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

In this Christmas special, Andrew Hellmich of Impact Images is interviewed by listener, premium member and friend, Paul Pennell. There was no real “brief” for Paul so this interview walks the line between serious and fun. I hope you get something from it and at the very least, learn a little more about Andrew, the regular host and interviewer for PhotoBizX and principal photographer at Impact Images.

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

  • What type of client is considered a good fit for your business?
  • Red flags to watch out for before accepting wedding bookings
  • Why Andrew doesn’t like shooting beach weddings
  • What’s the appropriate thing to do once you realise your couple isn't a good fit for you?
  • What to say to a client when you know your photographic vision is totally different from theirs
  • Andrew’s favourite interviews from past episodes
  • Does podcasting affect Andrew's wedding photography business?
  • Clients have the tendency to purely focus on a photographer’s work rather than looking at their other businesses
  • The number # 1 podcast advice that has the biggest impact on Andrew’s business after implementing it
  • Filming wedding locations and uploading on YouTube improve SEO results
  • The biggest lesson Andrew learned from interviewing photographers
  • Where should you upload your videos and how to do it properly?
  • How the 100 Strangers project works
  • The challenge of approaching strangers for your photography project

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 and we dive deeper into some of the earlier topics plus some new ones that I pushed for and include:

  • How Andrew started his career in photography
  • How Andrew booked his first wedding
  • Does Andrew still get nervous when going out for his wedding shoots?
  • What eye Andrew uses to compose an image?
  • Andrew’s preference for his camera system
  • How Andrew handled a stuff up after double exposing the film used at a wedding shoot
  • If given the chance, who would Andrew want to photograph?

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 Paul and I, 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.

Premium Member Questions for Andrew

In addition to Paul's questions for Andrew, some premium members also had questions… you can see the questions below and hear the answers in the premium version of this episode.

Luke Gerson – What's your favourite type of wedding / what's your ideal couple / and maybe even what don't you like in a couple / what are red flags that would make you turn down an enquiry (assuming they can afford to pay etc, but you just don't want to do the wedding) / what do you like and dislike about the industry, other photographers and business practices / what do you struggle with the most / what do you enjoy the most / and I always really like the best thing you've done for your business questions too

Karen Alsop – Favourite person he's interviewed?

Mike Riley – Does the PBX podcast business affect the Impact Images business in anyway either negatively or positively. For example time spent on one detracts from the other, or the one business offers SEO support to the other often wondered whether the photographer speaking to photographer business has any positive side effects for the photographer speaking to clients business.

Walter Sheehey – Has he had many clients (that have nothing to do with the photography industry) bring up that they listened to the podcast when checking him out to be their photographer?

Warren Burke – What about the one actionable piece of advise Andrew has implemented from the Podcast that has had the biggest impact on his business and which guest he got it from?

Meet Paul Pennell – the guy asking the questions in today's episode.

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything away from what was Paul and I 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.

If you have any questions that Paul missed, a specific question you’d like to ask me, feel free to add them in the comments area below.

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.

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 Franck Boutonnet who has built a portfolio worth dying for… all in the name of photography competitions and ultimately marketing.

Franck is as passionate about his long term personal photography projects as he is any client work and this, he feels, is the reason for his success and longevity in the business.

I am 100% sure that one day, wedding photography is going to be considered as fashion photography, as portrait photography, as war photography. It’s going to be considered as an art in itself – Franck Boutonnet

Check out the interview and learn more about a photographer who is working toward a legacy any photographer would be proud to leave behind.

The interview is available here: Frank Boutennet Interview

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

Paul Pennell

Paul Pennell on Facebook

Episode 053: Fer Juaristi – Success and Happiness as a Wedding Photographer

Episode 034: Gabriel Machuret – SEO Strategies for Photographers, Be Impossible for Google to Ignore 

Episode 111: Ian Weldon – Taking a Stand With Your Photography Business

Episode 166: Ian Weldon – The Experimental Interview

Episode 182: Kristen Kalp – How to Get Paid and Stay Creative as a Photographer

Episode 136: Bernie Griffiths – A Challenge for You to Book More Portrait Photography Sessions

Episode 021: Brian Chapman – How To Have A Profitable Portrait Photography Business and Happy Clients

Episode 112: Katie Kolenberg & Jeremy Byrnes – Putting Your Heart and Hard Work into a Great Portrait Photography Business

Episode 193: Matt Druin – Back Up Strategies and Living Debt Free as a Photographer

Episode 005: Ian Wilkinson – Style, Unique Pricing, Holidays and a Photojournalistic Approach to Wedding Photography

Episode 025: Jonas Peterson – Ignore Wedding Photography for Wedding Photography Success

Episode 100: Jonas Peterson – How to Use Storytelling Through Your Photography
Episode 132: Dan O’Day – The Secret to Becoming a Successful and Famous Wedding Photographer 

Annie Leibovitz

Thank you!

Thanks again for listening and thanks to Paul for coming on and playing the role of host for this episode.

“You have to work to be successful. It’s not going to happen by accident.” – Andrew Hellmich

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