008. How This Portland Boudoir Photographer Went From Regular $300 High Sales To A $9500 High Sale

In this episode of Sustainable Freedom with Photography, I am so excited to introduce you to Portland boudoir photographer, Chelsey Dorr. She was the first photographer to trust me to help her grow her boudoir business, and I am so thankful she took a chance on me.
Chelsey’s background
Chelsey came from the corporate world where she was working 50, 60 70 hours a week. During her maternity leave in 2019, she and her husband decided that she wouldn’t go back to a 9-5.
She’d been in the photography industry for a few years and thought she might take her hobby full time instead.
And she WAS booking clients left and right, but they were all in the $300 range. She quickly realized it wasn’t sustainable to work these hours at this price point, and started looking for some sort of help or education.
Chelsey somehow came across my Facebook group. I was offering free action planning sessions for coaching, so we met on Zoom during the pandemic. We hit it off right away and she booked a full year of coaching.
The rest is history!
A record high sale for this Portland boudoir photographer
Our first call was in June 2020. We set up her new and improved price list, which, as you will hear in this episode, she pushed back on for a while.
But with that first price list( and price increase), she was able to have her first four figure sale…
… and DURING a pandemic, she had ALMOST a six-figure year.
In 2021, she hit the six figure mark for the first time!
As of this recording in June 2022, she has already almost made it to the six-figure mark – half way through the year! This Portland boudoir photographer will definitely hit her goals for the year, even while taking three months off for maternity leave.
I know chelsey never dreamed this was possible when we started working together, but I had complete faith in her, my strategy, and the industry.
She ALSO has a $9500 sale in May 2022!
My literal favorite part of this episode is when she tells the story of her husband’s reaction to her almost $10K sale. I’ve listened to it so many times and every time it just puts a literal smile on my face.
This Portland boudoir photographer has changed her family’s life by just being open to education and making small changes in her business.
I have all the feels just thinking about it.
Prioritizing her to do list
As you’ll hear in this interview, on our coaching calls, we always prioritize her to do lists. She is one of those people who works better with accountability.
To be honest, I think this is something that most photographers truly need. Being creative, we often can get distracted by more fun things.
Business isn’t fun( for anyone besides me), but it IS important. It’s something Chelsey learned to tolerate these past two years.
Be sure to follow Chelsey!
I hope you enjoyed getting to know Chelsey. I know I always enjoy our chats. My clients become my friends and I’m so thankful they let me be a part of their journey.
I’m seriously so proud of how far she’s come in the past 2 years, and can’t wait to see how far she takes her business as a Portland boudoir photographer.
Relevant Links:

Tracy Lynn is a boudoir photogapher for brides-to-be in the St. Louis area, and a mentor + coach for photographers looking to level up their businesses with better systems and processes.
