Turning Passion into Profit with Kenna Silvestri: A Journey in Photography
Listen to the podcast:
In this episode of She Is Unstoppable, host Deanna Hinsz interviews Kenna Silvestri, a talented baby and family photographer, about her journey of transforming a passion into a thriving business. Kenna shares her experiences, challenges, and strategies that helped her build a successful photography brand.
Key Insights from the Episode
[00:00:13.880] Introduction
Deanna Hinsz introduces She Is Unstoppable as a podcast for women ready to thrive in their personal and professional lives. The show features inspiring women leaders and entrepreneurs who share their journeys and actionable tips to help listeners build their leadership skills and achieve their goals.
“If you’re looking to take your professional and personal life to the next level, this is the place for you.”
[00:01:47.190] Guest Introduction
Deanna introduces Kenna Silvestri, highlighting her journey from learning the basics of photography to becoming a sought-after photographer in her niche. Kenna opens up about the challenges she faced, lessons learned, and the strategies that have driven her success.
“Kenna opens up about the real challenges she faced, the lessons she learned, and the strategies that helped her transform her business.”
[00:02:07.890] Kenna’s Background and Start in Photography
Kenna shares how she first got started in photography about eight years ago. She describes how a shared interest with a friend led to purchasing her first camera and the support she received from local photographers who mentored her through the early stages.
“We saw other photographers online and we looked at each other, and we’re like, I think we want to do that.”
[00:05:07.330] Early Challenges and Learning Curves
Kenna discusses the challenges she faced in the early years, particularly in mastering camera settings and determining the right pricing for her services. She shares how her initial fear of not having the right equipment was misplaced and how she learned that mastering her skills was more important than constantly upgrading gear.
“Mastering my camera settings should have been really the only thought, and then to upgrade from there is what should have happened.”
[00:09:01.990] Overcoming Fear and Building Confidence
Kenna recalls an early photography session where she struggled with camera settings, leading to disappointing results. She reflects on the lessons learned from that experience and offers advice to other photographers on how to handle similar situations.
“Learn what you did wrong, know how you’re going to fix it for the next shoot, and then reach out to the customer and just be honest.”
[00:15:54.430] The Importance of Pricing and Knowing Your Worth
Kenna explains how she initially struggled with pricing her services and how joining an educational community helped her understand the importance of calculating her cost of doing business. She shares how this realization led her to double her prices and how it impacted her client base.
“I did lose some clients… but then other clients literally didn’t even blink an eye, and they’re like, yeah, we want to book you.”
[00:22:55.930] Leveraging Social Media for Business Growth
Kenna talks about how she has started using Instagram more effectively in recent months, creating reels and content that speak to her ideal clients. She shares how this approach has increased her visibility and engagement, leading to more business opportunities.
“I started speaking to other photographers on my social media for education… and it’s really been great.”
[00:26:40.110] Creating Educational Resources for Photographers
Kenna shares her motivation behind creating a free guide for photographers who want to increase their income. The guide includes tips that have worked for her, as well as a cost of doing business template to help photographers price their services appropriately.
“The guide’s really great… there are things that you can start implementing into your business this week.”
How to Connect with Kenna Silvestri
Kenna offers her free guide and cost-of-doing-business template through her Instagram and website:
- Website: Kenna Marie Photography (Education tab)
- Instagram: @kennamariephotography
Meet Kenna:
Kenna Silvestri is a Family & Motherhood Photographer. She’s a mom of 2 with a full plate in life. After 8 years as a photographer, Kenna has learned how to almost 3x her session pricing and offer a client experience that leaves a clients coming back for more.
Website:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kennamariephotographyy
Facebook:
For more insights and to connect with Kenna Silvestri, visit the podcast notes or check out her social media links. Stay connected with us on Instagram at @deannahinsz and @wearesheiscollective. Remember to subscribe, leave a review, and join us next week for more empowering stories and strategies. Keep striving, and stay unstoppable!
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Read the Transcript
[00:00:13.880] – Speaker 1
Welcome to She is Unstoppable, the go-to podcast for every woman who’s ready to step up, stand out, and thrive. I’m your host, Deanna Hinz. Here on the show, we feature extraordinary women leaders and entrepreneurs. These powerful guests share their journeys of breaking barriers, creating successful ventures, and living lives that inspire. Each episode is packed with real stories and real advice for women who’ve done it. We also provide you with actionable tips and proven strategies to help you build your leadership skills, enhance your business, and achieve your goals. If you’re looking to take your professional and personal life to the next level, this is the place for you. Are you ready to make real changes? Ready to face challenges head-on and turn them into stepping stones? Then you belong with us. Join the community for fierce, unstoppable women. It’s time to get motivated, get inspired, and get moving. Let’s dive into today’s episode and unlock your unstoppable potential. Have you ever wondered how to turn your passion into a thriving business? Well, in today’s episode of She Is Unstoppable, we’re bringing you the inspiring journey of Kenneth Silvestri, a talented baby and family photographer who’s done just that from the early days of figuring out her camera settings to now being a sought-after photographer in her niche, Kenna opens up about the real challenges she faced, the lessons she learned, and the strategies that helped her transform her business.
[00:01:47.190] – Speaker 1
Whether you’re in photography or any other entrepreneurial field, Kenna’s insight on pricing client relationships and building a successful brand will leave you motivated and ready to elevate your own venture. So get ready. As Kenna shares her story and surprising secrets behind her success.
[00:02:07.890] – Speaker 2
Kenna I am so excited to have you on the show again because a while ago, we started this off doing it together, and I miss you.
[00:02:19.390] – Speaker 3
Aw.
[00:02:20.240] – Speaker 2
This is. I’m, like, so stoked. I’m like, yes, I’m gonna be here.
[00:02:24.310] – Speaker 3
I’m so excited to be here.
[00:02:27.290] – Speaker 2
Thank you. Thank you. So I want to talk about your photography business, because you’ve been doing photography for quite some time now, and it’s growing, and I honestly love just sitting back and watching you and everything that you’re doing behind the scenes, like, go, cat.
[00:02:49.000] – Speaker 3
This is awesome. That’s so funny.
[00:02:51.180] – Speaker 2
You’re doing it. You’re doing.
[00:02:52.510] – Speaker 3
Thank you.
[00:02:53.180] – Speaker 2
Great job. You’re welcome. You’re welcome. I’m like, I can’t tell you. I’ve talked to photographers, and I’m like, you need to check out my cousin because. Or my niece because she’s doing it like it happened, and it’s just, she has a lot of great information. So, yeah, I think you’re really doing a good job and it’s not just because you’re my Nikki.
[00:03:12.300] – Speaker 3
Thank you. Oh, thank you. I appreciate it. A lot of people have been telling me, you know, that they are inspired by, you know, seeing me online and whatnot. So that’s really encouraging to hear because some days, you know, as an entrepreneur, we could feel like, am I even doing anything? Does anybody see me?
[00:03:28.140] – Speaker 2
Like, I feel like I’m doing stuff, but is anything happening? Does anybody?
[00:03:32.540] – Speaker 3
Yes.
[00:03:33.820] – Speaker 2
No, we hear you.
[00:03:35.340] – Speaker 3
Yes. Thank you.
[00:03:37.620] – Speaker 2
So I want to take it back just a little bit and talk about how you first got started in photography. I was telling somebody the other day. Cause another photographer actually commented to me, they’re like, I love your new branding photos. Oh, that was, I was in Ohio and Kenna is my niece, she’s my branding photographer and I love it because I remember when she was a little girl, I would love to take pictures of her. I said, and now she’s my go to for taking pictures of me. Yeah, but I never asked you before, like, how did you even get started in photography?
[00:04:13.510] – Speaker 3
Yeah, so I was living with one of my best friends at the time. This was eight years ago, possibly a little bit more. I have been charging for photography for eight years, so it’s probably a little bit longer than eight years. Let’s just say eight and a half to nine. I was living with one of my best friends and we both have creative minds. She went to school for marketing and I was, of course, jumping around to every degree because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. But at the time, we were just sitting there bouncing ideas back and forth. We saw other photographers online and we looked at each other. We’re like, I think we want to do that. Like, you know, I want to do that. She’s like, yeah, I want to do that too. And it was approaching the holiday, so I think we just bugged our family members to kind of get us gear for Christmas. And so that’s how that all snowballed. And then once we got our gear, we still just teamed up. We reached out to other local photographers. We mentored with them together. We went out with them.
[00:05:07.330] – Speaker 3
These photographers were so generous. They were great photographers in our area. Still are, some of them. And they took us under their wing. They brought us out to show us camera settings in, you know, a setting that we would be shooting in, like out in fields with people we would have our friends come with us and photograph them. So we did all of that with some other photographers, like a mentorship. And then we just started offering shoots for free, and then it just took off from there. I actually, at a point, was wanting thought I wanted to do videography, so I kind of started with photography a little bit and then really started with videography after that. But it wasn’t long before I realized that photography was where I wanted to be.
[00:05:53.750] – Speaker 2
I love that because you don’t really know, like, you’re figuring it out in those beginning years, and that’s. And I love the fact that you shared how other photographers, like, took you both in and said, yeah, let me show you. Like, they didn’t fear competition because they were fully aware there was enough business for everybody. So that’s awesome to hear. Like, kudos to those photographers, whoever they were that just shared their knowledge with you. That’s pretty awesome. It says a lot about them.
[00:06:22.590] – Speaker 3
Yes, completely free. Like, was very willing to just meet and chit chat and answer any questions that we had. It was amazing. And I still have the one photographer wrote me out pages of, well, wrote us both out pages of notes on camera settings and editing settings and all this kind of stuff. I still have them in a folder with all my camera stuff. Yep. I just saw them, like, last week. I was like, oh, my gosh, I’m keeping these forever.
[00:06:48.720] – Speaker 2
Yeah, right? I mean, how awesome. Yeah, it’s really, really cool. So when you first decided, okay, I kind of like this. Like, I like doing photography. Not sure where I want to take it, if I want to go into videography too, or stay photography, but decided to stay photography. What were some of those challenges you first faced when you started Ken and Marie photography?
[00:07:14.670] – Speaker 3
Yeah. So camera settings and purchasing gear. Although, you know, now looking back, I realize that that shouldn’t have been even a thought in my mind. Like, mastering my camera settings should have been really the only thought, and then to upgrade from there is what should have happened. But definitely my camera setting. So that was a big learning curve for me. I feel like it took me years to learn my sweet spot and know how to just quickly toggle between my camera settings and to make the picture look really good behind my camera screen and then just really elevate it in the editing process. So I would say that, and then knowing where to price myself was tricky just because no one ever taught me the proper way to price myself. And so I was just kind of going off of what I thought I was Worth and what other people in the area I thought were charging or what I thought people would pay. So those were two big learning curves.
[00:08:15.310] – Speaker 2
I want to get back to the pricing, but before we start talking about that, I want to hop over to what you said at the beginning. Mastering your camera settings. Yeah, like, I get that. Like, yeah, gotta really sharpen your skills if you want to stand out, because there are a million photographers out there, right? I mean, that’s not. There’s a lot of photographers, a lot of competition, and if you really want to stand out, you really need to sharpen your skillset. But you also said equipment, and then you said, but I shouldn’t have been worried about that. Right. But as a beginner, you were. So explain what you’re afraid of. And then the second part of that question is, why do you say now? But I shouldn’t have been explain that. For somebody who’s feeling that same fear.
[00:09:01.990] – Speaker 3
Right now, I think I was afraid of delivering not a quality product or more so being in the middle of a session and not knowing what to do. And I thought, different equipment, like, if I just had the new lens or if I just had the new camera, like, my pictures will be great, but that’s not the case. And fortunately, and unfortunately, I put myself through, like, not knowing my camera settings during certain sessions, like, and getting home and realizing, oh, my gosh, these pictures are not good, you know, or being in the middle of a session and looking at the back of my camera, and I would take the picture and that would pop up and it would be, like, black. And I’m like, what am I doing? Like, how do I change this? You know? And now I’m like, I can’t ever even believe that I was at that session and didn’t know how to change it. But we do it and we learn from it. And there was one session in the beginning where I. This exact situation, I was taking the pictures. It was indoor family. The pictures were showing up black on my camera, and I was just playing it off, like, no, these are great.
[00:10:05.410] – Speaker 3
These are great. These are great. And I, like, didn’t charge this person much at all, I want to say. I asked for, like, dollar 50 for the session, which shouldn’t have even been that. And I got home and I adjusted them as much as I could. I turned, I tried to make them as bright as I can, but if you’re a photographer, you know, when you take a dark photo and try to make it as bright as you can, it’s really grainy. And so I delivered these and they were just not quality photos. And the girl never paid me for them, but she didn’t really say that they weren’t good pictures. She just, like, never paid me. And for years, actually, I was kind of annoyed by that. But then I was like, you deserve that, Kenna. You know, so I think I feared being in the middle of a session and that exact thing happening, because it did happen to me. So what was the second part? Was it the solution to that?
[00:10:58.680] – Speaker 2
Yeah. So why do you know now that that’s not an issue?
[00:11:03.000] – Speaker 3
Yeah, because so the first camera that I ever had, I shot Nikon before I actually shot canon. Not that that really matters, but it was just kind of like a basic version of the camera. I don’t think it was even a $1,000. So it was one of the base models and that camera. I have read blogs and stuff now where other photographers make a killing using base model cameras, and it’s all just because they know their settings. They know how to adjust the settings that they need to when they’re in certain situations, and any camera can really do it. And, yeah, of course you’re going to get better quality image with, like, the newest camera. But I wish I would have just been patient and really learned my camera settings and learned how to take quality photos, even on the base model before I was, like, so worried about upgrading.
[00:11:49.830] – Speaker 2
You know, I’m sure a lot of people go through that.
[00:11:52.700] – Speaker 3
I feel like it’s like, can relate to any profession, right?
[00:11:55.810] – Speaker 2
Cause I even know, you know, with website design and podcasting, right. It’s like, oh, I need to upgrade this. I need to get that. And then you see somebody else using something, they’re like, oh, I need that, too.
[00:12:07.860] – Speaker 3
Yes.
[00:12:08.500] – Speaker 2
And I can see where it does. It fits into every industry. So I have another question before we go. When you took those photos and they were black and you try to edit them and she didn’t pay you and you were kind of frustrated for that, but then you realized, well, Kenna, like, come on now. It really wasn’t quality, and she shouldn’t have paid you for it.
[00:12:30.420] – Speaker 3
Yeah.
[00:12:30.860] – Speaker 2
Looking back, if that would happen today or if that would happen, like, say, to another new photographer. Right. That’s going through it, what advice would you tell them? How would you tell them to handle that?
[00:12:43.500] – Speaker 3
That’s a great question, and I wish I would have been vulnerable enough to, like, open up to what was what I did so someone else could tell me, can I, like, get real? But I would just say, you know, this is a learning opportunity you don’t have to like, upset yourself for it. Just do what you can to make it right and move on and learn from it. So I would say, say, try not before you even offer them another shoot, which we’ll get there. But try to understand, like, what you did wrong. Why did those pictures come out black and what are you going to do next time so they don’t come out black when you’re in that same lighting situation, you know, because a lot of us photographers like, bring our cameras outside and it’s a beautiful day and we’re like, wow, this picture looks great. And then when we get inside to like, yellow lighting and dimmer, it’s not great. And we just don’t know how to fix it. That’s what happened to me. And so I would say, learn what you did wrong. Know how you’re going to fix it for the next shoot and then reach out to the customer and just be honest like my parents have always ingrained in me, like, just be honest and it will work out for you.
[00:13:45.490] – Speaker 3
But just say, you know, I’m learning. I know what I did wrong. I would love to offer you guys a reshoot. I would do it for free, without a doubt. And unfortunately, sometimes that is hard to do, especially if you’re struggling for money. But if this is a serious profession that you want to get into and build a good clientele and good word of mouth, then that’s just what you have to do.
[00:14:07.200] – Speaker 2
I think that’s great advice because, you know, I think about times when I purchase something, not photography, but just anything, I purchased something from somebody, a service, and it wasn’t delivered as expected. And I’ll always give the person another chance that was honest, that owned it and said, hey, listen, this is what happened. And because I get it, because I’m human, I make mistakes, too. I’m far from perfect. But if they can humble themselves enough to say this wasn’t what it should be, it’s not what I expected. Not what you expected, then I will always give that person another chance. But if there’s somebody I’ve worked with which has happened a lot and the services isn’t delivered and they make excuses and I just get frustrated and I’m like, I will never use that company, that person, that business again because I just didn’t own it. So I agree with you. I think being honest with the person is the best. I think the majority of people also understand because we’ve all made mistakes. And if you do the right thing all the time, it will work out more times than not. I’m sure there’s times where it won’t work out.
[00:15:19.410] – Speaker 2
The person is not going to care what the reason or what you have to say. And that’s okay. That’s not your ideal client anyhow. Just move on. Talking about learning experience. Exactly what you just shared.
[00:15:31.380] – Speaker 3
Yeah, exactly.
[00:15:33.360] – Speaker 2
Great advice. So now I want to get to the pricing part that you touched on, because again, this can cross over to so many industries in pricing their services, but in photography, a lot of photographers struggle with pricing their services. How did you determine how much to charge for your work?
[00:15:54.430] – Speaker 3
Yeah, so in the beginning, like I said, I kind of just threw a number out there based off what I thought people in the area would pay, and then based off what I thought I was worth and based off what I thought other photographers were charging or what I knew some other photographers were charging. And at that time it was just I didn’t really offer anything to my clients except showing up, taking their pictures and then delivering their pictures. That was it. But over time, I realized that I wanted to stand out a little bit more. And I also had to be making more money from this. I really didn’t even know how much money I was making for this. I didn’t even have a CRM system in the beginning. I didn’t track everything how I should. So about a year ago, I was like, things have got to change here. I love this, but I’m getting burnt out. I feel like I’m overbooking myself. I’m shooting too much and not making what I should be for the hours that I’m putting in. I was delivering like a ton of images for even my mini sessions that were 15 minutes.
[00:16:53.460] – Speaker 3
I would deliver like over 80 images, which is just absurd. And if you’re doing that, it’s fine. Some people do do it, I guess. But for me, it wasn’t working because I knew the quality of everything was just going down. My quality of life, my quality of love for the business, my quality of images, my client experience, everything. And so I joined an education community. And the first thing they asked me, because of course I asked about pricing, like, how did you guys start pricing yourself this much? And the first thing they asked me is, well, did you do your cost of doing business? And I was like, no. And so I went on Google. I was like, what is cost of doing business? I had no idea.
[00:17:36.370] – Speaker 2
Thank God for Google.
[00:17:37.530] – Speaker 3
Well, after seven years, yeah, thank God for Google after seven years because I didn’t want to sound stupid in the group. So what is cost of doing business? I looked it up. All these different templates come up, these definitions come up, and I was like, oh, my gosh, this sounds like a headache. And so I was like, I have to do it, though, because I really have no idea. So I took one day and I sat down and I went through all my expenses. And if you don’t know cost of doing business, I don’t know the proper definition, but it’s basically taking all of your business expenses that you spend on your business and then figuring out what you are charging for this, what you need to be charging for this session, basically to just break even. And then from there, you could figure out what salary you actually want to be making and then add that onto your session pricing in the photography world. And so I sat down one day, I put in all my business expenses, and I, at the time, I was charging $350. It spit out a number to me and it’s like, $650 is what I had to be charging.
[00:18:37.010] – Speaker 3
I was like, what? Like, no way. No way are people gonna. What did you say?
[00:18:44.240] – Speaker 2
What were you charging at that time when you did this?
[00:18:47.040] – Speaker 3
I was charging $350 for a ton of images that I would deliver.
[00:18:53.700] – Speaker 2
So it’s asking you to double what you are going to charge.
[00:18:58.200] – Speaker 3
Yes, double what I was going to charge almost double. Yeah. I was like, I have to be charging 650. That was just to break even. And I was like, so I have to be charging more than $650 per session. So that’s how. And then from there, a lot of things got added into my business. I set a price based off, you know, the salary that I wanted to make and have just kind of elevated it every day from there. And we’re still in the process of, you know, revamping it little by little as I learned new things, so. But that cost of doing business template is exactly what, kind of, like, put it in my face, like, this is it. And there’s no question about it.
[00:19:35.140] – Speaker 2
Right? You’re right. It is what it is. This is exactly what you need to be making, or else you’re going to take a loss.
[00:19:41.610] – Speaker 3
Yep. Yes, exactly.
[00:19:43.440] – Speaker 2
So when you made that adjustment and you changed your pricing, how did that impact your clients?
[00:19:51.030] – Speaker 3
Did it?
[00:19:51.890] – Speaker 2
Your clients?
[00:19:52.940] – Speaker 3
Great question. Yeah, because I had a lot of repeat clients, and so I did lose some of them. I reached out and, you know, people who wanted to book a new session with me that has booked it before, I just said, hey, you know, I just want to let you know there’s some things that have changed in my business to better align with my business goals and my lifestyle. And this is the new pricing that I have. I would do. In the beginning, I did do, like, a 10% return client discount just to kind of, like, keep them on, hopefully keep them on board. But I have since stopped that, I guess, not for any real specific reason, but, yeah, I did lose some clients. Some clients would email me back and say, you know, I get pictures so often or multiple times a year that, like, this just doesn’t make sense for me. But then other clients literally didn’t even blink an eye, and they’re like, yeah, we want to book you. We’re ready. And so you in. In that process of losing clients, keeping some of the same ones on. I’ve gained a ton of new clients that are I.
[00:20:55.220] – Speaker 3
And part of me doesn’t like saying this, but they’re more of my ideal client anyway. And I don’t want to say ideal client and any certain type of person, it’s just a client that is willing, that realizes your worth as the photographer.
[00:21:10.840] – Speaker 2
You know, there’s nothing wrong. I get. I understand where you’re. Why you’re, like, don’t want to say it, because if you say ideal client, that it makes the person who’s really not your ideal client feel like they don’t measure up to what you want. But the reality is, it’s so important to know what that ideal client is because that’s the ideal person you want to work with. But that doesn’t mean you can’t help others that are outside of that, outside of that scope. You absolutely and can deliver a great product. But as an entrepreneur, we have to know if we could make up our perfect client. What does that look like?
[00:21:46.610] – Speaker 3
Yeah, I actually remember when I was revamping my website, you kind of had this talk with me because I think I was asking you about copyright, kind of like what I should put where. And you were like, well, who are you talking to? You know, like, you have to write as if you’re talking to the exact person that you want to be taking on as the client. And I was like, duh, genius. You know, like, you have to know.
[00:22:08.820] – Speaker 2
So simple. But a lot of people miss that. They don’t. They miss it because they’re afraid of talking to one person because they feel then they’re leaving other people out. And then that means leaving money on the table, and that means not making as much money. But actually, the opposite happens when you do that.
[00:22:26.660] – Speaker 3
Yeah. Yeah, 100%. I’m now booking less sessions than I did last year, and I’m making more. So that’s good. It all worked out. Yeah.
[00:22:37.150] – Speaker 2
Right. So I can’t not talk about your social media and your instagram because I love watching everything you’re posting now. You’ve started using, you’ve always used social media, but you’re using a little bit different right now.
[00:22:55.930] – Speaker 3
Yeah.
[00:22:57.870] – Speaker 2
First off, can you say, share with us how you’re using social and then how is that impacting your business, if at all?
[00:23:05.610] – Speaker 3
Yeah. Yeah. So before I was posting just pictures and carousels of my sessions, and I kind of, I posted a few reels here and there, but I kind of stayed away from it just because it seemed like so much work. You know, I have two little boys, I have a job, like a whole busy life, and making reels. You know, you read these things about taking a day to just batch create content, and I’m like, I can’t imagine sitting there for like 4 hours creating ten reels. Like, it just seemed like so much for me. And I don’t know what switched these last two months, but I, oh, I wanted to get into the online space more. I can see the opportunity that’s there. There’s a ton of people online that are making a great living on sharing their knowledge. And I’m like, I’ve been in this for eight years. Like, I know a thing or two. You know, even if I’m talking to the beginner photographer, I know a thing or two that I could teach them. And even if I’m talking to, there’s so many people that I could speak to based off my experience that I have and where I’m at now.
[00:24:10.020] – Speaker 3
And so I was like, I could do this. So I just started thinking of content that I wanted to put out there in the education space, separate from my photography sessions, like speaking to my ideal client. And I just started putting stuff out there. I would start taking b roll content behind the scenes, like videos at random times. I got a tripod for my phone and I would just set it up. Sometimes whether I was playing with the boys, whether I was editing a gallery or doing a virtual client meeting, I would just video myself constantly. And then at night, laying in bed, I would just put together these reels. And I started speaking to other photographers on my social media for education piece, for me to share my education pieces. I kind of hyped up different education pieces that I was going to be releasing in a few weeks. And I just kept talking about it over and over. I even made like, you know, some of the same reels, just worded slightly different. And I did it every day, sometimes multiple times a day. And I. It’s really been great. I really, like, I’ve had great feedback from it.
[00:25:14.890] – Speaker 3
I ended up releasing a free guide for photographers who want to make, you know, a good income as a family and motherhood photographer. And then I ended up releasing my cost of doing business template that I use and selling that on my Instagram link in my bio, and it’s just really taken off. People have responded great to my reels. They’ve been sharing my reels. They’ve been saving my reels. It’s kind of crazy. And so I just keep going, no, you’ve inspired me.
[00:25:44.490] – Speaker 2
I’m like, okay. I’ve been telling people for how long, like, video, video, and then I’m the last one to do it. I go, yes. Kind of killing it. I’m loving what you were doing because you did make it so simple, like, you know, and it did seem daunting to me to have to create video content in reels. And I’m like, God, she makes it look so easy. If she can do this, I can do this.
[00:26:06.350] – Speaker 3
Yeah.
[00:26:07.240] – Speaker 2
So you’re doing a great job with that.
[00:26:09.770] – Speaker 3
Thank you.
[00:26:10.780] – Speaker 2
Yeah, you’re. If you’re not following Ken on Instagram, I highly recommend you go and find her on Kennamari photography on Instagram and follow, because it’s just. It’s great content if you’re a photographer, and if you’re not, you can learn a thing or two.
[00:26:28.110] – Speaker 3
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Thank you.
[00:26:30.910] – Speaker 2
You’re welcome. So I want to talk about this free guide that you have. So tell me about this free guide again. And first off, what motivated you to create it?
[00:26:40.110] – Speaker 3
So what is. I don’t know if you’re still. My headphones, they sound like they died for a second. So what motivated me to create it was realizing, like, looking back at my photography career and seeing that at one time, I was charging $350 and delivering all these photos and had no client experience, and then seeing where I am now, charging $750 per session, having my clients add on additional things for every session, making, you know, each session close to $1,000 or more, and having. Having a client experience where I give my clients more than just the session in their images. And so I was like, this is great, and it’s working for me. And I was in a spot where it wasn’t working, and I know the things that I’ve changed, and so I was like, I want to help. And I had somebody say to me, I had somebody say to me a few months ago when I was trying to figure all this photography stuff out, this was probably six months ago, actually, and he’s a well established photographer many years, and he said, you’re never going to make it in this area if you’re not shooting weddings.
[00:27:48.080] – Speaker 3
And at first I believed it because I was like, I guess I kind of believe that because all the big photographers in this area are wedding photographers. But then as I made some changes in my business and realized, okay, I can do it, I was like, okay, that’s a lie, and you can do it. You can do it. So, yeah, I just wanted to help other photographers who maybe have that same mindset that I used to realize, like, hey, you can do this. A few things just need to be changed around. Yeah, you have to stand out in a certain way.
[00:28:17.110] – Speaker 2
Don’t you love it when that happens? Because I had a well known digital marketing agency owner say to me, you’ll never make it if you stay on social media because it’s a kid’s playground. Nobody will take you seriously. And that was, of course, right when I started out and I was using social media and it was still more traditional marketing that was being done and not social and, yeah. To say, hmm, yeah, we can. Are you marketing on social media now?
[00:28:49.500] – Speaker 3
Yeah. Yeah. It’s not. You should be.
[00:28:51.790] – Speaker 2
It feels so good when you realize it’s somebody that you respect that does a good job and is well respected in the community for what they do and their craft, when you realize, hey, wait a minute, they’re wrong and doing something different, and I’m doing it right, you know, and that’s such a great example that you shared. Because sometimes I think as entrepreneurs, we feel like we need to have all the answers for everything and that we need to, we look at company a who’s killing it, and we look up to them and we think, well, if we could do it like they’re doing it, but the reality, if we do it the way we want to do it, we can make a killing. Like not having all those answers and figuring our own path, path out is actually more rewarding than trying to hate somebody else. So I love that.
[00:29:43.070] – Speaker 3
Yes, 100%. I agree. I think sometimes it can just be scary, because sometimes people are in a situation where they might need to make a certain income, so they get nervous and then they just do what is like working. However, my advice in that situation would to be to get another job. And I know this isn’t ideal for everybody. It could be like temporary job, just a cushion for you. That way you don’t feel pressured to make the wrong decisions in your dream business and you could actually make the correct decisions that will, in the long run, serve you much, much better than as if you just made quick decisions just to make a quick buck. Like eventually clients are going to see right through that.
[00:30:26.440] – Speaker 2
Yeah. I’m so glad you shared that, too, because it’s true. When I work with entrepreneurs, the ones that go into panic mode because they feel like they need to be making x number of dollars, you know, by month three or month six, and they’re not seeing it, they automatically, it’s like they’re grabbing on every client and it just, you feel it as the client. You hear it in their social media and their content. You feel it and it feels pressured and not authentic. Where when you have, and it lacks confidence. Right. So when you have that time, if you like what you said, if you get another job, some sort of a cushion and you can take your time and do it right, there’s also that level of confidence that comes across, too, because, you know, you’re not pressuring or you don’t feel the pressure.
[00:31:16.970] – Speaker 3
Yeah. Yep, definitely. I agree.
[00:31:20.510] – Speaker 2
So what is in this free guide that they can get? I know it gives some of the secrets, and I don’t want to give all my way because you do some really cool things that photographers don’t do. And it’s inside this free guide, but just a ballpark without giving it all away.
[00:31:34.990] – Speaker 3
Yeah. So I give the five, my five tips on how to start making $1,000 from almost every session. And those tips are things that I’ve done in my business that I have learned without them and I’ve learned with them. And I’ve realized that these things are really working for me. And I truly believe that they could work for a lot of other photographers. And you could even take the tips that I give in this guide and kind of put your own unique twist on it. So the guide’s really great. It gives practical tips. It gives tips to try to switch your mentality a little bit. And so I don’t want to share everything. You should just go download it because it’s a good read. It’s a quick read, it’s an easy read. And there are things that you can start implementing into your business this week, but they’re just things that I added to my business that have really either elevated my client experience or have really altered my mindset as to how I view my business and how I run my business. So and then at the end of the guide, I share my cost of doing business templates.
[00:32:36.900] – Speaker 3
So if you’re one of those photographers who are just through a number out there and you don’t really know why you’re charging what you’re charging, but you’re kind of booking it, but you’re kind of firmed out, this cost of doing business template will just really put you in a place to tell you exactly what you need to be charging. And then you could kind of take the tips that I share in the guide and work those in to make you feel confident of that number that the template spit out for you.
[00:33:00.850] – Speaker 2
Oh, I love it. I love it. How can I get this? What is your website? And Instagram is mainly where you’re at, is that correct?
[00:33:07.660] – Speaker 3
Yes. Yep. Yeah. I don’t know if I. Oh my gosh. I don’t know if I linked the education piece to my website yet. I have to go.
[00:33:13.750] – Speaker 2
Oh my God, I need to go.
[00:33:15.350] – Speaker 3
Look, I know by the time it will be done, sign off. Yes, it will be done. You’re right. It really will be. So you can go to my website at www.kenamarifhotography.com. i will have, if I don’t already, an education tab. I think it’s there, an education tab. And it will be linked on that page, my free guide and my cost of doing business template. Or you could go to enemariephotography on Instagram. It has two whys at the end. Kennebhotography on Instagram the link in my bio has both of these things, and you could get them downloaded instantly to your computer.
[00:33:49.360] – Speaker 2
So awesome. Kenna, thank you so much for taking time out of your day to talk with us. Appreciate it. And I love seeing your gorgeous face always same.
[00:33:58.270] – Speaker 3
Thank you for having me. I also love seeing your gorgeous face.
[00:34:02.040] – Speaker 2
All right, everybody, we’ll catch you next week. See ya.
[00:34:20.170] – Speaker 1
Thank you for joining me today on today’s episode of she is unstoppable. I hope the tools and tips shared by today’s guests inspired you to take your business and leadership skills to the next level. A big thank you to carbon Silk for sponsoring today’s empowering session. Remember to subscribe to our podcast to keep up with all the latest strategies and stories. If you found today’s episode valuable, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Your feedback not only supports our growth, but also helps others find us. Stay connected with us on Instagram, either Deannahens or we are. She is collective for daily inspiration and additional resources. Tune in next time for more insights that will help you grow and lead with confidence. Thank you for listening and thank you again to carbon Silk for your support. Keep striving and stay unstoppable.
