Hybrid Shooting, Storytelling & Adding Video Without Overwhelm

with Shayna Lloyd of Montana Diaries

 If you’ve ever watched other photographers add video to their work and thought, That’s cool… but I could never do that, you’re not alone.

In this episode of The One Behind the Lens, I sat down with Shayna Lloyd, a Montana-based photographer, videographer, and educator whose work blends candid storytelling with an indie-film feel. And what unfolded was one of the most grounding conversations I’ve had about hybrid shooting.

Not aspirational fluff.
Not gear-heavy overwhelm.
Just real talk about what actually works.

Professional Doesn’t Mean Bland

One of the biggest mindset shifts Shayna shared is something I wish more photographers heard early on:

Professional does not mean boring.

For years, Shayna tried to fit into what she thought a “professional videographer” was supposed to look like — quiet, invisible, overly technical. Her work suffered. Once she allowed herself to show up as herself, everything changed.

Professional simply means delivering what you promised — not stripping your personality out of the work.

Storytelling Isn’t Something You Force

We talked a lot about storytelling, and Shayna made an important distinction:
Storytelling is not something you pull out of your clients.

If you’re asking people to act outside of who they are, you’re not telling their story — you’re directing a weird romance movie.

Instead, storytelling comes from understanding structure. Shayna shared her 5-shot framework that helps photographers and videographers create emotionally rich work without over-directing:

1. Wide shots — orient the viewer in space and place

2. Long shots — show how the subject interacts with that space

3. Close-ups / extreme close-ups — emotion, expression, connection

4. Detail shots — the little things that reveal character

5. B-roll — not aesthetic filler, but what the subject is noticing

When you understand what each shot does, story naturally follows.

Adding Video Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated

One of my favorite parts of this conversation was how practical Shayna is about video.

Hybrid shooting doesn’t mean:

• Buying more gear

• Becoming a filmmaker overnight

• Or doubling your workload

Sometimes it means grabbing five seconds of video with your iPhone, putting it away, and moving on.

Shayna even shared how adding a simple iPhone video add-on to her pricing guide:

• Helped clients relive their day immediately

• Made vendors obsessed with her

• Kept her name circulating all year long

No editing. No trends. Just raw clips delivered fast.

Hybrid Shooting Is a Rhythm, Not Chaos

We also talked about shooting hybrid during time-sensitive moments like ceremonies and first looks.

The key?
Prioritize one medium at a time — and communicate that clearly.

Hybrid shooting works best when you understand:

• Which moments are time-sensitive

• Which moments are controlled

• When it’s okay to recreate something

• And when one solid clip or photo is enough

You don’t have to capture everything. You just have to capture what matters.

The Most Underrated Skill of Hybrid Creators

This one hit hard:

The ability to be quiet.

Hybrid shooting teaches you how to step back, stop fixing everything, and let moments unfold. Not every silence needs filling. Not every detail needs adjusting.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is notice.

Final Thoughts

This episode isn’t about convincing you to add video.

It’s about giving you permission to:

• Experiment

• Start small

• Trust reps over perfection

• And stop doing things just because “that’s how it’s always been done”

If you’re even a little hybrid-curious, this conversation will open your mind in the best way.

🎧 Watch the full episode here: YOUTUBE

And if you want to go deeper, Shayna also shares a free Video Upsell Starter Kit through her education platform, Hybrid Hangout — linked in the show notes.