How I Made $7,000 in Print Sales in One Hour

You may not need another client. You may need to make more from the work you’ve already created.

Years ago, I photographed a wedding for $4,500.

Afterward, I sent the family a few beautiful physical prints so they could actually see and feel what their photographs could become.

The mother of the bride went into the gallery.

Within about an hour, she had ordered $7,000 worth of prints.

More than I had charged to photograph the wedding itself.

And then she came back and ordered more.

That moment changed the way I thought about what happens after we deliver our work.

Photographers spend an enormous amount of time asking:

Where is my next booking coming from?

But there is another question I think we should be asking:

What haven’t I done yet with the work I’ve already created?

A wedding doesn’t have to stop generating value when you deliver the gallery.

Those photographs can become prints and albums.

They can help you book another client.

They can strengthen your relationships with planners, florists, designers and venues.

They can travel through other people’s audiences.

And the gallery itself can become another beautiful expression of your brand.

In this episode of Play It Brave, I’m sharing the systems I’ve developed over years of photographing luxury weddings around the world to make the work continue working after the wedding is over.

In this episode:

The $7,000 print order
Why giving clients the experience of holding a beautiful physical print can completely change the way they value their photographs.

Why delivery isn’t the finish line
Your existing archive may contain revenue you’ve never actually invited your clients to spend.

Your gallery is part of your brand
If you’re positioning yourself as a luxury photographer, the experience shouldn’t suddenly become generic when the photographs are delivered.

Using galleries to help book the client
I’ve created small curated galleries for prospective clients to show them exactly how I envision photographing them. Sometimes showing someone how you see them is much more powerful than explaining it.

Making your vendors part of the marketing strategy
Florists, planners, dress designers, venues and other creatives need photographs of their work. When you create imagery they genuinely want to use, your photography begins moving through audiences beyond your own.

Getting everyone to market the wedding together
Once the couple has approved sharing, one of my favorite strategies is coordinating a day when the vendor team all posts the wedding and tags one another.

Instead of one photographer quietly sharing the work, an entire network begins talking about it.

That’s leverage.

And that’s the larger lesson of this episode:

Your photographs shouldn’t work for you once. They should keep working.

MY GALLERY PLATFORM

I’ve used Pic-Time for years to deliver my work, create beautiful galleries, sell prints and albums, work with vendors and make the experience after the shoot feel as considered as the shoot itself.

Try Pic-Time here →