439: Anya Maria Ponti – How to build a profitable destination portrait photography business

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

Anya Maria Ponti of www.anyamaria.com has built a super successful portrait photography business that allows her and her family to travel the world and photograph families who value her work, creativity and friendship.

As photographers, it's easy to roll our eyes when we hear a photographer describing themselves as a natural light photographer and think, oh, a photographer who doesn't understand light and lighting.

In the case of Anya, take one look at her work, and you may never second guess someone who works only with natural light.

Her images scream professional, beautiful light, heartfelt moments, creative framing and film-like.

Based in Australia but Italian at heart and often travelling the world – when she's able… I've been chasing this photographer for an interview since 2018!

In this interview, Anya shares how you, too, can build a profitable destination portrait photography business once you have a vision for your business and a quality of work that clients are happy to invest in. 

Here's some more of what we cover in the interview:

• Anya's thoughts on being a natural light photographer
• Changes Anya will make in her portrait photography business
• Anya's annual revenue
• Anya's reason for creating courses despite the success of her photography business
• The need to diversify in your business
• How Anya finds her clients and how they find her
• How Anya started photographing families around the globe
• What success means to Anya
• How to book family sessions while travelling for workshops
• Anya's editing workflow
• Anya's booking inquiry and sales process
• How to easily sell products as a photographer
• Anya's post-photography sessions workflow
• When should clients see your pricing
• Anya's album design process with her clients
• How to fill dates for destination sessions
• How to get bookings when relocating and starting over with your business
• The importance of limiting the free offers as a working photographer

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 interview – the full length and more revealing version where you hear the absolute best tips and advice from every guest.

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

Plus special member-only interviews.

Success is what you want it to be. It's not a number. It's your own goals, it's your own numbers, and it's your own wants. – Anya Maria Ponti

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. There are also FB live video tutorials, role-play interviews and special live interviews happening in the group. You will not find more friendly, more motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

Seriously, that's not all.

In addition to everything above, you'll get access and instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable and build friendships with other pro photographers with similar motives to you – to build a more successful photography business.

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything away from what Anya 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 today's episode.

I believe there's people that were made to make art and I believe there are people that are made to sell art. I feel like they're two different jobs altogether so I've had to find that balance between making the art and selling the art in a place where I feel comfortable. – Anya Maria Ponti

If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Anya or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, 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 mean 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.

No matter where you are at in your journey, when you do something for free make sure it is limited. – Anya Maria Ponti

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 keywords or keyword phrase and where you'd like me to link to.

Another great way to get a backlink to your site is to send a video testimonial. It doesn't need to be fancy and your phone will be perfect. Click record and tell me how PhotoBizX has made a difference to you and your photography business.​

Here's the latest review…

★★★★★ Professionalism, Quality, Responsiveness, Value

Via Google from South Wales wedding photographer, David Barrett from the UK on November 14, 2021

I have been listening to the Photobizx podcast for the last few months and I have been overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge I have gained while driving my car!

I have paid hundreds of pounds to attend courses on the business of photography. This podcast will give you all of that knowledge and more with the fantastic interviews and extra content on the premium section of the website.

Andrew does a fantastic job of interviewing his guests and asks all of the questions you want him to ask. The additional content available to premium members is well worth the small monthly fee!

I would definitely recommend this podcast if you are serious about your photography business and would like to learn from some of the best in the business!

Thanks Andrew, and keep it up!

Smash the sh*t out of 2022 with Katie K!

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