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

Houston headshot photographer Chris Gillett has just gone from successful lawyer to full time headshot photographer… a big and bold move but not an uncalculated one. Chris ranks on the first page of Google for a significant search term, learnt his skills from the best headshot photographer in the business, Peter Hurley, and is very good at what he does, his images are spot on!

What started out with the idea of exploring how Chris was able to recently get published on the Scott Kelby blog and what opportunities, traffic and benefits have opened as a result. After kicking off the interview though, it was evident there was so much more to Chris, his story and his photography business. So instead, we recored a full episode.

Here’s some of what we cover:

  • Giving up a career as a lawyer to start a headshot photography business
  • Why choose headshot photography as a niche?
  • How a positive mindset helps attract more photography business
  • Will headshot photography income match the income of a lawyer?
  • Pricing, packages and inclusions for headshot photography clients
  • Do you feel like a complete fraud as a photographer… you're not alone
  • Shooting for free to build your portfolio – good idea or bad?
  • Why you need a place to be bad first – to rehearse and learn
  • Practice photography with someone you don't know to test and hone your skills
  • The advantages and disadvantages of a home studio
  • Strategies to land your business on the first page of Google search results
  • Asking clients for feedback and reviews
  • Do Wordpress sites really boost your site rankings?
  • How to get found by new photography clients
  • How to define your target market
  • Do you actually know what you want from your photography business?

Chris Gillett 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 lots more content from where we dive deeper into some of the earlier topics plus some new ones that I pushed hard for that include:

  • The unique challenges of headshot photography
  • How to turn away clients who are not a good fit for your business
  • Why photographers should not put up with clients who treat them like a fastfood restaurant
  • How to get featured on one of the largest photography blogs
  • The correlation between your marketing strategies and getting published on authority sites
  • Understanding your perceived level of expertise
  • Does getting published really increase your traffic and profits?
  • Branding exercises
  • Making the jump from a beginner photographer to expert headshot photographer

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 Chris Gillett, get access to an amazing back catalogue of interviews and ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

When money crosses the palm, all of a sudden the game's a little bit different – Chris Gillett

Plus, access to a members only Facebook group where you'll 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 cooler, more motivated and caring photographers online.

Chris Gillett Photography Podcast

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know what your biggest takeaway is – what is the one thing that you’d like to implement or learnt from what was shared? Let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.

You've got to define who your client is – Chris Gillett

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

Chris Gillett 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!

Get that experience. Fail. Try to get better – Chris Gillett

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 and your name.

Chris Gillett Photography Podcast

Spencer Lum's Momentum Sales Course is closing tonight

I'm a big fan of Spencer's approach to sales, marketing and branding, it's no surprise he's been on the show a couple times. If you're not already reading his blog, you absolutely should be – he has a knack of simplifying the complicated and making the whole wedding photography thing makes more sense.

If it's sales you're struggling with, I can't recommend this sales course more highly. The new release has been refined, updated and is ready to go.

What is the course exactly? In Spencer's words…

It’s a multi-unit online course covering the whole sales process from inquiry to booking, including pricing strategies, negotiations, closing, and way, way more. But it’s really a way to turn the sales process into a value-generation machine.

And here's a testimonial from podcast listener, Brett Ginsberg:

“Though I was familiar with some of the strategies, Momentum Sales helped create a process I could easily follow. It's very thorough – I have over 25 pages of notes! And it has been one of the best values in any course I've taken. In the 7 meetings I've had since taking the course, I was able to apply several of the techniques, and I booked all of them.”
—Brett Ginsberg

Spencer's big claim is he can help you 1.5x your revenue in 12 months – no matter where you're at right now with your business.

If you prefer to read about the course, do that here: Momentum Sales Course for Wedding Photographers

Registration closes tonight.

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

Chris Gillett Website

Chris Gillette on Facebook

Chris Gillett n Instagram

Chris Gillett on Twitter

Episode 145: Peter Hurley – How To Survive and Thrive as a Headshot Photographer

Episode 135: Delane Rouse – How To Build a Successful Headshot Photography Business

Episode 092: Kristen Kalp – How To Brand Your Photography Business the Right Way

Episode 123: Kristen Kalp – How To Get The Best Portrait Photography Sales

Episode 089: Pei Ketron – How To Use Instagram for Photography Business Owners

John Keatley

Scott Kelby Featuring Chris Gillett blog post

The Headshot: The Secrets to Creating Amazing Headshot Portraits (Voices That Matter) by Peter Hurley

Equipment

Mamiya

Chris Gillett Photography Podcast

Thank you!

Thank you again for listening to the show and thanks to Chris for coming on and sharing so much.

I think of what I do is it's like I'm taking a portrait of their personality. That's what I think what a headshot is – Chris Gillett

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