The Portrait System Podcast: How Self-Value Transformed Amy Head's Business From Shoot & Burn To Overnight Success (Re-Release)

Host: Nikki Closser
Guest: Amy Head, Lucid Life Photography
Date: October 7, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of The Portrait System Podcast features photographer Amy Head, who candidly shares her 20-year journey from charging $50 per session as a "shoot & burn" photographer to achieving business success and financial stability. Through her conversation with host Nikki Closser, Amy reveals that the crucial turning point was recognizing and embracing her own self-value. With honesty and warmth, Amy discusses the personal and professional challenges she's faced, the actions she took to transform her business, and her passion for empowering women through photography.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Amy's Background and Early Career (02:28–07:28)

• Amy began her photography journey in high school as part of the yearbook staff and was initially drawn to photography through a guest speaker in her graphic design program.
• Early years involved balancing IT work, single motherhood, and part-time photography.
• Initially offered a wide variety of photography services for low prices (e.g., $50 sessions), relying heavily on word-of-mouth in pre-social media days.
• Transitioned into weddings and boudoir photography, viewing weddings as more valuable and therefore easier to charge more (up to $6,000 per wedding).

Quote:
"I put as much effort into them as I do now, but, over time, I started really getting into weddings and that was big for me." – Amy (06:20)

The Pricing & Value Mindset Shift (07:56–11:19)

• Amy describes feeling unable to bridge the gap between the work she wanted to do and the income she desired.
• Burnout from weddings and a longing to focus on portraiture led her to reevaluate her business approach.
• Root of her struggle: a lack of self-value linked to difficult personal relationships and self-esteem issues.

Quote:
"It was all—came down to self value. That's what it all came down to." – Amy (10:10)

A Turning Point: Personal Transformation and Business Success (11:19–14:49)

• After leaving an emotionally abusive relationship, Amy devoted a year to personal growth, meditation, and journaling.
• Realized that her ability to provide for her children required prioritizing her own self-worth.
• Committed to daily rituals and actionable steps that drove her business success.
• Discovery of Sue Bryce Education's pricing tools and self-value resources became pivotal.

Memorable Moment:
"In the following year after that is when I really started to put myself first...I needed to have my self value at a level where I believed in myself and I could move forward." – Amy (11:50)

Launching the 40 Over 40 Campaign (14:04–16:01; 36:37–40:20)

• Amy turned 40 and decided to launch a "40 over 40" portrait campaign, focusing on empowering women over 40.
• Found strong resonance with women experiencing new life chapters, helping them feel “seen” and valued.
• This became a signature offering and reinforced her mission.

Quote:
"This was just an extra way for me to help people see their value and find ways to celebrate their lives." – Amy (36:51)

Approaching Pricing Change and Client Reactions (24:22–28:02)

• Gradually raised prices, moving from $350 sessions with all-inclusive products to a package-based system where the entry package is now $2,500.
• Emphasized client education and communication, resulting in support from loyal clients and acceptance of her new rates.

Quote:
"Did I lose some people? Yeah. But the majority said, 'Well, that makes sense, you give this amazing experience, the experience is worth it.'" – Amy (25:30)

Overcoming Limiting Beliefs (27:15–31:36)

• Utilized Sue Bryce’s pricing calculator to clarify revenue goals and detach emotion from pricing decisions.
• Debunked the myth that small towns can't sustain high prices (her town has only 12,000 people).
• Stressed ignoring market “noise” and focusing on one’s own vision.

Quote:
"If you put your blinders on and stop focusing on what everyone else is doing...you just focus on yourself and what you need to do and stay in your own lane, that's where you're going to get the most progress." – Amy (30:53)

Marketing and Client Acquisition Strategies (40:25–44:32)

• Extensive use of Facebook ads, networking events, referral programs, and a dedicated Facebook group.
• Organizes monthly self-care events for women in her studio, collaborating with local businesses to foster community and awareness.

Quote:
"I'm doing one event every month at my studio to help bring self care into awareness for women...just a lot of different things." – Amy (40:58)

Mindset, Growth, and Resilience (16:01–18:34; 46:52–49:36)

• Transformation happened when Amy was “ready”—self-value work doesn’t have to take years.
• Experiences, even failures, serve as lessons that guide personal and professional progress.
• Stresses the importance of continual learning, saying there's always something new to master.

Quote:
"Everything that happens to you in your life is a lesson, and it will show up in different ways...Once you learn that lesson, then you're free from that." – Amy (17:48)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Self Value:
  "Looking back now, it was such a simple thing to work through, but for so many people, including myself, it's one of those things that you just can't put your finger on. What's missing and that was the biggest one for me was just self value."
  — Amy (00:35 & 13:54)

• On Pricing:
  "Using that pricing tool...it's the key to finding how to kind of connect the gap with what you're charging now and struggling and burnout and just everything."
  — Amy (27:17)

• On Reframing Failure:
  "I was never afraid to fail. I was never afraid to try."
  — Amy (21:41)

• On The Power of Focus:
  "Blinders. Exactly... it's weeding out all of the unnecessary stuff around you and focusing on what you need to do."
  — Amy (31:36 & 34:11)

• On Advice to New Photographers:
  "Trust yourself, believe in yourself, and don't be afraid to experiment and to start with what you have, where you are. As cheesy as it is, the sky's the limit."
  — Amy (51:45)

• On Empowering Female Clients:
  "They finally feel seen, they finally feel like it's okay for them to treat themselves to something nice every once in a while... I have a no excuses policy."
  — Amy (39:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Amy's Start in Photography – 02:28
• Early Pricing Mindset and Transition to Weddings – 05:16, 07:28
• Recognizing Self-Value as a Business Turning Point – 09:44, 11:19
• Coping with Tight Budgets and Becoming Resourceful – 19:02
• Incrementally Raising Prices & Managing Client Reactions – 24:22
• Usage & Value of the Pricing Calculator – 27:15
• Living in a Small Town & Dealing with Market Saturation – 30:42
• Building Client Relationships & Marketing Strategies – 40:25
• Advice for Those Starting Out – 51:45

Final Rapid-Fire Questions (49:50–52:13)

• Must-Have for a Photo Shoot: Music — energizes Amy and enhances client experience.
• Free Time: Enjoys theme parks, live music, trivia, family time, and aspires to travel more.
• Favorite Quote:
  "Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it." – Maya Angelou (51:18)
• Top Advice for New Photographers: Trust yourself, believe in yourself, don’t fear experimentation, start with what you have.

Resources Mentioned

• [Lucid Life Photo and Beauty](https://lucidlifep hotoandbeauty.com) (Amy’s website)
• Sue Bryce Education & The Portrait System
• 40 Over 40 Campaigns
• Portrait System Pricing Calculator
• The 12 Month Startup Program

Conclusion

Amy Head’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of self-value, resilience, and personal growth. Her story affirms that regardless of your starting point, true business success in photography is accessible to anyone committed to inner work, continual learning, and purposeful action. Amy’s transparency provides immense encouragement for photographers seeking to elevate their business and personal fulfillment.