Your photography website might be beautiful. But is it boring?
That’s the question Jen Olmstead, co-founder of TONIC Site Shop, posed on this week’s episode of The Motherhood Anthology Podcast. Jen has spent the last decade helping creative entrepreneurs build websites that actually convert, and her message right now is clear: in a market flooded with options and increasingly shaped by AI, the photographers who win will be the ones brave enough to show their personality online. Read on for more photography website tips.
How an Ostrich Ranch Led to a Multi-Million Dollar Website Company
Jen’s entrepreneurial journey didn’t start with a business plan. It started on a 280-acre ostrich ranch in Texas where she was homeschooled, learned to tell stories around the dinner table, and developed what she calls “the weird” that every successful entrepreneur has in common.
Her dad was the visionary. He believed his kids could do anything, and he taught them the power of a great story. Her mom was the worker. After Jen’s father passed away from a heart attack at just 48, her mother went from homeschooling stay-at-home mom to grinding as a real estate agent, teaching Jen that hustle and serving people well are inseparable.
Jen went to school for journalism, taught herself design, and eventually co-founded TONIC Site Shop. Because she had no formal design training, she had no bias about what a website was “supposed” to look like. Her sites looked completely different from everyone else’s, and that turned out to be her greatest advantage.
From Peak Revenue to Purposeful Business
By 2023, TONIC was generating millions in revenue with a large team and marketing machine firing on all cylinders. On paper, it was the dream. But Jen found herself in meetings eight hours a day, managing people eight hours a day, and completely disconnected from the creative work that made her start the business in the first place.
She made a choice that many entrepreneurs are afraid to make. She scaled back. She eliminated roles, cut unnecessary spending, and returned to the things that made TONIC unique in the first place.
Her realization is one every photographer needs to hear: you can start out looking for freedom and end up building yourself a cage. Your business gets to be yours, and the hustle season shouldn’t last forever.
Why Photography Websites Need to Get Weirder
Essential Photography Website Tips for Success
Jen’s core message for photographers right now comes down to one word: specificity. In a world where anyone can order anything delivered in 30 minutes, people have access to every photographer on the planet. They can scroll your Instagram, visit your website, and compare you against dozens of competitors with a few taps.
That means potential clients don’t just need a photographer. They need YOU. And your website has to show them why.
The Biggest Photography Website Mistake
The most common crime Jen sees on photographer websites? No information. Beautiful images at the top, zero copy, nothing that says where you’re located, what kind of sessions you shoot, or what makes you different.
If it is not immediately clear within seconds what you do, who it’s for, and what makes you different, that needs to change. Jen suggests a simple formula to start: I am a [type of photographer] who does [this] for people who [this].
Two Questions That Will Transform Your Photography Brand
Jen shared a simple exercise that every photographer should do this week. Reach out to your last few favorite clients and ask them two questions:
What made you choose me?
What would you tell someone who was thinking about working with me?
The answers will reveal what your brand actually is. You’ll start hearing patterns about your process, your personality, and the experience you create. Those patterns become the foundation of your About page, your Instagram captions, and every piece of marketing you put out.
Your About Page Needs Personality, Not a Resume
Your About page should feel like a cocktail party, not a LinkedIn bio. People are looking for something they can connect with you about, something that makes you feel like a real person instead of a polished brand.
Don’t tell people you love coffee. But if you’re obsessed with an extra hot caramel macchiato, that’s a detail. Don’t say the first time you picked up a camera you were three years old. That’s boring because every photographer says it.
Share the things that make you interesting. If you grew up on an ostrich farm, say that. If you watch a terrible reality show, own it. Give people those small, specific details that make them feel like they already know you before they ever send that inquiry.
How AI Is Changing Photography Marketing (And Why That’s Good News)
Rather than viewing AI as a threat, Jen sees this moment as an incredible opportunity for photographers who are willing to lean into what makes them human.
AI can imitate style. It can execute tasks. But it cannot be weird. It cannot create something altogether new. It doesn’t have lived experience or personal memories. And it certainly cannot fuse two deeply personal moments from your life into one creative decision that makes an audience feel something real.
Show the Story Behind the Shot
Photographers are notoriously bad at just posting pretty images without context. The ones who are going to thrive will do the best job of telling the story behind the shot. Talk about the day, the unique challenges, what the family wanted the session to feel like.
Show the images that are a little imperfect but capture a real moment. Share why you saw something that no one else would have seen. That’s the stuff AI can never touch, and it’s the stuff that makes a bride say “I want MY day to feel like that.”
Make Your Website Sound Like a Human Wrote It
If your website copy sounds like it was generated by AI, that’s a problem. The brands winning right now have genuine personality, real voice, and authentic tone in every word. Your copy should sound like you talking to a friend, not like a template with your name plugged in.
Jen’s Photography Website Homework
Before you close this post, Jen has two assignments for you:
First, make sure it is crystal clear on your website what you do, who you serve, and what makes you different. That information should be visible within seconds of landing on your homepage.
Second, go make your website weirder. Add more personality. Ask your clients those two questions. Find out what makes people choose you and then reinforce that in everything you share online.
Listen to the Full Episode
This conversation between Kim and Jen goes deep into entrepreneurship, storytelling, the power of personality in your brand, and so much more. You don’t want to miss it.
And if your website needs a refresh, TMA’s own website is built on a TONIC template. Head to themotherhoodanthology.com/tonic and use code TMA15 at checkout for 15% off your purchase.
The Motherhood Anthology is a community and educational resource for photographers who want a profitable and sustainable business they love. With 15+ expert mentors and 7+ years of proven content, TMA helps portrait photographers build confident, thriving businesses through monthly education, mentorship, and a supportive community of 700+ members.
