Luxe & Legacy Podcast

Marie Elizabeth and Amber Courtney

The podcast for photographers ready to rise into the luxury market—without the gatekeeping. Hosted by Amber Courtney, a leading photography educator, and Marie Elizabeth, a celebrated motherhood photographer, you’ll learn how to price with confidence, overcome self-doubt, and stay ahead of creative trends in AI, gear, and branding. Work with Amber: https://lightlivinphotography.com/ Work with Marie: https://marie-elizabethphotography.com/ 

  1. 52m ago

    The Art (& Skill) of Curation

    An image doesn't have to be bad to bring down the value of everything around it. This week we're talking curation, which is very different from culling, and how to do it in your client galleries, on your website, and on Instagram. In This Episode We Cover Culling vs. curation, and why "technically fine" isn't enough Marie's story of turning a less-than-ideal session into share-worthy work Why fewer, more flattering images make a stronger client gallery Using your brand words as a filter for your website Composition tips: balance, depth, and Marie's triangle trick Telling a story on Instagram with subjects, location, and family dynamic A Few Things We Mentioned How I'd Book 5 More Clients in the Next 30 Days: https://luxeandlegacypodcast.podbean.com/e/how-id-book-5-more-clients-in-the-next-30-days/ Your Assignment This Week Go through your homepage and last 12 Instagram posts. If an image doesn't fit your brand words, take it down. Takeaway Every image you share is an advertisement, not a scrapbook. Have the confidence to leave things out. Connect With Us Marie: @marie.elizabeth.photo | https://marie-elizabethphotography.com Amber: @light_livin_photography | https://lightlivinphotography.com/education-page Loved this one? A quick review helps other photographers find the show. See you next week! 💛

  2. Sep 30

    How I'd Book 5 More Clients in the Next 30 Days

    Marie's out this week spending time with family, so Amber's flying solo. If your fall calendar has more open spots than you'd like, here's exactly what she'd do to book five more clients in the next 30 days. No discounting, no desperate energy, just smart short-term moves that work. In This Episode We Cover Reconnecting with past clients who loved their photos (plus the exact text Amber sends) Starting an email list with a freebie your ideal client actually wants Using Claude or ChatGPT to write a re-engagement sequence for your ideal client avatar Creating one showstopper seasonal highlight reel with a trending audio and a scroll-stopping cover Instagram SEO now that hashtags aren't king, and tagging blogs like The Kindred Path Auditing the "prime real estate" at the top of your homepage and investment page Amber's gentle posing cue for avoiding double chins when parents lift their kids Why your investment page should lead with the experience, not the price Following up with quiet inquiries (assume it went to spam!) What Amber covers on consult calls, and why 98% of them turn into bookings Keeping a sense of scarcity, and why discounting is never the answer A Few Things We Mentioned The Kindred Path / GATHER Workshop: Https://thekindredpath.com/gather-2026  Claude and ChatGPT for nurture email sequences CapCut and Edits for syncing reels to music Our Actual Numbers: Exactly What We Charge and Why: https://luxeandlegacypodcast.podbean.com/e/our-actual-numbers-exactly-what-we-charge-and-why/ Your Assignment This Week Text or email 10 to 15 past clients you loved working with and let them know your fall dates are filling up. Then send one friendly follow-up to any inquiries that went quiet. Takeaway We're not just filling calendars. We're building sustainable businesses that let us create beautiful work and have a life outside of it. Skip the discounts, show up with your best work, and make it easy for the people who love it to say yes. Connect With Us Marie: @marie.elizabeth.photo | https://marie-elizabethphotography.com Amber: @light_livin_photography | https://lightlivinphotography.com/education-page Loved this one? A quick review helps other photographers find the show. See you next week! 💛

  3. Sep 23

    Our Actual Numbers: Exactly What We Charge and Why

    In This Episode We Cover Our actual session fees and what they do (and don't) include, plus Marie's luxury membership that bundles a client's whole first year Why we both went a la carte, and how one $9,500 sale can equal 43 shoot-and-burn sessions How we price albums, wall art, and digital files, with our real per-image and markup numbers The threshold trick: pricing digitals so clients are rewarded for investing in tangible artwork instead of a hard drive Incentivizing vs. discounting, and small moves (like a same-day artwork credit) that get clients to actually decide on the call The pricing psychology piece: why a $2,000 digital gallery makes a $2,000 album feel like a steal Why artwork can never be a last-minute upsell, and how cost of goods should shape every number you set What to do with the thought "my clients would never pay that" A Few Things We Mentioned Musea, wall art and framing The Photographers Framer, framing Our deeper dives on the a la carte transition and the breadcrumb method (linked in earlier episodes) Your Assignment This Week Don't touch a single price yet. First answer the why. What does it actually cost you to serve one client in time, energy, and expenses? What do you most want clients walking away with? How many sessions do you realistically want to shoot in a year? Then look at whether your current structure supports those answers. That clarity comes before any number. Takeaway There's no one right way to price. Amber and Marie's structures aren't even the same. What matters is understanding the strategy behind your numbers so you're serving your clients, not just selling to them. Sometimes growing your business isn't about booking more people. It's about giving the clients you already have more ways to invest in the art you made for them. Connect With Us Marie: @marie.elizabeth.photo | https://marie-elizabethphotography.com  Amber: @light_livin_photography | https://lightlivinphotography.com  Loved this one? A quick review helps other photographers find the show. See you next week! 💛

  4. Sep 16

    Vibes Don't Lie: How Your Energy Shapes Your Bookings, Sales, and Sessions

    In this episode: Ever get on a call with someone and just know they're confident in what they offer? That's energy, and this week we're getting into how it shows up in your business whether you realize it or not. Clients can feel when you're desperate for a booking or uncomfortable with your prices, and they can feel when you're grounded and genuinely there to serve them. We're talking scarcity versus abundance, how your own money beliefs shape your sales, and why the way you make people feel is just as much a part of your client experience as the service itself. In This Episode We Cover: Why trying too hard to book someone can actually repel them, and how detachment shifts your energy Serving over selling, and letting go of your attachment to a specific number at ordering appointments How your own money beliefs get projected onto clients (and why you never really know what someone values) Why your nervous system sets the emotional temperature of every session Practical ways to reset before a consult, session, or ordering appointment Your Assignment This Week: Before your next consult or session, pause and ask: "What energy do I want this person to feel from me?" Then do one small thing to get there, whether that's a few slow breaths, dropping your shoulders, or Amber's go-to of popping in headphones and listening to a calming frequency on Spotify. Notice what shifts. Takeaway: You can only control yourself, but that's a huge part of the client experience. People aren't just experiencing your photographs, they're experiencing you. That energy becomes part of the experience, and ultimately, part of the art. Connect With Us: Marie: marie-elizabethphotography.com | @marie.elizabeth.photo Amber: lightlivinphotography.com | @light_livin_photography If this episode spoke to you, we'd love a review. It helps other photographers find the show. We'll see you next week ✨

  5. Sep 10

    The Art of Baby-Led Newborn Posing with Danielle Hobbs

    Newborn Sessions Behind the Scenes with Danielle Hobbs This week we're joined by Danielle Hobbs, a DC and Northern Virginia newborn photographer known for her natural, timeless, baby-led posing. It looks effortless, but there's serious intention behind every frame. Danielle walks us through her whole newborn workflow, from inquiry to posing to knowing when to call it. In This Episode We Cover Why she keeps pricing on a hidden page and how it filters for qualified leads Which leads actually book, and why she stopped answering her phone Booking the due date as a flexible placeholder to hit that 2 to 3 week window Her go-with-the-flow philosophy and why she never promises specific poses Managing 300+ dresses and embracing the baby you actually get that day Her session flow: family and siblings first, then each parent, then baby solo The no sugar or snacks rule, and the one snack that's camera-safe Posing for connection with the photography triangle, keeping baby in the middle The back-of-the-head trick for nervous new parents Sibling prompts that work, plus the Cheerio trick Calming a fussy newborn and catching those quiet pauses Shooting for the album, not one perfect wall portrait A Few Things We Mentioned Danielle's one-day newborn workshop at her Virginia studio in January Her Dallas workshop next April with Elizabeth Dugan (stylized editorial maternity) Your Assignment This Week Pick one thing in your newborn workflow you're overcomplicating and simplify it. Then next session, when the baby won't settle or a sibling goes rogue, practice leaning into it instead of fighting it. Takeaway The magic of newborn work isn't forcing the perfect pose, it's letting the session be what it is. When you chase connection instead of perfect, the images take care of themselves. Connect With Danielle @daniellehobbsphotography | https://daniellehobbsphotography.com Connect With Us Marie: @marie.elizabeth.photo | https://marie-elizabethphotography.com Amber: @light_livin_photography | https://lightlivinphotography.com Loved this one? A quick review helps other photographers find the show. See you next week! 💛

  6. Sep 1

    You’re Never Done Learning (Even When You’re the One Teaching)

    In This Episode We Cover Why workshops and retreats are so good for us as creatives, especially when we spend most of our day-to-day working alone in our own little void The connection and community piece, and how being around other photographers reminds you that you're not the only one wrestling with the same wins and struggles Marie's recap of the Kindred Path workshop, from the two horse sessions running at once to the very real Virginia summer humidity that the out-of-state folks were not ready for Watching another photographer work and stealing that one tiny thing they do differently (like the relaxed way Marie's friend Tiffany would adjust dresses) What you can learn from photographers whose work looks nothing like yours, because different light, posing, colors, and genres all hold ideas you can make your own Amber's goal to get messier and less linear with posing, moving away from everyone smiling at the camera toward natural, unposed moments that still have that geometric design underneath The mindset shift that being really good at what you do and still having tons to learn are allowed to be true at the same time Adapting vs. learning, and the AI tools Marie has folded into her business and editing workflow Why the business changes felt scarier than the creative ones when this is your primary income, and doing them anyway because the market and your clients (who keep getting younger) are always shifting Playing with trends like high f-stop, Dutch angles, and direct sun without letting them take over, so you stay relevant but still anchored in your romantic, whimsical, dreamy brand Being less judgmental of your own work, and letting yourself post the beautiful session that happened to be in cloudy or harsh light even when it isn't your signature look A Few Things We Mentioned The Kindred Path / GATHER Workshop: thekindredpath.com/gather-2026 AI tools Marie uses in her business and editing: Claude, ChatGPT, Imagen, and Evoto Your Assignment This Week At your next session, get all your safe shots first (the must-haves, the combos, the ones you know your client is expecting), and then give yourself full permission to try one thing that scares you a little. A weird angle, a trendy technique, an unposed prompt, whatever. If it flops, that's not a sign to quit. Take what you learned, tweak it, and try it again next time. That little experiment is where the real growth lives, and the pressure is low because the essentials are already in the bag. Takeaway There's no shame in still learning. If anything, wanting to get better is exactly what makes you a good photographer, a good artist, and a good businesswoman. Keep experimenting, keep watching how other people work, and be a whole lot kinder to yourself while you do it. You can be proud of your work and still leave room to grow. Connect With Us Marie: @marie.elizabeth.photo | marie-elizabethphotography.com Amber: @light_livin_photography | lightlivinphotography.com Enjoyed this episode? We'd love a review, it helps other photographers find the show and join this community. And if this one hit home, DM us the last new thing you tried in a session. We'd love to cheer you on. See you next week! 💛

  7. Aug 25

    Beating Creative Burnout: Where We Actually Find Inspiration

    In This Episode We Cover Why the opposite of inspiration is burnout, and how undercharging and over-shooting quietly drain your creativity Making margin: why you need both the time and the mental space for ideas to grow (same reason boredom is so good for kids!) The two ways inspiration hits. Sometimes you've got the vision first and go hunting for the pieces, and sometimes one piece like a location or a dress finds you and the whole shoot forms around it Inspiration vs. imitation, and how to pull the thread out of another photographer's work instead of copying the image Art museums, little boutique galleries, and using a hidden Pinterest board to collect what you love and spot your common threads Fashion magazines and ads for editorial posing, that effortless, powerful, "something behind her eyes" energy Goddess and divine feminine imagery as a feeling to chase, not an aesthetic to recreate Nature as a bottomless source: the golden ratio, natural color palettes, and echoing shapes (a tree branch, dahlia layers) in your posing and wardrobe Collaborating with florists, and how to give direction and creative freedom so everyone wins Movies and cinematography: screenshotting scenes as your own self-paced course (and yep, inspiration outings can be tax-deductible, so ask your accountant!) Architecture: arches, lines, and texture that lead the eye right to your subject Travel and just breaking your routine to reset your brain and raise your vibration. Big trips or little ones like a garden picnic or a Resort Pass day A Few Things We Mentioned Pinterest for building inspiration boards (art, jewelry, editorial, whatever lights you up) Movies for cinematography: Pride & Prejudice (2005), Atonement, and anything by Wes Anderson Resort Pass for day passes to fancy hotels when you need an easy reset Lowe's / Home Depot because it's dahlia season, so go grab a few for a shoot 🌸 The Kindred Path / GATHER Workshop, where we've done this exercise with real magazines: thekindredpath.com/gather-2026 Your Assignment This Week Make a Pinterest board that has nothing to do with what you think you're supposed to photograph. Only rule: you have to love, love, love everything you save. A painting, a dress, a weird editorial layout, some architecture, a ring, whatever. Don't overthink it. Then step back and find the thread running through it all. The colors, the textures, the emotions, the movement, the environments. You'll probably learn way more about your artistic voice from that board than from scrolling 100 photographers on Instagram. Takeaway Inspiration lives everywhere, but you've gotta create enough space in your life and your business to actually notice it. It's less about hunting it down and more about learning how to see it. So give yourself permission to go to the museum, take the trip, watch the movie, buy the magazine. It's not a distraction from your work. It is the work. Connect With Us Marie: @marie.elizabeth.photo | marie-elizabethphotography.com Amber: @light_livin_photography | lightlivinphotography.com Enjoyed this episode? We'd love a review, it helps other photographers find the show and join this community. And if this one sparked something for you, DM us where you find your inspiration. We'd love to reshare it. See you next week! 💛

  8. Aug 18

    Albums & Wall Art: The Simple Way to Sell More

    We bring it up basically every other episode, so it's finally getting its own deep dive: artwork. Albums, wall art, the tangible pieces that turn a digital-only business into a profitable one. If you've ever wondered how photographers are actually making real money on artwork sales — or you've been too nervous to try — this is your episode. We break it into three parts: 1. Introducing artwork into your workflow (start small!) The key is keeping it simple so you're not overwhelmed and — more importantly — your clients aren't either. We talk through our minimal starting lineups (one album size, a few frame sizes in small/medium/large/XL), why a one-page pricing guide beats a giant product catalog, and the labs we personally love and trust for quality that sells itself. 2. The breadcrumb method (aka the part so many photographers miss) Artwork should never be a surprise at the ordering appointment. Think Hansel and Gretel — you're leaving a trail of breadcrumbs at every single touchpoint: your website (every page, not just one buried "artwork" tab), Instagram, the inquiry stage, welcome and planning guides, the questionnaire, the session itself. We also walk through sped-up mock ordering appointments for both wall art and albums so you can hear the actual words that come out of our mouths. 3. Mindset (the hardest part) You can't sell what you don't believe in. We get into the money mindset shift: your clients already spend freely on sofas, vacations, and things they value — the money is there. Your job isn't to convince anyone; it's to convey the emotional value and the legacy. Because a hard drive (or a wedding CD you can't even open anymore 👀) is not a legacy. Your action step this week: Pick one album size, three frame options, check that your digitals are priced level with your artwork, and add one new breadcrumb to your workflow. Labs & tools mentioned: Indie Print Co — albums (Marie) Red Tree Albums — albums (Amber) Musea — wall art & framing The Photographers Framer — framing (Amber) Swift Galleries & Pro Select — wall gallery design/mock-ups Fundy — album design Loom — album design walkthroughs Pic-Time — proofing & album comments Connect With Us Marie: @marie.elizabeth.photo | marie-elizabethphotography.com Amber: @light_livin_photography | lightlivinphotography.com Enjoyed this episode? We'd love a review — it helps other photographers find the show and join this community. See you next week! 💛

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5
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

The podcast for photographers ready to rise into the luxury market—without the gatekeeping. Hosted by Amber Courtney, a leading photography educator, and Marie Elizabeth, a celebrated motherhood photographer, you’ll learn how to price with confidence, overcome self-doubt, and stay ahead of creative trends in AI, gear, and branding. Work with Amber: https://lightlivinphotography.com/ Work with Marie: https://marie-elizabethphotography.com/ 

Information

  • Creator
    Marie Elizabeth and Amber Courtney
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    43
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Luxe & Legacy Podcast

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