Photography business growth rarely looks like the highlight reels we see on Instagram. There’s a space between “I started my business” and “I’m running something profitable and sustainable” that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. TMA Community Manager Ali Payne is calling it what it is: the messy middle. In this brand new segment, she’s inviting you into the part of the journey that actually build a profitable business.
What the Messy Middle Actually Looks Like
A year ago, Ali moved from Dothan to Mobile, Alabama. The month after she moved, she found out she was pregnant. Her husband changed jobs. Her family temporarily moved in with her parents. And the home studio and consistent client base she had spent years building? Gone.
To keep income coming in during her pregnancy, she spent much of that year driving back to Dothan to photograph sessions. She was shooting motherhood sessions at 38 weeks pregnant because the alternative was losing roughly $12,000 in income her family couldn’t afford to miss. That’s not a pretty Instagram story. That’s the messy middle.
What makes Ali’s story worth listening to isn’t that she figured it all out. It’s that she kept making small, strategic decisions even when motivation was low, even when life kept adding complications, and even when the results weren’t coming fast enough to feel satisfying. The messy middle, as she puts it, isn’t a detour from your success story. It is your success story.
The Strategy Behind Profitable Model Sessions
Once Ali was settled enough to start thinking about building her client base in Mobile, she knew she needed more than social media posts. She needed real roots in her new community. So she joined a book club.
She walked into that room knowing almost no one, and she didn’t lead with a pitch. She asked questions. She got to know people. She showed up meeting after meeting and built genuine friendships before she ever mentioned needing clients. After a few months, when she finally asked whether anyone knew a family who might be a good fit for a model session, her new friends didn’t just offer suggestions. One of them actually reached out to the family on her behalf.
The session went beautifully. When the mom shared the images on social media, Ali gained 15 new followers in her target market, received inquiries, and booked two new clients. But here’s the part that made it strategic rather than lucky: Ali had her Fall mini waitlist link in her Instagram stories the same day that mom posted. She was ready for the momentum before it arrived. Several of those new followers joined her email list the same week.
A strategic model session, done with intention and patience, isn’t free work. It’s an investment in the right clients, and Ali is already seeing it pay off through retainer fees from people who found her through that one session.
Holding Your Pricing Through the Hard Season
One of the most practical things Ali shares in this episode is her decision to maintain her Dothan pricing in Mobile, even when it would have been easier to slash rates and book fast. Her session retainer is $250, with full gallery collections starting at $995. Clients are spending $1,200 or more per session, with the minimum coming in around $625 after their retainer. For a smaller Alabama market, that’s a meaningful number, and it’s one she earned in her previous city through years of building trust.
Dropping her prices to get bookings faster was tempting. But Ali recognized what that trade-off would actually cost her: the wrong clients, a lower perceived value, and having to work her way back up all over again. She chose patience instead. The clients who have already booked at her full rates will tell their friends what she charges. And those friends, when they come, will arrive already knowing her value.
There’s no judgment here for photographers who have had to lower prices to survive a hard season. Sometimes you do what you have to do. But Ali’s transparency about her own numbers and her own reasoning gives photographers a real model for thinking through that decision rather than just reacting to fear.
Listen and Learn More
The messy middle is where most photographers actually live, and it deserves more honest conversation than it gets. If you’re in a season of rebuilding, starting over, or just trying to make strategic decisions with limited time and energy, this episode was made for you. Ali plans to continue this segment with real stories from photographers inside the TMA community, so if you have a messy middle story of your own to share, you can reach out at hello@themotherhoodanthology.com.
Find Ali at alipaynephotography.com or on Instagram @alipayne__.
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.
