Photo Fuel | Family Photography Education

What every family photographer needs to know about "conveying value"

This week, I'm addressing a question from the Photo Fuel Facebook group about pricing around the common concern -  how do I “convey the value.” 
 
In this episode, we'll address how to structure a package so it feels good in your gut and your wallet, what to include in it and what to leave behind. I’m going to give you 3 main points to consider when thinking about your package structure and setting your pricing, no matter where you are in business.
If pricing is giving you a headache and you feel torn between following trends and advice and wrestling with your own ideas among all that, this episode is your next best thing. 
 
// LINKS MENTIONED // 
TONIC templates: https://tonicsiteshop.com/showcase/?_showcase_collection=add-on-templates
TONIC newsletter: https://tonicsiteshop.com/tonic-vip/
Right Track Audits : https://www.leahoconnell.com/righttrack
FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/photofuel/
Susannah Treadway: https://www.instagram.com/susannahrayephotography/
 
 

History of Pricing Part II : Growing a business and babies, my biggest game-changers, & where I've landed

In this episode, we’re diving back into my pricing journey and picking up where we left off in Part I. Over the past decade, I’ve experimented with session structures (IPS, virtual, print credits, collections - you name it), along with team fluctuation, revised brand vision, and big mindset shifts. From beginning to scale a team, to navigating 2020, to restructuring again - and navigating having three babies through all of it - I have finally found alignment in pricing and this episode is packed with lessons learned through it all.
You’ll hear about:
Why my pricing and created a bottleneck for growth and how I overcame confidence hurdles to change it
How major life changes pushed me to refine my process.
The systems and strategies I implemented to increase revenue while keeping my business lean and family-focused.
My recent shift to an all-inclusive model that’s simplified my workflow and delighted my clients.
Plus, I’ll share practical takeaways about adapting your pricing to align with your values, avoid client confusion, and create a more sustainable business.
If you’re a family photographer wondering how to navigate your own pricing evolution, this one’s for you.
// Links & how to connect // 
Part 1: History of pricing Part 1 
Big picture workbook : https://leahoconnell.com/bigpicture
Right track audits: https://leahoconnell.com/righttrack
1:1 mentoring : https://leahoconnell.com/mentoringFind me on instagram @leahoconnell.photo
 

History of Pricing Part 1

Here it is - THE PRICING TALK. Since I believe storytelling is one of the best avenues of learning, I'm broaching this with simply my experience - which, let's be honest, after 10+ years in business I've seen and tried just about everything. I'm talking —$50 sessions with CDs in plastic sleeves, IPS out of my tiny starter Hawaii apartment, every combination of session fee + collection model imaginable, and eventually moving to an all-inclusive digital model with print credit and a la carte sales. We're talking numbers, collection details, logistics - so much that this is just Part 1.
This episode is packed with real numbers, honest reflections, and plenty of takeaways for you to apply to your own business.Whether you’re just starting out or rethinking your pricing strategy, stick around to the end for tips on how to build a pricing model that actually works for you—your style, your life, and your goals. 
Next week in part II we’ll dive into the past five years, where I made big shifts, grew my family + 2 more kids, and faced new challenges (hello, pandemic) and how pricing changes fit into the scheme of things when developing a life and a business you love.  
// LINKS MENTIONED // 
Episode 30: MY STORY -  https://leahoconnell.com/ep-30-my-story-the-roots-experience-failures-inspirations-that-shaped-my-photography-business-paying-it-forward/
 
Homestyle Accelerator Group: https://www.leahoconnell.com/homestyle
The LEARN page with free resources - https://www.leahoconnell.com/learn 
Photo Fuel Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/photofuel/
 

Adopting a 'why not' mindset

In this episode, I'm kicking off a series on pricing and workflow with a short and sweet entry point around setting your mindset for this kind of work. Pricing tends to bring up a lot of fear and questioning and imposter syndrome and I believe this one question - why not? - is the key to getting out of your own way and staying dedicated to curiosity, trial and error, and building the business you're excited to run. 
 
// LINKS MENTIONED // 
The big picture workbook: https://www.leahoconnell.com/bigpicture
The Homestyle Accelerator: https://www.leahoconnell.com/homestyle
Free resources to learn from me: https://www.leahoconnell.com/learn
 
 
// CONNECT WITH LEAH // 
instagram: @leahoconnell.photo
 

What I'm working on in slow season : a peak into how I organize projects and make plans

Happy new year and welcome to Q1 where it’s known in the family photography world as kindof a dead zone for bookings and shoots. For wedding photographers, this it usually the start of a busy season of bookings, but in our world I’ve noticed that no matter how I slice it, things tend to slow way down.
 
If you’ve listened to the last few episodes, you’ve probably noticed it’s been heavy on the reflections and questions so I thought maybe it was time to give you a few answers. Today I'm sharing a behind the scenes peak into my plans and projects for this month.
 
You'll get the zoomed out look at the tools I use to capture ideas, prioritize them, and choose what's most important next. Then we'll get into specifics with how I'll be spending my time this month and planning on utilizing the slow season as a family photographer well.  //
 
LINKS DISCUSSED // 
Big picture workbook: https://leahoconnell.com/bigpicture
Episode 33: My 3-Part Process for EOY Goal Setting and Reflection (*free download for a personal meeting agenda)
Trello For Photographers course: https://leahoconnell.com/trello-for-photographers
How I use Trello in my business blog post: https://leahoconnell.com/how-i-use-trello-for-my-photography-business-2/
Kat Schmoyer - Trello for Beginners
https://katschmoyer.com/productivity-trello-beginners/
The Firefly Letters (my weekly newsletter) 
Photographers only email list: https://www.leahoconnell.com/learn
Homestyle accelerator waitlist: https://leahoconnell.com/homestyle
Episode 7 with Morgan Miles: Marketing, Privacy, and Social Media
Blog post: Do i need instagram for my photography business? 
 
All my free resources to support you: https://www.leahoconnell.com/learn

3 Methods of Journaling | Increase your Noticing Power and better your photography, business, and life

Wait, this is a family photography podcast - why are you talking about journaling?
Writing and photography are so intertwined - they are both practices centered around noticing. I think the best thing you can do to become more tuned-in and capable of noticing is to record and reflect, so whether that’s with a camera or a pencil, the goal is the same.
Presence, depth, understanding, processing. 
The purpose of journaling it to build a habit of noticing, capturing, and valuing the small, mundane moments that can become powerful stories. And stories are fodder for the final product - the transformation we offer others, the ways we connect with people, the way we live our lives.
 
In this episode, I'm sharing 3 different ways to journal so you can pick a method that suits you best and gives you a new tool to better your artistic toolbox. 
 
// Links mentioned // 
The Artists Way by Julia Cameron 
My favorite notebook for bullet journaling
Video introducing the original form of Bullet Journaling
1:1 Mentoring
Storyworthy book
Storyworthy video intro

3 Big Picture Questions to Center your Goals for the New Year

As you’re taking some time over the next month to think big and set goals and get down to business on your business, I want propose a temporary pause to think past your gut reactions about what you “need” to do and how you’re going to “get back on the horse.” 
 
Not every question is going to pull a thread for you, but the right questions just might lead you down a path of discovery that you’ve been waiting for. These 3 questions I’m going to pose to you today come straight from my Big Picture Workbook - they’re 3 of the 10 questions that I use in that resource to help instigate discovery for your personal direction. Even if you’ve already downloaded and worked through that, I think these three in particular are worth revisiting regularly. 
 
 
// Links mentioned // 
Episode 33: EOY meeting 
Times article about thinking in the shower
The Big Picture Workbook
1:1 Mentoring
Right Track Audits
Group Coaching (The Homestyle Accelerator) Waitlist
 
 

The 5 Most Influential Books for my Photography Business Journey

As we're approaching the end of the year, maybe you're looking for a good book to kick back within the new year. So today I'm sharing 5 of the most influential books that have shaped my business, art, and life. Most of them are not even classified as "business books," but somehow, they top the list of books that have shaped the way I do business, how I think, and how I aspire to grow as a person. All of those things influence how I show up with and for people, + the art I create and how I bring it into the world. 
// Links mentioned // 
Episode 21: 4 simple copy tips to elevate your website
Free resources - leahoconnell.com/learn
Blog posts with book recommendations: 
favorite books of 2023
favorite books for creatives and small business owners
my 2024 book list
what I read in 2022 and my 2023 book list
 
Connect with Leah :IG: @leahoconnell.photoWebsite: https://www.leahoconnell.com
Free Photo Fuel FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/photofuel/

My 3 part process for holding an end-of-year meeting with myself | reflection, goal-setting, metrics and more

It’s time to start winding down your business from 2024 and whew, that’s an exciting time right? But before you can move onto goal setting and projects, this last month of the year is a beautiful time to take the pulse of your business. It's the imperative FIRST STEP to any kind of planning for the future. 
 
Making time for this process of reflection and study of what the heck actually happened this year in your business - and it can also be really fun, too! 
 
In this episode I’m sharing my process of holding an EOY meeting with myself. I'll take you behind the scenes of that process, the agenda, the questions i ask, and the metrics I tackle - so if you’ve never done this before you have a place to start and if you have you may find that you can pull some ideas from this to add in or tweak your current process. 
 
// FREE pdf from the episode: GRAB THE MEETING OUTLINE HERE. //
 
Other links mentioned: 
episode 26 with Sabrina Gebhardt
RIGHT TRACK AUDITS: https://www.leahoconnell.com/righttrack
 
 

Photographing your holidays and making personal "work" more fun

How do you find joy photographing your own holidays when your job is as a family photographer? How can you distinguish photographing in your regular life as fun, creative fuel vs obligation or "work?" (even if you love your work!)  I hear a lot of guilt from photographers around not making photos at home “enough.” So in this episode, I want to dispel that and bring back the fun, ease the guilt, and just give a friendly reminder about the big picture. 
 
Get ready for 5 tips for photographing and honoring your holidays with intention and joy. 
 
 
// Timestamps //
 
00:00:22: Recognizing the blur of personal photography and photography 'work'
00:01:01: Addressing guilt with not doing "enough"
00:03:12: Reevaluating what makes a photo "worthy"
00:04:00: Disrupting visual influences
00:05:47: Tip 1 - Distinguish personal photography from work
00:06:42: Tip 2 - Name what matters
00:08:09: Tip 3 - Play with different gear
00:12:15: Tip 4 - Try a timed approach
00:13:53: Tip 5 - Be a memory-keeper with other mediums
 
 
// Links mentioned // 
episode 12 with Rachel Larson Weaver
epsidoe 8: Resetting inspiration in your personal life
Photography and Play - Erin C. Garcia // photographs drawn from the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, https://a.co/d/dBbD8tM 
Jessica Todd Harper’s Here: https://a.co/d/eareauL
Sierra Madre Photography - website | instagram 
 
Free resources to connect and learn with me: https://www.leahoconnell.com/learn