5 Core Practices of Profitable Family Photography with Trish Chong
The struggle between being an artist; a creator, and a business owner who needs to turn a profit and keep the proverbial lights on, is very real.
And I think photographers everywhere around the world feel it.
I’m fast approaching 20 years in our industry and like many, during that time I’ve come up against the ‘starving artist’ mentality, but quickly realised it didn’t serve me. Nor did it serve my photography practice or my clients.
So exactly how do you make money from your photography passion without selling your soul?!
Table of Contents
This article in a nutshell
Trish Chong shares five simple practices to help photographers feeling pulled between their craft and their business. Stay creative, serve clients thoughtfully, create connection, harness the power of systems, and price confidently to make it easier to keep both your art and your income thriving.
Introduction
If you’ve been in photography for any length of time, you’ve probably realised this already: profitability isn’t just about the hustle and hard work.
Profitability, and ultimately our sustainability, is centred around our energy - how we protect it, direct it, and share it. It’s about ensuring we have the space to stay inspired, connected, and in love with what we do.
That shift became real for me when I moved from full-time wedding photography into full-time family photography with a vision to fully replace the income I was earning through the transition.
The pull for me was freedom and flexibility - the chance to shape my days around my children (without sacrificing weekends or school holidays) and still do the work I loved. But, to make that transition last, I knew I needed a system I could trust - one that felt aligned with me, my clients, and my work, and that could expand with me as my business grew.
Enter: Pic-time.
Over time, it’s become more than a gallery delivery system for me. It’s an extension of my brand, my sales process, and the experience through which I guide families to see the beauty within their own lives and truly treasure their memories.
I’d love to share with you a framework I use and teach to help photographers build both heart-led and financially sound businesses that stand the test of time.
1. PLAY - The Heart of it All
When I first started in photography, everything felt like play.
I’d stay up late experimenting with light, composition, and editing, completely immersed in my own curiosity and learning. But somewhere between running a business and raising kids, I realised I hadn’t “played” in a long time.
I was efficient, yes. Good, even. But I wasn’t creative.
What I’ve learned over the ebbs and flows of the years is that play isn’t optional - it’s essential.
When we stop playing, we stop growing.
When we stop growing, we find it harder to find the feeling in our work.
And as family photographers, it’s the feeling part that makes our work magic.
Play might look like setting aside time to shoot something purely for yourself - not for clients, not for Instagram, not for your portfolio. It might look like taking a class outside your comfort zone, trying out a new camera, or a different approach to light or storytelling.
Even within the Pic-Time platform, play can mean exploring fresh gallery layouts, experimenting with video slideshows, or adding your own creative print products to your store and making them look and feel like an extension of you. Little sparks of play remind both you and your clients that photography is truly an art form, designed for the heart.
When you play, you invite joy back into your work, and joy is the foundation of longevity.
2. PROMPT - Connection is Your Superpower
We all have our own shooting style - some photographers love giving playful direction, others prefer observing quietly and capturing what unfolds. But no matter your approach, prompting isn’t really about posing; it’s about guiding energy.
Early in my career, I used to worry about saying too much. I didn’t want to interrupt moments or make families feel self-conscious. But what I learned is that a little direction can create a lot of freedom.
Think of prompting as creating the conditions for connection. It’s less “Stand here and smile!” and more, “Hold your child close and take a moment to breathe them in.”
Making space to create images that hold feeling.
And prompting doesn’t just happen during the session. It starts before the shoot with how you communicate - through your welcome guide, client emails, and even after your session through Pic-Time galleries, delivery notes, and timely reminders.
It’s how you set expectations and help families feel emotionally prepared to show up as themselves. Because when people feel safe and seen, they’ll give you their most genuine selves.
That’s where your signature style begins - in trust, not just technique.
3. PROMOTE - Selling by Serving
I used to think promoting my work was about clever captions or a perfectly polished portfolio. But at the end of the day, it really comes down to the simple task of helping people understand how you can truly serve them.
When I began, I focused on ‘what’ I offered - lifestyle session inclusions, digital files, print sizes etc. If you’ve been in industry for any amount of time you’ll realise this will only ever get you so far and more likely than not, will feel like you are calling out into an abyss.
In time, I realised clients respond not to what we sell, but to why it matters. Why it matters to them, yes, but also - why it matters to you.
Your promotion doesn’t have to be overly polished - it just needs to be true.
Inside Pic-Time, this might look like using store automations not as sales tools, but as service touch points - gentle reminders saying, “Don’t forget to print these memories before the season changes”...or before it simply gets pushed to the bottom of the list and becomes crowded out by the next week of life, and then the next.
You’re not chasing sales - you’re preserving stories.
You’re not just selling products - you’re helping your clients protect something precious.
And when your client feels their needs are seen and met with ease, that’s the kind of service that builds a loyal, word-of-mouth business and keeps clients coming back year after year.
4. PROGRAM - Build Solid Systems
Build solid systems to do the majority of the work for you.
This one was a game changer for me, where the magic of freedom and flexibility began.
There was a time when I was doing everything manually - sending emails, tracking invoices, following up on print orders, reminding clients about galleries…you name it! I was running my business via spreadsheets and notes inked on the back of my hand.
And it worked…until it didn’t.
I hit a point where I realised no amount of hard work or heart could make up for systems that were lacking. I was exhausted, stressed and constantly behind. That’s when I discovered the beauty of automation.
Using Pic-Time’s workflows, email templates and automations, and built-in store marketing tools allowed me to deliver galleries beautifully, send timely reminders, and gently encourage print sales and gallery upgrades without being chained to my desk.
Systems don’t make your business less personal - they make it more sustainable, and coming into two decades of business I promise this matters.
Automation gives you back time to be creative, rest, or simply live the life you’re working so hard to document for others.
The Simple Sales System
““The Simple Sales System brings in a full-time in income on part time hours...and that really works for me.””
Let me share with you a little more about my favourite Pic-time automation, which I have been using for years and regularly brings six figures to my business annually - the Simple Sales System app.
While it might appear intimidating at first, you’re guided through each layer step by step and once you’ve set it up, you get to forever enjoy the benefits.
An integral part of this system was aligning it to what I love to sell, which for me is all of my digital files, with the cherry on top being a beautiful album that I love to design and clients love to hold onto. It has become an absolute joy when families purchase my Album Collection year after year, as I know their collection of memories are going to be a lasting gift for many generations.
Practically, Pic-Time gives you the flexibility to set up your packages in a way that makes sense for you and your clients. I’ve taken the liberty to customise the setup to work for me in the following ways:
For my main sessions, these are based on an initial session fee + three collections options once the images are viewed.
My mini sessions are structured around a base, pre-paid collection with the option to upgrade once clients have seen their images.
From an experiential point of view though, what I love most about Pic-Time’s Simple Sales System is how seamlessly it blends emotion and experience with the practical and logistical side of selling. It begins with the slideshow - a feature that feels like a love letter to your clients’ memories. You can almost feel their hearts catch as they watch it through.
That moment of feeling creates the perfect space for action, not out of pressure, but from genuine joy and gratitude. From there, clients are presented with three thoughtfully designed collections that can combine digital files with a built-in print credit. That credit becomes their invitation to explore your shop and invest in tangible pieces they’ll treasure - prints, albums, wall art - whatever speaks to their heart.
No awkward sales meetings.
No endless back-and-forth.
Just a natural, joyful flow that helps clients celebrate what they love and invest with confidence, while you have the confidence your images are not just collecting digital dust, but are being enjoyed in the homes of those who have trusted in your vision and your art.
It’s simplicity with soul… the kind of system that feels good for everyone.
5. PRICE - With Purpose
Over the years, I’ve witnessed so many incredibly gifted photographers quietly burn out - artists with breathtaking talent and the kindest hearts. Not because they lacked creativity or passion, but because they were carrying the weight of a business that wasn’t built to sustain them.
The truth is, as much as we love the art and the storytelling, pricing isn’t something we can leave to chance. It’s not just a number we choose to attract bookings and cover costs. More importantly, it’s about honouring the time, care, and craft that go into every session, and ensuring your business has the structure it needs to thrive long-term.
At the heart of it, it’s a mindset shift.
Believing what you offer brings deep, lasting value, and that you deserve to be compensated in a way that allows you to keep on continuing to do it well, year after year.
If you’ve ever found yourself unsure whether your prices reflect your worth, or whether you’re even running a profitable business - you’re not alone. The creative soul so often throws pricing into the ‘too hard’ basket, instead preferring to simply show up in our craft with everything that we have.
But artistry and profitability don’t have to be at odds. I truly believe they’re partners in building a business, similar to how automation and connection can each serve the other through the overall client experience, and the impact this has on your time and energy.
If you’re keen to dive deeper, I invite you to explore The Profitable Pricing Playbook, a course that helps family photographers find clarity and confidence in their numbers and their business, so they can stop guessing and start growing. Use code PICTIME for 20% off.
Alternatively, if you feel like you first need to take a step back and assess the year you’ve had and set your intentions for the season to come, journey with me through my free Seasonal Reflection Guide.
Conclusion: Forever a Work in Progress
When you begin to weave these five practices together, something starts to shift. Your business softens into rhythm and slowly but surely, your work begins to align with the life you want to live.
It’s forever a work in progress.
Once you’ve refined your systems, clarified your pricing, and found your flow, you come right back to the start again: Play. You learn, you experiment, you evolve.
Because a creative life is about staying curious, open, and willing to grow with the seasons of both art and life. Each new chapter brings a chance to rediscover what lights you up, to reconnect with your “why,” and to keep building a business that reflects both your heart and your vision.
So here’s to the ever-evolving journey, a commitment to building not something that’s not just beautiful, but profitable and sustainable for the long haul.
Key takeaways of profitable family photography
Play fuels creativity and longevity: Regularly making space for personal experimentation keeps your work inspired and emotionally rich.
Prompting builds connection: Thoughtful direction before, during, and after a session helps clients relax, building trust and authentic images.
Promotion works best when it serves: Focus on showing clients why your work matters and use tools like Pic-Time automations as gentle, service-led reminders.
Systems create sustainability: Automation and structured workflows free up your time, reduce burnout, and provide a consistent client experience.
Pricing must be intentional: Knowing your numbers and valuing your craft ensures long-term profitability and prevents creative burnout.
Profitable Family Photography FAQs
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By intentionally making time for play personal projects, experimentation, and learning - you help keep creativity alive and avoid suffering from burnout.
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Prompting is gentle direction that helps clients relax and connect, leading to more authentic, emotionally rich images. It often involves inviting clients to do something together to elicit movement, connection, and emotion.
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Utilize Pic-Time’s marketing automations (like Simple Sales System, Abandoned Cart, Early Bird, paid Gallery Backup etc.) to encourage print sales. Create and sell slideshows, use Volume Pricing, create packages, and include video content as an upsell.
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Strong systems reduce manual tasks, save time, and keep your business running smoothly so you can focus on creativity and client relationships.
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Photographers should price with purpose - understanding costs, valuing their craft, and ensuring their rates support long-term sustainability.
Trish is a Sydney-based family photographer and educator behind Tealily Photography. With over 18 years in business, she helps photographers build heart-led, profitable practices that last. Her course, The Profitable Pricing Playbook, guides family photographers in pricing with confidence, purpose, and sustainability.
About Pic-Time
Pic-Time is the photography industry’s leading online gallery software designed to empower photographers to: present stunning client galleries, boost sales and market with efficiency. With an intuitive suite of purpose-built tools, Pic-Time helps elevate your photography to a successful business.
Try it now - no credit card required - for 30 days.
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