611: Renee Bowen – Senior Portraits That Sell: What Teens Want, What Parents Buy

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

Renee Bowen of www.reneebowen.com first appeared on the podcast in our start-of-the-year predictions episode, where some of the world’s best photography business coaches shared their insights.

In that episode, she talked about AI fatigue and how clients are craving real, authentic content—content created by you to showcase your true self, not some perfectly curated, made-up version of you.

In her photography business, she specialises in high-end luxury branding and portrait photography.

With a psychology degree, she knows how to get inside her clients’ heads, tap into what makes them unique, and combine that with her incredible photography skills to create personalised, next-level work.

Based in Los Angeles, she’s a married mother of three, host of the Tried & True With a Dash of Woo podcast, photography business coach, and course creator.

From the outside looking in, she’s running a successful photography business focusing on headshots, personal branding, and senior portraits.

In this interview, Renee shares how to create a profitable senior portrait photography business by creating images that sell and shooting what teens want and parents buy.

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

• Real > AI – Emotion beats perfection. Clients connect with you, not a filtered bot.
• Luxury meets psychology – Renee blends stunning visuals with buyer behaviour to sell more than just photos.
• From accidental to intentional – What started as headshots became a multi-six-figure brand.
• Redefining senior portraits – Editorial-style shoots that ditch the cap and gown clichés.
• Built demand from scratch – Educated a market that didn’t know what it was missing.
• Teens want cool, parents want keepsakes – Speak to both and win the booking.
• Model teams = marketing gold – Teens do your promo for you.
• Social media shifts fast – Facebook had its day. TikTok is now. Stay ahead or fall behind.
• Selling didn’t come easy – But strategy beats sleaze. Always.
• What works there won’t work here – Your brand, location, and audience matter. Don’t copy. Customise.
• Albums sell. Digitals don’t. – Tangible memories = higher spend and happier clients.
• $3500+ sessions? Absolutely. – When pricing, products, and experience align, sales follow.
• Set the tone early – Clear offers, smart pricing, elevated experience from first touch.
• Selling starts at the shoot – Use psychology to plant seeds, not pressure.
• Teens + parents = different vibes – Master both worlds for effortless sales.
• Instagram is your storefront – If you’re not visible, you’re not viable.
• TikTok is the new Google – Know how to be found where Gen Z searches.
• It’s not your town, it’s your mindset – Small-town photographers can charge luxury prices too.
• Design it, then sell it – Show off stunning albums to inspire bigger buys.
• Partnerships that pay off – Cross-promote with vendors who serve your dream clients.
• TikTok tip: keep it real – Short, raw, unpolished content wins. Stop overthinking.
• Coaching that goes deep – Mindset shifts, strategy tweaks, real growth—for photographers who mean business.

Senior Portraits by Renee Bowen

What’s on Offer for Premium Members

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

Plus, special member-only interviews.

By the time, if I've done my job right, by the time they sit down with me and we're going over their images, they already know they're getting an album, because I have pre sold that album multiple times, unconsciously throughout the process. – Renee Bowen

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.

With Tiktok, don't overthink it. That's that's the first thing. Don't overthink it. Keep it short. The main thing with Tiktok is authenticity. Honestly, just lean into just being you. – Renee Bowen

In addition to everything above, you'll get access to 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 motives similar to yours – 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 Renee 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 based on what you heard in today's episode.

Tiktok is great for reach and visibility and reaching a lot of people. I get a lot of out of state clients from Tiktok specifically. – Renee Bowen

If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Renee, or a way to thank you for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.

The FREE training with Heather Lahtinen is coming up this week!

The Secret Weapon That Changes Everything: The #1 Tool for Levelling Up Your Photography Business

What if the key to success wasn’t just taking better photos, perfecting your pricing, or mastering more marketing strategies?

What if one simple mental tool could completely shift how you approach your business—and your results?

In this game-changing training, you’ll discover the same mental framework elite performers—entrepreneurs, professional athletes, and members of the armed forces—use to master their mindsets, overcome challenges, and achieve peak performance.

After the main presentation, Heather will be doing some live coaching with a few attendees while on the call and with everyone able to watch and listen in!

All the details and registration are here –> https://photobizx.com/model

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 most significant podcast search engines, and your reviews and ratings help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners mean more interviews and, ultimately, a better show.

I really believe it starts with their first interaction with you, whether it's going to be on your website, whether they found you on Google, or if they find you on Instagram or Tiktok. A lot of my clients find me on Tiktok and Instagram because that's where they are. – Renee Bowen

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. You can leave some honest feedback and a rating, which will help me and the show. 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. Email me your keywords or phrases and where you'd like me to link them.

Our website really should be doing most of the heavy lifting for us. They need to see themselves in our brand. They need to want to be a part of it, because our website and our brand is not about us, it's about them, and so how they feel when they experience the brand. – Renee Bowen

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.​

The post 611: Renee Bowen – Senior Portraits That Sell: What Teens Want, What Parents Buy appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.