This Can't Be That Hard

What happens when someone who's spent 15 years hiring photographers for brands like Netflix, Masterclass, and AARP writes a book about how the photo industry really works? You get The Photo Hustle , a straight-talking, wildly helpful roadmap to booking clients, getting paid, and actually making a viable career out of commercial photography. In this episode, I’m chatting with author, photo edi...

Pricing might just be the hardest piece of the business puzzle, and not because most of us don't love math. Sure, you need to know your numbers, but there's so much psychology involved in pricing, too: it's one of the most powerful ways you communicate your value, your brand, and your confidence. In this episode, I’m walking you through the five key building blocks of a strategic pr...

What if your next senior session didn’t just capture once-in-a-lifetime memories… but created them as well? In this episode, I’m joined by Kellie Llewellyn, a North Dakota-based photographer who has carved out a unique (and wildly appealing) niche in her business: destination senior sessions. Kellie has traveled with seniors, their best friends, and even their families to locations like Joshua Tre...

When you're deep in the thick of running a business, it’s easy to feel like you should be further along. But just because you haven’t “made it” yet (whatever that means) doesn’t mean you’re not making real, meaningful progress. In this episode, I’m sharing three often-overlooked signs that you’re doing better than it may feel like you're doing. We’ll talk about how to recognize sustainab...

Ever wonder what makes some photographers get tons of referrals and repeat business while others struggle to generate that kind of buzz? Hint: it's probably not the quality of their images. In this episode, I’m talking with wedding and commercial photographer Miles Witt Boyer about what it looks like to be the most valuable person in the room, and why that matters more than ever in today&apos...

We all know that small, consistent actions pay off over time… but when it comes to marketing our photography businesses, too many of us are still chasing quick wins and big bursts of effort that - let’s be honest - often lead to burnout and disappointment. When things slow down, it’s easy to fall into the trap of panic marketing… throwing out a flurry of posts, sending a couple of emails after mon...

Just because something works doesn’t mean you have to keep doing it. Today, I’m joined once again by my brilliant friend Sabrina Gebhardt for a conversation that’s all about letting go... of offers, expectations, even identities that no longer serve you.  Sabrina shares three major decisions she made in 2024 to release things that were still generating revenue (and still “made sense” on paper), bu...

There’s this idea floating around that unless you’re all-in on your photography business—fully booked, full-time, aiming for six figures and beyond—what you're doing doesn't really count.  But over the years, I’ve worked with countless photographers who are intentionally building part-time businesses, whether that's because they’re just getting started, running a household, or worki...

You don’t have to dance, lip sync, or post every day to make Instagram work for your photography business, but you do need a strategy. This week, I’m joined by food photographer, educator, and author Kimberly Espinel who literally wrote the book on Instagram strategy. We're diving into what’s actually working on Instagram in 2025, whether you’re trying to attract more clients, stay top-of-min...

Most photographers build their businesses around one signature offer—and that’s a great place to start. But if that’s the only offer on your menu, your business may be more fragile than you think. In today’s episode, I’m breaking down the three types of offers every photography business should have: your core offer (aka your bread and butter), an entry offer (for those not quite ready to go all-in...

Your website might look great—but is it actually doing the work of turning curious browsers into paying clients? In this week’s episode, I’m joined by web designer and strategist Caitlin Teixeira (aka Catie Means Business), the mastermind behind my current website and one of the most insightful, strategic creatives I’ve had the pleasure of working with. Caitlin shares why a website isn’t just a di...

If you’ve ever said yes to a last-minute request you didn’t really have time for, or delivered more than you promised because you were afraid of disappointing someone, this one’s for you. In this short solo episode, I’m talking about boundaries: not just as a form of self-protection, but as a powerful way to communicate your brand, serve your clients well, and build trust in your process. Saying n...

We’re constantly told that blogging is great for SEO, but most photographers still aren’t doing it. Why? Because it feels like a heavy lift for an uncertain payoff (not to mention it's hard to know what to say)! This week, I’m joined by photographer and PR pro Kate Wark, who not only understands the power of blogging from a strategic perspective but actually ghostwrites blogs for other creati...

You’ve done the math. You know what your cost of doing business is. You’ve looked at what other photographers in your market are charging. So why does pricing your work still feel so complicated ? This week I’m getting into the real reasons pricing can feel so hard. I’ll walk you through three key mindset shifts that every photographer needs to make in order to price their work confidently, commun...

We all love the idea of a business that grows effortlessly through word of mouth....but that kind of growth doesn’t come from luck—it comes from delivering a client experience that’s SO good, people can’t stop talking about it. In this episode, I’m joined by photographer and educator Natasha Sewell, who’s built a thriving, referral-based business by getting super intentional about how she connects...

Marketing isn’t just about getting seen—it’s about building trust. And building trust, as it turns out, is a lot like building your credit score.... Clients are constantly (and often unconsciously) evaluating whether they trust you enough to book with you. It’s not exactly a number they can look up, but the signals you’re sending through your website, social media, pricing, and consistency are all...

Some interviews go exactly where you expect… and others take a beautiful turn into even better territory. That’s exactly what happened in this conversation with photographer, systems wizard, and community builder Stacey Rolfe. What started as a conversation about client experience ended up touching on everything from burnout recovery and flexible business models to the power of taking imperfect ac...

When things slow down or feel uncertain in your business, it’s easy to think you need to overhaul everything or spend your time hunting down new leads. But more often than not, the best opportunities are already sitting in front of you—specifically, in the form of your happiest clients. In this episode, I’m sharing four tried-and-true strategies for turning one great client into more. These are si...

If you've ever felt a sinking feeling as you send in your taxes, wondering if you're missing something (or have just signed and avoided the numbers altogether), you're not alone.  That’s why I brought in Danielle Hayden, founder of Kickstart Accounting, to break down exactly what photographers should be doing year-round to stay on top of their numbers, avoid surprises, and maximize...

AI is everywhere right now, but let’s be real—most of us don’t have time to sort through all the noise to figure out which tools actually help photographers run their businesses better. That’s why I called in Colie James. She’s a workflow automation expert, a photographer, and someone who has gone much further with AI than most of us (but in a way that makes running a business easier , not more co...

Photography may seem like a business with low legal risk, but if you don’t cover your bases, one unexpected issue—like a contract dispute, a tax audit, or an independent contractor misclassification—can cause major headaches. Today, I’m talking with Braden Drake, a lawyer and tax expert who specializes in helping creative entrepreneurs actually understand business compliance, contracts, and financ...

Most photographers assume that if they don’t shoot in a studio, they don’t need one. But what if a studio space could be so much more than just a backdrop for sessions? In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Michelle McAfee, a photographer who turned her studio into so much more than just a place to shoot. She shares how she transitioned from using her space exclusively for client sessions to creat...

If you’ve ever felt like your emails are going out into the void—ignored, unopened, or worse, unsubscribed from—this episode is just for you. Email marketing doesn’t have to feel awkward or forced. In fact, when done right, it’s one of the most powerful ways to turn casual followers into loyal clients. But what actually makes an email engaging? How do you keep people excited to hear from you inste...

Generating leads for your photography business can feel like a full-time job. You put yourself out there, cross your fingers, and hope the inquiries roll in—but what happens when they don’t? That’s where a smart, strategic approach to lead generation makes all the difference. This week, I’m talking with photographer, business coach, and Gold Biz Podcast host Rachel Traxler about how she approaches...

Most photographers spend their time marketing in all the usual (free) ways—posting on social media, tweaking their SEO, and waiting for word-of-mouth referrals to kick in. And while all of those can work, they also take time... often a lot of it! But what if you could get your business in front of people right when they’re searching for a photographer ? That’s exactly what Google Ads do. Unlike so...