The breakdown came as a result of overworking and undercharging and forced Kate to re-evaluate her wedding photography business. What followed was smart new branding, higher prices, less products, less weddings, no pressure upselling and a stress free workflow. In this interview, she shares how you can do the same in your business and avoid the breakdown part.
On top of all the things Kate has learnt in her ten years as a wedding photographer, there are still things that she would do differently if given the chance to start over – the biggest being to develop a style early, stick to it and don't waiver by following trends.
We talk about all this and lots more in the interview… including the day Kate shot a wedding with a bright pink g-string.
Here's some of what we cover in the interview:
What is your big takeaway?
One of the things that stands out for me after chatting with Kate was the success she's having and had while working from a relatively small town. I love the way she established her prices, simplified everything about her business, workflow and product offerings to create a great lifestyle.
I'd love to read about your biggest takeaway from this episode of the podcast in the comments section below. Don't forget to make use of the Comment Luv plug-in and add your twitter username to get a ‘do follow' link back to your website or blog.
iTunes ratings and reviews target
It doesn't look like I'll reach my goal of 50 iTunes reviews by the 21st episode but that doesn't mean I wouldn't appreciate a rating or review if you haven't already. Don't forget to let me know your website URL so I can add a link and give you a shout out on the show.
To leave a review, head to: https://photobizx.com/itunes
A big thanks this week to Vaughn Barry from Vaughn Barry Photography – great to have another listener from Canada. Also, thanks to Chris Peavey from Paused in Time Photography for your fantastic review – thanks mate, really appreciate it.
Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:
Kate MacPherson Photographer – the website
Kate MacPherson on Facebook
Alien Skin – Photoshop plugin
Momento Pro – Album Company
Storyboard – Photoshop Script for blog images
Oli Sansom's – is doing thing “right” from the beginning
Stephen A'Court – gave Kate a start in photography as an assistant
Claire Wolf Photography – thanks Claire for recommending Kate for an interview
Cloudface Photography – interviewed in the last episode of the podcast
That's it for me this week, have a great one.
Speak soon
Andrew
Andrew,
After listening to Kate, my big takeaway was that I realized that I hadn’t been charging enough for my weddings. Just listening to her somehow gave me enough courage to bump up my prices to a level that better suits where I’m at in my wedding photography.
I thank you for having her on.
Joey Joiner
Fort Worth, Texas
That’s awesome Joey – love to know what sort of reaction you get to your new prices. My bet is no one notices or says anything and you bookings don’t change and you’ll wish you did it earlier.
Either way, love to hear.
Loved the interview, as usual! I enjoyed the talk of meeting in a cafe, or something similar. I run my business out of my house, so I almost always I meet potential brides & grooms at a local coffee shop, but sometimes at their house. The thought of spending another $1,000-2,000 a month for a studio just to meet clients does not make sense for me. Occasionally I feel these potential customers think that a business needs a studio to reputable, but if I am not doing studio portraits, then I have no need for a studio, on top of the fact that I’d have to charge more for my weddings to keep up with the additional cost.
Hey Matt – happy to hear you’re enjoying the interviews!
It’s nice to hear that other photographers are doing similar things, even if it’s just for reassurance that you’re doing it right. I haven’t tried the cafe meetings but can’t see why they wouldn’t be a great way to work – especially after hearing Kate talk about it.
Totally agree with you about saving some money if you can by not having a studio. Don’t forget to consider charging the same prices as the studio owners if you can, it’ll mean even more profits for you if you have the reduced overheads.
Pink G String, oh my, haha. Raising prices is such a scarey topic, but once you identify your ideal client and you have a plan to reach that ideal client, it goes much smoother. We went through the process recently, and it’s paid dividends.
Great interview as always, thanks for the podcast Andrew.
Hi Mark – hope you took the advice on-board to not wear a pink G String when you’re shooting 🙂
I agree with you about the pricing conundrum. It really is impossible to be the right photographer with the right price for every client – the hard part is realising it.
Once you’ve identified the right client for your business, like you have, the hard part is done and it’s possible to put all your energy in targeting a single group of prospective clients instead of trying to attract everyone.
Grat to hear you’re achieving success after your recent change. And great to have you listening.
Hello! I’ve just recently discovered your WONDERFUL podcasts via my new windows phone! I’ve been listening for a week and have taken away a lot! I live in South Texas, close to the border and it is certainly a challenge to price weddings and get business. I really enjoyed Kate’s knowledge on this subject. Since just before her podcast, I re-designed my website and hope to learn how to correctly price my photography and get into that new “client” pool.
Thanks for having these podcasts!
Hi Evelyn and welcome! Great to hear you’re enjoying the interviews and picking up some tips and ideas. I’m not familiar with your area or target market but I know it can be difficult no matter your location. Let me know how you go and thanks for adding your comments.
As someone who does no upselling (but always thought I should) this was an interestingly titled Podcast, one that I’ve been back and listened to a few times now!
As someone who does no upselling (but always thought I should) this was an interestingly titled Podcast, one that I’ve been back and listened to a few times now!
Thanks for doing this Interview Andrew, a good listen!
Thanks
Michael
A few years ago, I think the majority of photographers were “upselling” after the wedding and it’s still widely used today. I guess the reasoning is that couples just don’t know how much they will love their photos till they see them. Once they do see them, they are often happy to spend more on their photos than they first envisaged.
The problem though is when all this is hidden from the clients till after the wedding. It’s these practices that have resulted in photographers attracting a bad reputation.
I think there are good cases for both approaches as long as the photographers are ethical if going the “upsell” model.
What will you be doing in the future Michael?
G’day Andrew, my partner and I are just embarking on our photographic career and have been recommended your podcast and so far it’s been a fantastic wealth of knowledge and inspiration. With an 80 minute commute each day I’m catching up fast on the back episodes, however there’s a lot to take in all at once. Would really appreciate some advice or an interview about colour management. BTW after your interview with Matt and Katie we have enrolled in one of their 3 day workshops in January which we are really looking forward to. Keep up the good work, we (and a lot of others) really appreciate it
Merry Xmas
Hey Greig – thanks for commenting and love that you found the podcast through a referral!
You’ll be caught up in no time with that commute but as you say, there is a ton of info to take in over a short time. My suggestion would be to make a list of ideas, maybe somewhere like Evernote where you can record audio and notes and start to put them in some order of priority to action. Otherwise you’ll be faced with so much you won’t know where to start.
When sorting your order of ideas, aim to implement the ones with the highest benefit/reward/gain to the top and just start doing it.
In regard to your colour management topic, I am planning to have a pro lab/colour expert on the show in the new year who can answer all those questions.
Fantastic news about the Matt and Katie workshop – they have been one of the most popular interviews to date and by all accounts, their workshops are amazing!
Great to have you listening, speak soon and Merry Christmas to you too!
Hi there Andrew,
Just finished listening to this interview. So far, they have been immensely helpful in the set up of ACS Studios. We are restructuring like crazy! Our new wordpress site will be up shortly with new prices, packages and up to date images. No more discs with every session (thank goodness)!
Over the last few interviews I have heard people talking about their books. You might answer this in later podcasts, but I thought I would ask. I am wondering if other photographers offer several sizes of book and try to ‘up sell’ to the larger sizes, or choose a favourite and only offer that size. Or perhaps limit the choices. I have always assumed we should offer the same things our supplier does. But, I have begun to question that practice.
– Amanda
Hi Amanda – great to hear from you and love that you’re getting value from the interviews and seeing some positive changes in your business.
Your book question is strange timing, I’m just updating what we’re offering at Impact Images.
I think you’ll find that “most” photographers offer some kind of a range with albums/books. I’ve been the same but am about to change.
Till now I’ve offered square 13″ and 15″ albums, 14″ x 10″ rectangle (horizontal or vertical) and a larger vertical or horizontal version. We also had “coffee table books” in one size from Asuka but these are rarely taken by my clients anymore.
Note: In the interview with Dean Dampney, he mentions that he only offers coffee table style books and his clients love them. His is a great interview, make sure you check it out if you haven’t already – one of the most “controversial” to date.
What we’re about to do is offer 12″ square albums only… and I can’t wait 🙂
Most album companies offer all manner of sizes and options but don’t feel you have to offer everything they do. If you’re dealing with a professional album supply company, your clients will never know what they offer and I think you’ll find your clients will take what you offer… just like Dean’s clients do as I mentioned above.
Hope that helps but feel free to keep questioning if I haven’t.
Just coming back to this interview, a belated thank you to Kate for sharing so much.
Due to my ‘specializations’ I have been trying to keep a low entry point to my services with a la carte pricing (& upsell) post. I really dislike it.
I think the idea of cutting down my offerings & rebuilding packages is the way to go (this time I will be making the change and measuring/tracking the impact)
Thanks,
Mike
Pink G String, oh my, haha. Raising prices is such a scarey topic, but once you identify your ideal client and you have a plan to reach that ideal client, it goes much smoother. We went through the process recently, and it’s paid dividends.
Great interview as always, thanks for the podcast Andrew.
http://photographic.gr
Thanks for adding your comments Dimitris and I’m guessing you’ll be changing your G-String colour for your next wedding 😉
Good to hear about your recent price list change and win!