PhotoBizX The Ultimate Wedding and Portrait Photography Business Podcast Andrew Hellmich: Photographer, Interviewer, Podcaster and Owner of Impact Images

Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area

Kim Buccheri and Bud Thorpe of www.kimberlysarahphotography.com say on their website… We are artists who specialise in pet photography.

Scroll down their home page to see images of beautiful wall art in people's homes.

The whole process is laid out a little further: design consult, studio portrait session, ordering session and artwork delivery.

A little more scrolling and you learn their Gallery is Open to the Public and looks stunning.

This interview came about through an email exchange, during which I learned that their studio has low volume and high sales. They only see a small number of clients per month. And they are strictly pet photographers.

The sales average is $8,500 with multiple $15K or more sales.

And yes, they get plenty of “I’m not interested, or, you’re just too expensive.” comments when talking with potential clients.

In this interview, learn how to unlock the secrets to high sales in your photography business.

Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:



What’s on Offer for Premium Members

If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interviews each week, a fantastic back catalogue of interviews, and have ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

Plus, special member-only interviews.

Interestingly, you cannot correlate client income or their pretty house or car. It absolutely, positively does not correlate with photography sales. People love what they love. – Bud Thorpe

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group, where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

You have to have something that people can spend their money on. Pricing is key to all of this, because it allows the client to spend. – Kimberly Buccheri

Seriously, that's not all.

In addition to everything above, you'll get access to instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable, and build friendships with other pro photographers with motives similar to yours – to build a more successful photography business.



What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything from what Kim and Bud shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you plan to implement in your business based on what you heard in today's episode.

When do you want to hear ‘no'? You want to hear ‘no' early, so that you're not wasting their time and yes, yours. – Bud Thorpe

If you have any questions I missed or a specific question, you’d like to ask Kim and Bud, or if you want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.







iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs

I check for any new iTunes or Google reviews each week, and it's always a buzz to receive these… for several reasons.

Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they are helping you improve your ...

Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area

Sarah Perez of  www.sfbrandco.com is a USA-based mum who runs a successful Brand Strategy and Web Design business that provides Brand Photography, Drone photography and video, plus headshots for her clients.

She previously ran a family photography turned branding photography business AND owned a small portrait studio in New York.

In addition to the business side of things, she's homeschooling four kids and is a military spouse who frequently moves around the country.

Sarah's business breakdown regarding income is as follows:



* Photography – 34%

* Brand Strategy – 33%

* Web Design – 33%



While chatting before recording, I learnt that she finds most of her clients organically—at local playgrounds, of all places!

In this interview, learn how to diversify your income, relocate your photography business painlessly and have time for family first.

Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:



What’s on Offer for Premium Members

If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interviews each week, a fantastic back catalogue of interviews, and have ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

Plus, special member-only interviews.

This is how I think in person marketing works. This is how networking works. If you realize that you're okay with me, Sarah the person, because we met at a networking event or just out in public, then you go to my website, you're just learning more about something you already like. – Sarah Perez

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group, where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

As far as growing my business, I utilise a waitlist because I want to make sure that my business serves my family and not the other way around. I never want to say no to my children in order to serve my business. So I make sure that I have enough time to do everything I want to do for my family. And then my business fills in the gaps. – Sarah Perez

Seriously, that's not all.

In addition to everything above, you'll get access to instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable, and build friendships with other pro photographers with motives similar to yours – to build a more successful photography business.



What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything from what Sarah shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you plan to implement in your business based on what you heard in today's episode.

I'm just driven and I enjoy it. I love to watch people thrive in what they do. So like these small businesses that I work with, I don't know. I derive so much pleasure and satisfaction from helping them do what they do, but do it better. – Sarah Perez

If you have any questions I missed or a specific question you’d like to ask Sarah, or if you want to say thanks for coming on the show,

Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area

Carl van den Boom of www.photographygloves.com is featured in this episode — an interview that wasn't going to happen — I wasn't sure it would be a good fit for you.

I received the intro letter from Carl's good buddy, Lukas. He wrote…

I'm Lukas from Vallerret Photography Gloves. I'm reaching out to ask how you'd feel about interviewing our founder and my good friend Carl.

After leaving New Zealand to chase the snow in Austria, he never returned. And that's where we met.

We spent time snowboarding and photographing some pro snowboarders. After that, mushing dogs in Sweden and Alaska, running a bike rental business in Denmark, and some other ventures.

Carl finally found the niche where he could combine all his passions (winter, photography, entrepreneurship, fun) into one: Photography Gloves.

I replied to Lukas with…

Hi Lukas — Thanks for your interest and background story – the gloves look great.

PhotoBizX is focused on the business side of photography, not shooting.

Wishing you every success with your outreach.

Lukas came back with…

Sorry if this didn't come across well in my email, but this is exactly why we wrote to you.

Carl is a photographer and has made good money with real estate photography and other genres, BUT wanted to escape the “daily grind” of looking for customers.

We thought that might be interesting for your audience.

Okay, so that piqued my interest, and I hope you're keen to hear more, too.

In this interview, Carl shares how his photography passion and entrepreneurship led to a photography glove business.

Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:

What’s on Offer for Premium Members

If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interviews each week, a fantastic back catalogue of interviews, and have ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

Plus, special member-only interviews.

Just don't be afraid of sharing your ideas with people. – Carl van den Boom

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group, where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

We were so niche, and it's a lot of work to do this lifestyle business. That and we're such a small fry, they're not going to come in and put all the time and effort in to take our small piece of the markets. – Carl van den Boom

Seriously, that's not all.

In addition to everything above, you'll get access to instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable, and build friendships with other pro photographers with motives similar to yours – to build a more successful photography business.



What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything from what Carl shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you plan to implement in your business based on what you heard in today's episode.

With a small team,

Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area

Sarah Jamieson of www.pictorialphotography.co.uk photographs a genre never discussed on the podcast! Passport Photos.

We were exchanging emails, and Sarah told me…

I know a lot of photographers who shrink back in horror when I say I do passport and visa photos. They don't think it's worth their time and effort, but I think it's great.

I've been doing it for over 10 years; it's all automated, consistent income (covering all my studio bills and rent), and easily the most profitable service I offer.

Families who have never stepped foot in my studio find their way through passport and visa photos. They see the art on the walls, we chat, and voila!

The know, like, and trust factor kicks in. They join the mailing list and often book full sessions. It's like the VIP pass to a whole new clientele!

Needless to say, I was hooked and wanted to learn more!

A couple more emails, and I learned…

Her passport photo booking page is discreetly tucked away on her website, accessible only to those seeking the service through Google or local word of mouth.

Thanks to scheduling software on her website, the booking process is streamlined.

Each passport photo costs £15/20 (around USD$25 and AUD$38), so Sarah's time spent on passport photos works out to £120 per hour.

In addition to the financial earnings, she's found a huge side benefit in connecting with so many people in person. For this reason, she does the passport photos herself.

Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:



What’s on Offer for Premium Members

If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interviews each week, a fantastic back catalogue of interviews, and have ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

Plus, special member-only interviews.

My main clients that come in for passport photos are the ones that know that it's not easy in a photo booth — for example, newborn babies. I get loads of people bringing in newborns, people in wheelchairs, people with things like a lazy eye, who know that might not just be straightforward, and elderly people. – Sarah Jamieson

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group, where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

There's not enough passport photography work at that price to pay my wages as well. So I do use the income from that to cover the studio expenses. So the rain, the electric, the water bill, and it covers a bit more than that. – Sarah Jamieson

Seriously, that's not all.

In addition to everything above, you'll get access to instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable, and build friendships with other pro photographers with motives similar to yours – to build a more successful photography business.



What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything from what Sarah shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you...

Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area

Mark Maryanovich and Natasha Martinez of www.markmaryanovich.com appeared on my radar for this interview following an email I received…

I represent Award-winning Photographer Mark Maryanovich.

We recently wrote a book called Photography Business Basics: 10 Years of Photography Business Knowledge in 10 Short Chapters.

As two real-world Photography business entrepreneurs who’ve struggled and learned (sometimes the hard way) how to go from starving artist to savvy businessperson, we wish to help the most people have the greatest success in Photography by avoiding the pitfalls many artists in the business world fall prey to.

As good as the email sounded, my sceptical self started checking out Mark's work, which I wasn't familiar with.

What I found blew me away. His photos appear on album covers and artwork for companies such as Sony, EMI, and Warner Chappell Music. His commercial clients include Gibson Guitars and Peavey Electronics. His work has been published in Rolling Stone and Billboard magazines, not to mention multiple book covers.

I quickly said yes, let's get you and Mark on the podcast and hear your thoughts on photography business success, both in and out of the music industry.

Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:



What’s on Offer for Premium Members

If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interviews each week, a fantastic back catalogue of interviews, and have ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

Plus, special member-only interviews.

80% of our business is repeat clients, and word of mouth and referrals. And that's really kind of an ideal business model for any photographer just because it's, you know, the client onboarding time, everything just makes it simpler. – Natasha Martinez

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group, where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

There's 74 million photographers in the world right now, there's lots of us. So you always have to keep in touch with clients. – Mark Maryanovich

Seriously, that's not all.

In addition to everything above, you'll get access to instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable, and build friendships with other pro photographers with motives similar to yours – to build a more successful photography business.



What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything from what Mark and Natasha shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you plan to implement in your business based on what you heard in today's episode.

In my life, it's better to be shooting pictures, and not because I get something out of it too. I love taking pictures. I love doing the actual job. – Mark Maryanovich

If you have any questions I missed or a specific question you’d like to ask Mark and Nata...

Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area

Matt Badenoch of www.streetwithmatt.com and www.mattbadenoch.com teaches street photography via travel workshops and runs a successful wedding photography business in London.

I'm lucky enough to call Matt a friend and a photography travel buddy after one of the most epic adventures to India a few years ago with half a dozen photographer friends from the UK and Romania.

Matt discovered a love of photography more than ten years ago and has been a full-time wedding photographer for almost as long. Since then, he's photographed close to 150 weddings in 18 countries across 3 continents!

He says in his bio that he's a social introvert, which I have to say totally surprised me after seeing him in action with camera in hand and on the streets.

With a total love for street photography, it was no surprise to see him offering workshops on the topic in the UK before venturing further afield.

I wasn't sure if the plan is to make street photography a pathway to a full-time income or if it's a side gig to help fund world travel and more street photography projects to far-flung places on the map.

It was a real pleasure to host this interview with super talented, always smiling Matt, who, in addition to all the street talk, shared a ton on building a successful wedding photography business and getting found in a saturated market.

Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:



What’s on Offer for Premium Members

If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interviews each week, a fantastic back catalogue of interviews, and have ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

Plus, special member-only interviews.

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group, where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

Street photography is really hard to make money from. If you speak to anyone out there, they'll probably tell you the same thing. Most people do it for the passion. – Matt Badenoch

Seriously, that's not all.

In addition to everything above, you'll get access to instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable, and build friendships with other pro photographers with motives similar to yours – to build a more successful photography business.



What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything from what Matt shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you plan to implement in your business based on what you heard in today's episode.

Build a page for whatever you want be found for. It should answer all your client's questions. What are they looking for? What is useful to them? Give that. Don't write for Google. This has always been a mistake, at least the last 15 years, don't try and write for a robot, write for people. – Matt Badenoch

If you have any questions I missed or a specific question you’d like to ask M...