Sarah Petty Photography

Sarah Petty, founder of the Photography Business Institute and New York Times bestselling author, has spent over two decades proving that photographers can charge premium prices while putting family first and she’s teaching thousands of others to do the same.In a photography industry where 85% of professionals don’t last three years, she has not only built a thriving business but has created an educational empire teaching others how to succeed.

Get expert advice by joining our 30-day Bootcamp with a DFY funnel

From Marketing Executive to Photography Entrepreneur

Sarah Petty’s journey began in the corporate marketing world, where she honed her skills at Coca-Cola Enterprises and later as a marketing director at a top regional advertising agency. After earning her MBA, she made a bold decision that would change her life: opening a photography studio just two weeks before 9/11, with three children under three years old at home.

The timing couldn’t have been worse. The economy was collapsing, and Petty quickly found herself on the verge of burnout, working endless hours using what she calls “a broken business model where I was giving it all away.” But her marketing expertise became her secret weapon. By marrying her skill for marketing with her passion for photography, she transformed her struggling venture into one of the most profitable photography businesses in America, recognized by the Professional Photographers of America within just five years.

Today, Petty operates a 12,000 square foot studio in Springfield, Illinois complete with its own volleyball court while simultaneously running the Photography Business Institute, which has mentored nearly 2,000 members through its flagship Boutique Breakthrough workshop.

The Boutique Business Model: A Revolutionary Approach

What sets Sarah Petty apart isn’t just her photography it’s her revolutionary business philosophy. In her New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling book “Worth Every Penny,” co-authored with Erin Verbeck, Petty introduces the boutique business model as an antidote to the race-to-the-bottom pricing that destroys so many photography businesses.

The boutique model rejects discounting entirely. Instead, it focuses on:

• Creating specialized offerings that cannot be compared to commodity services
• Delivering over-the-top customer experiences that make price irrelevant
• Producing heirloom-quality wall art rather than just digital files
• Building strong brands that command premium pricing
• Developing relationship-based sales without being pushy

As Seth Godin endorsed the book: “The breakthrough definition on page 8 will pay for this book all by itself. The rest is worth even more.”

Why Her Content Is Genuinely Helpful

Sarah Petty’s teaching stands out in the crowded photography education space for several compelling reasons:

1. Real-World Credibility

Unlike many business coaches who merely teach theory, Petty actively runs her photography studio every single day. She’s not teaching from memory or outdated experience she’s teaching what’s working right now in her own business. This isn’t fluff or theory; it’s battle-tested strategy from 23+ years in the trenches.

2. Complete Business Systems

Petty doesn’t just teach photography technique she recognizes that technical expertise alone doesn’t create business success. Her content covers the full spectrum of running a profitable business: marketing, pricing, client experience design, sales, workflow systems, and mindset. She learned this lesson the hard way when she once skipped steps in her process for a returning client, who then never ordered wall art for seven years. “My system serves my clients,” she explains. “When I break away from it, I’m doing my clients a disservice.”

3. Family-First Philosophy

In an industry notorious for consuming photographers’ lives, Petty built her entire teaching around creating businesses that allow photographers to “put family first.” Her tagline reflects this mission: “Teaching portrait photographers to build a business that puts family first.” This resonates deeply with photographers seeking work-life balance, especially parents who don’t want to miss family dinners while building their careers.

4. Actionable Implementation

Her content includes specific action steps, pricing strategies, marketing materials, and systems that photographers can implement immediately. Students don’t just learn concepts—they get templates, frameworks, and step-by-step guidance for execution.

5. Community and Giving Back

The Photography Business Institute has fostered a community that collectively donated over $100,000 to Operation Underground Railroad, $50,000 to Operation Smile, and over $45,000 to pet charities in 2023 alone. This emphasis on social responsibility and giving back adds purpose beyond profit.

Her Unique Edge in Content Creation

Sarah Petty possesses several distinctive advantages that make her content uniquely valuable:

Marketing Mastery Meets Photography

Her corporate marketing background at Coca-Cola and top advertising agencies gives her insights most photographers lack. She understands branding, consumer psychology, and campaign strategy at a level that comes from working with one of the world’s most recognized brands. When she walks through a grocery store, she can’t help but analyze packaging and window displays marketing truly is “a joy” for her.

The Anti-Discount Crusader

In an era of Groupon deals and race-to-the-bottom pricing, Petty takes a bold, contrarian stance: never discount. This message cuts through the noise because it’s backed by her own success story. She provides photographers with the courage and framework to charge what they’re worth, even when competitors are slashing prices.

Multi-Platform Presence

With 62,000 Instagram followers, 92,000 Facebook followers, and extensive content across podcasts, social media, and live events, Petty meets her audience where they are. Her content ranges from quick social media tips to comprehensive coaching programs, making her accessible to photographers at every stage.

The Print Imperative

Petty has a powerful message about the importance of printed photography in the digital age: “This generation is going to be the most photographed and yet totally lost in a century because as a society, we do not make it a practice to print photos.” She reminds photographers that just as CDs became obsolete, today’s digital storage methods won’t last forever. This advocacy for printed, wall-displayed artwork differentiates her approach and creates higher-value transactions for photographers.

Personal Vulnerability

Petty shares her struggles openly the near-burnout, the mistakes, the fear of bankruptcy. This authenticity creates trust and shows aspiring photographers that success isn’t about perfection; it’s about learning, adapting, and applying proven systems.

The Photography Industry: A Field Worth Pursuing

Sarah Petty’s decision to teach photography business skills comes at an ideal time. The industry data overwhelmingly supports that this is a field with substantial opportunity for those who approach it correctly:

Massive and Growing Market

The photography industry represents enormous economic opportunity:

• The global photography market was valued at $105.2 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $161.8 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 4.4%
• The U.S. photography industry specifically reached $16.2 billion in 2025, having grown at a 6.4% CAGR over the past five years
• The global photographic services market was $35.78 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $64.68 billion by 2034, growing at 6.10% CAGR
• There are 271,000 photography businesses in the United States, which has grown at a 4.0% CAGR between 2020 and 2025

Strong Profitability Potential

For photographers who build proper business systems, the financial rewards are substantial:

• Within the US market, photography ranks in the top 40% of the most profitable industries
• 70.6% of businesses operating in the photography industry are profitable, with average net income being 12.1% of revenues
• Portrait photography can offer profit margins of 20% to 40%, while commercial photography can command even higher margins
• Industry profit margins average around 50%, though this varies by project type
• Home-based photography studios keep approximately 25% of gross sales on average, with top performers keeping over 40%
• Photography businesses average $229,000 per year in revenue with estimated gross margins of 90%

Resilient Demand

Certain photography segments show particularly strong and consistent demand:

• Approximately 2.3 million couples wed annually in the U.S., creating continuous demand for wedding photography
• In the 2024 State of the Photography Industry report, fewer businesses closed compared to previous years, with client-based photography and events experiencing increases in new business openings
• Event photography maintains a 32.5% share of service types, highlighting growing demand for experiential visual services
• The explosion of e-commerce, social media, and digital marketing has created unprecedented demand for commercial photography

Emerging Opportunities

New technologies and trends are creating additional revenue streams:

• The drone photography market is valued at $733.1 million in 2024, with a projected CAGR of 18.7% through 2034, expected to reach $4.07 billion
• The photo editing software market, valued at $449.2 million in 2023, is expected to reach $886.2 million by 2032, growing at 7.7% CAGR
• AI tools are transforming workflows, allowing photographers to spend more time shooting and less time editing
• The rise of personal branding and social media has created demand for professional portraits beyond traditional headshots

Diverse Income Potential

Photographers who diversify across multiple specialties create more stable businesses:

• 86.5% of professional photographers engage in wedding photography, while 69.8% do portraits and 47.1% do events
• Photographers working across multiple genres demonstrate greater resilience during market fluctuations
• Specialization in niche areas like newborn, boudoir, real estate, and corporate photography offers opportunities with less competition

Career Longevity and Lifestyle

Photography offers unique advantages as a long-term career:

• 70.6% of professional photographers are aged 35-60, indicating strong mid-career stability
• The profession allows for flexible scheduling and the ability to work from home studios
• Photography businesses can be scaled up or down based on life circumstances, making it ideal for parents or those seeking work-life balance
• The creative nature of the work provides ongoing satisfaction and prevents career burnout

The Challenge Photography Addresses

Sarah Petty’s teaching directly addresses the industry’s biggest challenge: most photographers don’t know how to run profitable businesses. They’re excellent artists but poor business owners. In 2024, finding new clients remained the biggest challenge for most photographers across all genres. Additionally, business costs increased 6-10% in 2024, but many photographers didn’t raise prices accordingly, squeezing profitability.

Petty’s boutique model provides the business acumen photographers need. By teaching proper pricing, marketing, sales, and systems, she transforms struggling artists into thriving business owners. Her students learn to avoid the trap of competing on price and instead compete on value, experience, and artistry.

The Future Is Bright for Educated Photographers

The photography industry is at an inflection point. Technology has democratized image creation everyone has a camera in their pocket. This could be seen as a threat, but Petty reframes it as an opportunity. The abundance of amateur photography makes professional, personalized, high-quality work more valuable than ever.

Families are drowning in digital images on their phones but have nothing printed on their walls. Businesses need professional imagery that stands out in crowded digital spaces. Events and weddings still require skilled photographers who can capture unrepeatable moments. The demand exists what photographers need is the business knowledge to capture it profitably.

Sarah Petty’s 23 years of proven success, combined with comprehensive business education, fills this critical gap. She’s not just teaching photography; she’s teaching photographers how to build sustainable, profitable businesses that serve their clients deeply while allowing them to live the lives they want.

Conclusion

Sarah Petty represents a new breed of photography educator: one who combines technical expertise, marketing mastery, business acumen, and genuine concern for her students’ success. Her content is helpful because it’s real, actionable, and addresses the complete picture of running a photography business not just the artistic side.

Her unique edge comes from her corporate marketing background, her willingness to take a contrarian anti-discount stance, her active participation in her own photography business, and her authentic sharing of both successes and struggles.

Most importantly, she’s teaching in an industry with tremendous opportunity. With billions in market size, strong profitability potential, growing demand across multiple segments, and new opportunities emerging from technology, photography offers a viable and rewarding career path for those who approach it with the right business systems.

For photographers willing to learn, implement proper systems, and charge what they’re worth, the future is remarkably bright. And Sarah Petty has created the roadmap to get there one that puts both profit and family first.