With Laura Esmond

In this episode, we're talking about something every portrait photographer will face at some point: hard seasons.

Maybe you're struggling to book clients. Maybe you had a session that didn't go as planned. Maybe you're feeling discouraged, questioning yourself, or wondering if you still have what it takes.

I've been there more times than I can count.

This episode was inspired by a friend who's preparing to run the Leadville 100, one of the toughest endurance races in the world. As I thought about the mental preparation required to finish a race like that, I couldn't help but see the parallels to running a business.

Because the truth is, building a photography business isn't just about learning marketing or sales. It's about learning how to keep going when things get hard.

Today I'm sharing the four mental tools that have helped me navigate difficult seasons over the last 26 years. These are the tools that have helped me push through setbacks, quiet the negative self-talk, and stay in the game.

If you've been feeling discouraged lately, I hope this episode reminds you that you're not behind, you're not incapable, and you're certainly not alone.

In this episode, we'll talk about:

• Why you should expect hard seasons instead of fearing them
• How your response to setbacks shapes your future
• Why taking one small step is more powerful than chasing the entire plan
• A better way to use visualization other than a vision board
• A simple way to organize your thoughts when you feel overwhelmed
• Why adversity isn't working against you. 

If this episode encouraged you, I'd love for you to share it with another photographer who might need to hear it today.

Until next time, keep building the business and the life you've been called to create.

Connect with Laura:
https://www.lauraesmond.com/

https://www.instagram.com/lauraesmondeducation/

You know those sessions where everything just flows? The light cooperates, the kids cooperate, you and your clients are completely in sync, and you drive home thinking that was magic — I could never repeat that.

Morgan Williams doesn't accept that. She says the magic is repeatable. But only if you understand what actually created it, and that answer goes deeper than your prompts, your presets, or your Pinterest board. It comes down to knowing your purpose as a photographer, the thing you specifically were created to make, and building every piece of your business from that place.

Morgan is a family photographer and educator in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the founder of Flourish, a five-month mastermind and retreat that helps photographers uncover their creative purpose and build a business around it. In this conversation, we get into why so many of us are tending to all the little pieces of our businesses, the fonts, the editing, the client emails, the marketing, without a thread holding them together, and what changes when you find that thread.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The difference between your style, your voice, and your purpose — and why purpose has to come first
• Why your work gets easier to price (and easier to sell) when it's something clients can't get anywhere else
• The magic sessions: why they happen, why we let them stay a mystery, and how to make the feeling repeatable
• The reflective work of studying your own sessions to find what you're actually meant to create
• Morgan's favorite client questionnaire question — the one that turns a family's ordinary daily rhythms into art
• How purpose becomes your filter for trends, so you stop getting tossed around by every industry shift
• The industry-wide lie that your work has to look a certain way to be "luxury" or to work with in-person sales
• Why income level doesn't determine what a client will invest in photography — and who Morgan's clients actually are
• Time management for photographer moms: brain dumps, hour-by-hour assignments, and why Morgan finally gave herself permission to add five hours of childcare a week
• Working on your business versus working in it — and protecting the deep-focus time where momentum actually happens

Flourish enrollment for the current cohort has closed, but the next cohort opens for enrollment in October 2026 and begins in January 2027. Join the waitlist here: https://morganwilliamsphoto.com/flourish-waitlist

Connect with Morgan Williams: https://morganwilliamsphoto.com/education/

A few months ago, portrait photographer Laura Gattis called me and said the words so many of us have felt but rarely say out loud: I am really struggling. She had just come home early from an industry retreat, and over the next two weeks, a string of small moments stacked up until she found herself at an awards ceremony with tears streaming down her face, asking herself what she'd done with her life.

Here's the thing. Laura has run a thriving portrait business in Tampa for over 13 years. Her clients adore her, her black and white childhood portraits are unmistakable, and she built all of it while being fully present for her kids. By every real measure, she has succeeded. But comparison doesn't care about real measures, and in this episode, Laura gets honest about imposter syndrome, the feeling of being left behind in the photography industry, and what finally lifted the weight.

In this episode, we talk about:

• The retreat, the group text, and the awards ceremony — the story of how comparison quietly became a depression Laura didn't see coming
• Why "what have I done with my life?" had nothing to do with what she'd actually built
• Redefining success when yours doesn't come with a stage or an award
• Choosing family first in your photography business — and why Laura says it's a choice, not a sacrifice
• How Laura handles social media as a photographer who never built her business there
• Her surprising strategy when she feels insecure about another photographer (it involves becoming their friend)
• Protecting your Instagram algorithm and your peace
• Why vulnerability and real community are the antidote to working on an island

Connect with Laura Gattis: www.lauragattisphotography.com, | Instagram @lauragattisphotography

As business owners, it's easy to believe that success means doing everything ourselves. Editing the images. Answering every email. Keeping the house clean. Being present with our kids. Growing the business. Holding it all together.

But what if that belief is exactly what's keeping us exhausted?

In this honest conversation, photographer Shannon Griffin and I talk about the surprising freedom that comes from letting go. From outsourcing editing and household tasks to releasing the guilt about not wanting to play with Barbies, we explore what it looks like to build a business around who you actually are, not who you think you're supposed to be.

Shannon shares her journey as a low-volume, high-end photographer, mother, editor, and entrepreneur, and why embracing support and a secondary source of income has allowed her to create a business and life she truly loves.

Together, we discuss:

• Why doing everything yourself isn't a badge of honor
• The emotional challenge of letting go of control
• How outsourcing can create more space for creativity and family
• The reality of balancing motherhood and entrepreneurship
• Why your business should reflect your personality, values, and season of life
• The difference between being busy and being intentional
• How understanding your "why" can guide every business decision
• The guilt many women feel around work, motherhood, and wanting more
• Building a low-volume business that prioritizes relationships and artistry
• Learning to trust others with parts of your business

Whether you're struggling to delegate, feeling stretched thin, or simply wondering how to create more breathing room in your life, this conversation will remind you that you don't have to carry it all.

Sometimes the greatest growth comes from letting something go.

Connect with Shannon Griffin:
https://www.shannongriffin.com/

Connect with Laura:
https://www.lauraesmond.com/

If this episode resonated with you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who needs the reminder that she was never meant to do it all alone.

Why Photographers Discount — and What It's Really About

If you are a portrait photographer who has ever built a discount into your pricing hoping it would make clients more likely to say yes, this episode is for you. We talk about why the impulse to discount makes complete sense on the surface, what is actually driving it underneath, and why a simple package structure will always outperform a complicated incentive every single time — whether you are shooting family photography, newborns, or motherhood sessions.

In this episode:

• Why discounting your digitals, bundling add-on products, and building in savings rarely moves the family photography clients you are hoping to reach
• What is actually happening in a client's brain during the ordering meeting and why she does not need a discount to say yes
• The real reason portrait photographers reach for incentives when building their pricing guide
• Why simplicity is not a shortcut for family photographers, it is the strategy

Links: The Art of Selling — lauraesmond.com/ips

If it feels harder than ever to stand out as a portrait photographer right now, you’re not imagining it.

In this conversation, Laura sits down with photographer and educator Katie Lamb to unpack one of the biggest challenges in today’s industry: everything looks the same.

From identical editing styles to repeated locations and trends pulled from Instagram and Pinterest, photographers are unintentionally blending in and when that happens, clients default to one thing: price shopping.

But standing out isn’t about being more talented. It’s about being more intentional.

In this episode, Laura and Katie break down what actually differentiates a photography business today (hint: it’s not your presets), how to create an experience clients can’t compare, and why adding something like video + a guided sales process can completely transform your profit per session.

What You’ll Learn

•  Why photographers are blending together more than ever 
•  The real reason clients price shop (and how to stop it) 
•  Why your photography style alone isn’t enough anymore 
•  The two key ways to stand out: experience + product
•  How video creates an emotional, undeniable “I have to have this” moment 
•  What happens when you guide clients instead of just delivering a gallery 
•  Why in-person sales (IPS) isn’t about pressure—it’s about service 
•  How to create a full-circle client experience that leads to higher sales and stronger referrals 

The Create & Sell Bundle: www.katielamb.com/bundle

• Katie’s Creating Session Videos Course
• Laura’s The Art of Selling Course
• A one hour live Q&A with both of us

Together, these approaches help photographers:

•  Create something unique your clients will love
•  And confidently guide clients to go beyond digitals

🔥 Why This Matters

Your clients aren’t just buying photos.

They’re navigating:

•  Busy schedules 
•  Emotional expectations 
•  The pressure of “getting it right” for their family 

If the experience ends with a digital gallery they never print, the value fades.

But when you:

•  Create something tangible 
•  Guide them through decisions 
•  Help them see the meaning behind the images 

You don’t just sell more, you create lasting impact.

About Katie Lamb

Katie Lamb is a photographer and educator who has been in the industry since 2008. With a background in fine art photography, she’s known for simplifying complex things and helping photographers create meaningful, standout work—especially through session films.
Find her education at: www.katielamb.com
Instagram: @katiebethlamb

There’s a version of working on your business that feels productive… but doesn’t actually move anything forward.

In this episode, we’re pulling apart one of the biggest traps photographers fall into, especially in a slow season. Posting more. Tweaking captions. Trying to “stay consistent.” And still feeling like nothing is really changing.

This is not a visibility problem.

It is a differentiation problem.

We’re talking about why being seen more does not lead to being chosen, what clients are actually deciding between when they hire a photographer, and the one question that will shift how you approach your marketing moving forward.

Because the goal is not to compete.

The goal is to be chosen.

In This Episode

•  Why “working on your business” can feel productive but still keep you stuck 
•  The hidden problem with posting more content 
•  What happens when your marketing looks like everyone else’s 
•  The difference between being visible and being chosen 
•  Why beautiful photos, good service, and fast communication are not enough 
•  The trap of relying on style or trends to stand out 
•  The question that changes how you approach your marketing entirely 

Connect

Come find me on Instagram at @lauraesmondeducation for more conversations like this and a behind-the-scenes look at how this work actually gets implemented.

In this episode, I’m joined by family photographer and educator Suzzane Brown for a conversation that feels a little different, in the best way.

We didn’t come in with a strict plan, but what unfolded was an honest, layered discussion about what it looks like to be a photographer right now, in an industry that’s changing quickly, in a world that feels louder than ever, and in a season where so many of us are questioning how we want to show up.

Suzzane is known for creating deeply connected, high-touch client experiences, especially with families in the luxury market, and she brings such a thoughtful, intuitive perspective to both her work and her business. Together, we explore everything from building trust with our clients to navigating the growing conversation around sharing children’s images online, to the pressure of social media and what it might look like to step outside of it.

But underneath all of that, this episode is really about something deeper: coming back to yourself.

Your voice. Your values. Your way of creating and connecting.

We talk about what happens when your work starts to feel disconnected, how to rediscover what actually lights you up, and why the future of this industry may look a lot more human, relational, and experience-driven than we’ve been taught.

If you’ve been feeling a little burnt out, a little unsure, or like you’re craving something more aligned in your business, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why over-planning sessions can actually block connection, and what to do instead
• What high-end clients really want, and why trust matters more than ever
• The evolving conversation around sharing children’s images online
• Social media fatigue and alternative ways to grow your business
• The opportunity to rebrand family photography around connection and experience
• How to rediscover your voice when your work starts to feel stale
• Why burnout often has more to do with overwhelm than creativity
• The power of in-person connection and community-based marketing
• How repetition and discomfort lead to real growth
• The mindset shifts that separate photographers who feel stuck from those who move forward

This one feels like sitting down with a friend and talking through the big questions, the ones that don’t always have clear answers, but are so worth exploring.

Stop Acting Like a Content Creator

Somewhere along the way, the portrait photography industry traded permanence for convenience. We stopped making things and started delivering files. We told ourselves it was progress. This episode is my pushback on that.

If you have been handing over galleries and hoping clients do something with them, this episode is going to reframe what your job actually is and why the photographer who understands that is running an entirely different business than the one who doesn't. 

We talk about the world your client grew up in, why she has no frame of reference for what you're capable of giving her, and what it actually looks like to cross the finish line instead of stopping at mile 25.

This is not a tips episode. It is a line in the sand.

In this episode:

• Why delivering a gallery is not finishing the job and what finishing the job actually looks like
• The identity shift that changes everything downstream: from the photographer who hopes to the photographer who leads
• Why your client isn't nostalgic for printed photographs, she's never had them, and what that means for how you show up
• Why we are memory keepers, not content creators, and why that distinction matters more right now than it ever has

Get Rooted enrollment closes this week for our April start. This is the program where the philosophy in this episode becomes a practice: the pricing, the client process, the ordering meeting, all of it.
lauraesmond.com/getrooted

Follow Laura

Instagram: @reeseandcoportraits

Website: lauraesmond.com

Loved This Episode?

Leave a review! This helps expand our reach and continue doing this work.

And come say hi to Laura on Instagram at @reeseandcoportraits — she actually reads her DMs.

Sources Referenced in This Episode:

Professional Photographers of America

Consumer Technology Information

Official Google blog

UCLA Health

Chatbooks

Psychology Today

Why Your Email List Is Failing You (And How to Fix It)

with Laura Esmond 

About This Episode

If you have an email list that feels like it is just sitting there — people opted in, you send something occasionally, and then nothing really happens — this episode is going to reframe the whole thing for you.

Laura Esmond is a portrait photographer with 26 years of experience and the founder of Get Rooted group coaching. In this follow-up to her guest episode on The Motherhood Anthology podcast, Laura gets into something she dropped into the TMA Facebook group that sparked a lot of questions: how she built her email list to over 4,000 people with open rates above 50%, click rates above 30%, and consistent bookings directly from email — and why almost none of it came from a lead magnet or a paid ad.

The answer is community marketing. Not the kind that lives on Instagram. The kind that happens in actual rooms with actual people — dance studios, country clubs, women's networking events, real estate partnerships, library storytimes. Laura walks through five specific community approaches her studio used, why she never charged for the events themselves, and what the difference really is between a warm lead and a soft one. She also shares the one thing she always does before sending a single email to a potential partner — and why brownies have been part of her marketing strategy for years.

This is a longer conversation but every part of it is practical. Grab a notebook.

What You'll Hear in This Episode

• Why the size of your email list is not the point — and what actually determines whether it converts
• The difference between a warm lead and a soft lead, and why it changes everything about your open rates and bookings
• How Laura's studio used country club events to collect engaged emails from exactly the right families
• Why dance studios are one of the most underutilized marketing partnerships in portrait photography
• What a Headshot Happy Hour is and how it puts you in a room full of women who will refer you for years
• How a real estate agent partnership became one of Laura's most reliable long-term referral sources
• What Laura did with her studio space every week that kept a steady stream of new mothers walking through her door
• Why she never charged for community events — and exactly what she was charging for instead
• The brownies-before-email rule and why humans don't get ignored the way emails do
• How to take one concrete first step this week without overhauling your entire marketing strategy

Key Topics Covered

Warm Leads vs. Cold Leads

Not all email subscribers are the same. Someone who opted in for a freebie is a starting point — you still have to earn their attention. Someone who met you in person, watched you work, and handed you their email in a real conversation is already yours. Laura breaks down why that distinction is the entire reason her email list performs the way it does.

The Five Community Approaches

• Country club events — photographing member gatherings to collect engaged emails from young families
• Dance studio pop-ups — hosted as client appreciation for the studio, not as a revenue event for Laura
• Headshot Happy Hours — quick professional headshots at women's networking events as a community value-add
• Real estate agent partnership — showing up, supporting, and building a long-term referral relationship
• Studio events — monthly Storytime with the local library and weekly lactation classes for new mothers

The Brownies Rule

Before you ever send an email to a potential partner, stop in. Bring something for the staff. Ask to speak with the owner or the person in charge of client happiness. The pitch is simple: let me help you show your clients how much you appreciate them. Emails get ignored. Humans don't.

Links & Resources

Get Rooted Group Coaching

For portrait photographers ready to build a client process that earns — ordering meetings, product pricing, and the full system: lauraesmond.com/getrooted

Mentioned in This Episode

10 Tips To Be Seen — lauraesmond.com/beseen

Follow Laura

Instagram: @reeseandcoportraits

Website: lauraesmond.com

Loved This Episode?

Leave a review! Share it with a photographer friend who has an email list that isn't doing what it should — this one will reframe the whole conversation for them.

And come say hi to Laura on Instagram at @reeseandcoportraits — she actually reads her DMs.

Keywords: email list for photographers, community marketing, portrait photography business, in-person marketing, photography studio marketing, warm leads, motherhood photographer, email open rates, Get Rooted, Laura Esmond, The Motherhood Anthology