How I tripled my photography income in ONE year.
First of all… you can relax! I promise, I’m not about to tell you about a “get-rich-quick” scheme or convince you to join an MLM. There’s no magical thing you can get for $10.99 that will transform your business, and I’m not here to sell you something impossible. Far from it! Today, I’m telling my OWN story, about how 10 years ago I sat down and realized I needed to make some changes if I wanted to increase my photography income and help my business thrive. Your own journey might look different, and that’s a-okay; but here’s how MY journey went down:
Step one? I got real with myself.
Starting out, like so many photographers, in the wedding business. I loved witnessing my clients’ love for each other and I was passionate about my work… but, I was starting to have some trouble. My body would hurt for DAYS after each shoot, and by the time I was shooting 2-3 weddings per weekend PLUS managing a team, I was worn out body, mind and spirit. I HAD to get real with myself. This wasn’t the life I wanted and something had to give. When I finally got honest and realized I needed a more sustainable way to work (and gave myself the permission I needed to feel those feelings!) EVERYTHING shifted. I began to seek out other ways to be a successful photographer and I found the magic ticket:
Kidding! There still isn’t a magic ticket. But, I found MY magic ticket, so to speak:
I found mentors who had businesses I admired and who were killing it without killing themselves. I invested in my education, learned everything I could, and saw so many real-life examples of people living the life I wanted to live.
All these realizations helped me gain the courage I needed to completely transform the way I worked, and I NEVER looked back.
I also changed my business model.
The secret (for me) was in my business model. I knew I didn’t want to do weddings anymore, so I switched into portrait photography. The problem was, I was still thinking like I did when I shot weddings: I was selling primarily digital files which kept me in a cycle I like to call: ‘shoot and burn’, where I was in shoots ALL THE TIME, editing my butt off, and when it was all said and done I needed to book more shoots just to stay afloat. That’s when I had to get honest (again) and completely change the way I served my clients.
In order to increase my photography income, I switched to a FULL service studio and began offering canvases, prints, and albums in my offerings. It felt great to be able to offer more to my clients, and even better to stop limiting my earning potential at each session! Sure, not every client bought a bunch of framed art, but MANY of them did.
This expanded my earning potential and completely changed my business. In fact, this simple shift TRIPLED my photography income in just one year! And just in case you think this is an unusual thing, I know SO many people who have made this change and never looked back.
So… are you all in? Are you ready to increase your photography income? Build a more sustainable business that serves your clients and your bank account?
This past year, I’ve been working SO hard to become your go-to resource for all things photo biz, from buying a lens and booking those very first clients, to turning that comfortable business you’ve had for years into something new and exciting. And in 2022? I’ve got even MORE goals for my photographer education business, and I want Y-O-U to be a part of it!
The best way to stay up-to-date on all the things? Get on my email list and follow me on Instagram. That’s where I’ll be sharing more stories like these, and where I’ll be dropping TONS of knowledge for photographers of every level. I can’t wait for you to learn new tricks of the trade, make big business changes, start making more money AND loving what you do. Three cheers to THAT!
