Senior Photographer vs Wedding Photographer: Which Niche Has More Earning Potential?

I’m just going to come right out and say it: being a booked out wedding photographer is NOT the only way to make “real money” as a photographer. Some may consider this a hot take, and some may think that I am biased as a senior photographer myself, but I’m living proof that a multi-six-figure portrait photography business is completely possible. 

Thinking wedding photography is the way to get those big bookings makes sense, as weddings are definitely an industry where it’s typical to charge 4-figures for your services. But what I want photographers to know is that you can also make 4-figures per client as a portrait photographer without working weekends, editing thousands of images, or spending hours traveling away from home.

Have you been sticking with bookings you don’t enjoy for longer than you’d like to admit?

I get it! If we’re being honest, money is a big motivator for any photographer. Most of us don't go into business full-time to break even, right? 

I know that you’re motivated to provide for your loved ones, invest your money to create long-term wealth, and enjoy the financial freedom you didn’t get to experience growing up. So, you keep saying yes to a certain type of booking that consistently comes your way, because it seems foolish to turn money away. Because, by turning that booking opportunity away, in your mind it seems like you're wasting the earning potential.

But let's flip that on its head for a second. What if, by spending time doing the bookings you don't enjoy, don't want to post about, and don't get excited about — the ones that leave you feeling drained, un-inspired, frustrated — you're actually preventing your business from growing to its full potential?

Without thinking about money for a moment, instead think of how that impacts your photography business from a mental and emotional point of view: when you dread your next booking, you're far less likely to be motivated to create, and worse yet — you might start to believe the lie of “photography just isn't for me after all.”

Money is just money, right? Any booking is just as good as the next one, right?

Not necessarily.

In the beginning of your photography journey, sure, it makes sense to try out all types of bookings and niches so that you can see what you enjoy, what you feel naturally good at, and what fits into your network and lifestyle. HOWEVER: once you start to get more inquiries, more referrals, and feel more confident in your work as a photographer, the best way to SCALE is to SIMPLIFY.

Just like nobody thought it was humanly possible for man to run a 4-minute mile until someone actually came forward and did it, we often don't know what's possible until it's been done before. And I'm here to tell you — simplifying your life and business by becoming an expert in one or two niches is the best way to run a successful photo business.

Before I was a full-time senior photographer, I was just like you.

I was gladly accepting wedding bookings early in my career (I couldn't believe I could make 4-figures from one booking!) but quickly realized, from both a creative and professional POV, that weddings didn't seem like a fit. For one thing, they were usually a bit stressful in general given the multiple 'moving parts' of a wedding day, required a lot more gear, and of course, meant I had to be working most weekends.

I remember thinking to myself, “wait… if I get really good at this, then most of my weekends are going to be working. When did that happen?!” As a business owner, we always have to make decisions based on what we value. And for me, I knew I wanted to spend weekends with my friends and family — the people I love. 

Then, there was the editing. Thousands of images! Even though I had brought in a 4-figure booking, the time spent preparing for, attending, and then editing the wedding meant that my overall hourly rate was a lot lower than I typically charge for a portrait session.

In addition to weddings, I was also booking birthday parties, corporate events, surprise proposals, you name it — and here's the thing: every time I went to prepare for a new session, it was like I had to put away the skill set from the one prior and dust off a brand new set of skills for this next one. It was inefficient from a time standpoint, and uninspiring creatively.

That's where seniors came in. After leaving my full-time corporate job as a data analyst, I decided to do photography part-time and become a cheerleading coach part-time (and I was also doing digital marketing consulting on the side, it was truly my #hustleera). But it was being around teens every day that made the transition into being a senior photographer so, so natural. 

It got to the point where, after launching my first senior rep team in 2018, my afternoons became so booked with sessions that they started to conflict with cheer practice! That was the jumping off point, and slowly but surely, I started to say no to bookings for brands, families, parties, proposals, etc. 

Transitioning to the senior photographer niche wasn’t easy at first.

This kind of shift in your photography business is not an overnight transition!

First, I had to take down all the pages on my website that I had spent time setting up to accept bookings for things like branding, proposals, weddings, parties and events, etc. Then, any time I got a DM I had to exercise the “muscle” of saying no to a perfectly good booking opportunity simply because I knew my time is better spent nurturing ONE niche than spreading my services across multiple.

So for example, in any given month, rather than having 2 senior sessions, 2 proposals, 1 wedding, 1 birthday party, and 1 headshot session for a company (which requires different workflows, equipment, email sequences, etc.) — I was committed to replacing all of that with 8-10 senior sessions.

And in doing so, I became crazy-familiar with every second of the senior client journey.

Opening up that time in your business is what allows you to become known as the go-to, expert-level [insert your favorite niche here] photographer in your area. People who find you have no question or confusion around who it is that you serve, and that makes you all the more magnetizing to work with! 

Worried about how to grow a thriving photography business as a full-time senior photographer?

Sometimes photographers think that if they're new to the area, or are a certain age, that they just don't have the tools to have a successful senior rep program. Not true. Senior model teams, also known as ambassador programs, are a proven method to build the demand for your senior photography business, year after year. They don't have to be expensive, humongous, or time-consuming. The key to a successful senior rep team is building them right into your client base, and adding in a 'tilt' that you look forward to every year! Learn more about how to create a stand out senior rep program here.

Whatever you decide to focus on, go ALL in.

If you're a photographer who wants to scale to six-figures and beyond without weddings, a photo studio, or a jam-packed schedule, then I have good news: you CAN earn 4-figure portrait photography bookings on repeat (multiple times per week) WITHOUT putting in all the hours or weekends that other niches require. This process is even easier when you have all the right tools. Check out my freebie to learn the exact 3 email phases I go through with each of my 4-figure clients.