Photo Fuel | The Vision, Art, and Business of Family Photography

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/
 

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
 

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

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

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
 
 

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/

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
 
 

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
 

In this episode, I'm sharing a run-down of the 4 categories of investments that serve as umbrellas for all the things you *could* purchase to support your business growth.
1. Software
2. Brand
3. Gear
4. Education
Each has several subcategories, too, so we'll walk through how to determine what will serve your business well AND I'll give you some recommendations to narrow down the scope.  
Of course, I also want to share a little more about The Homestyle Accelerator as well because I am so excited about the potential of this program and our conversations to support you in a direct way with the growth of your art and business. Enrollment opens TODAY (Nov. 25 2004) so you can check out all the details and enroll (or get on the waitlist for next time) at https://leahoconnelll.com/homestyle// Links mentioned // Software: 
Honeybook: https://www.honeybook.com
Sprout Studio: https://www.sproutstudio.com
Pic-time: https://www.pic-time.com
Pixieset: https://www.pixieset.com
Cloudspot: https://www.cloudspot.io
Kartra: https://www.kartra.com
Mailchimp: https://www.mailchimp.com
Flodesk: https://flodesk.com/c/O75MQU
Brand: 
Tonic: https://www.tonic.site
Davy and Krista: https://daveyandkrista.com/home
Elizabeth McCravey: https://www.elizabethmccravey.com
Carly Schematic Design: https://schematicdesign.co/
Greenchair Stories: https://www.greenchairstories.com
Moo: https://www.moo.com
Gear: 
B&H: https://www.bhphotovideo.com
Adorama: https://www.adorama.com
KEH: https://www.keh.com (secondhand)
MBP: https://www.mbp.com (secondhand)
Education: (check out the wonderful offers from these former guests on Photo Fuel)
Rachel Larsen Weaver: https://www.rachellarsenweaver.com
Morgan Williams: https://morganwilliamsphoto.com/
Sabrina Gebhardt: https://www.sabrinagebhardt.com
In person retreat/conference for 2025
The Reset Conference: https://www.theresetconference.com
The Homestyle Accelerator!
my 6 week small group coaching program - all the details here: https://www.leahoconnell.com/homestyle
 
 

As the person in your earbuds each week bringing you photography education and industry stories, I felt it was time to give you a little more context about my history and experience getting to this place. 
I don’t have a fancy background or any official qualifications or fancy job history. My business has grown slowly and humbly - but maybe that’s exactly the kind of realness you need?  
Failure after failure ultimately revealed something hidden and beautiful - a career that I love, that supports my family, and allows me to live in my purpose of creating light to the world. 
Get ready for a touch of nostalgia as I share about my early inspiration and training in mall portrait studios along with -
the setbacks that left me jobless and wandering after college
the random people i met along the way who sparked the fire
how I taught myself alongside the mentors and courses I've learned from
the life circumstances that influence my style with both lifestyle and documentary approaches
how I've grown my business over the course of having 3 babies
the plateaus and breakthroughs I've experienced in my work
what accountability and feedback has done for my business and why I believe it's the true secret sauce to success
 
If you're interested in joining the Homestyle Accelerator small group coaching program for family photographers with a focus on in-home photography and simplified, warm businesses - get on the waitlist at https://leahoconnell.com/homestyle 
Enrollment opens Nov. 25 through 29 or until spots are filled!
 
// Other resources mentioned //
Emily lucarez course: https://www.creativelive.com/class/lifestyle-family-photography-emily-lucarz
Kirstin lewis class on Creativelive: https://www.creativelive.com/class/family-photography-creating-a-successful-business-kirsten-lewis
Brooke shultz: https://brookebschultz.com/love-soaked
Rachel Larsen Weaver : https://www.rachellarsenweaver.com/