In 2008, I started a photography side hustle out of my dorm room. My goal was to become a professional photographer. It wasn’t easy, especially at the height of the recession, but I’m glad I never gave up.
Today, at age 35, I am a self-made millionaire and run a wedding photography and education business, Katelyn James Photography. Together with my husband Michael, who joined in 2013 as Chief Financial Officer, we’ve helped over 100,000 people learn photography.
In 2022, we bring in $240,000 a month in revenue – 80% of which I put back into the business. Roughly $230,000 of our monthly revenue was passive income from online courses and training materials.
I now work only four hours a day and shoot four weddings a year.
$750 to $160,000 a day
In the first year of my side hustle, I was a full-time college student, but still worked 40 or more hours a week.
My rates started low: $750 for six hours of photography and editing. As my skills improved, I started charging more. And by 2013 I was earning six figures.
I am fortunate to have an amazing mentor, Jasmine Star, who photographed my wedding. I also took some online courses, attended workshops, and worked on projects for free to build my portfolio.
But there wasn’t much affordable photography training out there, so I started sharing tips on my blog. After about eight years, I realized that online photography education could be a scalable business.
Through word of mouth and a consistent social media presence, I built an email list of 7,600 photographers who wanted to learn from me. All the while, I developed outlines, designed a workbook through Adobe InDesign, and recorded and edited course materials with the help of a videographer friend.
Most of Katelyn’s income comes from photography courses and training materials.
Photo: Abby Grace Branding
In November 2015, Michael and I launched our first online training program to teach photographers how to edit and streamline their workflow. The cost of the course was $397, a price point that was far more accessible than a semester’s worth of college photography classes.
Our goal was $15,000 in total sales. But on the first day, because of the trust we’ve built with our customers over time, we made over $160,000.
bridging the photography knowledge gap
The success of my first course showed me that making photography education accessible was more valuable than just shooting weddings and the ever-increasing prices.
We’ve created over a dozen downloadable courses, eBooks, and templates for a variety of photography skills. Our resources are driven by questions asked by our online community of over 70,000 people, and cover topics such as couples and natural light photography.
We also have a subscription product, KJ All Access. For $29 a month, photographers of all experience levels get to follow me as I shoot events and handle all kinds of unexpected situations — like wedding dresses getting covered in mud or weather delays.
New videos are shot by my videographer, edited by me and released every month. Members also have access to a library of past videos.
Our goal is to change people’s lives
I love my work. Having complete control of our schedules has allowed my husband and I to spend more time with our three kids and pursue projects we’re excited about.
This year, we co-founded Acton Academy West End, a school geared towards entrepreneurial families. We focus on equipping children ages five to eight with the tools to discover their unique passions through hands-on activities.
Whether we’re creating tools that teach photographers how to make careers that support their families, capturing wedding moments, recording podcasts, or simply sharing the ups and downs of our everyday lives on social media, we Want to change our life and our business life.
Caitlin Alsop is a business coach and founder of Caitlin James Photography, Over 100,000 students from around the world have used her platform to learn about photography and entrepreneurship. is also the co-founder Acton Academy West End, follow him Facebook, Instagram And youtubeI.
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