What Every Woman Needs to Know to Build a Six-Figure Photography Business

I started my photography business the same way a lot of you probably did—not with the intention to build a six-figure photography business, but by accident.  

I always loved photography.  And I was always good at it.  But I never thought it could actually be a job, let alone a career. In fact, the idea to start a photography business wasn’t even my own. 

The year was 1999. I was teaching kindergarten at the time and as a new teacher with a mountain of student loan debt, I was barely making ends meet.  I actually qualified for food stamps, despite my full-time job.  

Photography was something I’d always done on the side as a hobby, but in 1999 I didn’t even own my own camera. I was borrowing one. 

It was with that borrowed camera that I took some maternity photos for my friend Ginger. And it was Ginger who brought up the idea of offering maternity photos to others as a way to supplement my teaching income.

So that is what I did.

I took the one good photo I got from her shoot, had it made into postcards with my name and phone number printed on the back and then put those cards in every maternity store, yoga studio and coffee shop I could think of.  Remember, this was 1999 so we didn’t have Facebook or Instagram to market on.

Within a few weeks I had my first paying client. 

The rest, as they say, is history.

Now, 22 years later, I run a thriving, multiple six-figure maternity, newborn and family photography business.  I’m an industry educator and best selling author.  And I support my family doing what I love.

But it wasn’t always that way.  

Getting from there to here didn’t happen overnight.  It was a journey!  And sometimes that journey was hard.  

But I did it.

I did it without any formal education in photography.  

I did it in a saturated market.

I did while being a full-time stay at home mother to my twins.  

I did it through a recession, and most recently, a global pandemic.

And if I can do it, so can you.

The Three Things you Need to Know to Build a Six-Figure Business

What I’ve learned over the past 22 years is that building a long term, profitable career as a photographer is absolutely possible.  But in order to build a six-figure photography business, you must know a few things.  

Many of us believe that in order to have a successful photography business, we need to be AMAZING photographers. The best of the best at what we do!

I’m here to tell you that is not true.

Now don’t get me wrong, being good at your craft is the first very important step to creating a profitable business.  But talent alone does not guarantee you’ll find success as a photographer.  

To build a six-figure photography business and have a profitable, long term career in this industry, you need more than just talent.  You need clarity, communication and consistency.

Let me explain.

Clarity

Clarity is the foundation of having a thriving photography business.  You get clarity by knowing exactly what you do and who you are as an artist.  

You see, photographers often fall into the trap of looking at what their competition is doing, or what the popular trends in the industry are, and thinking that is what they SHOULD do in order to be successful in their own business.

But the truth is, you are the only person ON THE PLANET capable of capturing something the  way YOU do.⁠ 

Put twenty photographers in a room and have them all photograph the same thing and each person's image will be different. 

As visual artists, this is important to remember.

We all have unique interests, unique backgrounds, unique passions, perspectives and points of view that we bring to our work.  BUT for some reason, as soon as we start charging for what we do, we stop trusting that unique way that only we can see and capture. Instead, we try to be like everyone else.  

When you are chasing trends or trying to be like everyone else; however,  you and your work become, well, like everyone else.  

You become one of many.  

When you are one of many, the only thing that separates you from every other photographer in your market is price. And competing on price is a race to the bottom. 

BUT, when you show up and shoot the way YOU are called to shoot.  When you trust your authentic voice, your work stands out!  It becomes as unique as you are, because again, you are the only one on the planet who can do it.    

This is what I mean by having clarity.   

When you have clarity, you trust your voice.  You know you are the only one who can create the way that you do, and that changes the value of what you do.  

Clarity empowers you to stop chasing trends and comparing yourself to others.

It helps you create images that are unique, which leads to developing a signature style.  And having a strong signature style is how you build a brand that will set you apart in a saturated market.

I learned all of this  the hard way.  

I chased trends and did what I thought I should do for years!  But as soon as I stopped, and focused on what I really wanted to do instead (going back to film, working exclusively in studio and staying away from traditional posing) my business exploded.   

I’ve seen the same thing happen for the hundreds of photographers I’ve coached through this process.

Want clarity?  Ask yourself…

What do you love capturing?  

What kind of work were you drawn to before you ever thought of turning photography into a business?  

What is your unique take on the genre you work in?  

What could you photograph over and over and over again and never get sick of?  

How are you different?

In the wise words of Dolly Parton “Figure out who you are.  Then do it on purpose”

Communication

Once you have clarity in your business, everything else becomes SO much easier.  Even marketing.

I know marketing is something a lot of photographers really struggle with. But “marketing” is just a fancy word for “communication”.  And communication is something we all do each and every day!

Good communication educates.  It answers questions and solves problems.

Good marketing does the exact same thing.

Start by showing your beautiful, unique work on your website, blog and social media. “Talk” to your clients and potential clients on your website, blog and social media as well!. Good marketing requires more than just posting pretty pictures on the ‘gram!

Use your platforms to...

Educate about what you do, why it’s different and what makes it special.  For me this would look like blog posts or social media captions about why I only work in the studio, why I don’t pose babies and why I shoot film.

Answer questions they may have about your approach. This could be something like information on what to wear or how to prepare. 

Speak to their concerns and help them solve their problems, like what if their baby cries during their session or what if their older child doesn’t want to cooperate. 

This kind of communication is called content marketing, and it is the most effective form of marketing out there.  

Content marketing establishes you as an expert in the eyes of your clients.  It helps establish a relationship before they ever step in front of your camera.  It builds trust, and trust equals sales.  

Consistency

If clarity is the foundation of building a strong business, then consistency is the cornerstone. Without it, everything falls apart.

Consistency in your work is the first place to start.  

Are you consistently showing the kind of work YOU do on your website and social media?  Remember, resist the urge to follow trends or do what you think you should do.  And know that consistently showing the world your unique point of view is how you will draw in clients who want it!

Consistency is also extremely important in your marketing.  

Marketing is a marathon, not a sprint.  The efforts you put in today will pay off down the road.  So having a marketing plan that helps you show up and communicate to your clients consistently will ensure that you have a steady flow of inquiries throughout the year!

Put on your content marketing hat.  

What do your clients need to know about what YOU do?  How can you educate them on your approach or help them prepare for their session event?  Write it all out,  turn the answers into blog posts or captions on social media and then set up a schedule to ensure that you are posting consistently.  

You’ve Got This

Gaining clarity, using it in my communication and creating consistency in my work and marketing is how I went from a woman on food stamps with a borrowed camera to where I am today.

These concepts are simple.  But just because they are simple, doesn’t mean they are easy.  

If you need support, DM me on Instagram!  I have a ton of resources I’m happy to share.  Helping other women build profitable photography businesses in my life’s work.