, like, I should be doing stuff that I enjoy, that I find fulfilling. And over the last couple of years, I had some stuff that would be a whole another podcast episode of just like associates who, did some stuff, and, I am dealing with the aftermath of that. So it kind of it hurt the business by a good $30.40 grand, which is not nothing.
Victoria B. Glass:No. Yeah. Especially when you're giving back to other people. But yeah, I'm so sorry to hear that.
John Mansfield:Yeah. Like with that, I got very in my mind of like, okay, well, I need to show up on social media in the way that I think that other people would want to see me and I want I need to take these photos in the way that I think people would want them. And I just kind of changed a little bit, in like '22, '20 '3, those years. And toward the end of, 2023 was when I really kind of that was before her book came out. But like, started feeling this, and then the book just like reiterated it of when I do things that I really enjoy.
John Mansfield:Like, I love doing double exposure photos and just like being creative and artsy and not just a like, here, stand here and hold each other kind of thing, but bringing in different elements and their personalities and just like off the wall locations, I am more fulfilled in that. My creativity is like bursting at that point. And just it's it's I'm in the flow. And And also, that has created, more of a brand, for me that other people are just like, oh yeah, I'm gonna hire you because you shoot differently than everyone else. Because you do, You're very creative.
John Mansfield:And I don't even know what you will do at our engagement or wedding. So yeah, I took that out of the book and just like, it's really great.
Victoria B. Glass:That's nice. And I love to hear that you're still able to learn like you were mentioning earlier. And it sounds like people really see your personality when you are intentional in your work and they hire you because they they can't get John anywhere else like except through, you know, through your business and your photography.
John Mansfield:Exactly.
Victoria B. Glass:Yeah. That's good. That's cool. Okay, sorry not to take you out of the question. So let's go back.
Victoria B. Glass:You said a podcast that you would recommend.
John Mansfield:Okay. I listen to so many podcasts. We'll do there's a business podcast. Let's see. A business podcast that I really like.
John Mansfield:Oh, man. I can't just narrow it down to one. I'm trying to think of like ones that I listened to recently. There's Well, one that I kind of have gone back to. He doesn't record them anymore, but shout out to Adam Mason, who's also from DC.
John Mansfield:Interesting. But the Bearded Tog podcast, I go back and listen to some of his conversations with people and just like get some good insight out of those.
Victoria B. Glass:And that's a business podcast?
John Mansfield:Yes.
Victoria B. Glass:Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I'll have to give that a lesson too. Yeah.
John Mansfield:Yeah. And then also, an interesting podcast is search engine, and, it's hosted by PJ Vogt. He goes through, and kinda like answers questions that he would put into like Google. Just like, like one was the recent one was like, how much glue can you put in a pizza safely or something? Ew.
John Mansfield:And yeah, it kind of like went off of this whole, like, weird AI Reddit thing. It's an interesting story, but like, he's a investigative journalist, and they're always just really interesting shows. So yeah, search engine is cool.
Victoria B. Glass:Search engine. Okay, I'm gonna have to listen to that one on my next road trip. Does sound really, really interesting. And yeah, what a cool concept for a show because we all Google really random things or put random questions into the search engine. And yeah, that sounds like it would be a good time.
Victoria B. Glass:Yeah. Yeah. Cool. Well, thank you, John, for coming on and listeners, go check him out. All Heart photography, A L L Heart photography and Wisdom in the Tangents podcast or y'all are on Instagram as WITS, right?
John Mansfield:Yeah. WITPod WITT.pod.
Victoria B. Glass:WITPod. Okay, cool. You're gonna love his podcast too. So throwing that out there again. Go listen to it listeners.
Victoria B. Glass:And John, thank you for coming on. I really appreciate it.
John Mansfield:Yeah, thanks for having me on. I really enjoyed this.
Victoria B. Glass:We will have to come back and do a follow-up episode in the future. If you're willing, I'd love to invite you back on and tell us more about just your victory stories and how your life as a dad and business owner has been going. So we'll hear from you again, I hope.
John Mansfield:Yes, I would love that. I can talk all the time. So yes, let's do it.
Victoria B. Glass:Awesome. Well, thank you for coming on and sharing your knowledge and your wisdom, and you can always learn something from his podcast. So go check him out and we'll talk to you again soon, hopefully. Bye, John.
John Mansfield:Bye.
Victoria B. Glass:Thanks for joining us for this week's episode of the Contagious Victories podcast. If the show inspired you to hear your own victory story, I'm here to tell you the world deserves to hear it. Submit it to me online at toriblackman.com. Review and subscribe if that feels right. Telling a friend about the show helps contain his victories to grow.
Victoria B. Glass:Plus, we all appreciate a little sunshine. I'm tori b. Thanks for listening. I'll catch you soon.