Commercial Photographer: Your Guide to Marketing, Creativity and Growth

Andrew Hellmich has interviewed over 600 photographers on his own podcast over the last 12 years — which makes him one of the best-placed guests this show has had to say what actually separates a thriving photography business from a struggling one.

Marcus and Sam talk to Andrew about the patterns he’s noticed across hundreds of conversations: lighting skill, pricing psychology, and the small habits that quietly move the needle.

• Why Andrew thinks “natural light only” photographers are often just under-skilled in lighting
• The cheapest way to actually get better at lighting, according to someone who’s asked 600 photographers
• How restructuring a price list can persuade clients to spend more without discounting
• The exhibition trick one family photographer uses to sell far more sessions
• Why mixing personal posts with business posts boosts both on LinkedIn

Twelve years of interviews distilled into the patterns that actually predict success.

Find Andrew and his podcast here.

Podcaster-to-podcaster insight is rare — Photography Educator Fabrizia Costa shares her story is another photographer-educator's take on running the business day to day.

Nathan Pidd and Mike Robertson are VIP Creative. Together they run a video and photography business in Hull. Nathan had been doing photography as long as he can remember.He met Mike through a mutual friend and Mike helped on Nathan’s first wedding. In the business they have now, Nathan heads the photography side and Mike headsthe video side. After three years of running the business alongside full time jobs, they decided to run the business full time. 

Nathan explains his training was through a fine art degree that then moved into lens media and really enjoyed using Photoshoot. After university he ended up opening up a print shop at the university and then also started teaching at theuniversity.
Sam asked how they managed with running a business after all of the focus on creativity at university. Mike says the accounts and marketing is something they have always struggled with. So their marketing does takes a back seat. They do outsource some things like accounts.
Mike says when they started out they thought they would be able to finish early and work three days a week. But now he finds he works much longer hours than he ever has done before, but he enjoys it. Nathan says he was scared to be aphotographer by himself, so having Mike alongside him make that move much easier for him. Nathan says it’s great as they both have different skills.
Sam asks if they have advice for others thinking of setting up a business as partners. Mike says they have creative differences and that can cause problems. You have to also make sure you get on really well as you will be tested on the way. Although you will have differences you have to agree on the core of the business. Mike also says think is this the person I can manage with when the going gets tough.
Marcus asks if they have a niche and they say no. They work with a variety of businesses across video and photography. With their time in the industry they have done a wide range of things. Mike thinks this helps to maintain their creativity.  Nathan says they also enjoy the challenge of doing different things from one day to the next.

Marcus asks about their setup. Nathan says he is a “lightingnut” and that’s the first thing he focusses in on set. They also use the lighting for their video work as well as the photography. They also work together, so most projects they do together as a team. On site they work together and tendto have specific roles that they automatically get on with. They say their knowledge of sound and lighting means that the videos they produce have very high production values.
Sam asks how they persuade people to use them and not their phone to make videos. Mike says the client needs to appreciate what they do, so they see the value. Mike also says they need to do both. Take photos and videos on your phone, but then also have the higher quality professional photos and videos too.
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Once video's part of the offering, the next challenge is working with the crew itself. The Commercial Photographer Secrets to Working with Video Crews picks that up directly.

This show is about working with models but is also workingwith all sorts of different people on a shoot.
How do you find a fashion model for a test?

A test is a situation where everyone is working together forfree to build images for their portfolio. It is a very typical way of starting the fashion world. Marcus says the first thing is what a fashion model looks like. Look at fashion magazines to get an idea for this. Marcus says that fashion models should look striking / unusual. Marcus says now there is a very positive change from everyone being very skinny to there being more body shapes seen in fashion. Although he says there is still a long way to go here.
A good place to go to find a model to do a test with is a local model agency and then you need to find the newest models on their books. The newer models will be the ones who also want images for their portfolio. Agencies may ask to see your portfolio before letting you shoot one of their models. This can be an issue if this is also your first step into the world of fashion photography. But don’t let this be a barrier to you, give it a try.
Street casting is another way to find a model. So approach people on the street who you think would be a great model. Having a portfolio to show as part of this is helpful.

There also online model agencies. Marcus thinks are not necessarily the best models for fashion shoots. But you can still approach them.
Sam says setting up this test means you have a group of people all starting out in fashion who can all help each other as a network.
Marcus now moves on to posing a model and this part of the podcast is also relevant to other areas of photography. Although he doesn’t like the word posing.
He has three ways to help get a model / subject to pose in a certain way. They are Mirroring, Role play, Observation
Mirroring

He got this idea from the photographer Richard Avedon. Basically you have to get “in tune” with the model and they will naturally mirror what you do without thinking about it. So if you cross your arms they do to.
Role Play
Marcus says he does this a lot in brand photography. Marcus suggests scenarios and then the subject acts them out
Observation

This is about looking deeply at the subject, spotting whatthey do naturally, remembering it and asking them to do it again.
He says there are many other ways but Marcus thinks these are the most effective. Marcus says one of the most important things on a shoot with a model, or anyone, is the “vibe” in the studio. Music is a good way to create a vibe, both using music the model like, but also the musiccan be used to effect the mood on the shoot.

Marcus’s final hint is that if you are going to put togetherfashion shoot make sure you know who it is going to be for as different magazines have different styles.

Nick's own perspective on building a shoot team is told in full in Guest Interview with Nick Hemms, Mens Stylist.

Gareth says his focus is the monetisation of this autism. One of his obsessions is LinkedIn. And he decided with his knowledge of LinkedIn he should help people get better with Linkedin. Gareth is also a percussionist. Marcus explains we do have a show about what we can learn from the music business.
Gareth has been on LinkedIn just a year after I began. He has been on it 14 or 15 years. LinkedIn has been owned by Microsoft for quite a long time. More recently Microsoft has been getting more involved and they have been pushing users into paying for the use of the platform. Gareth says that up until recently it’s been possible to use LinkedIn as a free user. And if you use Linkedin to find a job then you can still manage free. But if you are trying to grow your tribe and your business it is very hard now without premium. It effects now even how much your posts are seen. LinkedIn give you a score your SSI score which you can find here. Having premium effects that score.

Gareth says that connecting with people is important and he has an connection message he thinks you should use. Gareth says an initial message ensures you get a higher connection rate and you get more of a response after the connection, if you started with a connection message. He thinks now up to 20 touches are needed on LinkedIn before you can get someone to do something you have asked.
Gareth says commenting on other peoples stuff is really important. He also says posting about other peoples work and asking questions is a great way to go.  Gareth recommends having a camera in your LinkedIn profile photo. That enables connections to know what you do almostinstantly.
Gareth says he works on the principal that he gives away 80% of what he does. He wants people to see him as an authority in this field. So he gives them stuff people can test him on. They use it and then they start to trust him.
Gareth then talks about the SSI. This is based on 4 different scores added together. Those four scores are different aspect of LinkedIn such as interacting and connecting. Posting regularly and commenting and liking other peoples content is another part.

Gareth also recommends resisting using AI to create content. But says it’s great for structure and helping to improve your content.
Top voice is the next topic. For anyone with over 1000 followers you get asked by LinkedIn to comment on some things. You can use this to become a “top voice”. To do this you have to answer and write comments on AI generatedcontent. So Gareth recommends follow the link when you are asked to comment, but then within that topic do not comment and move up to the top level where you can chose topics. You can then see all the topics A-Z. Pick one that isclose to you, then in that section pick a sub-section relevant to you. Then comment only on topic in this area. Gareth recommends in these area to be provocative and ruffle some feathers. That will get responses. You only get top voice if your comments get further comments and interaction.

Gareth’s final tip is ensure you have the odd spelling mistake in some things you do to show you are not AI. Also avoid “Z”s in your work, which shows that content has been made by AI using American spelling.

For a more structured take on LinkedIn than the punk-disrupter approach, Using LinkedIn to It's Full Potential as a Photographer with Jeff Brown is worth hearing too.

Bel Turpin works at Turpin Accounting Services, the business her mum started — and she thinks most sole traders are leaving money on the table simply by not asking an accountant the right questions.

Marcus and Sam talk to Bel about why an accountant is worth it even for a small business, when it makes sense to go limited or register for VAT, and the practical side of accounting for your own kit.

• Why the numbers usually aren’t wrong — it’s the bigger picture business owners can’t see
• Making Tax Digital: which businesses will soon be required to use accounting software
• Xero vs QuickBooks, and why Bel rates one slightly ahead of the other
• When going limited or registering for VAT actually pays off
• How to account for equipment you already owned before starting the business
• Why accountants themselves are a source of brand and video work photographers overlook

A practical primer on the accounting decisions that quietly shape how much of your revenue you actually keep.

Get in touch with Bel: turpinaccounting.co.uk.

Making more money from the business has both an accounting side and a tax side — January Survival & April Success: The Essential 2026 Tax Roadmap for Photographers is the tax-planning half of that conversation.

Sam runs through the apps that actually earn their place in a photography business — the ones worth paying for, and the free tiers that do the job just as well.

Marcus and Sam cover accounting, task management, CRMs, booking tools, AI, and communication apps, with the specific tools they each use day to day.

• Why a proper accounting app beats an Excel spreadsheet, even for a one-person business
• Task management options — Monday, Asana, Trello — and why the free tiers usually cover it
• What a CRM actually does, and why Sam doesn’t rate photography-specific CRMs over general ones
• Booking apps (Calendly, Doodle) that quietly save hours of back-and-forth
• Where ChatGPT genuinely helps — and the one thing Sam says not to use it for
• Why WhatsApp Business looks more professional than a personal number for client contact

A practical toolkit for anyone tired of running their business out of email and spreadsheets.

This episode is sponsored by Website4Photographers — helping photographers get more leads from their websites. [email protected] or 01482 765871.

Business apps get another look in Software for Photographers, which goes back to basics on the software question first raised much earlier.

Suzanne Suthers has been a personal stylist for 16 years — after training as a nurse, working in fashion, and running her own accessory shop. Now she works mostly with 40-plus business clients, a growing share of them men who started noticing themselves on Zoom.

Marcus and Sam talk to Suzanne about what a stylist actually does on a shoot, why colour choice matters more than most photographers realise, and whether the cost of hiring one is worth it.

• Why lockdown Zoom calls quietly grew Suzanne’s male client base
• The colours that photograph well on almost everyone — and the ones that wash people out
• Why a jacket, and darker tones generally, read as authority on camera
• What Suzanne actually needs from clients before a shoot: outfits, timing, hair and makeup prep
• Whether the extra cost of a stylist is worth it for a client shoot
• The two people — one a national treasure, one a former PM — Suzanne would love to style

A stylist’s eye on the details photographers rarely think to ask clients about.

Working with stylists is a recurring theme — Using Models in your Work covers the same territory from the modelling side instead.

Pete Coco is a New York headshot and portrait photographer — and a jazz musician who spent years working out bass lines by ear before he ever picked up a camera.

Marcus and Sam talk to Pete about what studying the jazz masters taught him about developing his own photographic style, and why he thinks professionalism is the thing photography and music have most in common.

• How years of learning jazz bass lines by ear shaped Pete’s approach to photography
• Why studying the “masters” — in any creative field — isn’t optional if you want your own style
• What mentorship taught Pete that formal training never could
• Why Pete avoids stock libraries for the same reason musicians avoid Spotify royalties
• The unglamorous professionalism (returning calls, showing up on time) that actually wins repeat work
• Why a photoshoot should feel as much like an experience as a concert does

A different lens on developing a style: borrow deliberately, absorb consciously, then make it your own.

Creative cross-pollination doesn't stop at music — Beat Creative Block and Boost Your Productivity: A Guide for Professional Photographers is about beating creative block and staying productive as a working photographer.

Marcus used film for fifteen years. He thinks using film will develop your technique. He says it is magical seeing your own photo being developed on a dark room. Film slows you down and makes you think. Also black and white film will make you appreciate black and white photography and help you with your digital black and white images.

If you want to buy a film camera they have got more expensive than they used to be as they are becoming popular with collectors. A film camera may be around £250. Marcus says films start at around £6 a roll. Marcus doesn’t see the point of using colour film for this. He thinks the key is using black and white and developing it yourself.
Marcus says that Nikon F-Mounts mean that you can use modern lenses on an old body. That isn’t the same with all manufacturers. To develop film you also need some equipment and you can get this quite cheaply on ebay.  
To develop an image the film needs to go into a light tight tank and have some chemicals added. After a few minutes the film will be developed. Marcus says this needs to be done in a light tight room or a bag. The rooms doesn’t have to be 100% dark. Marcus used to use his cupboard under the stairs at night.  After it’s developed the film is washed and then needs to be dried out. At this point the work can be done in light. Most of creativity is done when printing images, but there is some creative things youcan do at this development stage.
The rest of the work needs a dark room, but you can have a red light bulb so you can see what you are doing. You can use a room in your house or clubs and local colleges may have dark rooms you can use. You do need an enlarger which is a more expensive piece of kit. But you can rent them and get them second hand on ebay.
Printing the image involves 3 trays, each with different chemicals in. Marcus used to do this on an ironing board. Once you start this process there is lots of things you can control, for example the contrast. There is then dodging and burning which is about making different parts of the image darker or lighter. You can actually add colour tints as well such as sepia. And then finally the paper choice itself makes a difference the end result. Marcus says the development process is an experience in itself which is worth doing. He says having to pay for every shot on the film makes you slow down and think carefully.

For a genre about as far from film-versus-digital debates as it gets, Falling in Love with Wildlife Photography and African Safaris with David Harrison is a fun change of pace.

Christine Saunders works as a business coach for photographers who are brilliant behind the camera and stuck everywhere else - helping them think like the CEO of their own business, not just the creative. She talks through how to figure out who your target client actually is, why so many photographers price themselves too low, and what it takes to step out of the studio and get seen by the people who could hire you.

Client acquisition stories keep coming - Find great insights into running a photography Business from photographer and podcaster Andrew Hellmich is another guest's insight into running a photography business day to day.