Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area.

Amy and Jordan of amyandjordan.com are a husband and wife wedding photography team who, in this interview, share how you can accelerate fast, into your photography business they way they have. These two run a thriving wedding photography business in Scottsdale, Arizona’s luxury market. They’re instructors at the International Academy of Wedding Photographers and the authors of The Quickstart Guide to Your Dream Job.

They also write photography and business tips and tricks for thousands of photographers through their exclusive email community every week and blog daily about their life for over 100,000 annual readers at amyandjordanblog.com.

Before any interview, I do some online searching to find what I can about a guest. When searching for todays guests… I was led to page after page about their photography workshops. My concern was, are these guys photographers or instructors? Do they really have a successful photography business or is everything centred around teaching photography?

So I dived into some of the search results and found some of the following…

Attending the Amy & Jordan Workshop was absolutely one of the best decisions I’ve made for my business. – Katie Jane

Then this…

Since we began our wedding photography journey, we’ve made quite a few investments to better our business. None of them compare to the investment we made by flying to Scottsdale, Arizona to be mentored by THE Amy & Jordan Demos – Reid and Brittany

And this…

Encouraging. Educational. Life-breathing. Humbling. Fun. Perfect. These are only a few of the positive words that come to mind when I think of the Amy & Jordan Workshop – Lindsay Davenport

It's obvious they are doing something right!

Here’s some of what we cover in this interview:

  • How Amy and Jordan started their wedding photography business
  • When is the best time to raise your photography prices?
  • Is raising your prices a good way to control demand?
  • Why it's important to offer low prices when starting your photography business
  • What creates value and price-worth for your photography services?
  • People want to invest where they see value
  • Perception is not reality, it’s the only reality in business
  • The catalyst that saw Amy and Jordan shift careers and become full-time wedding photographers
  • Why you need to shoot more and get as much practice as possible
  • How the market decides what your pricing will be
  • Why a husband and wife team makes a perfect fit for wedding photography business
  • How to find out if a photography business really is for you
  • What caused Amy and Jordan's business to shoot forward when it did?
  • Why it’s better for a couple to quit their day jobs at the same time and start a photography business together
  • When is the best time to make that leap to going full-time with your photography business?
  • Your website should resonate and shout about who you are
  • The importance of sharing your personal life online to build great relationships with clients
  • People will invest money in people they trust – this includes photographers
  • Being genuine matters in business
  • The difference between photographers who make it and those who don’t
  • You will be rejected first by the people you love the most
  • Why you need to look at what your photography competition is doing
  • Do not let a bruised ego keep you from doing what you love
  • How to start getting bookings for your photography business
  • The biggest mistake Amy and Jordan made in their business
  • What to say to wedding venue coordinators when networking your business
  • Ways to build relationships with wedding coordinators
  • Why you need to second shoot for other photographers when building your portfolio
  • The best way to pass referrals with other photographers
  • How passing referrals with other photographers give you more referrals in return
  • What you can learn from Amy and Jordan’s workshops

Amy and Jordan Photography Podcast

What’s on Offer for Premium Members

If you’re a premium member, you should have received an email with links to your version of this episode where you can hear more of the interview where we dive deeper into some of the earlier topics plus some new ones that I pushed for.

We really believe that every single person out there has a story to tell and that your story can make an impact and that you are going to be able to reach people that were never going to be able to reach – Amy Demos

If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interview with Amy and Jordan, get access to an amazing back catalogue of interviews and ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

Plus, access to a members only Secret Facebook Group where you can connect with other members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take what you hear in each episode and put it into action. You will not find more friendly, more motivated and caring photographers online.

Amy and Jordan Photography Podcast

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything away from what Amy and Jordan 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, let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below, let me know what your takeaways were, what you plan to implement in your business as a result of what you heard in todays episode.

We really know what it’s like to start and know nothing and being in love with photography but being terrified of photography at the exact same time – Amy Demos

If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Amy and Jordan or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.

Amy and Jordan Photography Podcast

iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs

Each week I check for any new iTunes reviews and it's always a buzz to receive these… for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they really are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!

Secondly, iTunes is the biggest search engine when it comes to podcasts and it's your reviews and ratings that help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners means more interviews and ultimately a better show.

If you have left a review in the past, thank you!

If you haven't and you'd like to, head to https://photobizx.com/itunes and you can leave some honest feedback and a rating which will help both me and the show and I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you let me know the URL of your website and your name.

Alternatively, if you've left a review for PhotoBizX and are looking for more backlinks to help your SEO, leave a review for the new Photography Xperiment Podcast  and email me your key words or keyword phrase and where you'd like me to link to.

Here's the most recent review….

Pearls of wisdom from every guest

In iTunes by Maori portrait photographer for the Poihakena community, Teowai Ratahi  from Australia on April 23, 2017

I started listening to the podcast was back in 2013 well before I started my business. I have gotten more traction implementing the pearls of wisdom I've gleaned from the guests of this show, than from any other workshop and education content I've consumed.

I've grown Poihakena Portraits from nothing in 2014 to a thriving business where a days sales are in the thousands and we are on our way to becoming a 6 figure business.

From the value of a CRM to tips like automated scheduling, online booking calendars and payment gateways this podcast has helped me in building this biz up from scratch.

I'd highly recommend the premium version. The extended version is often where the real gems can be found. The access to the Facebook group and Andrews community of helpful photographers is well worth the small fee for the service.

If you like a laid back conversation with some laughs thrown in you will enjoy this podcast

Amy and Jordan Photography Podcast

The NEW Photography Xperiment Podcast is live and available

Following the success and support shown by listeners after the experimental format of the recent interviews, the new Photo Xperiment Podcast has been launched and is available on this site and in iTunes now.

Interviews are underway and I'll be looking for new guests, not restricted to wedding and portrait photographers. If you have someone you think would be a good fit, let me know in the comment area below or email me, andrew@photobizx.com.

The idea behind these interviews is to get into the headspace of the photographer and find what makes them tick, what drives them, their thought process, philosophy on shooting and how they achieve what they do with their photography. So yeah, a little technique type content too.

These interviews will not focus on the business of photography – that'll be preserved solely for the weekly and unchanging format of the PhotoBizX podcast.

To hear these interviews in your podcast app, you will need to subscribe to the podcast – these interviews will not be delivered automatically if you're subscribed to PhotoBizX. Open your favourite podcast app and search “Photography Xperiment Podcast” or enter the feed URL,  https://photobizx.com/feed/xperiment/ into the search field of your podcast app.

The last episode featured Pro Cycling Photographer, Kristof Ramon from Belgium who covers some of the worlds biggest and most prestigious races including the Tour de France, the Giro d Italia, the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix.

Kristof was born and raised in Belgium and attended film school at the age of 19. It was here that he discovered photography. He eventually followed his passion for cycling and photography and started photographing the sport.

It's difficult to define Kristof as a sports photographer. His photography captures so much more than the action.

He says the riders are always his main focus… and that comes through when you see his portfolio which features close ups portraits of racers caked in sweat, mud, dust, snow and grime.

The thing is you evolve. When you begin something and you learn a trick or a technique and you try it out, you always tend to overdo it. But in later photography, it’s like those little tricks you try to implement them more subtly and that’s when it becomes interesting because I needed those to go really overboard to be able later on to make that trick more subtle and maybe not noticeable or not as noticeable as the trickery it is, and that’s technique – Kristof Ramon

The interview is available here: TPX19: Kristof Ramon – Breaking through as a pro cycling photographer

Amy and Jordan Photography Podcast

Video Replies with Loom

We've talked a little about video replies to photography enquiries in the past and just how good it has been for photographers and past guests like Matt Druin and Brian Boassany.

Now there is a super easy way to record these videos with a service called Loom. It's free, very simple to use and you can share your screen, use your camera or a combination of both. Once recorded, check it if you like and you're given a link to email or send via any message service and whoever clicks on the link will see your video.

It's worth checking out… Loom, Quick Videos

Amy and Jordan Photography Podcast

How to run a Facebook Ad Promotion for more photography leads, shoots and sales

Do you have enough bookings for your photography business?

If not, the Facebook Ad Promotion Course will be available later this week.

In a nutshell, the course contains:

  • step by step tutorials on how to craft a Facebook ad that appears to your ideal target audience (with lots of examples)
  • videos showing you how to set up your ad inside Facebook's Ad Manager and how to use the best targeting for quick results
  • “role play” audio recordings showing you how to book the right clients for shoots (and pass on the ones that are only after a free shoot and print)
  • separate instructions for different photography genres

The course launches on Friday, May 5th and will cost $47 USD for 5 days only after the release date (after that, it goes to $97).

The course will be available in its entirety once purchased – it’s not an email drip campaign. You get lifetime access.

In the meantime, I've put together a series of video tutorials covering important aspects from the course. Even if you don't purchase the course, you'll get many takeaways from these free videos alone:  http://fbadpromo.com

 

Here's what other photographers had to say about the course: 

“Just buy it, you will start making money as fast as you start phoning and shooting sessions. The cost for new clients is so low it's silly. I had figured it used to cost about 60+ dollars per new clients. Now it's about 5.” – Jerry Van

“I'm also happy to say I've already gotten 2 couples who filled out the questionnaire within 2 hours of posting the ad. Really cool to see how well it works, even with someone like me who has been full time for less than a year.” – Carl Heyerdahl

“I have followed Andrews instructions to the letter and in 24 hours I have 24 completed questionnaires, 2 wedding enquiries and the ad has been seen by 4000 people. This stuff is gold. All for £20, and I have 6 days left to run.” – Simon Hawkins 

“My mind has been blown! The reach was over twenty thousand, nearly a hundred people applying for the shoot, three wedding enquires, and nearly a hundred page likes! […] Honestly man, can't thank you guys enough for putting this together!” – Daz Mack

“What a fantastic course… Super easy to breeze through and its all killer, no filler.” – James Westray

Amy and Jordan Photography Podcast

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

Amy and Jordan Website

Amy and Jordan Blog

Demos Education – Resource for Photographers

Demos Education Lifehacks

Amy & Jordan’s Shooting & Editing Course

Amy and Jordan Recommended Business Book List

Amy and Jordan on Facebook

Jordan Demos on Instagram

Amy Demos on Instagram

Amy and Jordan on Pinterest

Zach and Jody

Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job by Jon Acuff

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don't by Jim Collins

The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey

Loom – Quick Videos

YouTube Video Interview with Martin Parr and Kai W

Amy and Jordan Photography Podcast

Thank you!

Thanks again for listening and thanks to Amy and Jordan for coming on and sharing so much about their business and exactly what it takes to build something as successful as they have.

You have to define success for yourself. You have to define success and what that looks like to you – Jordan Demos

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!

That’s it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you in life and business!

Thanks and speak soon

Andrew