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Vanie Poyey Photography

where to find us

10636 Burbank Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601
323-856-6156
info@poyeyphotos.com
❌ STOP emailing your prices! ❌ STOP DMing your pr ❌ STOP emailing your prices!

❌ STOP DMing your prices!

✅ Yes there are clients willing to pay professional photographers.

No they’re not choosing iPhonography over you.

👉 They’re just not choosing YOU.

When you reply to an inquiry with your prices because they asked, they move on to the cheaper guy.

These are price shoppers.

✨ You can convert price shoppers into value buyers.

OR BETTER YET.

You can start attracting more value buyers who won’t bat an eye at your prices.

The way to do that is to position your value first, not send your prices!

💁🏼‍♀️ Learn to sell your value and fill your calendar with high paying clients.

And before you ask, no, your prices don’t belong on your website either.

Comment ✨script✨ and I’ll send you my Six-Figure Booking Script.

👣 Follow for headshot photography business tips that actually book clients.
Click on the small reel for Part I 👇 But first, 3 Click on the small reel for Part I 👇

But first, 3 reasons to use a light meter. 

1️⃣ For one, your histogram can’t read your mind as a photographer.

It shows you if you’re clipping highlights or blacks in your picture and that’s it. 

What if you have a bright window in the background?

Your histogram is going to lie to you and tell you that your highlights are overexposed.

😱 But in fact your portrait will be UNDERexposed.

2️⃣ What if you want to create a pure white background so you don’t spend hours in post turning it white?

Umm you need a light meter. Want to learn how to light a white background? Let me know in the comments.

3️⃣ You’re spending too much time in post “fixing” your exposure.

❌ That’s because the LCD behind the camera is NOT accurate.

It looks different depending on how bright you have it. And how bright is SHOULD be for an accurate read is a mystery to us all.

✨ I try to symplify my explanations for photographers.

🔃 Share with a photographer who doesn’t know how to use a light meter.
🤷‍♀️Sorry but my photography prices are not based 🤷‍♀️Sorry but my photography prices are not based on your budget. 

They’re based on:

✅ The years of investment that went into my craft

✅ My equipment

✅ My ability to solve problems on the fly

✅ The experience I provide my clients

✅ And most of all the value I deliver, the results you get with my portraits. 

If you’re still charging based on your time, remember this. As a photographer you don’t work by the hour.

Comment with the word ✨guide✨ and I’ll send you my Pricing Guide for building a six figure headshot business.
Stop wasting time in post!👇 If your’e a portrait Stop wasting time in post!👇

If your’e a portrait photographer shooting with strobes and not using a light meter...

💁🏼‍♀️You’re basically guessing and then taking forever to “fix” things in post.

❌ Because you and I know both know that looking at your LCD behind the camera isn’t accurate. There are so many variables that affect the LCD view, one of which is how bright you have it set to. 

❌ And your histogram is giving you the “overall” exposure NOT the exposure that’s specifically on the face. 

What if you WANT to over-expose the face in a headshot?

What if the background is a window? Your histogram is going to lie to you and under expose the face. 

🤷‍♀️ The histogram can’t read your mind.

🤗 Using a light meter doesn’t have to be complicated even if YOU DON’T GET MATH

Comment below  if you’d like Part II with details on how to use a light 💡 meter (for dummies).
The people who take advantage the most👇 They’re u The people who take advantage the most👇

They’re usually the friend you did a free photo shoot for.

Or the free shoots you’re doing to build your portfolio.

❌ If you’re not using contracts as a photographer, STOP!

✅ Contracts are there to set expectations and to draw boundaries for your own sanity!

Spell out exactly what your package includes in a contract BEFORE ever collecting money from a client (if you’re already charging) so that they’re crystal clear on what they’ll get.

Or they’ll come back after a shoot asking for waaaay more than what was owed to them.

Or they won’t be happy with what they got because they thought they were getting more.

👉 And you know what? The lower you charge, the MORE clients will want. 

🤔 Do you really want to deal with the aftermath of an unhappy client and the bad review that goes along with it (if you’re already in business)?

⬇️ Here are 11 essentials every photography contract should include:

✅ How much the session costs.
✅ Where it will take place.
✅ How many looks or outfits it includes.
✅ How much time is allotted.
✅ How many images are turned over.
✅ In what format are those images delivered?
✅ When are they delivered?
✅ How much are additional images?
✅ How much is retouching?
✅ How much is each additional look or outfit?
✅ How much is more time?

👉 Make sure your clients initials each line of your contract, signs it and dates it before their photo shoot.

This way you’ll prevent the awkwardness of having to negotiate things that should have been agreed upon BEFORE the session took place.

❤️ Did I miss anything?

🔃 Share this with your photographer friend!
“I knew you wouldn’t embarrass me”👇 🚫The client w “I knew you wouldn’t embarrass me”👇

🚫The client was not the model. 

But she was with us when my camera stopped working. 

😅You should have seen the look of relief on her face when I pulled out my backup. 

She said “I knew you wouldn’t embarrass me” she meant in front of the model which was HER client. 

✅ Always bring a backup because sh*t happens

And when it does, you’re a pro photographer because you don’t sweat it. 

✨Take a screenshot of my on-site gear checklist for headshot photographers or save it for later!
The secret to premium prices.👇 Sell your value be The secret to premium prices.👇

Sell your value before you ever mention your price. 

Here’s how I do it in a 10-minute conversation.
Even when clients are just asking about price: 

1️⃣ Don’t spill the beans too soon!
When they ask for your price, pivot with a question that puts you in control.
Try: “Thanks for calling! Who referred you?”
This immediately breaks the ice and shifts the dynamic in your favor.

2️⃣ Ask and listen.
Being in the driver’s seat isn’t about you doing all the talking.
It’s about understanding your prospect’s specific needs.
The more you listen, the easier it is to uncover their pain points.
Then you can position your unique process as their perfect solution.

3️⃣ Stack your value.
When it’s time to reveal your prices, don’t just rattle off numbers.
Explain your workflow and your package details first.
Build up the benefits BEFORE they ever see the final cost.

❌ Selling your value isn’t a sales pitch.
✅ It’s about building trust and proving you’re the right photographer for them.

Stop letting a “saturated market” dictate your livelihood.

Turn those cold leads into high-paying bookings!

Comment with the word ✨script✨ and I’ll send you my six-figure booking script for headshot photographers.
The tea on photographer sites that work👇 First co The tea on photographer sites that work👇

First comment the word ✨fixmysite✨ and I’ll send you my guide to turn your website into a lead generating machine!

You’re human first and humans connect with humans NOT businesses.

⚡️If you’re presenting yourself as a faceless, nameless photographer or “business”, you’re thinking old school and dated marketing.

⚡️And you’re likely repelling clients without even knowing it.

The 2026 photography client is a content consumer and a much savvier shopper. 

If you want your headshot website to work for you...

✅ The more human you are, the more personality you show, the more you will attract other humans like yourself.

Your personality sprinkled all over your website is the one thing that differentiates you from everyone else and that can not be copied!

It’s also the one that that’s going to bring people closer to you and to purchasing your services.

✅ Talk to ONE person directly in the first person as YOURSELF.

This means you need to throw out the old school formalities of third person bios. Yuk. 

Third person bios are impersonal and in the age of social media, your ideal clients are looking for authenticity.

✅ Show your face!

OMG if I land on one more headshot photographer website where I have to go searching for the “person” behind the camera, I’m going to go mad.

Humans connect with other humans, not businesses.

No matter how shy you are or how unphotogenic you think you are, stop hiding and show your ideal clients who they’ll be meeting.

✨What’s important is you present yourself authentically and lean into who you are even if you’re shy because this is how your prospects will connect with you.

Comment with the word ✨fixmysite✨ and I’ll send you my guide for 7 shifts to turn your website into a lead magnet!❤️

Š2026 Vanie Poyey Photography, Inc. | search engine optimization by GO-SEO, my favorite S