PhotoBizX The Ultimate Wedding and Portrait Photography Business Podcast

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

The ultimate portrait and wedding photography business podcast where Andrew Hellmich, interviews successful wedding and portrait photographers and industry experts to reveal their business secrets for your success. PhotoBizX is the photography podcast where you hear answers to the questions you'd love to ask successful wedding and portrait photographer yourself but may never get the chance - or you'd be too afraid to ask. If you dream about having a successful photography business or you’re already on your way - you can fast track your progress as you listen to Andrew expose the tactics and strategies of full time photographers in this photography podcast. Learn the very things the professional photographers wish they knew ‘back then’ - all the inside tips, tricks, marketing, business, advertising and social media photography techniques that work. Learn how to attract a constant flow of clients that want to pay for your photography... every day. Discover how to make a living with photography. Learn the exact way to market your style of photography, advertise and promote your wedding or portrait photography business. How to manage pricing, photography packages, sales techniques, to up-sell or not, what to do when the phone rings and what the experts do when it doesn’t. Learn what professional photographers do from the initial consultation right through to the album or prints sales session to pick up and beyond.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    613: Walid Azami – Calling Out the Fakes in the Photography Industry

    Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area Walid Aami of  www.walidazami.com first appeared on the podcast a few years ago in episode 493, where we dived deep into pricing for all photographers, and working in the world of celebrities and commercial clients in Los Angeles. His photography journey started with an opportunity to work alongside Madonna, and from that moment, he knew this was his path. Since then, he’s photographed some of the biggest names in the world—Kanye West, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Usher, Bernie Sanders, and Justin Timberlake, to name a few. His commercial work includes collaborations with major brands like Volkswagen, Target, and HP. Beyond his impressive portfolio, he is passionate about helping photographers understand their worth and build profitable businesses. We recently chatted over email about his STEP pricing course when I commented on his new direction and possible interview topics for PhotoBizX. He replied, “I'd love to have a harder conversation with listeners about their community, how they learn, who they choose to learn from, the real gurus and the fake ones, support within your inner circle, and how you talk to yourself.” This sounded perfect to me! The result is this interview, where Walid shares his thoughts and warnings about photography business coaches by calling out the fakes in the photography 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. The gut check will always, always win. The gut check is your direct direct line to you, and whatever higher source you believe in. – Walid Azami 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. Seriously, that's not all. I do hope the community researches the gurus more than they research the latest gear, the latest restaurant to go to, the latest accessory to purchase, because this is your future. – Walid Azami 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 Walid 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. The way you speak to yourself is going to dictate what you allow how others speak to you in your life. – Walid Azami

  2. 14 APR

    612: Laura Längsfeld – How a Senior Dog Project Became a €50K Business

    Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area Laura Langfield of www.llphotography.de is a pet photographer based in Germany who has been a PhotoBizX Member for 4 years and nothing makes me happier than having a chance to record an interview like this one. Laura recently emailed me about completing her first book project and included some of her numbers and details. She said… Apart from the amazing numbers, the project was an amazing experience and therapeutic after I lost my dog in 2023 after almost 15 years together. She added… I can honestly say that it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever done, and it was extremely well received. She finished by saying… I'm seriously thinking about making this an ongoing yearbook project and maybe also adding an exhibition in the future. As Richard Grenfell said in his training, if something works, do more of it. And there will always be new senior dogs. Get ready to dive in and learn more about this talented dog photographer and her fantastic book project, which earned her close to 50,000 Euro! In the interview, Laura shares how her senior dog book project became a €50K 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. People don't need a discount to book. They need a reason. – Laura Längsfeld 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. Seriously, that's not all. I have been successful with lead ads, but it's a lot of work, because you have to talk to a lot of people, and it's quite hard to get them on the phone. So for now, doing everything alone, it just took so much time to get the bookings that I'd rather pay more per lead and have less work because the people are more pre qualified and I don't have to talk to as many people to get the bookings I need. – Laura Längsfeld 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 Laura 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. Don't look at the cost per lead. Look at the cost per booking. – Laura Längsfeld If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Laura, or a way to thank you for coming on the show,

    46 min

  3. 7 APR

    611: Renee Bowen – Senior Portraits That Sell: What Teens Want, What Parents Buy

    Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area Renee Bowen of www.reneebowen.com first appeared on the podcast in our start-of-the-year predictions episode, where some of the world’s best photography business coaches shared their insights. In that episode, she talked about AI fatigue and how clients are craving real, authentic content—content created by you to showcase your true self, not some perfectly curated, made-up version of you. In her photography business, she specialises in high-end luxury branding and portrait photography. With a psychology degree, she knows how to get inside her clients’ heads, tap into what makes them unique, and combine that with her incredible photography skills to create personalised, next-level work. Based in Los Angeles, she’s a married mother of three, host of the Tried & True With a Dash of Woo podcast, photography business coach, and course creator. From the outside looking in, she’s running a successful photography business focusing on headshots, personal branding, and senior portraits. In this interview, Renee shares how to create a profitable senior portrait photography business by creating images that sell and shooting what teens want and parents buy. 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. By the time, if I've done my job right, by the time they sit down with me and we're going over their images, they already know they're getting an album, because I have pre sold that album multiple times, unconsciously throughout the process. – Renee Bowen 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. Seriously, that's not all. With Tiktok, don't overthink it. That's that's the first thing. Don't overthink it. Keep it short. The main thing with Tiktok is authenticity. Honestly, just lean into just being you. – Renee Bowen 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 Renee 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. Tiktok is great for reach and visibility and reaching a lot of people. I get a lot of out of state clients from Tiktok specifically. – Renee Bowen If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Renee,

    50 min

  4. 31 MAR

    610: George Tatakis – Turning Creative Obsession Into a Thriving Photography Business

    Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area George Tatakis of  www.tatakis.com was a rare and beautiful find for this podcast episode. It's rare to feature a European photographer on the podcast, particularly a photographer who shoots in the style and income-producing strategy of George Takais. After exchanging a few emails, I learned enough to ask him to do this interview. I'm pretty sure we can all learn something from his entrepreneurial spirit and go-getter attitude. To give you a little background… He's currently bringing in well over $100,000 Euro through photography. He's based in Greece. He shoots exclusively in black and white. He has multiple income sources, including selling his work through a gallery in Geneva, photographic book sales through Amazon, licensing fees for using his photography in commercial applications, partnerships with a travel company, selling work through museum shops, mentoring and portfolio reviews, and commissioned work. He left his job as an electrical engineer to chase his dream of being a photographer. It was a hard slog, but photography is now his primary source of income. In this interview, George shares how he has been able to turn a creative obsession into a thriving 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. Business is the biggest part of the journey. I mean, I would say that 80 or 90% of my time goes to the business side, and then it's only 10 to 20% which is the creative side. And I know that many artists don't realize that, and I think I'm blessed in a way that I started as an engineer. – George Tatakis 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. Seriously, that's not all. I think filmmaking is a more lucrative work in these days. I think that even social media move toward this direction of videos. I also find YouTube to be an exciting place to be, because I think you do work that lingers on the platform, actually. So for example, you can do the video today, and after a couple of years, people will still be watching that video, which is not the case with other platforms. Also, there is more money in creating videos. – George Tatakis 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 George 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 ep...

    57 min

  5. 23 MAR

    609: Brooke Jefferson – How a Small-Town Photographer Built a Booked-Out Business

    Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area Brooke Jefferson of www.brookejefferson.com/photography was first featured in the Coaches Predictions episode that kicked off in 2025, where she said that Behind The Scenes Content (BTS) will be a game changer for photographers this year. She knows exactly what it takes to turn a passion for photography into a thriving business. She is a photographer, business coach, and Book More Clients Photography podcast host. She first picked up a camera in 2014, with a baby on her hip and a borrowed camera, hoping to earn extra income for her family. What started as a side hustle quickly turned into a full-time career, and by 2018, she left her job as a teacher to go all in with photography. One of her coaching clients, Loretta, says… “Best investments I've made for my business. I've tried a couple of other photography coaches, and while they shared some valuable information, Brooke is 100% the secret sauce.” With over a decade behind the camera and six years as a coach, Brooke is walking the walk, not just talking the talk. In this interview, Brooke shares how living in a small town doesn't mean you can't have a booked-out 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. My dream session is when a client reaches out and they want me to photograph them on their own property, whether that's their ranch or their farm. And the best part is when we can't drive to the location. We have to ride the ATVs. That is my favourite thing to do. So we get a little bit of fun and adventure. – Brooke Jefferson 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. Seriously, that's not all. I have to know your booking goal. I have to know your revenue goal. That is the very first place I start. From there, I dig into what you already have. And typically where people want me to start is their pricing and packages. So that's the very next place I'll go. – Brooke Jefferson 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 Brooke 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. Networking, networking, networking.

  6. 16 MAR

    608: Joe Jenkins – From Craigslist Scam to Six-Figure Photographer

    Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area Joe Jenkins of www.joejenkinsphoto.com sent one of the best interview requests I've received in the 12 years since starting the podcast. The subject line read: How a scam on Craigslist kicked off my full-time, professional photography career in NYC. Then, the email… My name is Joe, and I’m a full-time photographer in New York City. I fell into photography after a talent agency tried to scam me into buying a $1000 headshot session, and I decided to start taking my own. I wasn't even a photographer at the time. Since entering the profession in 2013, I’ve opened a studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where I do fashion, headshots, event and commercial work. I currently shoot for some of the largest brands and modelling agencies in the world. This year I photographed Reese Witherspoon for Docusign, Jeff Bezos for Oxford University, the head of Samsung North America and Eli Manning for other brands. I was hooked, but I wanted to clarify a few things before inviting him on for an interview and make sure there was going to be something in this for you, the listener, beyond a great-sounding story. I learned he is a full-time photographer, his sole income source. Before COVID, he earned about 150k/year, but his business dried up until his recovery in 2023. He currently does over 100k between headshots, event work, and fashion photography, though he expects he'll be back to 150k and beyond this year or 2026. In this entertaining interview, Joe shares how he went from a Craigslist scam to a six-figure photographer. 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. The phrase fashion doesn't pay is, actually very literal, because it's such a competitive field that you work for free for a very long time. – Joe Jenkins 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. Seriously, that's not all. I had $100,000 in the bank going into COVID Now, now I'm deeply in debt, and it's fine. The fortunate thing about photography is that if you can find the work, it's a very well paying field. It's extremely well paying field. It's just finding the work, it's just running it as a business, but it's still tough. I'm not gonna lie, especially becasue I had to pretty much rebuild from scratch after COVID, and it's still very much a hustle. – Joe Jenkins 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 Joe shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the...

    42 min

  7. 10 MAR

    607: Heather Lahtinen – Why Your Photography Business Isn’t Growing (And How to Fix It)

    Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area Heather Lahtinen of https://flourishacademy.mykajabi.com/ first appeared on my radar when Wisconsin Dog Photographer and Premium Member Jan Bezzo recommended her. Jan emailed to tell me that she'd been coached by Heather in the past and would do so again, hopefully soon. Heather is no-nonsense and realistic but always treats people with integrity and kindness. Jan added… Heather just doesn't accept that “nothing is working” and helps you look at challenges from different perspectives, then works with you to troubleshoot. And Heather will give you tough love if needed. That was enough for me. Following that, Heather first appeared on the podcast in the coaches' predictions episode at the start of the year. I looked forward to discussing business, marketing, and mindset with this motivated and passionate coach behind The Flourish Academy and her Elevate program. In this interview, Heather shares why your photography business isn’t growing (And How to Fix It). 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. I don't tolerate excuses or reasons or circumstances or like the sky is falling or the weather or the economy or anything like that. That's never going to fly with me. – Heather Lahtinen 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. Seriously, that's not all. I am a compassionate Navy SEAL. It's like someone who's like in your face yelling at you get up. Oh, but you know, I understand where you're coming from. It's hard to get up, and I've got you, but it's time to go, because we're done messing around. – Heather Lahtinen 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 Heather 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. Essentially, I want to create what Malcolm Gladwell calls sneezers. Sneezers are people who are infected with your business and they love you so much they're telling everyone. – Heather Lahtinen If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Heather,

  8. 3 MAR

    606: Caitlin McColl – From Postpartum Depression to Rebuilding a Thriving Photography Business

    Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area Caitlin McColl of www.ragamuffinpetphotography.com.au and www.tailsoftheworld.com is one of Australia's best pet photographers! Her work first caught my eye over ten years ago, and we followed up with episode number 24 of the podcast, where she shared the details of working with pet shelters — I listened back to part of that recording this morning, and oh my god, we both sound so young! We later followed up by recording episode 282 where we dived deep into her photography books as a marketing and sales tool. I've asked her back today, following a recent email where she wrote… G'day Andrew, I'm just sitting here editing and listening to the podcast and decided I really need to send you a thank you. I'm coming out the other side of a four year postpartum depression haze and having spent those years just doing bare minimum to keep my business afloat and family fed, I was feeling lost and uninspired in business. But I knew EXACTLY where I needed to go to reinvigorate myself and as always Photobizx didn't disappoint. I've spent the last few weeks binge listening, and for the first time in a long time, I feel enthused about work again. I asked if she'd feel up to talking about her experiences. Caitlin said yes, and in this interview, she shares her experience of postpartum depression to rebuilding a thriving 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. I'm coming out the other side of a four-year postpartum depression haze, and having spent those years just doing the bare minimum to keep my business afloat and my family fed, I was feeling lost and uninspired in business, but I knew exactly where I needed to go to reinvigorate myself. – Caitlin McColl 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. Seriously, that's not all. Rather than saying, Hey, can I talk to you about pet photography? My line is, Oh, would you like to win a pet photo shoot? Would you like to win a photo shoot with your dog? And nine out of 10 people are gonna say ‘no'. – Caitlin McColl 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 Cait...

    45 min
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About

The ultimate portrait and wedding photography business podcast where Andrew Hellmich, interviews successful wedding and portrait photographers and industry experts to reveal their business secrets for your success. PhotoBizX is the photography podcast where you hear answers to the questions you'd love to ask successful wedding and portrait photographer yourself but may never get the chance - or you'd be too afraid to ask. If you dream about having a successful photography business or you’re already on your way - you can fast track your progress as you listen to Andrew expose the tactics and strategies of full time photographers in this photography podcast. Learn the very things the professional photographers wish they knew ‘back then’ - all the inside tips, tricks, marketing, business, advertising and social media photography techniques that work. Learn how to attract a constant flow of clients that want to pay for your photography... every day. Discover how to make a living with photography. Learn the exact way to market your style of photography, advertise and promote your wedding or portrait photography business. How to manage pricing, photography packages, sales techniques, to up-sell or not, what to do when the phone rings and what the experts do when it doesn’t. Learn what professional photographers do from the initial consultation right through to the album or prints sales session to pick up and beyond.

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