I had the honor to talk to Freelance Remuda for their special Vlog: Contracts and Why You Need Them! On the Vlog, talking about contracts Why do photographers need contracts? When did I start using contracts? How did I draft my first one? What’s my logic behind using one? Listen below to find out!  PLUS hear a little sneak peek about how my life is going and how a dream recently come true Need a contract? I highly recommend checking out The Contract Shop ..read more

Before planning for a new year, I try to take inventory of the year prior to identify strengths, weaknesses, accomplishments, and potential improvements. In an effort to be transparent, I want to show you what that looks like for my business. Topline Revenue Questions I ask myself: What were my revenue sources this year and how do they compare to previous years? How did this compare to my goals? Where can I maintain for next year? Where can I increase next year? Session Average Questions I ask myself: What was the actual average vs. my goal? How can I increase this for next year? Number ..read more

Being consistent means being dependable. People can count on you and expect the same delivery each time you’re hired. Consistency goes a long way in building trust. I started this business basics series talking about trust because I believe that’s the key to increasing your bookings. Consistency is a fast way to move strangers through the “know, like, trust” progression. What do I mean by that? Before people hand you their hard-earned dollars, they want to know that you are dependable. In a world of online commerce full of scammers and flakes, they want to know that you will: Respon ..read more

By no means am I an expert in photographing horse shows, but attending a horse event (clinic, trade show, expo, horse show, etc) can be a wonderful way to network with equestrians and practice your timing of photographing horses in motion.  If you’re thinking of attending a horse event with your camera in tow, I have a few suggestions!  Start with searching for events near you, be it a barrel race, rodeo, horse show, clinic, or some other event gathering equestrians together. It might be best to begin looking within your own network: tag along with a friend who is attending so t ..read more

Georgia-based photographer Laura Daniels recently flew into Dallas, Texas for a mentoring session with me. Over the course of four hours, we photographed beautiful models with horses, and discussed posing/workflow/marketing/business/pricing, and more! Have an interest in photography? Check out Learn with Kirstie Marie for more information on one-to-one learning sessions! Models || Giorgia Medows and Mallory Vroegh Location || Collinsville, Texas ..read more

The basic premise of a business plan is to identify a problem, and then solve that problem. As I started studying marketing in college, I heard a lot of advice about how to communicate being the solution to someone’s problem. With photography being a luxury service, I had a really hard time seeing my client’s “problem” and how I could solve it. But, the more years I do this, the more I understand that everyone has a busy life with a lot of problems and I can be a solution. Whether it is being easy to book, easy to pay, easy to communicate with, helpful to prepare for the session, or being fast ..read more

I built my signature editing aesthetic on backlit sunshine and pastel tones. So when the sun was hanging too high in the sky, or my subject was lit directly, I felt lost and completely out of my element. For many years I hated the work that I produced in harsh lighting conditions. I felt it was really hard to match my other work… because it is next to impossible to get them to match. I have a few tips for working in tough lighting situations: It won’t match The first thing I had to do was realize that it won’t look the same, and discover a new “style” based on my preferences. For e ..read more

In the past, I’ve attended workshops and styled shoots hosted by other photographers, and I’ve created my own. [I detail some pro’s and con’s of each in this blog post here] In August 2023, I had the opportunity to attend a Western Content Retreat in Moses Lake, Washington Hosted by Lauren Ann Photography + Jeni Jo Photography. It was a great experience! I signed up for this retreat to be able to meet new photographers and take some stress-free images with no agenda or planning required. It was the perfect place to try a few different settings, stretch myself in lighting scenarios, and just re ..read more

I’m starting a series on things I believe are foundational to any business (with a heavy emphasis on photography). Being a photographer is first and foremost about being a business owner and entrepreneur, and then being an artist. I regularly have people asking me how to increase their bookings and in my opinion, the key to increasing your bookings is increasing trust.  The “Know, Like, Trust” factor is a marketing concept based on the idea that people are more likely to purchase from a brand they have a relationship with. In the “Know, Like, Trust” progression, trust is the final step an ..read more

Q: How do you go about screening inquiries when someone asks about sessions or availability? A: My screening process is a basic conversation regarding what the session is for, who it will include, where it will be, when they need images by, etc. Immediate “no” reactions, for me, are weddings/most events, and human babies. Q: When did you start photography? What made you start it? A: I bought myself a camera for Christmas in 2011. I started my business in 2013 and I chronicled a lot of my journey here in this blog post. Q: How do you get clients? A: If you are talking about my business currentl ..read more