PhotoBizX The Ultimate Wedding and Portrait Photography Business Podcast

Jennifer Tsay is the CEO and co-founder of Shoott, a photography business built around free 30-minute sessions where clients pay only for the photographs they want. Since launching in 2018, Shoott has completed more than 300,000 sessions across 60 US cities, delivered 24 million photographs and built a network of more than 900 photographers. The average client spends around US$190, while photographers typically earn between US$140 and $160 per photography hour before tips. In this interview, Jennifer explains how the model works, why the business took five years to become profitable and how Shoott balances affordable photography with fair photographer pay. She also shares how a US$75 credit card pre-authorisation helped solve a 50% no-show rate, what happened when the cost of acquiring a client jumped from $20 to $200, and why the company turned down venture capital. For photographers, this is a fascinating look at free-session marketing, pricing, lead generation, hiring photographers and building systems that can operate across dozens of cities. The post 692: Jennifer Tsay – How Free Photo Shoots Became a Profitable $10 Million Photography Brand appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Kate Buechner of Uber Photography returns to the podcast almost ten years after our first interview—and her business looks completely different. Kate went on to achieve her goal of building a million-dollar portrait studio with five full-time staff. Today, she runs the photography business largely on her own, works fewer hours, takes home more money and recently generated $45,000 in a single month. In this interview, Kate shares why bigger wasn’t necessarily better, how she maintains an average of around 20 sessions per month and why her family portrait clients spend approximately $2,500. We also unpack the seven marketing sources she continues to run simultaneously, including a 10-year partnership with an orthodontist that generates around 30–35 bookings each year. Kate also explains why she shows clients her full pricing before they book, why photographers don’t need to be incredibly creative to produce work families will buy, and how she’s using AI, automation and same-day sales appointments to operate more efficiently. This episode will have you questioning whether growth should mean more staff and higher turnover—or more profit, fewer hours and more time doing the work you enjoy. The post 691: Kate Buechner – Why Her $1 Million Photo Studio Was Less Profitable Than Going Solo appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Tara Shuler is a sales trainer, author and founder of Convo Control who believes photographers spend too much time explaining their packages and too little time asking questions. In this interview, we explore why sending a price list can stall a promising enquiry, what’s behind “we need to think about it”, and the awkward situation where Mum wants $5,000 in wall art while Dad has no idea what the photos cost. Tara’s approach centres on understanding why clients want the photos in the first place. We cover qualifying free-session leads, following up without another “just checking in” message, and uncovering objections before the sales appointment. Some of her suggestions pushed me outside my comfort zone—and will have you questioning whether your conversations help clients see the value or simply leave them comparing prices. The post 690: Tara Shuler – When Mum Wants $5,000 in Photography Wall Art and Dad Wants to Leave appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Pipi Diamond of Soulful Photography in the San Francisco Bay Area has spent 12 years building her pet and family photography business. Now she wants to sell it—and she’s candid about why. With three photographers trained, annual gross revenue listed at US$139,000 and an asking price reduced from US$75,000 to US$50,000 after losing her studio lease, Pipi shares what preparing a photography business for sale actually looks like. We cover what prospective buyers want, the staff and systems she’s put in place, a charity auction strategy that brought in around a third of her sessions, and why delegating the photography hasn’t removed the stress of ownership. Whether selling is on your radar or years away, this conversation raises a question worth considering now: what would someone actually be buying if you stepped away? The post 689: Pipi Diamond – Can You Sell Your Photography Business—or Will You Have to Close It? appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Andrew “Ferdi” Ferdinands has photographed more than 3,000 events over 17 years and built an event photography business bringing in around $200,000 a year. At its busiest, his team covered roughly 400 events in a year, including 44 in one month. What caught my attention is that Ferdi says 80% of his work comes from referrals and word of mouth, even though he rarely asks for them. He believes the way a photographer makes people feel on the day has a lot to do with whether they book again or recommend you. It’s why he looks for people skills first when bringing photographers onto his team. We get into how he manages a pool of more than 30 photographers, what happens after a shoot, his straightforward pricing, and how he’s using AI to cut down the admin. If you photograph events, weddings or families, there’s plenty here to consider about the experience you give clients before they’ve even seen their photos. The post 688: Andrew Ferdinands – How To Get 80% of Your Photography Work Through Referrals appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Ina Jalil is the photographer behind Ina J Photography, a multiple six-figure pet photography business in Canberra, Australia. Since her first appearance on the podcast in 2022, she has photographed more than 1,000 dogs, grown annual revenue to around $305,000 and increased her average sale from roughly $600 to $2,800. In this interview, Ina shares how she transformed a disappointing book project—with 48 sessions and just over $20,000 in sales—into a second project that generated more than $72,000 from 26 sessions, with 25 of those clients purchasing. She also breaks down a Facebook campaign that turned a $689 ad spend into more than $33,000 in sales and explains why pre-shoot consultations, transparent pricing and better client qualification have become non-negotiable. We also explore how Ina uses AI as a virtual studio manager to review her consultation and sales calls, identify missed questions, build an objection bank, draft client emails and help improve her marketing. It’s an honest look at testing ideas, learning from campaigns that fail and building repeatable systems that allow a photographer to shoot fewer sessions while generating higher sales. The post 687: Ina Jalil – The Pre-Shoot Consultation That Raised Her Average Sale from $600 to $2,800 appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Megan Jones of Megan Michael Photography has built one of the most impressive photography businesses I’ve come across. Her studio has grown from $610,000 in revenue in 2023 to being on track for $3.5 million in 2026, with a team of 13 employees, three full-time photographers and the capacity to photograph up to 14 sessions a day. In this interview, Megan shares how she moved from $200 sessions to a luxury-volume photography model, why she replaced herself as the photographer, how her team generates and handles hundreds of leads each week, and why boudoir now accounts for around 80% of the business. We also go deep into her Santa photography, where she photographs around 175 clients a year, averages roughly $2,000 per session and sells personalised Christmas storybooks for $4,200. Megan also explains how she thinks about pricing, emotional sales, limited-edition campaigns, client experience and creating a studio that feels highly personal to the client while operating like a machine behind the scenes. If you’re interested in scaling a photography business, selling higher-value products or simply seeing what’s possible beyond the traditional owner-operator model, there’s plenty to think about in this one. The post 686: Megan Jones – How 25-Minute Santa Sessions Became a $300K+ Photography Business appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Ben McCoy is the founder of Good Life Portraits, a Perth-based portrait studio that has grown from Ben working out of the back of his car to a seven-person team, around 80 portrait sessions a month and a business tracking towards $2 million in annual revenue. In this interview, Ben breaks down the systems behind that growth, including how he generates leads, why getting prospects onto the phone is still critical, and the numbers he watches closely — around $17 per lead, roughly $105 to acquire a client and an average sale of about $2,400. We also get into his use of AI and Go High Level to nurture leads, answer client questions, book calls and reduce the workload on his team, plus why he believes the real challenge for photographers isn’t taking better photos — it’s building a business that can keep running and growing without the owner doing everything. It’s a particularly useful conversation for photographers who feel capped by their own time, are considering hiring, or want to understand what a genuinely systemised, high-volume portrait studio looks like behind the scenes. The post 685: Ben McCoy – The $17 Lead, $105 Booking and $2,400 Portrait Photography Sale appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Lucas Z is the founder of The Big Split and has spent more than a decade running a photography business in Aspen, Colorado. Despite having a successful business and good money coming in, Lucas found himself $25,000 in credit card debt, behind on taxes, with no real savings or assets — and at one point calculated he was spending 99.5% of everything he made. That experience led him to develop The Big Split, a simple way of handling irregular income by dividing money into clear buckets for business, tax, lifestyle and paying yourself first. In this interview, we talk about why photographers can be making good money and still feel broke, how irregular income creates the feast-or-famine cycle, the financial leaks that quietly drain a business, and the difference between simply earning more and actually keeping more. Lucas also shares how he cleared $25,000 in debt within five months, built more than $60,000 in savings in his first year using the system, and why the real problem for some photographers isn’t pricing or marketing at all — it’s what happens to the money after it arrives. If your income is inconsistent, your bank balance never seems to reflect how busy you are, or you’re earning well but still don’t feel financially secure, there’s plenty in this episode to think about. The post 684: Lucas Z – Why Photographers Making Good Money Still Have No Money appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Gabi Kline Leon is a pet and equine photographer who built her business around a very different idea — she doesn’t see herself as simply a photographer, but as a commissioned photo artist. That mindset has helped her build a low-volume, high-value business where clients regularly spend thousands, her average sale is around $6,000, and one client spent $50,000 across multiple sessions and finished artwork. In this interview, Gabi shares how she moved from Israel to the US after seeing another photographer make $62,000 in a month, landed a $5,000 first client, struggled through the early COVID years, and eventually built a business around premium pricing, in-home consultations, multiple sessions, printed products and simple pricing. We also get into the marketing side — including the magazine partnership that generated more than $100,000, the mini-session days that brought in over $10,000 a month, her views on SEO versus Google Business Profile, and why getting in front of real people still matters. There’s plenty here for photographers thinking about pricing, positioning, sales, client experience and how to create a business that relies on fewer, higher-value clients. The post 683: Gabi Kline Leon – How to Build a Photography Business Averaging $6,000 Per Client appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Myriam Ménard has built a 17-year wedding photography business around something many photographers are moving away from — real relationships, intentional curation and knowing exactly who she wants to work with. Based in Montreal and photographing weddings across Canada and Europe, Myriam charges up to $22,000 CAD for local weddings and starts at €12,000 for European destination weddings. Yet her approach to attracting those clients isn’t built around funnels, algorithms or constant posting. In this interview, Myriam shares why she’s investing more heavily in offline networking, how carefully curating your portfolio can shape the clients you attract, why she believes other people talking about your work will become increasingly important, and how clarity around who you are can influence everything from your pricing to the weddings you book. It’s a thoughtful conversation about premium positioning, creative identity, relationships and building a photography business that actually feels like you. The post 682: Myriam Ménard – The $20K Wedding Photographer Who Doesn’t Chase Marketing Trends appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Richard I’Anson has spent 40 years building a photography career that has taken him to more than 100 countries and all seven continents. In this interview, Richard shares how he went from shooting weddings and portraits to becoming one of Australia’s best-known travel photographers, why those early years were crucial to his success, how the stock photography market has changed, and why photography tours have become such an important part of his business today. We also talk about print sales, licensing, building a body of work, making money from travel photography, and what it really takes to stay in business for four decades while still loving the work. The post 681: Richard I’Anson – From Wedding Photographer to a 40-Year Travel Photography Career appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

AI-generated video has moved well beyond the strange hands, extra fingers and obviously fake imagery most photographers remember. In this interview, filmmaker and Warthog AI founder Brian Levin explains how businesses are now creating photorealistic video content without cameras, actors, large crews or traditional production budgets. Brian shares how AI is turning still photographs into convincing motion, why experienced photographers and filmmakers may have an advantage over people relying on prompts alone, and how these tools could open up entirely new products for portrait, family and commercial photographers. He also discusses the fear and resistance surrounding AI, the importance of keeping real artists involved in the creative process, and why photographers should understand what the technology can do before deciding whether to embrace or reject it. This is a fascinating look at how quickly video production is changing—and what that could mean for photographers who are prepared to experiment. The post 680: Brian Levin – Creating $500,000-Looking Videos for $5,000 appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Before becoming a full-time photographer, Melody Macdonald spent more than 20 years working as a 911 dispatcher, where staying calm, listening carefully and communicating clearly were essential. In this interview, Melody shares what photographers can learn from high-pressure emergency communication, especially when dealing with upset, disappointed or demanding clients. She explains why telling someone to “calm down” rarely works, how to pause before reacting, when it is better to pick up the phone, and why many client complaints are not really about the photography at all. You’ll also hear how clearer expectations, stronger boundaries and more direct communication can prevent difficult situations before they start. The post 679: Melody MacDonald – How to Handle Difficult Photography Clients Without Losing Your Cool appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Most photographers are using AI for culling, editing or the occasional social post. Marcin Rafalowicz believes they’re barely scratching the surface. In this interview, he explains how to build a custom ChatGPT trained on your voice, your business, your pricing, your clients and the work you want to be known for. The result is less generic content, faster marketing and an AI tool that becomes more useful the more you refine it. Marcin also shares how custom GPTs, website chatbots and voice-powered AI could change the way photographers create content, answer enquiries and run their businesses. The post 678: Marcin Rafalowicz – How to Build a Custom ChatGPT for Your Photography Business appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

If you've ever wondered what it would take to build a photography business that keeps growing without you photographing every session, this episode is for you. Mycah Bain has spent the past 15 years building a studio that's now generating around $340,000 a year across weddings, branding and portrait photography, supported by a team of photographers and virtual assistants. In this interview, Mycah shares how she made the transition from solo photographer to business owner, the systems she's put in place to keep clients happy while her team does the shooting, how she hires and manages photographers and VAs, and why letting go of control has been the key to creating more freedom. We also dive into money mindset, leadership, outsourcing, client experience, building a premium brand, and the practical lessons she's learned while growing a business that's on track for the million-dollar mark. The post 677: Mycah Bain – Building a Team, Buying Back Your Time and Growing to $340K appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Joanna Kilgore of Jolee Art & Photography has rebuilt her portrait photography business from scratch in multiple new locations — and managed to become known fast each time. In this interview, Joanna shares how she adapted when organic social media stopped working, why networking became her biggest marketing advantage, and how everyday conversations in shops, cafés and local businesses have led to real photography bookings. She also shares how she thinks about showing the work she wants to sell, creating luxury portrait experiences, booking a French castle for destination sessions, balancing digital files with products, and managing business, family and creativity while living with ADHD. For photographers wondering how to stand out in a crowded market, rebuild after a move, or think bigger about what a portrait business can become, this is a conversation full of practical insight and bold ideas. The post 676: Joanna Kilgore – How to Build a Photography Business Anywhere appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Kim Jongen of Mother Puppers Studio is back on the podcast two years after first sharing how she became one of the most recognisable dog photographers in the Netherlands. In this follow-up interview, Kim shares what has changed since the early days of viral attention, media coverage and being booked out. She talks about reducing the number of clients she photographs each week, raising her prices, selling more wall art, outsourcing editing, moving into a professional studio and creating new income streams through stock image sales and coaching. What stands out is how Kim has shifted from simply being busy to building a photography business that feels more sustainable, profitable and enjoyable to run. The post 675: Kim Jongen – Turning Viral Dog Photos Into Wall Art, Stock Sales and Coaching appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

Su Kaye of [www.sukaye.com](http://www.sukaye.com) is a UK-based family and dog photographer with decades of experience, a reputation for creating unexpected pet portraits, and a business built on client care, confidence and constant evolution. In this interview, Su shares how she moved from family portraiture into dog photography, grew her business from £61k to £132k, lifted her average sale, and why she believes photographers need to stop undervaluing what they create. She also talks about payment plans, in-person sales, dog shows, Facebook ads, client experience, pricing confidence, and the simple business change that made one of the biggest differences to her revenue: getting someone else to handle her phone calls. The post 674: Su Kaye – From $81k to $175k by Believing in the Photography Experience You Sell appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .

North Sullivan of www.thephotostudio.com.au has spent over 40 years behind the camera, shooting some of Australia’s largest advertising campaigns. These days, his focus is portrait photography — but what he’s built is far from a typical portrait business. We’re talking about a studio business with close to 80 staff, reported turnover upward of $10 million, and — at the time of recording — more than 150 Meta ads running. There are three incredible-looking studios built inside retro warehouses, based in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. I’m excited to learn more about this impressive business, the man behind it, and how North made the shift from high-end advertising photography to building one of Australia’s most recognisable fashion portrait studio brands. In this interview, North shares how he reinvented his photography career, the business model behind The Photo Studio, why experience and ethics matter in high-ticket portrait sales, what it takes to manage a large creative team, and why imagination, passion and originality may be the real defence against AI. The post 673: North Sullivan – Building a $10M+ Portrait Studio Business appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business .