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

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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

A lot of pricing advice in the photography industry tells you to either give all the digitals away at a ridiculous price or withhold digital files to pressure clients into investing in artwork they may not be ready for. What if there’s a different way to honor a client's wish for the digitals while not sacrificing your ability to get your photos on their walls.

In this episode I explain exactly why I structure my prices the way I do, share the pricing philosophy behind everything I teach in Get Rooted, and tell the client story that made me certain I was right. Includes a practical framework for how to actually set prices at whatever stage of business you are in right now.

In this episode:

· Why Laura does not hold digital files hostage -- and what she does instead

· The difference between leading a client and pressuring one

· The client story that proved the long-game approach works

· Why CODB is useful but not the whole story

· How to balance draw-in pricing with room to grow

Links:

· Get Rooted -- lauraesmond.com/getrooted

There was a moment in this conversation where Casia said something that made me pause.

She admitted that bookings slowed down at the end of 2024 and into 2025.

And instead of pretending everything was fine or quietly panicking behind the scenes, she said the thing a lot of photographers are feeling but not always saying out loud.

Things feel different right now.

If you’ve been wondering whether it’s the economy, the industry, your pricing, or something you’re doing wrong… this episode is going to feel like a breath of fresh air.

Because instead of spiraling into discounting or chasing more Instagram posts, we talk about what actually works during slower seasons: getting back into your community, building real relationships, and playing the long game in your business.

Casia shares how she’s leaning into what she calls her “season of yes” and showing up to events, supporting other small businesses, and creating touchpoints that lead to future opportunities.

And we also dig into some of the big mindset traps photographers fall into when things get quiet… especially the temptation to lower your prices.

If business has felt a little wobbly lately, this conversation is here to remind you of something important:

Ups and downs are normal.
But how you respond to them can change everything.

In This Episode

• Why photographers are feeling a shift in bookings right now
• The danger of assuming slower inquiries mean your pricing is wrong
• What a “season of yes” looks like in a photography business
• Simple ways to start networking in your community (even if you hate networking)
• How one small connection can turn into multiple opportunities
• Why lowering your prices during slow seasons can hurt you long-term
• A smarter way to adjust your offers without discounting your work
• The real reason ghosting happens with inquiries and what to do about it
• How following up can immediately set you apart in a saturated market
• Why photographers should stop hiding behind their computers and start building real relationships again

If this conversation resonated, Get Rooted is where we go all in on this work.

Inside the program, you build:

• Clear, confident pricing
• A simple but powerful sales structure
• A hands-on client experience that leads to artwork
• Marketing that attracts right-fit, investing clients
• The identity of a photographer who leads

Spots are limited. Once they’re filled, enrollment closes for several months. We get started in April.

If you want your business solid before we head into the busiest season of the year, what are you waiting for??

👉 Apply here

Connect with Casia:

• https://fletcherandco.photo
• https://www.instagram.com/fletcherandco/

Connect with Laura:

• Apply now for Get Rooted: lauraesmond.com/getrooted
• Instagram: @reeseandcoportraits
• Website: lauraesmond.com