Key highlights:

✅ Stephen’s Photography Journey - Average wedding price grew from $4,400 to $13,000 in 2025-26, with fewer weddings booked but higher revenue.

✅ Business Growth and Coaching - Joined a mastermind program that helped him find his unique brand voice and business strategy.

✅ Album Sales and Revenue - Average album sale increased from $1,300 to $6,000, doubling total job revenue to about $13,000.

✅ Mindset and Future Plans - Emphasizes the importance of networking and joining professional groups.

00:00 Introduction and background on starting photography

03:00 Transition into wedding photography and initial fears:

04:45 Joining the mastermind and coaching experience

10:40 Delegation and hiring a VA12:45 Pricing and revenue growth details

14:00 Album process changes and upselling

16:45 Mindset shifts and business growth

18:00 Interesting story

22:00 Expanding into corporate photography

25:00 Fear is normal

26:45 Favorite part of the process

29:50 Networking

Links & Resources:

Vanessa's education: https://breatheyourpassion.com

Vanessa's mastermind: https://bit.ly/photoinsidermm

Visit Vanessa's IG @vanessajoy and DM her "PHOTO MASTERMIND" to learn more

Imagen AI: Get your 1500 FREE edits here

🎯 Episode Summary:

In this episode of The Raw Files, Vanessa Joy sits down with business coach and photographer Joey T to expose a hard truth: most photographers are failing not because of their photos, but because they don’t understand sales. Joey unpacks his journey from psychology to photography to full-time entrepreneurship, revealing the common mindset traps photographers fall into and the strategies he uses to help them scale with purpose.

You’ll get real talk on the emotional science behind pricing, the psychology of buying, and how storytelling—not spec sheets—is the secret to closing high-value clients. Whether you're 1 year or 10 years into your business, this episode will challenge how you view your worth, your client experience, and your next move.

📌 Episode Highlights:

• 1:23 – Joey’s journey: From psychology to photography to full-time coaching

• 5:02 – Why Joey created Mosaic Creative (and how it helps photographers sell while they sleep)

• 9:24 – The "steakhouse" pricing analogy and how photographers lose clients with cheap branding

• 13:48 – The biggest thing photographers are missing in sales education

• 14:19 – The psychology of value: Emotion first, logic later

• 16:59 – What happens when clients sell themselves (and why YOU don’t need to push)

• 22:03 – The power of storytelling in sales—and how to use it in every consultation

• 23:44 – What separates a 5-year business from a 20-year one

Links & Resources:

Vanessa's education: https://breatheyourpassion.com

Vanessa's mastermind: https://bit.ly/photoinsidermm

Joey T’s Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/joeyt.mcrafted/

Visit Vanessa's IG @vanessajoy and DM her "PHOTO MASTERMIND" to learn more

Imagen AI: Get your 1500 FREE edits here https://imagenai.com/tips

✨ Episode Summary:

In this episode of The Raw Files, Vanessa Joy chats with wedding photographer and business-savvy educator Jen Stitt. From being underpaid by a boss who shot everything on auto to building a thriving photography brand, Jen shares the behind-the-scenes journey of how she went from shooting anything for a paycheck to selling heirloom products that clients cherish forever.

This episode dives deep into the real reason many photographers stay stuck: they're afraid to treat their passion like a real business. Jen brings humor, honesty, and wisdom as she talks about valuing your time, raising your profit margins, and why it's okay (and necessary) to say no to clients who aren’t a fit.

🧠 Topic Highlights:

• 1:07 – Jen’s first photography job (and everything NOT to do)

• 4:23 – Her father-in-law’s advice that changed everything

• 8:32 – The transition from hobbyist to business owner

• 13:15 – Why photographers avoid selling prints (and how Jen overcame it)

• 15:33 – How to price and offer products without scaring clients

• 18:30 – How Jen presents 100-page albums for emotional upsells

• 20:50 – The email trick that sets client expectations and protects your time

• 20:58 – “Clients are like toddlers”—how to guide them with structure

• 22:22 – Mistakes she made, including trying to be the right fit for everyone

• 24:08 – The time a bride asked her to hold her dress while she peed 😂

Links & Resources:

Vanessa's education: https://breatheyourpassion.com

Vanessa's mastermind: https://bit.ly/photoinsidermm

DM Vanessa “PHOTO MASTERMIND” on Instagram @vanessajoy to apply.

Jen Stitt’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovelypairofstitts