Want To Be A Profitable Photographer? Do This.
You may not agree with me but I'm going to say it anyway.
If you want to be profitable as a photographer, it is essential that you aim for $1000+ average portrait sales.
When I share this with photographers, typically get one of these as a response like:
WHAT?!?! I can't even book a wedding client for $1000!
Every other photographer in my area is shoot & burn, so I can't charge more than them!
People in my town will never pay for that!
In fact, when I was having this convo with a photographer the other day, she responded with "I'm in a city with 80% free and reduced lunch students. My heart is to work with families that can't afford to spend $1000 + on senior photos. But how can I reach those low-income families AND still make money to support my family?"
It's a good question (and one that inspired this blog post).
How do you run a profitable photography business that supports your family AND also follows your heart to provide photos for families that may not be able to fully invest over $1000+?
First off, if you are a big-hearted photographer who desires to give back to people and causes that pull at your heart strings, high five!!!
Know that there IS a way to do this while running a *profitable* business.
But first, here's what NOT to do:
Do not keep your prices low, especially if it means you'll have to book more clients and spend more time away from your family, leaving you overwhelmed and stressed out because you've overbooked yourself.
Here's what to (and this is what I did / do):
Still price for profit (again, with over a decade of experience, I highly encourage you to strive for $1000+ average sales). Pricing for $1000+ sales averages does two things.
1. It will allow you to have financial breathing room to support your family and to continue investing in your business.
2. It frees up your time.
Think about it. If your goal is to make $2000 per month, you can either photograph 2 clients with an average sale of $1000 (giving you lots of free time) OR you can photograph 20 clients all at $100 each (which may not even be realistically possible to photograph that many people depending on other commitments you have).
And when you have that extra time, you can GIFT and DONATE your photography to the people and places that you want to impact (knowing that your family is already covered).
You can gift a session to the single mom who's working 3 jobs, but is still having a hard time making ends meet.
You can gift your time to photograph children who are a part of the foster care system to build their confidence and show off their beautiful, smiling families to potential adoptive families (this is something I do).
You can gift your time to partner with a non-profit organization by providing photos of the work they do and the impact they are making. This is also something I do as well.
Because my business is priced for profitability, I am able to provide for my family consistently and donate my services where I feel led and when I feel led.
In fact, not too long ago, I had the honor and privilege of taking two and a half weeks to travel to Kolkatta, India to photograph street kids and how one of the local non profits helps them. I even got to my own sponsor child!
That opportunity became a reality because my business is profitable. That then gives me the TIME and FINANCIAL freedom to give back to the causes that pulls on my heart strings without worrying about where the money will come from.
So if you are a big hearted photographer too, YAY! That's amazing! Continue to give where you feel led and also know that it doesn't have to prevent you from running a thriving business.
Understand that you'll be able to GIVE MORE when you are profitable first!
Cheering you on!
Heather
P.S. Are you curious about how to create higher sales and happier clients? Check out our $1k+ Portrait Sales System here!
I share the exact strategy (word for word) that I use to create consistent 5 figure months while photographing 4-6 portrait clients. You'll learn what products to sell and how to sell them to your clients without feeling like a icky used cars salesman!
The $1k+ Portrait Sales System is perfect for the photographers who want to make more income AND have the time freedom to be with their family.