Jean Smith is a successful “on location” portrait photographer from Michigan with four children, a working husband and after being on the brink of throwing it all in after feeling inundated with work and pressure everything changed overnight with a new price list and a whole new appreciation for outsourcing.
Here's some of what we cover:
If you're a photographer looking to build a profitable portrait business and still maintain some normalcy in your life there is no need to forge your own way forward, Jean has already done all the hard work and openly shares how you can do the same. I can't see any photographer coming away from this episode and not making changes to the way they do business.
Premium Members
One of the toughest things to do as a photographer once you start charging for your work is maintaining, let alone building your creativity, staying inspired and shooting the way you want to with no regard for why your clients booked you in the first place. You become a slave to your clients, striving to provide them with the best imagery possible.
This week, premium members are privy to how Jean stays motivated, inspired and keeps the creative juices flowing. Plus, she explains exactly how you can and should be doing the same.
Unsure whether you need this for yourself? Check Jean's blog and ask yourself if you feel as inspired as she appears to be with her photography.
What is your big takeaway?
Following this interview with Jean, I'd love to know what your biggest takeaway is – what is the one thing that you'd like to implement or remember from what she had to share? Let me and other listeners know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.
If you have any questions regarding portrait photography that I missed or a specific question for Jean, feel free to add them below. There are absolutely no silly questions and chances are, if you're wanting to know the answer to something, other listeners will too. Get the conversation started by using the comments area below.
Are you taking action?
It was great meeting Andy from Kiss and Tell Photography and speaking to Robin Penfold of Robin Penfold Photography this week and it was conversations with them that led me to remind every listener that to take your photography business (and ability) to the next level, it's important to keep making changes, taking action, implementing.
It's only through action that any of us see results. No amount or procrastination, planning or good intentions will lead anywhere if we don't take action.
What changes have you made in your business this week?
iTunes ratings, reviews and Shout-Outs
Four terrific iTunes reviews this week and a massive thanks to:
Anders Kjondal – http://luxe.no
Eric Williams – http://wattpakstudio.com
Mark – http://bentinmarcs.com
And Mike Biboudis of http://www.biblinoimages.com who copped an $800 traffic fine while listening to the Photography Business Exposed podcast and ignoring the road rules… Ouch!
It's the iTunes reviews that make a big difference to the podcast being ranked well and found in the iTunes store. If you have the time and are happy to leave an honest rating and review, head over to iTunes. Don't feel your comments have to be long, involved or gushy, an honest opinion is all I ask.
Also, a few shout-outs to photographers/listeners that have made contact via email or social media this week:
Warren Knower – http://volarephotography.com.au who has recently started interviewing local businesses to help promote his business by getting known and through SEO.
Shane Jackson of Perfect Pictures Professional Photography – who is about to start recording interviews and videos following the recent podcast interview with Gabriel Machuret in episode 34.
Joey Joiner – a big thanks for your concern about the recent fires in NSW Australia. Thanks mate, it truly is wonderful to know that my path has crossed with thoughtful and caring people like you as a result of the podcast.
Lisa Easter – who suggested Jean Smith as an interview guest with the following message:
Jean Smith: she does an excellent job of telling the story in a creative way. Every week when she sends her blog and I open my email, hers is the first one I check. It is like Christmas morning, I can't wait to see her images.
Thanks everyone, it's been great chatting and hearing from every single one of you this week. If you'd like to get in touch, ask a question or make a suggestion for the show, you can email me andrew@photobizx.com, find me on twitter https://twitter.com/andrewhellmich or on Facebook at https://photobizx.com/facebook – I'd love to hear from you!
Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:
Jean Smith on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/jeansmithphotography
Jean Smith on Twitter – https://twitter.com/jeansmithphoto
Jean and Travis Smith's Workshops
Fotofafa – Outsource your photo processing
Align Album Designs – http://alignalbumdesign.com
Shoot Q – client and studio management software for photographers
Pick Pic – online proofing
Mozi Magazine – http://www.mozi-mag.com
I Heart Faces – Photography Blog/Tutorials
Chic Critique Forum – Online photography resource for women
That's it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you in life and business. I'd love for you to leave a comment below about your biggest takeaway from this episode.
Speak soon
Andrew
Jean, thank you! I think I am finally seeing the light in regard to pricing model. I love the simplicity and clarity of your pricing model. I was also inspired by your drive and your passion for both your family and your business. A very inspirational podcast! Thank you Andrew once again for asking all the important questions and then some! And for those of you who are not yet premium members… you are really missing out! So much value its incredible!!! And no… Andrew has not paid me to say this =)
Hi Dalibor – great to hear you enjoyed the interview with Jean, I thought she was an absolute breath of fresh air when it came to her pricing and I loved her simplified approach too… plus the fact she doesn’t care what other photographers are doing or saying.
Haha, love your comments about the premium membership too – thanks Dalibor!
So wonderful to hear all of your comments, thank you so much! There are so many opinions, so many techniques, so many ways of doing things in the photography world. I have finally fallen into a lifestyle and business model that absolutely works for me. Will it work for everyone? Will everyone agree with me? Absolutely not. But, it’s so nice to take what other people are doing and implement or at least try some of the things to see if works with your business and frees up your time, makes you more money, makes you more happy, or all of the above. Thanks Andrew for the interview!
Hey Jean – thanks for stopping by and adding your comments.
I think it was clear from your interview that you have found what works perfectly for you which is fantastic!
Hopefully the podcast interviews and all the different ways of doing things, as you say, give listeners some options and ideas they may not have thought of. That was my plan for the show anyway and you lived up to and exceeded my expectations by a mile.
Thanks again for coming on the show, it really was my pleasure.
It never even occurred to me that I could just not display my phone number. It seems like such an outrageous suggestion, but then I truly can’t stand being tied to my phone. I’m taking my number off right now – fingers crossed the world doesn’t end! Another great interview, thanks Andrew & Jean!!
Hi Caitlin!
Outrageous, I know, right. Who would ever think to leave their phone number off their website, even after complaining about having it take up so much time.
Let us know if the world does indeed end 🙂
I’ve often thought about outsourcing as well. I just don’t know how I would feel about it. Logistically it sounds great and I certainly understand how it fits into Jean’s life. I can’t blame her. Time is precious and if you’re not careful photography can suck a lot of it up fast. I am going to research those companies she uses and try to get a feel for what it would be like in my own workflow. I respect Jean’s commitment to her family and if outsourcing is what allows her to enjoy more time with her family, more power to her.
Joey Joiner
Fort Worth, TX
Outsourcing for the first time is scary, that’s for sure.
Once you’ve had the courage to let the reins go a little though, it’s liberating!
I will add though – it would be silly to outsource if you don’t yet have enough work to keep you busy.
Outsourcing comes into it’s own when there just aren’t enough hours in the day and family or leisure time is being affected too much.
It can also be invaluable for those photographers working full time and building their business to be able to leave the day job. By outsourcing some of the work, photographers at this stage should have high enough prices to be able to outsource and leave more time to work on building their business.
Thanks for adding your thoughts Joey and thanks again for your thoughtful voicemail in this weeks episode of the podcast.
I’ve only recently started a business but haven’t listed my number. Haven’t thought too much about it. But happy to know other people get away with not listing it. I’d prefer to be contacted at least initially by email. I think its more controlled. No chance of me saying anything silly.
For me the question of outsourcing is tough. I think if you consider photographers as artists then you would be surprised if they did not control all of the aspects of their artistic processes. On the other hand if you’ve outsource and the photos still look great, then what does it matter.
Love that you’re worried about saying something silly Andy 🙂
I think in Jean’s case, she has sought someone that can do the post processing the way she likes it to be done. I would guess that many photographers outsource some of their work (Jonas Peterson mentioned in his interview that he did these days) and remember, it’s not only the photoshop work that can be outsourced if you’d rather do that yourself. There’s album design, emailing, blogging, marketing, print ordering, accounts, sales appointments etc.
Thanks for adding your thoughts Andy and great to meet you on the weekend.
I love her idea of making a deposit that includes the session fee and a print credit! That would make sure you are making as much as you want, and it gets people’s foot in the door with getting prints. I know for me, if I paid $750 when I book that included a $400 print credit, the prints would feel like a bonus (even though I actually paid for it).
If you word it right on your price list, it would not at all feel like a minimum required purchase, but a nice convenient package.
Hi Chris and Shaye – great take-away and one of the things I thought was pretty cool that Jean mentioned too.
My favorite podcast so far! Awww, I absolutely adore Jean. I had the pleasure of attending her workshops at the I Heart Faces Conference and she is such a beautiful person inside and out. If she lived closer we’d be BFFs. Ha Ha!!!
This podcast has really hit home with me. I am stressed to the max with 2 toddlers, a full time job and multiple shoots every weekend with little sleep. I’ve taken her advice to outsource with a cleaning lady and some of my editing.
I met several very successful photographers at the workshop that have a similar strategy to Jean about selling digital files and they are making excellent money!!! My favorite key takeaway is that she does most of her shooting on location and no in person sales and is so successful.
This has been so refreshing to hear different ways to be successful in this business. Especially relating on the amount of time you want to spend with your family and how she has manged her time.
I have big things happening in 2014 with a new website underway, new logo, new PRICING (yay!) and even a video. Will I be implementing her strategy of selling digital files at a high premium? Hell yes!
https://www.facebook.com/LisaEasterPhotography
Warm Wishes~
Lisa Easter
Hey Lisa – a big thanks to you for recommending Jean for an interview, you definitely made a GREAT suggestion!
I thought the cleaning help was a great reference to outsourcing when so many of us think of album design and post processing as outsourcing jobs – why not pay someone to free up more time to allow you to do the things that bring in more income.
To be honest, I was shocked at the no in person sales but it sounds like Jean will be changing this approach – with another out sourced none the less. I’d be interested what she decides on after trialing the new approach.
Let us know when you get your new things implemented so we can have a peek 🙂
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