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The Business of Documentary Family Photography with Melina Coogan
There’s a version of family photography that most people are familiar with. You show up.You pose.You prompt.You deliver a gallery. Done. But what happens when that model stops feeling right? In this episode, I sat down with documentary family photographer Melina Coogan to talk about building a business that looks completely different from the norm—and what it takes to evolve when your work (and your standards) outgrow your systems. This Isn’t Just a Style—It’s a Different
Jill C Smith
Jun 13 min read


How Jaime Bugbee King Built a Destination Photography Business Through SEO
What if you could get booked in places you actually want to travel to? That’s exactly what photographer Jaime Bugbee King has done. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Jaime built a family photography business that doesn’t just rely on her local market. She strategically markets to destinations like Palm Springs, ranks there on Google, and books premium sessions while turning work trips into mini getaways. And the wildest part? She did it while raising young kids, managing a hous
Jill C Smith
Apr 133 min read


The Interesection of Business & Politics with Maddie Peschong
There’s a version of running a photography business where you stay neutral. You don’t say too much.You keep things “safe.”You focus on the work, not the worldview. And for a long time, that worked. But it’s getting harder to maintain. In this episode, I sat down with Maddie Peschong to talk about something a lot of photographers are thinking about—but not always saying out loud: What happens when your values start showing up in your business… whether you planned for it or no
Jill C Smith
Apr 63 min read


If I Were Starting a Photography Business in 2026
If I were starting my photography business from scratch today, in 2026, knowing what I know now… I would do a lot of things differently. Not because what I did was wrong. It worked.But it took longer than it needed to. When I started in 2012, the landscape was completely different. Social media actually gave you visibility. Lifestyle family photography felt new. You could post something and people would see it. Now? It’s louder. More crowded. More saturated. So if I were bran
Jill C Smith
Mar 303 min read
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