593: James and Schulze – How to break into the ultra-luxury wedding photography market

PhotoBizX The Ultimate Wedding and Portrait Photography Business Podcast

Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area

James Christenson and Otto Schulze of www.jamesandschulze.com and www.sagejourney.co are wedding photographers servicing the ultra-luxury wedding photography market.

They joined forces around 7 years ago after each running individual wedding photography businesses for close to 15 years.

I've heard them say they are still competing with each other, and the only difference is that today, they share a bank account.

They both believe that moving into the premium and luxury space can be a game-changer for any photography business owner.

In this candid interview, you'll hear two self-proclaimed ordinary guys and dads who created an extraordinary business that has been named one of the top 50 photographers in the world by Harper's Bazaar and featured numerous times by Vogue.

To me, ordinary sounds unbelievable when these guys have Photographed the weddings of fashion icon Ralph Lauren’s family and operate in the high-flying circles most of us will only ever dream about.

Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:

• Shared Values: James and Otto built their partnership on aligned goals and mutual respect, showing the importance of finding the right collaborator.
• Legal Foundations: Formalised their partnership using tools like Rocket Lawyer to ensure clear agreements.
• Honouring Clients: Transitioned to a new brand while respecting commitments to existing clients.
• Confident Pricing: Stood firm on their luxury pricing despite initial resistance, reflecting their value.
• High-End Pricing: Positioned themselves at $34,000–$60,000 to match their expertise and market.
• Mindset Shift: Focused on experience over cost, letting go of guilt around charging premium rates.
• Luxury Alignment: Adjusted their image and approach to align with ultra-luxury clients.
• Clear Boundaries: Kept personal lives separate from their business brand for clarity and professionalism.
• Streamlined Process: Limited client calls and focused meetings on key moments like rehearsal dinners.
• Exclusive Deliverables: Offered a curated gallery of 1,000 images with optional luxury add-ons.
• Strategic Networking: Built meaningful relationships by understanding planners' needs.
• Persistence: Secured high-end partnerships through consistent, long-term effort.
• Consistency: Proved that steady, reliable effort builds trust with planners and clients.
• Overcoming Challenges: Persistence was key to breaking into and succeeding in the luxury market.
• Empowering Others: Mentor photographers through their Sage platform to build confidence and grow businesses.
• Success Stories: Shared real-world transformations to inspire photographers to level up.
• Key Takeaways: Success comes from clear vision, persistence, and strong branding.

What’s on Offer for Premium Members

If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interviews each week, a fantastic back catalogue of interviews, and have ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

Plus, special member-only interviews.

We realised early on, if we want this new brand to take off, we have to hold and say, ‘No, you can't do that,' because otherwise we'll just repeat that cycle for year in and year out. If you hold, the audience takes the message, and so eventually they completely change their minds. – Otto Schulze

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group, where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

Seriously, that's not all.

We always say, a successful call is one where we have talked very little. We don't go with a pitch. – James Christianson

In addition to everything above, you'll get access to instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable, and build friendships with other pro photographers with motives similar to yours – to build a more successful photography business.

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything from what James and Otto shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you plan to implement in your business based on what you heard in today's episode.

Information is not alluring. So we don't give information. You just show enough to create the hook, and that's that. But it's different with different markets. The ultra luxury buyers' buying psychology, how they buy and how we buy, is not the same as every other market and we understand that. – Otto Schulze

If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask James and Otto or want to say thank you for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.

iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs

I check for any new iTunes or Google reviews each week, and it's always a buzz to receive these… for several reasons.

Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!

Secondly, iTunes and Google are the most significant podcast search engines, and your reviews and ratings help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners mean more interviews and, ultimately, a better show.

In the beginning it is a hard thing to say, like you almost apologetically, say, “Oh, we charge $30,000,” or whatever it might be, and you just have to say it over and over and over again. Like, say it to my spouse, say it to Otto a bunch of times. Say it to my friends, say it out loud until you believe it. Because if you don't believe it, you can't sell it. – James Christianson

If you have left a review in the past, thank you! If you haven't and you'd like to, head to https://photobizx.com/itunes or https://photobizx.com/google. You can leave some honest feedback and a rating, which will help both me and the show. I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you let me know the URL of your website and your name.

Alternatively, if you've left a review for PhotoBizX and are looking for more backlinks to help your SEO, leave a review for the new Photography Xperiment Podcast. Email me your keywords or phrases and where you'd like me to link them.

Both of us, individually, were already shooting, charging $12,000 to $18,000 on our own. So, we had to at least double. And then at double, we were like, okay, that that's not really the goal. The goal is to elevate to go after even bigger. – James Christianson

Another great way to get a backlink to your site is to send a video testimonial. It doesn't need to be fancy, and your phone will be perfect. Click record and tell me how PhotoBizX has impacted you and your photography business.​

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Details here: https://photobizx.com/blackfriday

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IF YOU ARE ON THE $20 PER MONTH PREMIUM MEMBERSHIP, THE 12-MONTH OPTION IS A NO-BRAINER…

12-Month Premium Membership — 40% off — $120

Sign up for the 12-month option and cancel your $20 payments (or let me know, and I'll cancel for you).

Note: If you paid your monthly membership in November, let me know, and I'll get that refunded for you, too.

Specials are available from now until Tuesday 3rd December.

Here's the link again: https://photobizx.com/blackfriday

IMPORTANT: No matter what you purchase, if you feel something isn't a good fit, let me know, and I'll happily refund you. Or feel free to ask if you're unsure about something.

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

James and Schulze Website

James and Schulze on Instagram

Sage Journey

Michelle Rago – full-service boutique planning firm

I honestly think that's the biggest driver of success with them, is just the humility to keep coming, understanding that I'm not the most important thing in their lives. So when I reach out, they're not going, ‘Oh my gosh. It's Otto from James and Schulze.' They're busy, and so I'll just keep coming politely, not annoyingly. – Otto Schulze

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Thank you!

Thanks for tuning in, and a big thank you to James and Otto for sharing their journey and how to break into the super luxury wedding photography market. It was inspiring to hear about their approach to building a luxury photography brand, staying confident in their pricing, forging meaningful relationships with planners, and empowering all of us to think bigger.

You don't create value by giving stuff away. – Otto Schulze

That’s it for me this week; I hope everything is going well for you in life and business!

Thanks, and speak soon
Andrew

The post 593: James and Schulze – How to break into the ultra-luxury wedding photography market appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.