Raising photography prices is rarely just about the math. It’s about confidence, timing, and knowing when you’ve outgrown the rates you set years ago. On this episode of The Motherhood Anthology podcast, host Kim Box sits down with longtime portrait photographer Allison Rodgers for a candid conversation about pricing, longevity, and what it takes to build a creative business that lasts more than twenty years.
This conversation turned out to be so rich that Kim and Allison split it into two parts, and this post covers part one. Allison’s photography career started with a degree in design and film photography, evolved into a commercial-style portrait studio in Memphis, and eventually led her to the PPA stage as an educator. Two decades later, she’s still creating work that feels unmistakably her own, and she’s just as candid about pricing as she is about creativity.
Knowing When to Raise Your Prices
Allison says one of the clearest signs it’s time to raise your prices has nothing to do with spreadsheets. It’s the moment you’re in the middle of a session and you feel mad, taken advantage of, more like a button pusher than an artist. When that feeling shows up, she says it’s a sign you’re not charging enough for the value, time, and skill you’re bringing to the work.
Allison learned this lesson firsthand back in 2008, when the market crashed and many photographers raced to drop their prices just to stay afloat. One of her mentors told her, “when everything decides to right itself, and it will, you can’t be at the bottom.” That advice stuck with her, and instead of racing to the bottom, she raised her prices and used the slower season to reposition her business for what came next.
For photographers nervous about raising prices across the board, Allison shared the approach that has worked best for her. Instead of making a big public announcement about a price increase, she recommends creating something new that you’re excited about (an offering that can only be purchased a new way), and then quietly retiring an older item from your price list. Repeat that pattern over time, and your prices rise naturally, without putting your clients, or you, on edge.
From Art Director to In-Demand Portrait Artist
Before she ever picked up a camera professionally, Allison spent years working as an art director in advertising, which gave her a head start on branding, design, and running a business with intention. After having her daughter and realizing how hard it was to find flexibility in a corporate creative career, she made the leap into photography in 2003. Her first project became one of her favorite stories: she photographed kids at a local gym while their parents worked out, sold $2,500 worth of prints, and called her dad from the parking lot to tell him she thought this might actually work.
Allison built her studio around in-person sales and full-service design from day one, and she has never sold digital files alone. Today her session fee comes with a product credit starting at $1,200, but her average sale lands closer to $7,000, with some clients investing $15,000 or more in finished art for their walls.
Some of Allison’s most requested products were never meant to be products at all. The Shadow Story, her modern take on a traditional silhouette, started as a personal project she created for her own daughters. The Art Story, a mixed-media piece that combines her photography with hand painting, stitching, and gold leaf, grew out of a piece she made for her oldest daughter during a hard season. Both became signature offerings simply because clients saw them and asked for the same thing.
Why In-Person Sales and the Right Community Make the Difference
Allison is a strong believer in in-person sales, even though she acknowledges how vulnerable it can feel to talk about money face to face. She walks every client through a guided ordering appointment, often skipping the slideshow altogether and going straight to mockups on the wall, because she has found that fewer decisions and more focus lead to better results for everyone. She has run this process with and without a physical studio, using a shared laptop screen and design software like ProSelect to bring the experience into a client’s living room when needed.
Allison joined The Motherhood Anthology community as a guest mentor at Kim’s invitation, bringing decades of real, lived experience instead of theory. Inside TMA, mentors like Allison sit alongside members in live coaching calls and community discussions, sharing what has worked, and what hasn’t, over years of running a real studio.
Whether you’re trying to figure out your first price increase or you’re twenty years into your business and still chasing that feeling of being properly compensated for your work, Allison’s story is proof that pricing confidence is something you build over time, not something you’re handed on day one.
Listen and Learn More
This conversation is part one of a two-part series with Allison Rodgers, and it is full of practical, encouraging advice for photographers at every stage of their pricing journey. Click the link below to hear the full episode.
Find Allison at allisonrodgers.com or on Instagram at @allisonrodgersphotography.
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.
Episode Sponsor: Picture Perfect Rankings
This episode of The Motherhood Anthology Podcast is brought to you by Picture Perfect Rankings. Melissa Arlena is a TMA mentor who helps portrait photographers get found on Google through strategic SEO and blogging. Learn more about her work at Picture Perfect Rankings, and check out her Found & Booked program if you are ready for a done-with-you SEO system with personalized feedback on your website.
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.
