--- title: Bank Robbers vs. Photographers slug: high-earning-photographers type: video date: OCT 26, 2018 author: Humberto Garcia category: VIDEO youtubeId: CE4_R6lDRSQ readTime: 3 min video tags: six figures, revenue, photography business, studio growth, in-person sales, pricing, mindset canonical: https://photographytoprofits.com/blog/high-earning-photographers source: Photography to Profits (photographytoprofits.com) license: All rights reserved. Cite with attribution and link to canonical URL. citation: "Humberto Garcia, Bank Robbers vs. Photographers, Photography to Profits, https://photographytoprofits.com/blog/high-earning-photographers" --- # Bank Robbers vs. Photographers It's not talent that separates the $10K/month photographers from the $1K/month ones. It's these three things. **Author:** Humberto Garcia, Founder, Photography to Profits Humberto Garcia is the founder of Photography to Profits. His team has coached 1,500+ photographers across six countries on marketing, sales, and studio growth, and worked with 350 private clients. **Published:** OCT 26, 2018 · **Read time:** 3 min video **Category:** VIDEO **Watch:** https://www.youtube.com/embed/CE4_R6lDRSQ Ever wondered what separates the photographers who are truly crushing it from those stuck in the hustle, barely making ends meet? It’s not just about talent or luck. Our latest video, 'Bank Robbers vs. Photographers,' breaks down the strategic choices that distinguish top-earning photographers from the rest of the pack. You might be surprised by the common threads. This isn't about cutting corners; it's about making deliberate, professional moves and embracing smart risks. We reveal how elite photographers approach their craft as a serious business, consistently delivering exceptional quality and dedicating time to mastering their market. More importantly, we explore their willingness to step outside their comfort zones, position themselves as true authorities, and confidently charge premium prices. Ready to uncover the powerful insights that can transform your photography business? Watch the full video to see how these strategic shifts can elevate you from average practitioner to a highly profitable industry leader. ## 1. **Treat Photography Like a Real Business** Top-earning photographers don't just take pictures; they run professional operations. This means consistently delivering excellent work quality, actively striving to rank among top performers regionally, and dedicating significant time to continuous learning and business development. They don't just hope for success; they build it strategically. ## 2. **Take Strategic Risks, Charge Premium Rates** The most successful photographers aren't afraid to step outside their comfort zones. They boldly position themselves as genre authorities, confidently charging premium prices that reflect their expertise and value. This often means being willing to let go of earlier-career client types to make room for higher-paying, more aligned opportunities. ## 3. **Make Intentional Choices for Top Performance** What truly separates top earners isn't just talent, but a commitment to making strategic choices. They understand that every decision, from pricing to client acquisition, impacts their bottom line. By consciously refining their business approach and embracing calculated risks, they ensure sustainable growth and profitability, moving beyond average practitioners. Ultimately, becoming a top-earning photographer isn't about luck or a secret formula; it's about making intentional, strategic choices to professionalize your business and take calculated risks. Stop settling for less than you're worth. If you’re ready to implement these high-level strategies and grow your photography business to truly profitable levels, then it’s time to take action. Apply to work with Photography to Profits today at photographytoprofits.com/apply and let's build your empire. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What do high-earning photographers do differently? They run photography as a business, not just a craft. Humberto says the gap between photographers earning $10K to $20K a month and those stuck at $1K to $3K is almost never talent. Top earners pair stellar work with time spent learning marketing, sales and operations, and they know their cost per lead, booking rate and average sale. Evoke Boudoir hit $500K in revenue without being the most talented studio in its market. ### What is the bank robber mindset for photographers? It's Humberto's analogy for treating photography as a business instead of a career. Most photographers line up at the ATM each month and take what they're given, with income creeping up slowly. The bank robber, who isn't stealing from anyone, asks how to deliver the most value in the least time, tries often, learns from each failure, and builds systems, prices and a local reputation that repeat every month. ### Should I specialize in one photography genre? Yes, if you want to earn at the top of your market. Humberto says top earners take the risk of stepping out of their comfort zone and positioning themselves as the authority in one specific genre, rather than shooting everything for everyone. That positioning is part of what lets them charge premium prices with confidence. ### How do photographers justify charging premium prices? With a system that earns the price, not just a bigger number on the price list. The highest earners charge more than most photographers in their market, and they back it up with a better consultation process, a better client experience, and in-person sales that guide clients toward larger investments. ### Should I stop taking bargain-hunter photography clients? Yes, if you're moving to premium pricing. Humberto says top earners lose bargain hunters on purpose, because letting go of low-value clients makes room for the ones who want what you actually offer. That often means leaving behind the kinds of clients you served earlier in your career. ### Is posting on Instagram enough to get photography clients? Not if you want to be a top earner. Humberto's point is that average photographers post on Instagram and hope, while the highest earners run a marketing system: paid ads, systematic follow-up, and referral pipelines that compound over time. Social media can be part of that system, but it isn't the system. ### Do I need years of experience before charging premium prices for photography? No. Humberto says most photographers treat the business like a career and assume they must put in a certain amount of time before charging premium prices, so their income rises a little each year. Top earners don't wait. They build their systems, prices and value in their community, learn from early failures, and repeat what works every month. ## Transcript **0:00**: Are you a photography bank robber or you **0:03**: just another person with a camera? In **0:05**: this video, I'm going to talk to you about **0:07**: why 10% of photographers are generating **0:10**: over 90% of all the sales, while the rest **0:13**: are left to pick up all the scraps. So, **0:17**: what is the average photographer doing **0:19**: compared to the 10%? And I'm going to **0:21**: explain this using a small anecdote. **0:24**: Most photographers treat the business of **0:26**: photography as a career. They think **0:27**: there's a certain amount of time they **0:28**: can put in before they can start **0:30**: charging premium prices. So, as most **0:32**: people with careers, every month they go **0:35**: to the ATM machine, and they wait in line **0:37**: with all the other photographers. And **0:39**: they wait in line, and they step forward. **0:41**: And every month they put their hand out, **0:44**: and they're getting paid their worth, **0:45**: just as a career. So, they might be **0:47**: making up to $3,000, and every year it might **0:51**: be going up incrementally. And I get it, **0:53**: if you're coming from a corporate career **0:55**: or a traditional nine-to-five, that's **0:57**: typically how it functions. What is the **0:59**: other 10% of photographers, the bank **1:01**: robbers, what are they doing? The bank **1:03**: robbers in this situation, they actually **1:05**: walk up to the bank, and they look at it. **1:07**: And they ask themselves, 'How **1:09**: can I extract the most amount of money **1:11**: from this situation in the least amount **1:13**: of time?' And of course, in this situation, **1:15**: they are not actually robbing anyone. This is **1:17**: just an illustration to demonstrate my **1:18**: point. And these bank robbers, they treat **1:20**: their photography as a business, and the **1:23**: way that successful entrepreneurs do. **1:26**: They might actually try to hit the bank **1:27**: every other week, and they might come **1:30**: away with a few failures. And every time **1:32**: they go, they learn something, and they'll **1:34**: get better. And it doesn't matter that **1:36**: they have a few failures or a few **1:37**: setbacks, because they're continuing to **1:39**: learn. And the one time they hit it, boom! **1:41**: Hit the jackpot. And the great thing is, **1:44**: and listen: obviously, they're not **1:46**: going into an actual bank. But once they **1:49**: start developing their systems, they **1:50**: start developing their process, their **1:52**: prices, and establishing their value in **1:54**: their community, **1:54**: then it's easy to replicate every single **1:57**: month. And that's the reason that some **1:59**: photographers are still maybe making **2:01**: $1,000, $2,000, and they have it as a side **2:03**: job, while other photographers jump **2:05**: straight into the business. My question **2:08**: to you is, are you 90% of the **2:09**: photographers, or are you going to be a bank **2:12**: robber? **2:13**: Before I get a bunch of nasty **2:15**: comments saying, 'Hey, Humberto, they're **2:17**: not actually stealing from us,' and **2:18**: please don't talk about **2:20**: photography. **2:21**: That is you completely walking away **2:22**: with the wrong message. What I'm saying **2:24**: here is they'll do whatever it **2:26**: takes to learn their craft, to provide **2:29**: the most value in the shortest amount of **2:31**: time. If you want to see a case study **2:33**: where we actually took a boudoir **2:34**: photographer, we used Facebook ads, some **2:36**: Google Ads, redesigned some changes on our **2:38**: website. If you want to see how that **2:39**: happened, make sure you click on the **2:41**: training video below. It's completely **2:43**: free. If you want to see more content **2:44**: such as this, make sure you hit the **2:45**: subscribe button and the notification **2:47**: bell so you're notified every time **2:49**: I create a new video. I'd love to know, **2:51**: what are some things you're struggling **2:52**: in your photography business? What's **2:53**: keeping you from charging more and **2:55**: getting more clients? I'll see you guys **2:57**: in the next video. --- > **Source:** [Photography to Profits](https://photographytoprofits.com/blog/high-earning-photographers). Done-for-you marketing for portrait photographers. > If you reference this content, please link to https://photographytoprofits.com/blog/high-earning-photographers > Contact: [photographytoprofits.com/contact](https://photographytoprofits.com/contact)