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

Katrina Christ of www.katrinachrist.com.au and www.highendphotographyacademy.com is a Brisbane based family photographer doing incredibly well with fantastic sales – all from home and shooting in an outdoor carport! In this interview, learn precisely how to build a more profitable family portrait photography business.

Katrina has been shooting for more than 25 years, has had $1million turnover years and believes every photographer should be and deserves to make a great living from their work.

She started photography by studying at College. Immediately after completing her studies, her photography business was born, she was married and started a family. A crazy busy period!

In 2001 she made a big move to specialise in black, and white family portraits and business took off.

Today, business is as good, solid and profitable as ever. In addition to photography, Katrina is also the driving force behind The High End Photography Academy.

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

  • Is a $1M turnover doable today as a solopreneur
  • Hiring a business coach when starting your photography business
  • Katrina's number one reason for specialising in black and white family portraits
  • How to find the right photography niche for you
  • Having a bonus system with your employees to generate more sales
  • Converting ad traffic to bookings
  • A snapshot of Katrina's business today
  • Transitioning from a shop based studio to a home studio
  • Katrina's turnover today
  • Pricing and packages that work and make sense
  • Is client experience more important than the photos
  • Katrina's design consultation process
  • Offering free makeup for mums
  • What typically happens before a family portrait session in Katrina's home studio
  • Following a shot list
  • Katrina's booking process
  • The importance of being upfront on your website with what customers are going to experience and pay
  • Why you should never make assumptions about what clients can afford to spend
  • Handling clients looking or asking for a bargain
  • Why Katrina doesn't offer discounts
  • How to identify who the decision-maker is from your family portrait client
  • Katrina's sales consultation process
  • How to respond to clients objecting to pricing during your IPS session
  • When to finalize your sale and ask for payment
  • Payment options
  • What is the High-End Photography Academy
  • Offering colour photos upon request if you shoot B&W
  • Does local competition and high pricing help or hinder other photographers
  • The ONE thing you should be doing to bring clients in
  • Why you need to include your real personality in social media.

Katrina Christ Photography Podcast

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.

My nature has always been to be really happy but I also know that high energy attracts beautiful clients. – Katrina Christ

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 to 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.

Katrina Christ Photography Podcast

What is your big takeaway?

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

If people love you, you will get great sales. – Katrina Christ

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


Katrina Christ Photography Podcast

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.

Customers don't like nasty surprises and they like to know upfront what they're up for, not approximately or about. They want to know. – Katrina Christ

LinkedIn Training for Photographers

Capitalise on the platform that most photographers are missing out on – LinkedIn

As mentioned in the recent and packed interview with Jeff Brown, this course is going ahead, and I'd love to have you join me as I go through the training with you.

This is a 4-week program – once per week (same day and time each week) kicking off early September. Jeff Brown will be teaching, and there will be live Q&A if you can make the live sessions.

Find your local date and times here: https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html…

The one-off cost is USD$97 for anyone who registers for the initial training.

After September, the cost goes to USD$197.

Recordings will be available, and the course will live on in the membership area as a stand-alone course. You will have access to any additional updates as they come in over the next 12 months.

Book your place here: https://photobizx.com/linkedin

COURSE OUTLINE…

Session 1: Getting Started, Creating a Niche and Building your Power Profile

Session 2: Optimising Your Profile, Engaging With and Growing Your Audience
Session 3: Building Your Influence, Creating Advanced Content, Using Effective Hashtag Strategies
Session 4: Mastering Messaging Sequences, Optimising Company Pages and Creating Stories
YES, there will be homework along the way. ?

If you can't make the live training, any questions you have can be relayed to Jeff for the following week's session.

Any questions, email me at andrew@photobizx.com or comment below.
This is incredible value for what you receive and I for one am looking forward to learning and utilising LinkedIn. Hope to see you there.
You should never ever make an assumption of what people will and won't spend with you. Don't base it on the car they're driving when they come in either. – Katrina Christ

Personal Branding Mentoring Program with Paula Brennan

If you missed the recent interview with Paula Brennan, she had heads spinning with talk about $10k personal branding photography days!

Paula went on to share a ton of actionable ideas on how to grow your personal branding photography business – or get started in the genre.

Missed the interview? Check it out here: https://photobizx.com/paula-brennan-conversion-and-nurturing-trumps-photography-lead-generation-numbers

If you love what you learnt from Paula, she is opening up her “Breakthrough Mentoring Program” this week.

Breakthrough is a step-by-step mentoring & implementation program created by Paula – a working professional photographer – that shows you the exact blueprint to attract and pre-sell intelligently priced personal brand packages, how to create systems to save your time and build a tribe of loyal repeat clients, ALL with personal guidance and support to push past your blocks and barriers that may have slowed you down so far.

Details of the program are here: https://photobizx.com/breakthrough

NOTE: Premium Members who take on this training can receive a $400 rebate. Make sure you join with the link above and send me your receipt and PayPal email address, so I can process the rebate for you. Any questions, ask away at andrew@photobizx.com

COMPETITION TIME – Dual Camera Harness

Murray Redpath of StrapZphotography in Australia recently sent me the most beautiful dual camera harness, and it's up for a giveaway to PhotoBizX listeners. 

To say this product is beautiful is a total understatement!

Opening the parcel, I was shocked to see a beautifully branded burgundy coloured box containing the camera harness.

I lifted the box flap to reveal more colour and beautiful branding on the inside of the box and a small instruction card laying on top of the handcrafted leather and CARBON FIBRE harness. 

The harness is a serious piece of kit that will last generations.  The fittings look super strong, the straps – thick, quality leather and what looks like stainless steel fittings. Plus the carbon fibre parts – who doesn't find carbon fibre sexy! ?

This thing is gorgeous. AND IT'S UP FOR GRABS. 

To go in the draw to win a dual camera harness for yourself – visit https://strapz.photography/ and email me at andrew@photobizx.com with the size and colour you'd like for yourself. The colour MUST be one of the listed colours from the StrapZ website. 

I'll draw a random winner at the end of the month – August 2021. 

Good luck!

It is so important that people see who you really are and they need to see playful and real. – Katrina Christ

Ashley Jones Podcast Interview

A new episode of The Photography Xperiment Podcast is available now

I released a new episode and know it wouldn't normally show up in your feeds if you're subscribed to the Premium PBX episodes only.

So I'm trialling adding it to your feed too – so you don't need to go looking for it or subscribing to a separate podcast feed, if you don't want to.

Plus, and importantly to me, because these episodes are sponsored, the sponsors really want you to know these episodes exist and for you to hear about them.
This is purely a trial and I'd love your feedback.

My plan was to leave the latest Xperiment Podcast episode in the premium (and free) PhotoBizX feeds for a week or two, then remove it and leave it in the Xperiment feed only.
Does this work for you?Any major complaints about this approach?
Happy to hear your thoughts – either way. ?
Regarding the episode – it's focused on Ashley – who lost her baby daughter a few years ago and was gifted a family portrait session before she died.
Those photos meant so much to her that she started a service where other families facing tragedy can have photos before their loss.
PS – it's a nice/happy/uplifting story with sad parts.

Katrina Christ Photography Podcast

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

Katrina Christ Website

High End Photography Academy Website

Katrina Christ on Facebook

Katrina Christ on Instagram

High End Photography Academy on Linktree

Katrina Christ Photographer  on Linktree

ProSelect

Later

Katrina Christ Photography Podcast

Thank you!

Thanks again for listening and thanks to Katrina for coming on to share her thoughts, ideas and experience on how to create a super successful portrait photography business with fantastic sales and all from home and with a “car port” studio!

We're not just photographers. We are massive entertainers. We're getting the absolute best out of people so you have to be able to bring the best out of people. – Katrina Christ

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