Podcast Episode 2 - The Secret Reason Some Photographers Get Booked Without Hustling

Welcome to the Photography Breakthrough Podcast. 

Where you don't just learn how to get more clients. You learn how to create photo experiences that change lives, including your own. I'm photographer Matthew Jordan Smith, and today I want to talk about something that used to keep me up at night. Why do some photographers get booked effortlessly? 

While many are doing everything they can and just barely scraping by, if that question hits home, if you've ever looked at someone's feed and thought, what am I doing wrong? You're going to want to stay with me today  

because today I'm sharing the secret reason some photographers stay fully booked even when they're not posting, constantly running ads or fighting for attention, and it's probably not for the reasons that you think. 

Let's start with the truth. Yes. Some photographers really don't hustle the way others do. They're not glued to their phones. They're not constantly chasing leads, but what they are doing is this. They're creating something so emotionally impactful that people talk about it even when they're not around their work. 

The sessions make people feel something and that feeling spreads. Maybe they say, I felt seen, I felt beautiful for the first time in years. Or maybe they're saying, oh, she captured the version of me I forgot existed. 

When you create that kind of experience. Your clients become your marketing team, not out of obligation, out of gratitude, 

Let's be honest, most photographers are taught to think like this, do a great job, deliver pretty pictures. Hope they come back.  

But that's not how most working photographers do it. They're not delivering transactions, they're delivering transformations. And here's the part, no one talks about. Transformation doesn't start with your lens. It starts with how you see your client before they ever enter your space, before you ever lift your camera. 

When your client walks into your session and you are already holding them in a space of care, presence and belief in their beauty, they eel that. They let their guard down, they stop performing. They put down those guards that keep them from being who they truly are. They let you see them, 

And when they see the final images and it reflects back something powerful and true. They may even begin to cry. I'm not kidding. They share. They come back, they tell all their friends. That's the secret. 

Now, once again, I'm not just making this up out of nowhere after 38 years of working. As a photographer photographing some of the most famous people on the planet. I've seen how people act when they feel seen. You may think that, oh, the biggest celebrities are used to taking pictures, and yes, that may be true, but how they act in front of the lens is more cautious than the average person because that image in many cases is all that people see. 

And with that on the line, there's a lot of pressure. So to get through to the emotional part of your clients where you actually see them, not the celebrity, not the icon, not the sports legend. When you see them, you get to pull out the true essence of that person. That's the secret. 

Now, this isn't about being better or more talented, it's about being more intentional. You can start today by asking, what do I want my clients to feel about themselves by the end of this shoot? Try that on your next photo shoot. Before you go in, before you put your lens to your eye, ask yourself, what do you want your client to feel about themself by the end of the photo shoot, confidence, softness, sexy, powerful, radiance, how would you like them to feel and which can you do? 

As a photographer to make them feel that way during the shoot. Then design the questions that you want to ask them as you're shooting. It's your shoot. It's your energy around helping them feel that way. 

That's how you build a magnetic business, not by just shooting louder, but by connecting deeper. 

So if you've ever wondered why am I working so hard and still not getting booked, it's not because you are not enough, it's because no one taught you to create a photo experience that people feel deep in their soul. But that's why. This podcast exists. 

Next week I'll be sharing the simple shift that made my clients start crying in the best way when they saw their images and how that changed my business forever. 

Until then, I want to leave you with this. You don't need more hustle, you need more heart, and I promise you already have that in you. Thanks for listening. 

Always dream big. Bye for now.  

 

WEBSITE’S MENTIONED 

Aretha Cool – On Sale at Amazon 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1GC6JXY 

 

Matthew Jordan Smith Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/matthewjordansmith