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

Tammy Miles of www.captivatingphotography.com.au is based in Adelaide, Australia, and is a mother of three who focuses on family photography.

She has an easy-to-use website complete with a welcome video, beautifully photographed products and a lovely warm look to her images.

I asked her onto the podcast after receiving the following message…

Thanks for your great podcast. It has helped me and my business immensely. I have moved from doing it as a hobby with no profit to quitting my day job and now having a profitable business.

Along with being a mother and photographer, I am also a practising Occupational Therapist. I have experience working with children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder, sensory processing disorders, and other physical and cognitive disabilities. 

In addition, Tammy told me about working with photography business coaches Mark Rossetto and Johl Dunn.

And although she says she's still early on in her business journey, it's exciting to see where it has the potential to lead.

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

• Tammy's target market
• Ideal places for outdoor portrait sessions in Adelaide
• Tammy's business goals
• Tammy's reason for switching careers
• Tammy's revenue from photography today
• Dealing with imposter syndrome when starting out as a photographer
• The advantage of hiring a photography business coach
• Turning a hobby into an income-generating and sustainable business
• When is the best time to step up your business
• What is a stretch goal
• How Tammy quit her day job and transitioned to a full-time photographer
• Why overbooking your calendar is a good thing
• Is it important to shoot less but charge more
• Photography pricing and packages
• Tammy's thoughts on her photography competition
• Tammy's approach to in-person sales
• In-person sales process
• Why it's better to give clients a physical pricelist
• Tammy's consult call process
• How to qualify leads
• Dealing with clients who can't afford your packages
• Why it's important to have both parents there for in-person sales sessions
• The importance of collecting a booking fee from your clients
• Why Tammy thinks social media platforms don't generate enough leads
• How to move past imposter syndrome

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 a fantastic back catalogue of interviews, and have ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

Plus, special member-only interviews.

I always think about the profit because I don't see the point in going “Oh, I've made $2000”, but I don't know how much I've actually taken home. I always focus on how much I'm getting out of it as opposed to how much is coming through. – Tammy Miles

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. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, 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 from what Tammy 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, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you plan to implement in your business due to what you heard in today's episode.

I don't want to waste my time. Time is a valuable resource to me. – Tammy Miles

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

iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs

I check for any new iTunes or Google reviews each week, and it's always a buzz to receive these… for several reasons.

Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!

Secondly, iTunes and Google are the biggest search engine for podcasts, and your reviews and ratings 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 or https://photobizx.com/google, 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 impacted you and your photography business.​

Here's the latest review…

★★★★★ The Online Sales Course was EXACTLY what I was looking for!

Via email from Sydney pet photographer Rachel McCready in Australia on April 14, 2023.

I’m a hater of sales and never felt IPS was going to be my thing. I also felt bad about making people come to the studio twice.

I still have samples in the studio for people interested in prints and products, but I’ve already sold to the 3 people I’ve offered my new digital packages to. Not the highest package, but I have priced them in a manner that even if I sell 3 of my lowest packages per week, I’m able to live comfortably and keep the lights on!

I can’t thank you enough for this course. I’ve only implemented it over the weekend, but so far, so good!

I have super high hopes that this is the breakthrough I was looking for. ?

Email from MaryBeth Bryant – Check out the audio recording at the end of the episode. 

Hey Andrew –

I listened to your podcast with Neyssa Lee last week. Disclaimer I sent her your way because I think she’s amazing so I’m biased.

I wanted to reach out because I appreciated the honest conversations about “a mom with a camera”.  Previous to doing photography full-time, I worked in the corporate world for 14 years as a business analyst, and I’m pretty comfortable with more male-dominated industries. However, after choosing to do photography full-time, I was caught off guard by how, for women being a photographer was marginalized a lot. “Just a mom with a camera” or you must take photos so you can stay home with your kids, side hustle …that type of thing. Questions about what does your husband think about the extra income, does your husband support this, etc.

I always told people what I did before, but now I avoid saying I’m a photographer. Because without fail, someone else will go, “Oh I know another mom with a camera who takes nice photos” Never have I ever heard of a Dad with a camera or heard a male photographer ask any of those questions or assume photography is a side hustle for a man. Most successful photography businesses were male, and females were often coined as “shoot and burn” moms with cameras.

It’s bizarre because, in my previous to photography career, I never had people ask me what my husband thought about or group me as just a Mom who is a business analyst. Haha, it’s funny to think about.

The other interesting thing I notice is successful women photographers also qualify their job. I’m a photographer, but I make six figures. Or I’m a full-time photographer and can watch my 6 kids without childcare…. to sort of break that “Mom with a camera mentality”.  Or I’m a photographer, but I also have a physical studio. But most male photographers I meet just say they are a photographer, and no one assumes it’s not a full-time, stand-alone job.

Sorry for the long dump of thoughts on this.  But I wanted to chime in on the last podcast because as a woman who has spent a ton of time in business, both photography and non, it’s interesting the hurdle I see women have to be viewed beyond the “mom with a camera”. 

Also, I definitely don’t think you were interviewing her in this way. I’m happy to see someone come on and talk about this. Because I think it’s way more of an issue at times, then some people notice.

Thanks for the great interviews! I appreciate your contribution to our industry.

MB Bryant Images – the website.

The post 511: Tammy Miles – Taking photography from hobby to profitable business appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.