Mini Sessions Without Becoming the Cheap Photographer

After 13 years as a professional photographer, Mac Dalton had photographed just about everything. Weddings, seniors, newborns, families, interiors… you name it. But even with all that experience, she still struggled to feel like an expert in anything.Today, I'm chatting with Mac, a Behind the Shot student and current Rebrand member, about what it looked like to finally go all in on brand photography, build her confidence, and create a business she actually wanted to be known for.Mac shares how she went from taking all kinds of photography jobs and constantly investing in education to finally finding the direction and support she needed to put what she was learning into practice. We're talking about what helped her make the pivot, why committing to one niche has made such a difference in her business, and how Behind the Shot helped her in this process.We're talking:Why Mac still struggled with confidence after 13 years in photographyHow Behind the Shot helped her learn to plan and execute brand sessionsThe strategic free shoot that helped launch her brand photography portfolioWhy niching down in your marketing doesn't mean you can never photograph anything elseHow community, feedback, and accountability helped her actually implement what she was learningWhy a few slow months don't mean it's time to pivot againMac also shares how she's on track to make $10,000 more this year than last year, even after experiencing a slower season in her business.If you've been photographing a little bit of everything, struggling to figure out your niche, or wondering if you're really ready to make the jump into brand photography, I think you'll find a lot to relate to in Mac's story!Links & Resources📸 Join the Behind the Shot waitlist! Doors open November 13, and waitlist members get 24-hour early access. This round includes my four-week Mini Session Challenge (November 23–December 18), three live coaching calls, and more!✨ Rebrand: My 12-month program for photographers who want to attract and book more brand photography clients📸 Grab the Ultimate Personal Brand Session Shot List: www.maddiepeschong.com/shotlist📝 Blog: More branding tips and marketing tools to grow your brand photography business💬 Episode ideas?! Connect with me on Instagram!Connect with Mac on Instagram or her website!Let's Connect:Website: maddiepeschong.comInstagram: @maddiepeschongIf you loved this episode, leave a review! It helps other photographers find the show and keeps us creating content you actually want to hear.🎙️✨

In 2021, I made $1,500 in one day shooting mini sessions. And my very next thought was, “If I can make $1,500 in one day, what else is possible?” Fast forward a few years, and I've turned mini session days into $5,000, $7,000, and nearly $7,000 again while working fewer hours. But here's the thing: mini sessions can either be a strategic part of your photography business or a quick cash grab that makes you look cheap (sorry, someone had to say it).I know mini sessions can be a serious brand builder because I've seen it happen in my own business and with photographers I coach. But the difference comes down to how you position, market, and run them. In this episode, I'm breaking down the five things that helped me turn mini sessions into a repeatable, profitable offer that not only fills spots but also brings in full brand photography clients.We're talking:Why offering mini sessions constantly can hurt your brandThe pricing, boundaries, and structure behind my mini session daysHow one marketing shift added $2,000 to my mini session revenueBuilding a waitlist and sending personal invites to fill spotsWhy you can't quietly quit when bookings aren't rolling inMaking booking seamless and increasing revenue through gallery upgradesLinks & Resources📸 Join the Behind the Shot waitlist! Doors open November 13, and waitlist members get 24-hour early access. This round includes my four-week Mini Session Challenge (November 23–December 18), three live coaching calls, and more!✨ Rebrand: My 12-month program for photographers who want to attract and book more brand photography clients📸 Grab the Ultimate Personal Brand Session Shot List: www.maddiepeschong.com/shotlist📝 Blog: More branding tips and marketing tools to grow your brand photography business💬 Episode ideas?! Connect with me on Instagram!Let's Connect:Website: maddiepeschong.comInstagram: @maddiepeschongIf you loved this episode, leave a review! It helps other photographers find the show and keeps us creating content you actually want to hear.🎙️✨

A client once told me she loved her brand photos, but six months later, she hadn't used a single one. Not on her website, Instagram, email, nowhere. And it's kind of embarrassing to admit because she paid me good money, the photos were gorgeous, and she had a great experience. So what happened?I used to think that delivering a beautiful gallery meant my job was done. But if our clients aren't actually using their photos, they're missing out on so much of the value of a brand session. And that matters for us, too! Today, I'm walking you through what happens between the end of a shoot and the next time a client books you, because the gallery is the middle of the story, not the end.We're talking:Why gorgeous photos don't always translate into photos clients actually useThe resources I send clients BEFORE gallery deliveryHow to underpromise, overdeliver, and make your galleries feel more valuableWhy culling your gallery might be your best positioning toolGathering feedback, testimonials, and marketing gold from clientsStaying connected and planting the seed for their next brand sessionLinks & Resources💻 Join the waitlist for Behind The Shot, my course that walks you through how to price, plan, shoot, and deliver a brand session that gets your clients results. Doors open November 13, and waitlist members get a free training November 3, early enrollment access, and exclusive bonuses.📝 Blog: Discover more branding tips and marketing tools to grow your brand photography business💬 Episode ideas?! Connect with me on Instagram!Let's Connect:Website: maddiepeschong.comInstagram: @maddiepeschongIf you loved this episode, leave a review! It helps other photographers find the show and keeps us creating content you actually want to hear.🎙️✨

A couple years ago, I treated myself to a boudoir session, and I'm still obsessed with the photos. But here's the thing: when I think back on that day, the first thing I remember isn't actually the photos. It's how I felt. I felt beautiful, taken care of, and like an absolute star. And that experience is why I still tell all my girlfriends they need to book a session with that photographer.Your brand photography clients are doing the exact same thing. They're going to love their photos, but what they're really going to remember (and tell their friends about) is how you made them feel.In this episode, we're talking about the wildly underrated experience on shoot day and how engaging all five senses can turn a great brand session into one your clients can't stop talking about. Because the experience is the transformation, and those little details are doing more for your marketing than you might realize.We're talking:Why great photos are the bare minimum, not the whole experienceThe five senses and how they shape your client's shoot daySmall touches that make a big impressionHelping nervous clients feel comfortable and confident on cameraHow your client experience leads to better referralsWhy the experience starts long before shoot dayLinks & Resources📸 Grab my free brand session shot list for 10 must-have shots that help you create more variety in your galleries.💻 Join the waitlist for Behind The Shot, my course that walks you through how to price, plan, shoot, and deliver a brand session that gets your clients results. Doors open November 13. Waitlist members will get a 24-hour early access, plus a free training on November 3.📝 Blog: Discover more branding tips and marketing tools to grow your brand photography business💬 Episode ideas?! Connect with me on Instagram!Let's Connect:Website: maddiepeschong.comInstagram: @maddiepeschongIf you loved this episode, leave a review! It helps other photographers find the show and keeps us creating content you actually want to hear.🎙️✨

“I would love to do a brand session, but I don’t even know what we would shoot. I just sit at a computer all day.”If you’ve done brand photography for more than a week, you’ve probably heard some version of this. And if we’re being totally honest, you may have thought the same thing. What ARE we supposed to photograph when someone’s entire job lives on a laptop and inside their brain??The answer isn’t figuring out how to make a laptop look more interesting. (Because the laptop is never going to be that interesting.) The question is: how do you photograph an IDEA? In this episode, I’m walking you through the process I use to turn what a client believes, talks about, and wants to be known for into actual shoot concepts that feel specific to them and their brand.We’re talking:Where to find the ideas your client talks about over and overTurning concepts into props, actions, and settingsWhy the same idea should look completely different for different clientsRunning every shoot concept through your client’s personalityWhy creative direction happens before shoot day, not while you’re scrambling for ideasThe laptop’s rightful place in a brand session (spoiler: it’s not the main character)Links & Resources📸 Grab my free brand session shot list for 10 must-have shots that help you create more variety in your galleries.💻 Join the waitlist for Behind The Shot, my course that walks you through how to price, plan, shoot, and deliver a brand session that gets your clients results. Doors open November 13, and waitlist members will also get a free bonus training!📝 Blog: Discover more branding tips and marketing tools to grow your brand photography business💬 Episode ideas?! Connect with me on Instagram!Let's Connect:Website: maddiepeschong.comInstagram: @maddiepeschongIf you loved this episode, leave a review! It helps other photographers find the show and keeps us creating content you actually want to hear.🎙️✨

Picture this: you finally get your first real brand inquiry. You’re so excited… and then you go to write the proposal and realize you don’t really have a starting point. So you open your wedding pricing guide and start shrinking things. Eight hours becomes three. 600 images becomes 60. You send it off, it looks professional, and then… silence. Or they come back asking, “Okay, but what if we only did an hour and a half?”I know this is how it goes because it’s exactly what I did when I started brand photography. But it took me way too long to realize that the structure was actually the problem. Wedding pricing is smart for weddings. Brand photography is different. In this episode, we’re going one layer back to look at where our pricing habits come from, why hours and image counts don’t communicate the real value of a brand session, and what to do instead.We’re talking:Why selling hours makes sense for weddings—but not brand sessionsThe planning and strategy you’re probably giving away for freeWhy your clients need fewer choices, not more packages and add-onsThe problem with making clients decide how many hours, images, or locations they needThe “so what?” test for turning features into actual valueWhy confidence in your pricing starts with your processLinks & Resources📸 Join the waitlist for Behind The Shot, my course that walks you through how to price, plan, shoot, and deliver a brand session that gets your clients results. Doors open November 13, and waitlist members will also get a free bonus training!📝 Blog: Discover more branding tips and marketing tools to grow your brand photography business💬 Episode ideas?! Connect with me on Instagram!Let's Connect:Website: maddiepeschong.comInstagram: @maddiepeschongIf you loved this episode, leave a review! It helps other photographers find the show and keeps us creating content you actually want to hear.🎙️✨

Someone is going to sit down at her kitchen table in the next few months, make a list of everything she wants to do for her business in 2027, and realize she really needs new photos. Come January, she may start looking for a brand photographer. Are you ready for what happens when she finds you??We’ve spent a lot of time talking about marketing lately, and for good reason. But you can’t pour marketing juice into a leaky cup. More inquiries are great—until the process those clients enter isn’t giving them the experience or the photos they came for.In this episode, we’re looking at the part of your business that happens after your marketing works. I’m walking you through four questions to help you audit your client process before Q1 gets busy.We’re talking:Whether your pricing makes the value clear—or leaves inquiries overwhelmedWhat your past galleries reveal about how you plan sessionsHow both you and your clients feel during a shootWhether clients are using their photos, rebooking, and referring othersWhy you need actual numbers for this audit, not just vibesLinks & Resources✨ Over the coming weeks, we’ll go deeper into pricing, planning, shooting, and delivery. I’m also opening the doors to Behind the Shot November 13–20. Join the waitlist to get a free training before doors open and access to the waitlist bonuses.📝 Blog: Discover more branding tips and marketing tools to grow your brand photography business💬 Episode ideas?! Connect with me on Instagram!Let's Connect:Website: maddiepeschong.comInstagram: @maddiepeschongIf you loved this episode, leave a review! It helps other photographers find the show and keeps us creating content you actually want to hear.🎙️✨

A couple weeks ago on this very podcast, I said referrals are not a marketing strategy. And because nothing is ever black and white in my brain, the second I said it, I thought, “Well… they can be, though.” 😅Here’s what I realized: referrals haven’t gone away. They’ve gone digital. “I’m going to send you her Instagram” is the new referral. Someone hears your name from a friend, past client, or business owner they trust—and then they go look you up. They binge your Instagram. They read your website. Maybe they listen to your podcast. And what they find online can either build on the trust that referral created… or make them question it.For brand photographers especially, that matters. You’re asking people to trust you with their brand, which means your own online presence is doing a whole lot more than just looking pretty. That's what this episode is about.We’re talking:Why word of mouth has officially gone digitalWhat referrals are actually doing after they hear your nameWhy “hot mess” isn’t a strategy for brand photographersThe difference between being yourself and intentionally curating your brandHow your online presence can shorten the time it takes someone to trust youWhy building your brand before you have more time and money isn’t backwards—it’s how you get thereLinks & Resources✨ Join me for Invisible to Inquiries, my upcoming masterclass on September 10 (at 12pm CST) about building a brand with a backbone, getting visible, and turning that visibility into inquiries✨ Learn more about Rebrand, my group program where you get content reviews, marketing and business coaching, and support in becoming a booked out brand photographer. Learn more here!📝 Blog: Discover more branding tips and marketing tools to grow your brand photography business💬 Episode ideas?! Connect with me on Instagram!Let's Connect:Website: maddiepeschong.comInstagram: @maddiepeschongIf you loved this episode, leave a review! It helps other photographers find the show and keeps us creating content you actually want to hear.🎙️✨

A first-class plane ticket totally changed my life. In May 2023, I was heading to Louisville to spend two days with my business coach when she told me to dress in “one-million-dollar business attire” and start imagining myself as Million Dollar Maddie. Naturally, I was annoyed. But I’m also nothing if not a bit of a rule follower, so I went with it. (And because I’m a Taurus who deeply values luxury and comfort, I upgraded to first class.)That experience made me realize that if I wanted to become the version of myself who ran a million-dollar business, I needed to start making decisions like her now. This matters for brand photographers because the version of you making your business decisions is also shaping your brand. When those decisions come from fear, people-pleasing, and trying not to rock the boat, your brand becomes safer, smaller, and much easier to ignore.We’re talking:How I accidentally built a brand from the smallest version of myselfWhy invisibility feels safe but fails every timeWhat your imposter syndrome actually isThe four parts of a brand with a backbonePositioning from fear versus positioning from abundanceAsking what the million-dollar version of you would doLinks & Resources✨ Join me for Invisible to Inquiries, my upcoming masterclass on September 10 (at 12pm CST) about building a brand with a backbone, getting visible, and turning that visibility into inquiries✨ Learn more about Rebrand, my group program where you get content reviews, marketing and business coaching, and support in becoming a booked out brand photographer. Learn more here!📝 Blog: Discover more branding tips and marketing tools to grow your brand photography business💬 Episode ideas?! Connect with me on Instagram!Let's Connect:Website: maddiepeschong.comInstagram: @maddiepeschongIf you loved this episode, leave a review! It helps other photographers find the show and keeps us creating content you actually want to hear.🎙️✨

If it takes you an hour or more to make one reel, I can tell you right now how that reel is going to do: badly. 😬 And I know that because I’ve watched it happen a few hundred times. Somewhere along the way, photographers got the idea that good content has to be complicated—and it’s making Instagram way harder than it needs to be.In this episode, we’re talking about why the content you’re spending the most time creating may actually be hurting your consistency and your results. I’m breaking down what I see over and over in content reviews inside Rebrand, what Instagram is already telling us works, and why I’m a big fan of what I lovingly call “lazy girl content.” Because the goal isn’t to make sloppy content. It’s to make simple, strategic content you can actually sustain.We’re talking:Why complicated content often doesn’t performWhat “lazy girl content” actually looks likeThe five-to-seven-second B-roll ruleWhy one piece of content should make one singular pointHow overcomplicating content kills your consistencyA 10-minute content challenge to try this weekLinks & Resources📱 Join my free Visibility Challenge, starting September 1: simplify your content and make sure your Instagram profile is ready when new people find you✨ Learn more about Rebrand, my group program where you’ll get content reviews, coaching, and support growing your brand photography business. Learn more here!📝 Blog: Discover more branding tips and marketing tools to grow your brand photography business💬 Episode ideas?! Connect with me on Instagram!Let's Connect:Website: maddiepeschong.comInstagram: @maddiepeschongIf you loved this episode, leave a review! It helps other photographers find the show and keeps us creating content you actually want to hear.🎙️✨