Nadine Hsu is a former professional racecar driver and an accountant who offers full-service luxury portraits in her Arcadia, California studio that caters to women, families, and babies, and also offers kimono sessions. She recently caught up with host Nikki Closser on The Portrait System Podcast, where she talked about how she grew her sales average from $150 to $1900 when she moved into a 3,000 sq foot space, Sachiko Studio.  

Hsu’s first experiences with being professionally photographed came while she was driving racecars. As one of the first female racecar drivers in the country, Hsu got a lot of attention from the press. Unfortunately, she didn’t find the experience to be pleasant, but it inspired her to consider all the ways she could make others feel respected with fun, easy, comfortable photoshoots. It also inspired her to regularly photograph members of her organization Drifting Pretty to give other female racecar drivers a positive photography experience. 

Hsu started her photography career in 2011, charging $150 all-inclusive for her shoots and images. A year later, she encountered Sue Bryce’s teachings on CreativeLive, then Kelly Brown, and soon after, The Portrait System. Gradually, Hsu increased her prices as she learned the value of her photography work, but she didn’t get to her current price until a few years ago when she completely stepped into being a full-service luxury portrait studio. Hsu had grown out of her tiny studio space, and when she moved into something larger, her expenses also increased, and she needed to grow her prices accordingly.  

[Read: The Luxury Mindset that Sells Fine-Art Portraits]

Hsu had been dreaming about having her own in-house hair and makeup artists to cater to her many mothers who turned up to photoshoots frazzled and unprepared themselves after getting everyone else in the family ready to go. Hsu purchased gowns, shoes, bras, nursing pads, and men’s dress shirts and belts. She sent a message to her clients, “Guys, I’ve upgraded my services and now you can just show up, and I take care of the rest.” 

Hsu’s shift in branding has been a big success, and now she has a 3,000 square foot studio. One of her favorite things about it is room to build different sets for each season. With these sets, Hsu offers mini sessions only for returning clients. Another special offer for her clients is her annual Halloween party with a costume contest. Additionally, Hsu is a training to be a certified kimono dresser, and just as in Japan, she offers kimono sessions with different types of kimonos for each milestone in a child’s life. 

To learn more about Nadine Hsu’s business, and to see more images from her kimono sessions, visit her website: Sachiko Studios.  

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.