435: Helen Bartlett – Photograph your way, deliver a great service and have a fantastic business

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

Helen Bartlett of www.helenbartlett.co.uk describes herself as London based portrait photographer offering location-based natural family photography. In saying that, she also offers newborn, baby, children and teenager photography.

Helen made the creative decision to only offer black and white photography since starting her business in 2003.

Since her start, she has established a loyal client base who return year on year to document their children's lives.

In 2017 she became a Canon brand Ambassador, and her work is widely published nationally and internationally.

Visit her website in the headspace of a potential client, and you immediately see what awaits… beautifully natural and fun photography in black and white. As a photographer, you'll see that most of her images are directed but not overly posed.

There's no mistaking; you're enticed to spend upwards of a thousand pounds on printed artwork with plenty of examples of beautiful artwork hanging homes.

From the outside, this photographer looks to have built a fantastic business.

In this interview, learn just how true this statement is and exactly how Helen has built her incredibly successful business.

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

• How Helen became a professional photographer
• What Helen's clients spend on average
• Pricing and packages
• The importance of creating value to encourage repeat customers
• How to get better at the business side of photography
• How to formulate the right pricing structure for your business
• How Helen justifies her pricing structure
• Why people book photography sessions with Helen
• Why you should have your pricing on your website
• Why some photographers are not charging enough
• Can Helen's pricing structure work for different cities in the UK?
• How changing prices impacts the costs of running your business
• How Helen attracts clients today
• Helen's booking inquiry process
• How Helen handles client requests for colour images
• Why Helen prefers shooting in black and white
• The number of images Helen captures per session
• Why Helen has so many repeat clients
• What to include for your handwritten cards to be sent to clients
• Helen's post-processing system
• Outsourcing someone to do your in-person sales sessions

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.

The idea of offering excellent value is really core to me because I need people to come back. – Helen Bartlett

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 Helen 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.

Getting a $6000 sale one year and nothing in the future is not nearly as good as getting a 3 grand sale every year for a decade. – Helen Bartlett

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

It's no secret… I LOVE Facebook Ads

BUT… I'd never want my business to rely 100% on FB for all my leads.

Any business coach (not just photography) will tell you it'd be financial suicide to rely solely on one marketing source for your clients.

If you want to expand your lead generation, don't miss the upcoming masterclass with Kim Hamblin on booking unlimited clients from expos.

The details are here: https://photobizx.com/expos​

Kim built her photography business to a revenue of $500k! She knows business.

Her last expo yielded over $100k in portrait photography sales. She's been utilising expos as a lead generation source since 2013.

Come and join us for the live training or catch the replay. The cost doubles after the live session and the course will live on as a stand-alone masterclass at photobizx.com.

Learn more here: https://photobizx.com/expos​

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.

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… well, this one is an email I wanted to share and I needed a place to add a backlink to thank Stephanie.

Via email from Atlanta, Georgia newborn and family Photographer, Stefanie Jayne on October 14th 2021.

I just wanted to thank you and encourage you! 

Thank you for the ways you root for us and give us the best tools to help us grow as business owners.  It can be quite overwhelming to run a business, but hearing of others' successes or what I call testimonies, is so encouraging to me.  I subscribe to the mindset that one person's success can be mine too. So I love a good testimony.  It keeps a girl going.

Thank you for being an encourager and a coach.

Your authenticity and sincerity are evident, as you come from a desire to help, inspire, and root for others.  You care for us so well.  And this demonstrates that I can do this for my clients as well… I can love them well, help meet a need.  And get paid doing what I'm good at.

Just wanted you to know you are doing a great job, and I think you were made for this!

All the best,
Stefanie

P.S.  Now I'm off to see where I can leave a review on your podcast 🙂