We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dylan Todd a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dylan, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s easy to look at a business or industry as an outsider and assume it’s super profitable – but we’ve seen over and over again in our conversation with folks that most industries have factors that make profitability a challenge. What’s biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

The biggest challenge to profitability in the photography industry ties into us, the photographers.

We photographers come in many forms, from mom-tographers who got into it after capturing their own family’s growth, to those who are enthusiasts and just love the form of photography, and us who run our business doing photography. With all these people, passionately taking photographs, and without a standard for what photography should cost, buyers can find a photographers charging a vast range for their services. From $50/hour to hundreds or thousands per image and it doesn’t end there.

With this wide range of what a client might expect to spend on a photographer, I find that when we have pricing that is for a sustainable business, that it’s greater than others charge or what the client believes the value to be. I’ve been guilty of this, charging too little to make ends meet so to speak. I’ve always considered my ‘daytime job’ + my photography work to hit financial goals and when I starting making plans for ‘daytime job’ income to no longer exist, I realized that I wasn’t sustainable or profitable. At thas point, it was time for a change, where I could take my business to the next level.

After much thought, consideration and through the help of coaching I built a portrait business that truly serves my clients and is a more sustainable and profitable business model. Yes, I still receive the ‘Oh, so and so could do it for less,’ and now that just falls of my shoulder. I know my worth and what I need to live my life, and I know that the service that I provide to my clients exceeds expectations.

Dylan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve had the pleasure of having many iterations of my business – from fine art photography to high volume real estate photography to luxury portrait and wedding photography. Through all of these changes, I’m happiest with where I’m at right now!

I started in photography in high school. I had the pleasure of being in a magnet art program focusing on drawing, painting and sculpture and out of a whim took a photography class as an elective. Maybe it was the creative freedom, the dark room and science of it all or the fact that I wasn’t the strongest illustrator, but I fell in love with photography. I started soaking up all the photography I could, film and digital. I photographed people, places, things. After high school I went to college for photography where I earned my A.S. Degree in Photographic Technology and most of a Bachelor’s degree.

I moved to St. Petersburg, Florida in 2013/2014 – a sleepy city with a growing arts scene. Here, I started showing my artwork on the streets during St. Pete’s Second Saturday Art Walk, participated in gallery shows and exhibitions and opened my first studio in a building with a handful of other interdisciplinary artists. It was a creative time, and I loved it. I started doing more portraits and weddings and growing my business while working at Watermark, the LGBT Newspaper in Tampa Bay and Central Florida as a graphic designer and photographer.

After a few years of doing art, more portraits and more weddings I started to focus on how to make photography my full time job. Out of happenstance, I was asked to photograph a residential real estate listing. From there, my business started to explode. I could see how I can make actual money from photography. After a couple years, I was doing about 300 listings a year and busy as a bee. It was great, but it wasn’t really fulfilling and I started to get this feeling that I was working for my business instead of my business working for me. I was getting burnt out.

After much research and deliberation and focusing on what my true joys about photography were – I realized it’s all about the people who I have and get to meet. It’s about building connections to one another, and celebrating each other. From this, I started building my portrait and wedding business in a way that 1) Serves my clients, 2) Serves me, and 3)Is profitable. I started offering luxury portrait sessions where it’s a much more in-depth and personal experience for my clients. I started listening to clients pain points and finding ways to help. I now do in-home consultations where I can help you pick your clothes so you’ll know exactly what to wear. I provide complimentary hair and makeup so you’ll be looking and feeling your best for your session. I delve deeper into the purpose of photography and tailor the experience to you and get creative about what a photo session can be. I offer exquisite products that you can enjoy in your home for a lifetime. I think that my care for my clients sets me apart from others. I want to know your why and I want to celebrate!

I want people to know that I’m not just a photographer, that I provide an experience that they will cherish and enjoy and we’ll create memories where we celebrate our connections to one another, to our families, and our loves.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

There are two books that I can’t speak highly enough about: “She Sells” by Megan DiPiero and “Get Rich, Lucky B*tch” by Denise D.T.
“She Sells” is about sales, obviously, but about how different business structures and spending archetypes change over time and how sales as an act of service to your clients. “Get Rich, Lucky B*tch” is about manifesting your luxurious life, where the limits are only ended by your imagination. It’s truly an eye opening book.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

The most effective strategy for growing clientele is being omnipresent. It’s engaging with others on social media, attending as many networking events as you can and throwing a wide net to introduce yourself and your business to people. Once the wide net is cast, it’s important to maintain your clients and friends (potential clients). When you don’t quite know who your ideal client is or where to find them, throwing a vast net will get you going in the right direction. After that, it’s friends of your clients who are often your next client. Friends of those friends and so on.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.DylanToddPhotography.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/dylantoddphotography
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/dylantoddphotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-todd-a02b46b/

Image Credits

All photos by Dylan Todd Photography.