683: Gabi Kline Leon – How to Build a Photography Business Averaging $6,000 Per Client

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Gabi Kline Leon of www.gavriellaphoto.com was living in Israel when she saw a photographer in the USA share that they’d made $62,000 in a single month.

Her reaction was basically, if photographers can make that kind of money in America, I’m moving to America.

So she did.

Two and a half months later, she was on her way to Florida with her 14-year-old daughter, very little money and a plan to build a full-time pet photography business.

Her very first client spent $5,000!

That didn’t mean everything took off immediately. COVID hit soon after, and Gabi says it took around three years before she really felt like she had a solid business.

What she built during that time was very different to a typical high-volume photography business.

Gabi describes herself as a commissioned photo artist rather than simply a photographer. Her booking fee is $1,500; clients are told that most spend between $3,000 and $10,000, and her average sale is around $6,000.

She visits clients in their homes, sometimes photographs the same client across multiple sessions, helps design artwork for their walls and keeps her pricing deliberately simple.

She has also tested some unusual marketing ideas along the way.

One magazine partnership generated more than $100,000. Mini-session days inside a groomer’s business brought in more than $10,000 a month. And she has strong views on where pet photographers should focus their attention online, especially around SEO, Google Business Profile, reviews, and fresh content.

And then there are the sales.

Gabi regularly talks about $7,000, $10,000 and larger client orders, including one extraordinary $50,000 sale from a client she photographed across four sessions.

In this interview, Gabi shares how she built a low-volume, high-value photography business, why she believes positioning yourself as a commissioned photo artist changes the way clients see what you do, how she approaches pricing and in-home sales without feeling salesy, and why simple offers, real relationships and getting in front of the right people have mattered more to her than chasing every new marketing tactic.

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

• Why Gabi sees herself as a commissioned photo artist rather than simply a photographer — and how that changes the entire business
• How a $1,500 booking fee and clear $3,000–$10,000 spending expectation filters clients before they enquire
• What Gabi learned from landing a $5,000 first client after moving from Israel to the US
• How one client eventually spent $50,000 across four separate photography sessions
• Why Gabi’s average client spend sits around $6,000 — without relying on high session volume
• How one magazine partnership generated more than $100,000 in client sales, while another produced almost nothing
• How mini-session days inside a groomer’s business generated more than $10,000 a month
• Why Gabi believes photographers need to get in front of real people rather than relying only on ads and social media
• How model calls helped her build connections, content, reviews and word of mouth in a new market
• Why she sometimes photographs the same client across two or three sessions to create more variety and stronger sales opportunities
• How Gabi positions photography as interior design rather than simply selling photos
• Why she keeps her pricing deliberately simple and avoids long product menus, upgrades and confusing add-ons
• How she handles the reveal and sales appointment without hard-selling — including helping clients choose favourites first, then artwork
• Why Gabi believes pet photographers should pay more attention to Google Business Profile, reviews and fresh content than traditional SEO

What’s on Offer for Premium Members

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You cannot think that you will attract people who spend $50 on dresses to spend thousands of dollars on a designer. Totally different clients. So you have to understand who your client is, and you have to put yourself in front of them. – Gabi Kline Leon

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. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find friendlier, more motivated, caring, and sharing photographers online. Seriously, that's not all.

Yes, it is an investment, but don’t put it as an investment in photos. Put it as an investment in interior design. People have a very different thought when they’re thinking about how much money they’re going to spend on interior design in their home. – Gabi Kline Leon

In addition to everything above, you'll get access to instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, hold you accountable, and help you build friendships with other pro photographers who share your goals—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 from what Gabi 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, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you plan to implement in your business based on today's episode.

There are two totally different types of businesses. One is being a photographer. One is being what I call a commissioned photo artist, which is a totally different business. – Gabi Kline Leon

If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Gabi, or a way to thank her for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.

The more you’re out there, the more you meet people, the more you’ll have private clients. Period. That’s just the way it works. – Gabi Kline Leon

iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs

I check for any new iTunes or Google reviews each week, and it's always a buzz to receive these… for several reasons. First, it confirms I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome! Second, iTunes and Google are the biggest podcast search engines, and your reviews and ratings help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners mean more interviews and, ultimately, a better show.

If they book me, they will spend an average of $6,000. It’s already embedded in me. It’s not, Oh, I wish they will, or nobody pays. I don’t have any of that. – Gabi Kline Leon

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 or https://photobizx.com/google. You can leave some honest feedback and a rating, which will help me and the show. I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you share your name and website URL. 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. Email me your keywords or phrases and where you'd like me to link them.

A confused mind doesn’t buy. Everything has to be very simple. – Gabi Kline Leon

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 impacted you and your photography business.​