Rachel Callander is proof that you can be a small town, photography business success and that was the catalyst for approaching her for an interview. I really had no idea where the interview would go or the lessons that would be learnt but I knew there would definitely be something for everyone. Rachel is based in New Zealand and from what I heard, she’s a total powerhouse. She has a flourishing wedding and portrait photography business and was named New Zealand’s Wedding photographer of the year in 2011!
That same year, her daughter Evie Amore passed away…
Rachel recently launched the Super Power Baby Project and is fast becoming a household name in New Zealand after raising over $80,000 through crowd funding for a photography project, appearing on national television and speaking at TedX NZ.
Here’s some more of what we cover:- Building a wonderful photography business and lifestyle around 20 weddings and 30 portrait sessions per year
- How catering to less clients allow Rachel to offer improved quality service and product
- How Rachel earns more from doing less
- The importance of sticking to a budget to keep the business going while throwing in a few extra projects at the same time
- How it’s possible to charge $6000 per wedding in a small country town
- Package type and inclusions
- Using portrait photography sessions to supplement a wedding photography income
- Why Rachel thinks that portrait photography is more lucrative but still shoots weddings
- Why Rachel loves to shoot during the cold winter season
- Strategies to attract more photography clients
- Utilising old-school advertising to attract clients – newspaper, radio, word of mouth
- The benefits of being an active member in your business community
- The need to seriously invest in your photography website
- Choosing the right Studio location for your business
- Targeting the right niche and filling a gap to cater to your specific market
- What Rachel did when moving her business to a brand new location
- How to beat “foreign” competition and keep your community focussed on patronising local businesses
- Pushing yourself to grow and be creative while having fun
- How to find the right match in a web designer to setup an kick-ass photography website
- Why Rachel is willing and happy to pay full price for her website
- How to get to know your clients – the fast and easy way
- Why Rachel freely publishes her photography rates online
- How Rachel handles with local business competition
- How your attitude greatly impacts the success of your business
- The Super Power Baby Project – a fine art photography book celebraing children with chromosomal and genetic condition
- How Crowdfunding works for a photography project
I found myself feeling inspired, motivated, excited to shoot and just happy following this interview with Rachel and although I joked about her being a powerhouse, I came away thinking that was a perfect description. It’s photographers like Rachel that leave me feeling guilty for ever thinking there is not enough tome in the day or that my location won’t allow me to charge the prices other photographers do.
My hope is that you too come away from this episode with similar feelings or at the very least, feeling inspired and good about life, family and a love for what we get to do and call it work.
What’s on Offer for Premium MembersIf you’re a premium member, you should have received an email with links to your version of this episode where you can hear lots more implementable content from where we dive deeper into some of the earlier topics plus some new ones that I pushed hard for that include:
- Using personal projects as a way to market yourself and your business
- Using social media and connectivity to market your photography projects
- How photography saved Rachel following the loss of her daughter
- Healing through photography
- How Rachel continues to get better at photography
- Increasing your prices without dropping your number of bookings
- Understanding the health of your photography business
- How to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your business
- Understanding why you shoot and how you shoot to attract the right clients for you
- The importance of showcasing your images to the world
- Taking a month out of your business to improve
- Would you book yourself
- Committing to 4 workshops per year for self development
Following this interview, I’d love to know what your biggest takeaway is – what is the one thing that you’d like to implement or learnt from what was shared? Let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.
If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them below.
If you’d like an easy way to show Rachel your thanks, and support for the show at the same time, click the link to create a tweet and automatically let him know you’re listening: http://photobizx.com/tweet
The Resources PageRemember the ever expanding resources page that has a listing of products, programs, hardware, books and directories mentioned in each episode of the show. If you’re looking for something that a guest has mentioned on a previous episode but just can’t remember who or what it was – you’ll find it listed in order on the resources page.
iTunes ratings, reviews and Shout-OutsEach week before recording the podcast I check iTunes for any reviews and each week I’m excited to see what you’ve had to say about the podcast. This week I was blown away to see five fantastic reviews! Thanks you so much to:
Simon Aisbett of Simon Aisbett Photography in Australia
Raymond Hatfield of Raymond Hatfield Photography in the USA
Sincerely, thanks so much for your ratings and reviews, I appreciate the time you’ve taken and it’s a big help for the show. It’s these iTunes reviews that make a big difference to the podcast being ranked well and found in the iTunes store. If you have the time and are happy to leave an honest rating and review, head over to iTunes.
Don’t feel your comments have to be long, involved or gushy, an honest opinion is all I ask. Don’t be shy about leaving your business name in the review either – that way I can add a link in the show-notes and show my appreciation with a proper thanks and a Google loving back-link to your website.
On the topic of shootouts, I wanted to say thanks to Mike Ojinaga of Mike Ojinaga Photography in far west Texas for being right on the ball and letting me know about a couple of little issues with the PhotoBizX site when they popped up.
Jean Smith is holding an Aussie Workshop for Portrait PhotographersJean Smith appeared on the podcast in episode 37 and really opened some eyes when it comes to photographing family portraits and selling her images. She has a fantastic business that allows her to live a wonderful lifestyle and she’s coming to Brisbane Australia to teach a small, intimate lifestyle photography workshop February 6th and 7th.
Topics she’ll be covering include style and creativity, posing and working with your subject, using equipment creatively, natural lighting, artificial lighting, workflow, post processing, and business.
There will also be a live shoot and meals are included – sounds awesome!
Email Jean at jean@jeansmithphotography.com for more information or you can find more information here:Â www.jeansmithphotography.com/blog/australia-workshop.
Here are some links to Jean’s website, blog and FB page if you want to check more of her work:
www.jeansmithphotography.com/blog
www.facebook.com/jeansmithphotography
The Sprouting Photographer PodcastRegular listeners will be well familiar with Bryan Caporicci from episodes 28 and 45 of the PhotoBzX podcast where he shared some of the best ideas for business improvement I’ve heard since starting this show. His suggestion for offering same day wedding albums has been one of the most used and well received tactics and one that I’ve employed myself to great success and fanfare from my couples.
Since those episodes, Bryan has started his own successful photography business podcast; Sprouting Photographer. It was a real pleasure for me to appear on the show and if you’d like to check it out, learn a little more about me and my business, you can do that by clicking here: http://www.sproutingphotographer.com/48
If you haven’t had the chance to hear Bryan’s interviews on PhotobizX, here are the links:
http://photobizx.com/bryan-caporicci-wedding-photography-marketing-the-smart-way/
http://photobizx.com/mirrorless-cameras-for-professional-wedding-and-portrait-photographers/
Get in Touch or Leave a Voicemail MessageIf you’d like to get in touch, ask a question or make a suggestion for the show, you can email me andrew@photobizx.com, find me on Twitter https://twitter.com/andrewhellmich or on Facebook at http://photobizx.com/facebook – I’d love to hear from you!
Gimme That It – Nikki from Epic Danger PhotographyI mentioned a few episodes ago that Nikki from Epic Danger Photography had started a new branding business with Shannon, her business partner and graphic designer/web designer extraordinaire to help photographers discover their “it” and get IT onto a website and their marketing material.
If you know Nikki or remember her from episode 54 of the podcast, you’ll know that she DEFINITELY has her branding sorted and any visitor to her website knows exactly what they’re getting themselves into when booking her for a shoot.
Following todays interview with Rachel and her strong opinions about investing in a great website, i thought it would be relevant to get Nikki on to talk about what she can do to help you with what can be a super daunting task – rebranding and building a new photography site.
Here are some links to things we mentioned in our chat:
http://blog.lovesongphoto.com/
http://www.alisonhenrieblog.com/
Zack Prez episode on PhotoBizX – Does photography website work or does it suck
Epic Danger episode on PhotoBizX – Reveal your personality for portrait photography success
Don’t forget, if you decide to put Nikki and Shannon to work, mention that you heard about GimmeThatIt on PhotoBizX.
Unfortunately, the $500 discount promo code has expired and is no longer available.
That does not mean you shouldn’t check out what these girls can do for you and your business – give them a call or email and have a chat. I think you’ll be blown away by the service and donuts and beer these girls will provide. Not to mention a kick ass website and new brand.
Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:Rachel Callander on TEDx Auckland
PledgeMe (Crowdfunding)
Equipment
Nikon 85mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens
That’s it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you in life and business!
If you’ve been enjoying the podcast, I’d love for you to tell another photographer about it – it could be in a Facebook Group you’re a part of, a photography forum, with a photographer friend or on twitter.
If you do have a twitter account, simply click here: http://photobizx.com/tweet or use the share buttons below.
Thanks and speak soon
Andrew
The post 085: Rachel Callander – Small Town Photography Business Success appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - A Photography Podcast on how to have your own successful portrait and wedding photography business.
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