Photography education can be the difference between struggling to book clients and building a thriving business. TMA member Lacee Smith, a family photographer from Oklahoma City, doubled her income in one year through strategic investment in photography mentoring and education.
The Strategy: How Lacee Built Her Success
Lacee made a decision that changed everything: she committed to investing in photography education from day one. “The moment you stop investing in your education is the moment that it’s time for you to hang up the hat,” she shares.
Strategic Focus Prevents Overwhelm
Lacee’s strategy involves focusing on one specific area of photography business development annually. She spent her first two years on camera and posing education, year three on technical photography skills, year four mastering in-person sales, and plans year five around SEO and website optimization. This focused approach prevents overwhelm and ensures deep implementation—a common challenge when trying to learn everything at once.
Choosing the Right Education
Lacee follows a clear framework when deciding on education investments. She looks for:
- alignment with long-term business goals
- instructor credibility with proven results
- potential for client experience improvement
- included implementation support
- strategic timing based on current needs
“If you invest in education and actually implement it, your financial investment will come back tenfold,” she emphasizes.
The Results: Real Business Transformation
Lacee’s commitment to photography education produced remarkable results. Her income doubled in one year, with her client average jumping from $1,200 to over $2,500. Her largest single sale reached $7,000, and she recently completed three ordering appointments that each exceeded $2,000. Perhaps most impressively, she maintains this success while working only 6 hours per week and homeschooling her two daughters.
Mindset Shifts That Changed Everything
Initially, Lacee believed Oklahoma City clients wouldn’t invest in premium photography. “There’s no way anyone would ever spend that kind of money,” she thought. Through photography business coaching and community support, she shifted this belief and now regularly books premium clients. The key insight: ideal clients exist everywhere when you provide real value.
Maintaining Work-Life Balance
Despite business success, Lacee maintains strong boundaries. She doesn’t edit in front of her children, reserves weekends for family time, limits herself to a maximum of 8 sessions monthly, and outsources non-creative tasks. These boundaries prove photography success doesn’t require sacrificing family time.
The Power of Photography Community
“Being a photographer, you often feel isolated,” Lacee explains. She discovered that photography community support accelerates growth by providing peer support from professional photographers, real-time problem solving for client challenges, accountability for implementing education, and valuable networking opportunities.
Why Community Beats Self-Teaching
While free tutorials exist, structured photography education offers:
- proven systems from successful photographers
- personalized guidance for specific challenges
- community support from peers and mentors
- direct access to industry experts
“This information is coming from real photographers currently walking the walk,” Lacee notes, emphasizing that quality education provides insights you can’t find through YouTube or Google searches.
The TMA Difference
As a TMA member, Lacee gained access to 15+ photography mentors with diverse expertise, 7+ years of photography education content, an active community of 700+ photographers, and monthly live coaching sessions. “TMA really changed everything for my business,” she reflects. Lacee credits The Motherhood Anthology community with providing essential support for sustainable business growth, noting that the relationships formed often become lifelong friendships.
Your Photography Education Journey
Lacee’s transformation required strategic investment in photography education, consistent implementation, and community support. Her advice: “The connection is the secret sauce—educating yourself and implementing it into your business.“
Every successful photographer started somewhere. The difference lies in the decision to invest in education and surround yourself with the right community of mentors and peers. Lacee’s story proves that with the right strategy, support, and commitment to implementation, dramatic business growth is not only possible—it’s inevitable.
