With Laura Esmond cover art

With Laura Esmond

With Laura Esmond

By: Laura Esmond
Listen for free

About this listen

With Laura Esmond is the unfiltered podcast for women growing creative businesses while raising families and raising themselves. I’m Laura, a mom of three, educator, coach, and photographer. After scaling a portrait studio to multi–six figures in under two years, I realized success without purpose feels empty. Now I help photographers and creative entrepreneurs build businesses that are profitable, sustainable, and aligned with real life. Each week you will hear real talk, mindset shifts, and stories from women entrepreneurs who know the messy middle of business and motherhood. No filters, no highlight reels, just honest conversations to help you grow with confidence.©Laura Esmond Art Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • Is Your Inquiry Response For Portraits Standing Out?
    Jan 27 2026

    In this episode of 'with Laura Esmond,' Laura dives into the essentials of crafting effective inquiry responses for portrait photographers. She discusses how to tailor your response to align with your business and offerings, emphasizing the importance of understanding your core product and unique differentiator. Laura also announces a potential name change for the podcast and provides insights on making personal connections with clients via phone calls and videos. Key concepts include portrait photography pricing, creating a personalized inquiry response, and balancing business with motherhood.

    00:00 Introduction and Podcast Update

    01:26 Understanding Your Unique Selling Proposition

    05:29 Crafting an Effective Inquiry Response

    10:26 Personalizing Your Client Interaction

    13:13 Using Video to Enhance Inquiry Responses

    17:31 Summarizing Key Points for Inquiry Responses

    19:53 Conclusion and Final Tips


    Connect with Laura:

    • Get Rooted Waitlist: lauraesmond.com/getrooted
    • Instagram: @reeseandcoportraits
    • Website: lauraesmond.com
    Show More Show Less
    20 mins
  • Is There a Gap Between Your Price and Your Value as a Portrait Photographer?
    Jan 20 2026

    In this episode of the podcast, Laura Esmond shares reflections from a month-long break during the holiday season, including time spent with her family, prepping for the Peace and Profit Bootcamp, and welcoming new students into her Get Rooted program. She opens up about the common guilt many motherhood portrait photographers feel when stepping back from business tasks like social media, blogging sessions, or sending marketing emails.

    Laura encourages photographers—especially those balancing motherhood and running a photography business—to honor the natural ebb and flow of life and business. She also shares powerful insights from the Peace and Profit Bootcamp, including mindset shifts around money, how to raise your prices with confidence, and how to ensure your portrait photography packages reflect the full value of the experience you provide.

    Whether you're a newborn photographer, maternity photographer, or specializing in family sessions, this episode will help you reframe how you approach pricing, marketing, and the emotional load of growing a photography business while raising a family.


    Timestamps:

    00:00 Introduction and Welcome Back
    00:46 The Importance of Taking Breaks
    02:55 Holiday Reflections and Family Time
    04:13 Peace and Profit Bootcamp Insights
    08:14 Money Mindset and Pricing Strategies
    16:51 The True Value of Money
    25:07 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

    Keywords: motherhood photographer, family photography, newborn photographer, maternity sessions, photography pricing tips, portrait photography business, money mindset for creatives, IPS for photographers, work-life balance, photographers who are moms, client experience photography, raising photography prices

    Show More Show Less
    26 mins
  • When It Finally Clicks: Tawni’s Journey from $300 to $1500+ Portrait Sessions
    Dec 16 2025

    In this inspiring episode of the podcast, Laura Esmond sits down with portrait photographer Tawni Adams to unpack the real and raw journey of transforming a photography business—from charging $300-$600 per session and burning out, to confidently booking consistent $1500+ sessions and even landing a nearly $12,000 sale.

    Tawni opens up about the mindset hurdles she faced, the emotional rollercoaster of raising her prices, and how she almost gave up before things finally clicked. If you’re a photographer feeling stuck at lower price points or wondering if sustainable, high-profit portrait sessions are possible, this conversation is your permission slip to believe in what's possible.

    What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

    • Why Tawni originally thought no one would pay more than $500 for a session
    • The exact mindset shift that helped her move from “overwhelmed and underpaid” to building a thriving, profitable portrait business
    • How Get Rooted helped her break down her pricing, boundaries, and value
    • The emotional weight of changing your business model while raising a family
    • Why your first $1500+ client might be closer than you think
    • How Tawni learned to trust the process and “let it simmer”
    • What actually happens between $300 sessions and a $12,000 artwork sale


    Resources Mentioned:
    LEARN MORE ABOUT GET ROOTED – https://www.lauraesmond.com/getrooted
    Follow Tawni Adams on Instagram: @tawniadamsphoto
    Tawni’s website: https://www.tawniadams.com/

    SEO Keywords:
    photography pricing strategy, raise photography session rates, profitable portrait business, $1500 photography session, photography business coaching, Get Rooted program, luxury portrait pricing, family photographer success story, photography business mindset, how to increase photo session prices, photographer burnout recovery

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 5 mins
No reviews yet