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. 19 HRS AGO

    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

  2. 6 DAYS AGO

    607: Heather Lahtinin – 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 Lahtinin 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 Lahtinin 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 Lahtinin 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 Lahtinin If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Heather,

  3. 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

  4. 24 FEB

    605: Jeff Brown – The Business Failure That Changed Everything—And What You Can Learn From It

    Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area Jeff Brown of www.thephotographersmentor.com needs no introduction if you've been listening for any time! He's appeared on the podcast multiple times, focusing mainly on LinkedIn and utilising that platform to attract and book clients. He also has a couple of courses on PhotoBizx—one on LinkedIn with a very recent update and another on building a high-converting and very simple website, recently mentioned by Richard Grenfell in his Advertise Like a M**o course. His primary focus is Photography Business Mentoring, Accountability, and support, where he works with photographers worldwide. In addition to all that, he has published multiple books for photographers, which you can find on Amazon, including: The Photographer's Gratitude & Mindset Journal, Develop a Positive Routine for Happiness and Improved Self Belief: Your 100-Day Daily Self Help Diary—the perfect stepping-off point to kick-start your year. In this interview, Jeff shares the business failure that changed everything—and what you can learn from it to grow 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. There's no such thing as a goal that is too big, because the process of achieving a big goal is exactly the same processes of achieving a small goal. It's just the time span is different. – Jeff Brown 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. Realize that…not everything is bad as it initially seems….remember that there's so many people in the world who you influence and rely on you and love you and care about you…speak to somebody, take professional advice. – Jeff Brown 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 Jeff 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 had a breakdown 10 years ago, and had a pub venture that went completely wrong…and that actually led me to running away…because I felt like a complete failure. And from that point, I had to reset my life. – Jeff Brown If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Jeff or want to say thank you for coming on the show...

    54 min

  5. 17 FEB

    604: Belinda Richards – Game Changing Strategies to Attract the Right Photography Clients

    Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area Belinda Richards of www.belindarichards.com popped up on my radar following a beautiful email from PhotoBizX premium member and German-based photographer Birgit Zimmerman. I jumped over to check out today's guest's website, and OMG… SO GOOD! Her website is filled with humour in the form of copy, images, and a video on the home page—which is fantastic. In addition to all that, her photography is first-class. And you'd expect nothing less when you see the number of awards she has earned, including the 2022, 2023, and 2024 Australian Pet Photographer of the Year! All her photography is done in studio. She started her working life as a dog groomer. Later, she completed her diploma in photography, which led to a Bachelor of Fine Arts. And today, she is the proud owner of what looks to be an incredible business: Frog Dog Studios. In this interview, among other things, Belinda shares her game changing strategies for attracting the right photography clients to her 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 initially started entering awards because… I leveraged free publicity… of bringing trust, and then people start to know you as the expert in your field. – Belinda Richards 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. One of the things that I did know, because I had previously owned businesses, is that I needed to pay for help, not buy a new camera. – Belinda Richards 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 Belinda 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 never get on the phone to my clients. Everything is done by email and text message. They book online. They're, you know, get they pay online, apart from when they, you know, they come in here for the ordering appointment.- Belinda Richards If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Belinda or want to say thank you for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below. PhotoBizX with Johl Dunn presents this FREE training…

    1h 25m

  6. 10 FEB

    603: Vanessa German – How to build a small town thriving photography business

    Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area Vanessa German of www.vannfineart.com and her photography business was a bit of an enigma to me. I was excited to dive in and learn more about what I believe is an incredibly successful business… but I just wasn't sure. Here's some background… The photography on her website is exquisite. It's studio-based and classic in how her subjects have been lit, posed, and framed. Her clients all look happy, mostly looking down the lens and smiling. I'd also describe them as looking wealthy, like they can afford to invest in a luxury experience. Her Instagram and Facebook accounts appear to take a back seat with few posts, the last one on Facebook being over four months ago and Instagram a month ago. I can't see any current ads running. I know she's had sales over the $10,000 mark. Whenever I read her comments or posts in the PhotoBizX Members Facebook Group, they scream business savvy, intelligent and realistic business operator to me. In this interview, Vanessa shares how living in a small town doesn't exclude you from big profits and how to build a thriving photography business, no matter where you're based. 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 focus is on being a six figure salary studio, not a six figure revenue studio. – Vanessa German 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 would rather be one woman show and outsource as much as I can and run really lean and efficient because that's just so much less stress for me. – Vanessa German 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 Vanessa 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 do find that the auction system, I call it, or the Golden Circle of giving. I do find that to be one of my most successful marketing plans, because it is one way that I can bring people to my studio that don't live near me. So I can bring them from a farther distance to me. – Vanessa German If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Vanessa or want to say thank you for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below. iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs

    50 min

  7. 3 FEB

    602: Noel Marcantel – The Headshot Pricing & Business Strategy That Earns $3,000+ Per Session

    Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area Noel Marcantel of www.noelmarcantel.com first appeared in the recent Studio Special episode of the podcast, where we explored the benefits and pitfalls for photographers looking to work from a studio space. He is a prominent headshot, branding, and editorial photographer based in New Orleans. His work has been featured in huge publications, including Forbes, Fortune, Entrepreneur, and The Wall Street Journal. He says that his point of difference in the world of headshot and branding photography is that he uses expression coaching with his clients to get the images they need. And I love how he describes a headshot as a digital handshake with a potential client. His studio space is a street-front studio that looks like an incredible workplace — complete with a full-sized and newly rebuilt cyc wall. In this in-depth interview, Noel shares his headshot pricing and business strategy that earns $3,000+ per session! 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. What's your excuse? So what do you love? And then make your career your excuse to do that thing. – Noel Marcantel 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 was leaving so much money on the table. – Noel Marcantel 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 Noel 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 best time, best time to raise your rates is whenever you're overbooked. – Noel Marcantel If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Noel or want to say thank you 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 photography business. That's awesome! Secondly, iTunes and Google are the most significant podcast search engines,

    43 min

  8. 27 JAN

    601: Jane Thomson – Secrets to Organic Growth. A different approach to photography business success

    Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area Jane Thompson of www.janethomsonphotography.com is a Canadian-based dog and portrait photographer who came from the commercial television world before discovering and studying photography. Take one look at her photography, and you'll be drawn in by her classic and dramatic style, shot against simple canvas backdrops without the distraction of props. Her work truly is fantastic! It was long-time premium member and pet photographer Jo Lyons who made me aware of Jane in her email where she said: I had a coaching call this morning with Canadian photographer Jane Thomson. I’ve admired her work on Instagram and recently learned she was available for coaching. Jane recently completed an incredible calendar project for a children’s hospital, which is nothing like I’ve ever seen. I asked Jane for this interview, and she warned me by saying… I have a small and simple portrait business…nothing luxurious. I work out of my home, strictly on my own (no assistants or staff). I do pretty well and have pretty much no overhead other than all my subscriptions. 😉 That was enough for me, and I'm rapt to say Jane agreed to record. In this interview, Jane shares her secrets to organic growth, a different approach to photography business success, with takeaways for every 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. I was looking for something between my projects…I thought, I have no hobbies. I just keep going out for lunch with friends. You know, I need to do something more productive, learn something. So I thought I'm going to get a camera. – Jane Thomson 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 will never shoot without being tethered. It's the most productive, and it's the most productive thing I do. – Jane Thomson 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 Jane 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. Nobody sees your style. They don't know what they're going to get. When they come in to have a shoot with you, they do not know what they're going to get. Whereas each client that comes in with me, they know, because. If you look at my feed, it has a style… – Jane Thomsonbr ...

    50 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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