Even in a year when many photographers are feeling the pinch, AnneMarie Hamant’s photography business is up 44%. In this episode of The Motherhood Anthology podcast, host Kim Box sits down with AnneMarie to dig into the exact strategies behind that kind of photography business growth — from Google SEO to relationship-based marketing to a streamlined booking process that gets clients to yes without slowing them down.
AnneMarie is a Delaware-based family and newborn photographer with 17+ years in the industry. She built her first business on pure word-of-mouth in Pennsylvania, then had to rebuild nearly from scratch after a family move in 2021. What she learned in that rebuilding season is what’s fueling her results today.
The Two Pillars Behind Her Photography Business Growth
AnneMarie is clear that she isn’t doing anything wildly unconventional. What she is doing is being intentional about two things that work together: getting found and building trust once people find her.
On the getting-found side, she attributes a significant part of her year-round bookings to SEO. After her move to Delaware left her without a referral network, she had to figure out how to generate leads from scratch. Investing in Google search optimization was the answer — and it’s what allowed her to stay busy even through what would have been a typical slow season. “I did not have a slow season at all this winter, like I typically would,” she shares in the episode.
On the trust side, AnneMarie has built a website and inquiry process designed to feel personal from the very first click. She’s poured her personality into her copy, keeps recent and genuine headshots on the site, and crafts email responses that speak directly to what each client shared in the intake form. The goal is simple: by the time someone is ready to book, they already feel like they know her. That warmth carries forward into the way she communicates post-session — texting sneak peeks, commenting on stories, checking in when she happens to drive past a client’s street. It’s not a marketing tactic. It’s just how she operates.
Pricing and Booking: Making It Easy to Say Yes
AnneMarie has tried a range of pricing models over her career — in-person sales, the Simple Sales model, and now all-inclusive pricing. This year she made the move to all-inclusive across her entire business, ranging from $1,100 for a standalone maternity or milestone session up to $3,100 for a baby’s first year collection. It was a decision driven partly by client feedback and partly by what makes sense for her stage of life and market.
Her advice on pricing structures is refreshingly straightforward: pick the one you actually believe in. “You really have to buy into whatever structure you’re selling in order to sell it,” she says. If you’re not fully confident in your own offer, clients will feel it. Whatever model you choose, the goal is the same — make it as frictionless as possible for the right client to move forward.
That philosophy extends to her booking process. She removed the required discovery call after finding it created a pause at exactly the wrong moment. Now she sends a warm, personalized response to every inquiry with a link to her pricing guide and a clear next step. She makes herself available by phone or text for anyone who wants it, but she doesn’t require it. The result is a process that respects clients’ time and keeps the momentum going from first inquiry to deposit.
Playing the Long Game With Clients
One of the most powerful things AnneMarie describes in this conversation isn’t a strategy at all — it’s a way of being with people. She has clients who’ve driven two hours from Pennsylvania to the Delaware shore just to continue working with her. She’s photographed families across four children and a decade of milestones. That kind of retention doesn’t come from a perfectly timed marketing email. It comes from genuinely caring about the people in front of your camera and staying in their lives between sessions.
Her practical suggestion for photographers who are feeling a slowdown right now: reach out to past clients, not to sell anything, just to check in. A thoughtful text that says “I was thinking about you” costs nothing and reminds people that you exist, that you care, and that you’re still available when they’re ready. She also recommends small touches — a surprise print in the mail, a holiday card, a sneak peek text during editing — as natural ways to stay connected that have nothing to do with chasing the next booking.
What makes AnneMarie’s approach feel so sustainable is that she’s not performing any of this. The warmth that keeps clients coming back is the same warmth that made Kim want to have her on the podcast in the first place. That authenticity is, in her words, the whole point: “People are hiring someone that they’ve already connected with, and that they really trust and believe in you.”
Listen and Learn More
This conversation is full of practical insight. Fom the specific questions AnneMarie asks on her intake form, to how she handles pricing structure transitions with existing clients, to why she ditched the discovery call and never looked back. There’s no single right way to run a photography business, just the approach that fits your life, your clients, and the season you’re in.
Find AnneMarie at annemariehamant.com or on Instagram @annemariehamantphotography.
Ready to build a business that reflects your own creative voice? The Motherhood Anthology membership gives you access to expert mentors, live coaching, monthly marketing suites, and a private community of photographers who are invested in your success. Learn more and join at themotherhoodanthology.com.
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.
