Pipi Diamond of Soulful Photography in the San Francisco Bay Area has spent 12 years building her pet and family photography business. Now she wants to sell it—and she’s candid about why.

With three photographers trained, annual gross revenue listed at US$139,000 and an asking price reduced from US$75,000 to US$50,000 after losing her studio lease, Pipi shares what preparing a photography business for sale actually looks like.

We cover what prospective buyers want, the staff and systems she’s put in place, a charity auction strategy that brought in around a third of her sessions, and why delegating the photography hasn’t removed the stress of ownership.

Whether selling is on your radar or years away, this conversation raises a question worth considering now: what would someone actually be buying if you stepped away?

The post 689: Pipi Diamond – Can You Sell Your Photography Business—or Will You Have to Close It? appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.

Tara Shuler is a sales trainer, author and founder of Convo Control who believes photographers spend too much time explaining their packages and too little time asking questions.

In this interview, we explore why sending a price list can stall a promising enquiry, what’s behind “we need to think about it”, and the awkward situation where Mum wants $5,000 in wall art while Dad has no idea what the photos cost.

Tara’s approach centres on understanding why clients want the photos in the first place. We cover qualifying free-session leads, following up without another “just checking in” message, and uncovering objections before the sales appointment. Some of her suggestions pushed me outside my comfort zone—and will have you questioning whether your conversations help clients see the value or simply leave them comparing prices.

The post 690: Tara Shuler – When Mum Wants $5,000 in Photography Wall Art and Dad Wants to Leave appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.

Kate Buechner of Uber Photography returns to the podcast almost ten years after our first interview—and her business looks completely different.

Kate went on to achieve her goal of building a million-dollar portrait studio with five full-time staff. Today, she runs the photography business largely on her own, works fewer hours, takes home more money and recently generated $45,000 in a single month.

In this interview, Kate shares why bigger wasn’t necessarily better, how she maintains an average of around 20 sessions per month and why her family portrait clients spend approximately $2,500. We also unpack the seven marketing sources she continues to run simultaneously, including a 10-year partnership with an orthodontist that generates around 30–35 bookings each year.

Kate also explains why she shows clients her full pricing before they book, why photographers don’t need to be incredibly creative to produce work families will buy, and how she’s using AI, automation and same-day sales appointments to operate more efficiently.

This episode will have you questioning whether growth should mean more staff and higher turnover—or more profit, fewer hours and more time doing the work you enjoy.

The post 691: Kate Buechner – Why Her $1 Million Photo Studio Was Less Profitable Than Going Solo appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.

Jennifer Tsay is the CEO and co-founder of Shoott, a photography business built around free 30-minute sessions where clients pay only for the photographs they want.

Since launching in 2018, Shoott has completed more than 300,000 sessions across 60 US cities, delivered 24 million photographs and built a network of more than 900 photographers. The average client spends around US$190, while photographers typically earn between US$140 and $160 per photography hour before tips.

In this interview, Jennifer explains how the model works, why the business took five years to become profitable and how Shoott balances affordable photography with fair photographer pay. She also shares how a US$75 credit card pre-authorisation helped solve a 50% no-show rate, what happened when the cost of acquiring a client jumped from $20 to $200, and why the company turned down venture capital.

For photographers, this is a fascinating look at free-session marketing, pricing, lead generation, hiring photographers and building systems that can operate across dozens of cities.

The post 692: Jennifer Tsay – How Free Photo Shoots Became a Profitable $10 Million Photography Brand appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.

What if you didn’t need a high-volume photography business to make great money?

In this interview, Jo Lyons shares how she’s built a pet photography business around lifestyle, creativity and connection — while still averaging around $2,500 per client and landing sales as high as $6,500.

Based on a beautiful rural property in NSW, Jo has created a destination-style experience for dog lovers, using studio sessions, countryside portraits, book projects, Dog of the Year campaigns and clever local marketing to attract the right clients.

There’s a lot to love in this one.

The post 658: Jo Lyons – $2,500 Average Sales from a Rural Pet Photography Studio appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.

Seven years ago, Jo Menneer was running a busy studio shooting both family and boudoir sessions — averaging around £800 per client.

Today, she’s working Monday to Friday only, shooting fewer sessions, and averaging £2,250 per client… with some spending five figures.

What changed?

Not her location.
Not the size of her studio.
Not even the number of sessions she shoots.

In this episode, Jo breaks down how refining her client journey, raising prices (despite a clenched stomach), implementing structured pre-shoot calls, and focusing on confidence over photography transformed her boudoir business into a calmer, more profitable and more impactful studio.

If you’ve ever thought “my market won’t pay that” or “I can’t raise my prices here,” this conversation might just shift your thinking.

The post 657: Jo Menneer – From $800 to $2,250 Average Sale in Her Photography Business (Without Working Weekends) appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.

Everyone says, “Deliver a great experience.”

Almost no one explains what that actually means.

In this episode, I sit down with Julie Comfort — a former destination wedding photographer turned experience designer — to unpack what it really looks like to intentionally design how your clients feel from first enquiry to long after delivery.

We talk about why most weddings (and client journeys) start to feel the same… how overwhelming first emails quietly lose bookings… why follow-up often wins the job… and how small, thoughtful touches can create more impact than expensive gifts.

If you want easier sales, stronger referrals, and clients who rave about you — not just your photos — this conversation will shift how you think about your business.

The post 656: Julie Comfort – Design a Client Experience People Can’t Stop Talking About appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.

Richie Schwartz has photographed close to 100,000 pets over a 40+ year career — and he’s done it with a business model that’s simple, structured and unapologetically commercial.

In this episode, Richie explains how partnering with pet businesses allows him to book 10–20 sessions in a single day, run a tight 30-minute shoot → show → sell workflow, and keep pricing clear enough that buying feels easy. It’s not about trends, styling or social media growth. It’s about building a repeatable system that works in the real world.

If you’re curious what a true high-volume pet photography model looks like — and whether parts of it could apply to your own business — this conversation will give you plenty to think about.

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