The ReWork with Allison Tyler Jones

As we wrap up another incredible season of The ReWork podcast, I want to send you off for the summer with a little dose of inspiration to keep you motivated and empowered. Today, we're joined by a ReWork favorite guest, Kathryn Langsford, a seasoned portrait photographer and entrepreneur who's here to share her advice on overcoming fear and anxiety about your business. We all grapple with...

Nobody wants problems with clients. Many of us are sensitive, creative souls who prefer to avoid conflict at all costs. But the reality is, client problems will still happen. The key is to prevent as many of them as possible BEFORE they arise.  In this episode, we'll explore the "Five C's" of getting out ahead of client problems:  Clarity Conversation Consultation Confrontation and...

If only we could actually do all the things our clients THINK we can do in Photoshop….am I right? Today, we're digging into the world of portrait retouching – that magical process where we take already stunning images and make them even more polished and perfect. And that means, Stacey Hemeyer, ATJ Photo’s Associate Photographer and Retoucher Extraordinaire is joining us for a long overdue con...

Today's episode is one that hits close to home for many of us: using charitable auction events as a way to market our photography businesses. Now, before you roll your eyes or sigh in frustration, let's discuss.  Donating a session to a good cause SEEMS like a great idea.  We cross our fingers for some buzz and new clients, only to feel a bit let down by: Never hearing from the auction win...

This episode is a special treat as we sit down with Lesa Daniel from Gregory Daniel Portraits and their legendary studio manager, Pat Chivers. If you've ever heard Lesa or Gregory's discussions, you've undoubtedly heard tales of Pat's indispensable role in their studio's success. In our conversation with Lesa and Pat, we explore the intricacies of studio management and team dyn...

If you're in need of a ray of positivity and valuable insights on navigating change in your photography business, then grab a pen and settle in. Vicki Taufer, the owner of V Gallery Portrait Studio in Morton, Illinois joins us and with her, she brings a sunny disposition and a wealth of experience in our industry.  Vicky’s success has been anything BUT linear. She has run a huge portrait studi...

Today, we're diving deep into the core of a luxury portrait business with the esteemed Gregory Daniel, owner of Gregory Daniel Portraits in Titusville, Florida. Gregory is not just a repeat guest; he's one of our most popular experts on all things branding and luxury, and today, he's bringing up a topic that's been simmering in his mind for some time now. (I feel like there should...

Have you ever stopped to think about what makes your portrait session experience different than any other portrait studio? Is it the price?  The studio itself?  Sexy packaging? Digital files/no digital files?  None of the above? My guest today would submit that it's not about any of these things.   Differentiating yourself from other photographers is about the managing and creating the experie...

When it comes to marketing, does it seem like what worked a few years ago just isn’t cutting it anymore? Marketing changes fast and, to reach the best clients for your business, you need to change with it but how? Hayes and Fisk Photography in Richmond, Virginia has been creating portraits for 30 years and during that time, Mary Fisk-Taylor has tried just about every marketing strategy there is, a...

Have you ever asked a fellow business owner how they get clients and get a response like, “All our marketing is word of mouth?”  What are you supposed to DO with that? What does “word of mouth marketing” even mean? How I interpret that answer is that I do my job so well and spoil my client so fabulously that they brag about me to other people = word of mouth marketing.  But what if there was anoth...

At its core, the art of marketing and selling involves guiding clients through the decision-making process. Yet many photographers encounter challenges in bringing transactions to a decisive close. We’ve all been there. Maybe the consultation wasn’t clear enough. Maybe we have a hard time saying no to clients that are not the right fit. Or maybe the View and Order session is too overwhelming. What...

Richard Marchisotto is a seasoned photographer who has been making significant shifts in his business over the past couple of years. Transitioning from a volume wedding model with multiple photographers to a luxury portrait studio,shooting less and making each session count more, Richard's journey embodies the evolution many photographers are considering making. As a valued member of our MindS...

In this episode, we are privileged to hear from Hildi Todrin, the talented photographer behind Crane Song Photography in Connecticut. Hildi is absolute proof that nice girls not only finish first but can thrive in building and running their own successful portrait studios. Though soft-spoken, she has the qualities of a great businesswoman, and with her love of learning and helping others, she has...

Welcome to another episode, where we tackle a topic that can feel intimidating for many of us – marketing. It's that thing we know we need to be doing but where/how do we do it? And how can we do it in a way that’s not icky or too salesy? Our guest today is April Graves, a seasoned portrait photographer from Illinois, who brings a refreshing new look at marketing. With years of experience in t...

Welcome to Season 4 of The ReWork Podcast! We're kicking off the New Year with a bang, and what better way to do it than with the incredible Tim Walden? Not only is he an industry icon, he's also a friend to all who know him and one of the most generous teachers in the business – seriously, you can take his advice to the bank.  In today’s episode, we look at some of the pivotal moments in...

We’ve all had experiences and interactions with clients that have made us question our career choice. These interactions might leave us frustrated, angry, upset, or just plain defeated. We replay these interactions over and over again to figure out where we went wrong. After all, we’re in the happy business. Why would anyone get mad at us? Aren’t we just doing what we can to make our clients happy...

Have you ever thought you knew how a conversation would go and then it took a surprising turn? Today’s interview with Anna Kraft did just that. The direction it went took both of us by surprise in the best of ways. Anna Kraft has invested in top-rate education for her portrait business on her journey to find how her vision fits in a world full of photographers. What we find is that, along her educ...

Let’s check in. How are you feeling about what you’re shooting right now?  Is every session making your heart sing with creativity or are you just checking the boxes off a shot list?  Are you leaping out of bed each morning excited to get to work, or are you dreading your next session because you’re sick to death of everything you’re shooting? Every artist experiences a creative slump. The trick i...

Welcome to an all new ReWork Book Club Episode dedicated to one of my favorites: Oversubscribed: How to Get People Lined Up to Do Business With You by Daniel Priestley There are so many relevant and actionable principles in this book for our industry, and I’ve chosen the top three to share with you in today’s episode.  In this episode, you’ll learn how to: Define your capacity-how many sessions ca...

Welcome to the 100th episode of the ReWork! It’s exciting to have made it this far and I have you, our listeners, to thank for listening and our many guests for lending their expertise. It’s been 2 years of crafting information with one goal in mind:  To help portrait photographers: Uniquely Brand,  Profitably Price  and Confidently Sell  their Best Work!  With that in mind, I wanted our 100th epi...

If you’re going to spend your day photographing kids, you’ll need to be part circus clown and part shrink. Every kid is different. What works for one, is a disaster for another; so what’s a nice portrait photographer to do?  The Client Consultation might give you an idea of what’s coming your way. Is your session going to be hijacked by The Sassy Pants?  Or will The Slow Warmup need some extra tim...

Sometimes the best inspiration for your business is outside our industry. In fact, some of the best ideas I’ve had for my business have been gleaned from the fashion world, the design world, even the automobile industry. If your goal is to become a luxury portrait photography brand, then you might look to other luxury brands like luxury cars and clothing. Today’s guest is my daughter-in-law, Caree...

How often do we get in our own way?  It happens all the time, especially as a photographer.  We look for inspiration from other photographers (a little too much) We make changes based on trends instead of our gut (“What’s everyone else doing?”) We get stuck in a rut because we don’t slow down long enough to be intentional about our work and how we are doing or delivering it to our clients We do al...

As human beings, we all struggle with our fair share of self-doubt; but when it comes to running our businesses there are so many more areas for those doubts to creep in. Whether it is doubting your work, your pricing, or in the case of today’s podcast guest, facing an uncomfortable situation with a client, self doubt can paralyze us and cause us to act in ways that aren’t in our best interest.  W...

There is no lack of photography education in this world. You can find just about anything on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, it’s all there for the viewing. Sometimes it feels like everyone has a class or a tutorial to sell you– so when you want or need to learn something new, how can you possibly wade through it all to find what you need? And, more importantly, who can you trust?   Today’s guest has...