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The Portrait System Podcast
How Heather Wanninger Went from $20k To $100k A Year Through Her Senior Photography Business (Re-Release)
00:58:40
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- [00:00]
Nikki Klosser
Hey there, it's Nikki Klosser and I want to let you know about an awesome free giveaway for people on our email list. If you haven't already, click the link in our podcast description or go to theportraitsystem.com signup to get on the list. If you sign up, you'll get a free posing 101 PDF to jumpstart things. It's an epic PDF, so you'll definitely want to get this. Also, just by being in our email community, you'll get deals, sales, and information about any of our upcoming events and activities. So head over to theportraitsystem.com signup and and sign up. Today you're listening to the Portrait System podcast.
- [00:35]
Heather Wanigan
If you are consistent, you keep showing up, you follow your heart and you know, keep learning, keep leaning in with education, keep figuring out how to take one step forward and keep showing up consistently. It's amazing what can happen.
- [00:50]
Nikki Klosser
Welcome to the Portrait System Podcast. I'm your host, Nikki Klosser and this show is here to help you succeed in the world of photography and business. To help you learn to become financially free, doing what you love and so much more. With over 1 million downloads, countless photographers have taken what they've learned from both our episodes and from theportraitsystem.com and they have grown their businesses, quit their day jobs and are designing a life of their dreams. We keep it real and share stories about the ups and downs that come with running a photography business. You'll hear real life stories of how other photographers run their business and you'll learn actionable steps that you can take to reach your own goals. Thank you so much for being here. And let's get started. My guest this week on the Portrait System podcast is Heather Wanigan and she's a photographer in Illinois. Heather went from making $20,000 to $100,000 in one year after becoming a single mom and working to improve her own self value and the value around what she provides to her clients. Heather focuses mostly on high school senior photography and she shares how she keeps clients coming in without having senior reps or a senior team. She currently averages $4,000 per photo shoot and she's only going up from there. All right, let's get started with Heather Wanigan. Hey Heather. Welcome to the Portrait System.
- [02:06]
Heather Wanigan
Thank you. It's great to be here, Nikki.
- [02:08]
Nikki Klosser
Okay, so you're a Midwest girl. Tell everybody where you live.
- [02:12]
Heather Wanigan
Born and raised in Central Illinois.
- [02:14]
Nikki Klosser
Awesome. Very cool. So you're not too, too far from me, are you? Just south of Chicago.
- [02:20]
Heather Wanigan
I'm about two hours south of Chicago.
- [02:22]
Nikki Klosser
Two hours south. Okay, so you're about six hour drive from me, maybe five actually now that I live on the west. More on the west side of the state.
- [02:29]
Heather Wanigan
I mean, hey, that's a short enough drive, you know, it's, it's good for an adventure. We can eat halfway for coffee.
- [02:35]
Nikki Klosser
Awesome. All right, let's start by telling people a little bit just what your business looks like now as far as what you shoot, you know, genre wise and how often you shoot. And then we'll kind of go from there.
- [02:49]
Heather Wanigan
Sure. Yeah. My business, it started off probably like a lot of people shooting anything and everything and figuring out what I wanted to do. And I fell in love with senior. I spent several years also photographing weddings. Loved the weddings. And as my boys grew up though, I just knew I wanted to have my weekends back. And so I continue to pour into the seniors and that is who I love photographing. I love being able to capture them, to help them feel beautiful and worthy and confident and seeing pictures straight outta camera and then be like, it's me. I'm like, yes, it is you. So to have these images that make them feel beautiful and be able to look back on at this time in life of transition, you know, all the excitement and hope for their future, I just love getting to know them as an individual and being able to photograph who they are right now. And that is who I've loved photographing. And I typically, you know, photograph anywhere from 40 to 50 senior sessions a year. That's the majority of what I do. And then there are some families that I photograph. I do do some corporate branding and work with a marketing agency and help them with their clients and event photography. So a little bit of a lot of things corporate and seniors are what my, my big emphasis on seniors is just, it's my jam.
- [04:01]
Nikki Klosser
That's awesome. And when did you start your business? Like how long have you been shooting seniors?
- [04:06]
Heather Wanigan
It is 11 years now.
- [04:08]
Nikki Klosser
11 years. Okay, so let's back up to that because I believe you were a stay at home mom before starting your business. Did I get that right?
- [04:18]
Heather Wanigan
That is correct. Yeah.
- [04:19]
Nikki Klosser
Okay, so what happened that you were like, okay, I'm gonna go from being a stay at home mom to now starting this photography business?
- [04:26]
Heather Wanigan
Yeah, my business, honestly, it was not anything I ever expected to do. I have always loved taking pictures, even as a kid. I recently found a picture and I put it on my website, on my About Me page. I found a picture of me with My family. And I'm holding one of those little 110 cameras. It's hanging around my neck with little flashbulb attached to it. Right. I've always loved taking pictures, but it's always been for my personal benefit to capture the memories of the people that I love around me. And that's all I ever intended it to be. I was a stay at home mom. I had three young boys. Thought that was going to be the last title I ever had. Honestly never thought I'd ever work out of the. Out of my home again. It's what I loved and still do love. My favorite, most rewarding, hardest earned title I have ever had. And at that time, for a long time, my marriage was not in a healthy position. The relationship that we had was not one that I. It was less than what I deserved. I knew that there was better ways to be treated. How I felt just made me feel unworthy and unloved. And so I knew. Oh, it was. And you know, the thing is, is in the moments, I can look back on it now and see, oh my goodness, there were a lot of things that were not. Were not things that I would have tolerated. Like my today version of me would not tolerate that. Right. But it was just little by little, the fade and the pieces and just feeling more broken and feeling less capable over the years. I just thought, this is okay. This is what, this is what it looks like, right? This is what my marriage is going to be. We're just going to muddle through and make it. He had an affair. We ended up starting the divorce process. And at that point, then it's like, well, now what? I mean, I've stayed at home, I've been out of the workforce for so long. What do I do now? And I had only taken pictures for a couple people that had seen some books that I put together for capturing as a Midwestern girl. We have farm ground and we worked with some farmers and I captured the fall harvest and I created a book out of it. Well, a friend of a friend saw it and said, hey, why don't you take some pictures for us? That's how my business started. I'm like, okay, well, I don't really know you. I didn't know her at the time. Fast forward. She is one of my biggest super fans to this day.
- [06:44]
Nikki Klosser
Isn't that awesome to find someone like that? It's the best. I have one of those too.
- [06:49]
Heather Wanigan
Absolutely, absolutely. And I'm so thankful. Over and over, the people God has placed in my life over the years to be that encouragement and be that support. And she is most certainly one of them. And at the time, okay, well, I'll charge you $50, you know, and I look back at the pictures now, I'm like, oh, my goodness. You know, as a technical aspect, oh, the, the lighting is awful. Oh, my goodness, why did I put them in that bright sun? The kid is squinting, like all these things I'm looking, I'm like, bad pictures. And she's like, heather, you captured us the way we were, and we will forever be grateful that you did that for us, you know, and now 12 years, almost 12 years later, that I still get to capture that family. And so she was the one so awesome. She said, she's like, you need to do this.
- [07:33]
Nikki Klosser
Well, it's interesting because, you know, for what you went through and to be in a situation where you just feel broken down and unworthy for whatever reason that is maybe you know, from a partnership or a marriage like you were in, maybe it's family, you know, for whatever reason that your self worth is low now, it's like, okay, I'm starting a business in that, like, mindset, you know, so how. How was that starting a business, feeling in this kind of, you know, just in the mindset that you were in?
- [08:06]
Heather Wanigan
Yeah.
- [08:06]
Nikki Klosser
Am I making sense?
- [08:07]
Heather Wanigan
Oh, you absolutely are. And for the first five years I was in that, still, there was so much internal work that I was doing, whether it was on my own, whether it was reading books, going to therapy, talking to friends to figure out, like, where all this was coming from, what all of it was stemming from. And some of it probably wasn't even just from the marriage. Right. We've got childhood things.
- [08:32]
Nikki Klosser
150%. Yes.
- [08:34]
Heather Wanigan
Yeah.
- [08:35]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah.
- [08:35]
Heather Wanigan
And I mean, I can't even to this day say that there was a childhood trauma, you know, a real negative thing to pinpoint, but just the way we're brought up. And I think about that with my kids, you know, when I have conversations with them, am I impressing upon them beliefs that might be limiting? Beliefs unknowingly, right out of protection, daily.
- [08:58]
Nikki Klosser
Like, mental game that I have with my kids. What did I just say? Did I exactly what you said?
- [09:03]
Heather Wanigan
Totally. And there's always times I'm like, oh, my goodness. I'm like, I just. I don't want to screw up my kids. And someone looked at me, they're like, you know what, you can stop worrying about it right now because we're all screwing up our kids. I'm like, okay, well, that's. Is that encouraging? Or not. But at the same time, it kind of gave me a little bit of comfort in just knowing, like, we are all doing our best with what we know. And what we know today versus what we know five years from now might look different, but the conversations I have with my kids are very open, and they'll say something about, well, you know, something about the past or something that I said, and I'm like, you're right. You know, I didn't handle that the best way. Looking back, you know, if I could have kept my cool, because really, at the end of the day, that wasn't as big of a deal. Here's how I wish I could have. I would have handled it.
- [09:48]
Nikki Klosser
Now.
- [09:49]
Heather Wanigan
I apologize if that left you any feelings. Right. So there's conversations. And if at the end of the day, the kids can know that we are doing our very best, that they are loved regardless of what actions they do, what they say, and just lead them in a path of. For me, it is just, you know, serving God, loving others, and if I can raise kind, loving humans that, sure, they might have to work their stuff. They might be on a podcast 20 years from now talking about something. Who knows?
- [10:17]
Nikki Klosser
Totally.
- [10:18]
Heather Wanigan
But best intentions, right?
- [10:19]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah. One thing about that before. Well, actually, two quick things before we move on to more of your story. But it's so funny, because even little things, like, my husband has never raised his voice at me and our entire 16 years of being together, which is, well, maybe once. But other than that, I'm the one who gets a little bit more fired up, you know, and this is something I've worked on for a very long time. It's not like I've gotten a million times better. But, like, if my kids see us bickering, I will. Like, I'll be like, okay, wait, hang on. And then they need to see us makeup. Like, you know what, babe? I'm really sorry that I, you know, said it in that way. I should have said it this way. And he's like, it's okay. I'm sorry I did this. And they see us hug. Like, even though we're not speaking to them directly, we're within earshot, because I want them to see. See what? A healthy. Just. Just see it all. All the healthy, you know, like, yes, I am human, and I make mistakes. But, like, here's the healthy way to deal with it, if that makes sense. So I don't know.
- [11:13]
Heather Wanigan
Absolutely. And I think that gives them, as they grow up, permission to make mistakes and know that it's okay. And then how do you respond to it? Gosh, you know what? I blew up. You're right. I'm sorry. You know, even something with the kids. And I'm like, I said something and they just kept coming back and asking more like questions. I just. And I'm like, I'm done with this conversation. I'm like. Because I felt I had clarified myself and there shouldn't be any more conversation. Right. And so then we came back to that. I'm like, you know what? You had other questions. You had another way of seeing it. I'm like, next time I will be more. More aware of that in my feelings and what's happening and just. And give you the opportunity to listen, that is, and ask those questions. It's important for me to hear you. I apologize if you didn't feel heard. Right. It's okay. We're like you said, we're all human. We're all going to make mistakes. But if they can see it's okay to make mistakes and there's positive that can come from it, and it doesn't mean that the world crashes down, they're going to be more open to owning when they do make those things.
- [12:10]
Nikki Klosser
Totally. Well, so many people that I interview on this podcast will say things like, it wasn't until I worked through my self value that my business began to grow. And sue, you know, Sue Bryce is like the queen of teaching self value people. I often say this. People come to her platform, you know, to the portrait system to initially learn about photography, and they stay for the self value that she teaches because it truly is a direct reflection. Like how well we are doing in business is often a direct reflection of our self value, you know. Absolutely. So that's why I was curious how it was for you like that first. Like you said, the first five years compared to now.
- [12:50]
Heather Wanigan
Yes. Well, you exactly nailed it. Because the first five years, it was just kind of whatever came my way. I do whatever. I mean, honestly, for the first couple years, first year, year and a half, easy, I would take my kids to school and most days I would end up crawling back into bed and staying there until I had to pick them up again. Like, I couldn't physically figure out how to move forward on most days, like, you know, I was. My kids would never be the wiser because when they were here, I was on. Right. But it took all of the energy that I had those first five years. There was not much I felt like I had to give, nor the emotional capacity to be able to do it. And so there was Not a lot of growth. And as I start to uncover, okay, what is it? Am I worthy? How do I believe I'm worthy? What is going on and starting to take care of. I was talking to my mom the other day. I'm like, it's like inflating the tires, right? So the photography I started to become confident in, it was kind of like my. Like you were saying with sue, like, people come to her for the photography and stays for these other pieces. It's like, through photography was the biggest gift I could have been. Ultimately, I feel like it was handed to me, right? Did I work for it? You bet I did. But it felt like a lifeline to me. It felt like something that I had to get up out of my bed and go do something. Someone hired me to do it. I had to go do it. And I was finding that by the end of the session, I was so fired up. I was so excited. I had more energy. I felt there was a purpose and I had something to give. And so as I started to do that, I'm like, oh, all right. There is more to this. I could do something. I started uncovering more about my values, my beliefs, what I thought, where they're stemming from, how I can work through it. And really shifting the belief of what I do gives me value versus who I am and how I show up and just how I be like, I don't have to prove my worth. Which is where I felt like a lot of my adult life was. Was proving I was worthy, proving I could provide more meals, proving I could do this. You know, to feel that validation. And when you shift it and click it and it's like internal, like, I am a good, great human being with talents that God had gifted me with. So what is it that I'm going to do? How am I going to serve the world with it? And I began to be more confident. And I went from feeling like I wasn't even able to take a picture to fast forward five years, and I start really working on this and thinking, hey, I get to either make this a business that can provide, or I get to go get another job. And I knew I did not want to go get another job. I didn't want to work for anybody else, right? So I'm like, no, we're going to make this work. And I was committed. I started tracking things, and I went from $20,000 to $100,000 in one year. And that's why I'm like, oh, okay. Wow. This is something that I can do. And I think when you can lean into something and sometimes if you don't have that belief yourself, borrow someone else's, right? Go to the podcast with sue, listen to her training or what is it that you can take from her education to be able to fill you up while you're building your own confidence. And I'm so blessed with the other people that have been in my life and around my circle that have given me those little boosts of injection while I was trying to fill up, put air in my tires myself right now. Business started going great and it's like, okay, this is good, this is exciting. But that's not the only piece. And then it continued to grow and expand when I made sure I was taking care of everything else, because for a while I was then so focused on the business, like, this is great. Look, this is what I'm doing. I'm successful, so I'm worthy, right? And kind of hung there a little bit. And I'm like, wait, let's circle back to the real priorities. What's my focus in life when I get that? With my faith, with my family, and, you know, taking care of my health, all those pieces, when I start inflating all of those tires, all of a sudden the business becomes even easier. The money and the clients that start coming in is attracted easier. It felt like I wasn't even working. And why was it? It was because I was valuing who I was. I was showing up with authenticity. I was reaching the right people because they could resonate with me personally and with the technical skill of photography. And I'm able to just help and encourage other people. At the end of the day, empowerment is like the piece for, for everything I do in life, whether it's my coaching, whether it's the photography, whether it's some other side businesses and things that I'm creating with other friends and associates. It's all about empowering. If what I can do can help one person believe that they're capable and worthy of chasing after whatever dreams they want. Like, to me, that is where I get my joy.
- [17:25]
Nikki Klosser
Now. I love all of that. I love everything you just said. You mentioned that there was the year when you went from 20,000 to a hundred thousand. Now, obviously I know a lot of that had to do with just how you felt about yourself and what you were doing and your value and everything. But what were you doing in your, like, business wise? Because it's not like, you know, the money just like came to you overnight in your sleep. Like, what action were you taking to in your business to, you know, make that income so much more.
- [17:54]
Heather Wanigan
Sure, it's a great question. And in a lot of it was awareness. Awareness of what was really coming in. Because as I was starting to get more clients and bookings and say, oh, this is awesome, like, I'm really making a lot of money. Well, in the first five years, I never even did a cost of doing business. Right. I never had to. I didn't understand. I knew nothing about the business side of things. And so I kept hearing cost of doing business all that seemed. And in my head it was like, too scary. Don't know what that is. I'll be an idiot if I go and look. And I don't know. Right. I wasn't even in the mindset early on to want to learn because I still had that feeling of, oh, gosh, yeah, I don't know that. How could I learn that when I stopped and been like, okay, this is what we're doing. We get to figure this out. Did a costume business. Well, everybody needs to make sure they do because it's eye opening to realize that $400 that they just paid you for a session. You don't keep all 400, right?
- [18:50]
Nikki Klosser
I mean, yeah, no, logically.
- [18:53]
Heather Wanigan
Logically, I knew that. I knew part went to taxes, but I still spent like it was the 400. And so when I saw that, I'm like, okay, so what does this look like? What can my take home be for that session? There are two things I did after I made that awareness. One, I went from all inclusive to started doing in person sales, giving people the opportunity to pay me more. And in my head, I'd always be like, it's a choice. People don't have to take my $2,000 collection. They can if they want to. They have a choice to do my $500 collection. So it made it something that felt like it was scary to me to make that switch. But yet I felt comfort in having a collection that was somewhat around the same price I was already charging. So I started setting up my business differently. And the other thing was literally just tracking. Okay, so what's my goal? If my goal is to make a hundred thousand dollars this year, what do I need to make per month? Okay, now we know per month in January, February, March for me, in the Midwest, not quite as busy. So now I'm going to lower that number those months, and I'm going to bump it up in the fall when is typically the busiest. And then with those numbers, there's no making excuses. There's no, it. It almost. I felt before I did it that I thought it was going to put me more in a negative mindset of fear and shame and, like, who am I worth? I couldn't do that. Like, these numbers are so unattainable. That's what I thought. And that's kind of the reason. One of the reasons, I think that kind of held me off from even doing it. And when I did, all it did was excite me more because I'd look at it like, okay, well, if I'm making $2,000 a session and my goal is five, that's only like two and a half sessions. Right. This is great. This is easy. I can do that. I became more aware of my surroundings. I became more aware of the opportunities that honestly were always there. And I wasn't proactive. If someone would say, oh, gosh, yeah, we've been mean to get family pictures. We need to connect with you sometimes. The early version of me was, yeah, absolutely. Well, you know how to get ahold of me.
- [20:56]
Nikki Klosser
Yep. And then wait for them, you know. Yep, totally. Yep.
- [21:01]
Heather Wanigan
And. And I know from my personal life, I have great intentions for a lot of things that I want to do and I say I want to do. And if given the opportunity to let it stay in my court of, yeah, I'll connect with you. How long? Some of those things that I truly want get pushed off because other things become a priority in the day, in the moment, if we don't make it a priority. And so I shifted it. It was like, awesome. Yes. So tell me, when is the last time you had pictures? Oh, I'm so embarrassed to say. It's been 10 years, girl. We need to get you in front of the camera with your family. This is nonsense. I don't care. You know, and then we're talking about excuses. Well, I don't care if you want to. You're waiting to lose that ten pounds. You will never regret having pictures. All right, what day do you want to do it? I've got a couple openings next. Next week. Well, you know, but next week isn't. That's. No, because my husband. Okay, cool. Does next month work? Right. And you just can. And I continued. And I'd put them in there. I was committed because I knew what my goals were to achieve. I was committed to those opportunities that were there. And when you're doing that, it doesn't even feel salesy. Sleazy. Nothing. It's like they said they wanted to do this. You're ensuring you're helping Them get that done, you're helping them hit the finish line easier and quicker than if they did it themselves.
- [22:12]
Nikki Klosser
Yep. And it's remembering that people aren't going to be mad at you for, you know, for asking them and for following up and for encouraging them to get on your calendar. Like, I used to think that people would think I was, like, bothering them. You know, me, little people pleaser over here. Like, oh, I just don't want to bother. But people, first of all, people have a million things on their to do list. So if you can make it easier for them, do it. Like, follow up. Don't give them one more thing they have to do on their to do list. And two, they're always going to have excuses. Like you said, don't let those excuses keep them from booking. Like, use rebuttals, you know, to their objections. Like, you just have to be persistent, and not everyone's going to book, and that's okay, but if you can continue to be persistent, exactly how you just gave an example, such a good example. You're gonna get so many more bookings. You just have to have the confidence to pursue it.
- [23:05]
Heather Wanigan
Absolutely. I think in what you mentioned, too, about hearing no. So have the confidence to pursue it and have the confidence and awareness that someone will say no. Right. I mean, we are rejected in all aspects of our life at some point. Right. I mean, even if someone you know, you ask someone you know, hey, give me a call. I'd love to do coffee with you. Oh, gosh, I'd love to. This week is busy. Yep. You know, let's. Let's touch base another time. Okay, great. That rejection, you know, it's like, just treat it like that. Like, are we hurt if a friend isn't available this week? But you're like, oh, I know. We're gonna do it later. Okay, cool. Right? Just embrace the rejection. Make a game of it if you need to. Like, okay, great. So my new pricing. You know, I could have five people tell me no before one said yes. And I'm still producing the same amount of revenue. I'm serving my family in a better way because I have more energy, I have more time, I have all these things, and I can show up for that client in a way that maybe I wouldn't have been before if I had way too many bookings at lower price point. Exactly. Make it a game. All right. Hey, you know what? I'm going to keep making calls today until I get five nos. All right? And what's happened? Make it ten. Great. So that means I'll have to. I'll make ten calls. And negative person might be like, okay, well, okay, I'm going to make calls. So I get five no's. Great. I'm only going to make five calls. Well, guess what? You've made five calls. You made five touch points with people that, that you care about, that they now know that you remember them for any reason, whether you're actually asking for scheduling something right then or just checking in. Hey, you know, do you know anyone? I'm doing these mini sessions coming up. Do you know anyone that'd be interested in these superhero ones? I know the little kids would love it. Who do you have in mind? Right. Just checking in. You're becoming top of mind awareness. And guess what? You get to the fifth call, you might be surprised, like, oh, I guess I have a couple more calls to make because two people actually just said yes. Okay.
- [24:54]
Nikki Klosser
Yep.
- [24:54]
Heather Wanigan
And that builds the excitement. Right? But I think, I think some of it is, I think, hearing no. And again, people pleaser. Yes. Raise my hand, here I am. But being a people pleaser and setting boundaries to where it serves you, that's where my business began to expand again. Right. Because I'm like, if I'm only focused on what works best for my client, it's not working for me, then it's not it, then it's not working. Right. If I am shooting every Saturday just because that's what every person wants is to shoot on Saturdays and I'm gone all day, away from my family and I might be making money. Right. But is that really where my priority wants to lie? Do you truly want to work on setters? If you do, wonderful. If you don't and you're saying yes just because you feel like you have to, there's other ways. And you're going to feel better when you go to those sessions. I mean, I charge extra for weekends now. Now I get to say when they ask, hey, you know, we really need a Saturday. Do you work on Saturdays? Yep, I absolutely do. And I give them the price for my Saturdays. I said if you'd like. I said, you know, you can save 100 dol dollars off the session fee by picking a weeknight. Which one works best for you? I get to say yes and still do what's best for me and my family.
- [26:08]
Nikki Klosser
Exactly. Hey, just a quick break to tell you that since you're here listening, you have access to a really great offer for our listeners only. We have a special promo code you can use to get 50 off the cost of membership. Just go to theportraitsystem.com or click the link in the description and use the promo code code podcast 50 to get 50% off of a membership. We rarely discount membership, so this is a big deal. As I hope you already know, the membership is how I and so many guests on this podcast reached our success. And it gives you access to countless amazing videos, an awesome community, and all the tools you need to build a massively successful business. So use the code podcast50Now to join the community and and to start building the business of your dreams. I'll see you there. And I feel like if we go into sessions feeling resentful and the two things I think that come up the most as far as feeling like, resentment going into the session is if we're not charging enough and we feel like we're being taken advantage of, even though we're the ones who said yes to those phrasing or two, working on times when we don't want to. And those are things that I think people really struggle with putting boundaries up around. And the resentment starts to build, and whether or not they have any idea they are feeling it from you, they have no idea why, but they're feeling that resentment. You're not bringing your A game. It's just not a great situation to be in. And one more thing I wanted to bring up when you said, you know, running your cost of goods and everything, we have a pricing calculator on the portrait system. And it is so eye opening for people because it takes the emotion out of it. It's like, okay, so if I want to make 100 grand and I want to do, you know, 12 shoots a month, oh, my God, I have to start my prices at a thousand dollars. You know, it'll spit out for you. Here are the prices for high, medium, and low. If you want to shoot this many times per month, and you just input how much money you want to make, how many times you want to shoot, you know, and input all of your expenses and it spits the numbers back out at you. And it's like, so eye opening. There's no emotion around it. There's no like, oh, it's like, literally this is what you have to charge if you want to make this much money. If you don't want to make that much money, then charge less. But this is your end game of what you want and it takes the emotion out and it's so awesome.
- [28:24]
Heather Wanigan
If there is anybody listening to this and has not done that, they need to just stop this. And they need to go do that right now. That is a huge piece to understanding. And I remember when I first did mine, and audibly out loud, because I remember early on in the sessions, I'd be like, yeah, I know. I'm not like the other drivers. I mean, I don't understand why anyone has to charge $50 for a four by six, you know, and had these thoughts. And as I did my numbers, I'm like, oh, now I understand why they charge that. Right. I'm like, you don't know what you don't know. So run your numbers. And it really is. Okay, great. Now we have all our expenses, we have our taxes. All that's pulled out. I'm like, no, I'm worth more than $10 an hour. I might as well go flip burgers. I might as well go work at Aldi's and buy groceries. I can make 18 or something now. Right?
- [29:09]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah.
- [29:10]
Heather Wanigan
What are we doing and how do we set up? And you're right. The emotion gets taken out of it completely. And with the emot. And you see those numbers, when I did that, the confidence was like, oh, heck, yeah, I'm worth more than that. You know, my average session now is $4,000 a session. And so it. That's 10 times from where I was doing the 400 all inclusive. And at $400 all inclusive, I was petrified to raise my prices or to change anything because I was afraid people were going to tell me, no, I was going to lose clients. Let me tell you, I love serving in so many more capacities for my community. Through church, through tithing, through volunteering at events. Whether it's photographing or just help, I have more free time to give back than what I would have if I stayed at those prices. Right. So it's numbers. Yes. Get on that calculator right now and get yours done. You'll be, oh, so glad.
- [29:58]
Nikki Klosser
Yep, Yep. Absolutely. Okay, so your average sale now is 4,000.
- [30:03]
Heather Wanigan
Yeah.
- [30:04]
Nikki Klosser
That's great. Will you take us through your pricing and how you structure it?
- [30:08]
Heather Wanigan
Yeah. So I do a session fee, and with the session fee, as I was saying earlier, is that I have a. My session fee is $250 if it is done during the weekday. And if they want a weekend, it's an extra hundred bucks. So it's not a lot when they're already investing 4, 5, $8,000. You know, that extra hundred dollars isn't going to be a deal breaker, but what it does is most of the people then be like, yeah, you know, let's See, I think we could make a Thursday night work. I'm like, perfect. That would be lovely, right? If I found that most people were still saying yes to Saturday. I just keep bumping up that session fee until it got to the point that I could say yes and still getting the outcome of what I want, which is directing people onto the weekdays. So I do high school seniors. I have a VIP program that I have people coming in as early as freshman year that have already committed and paid their session fee for their senior year. And I'm photographing every year. But for the actual senior session itself, I do collections. So I have three different collections. And the middle collection includes a small album. It has a $300 print credit that they can use towards any wall art or really anything. Most people will put it on, use wall art, and 40 digital images of their choice, and that's $3,300. My editing is very simple and clean and doesn't take a long time. So that price point for the amount of digital images, I know if some people are doing, like, really fine art stuff and a lot of extra detail, enhanced editing, things like that, Right. They'd be like 40 digitals. Oh, my goodness. How about five? Right? Every person gets to choose how that works. But for me, that's what works as far as the time that I invest it in the sessions. And then my a la carte items that they're choosing are typically going to be between $500,000 for the wall art. And so then there's the additional revenue on that after they use a print credit. So that's a little bit about how I do it. Most people will do the collections. They either do that collection or the top collection, which is going up to $4,300 this year. And that includes a little bit larger PR and a portfolio box with 10 images. So those are my two most popular collections. And then people add on for additional small albums for grandparents, they will do additional digital images, or they will do graduation cards, yard signs that have become a big thing since 2020. So we'll add those things on. Some people will do just the only digitals, but for the most part, it's one of those two different collections and then add on. I think my highest session investment so far has been 8,500.
- [32:41]
Nikki Klosser
Nice. That's awesome.
- [32:42]
Heather Wanigan
Yeah.
- [32:43]
Nikki Klosser
Okay, so I like how you said you. You kind of do the minimal, minimal editing. Some people do, you know, a ton of post processing, but you kind of get to decide and choose what that's going to look like. Do you want to offer more photos and do less retouching or vice versa? Like everyone gets to decide what they want to do with their own business and it's just, just making it work for you. So yeah, I love that.
- [33:09]
Heather Wanigan
Yeah, for sure. Making it work for you after you know your numbers. So go back to that calculator and know your numbers because as you start factoring in, you know, I mean, I can edit a session, you know, in less than an hour. Okay, well, if you were doing those fin things, you could be spending an hour or more on a digital one image. Right. So it's like, well, how much time are you factoring in? So that's where choosing the number of digitals, you get to make sure that it works for you from a financial standpoint as far as the hours invested. So yeah, get that calculator.
- [33:40]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah, definitely. Okay, let's talk a little bit about marketing. How are you bringing your seniors in?
- [33:47]
Heather Wanigan
Sure. Most of it is through word of mouth. I have a website which I dearly love and that is where most people will end up coming through the website and they'll tell me, oh yeah, so and so you know, referred me. Oh, we've saw their pictures. So every, everything I've done in my business has been grown from word of mouth and referral based. I'm in some networking groups, I have a lot of seniors and then they just refer. I post on social media, I'm on Facebook, I'm on Instagram, I'm not doing either of those every single day. There's nothing that's very heavy emphasis on it. It was early on I felt like I had to be on there every day posting something and I've just gotten to the point that my business has become known in the area and oh yes, she's the senior photographer. Perfect. I love that and I love the kids coming in with the excitement for it. And so a lot of mine is, you know, just from word of mouth.
- [34:42]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah. Now are you okay? So much of my business came from word of mouth as well and it just, it was just really wonderful. Now are you asking for a referral? Are you getting testimonials? Is it just happening without you having to do or say anything? Like, how is that working?
- [35:01]
Heather Wanigan
It's very, very organic and I know when it comes to this piece people are wanting a to do list or a checklist of what you need to do. And for me, a lot of it was just organic. I do get testimonials so that comes through automated emails. So at the end of the session. After the session, they get an email. Hey man, you just rocked that session. Absolutely loved today. Really looking forward to seeing you the new images. Just as a reminder, you'll be able to come to my, my studio in seven to 10 days. We'll go through and view the slideshow. You can look at the beautiful albums and figure out what really works for you. Right. If you love this experience as much as I did love for you to take just 30 seconds, here's a link to my Google website so you can leave a review. These reviews are so helpful for other people to as they're looking through and looking for photographers to see if I'm the right fit for them. Right. And so I'm talking about those things like, hey, if you loved, you know, how fun and relaxed this was, if, you know, you felt more confident at the end of the session, if you enjoyed the music that we jammed to the whole time, you know, just, just share a review real quick. I'd really appreciate it. And other people that are looking photographer will love to have a little peek into what to expect. Right. So then as I'm sharing that the reviews relate to that. Oh, I just loved it. You know, Heather just makes it so fun. It's very relaxed. I wasn't confident when I came in, but I could see, you know, I could feel so much better at the end. And they just kind of go with those. So I do get reviews on Google that way. Not a ton, honestly. I will then sometimes go back because, you know, Google likes to make sure that reviews keep coming in regularly. So then I might go back, you know, to people that we've worked with and I'm like, hey, you got just a few seconds. Would love to be able to get, you know, a few new reviews. It's been a few months since I've had anything pop in. Would love for you to be able to share your, your testimony. So I do do testimonies. I don't have any referral programs or anything like that. It's something that I did years ago and they just were not, not effective. You know, these kids, they are happy to share images I find with the people that I that I work with. Like, they don't want to feel like they're quote unquote selling to their friends and you know, like, you know, making like they don't want to make the money off of them. They just really, if they love the experience, they're going to tell other friends that they need to go. And so I also find like on social Media, sharing pictures of the seniors on stories is very valuable. Like the kids will always share on stories. If I tag them, all those stories are getting shared. They don't tend to post as much on social media of the professional photos. They love them and they want them, but they are curating these Instagram to be more like, let's throw these fuzzy pictures that you can't even tell who I am and let's have me only half the picture. Right. You know, it's just kind of the stage of, of things right now and that makeshift. But today, you know, they will post, but it's not a. Even if they post pictures, it can be a little bit more subdued. Right. But in stories, they're sharing them all the time. And so I get a lot of people, you know, greater reach. When I post those, I'm seeing, oh, this is someone new that I photographed, I tagged them and now all of a sudden I have new followers. So there's things like that that are happening more organically.
- [38:03]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah, I really think if seniors is. If that's going to be your jam, you have to understand how seniors work. It's so funny. I don't know what the deal is with seniors and not making regular posts on Instagram, but they don't. Like, my best friend's daughter, she'll make a post and then I'll like be looking at it and it'll be gone. And I'm like, shay, why are you getting rid of all of your posts? And she's like, I don't know, they were like older, boring. And I'm like, what? That's not really how she speaks. But you know, I mean, kind of, you know, she's a 15 year old girl. But yeah, that's how they, they operate in a really weird way on social media. And it's really important to understand that when you're doing the marketing in the types of things that you're, you know, making so that, you know, they're gonna share it. Like they're not gonna share your post, but they'll share your story. That's exactly what you just said. Like, it's just so funny.
- [38:54]
Heather Wanigan
It is really interesting as you say that. I'm like, my son does the same thing. He's 17 and I look on his, you know, he'll post a new picture of he and his girlfriend or whatever and I'm like, oh, I haven't seen his page and I'll open it up. I'm like, wait, now there's like two pictures again. Like he, he has never had more than nine images displayed at a single time. I'm like, this is so bizarre to me. But that. That's what they are. I mean, he can even look back at pictures of him from a couple years ago, and he's like, oh, I can't believe I looked like that. I'm like, honey, you're a growing boy and you're changing. Why are you, like, you know, embarrassed by what you looked like? Guess what all of your friends 2 years ago could be. You know, look, they're looking the same, but they just want kind of the newest and freshest. And I think that's why Instagram stories are so such a valuable tool to use sharing there often. You know, even I'll do throwbacks. Even kids from several years ago. I'll post a story and be like, oh, my goodness, this living today is this. This gal's gonna be graduating college soon. I can't believe it. You know, and post it. They are sharing. They're sharing because there's that. That belief that it's only there for 24 hours. Like, they're. They're good. They're just happy to share because it's real time in the moment. And after that, it's gone. Right. We all know nothing's ever really gone, but it's. It's all. It's. It's all now off their story. And. And they're. They. They love sharing that way.
- [40:03]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah. And. Okay, so you said you don't do, like, a senior team or, like, pay seniors to book their friends and that sort of thing, right?
- [40:11]
Heather Wanigan
No, no.
- [40:11]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah, I never did that either.
- [40:13]
Heather Wanigan
Yeah, I did the first couple years. I tried. I tried it. And honestly, there just wasn't the excitement around it. And at that time, I know there were several people that were saying, like, there was just such a shift in that time. Like, I was offer. I was starting to offer it at a time where it was kind of like phasing out. Years before that, it seemed like something that was actually really working for. For photographers, and it just doesn't anymore. And so I've never offered that. My VIP team is something where they can come in and take mini sessions you the year when I offer them. And again, that just provides me new content. It gives me another opportunity to be able to offer them, you know, additional digitals and images and portraits and albums if they want a sale. That I typically wouldn't have. Right. Because until your senior year, most people are not getting pictures, you know, professionally taken. But with my VIP team, it starts Freshman year. So I have people coming in every year on the team taking mini sessions. Opportunity to be able to, you know, give them new images from each year. Hey, you know what's cool about this is we. Then in your senior album, we can do a spread of each of your freshman, sophomore and senior year. Two how or freshman, sophomore and junior. How cool is that? Yeah. So let's get started right now. We can do this. It's. And it's fun. They become more comfortable with me and they become more confident in front of the camera. So by the time senior year rolls around, like, yeah, let's do this. I mean, I've taken kids to Chicago and photographed them up there. I photographed a senior in New York. I'm like, where do you want to go? Like, I love to travel. So, like, if I can over the years with, I'm working with them in their high school. I'm like, oh, where do you want to go? Let's make this epic. Like, you go to a beach, you want to go to Colorado, you want to go to the mountains. I mean, hey, I'm up for it, right? So we'll do, we'll do things like that too. But I find that with that you have new content every single year. If you're photographing kids their freshman and sophomore year, that's how many more people are you able to impact for them to be able to have connections with? How many more years of stories are you tagging and sharing them in with all more new friends and audiences that are who you want to have in front of you come their junior year when they're ready to book senior pictures?
- [42:09]
Nikki Klosser
Yep. I love that. Love it. Yeah. And that's, I don't want to say, you know, back to like the whole having a team and that sort of thing. Like, it does work for a lot of people. It really does. It's just, it's a lot of work. It's a lot of effort. Anyone who ever interviewed who talks about it, it's. It's like a full blown thing. And if you want to put the time and energy into it, like, do it. But it just wasn't something I ever needed or wanted. And it sounds like it was kind of the same with you, where. Yeah, you know, there were just other ways that worked better. Like you asking for the testimonial, having that part of your workflow, asking for that is so, like, just make it part of your workflow. Some people are gonna do it, some people aren't. But it's, it's great. So, yeah, I just wanted to throw that in there.
- [42:49]
Heather Wanigan
And I like that you clarified that. Cause you're right. I mean, what works for one person doesn't work for another. I knew that my style, the way I showed up, the way I live, it's easy, breezy, fun. Let's roll in. We're gonna have a great time. There's that advanced planning of doing styled sessions. I tried it.
- [43:05]
Nikki Klosser
It.
- [43:06]
Heather Wanigan
I hated it. Right. So that's why it didn't work for me. Right. Like we talked about earlier, when we're, you know, when we're working with clients or whatever, if we're feeling resentment going into a session, they don't know why, but they're feeling something. Right. So why did that. That. That way to do teams not work for me. And why did I hate it? Well, because I hated it. Like, there's. Case in point, right? It's not something I enjoyed. All the fancy dresses and stylings and all those things. I think they're beautiful images to look at. I admire the people that enjoy doing it. It just. Not for me.
- [43:36]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah. Yeah, for sure. What advice would you give people who, you know, are trying to, like, break into the senior market? Or, you know, we. We have some people who, one, either feel like the senior market is just so saturated in their town, so they can't do it, which we know that that isn't the reason you can't do it. Or number two, senior photography just doesn't exist like in a lot of other countries and even in some. Some different states, they don't really. It's just not a thing. So if you were to kind of give advice to people for either one of those things, what do you think you would say? Like, what would be your best senior advice?
- [44:13]
Heather Wanigan
I think, you know, really just getting people in front of the camera, even if it is, you know, just finding someone that, you know, a friend's kid, hey, we'd love to take pictures.
- [44:22]
Nikki Klosser
Yes.
- [44:23]
Heather Wanigan
You know, let's. We. We get to create the content that we want to photograph. And so when I started out and I was taking all kinds of pictures. Great. And I was showing all kinds of pictures just because I was happy anybody was letting me take their picture. I was sharing it all when I started curating. And Instagram particularly, is where I show primarily all seniors. Every now and then a family might pop up or every now and then, you know, a corporate headshot. For most part, it's geared towards seniors because I want people to come to it and be like, oh, oh. So this is A thing. So even if it's not a thing, how cool that you get to be the person to create it to be a thing.
- [45:00]
Nikki Klosser
Yep.
- [45:01]
Heather Wanigan
And so having, you know, an Instagram where it's just all your seniors, you know, finding a few people. And one thing, when you're finding people to photograph, if no one's seen your pictures. I remember when I was in Mexico, we were photographing a wedding, and I think they were from Canada. And they asked like, you know what we're doing? I said, we photograph weddings. I said, I photograph high school, I photograph seniors. They thought I meant like senior citizens.
- [45:25]
Nikki Klosser
Yeah, totally. Some people, yes.
- [45:28]
Heather Wanigan
It wasn't until that conversation that I'm like, oh, so this isn't a thing everywhere. So I thought, that's funny. I'm like, okay. No, it's high school. She's like, oh, for 12th grade. I'm like, yeah. They're like, that's not a thing. I'm like, okay, so yes, it's not a thing everywhere. But if you want it to be a thing, and this is what you love, finding those people and not just like, I wouldn't put out like a blanket call, you know, hey, I'm just looking for people between 16 and 18 to photograph. You know, make it intentional, make the connections, you know, reaching out to someone, hey, I'm looking to photograph three high school age girls. Love to be able to create something really new for this area and want people that are, you know, really outgoing, you know, and adventurous and looking to something fun in the mountains or whatever that description is. Right. Paint the picture of who it is you're really looking for. Not just, I want to photograph seniors. Do you know any kids in high school? But, like, more details. You know, I really looking for someone that's really kind of edgy, got her own vibe, that really, you know, stands in who she is and doesn't go to the norm and really, you know, dresses funny, like, whatever it is. Because then you're, you're painting a picture that all of a sudden someone's like, oh, I know exactly who you need to talk to. Now you get to build that relationship with, hey, so and so, you know, said that you would be the perfect person for this. I'm looking for three people to come out and, you know, photograph in this new area that I haven't photographed before. And I'm looking for kids your age. Is this something to be interested in right now? You're having convers on relationships. It's not just, hey, I need people, but you're really reaching out to people and looking for those specifics. And now you've got new content, now you get to share it. Your website gets to be elevated, gets to be able to have that feeling of, oh, we are going to be cared for. This is really cool. Oh, look at all the things that they offer. You know, however that looks for you, creating that elevated, you know, appearance, you know, what you're actually doing, find a way to be able to present it online. That's like, oh, yeah, this is cool. She's not like everybody else.
- [47:22]
Nikki Klosser
I love that advice. It's like making people feel special and excited and talking about what you're going to do for them. And it really goes back to. With any genre, you have to build your portfolio to get that going. And you've got to find bodies, you've got to find people if you're going to build that portfolio. You've just, you know, and even, like, you know, looking for high school seniors. Like, you could post in local mom Facebook groups or, you know, go to a mom networking group. Like, talk to the moms. Like, hey, in other states or in other countries, this is a thing. Like, I really want to bring this here because you and your kids deserve to have these photos here. You know, like, how cool is it that your kid's graduating from high school and we get to document this time in their life? Like, I want to do this with your kid as a mom. I would be like, sign me up, here's my kid. Take them. You know, do your thing. Like, yeah, so.
- [48:14]
Heather Wanigan
Yep, absolutely. And I think, I think that's an exciting advantage, right? I mean, it's. Again, it's to be the first. How are you going to look at that? Do you want to look at it and be like, oh, well, gosh, yeah, but. Well, that's cool that they're doing that. But we don't do that here. Well, and start it right. So how cool that no one in my area, in my city, in my country, does this. What a neat thing to allow me to set myself apart and create something really cool and lead and then be able to help other people do something as exciting like this. So, I mean, again, their mindset is a huge thing, right? We can look at and be like, well, that's great, but that doesn't work for me. Make it work for you. That's super exciting. You're like, you know, you're venturing in new territory. You're the one. You get to create it.
- [48:58]
Nikki Klosser
Exactly. I love it. I love it. Well, this has Been awesome. Thank you so much for sharing all of this. You know, it's, I'm sure it's, it's pretty incredible to look back and think about that really tough five years but here you are incredibly successful and just loving what you do and yeah, it's pretty cool.
- [49:20]
Heather Wanigan
Yeah, my 10 year ago self and my 5 year old self, no, I don't recognize my today self and I look forward in five years from now to be able to say the same thing about today. Right. We just keep going. If you are consistent, you keep showing up, you follow your heart and keep learning, keep leaning in with education, keep figuring out how to take one step, step forward and keep showing up consistently. It's amazing what can happen. And every single one of the listeners are going to do the same thing. They're going to look back and be like, wow, didn't know that I could be standing right here today when I look back at where I was just a few years ago.
- [49:54]
Nikki Klosser
Yep, pretty awesome. Well, thank you again. I do have a couple more questions that I always ask at the end of each episode. The first one is what's something you can't live without when you're doing a photo shoot?
- [50:04]
Heather Wanigan
My music. So I always have a speaker with me and the first thing we do is, is you know, we get on the, get on location chat. Zero Green's like okay, great. I'm like, so the most difficult and important question of the day. And some of the, some of the kids are like, oh, kind of like deer in headlights. Like oh my goodness, this is about quiz. And others they're like, yes, I've been waiting for this question, 80s, you know, whatever.
- [50:28]
Nikki Klosser
And they'll tell me something.
- [50:29]
Heather Wanigan
And I'm like, okay, awesome. So like the music has become a thing that I am known for. And so like the kids are like, yes. They're like, actually I even made a playlist to give you. I'm like, okay, we are leveling up here. So, so music is my thing. I love it. I think it just really helps create a little bit more relaxed environment. It takes, you know, any silent pauses out from feeling awkward. And when the kids, when you're giving them the ability to be like, hey, what do you want to listen to? They're naturally going to be more relaxed. And we have legit had dance parties and I'm photographing them, I'm like, just go, just jam. Let's see it. You know we're getting these fun like and, and those are the ones that like from the parents. I'm Like. Like, that is my goal every session is to capture an image, no matter how reserved or like, okay, smile. And they're like, you know, traditional smile, right? But I'm like, no, I want that uninhibited, can't hide it down suppressed smile, the laughter, the crinkly nose. Like, when I get a picture like that, that, to me, feels like a win. And it may not always be their favorite picture. Most of the times, the parents are the ones that love. They're like, oh, I see. And they'll cry. Like, I see my little girl. Like, you know, it's. You see those pieces? They are growing up, and they're maturing, and they're turning into wonderful adults. But they see that little glimpse of what we all just want to hold onto as our kids age. I just celebrated my oldest 21st birthday. I'm like, what happened? How can that be? Because I'm still 30. The math is not making sense. And I'm like, oh, my goodness. Time is just going fast. So I love being able to capture pieces like that.
- [52:01]
Nikki Klosser
Very cool. All right, number two is how do you spend your time when you're not working?
- [52:06]
Heather Wanigan
Ah, when I am not working. I love traveling. I took my boys overseas this last summer, and we hit eight different cities in Rome, in Italy, and then we went to Greece and Turkey. We're doing Morocco this year, taking my oldest over there, so. And then Florida to visit my mom. And so we are always. It's. It's with family, and if I can do family things in other places to explore, whether it's a national park here in the area or going somewhere else, that is definitely what I love to do.
- [52:37]
Nikki Klosser
Very cool. Oh, I'm such a travel junkie, too. Morocco is one of my favorite places.
- [52:42]
Heather Wanigan
What's next on your list?
- [52:43]
Nikki Klosser
Oh, my gosh. This year I'm going. I'm taking my niece to Greece, so for her graduation present, she could take place she wanted to go. She chose Greece. I've never been. And then I get to go to New Zealand to speak at nzib, the conference there that I was invited to do that. Never been there. So that's exciting. We go to. We're leaving pretty soon for Jamaica as a family. So, yeah, lots of travel. Lots of travel this year.
- [53:08]
Heather Wanigan
I love it. Yeah. New Zealand, Australia, I think might be our next trip with our neighbors. Like, hey, you want to do another, you know, group trip? I'm like, yes. And then my middle son, I do one on one trips with them each year. So, like, my oldest chose Mexico One of my boys did Colorado skiing for, you know, four or five days. And then. Then my other boy, he hasn't done his trip yet, and he's like, oh, well, so cool if we do that. Well, why don't the other brothers just go back with the. With our neighbors? He's like, and then we can just stop in Fiji on the way. Just six feet.
- [53:41]
Nikki Klosser
There you go. You're talking. That's where we went on our honeymoon, is Fiji.
- [53:44]
Heather Wanigan
Did you. Oh, I'll have to swap some notes. I'll have to hear all about it. And you said you've been to Morocco?
- [53:49]
Nikki Klosser
I have. Oh, my gosh, Heather. It's one of my favorite places in the world. Chefchaouen is this little town that I fell in love with. We ended up extending the amount of time that we stayed there because we loved it so much.
- [54:02]
Heather Wanigan
Really?
- [54:03]
Nikki Klosser
And then doing, like, the overnight trip in the desert and just seeing, like, the Berber villages.
- [54:08]
Heather Wanigan
Yes.
- [54:10]
Nikki Klosser
That was also, like, just one of the most remarkable places I've ever seen. It was very cool.
- [54:17]
Heather Wanigan
Oh, I'm so excited. Those are two of the places we're hitting. So you've just reaffirmed.
- [54:21]
Nikki Klosser
Most people are like, what's Chef Shaouin? I mean, like, I was. I mean, I was young, and. Well, okay, I wasn't that young. I'm 45 now. I was, like, 28 when I was in Morocco, so I was still young, but I was still broke, and I stayed at the hostels and whatever. If I did it now, I feel like it'd be even. I don't know. It was amazing, though. It was absolutely. You're gonna die. Like, the eye candy all over from the colors and just the vibe and just everything about it was just so amazing to look at and. And experience.
- [54:52]
Heather Wanigan
Yeah, I love that. I love it. Yes. I'm. I'm super excited. It's going to be. Be it. Be a super cool trip.
- [54:59]
Nikki Klosser
I'll have to follow along. You'll have to post office.
- [55:01]
Heather Wanigan
Yes, yes, absolutely. You know, I'll be posting.
- [55:05]
Nikki Klosser
Awesome. All right, next question is, what is your favorite inspirational quote?
- [55:11]
Heather Wanigan
So, a couple of the things that I have taped on my computer just as reminders to myself. One of them is, is let your why power fuel your willpower. And I love that, because there are days that we are going to show up and we are not going to feel motivated. We are not going to want to follow up and do those consistent things. And so that is just my reminder is, what is your why? What is it that you're really doing this for. And when you really know your why, it's going to help fuel that willpower to get you to go through and follow those next steps and being consistent, showing up even when you don't feel like it's. And that will reward you in the long run. So, so important to knowing your why. And then the other one is crisis destroys you or creates you. You choose.
- [55:56]
Nikki Klosser
Ooh, those are both great. Love those. Yeah.
- [56:00]
Heather Wanigan
And, you know, we all have crisis. Some might. Some might look more severe than others, but we all have something that we can look at, and we can. It's all about our mindset. Are we going to sit there and feel sorry for ourselves and feel like a victim? Victim? Or are we going to look at it and be like, okay, what can I learn from this? How can I help it? Move me forward. And my crisis, I will tell you without a doubt, is creating the best version of me. Always work in progress. But today's version of me I'm very proud of, and I'm excited to see who the version of me in five years. But it's that crisis. It's creating me, and it's a choice. We get to choose.
- [56:33]
Nikki Klosser
Exactly. It either happened to me or it happened for me.
- [56:37]
Heather Wanigan
Absolutely. It. Yes. What is your inspirational quote? I'm curious.
- [56:42]
Nikki Klosser
I'm actually not a quote person, so I just don't really have one. I mean, I came up with one when I was interviewed on the podcast, and I can't even think about what it was at the. At the moment, but. Yeah. So I have no answer for you.
- [56:59]
Heather Wanigan
No. That's great.
- [57:02]
Nikki Klosser
All right, Number four is what will you tell people who are just starting out, out?
- [57:07]
Heather Wanigan
Don't give up. If you feel like this is your passion, that you're called to do it, that you're excited to just keep going, that there will be challenges along the way, and it's okay. And just because you're hitting roadblocks, it doesn't mean that this is not for you. You know, just look at it as, like, great, like we talked about crisis. Right. It destroys you or creates you. If there's a roadblock that comes up, what can we learn from it? How can we make things better? How can we improve upon it and keep going? I think if this is something that you love, you get to just know that, you know, sometimes it can take setting and laying a strong foundation. It can take a while. So being patient and persistent in that process.
- [57:49]
Nikki Klosser
Great advice. I love that. All righty. Where can people find you if they're Looking for you online, Heather.
- [57:56]
Heather Wanigan
Yeah, so my photography website is sweet lemonadephotography.com that is where I have information about my high school seniors for my corporate work and then for my coaching and then on Instagram I'm Sweet Lemonade photo. And that is primarily where I post all of my senior information. And then if someone's wanting to really directly connect with me, they can find me on getmorephotoclients.com which is where I walk through all the different options as far as being able to work with me and help them be able to work on mindset, improve things in their business and life and just finding that the balance. Right. Balance is even kind of a, I think maybe not the best choice of words, but finding a business and a structure in a business, the automation and systems and pricing. So it actually is working for you and your family and not feeling like it's working against you.
- [58:47]
Nikki Klosser
That sounds amazing. Very cool. Well, thank you again. I appreciate you taking the time to be here and just telling us your story and yeah, hope to meet one day. Day.
- [58:56]
Heather Wanigan
Yes, absolutely. Well, you know, a coffee date 2 1/2 hours away. We can make that happen sometime.
- [59:02]
Nikki Klosser
Yep, yep, that sounds good. All right, you take care.
- [59:05]
Heather Wanigan
Thank you, Nikki.
- [59:06]
Nikki Klosser
Bye. Thank you so much for listening to the Portrait System podcast. Your 5 star reviews really help us to continue what we do. So if you like listening, would you mind giving us a review wherever you listen? I also encourage you to head over to sue briceducation.com where you can find find all of the education you need to be a successful photographer. There are over 1000 on demand educational videos on things like posing, lighting, styling, retouching, shooting, marketing, sales, business and self value. There's also the 90 day startup challenge plus so many downloads showing hundreds of different poses. We have to do checklists for your business lighting, PDFs. I mean truly everything to help make you a better photographer and to make you more money. Once Again, that's Sue briceducation.com.