In this episode of The Portrait System Podcast, host Nikki Closser speaks with Jeremy Ellsworth, whose Kansas City senior portraits studio nets him a $3,000 average. Ellsworth shares the marketing tips that got him there, and he also shares the DIY basics that built his other business, backdrop painting. 

As a young boy, Ellsworth wanted to be an illustrator when he grew up. Somewhere along the way, he got the idea that artists can’t make a living, so as an adult he ended up suffering while working in a large bank. Then one year, someone stole his wife’s point-and-shoot camera, and he got her a new one for Christmas. Ellsworth spent more time on it than she did, and shortly after, upgraded to a professional camera. Friends took notice of his skills, and before long, he was getting requests to photograph his friends and their families. At that time, his wife was working as a high school teacher, and the next natural step was for him to start shooting senior portraits. His wife talked him up to her students, and they also attended the high school football games, which got the community familiar with him. Soon, Ellsworth’s word-of-mouth advertising took off, and after five years of balancing both professions, he went full-time as a photographer. 

[Read: Seniors & Sports: One Photographer’s Fave Lighting Kits]

In addition to word-of-mouth marketing, Ellsworth also receives many clients from Google searches. His big tip for keeping SEO fresh on websites is to always include metadata on every photo you upload. Says Ellsworth, “Every image I have on my website has metadata connected to it with keywords. Even though that is a lot of time spent not taking pictures, it is time well spent because people find me.” 

Once potential clients get to his page, the next step is to hook them. Ellsworth does this with a memorable hook line, “These Ain’t Your Mom’s Senior Pictures.” Ellsworth’s images live up to the hype. Even though it isn’t a money-maker for him, he keeps his style and creativity fresh and inspired by doing fashion photoshoots on the side, and his senior portraits stand out from the rest as a result. 

[Read: 15 Drops and Props to Spice Up Any Studio Space]

Ellsworth also has a side business of painting backdrops. After watching a Sue Bryce DIY backdrop-painting course, he tried it out himself and posted the result in The Portrait System Members-Only Facebook group. Jason Marino saw it there and requested one in red. Ellsworth did the market research to figure out how to price it, and came through for Marino. He has continued to get requests from his communities in photography groups as he built his backdrop business. This year, he did guerilla marketing at WPPI by contacting vendors to see if they would like a backdrop in their booths. Many took him up on it, giving him the opportunity to showcase and sell his wares at WPPI.

To learn more about Ellsworth’s senior portraits visit Jeremy Ellsworth Photography. To see his backdrops, visit Backdrops by Jeremy Ellsworth. 

The Portrait System Podcast helps portrait photographers navigate the world of photography, business, money, and much more. Hosted by Nikki Closser, the podcast is powered by The Portrait System, a comprehensive, online educational platform that teaches all aspects of running a successful portrait photography studio.