Take It Personally

“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 over Turning concepts into props, actions, and settings Why the same idea should look completely different for different clients Running every shoot concept through your client’s personality Why creative direction happens before shoot day, not while you’re scrambling for ideas The 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.com Instagram: @maddiepeschong If 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 sessions The planning and strategy you’re probably giving away for free Why your clients need fewer choices, not more packages and add-ons The problem with making clients decide how many hours, images, or locations they need The “so what?” test for turning features into actual value Why confidence in your pricing starts with your process Links & 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.com Instagram: @maddiepeschong If 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 overwhelmed What your past galleries reveal about how you plan sessions How both you and your clients feel during a shoot Whether clients are using their photos, rebooking, and referring others Why you need actual numbers for this audit, not just vibes Links & 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.com Instagram: @maddiepeschong If 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 digital What referrals are actually doing after they hear your name Why “hot mess” isn’t a strategy for brand photographers The difference between being yourself and intentionally curating your brand How your online presence can shorten the time it takes someone to trust you Why building your brand before you have more time and money isn’t backwards—it’s how you get there Links & 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.com Instagram: @maddiepeschong If 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 myself Why invisibility feels safe but fails every time What your imposter syndrome actually is The four parts of a brand with a backbone Positioning from fear versus positioning from abundance Asking what the million-dollar version of you would do Links & 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.com Instagram: @maddiepeschong If you loved this episode, leave a review! It helps other photographers find the show and keeps us creating content you actually want to hear.🎙️✨