PhotoBizX The Ultimate Wedding and Portrait Photography Business Podcast

Ben McCoy is the founder of Good Life Portraits, a Perth-based portrait studio that has grown from Ben working out of the back of his car to a seven-person team, around 80 portrait sessions a month and a business tracking towards $2 million in annual revenue.

In this interview, Ben breaks down the systems behind that growth, including how he generates leads, why getting prospects onto the phone is still critical, and the numbers he watches closely — around $17 per lead, roughly $105 to acquire a client and an average sale of about $2,400.

We also get into his use of AI and Go High Level to nurture leads, answer client questions, book calls and reduce the workload on his team, plus why he believes the real challenge for photographers isn’t taking better photos — it’s building a business that can keep running and growing without the owner doing everything.

It’s a particularly useful conversation for photographers who feel capped by their own time, are considering hiring, or want to understand what a genuinely systemised, high-volume portrait studio looks like behind the scenes.

The post 685: Ben McCoy – The $17 Lead, $105 Booking and $2,400 Portrait Photography Sale appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.

Lucas Z is the founder of The Big Split and has spent more than a decade running a photography business in Aspen, Colorado.

Despite having a successful business and good money coming in, Lucas found himself $25,000 in credit card debt, behind on taxes, with no real savings or assets — and at one point calculated he was spending 99.5% of everything he made.

That experience led him to develop The Big Split, a simple way of handling irregular income by dividing money into clear buckets for business, tax, lifestyle and paying yourself first.

In this interview, we talk about why photographers can be making good money and still feel broke, how irregular income creates the feast-or-famine cycle, the financial leaks that quietly drain a business, and the difference between simply earning more and actually keeping more.

Lucas also shares how he cleared $25,000 in debt within five months, built more than $60,000 in savings in his first year using the system, and why the real problem for some photographers isn’t pricing or marketing at all — it’s what happens to the money after it arrives.

If your income is inconsistent, your bank balance never seems to reflect how busy you are, or you’re earning well but still don’t feel financially secure, there’s plenty in this episode to think about.

The post 684: Lucas Z – Why Photographers Making Good Money Still Have No Money appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.

Gabi Kline Leon is a pet and equine photographer who built her business around a very different idea — she doesn’t see herself as simply a photographer, but as a commissioned photo artist.

That mindset has helped her build a low-volume, high-value business where clients regularly spend thousands, her average sale is around $6,000, and one client spent $50,000 across multiple sessions and finished artwork.

In this interview, Gabi shares how she moved from Israel to the US after seeing another photographer make $62,000 in a month, landed a $5,000 first client, struggled through the early COVID years, and eventually built a business around premium pricing, in-home consultations, multiple sessions, printed products and simple pricing.

We also get into the marketing side — including the magazine partnership that generated more than $100,000, the mini-session days that brought in over $10,000 a month, her views on SEO versus Google Business Profile, and why getting in front of real people still matters.

There’s plenty here for photographers thinking about pricing, positioning, sales, client experience and how to create a business that relies on fewer, higher-value clients.

The post 683: Gabi Kline Leon – How to Build a Photography Business Averaging $6,000 Per Client appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.

Myriam Ménard has built a 17-year wedding photography business around something many photographers are moving away from — real relationships, intentional curation and knowing exactly who she wants to work with.

Based in Montreal and photographing weddings across Canada and Europe, Myriam charges up to $22,000 CAD for local weddings and starts at €12,000 for European destination weddings. Yet her approach to attracting those clients isn’t built around funnels, algorithms or constant posting.

In this interview, Myriam shares why she’s investing more heavily in offline networking, how carefully curating your portfolio can shape the clients you attract, why she believes other people talking about your work will become increasingly important, and how clarity around who you are can influence everything from your pricing to the weddings you book.

It’s a thoughtful conversation about premium positioning, creative identity, relationships and building a photography business that actually feels like you.

The post 682: Myriam Ménard – The $20K Wedding Photographer Who Doesn’t Chase Marketing Trends appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.

Richard I’Anson has spent 40 years building a photography career that has taken him to more than 100 countries and all seven continents.

In this interview, Richard shares how he went from shooting weddings and portraits to becoming one of Australia’s best-known travel photographers, why those early years were crucial to his success, how the stock photography market has changed, and why photography tours have become such an important part of his business today.

We also talk about print sales, licensing, building a body of work, making money from travel photography, and what it really takes to stay in business for four decades while still loving the work.

The post 681: Richard I’Anson – From Wedding Photographer to a 40-Year Travel Photography Career appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.