Mike Glatzer has a full-time job as a project manager for a biomedical engineering company, and he runs a portrait business on the side. Recently, Glatzer sat down with host Nikki Closser on The Portrait System Podcast to talk about how he is able to accomplish so much with time-saving automations and artful efficiency.

Efficiency is baked into Glatzer’s photo business with SEO-optimized website headlines that are quick and easy for clients to navigate. Just one authoritative blog post a month keeps that SEO fresh. This combination leads to Google searches bringing him 80% of his clients. Glatzer uses block scheduling to maximize productivity in his daily work, meaning for each day of the week, he focuses on just one type of task, like answering emails, having client consultations, or working on a blog.

[Read: Time-Saving Automation Tricks for Photographers]

Glatzer’s efficiency continues with Client Relations Management (CRM) software to store email templates and send contracts, invoices, and requests for deposits. He uses spreadsheets on the back end to track income and expenditures, so he can be sure he is using time wisely and cutting out wasteful spending.

In the Q&A below, Glatzer opens up about his professional breakthroughs and gives tips for building trust and helping clients relax to help them open up for great photographs.

What has been your biggest breakthrough in business?  

I majorly struggled with pricing myself appropriately and trying new marketing tactics. For me, I was able to work past those things by having a full-time gig to fall back on, but also realizing that a potential client saying “No” isn’t a reflection on me or my photography; it’s simply a difference in values. They have a value associated with photography in their head, and nothing I can do will change that, which means it’s not worth getting scared or worried about someone saying “No” to my prices or my style of photography. I’m simply not the right photographer for them. That was a really liberating revelation. 

Most artists have a point in their life when they knew this was meant for them. Do you have that moment?  

Every time I pick up a camera for a challenging shoot. I LOVE the craft of photography, of solving the puzzle that is a given situation. Figuring out the lighting in conjunction with the posing, props, client expression, and composition makes me feel on top of the world. And then having the client look at their images and have their jaws drop in amazement? It’s everything.

The first time I had that full circle rush was when a national magazine hired me to do portraits of a lawyer for an article in 2018. The lawyer’s office was horrible for portraits, and the magazine wanted a specific set of poses, compositions, and expressions. I had to pull out all the stops to make that dingy office look photogenic, all while keeping this high-profile lawyer engaged. After finishing the magazine’s specified images, I asked the lawyer to do a few extra shots with my personal flair for lighting.

When the magazine editor received all the images, not only did he select my creative shots for the article, but he also immediately made me his default Atlanta photographer and increased my rate pretty significantly. On top of that, the lawyer was floored by the images and ordered a bunch for his office and social media. Being challenged like that, getting rewarded for the hard work, and the size of associated checks was a combined light bulb for me that 1) I was good enough and 2) I earned it. 

How did you push past fear when building your business?  

I’m both cursed and fortunate in that I have a full-time job in conjunction with being a portrait photographer. I’m cursed because I sometimes don’t push myself or my business hard enough to grow since I have a day job to fall back on. I don’t have to be motivated to make my photography business successful because the day job pays the non-photography bills. I’m fortunate in that my living expenses are covered, so I can afford to try new things and make mistakes in my photography business and not worry about a mortgage payment being in jeopardy. Having a full-time job and being a photographer dramatically reduces the fear I have experienced in my photography business, and I’m grateful for that.

I also have a really great support system of no-bullshit friends and encouraging peers in the industry. I often use them as sounding boards for what I want to do but fear attempting. Their feedback helps pressure test my ideas and also can provide validation for what I’m thinking. This only works with people who genuinely care about your success, are in a similar industry facing the same challenges, and aren’t afraid to say, “No, that’s not going to work, and here’s why.”  

Making a connection with your subject is one of the most important parts of a great portrait. How do you make lasting connections with your clients?  

Be myself, ask questions, and listen closely. I’m a quirky guy with a lot of energy when taking someone’s portrait. I’m usually yammering away about why I’m adjusting my lighting (or making fun of a flash for not firing) or modifying my subject’s pose or body language to elicit mood in an image. This helps build trust that I’m an expert, which is essential for getting clients to relax.  

After that, I’m usually singing and dancing (former musical theater kid) and will stop and say, “Holy crap – that’s an awesome shot. You’re rocking this!” to my clients. I want them to see how excited I am for their images which makes them feel confident that they’re doing a great job as a model and subject. If I’m excited about their pictures, then my clients get excited because they’re thinking, “If he’s stoked for these shots, they must be stellar!” I try to compliment them on how well they’re doing (even if they’re not) throughout the shoot to boost that confidence.  

Lastly, I ask a ton of questions because I’m genuinely interested in the person in front of my lens. This allows for various talking points but also gives me clues as to what makes my clients tick, what jokes I can say, what language I can use to help make them feel comfortable, and what references I can pull to inspire expressions and poses. If my clients are low-key and introverted, I tone down my energy to match (while still doing a happy dance for a great shot) but still bring that curiosity.  

Bringing energy, genuine curiosity about their lives, and actively listening are three key things I’ve found to help me establish connections with my clients. 

Do you regret any decisions you have made in your business?  

Other than the pile of gear that was a total waste of money? There aren’t many big regrets, honestly. Waiting too long to charge appropriately is probably the biggest one. Otherwise, it was sending a feedback survey right after a session vs. waiting a few days after I delivered their images. The client HATED their images, and I had to convince them not to write a bad review on Google (a perk of IPS, they didn’t have to pay for images they didn’t want, which saved me). That adventure stung a lot. 

What fellow artists in the industry do you gain the most inspiration from?  

The big ones are Lindsay Adler, Joel Grimes, and Joe McNally. 

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