Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Trisha Harris. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Trisha, thanks for joining us today. What’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

Hands down pricing! It seems in every group of photographers this topic always comes up and there are always two very passionate sides. If not more.

It is definitely a topic that needs to be talked about and understood before just jumping in and starting a photography business. I think that is what causes most photographers to either fail, become burnt out and leave the profession behind.

When I first started 13 years ago, there was little information out there. Having a facebook page was a big deal. But there weren’t groups to educate you on all the business things, and there weren’t many conferences either. So many of us who have been around over 10 years can all attest that we probably started pricing completely wrong. I know for me I did.

It wasn’t until I was finally serious about being a photographer and took an in person workshop for posing babies. Cherise, not only taught us posing, and editing she talked real life on her pricing and marketing. When she shared that she was almost making 6 figures doing photography, I almost fainted. Then I collected my thoughts and told my husband, I am going to do that. I am changing everything so I can be profitable too.

And that is what I did. It was hard to get return clients to understand the change, some new clients also didn’t understand but I didn’t give up. Even when other photographers told me I was doing it wrong, I was too much and no one would pay those prices, I kept my focus. Charging too little was costing me more in the end. Once I learned about cost of doing business, expenses and future needs…I started to see my photography as a business and not a little side gig. I had to take myself serious too. So that is what I did and I have been full time for 7 years now.

The industry will differ on the process….all inclusive or IPS (in person sales). Offering products or just digital. My thoughts are….it all works. You have to do what you like to do BUT you have to be profitable and price within a standard. Everything else in life has a standard pricing but the photography industry. You can find someone charging $40 or $400 for the same thing. So collectively we need to have a baseline and go from there.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have been a photographer for 13 years BUT I only count 9 of those years. Because for 9 years now I have been serious about being a photographer. I learned the initial art of photography while in college during a black and white class. It was so fun using a dark room and seeing your work appear slowly in the processing phase. But that wasn’t something I could do outside of that class. So I put the idea away. Until I met this guy (now husband) who had a digital camera and it was the coolest thing ever. I ended up getting one myself and taking photos of everything. Eventually friends asked me to take their photos, and I agreed. Before long one person turned into another and then another. I realize I could do more with this. So I began to find out what was the best plan. I tried weddings and didn’t like it. Families were ok but not pulling at my creative juices. Nature was fun but no one wanted to buy prints of my work. Then I saw newborn photography and fell in love with the perfection and creativity of it.

Ironically, I wasn’t a baby person and didn’t want kids of my own. So when I asked my husband to support the idea of going to a workshop 2 hours away to learn the craft, I was shocked he was on board. He wanted kids someday and knew this would change my mind. Well I fell in love with the art of posing newborns and poured my energy into building that side of my photography. And eventually fell in love with the idea of having a kid of my own.

For the last 5 years I have had my own studio space, where I specialize in newborns, maternity., children and family. I provide a one of a kind experience for moms to be from planning their sessions, to styling their sessions and then delivering them artwork from their sessions to truly cherish for years to come.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I never gave up. Instead of worrying about what everyone else was doing or saying I just stayed focused on my goals. I wanted to be the best version of myself I wanted to have a studio space and be the name associated with newborn photography in my area. I took each client one at a time and made them my focus giving them 100% of my attention and skills so that their experience was the best.

I learned to say no to the things that didn’t align with my personal goals and visions. I also learned to grow and push myself in the areas I needed to. Being creative and doing things no one else was doing.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

In today’s world staying connected is so important. There are so many things that are trying for attention that we have to stand out more than ever. Social media is a great resource but after having my page hacked earlier this year and loosing all my social media, I have quickly learned that my email list is a huge asset too. I was able to still connect to clients through email and newsletters. I love being able to send them a newsletter email, update them on the current business related things like upcoming sessions, specials and planning for their sessions. I also love to update them on my personal life. So many clients are invested in me when they book and they are supporting my family. Updating them to show the connected to a real family has been powerful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.trishaharrisphotography.com/
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/Trisha_harris_photography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trishaharrisphotographer

Image Credits
Winship Photography.