Have you ever donated a photo session to a charity event… and wondered if it was actually worth it?
If you want to know how to get booked solid without competing in the online world, you will want to listen and take notes. Today, I’m sharing how I used charity auctions and giveaways to attract ideal clients who invest well and helped my photography business thrive—without discounting my value or feeling salesy. All while supporting causes I truly care about.
Back during the 2009–2010 recession, this approach helped me stay visible, attract ideal clients, and generate thousands of dollars in business. I’m breaking down exactly what worked, what didn’t, and how to make charity marketing feel intentional instead of exhausting.
This episode is full of practical ideas, mindset shifts, and little details that can make a huge difference if you want charity events to actually support your business instead of draining it.
In This Episode
• How I used charity events to attract ideal portrait clients
• Why the right event matters more than doing lots of events
• My strategy for gift certificates, refundable deposits, and pre-qualifying clients
• Simple display ideas that make your booth or auction table look high-end
• Why every charity client deserves the same amazing experience as a full-paying client
A Few Big Takeaways
• Charity marketing works best when your ideal clients are already attending the event
• A beautiful presentation and strong branding matter more than giving away “more stuff”
• Sometimes one great charity partnership is worth more than ten random events
• The goal isn’t just exposure — it’s connection, trust, and creating future clients
Memorable Reminder
Supporting a cause and building a profitable business do not have to be opposites. When done thoughtfully, charity events can create genuine relationships, beautiful experiences, and real income for your business at the same time.
If this episode sparks ideas for you, I’d love to hear about it.
Connect with Photography Business Coach Luci Dumas:
New episodes drop every week — make sure to subscribe so you never miss an inspiring guest or a powerful solo episode designed to help you grow your photography business.
This episode is all about Color…the science, emotional responses, and even how to use it in our art and in branding.
I had the most interesting chat with J. Nichole Smith — or Nic — about why color affects how people feel about your work, why it matters more than you think, and how leaning into joy and self-expression can make your brand stronger.
Nic knows her stuff. As a marketing insider, color psychology expert, and former photographer who’s spent over 20 years helping creative entrepreneurs understand how color shapes emotion, connection, and the way people experience their brands. She’s brilliant, grounded, and brings so much heart to everything she teaches.
You are going to learn about…
• How color psychology influences trust and buying decisions
• Why photographers shouldn’t play it safe with their brand
• Finding a visual style that feels like you
• Thoughts about Pantone’s color of the year and why is controversial and a disappointment
Nic is also the host of the Joy First Podcast, where she shares conversations about purpose, creativity, and building a life and business that actually feel good.
New episodes drop every week — make sure to subscribe so you never miss an inspiring guest or a powerful solo episode designed to help you grow your photography business.
Well, it is the fourth episode after three incredible interviews with brilliant and fun photographers. So it is time to go solo and dive into one of my absolute favorite topics… COLOR!
Color isn’t just pretty—it’s powerful. It tells stories, creates mood, attracts clients, and makes your photography truly stand out.
In this episode, I share some basic color science you probably learned in first grade. I touch on the emotional impact color gives us, and also how to use color intentionally in your work, whether you’re shooting portraits, building your brand, or just want your images to have more oomph and emotional impact.
Here’s what I’m covering in this fun, colorful conversation:
Why color is one of the most important tools in your creative toolbox
How color combos and tones affect how people feel when they look at your photos, OR your branding
How artists (and photographers) use color to create signature styles
Tips for using color in your client work—from wardrobe to wall portraits
Easy color challenges to inspire your creativity and find your personal vibe
I hope that after listening or watching the video, you never quite see the world, and your art in the same way!
You are awesome, by the way! Luci
Connect with Photography Business Coach Luci Dumas:
And here we are at Part Three…the final solo episode about the material
I share in my eBook called “10 Big Ideas for Marketing High Dollar
Portrait and Wedding Photography in the “Real World”.
You can download your free copy by going to the bottom of the home page at www.lucidumascoaching.com to follow along and gain deeper insights into the topic.
Here is a reminder about the core teaching in this eBook. Well, so many people
stay on their computer to do most or even all of their marketing efforts. Social
media of course has many great ways to reach potential clients. But if that is the
only way these photographers are marketing, they are missing out on the power of meeting people in person, getting their work seen as printed photographic art, and directly reaching ideal clients.
In the first episode in the series, I shared some basic wisdom such as the importance of
knowing how to sell and how to produce photographs that people will purchase. We can be
awesome at marketing but fall short if those activities are lacking.
In the second chapter, I cover the next Big Ideas in detail including Gift Certificates as fundraisers, Publications, Networking, and Mastermind groups.
In Part 3 I finish up with the last topic:
8- Events
9- Auctions
10- The importance of effective branding
Be sure to watch or listen to all 3 episodes as I dive into each of these ideas for how to
Hey listeners, this week I decided (on a suggestion from my editor) to tell some stories from my life that relate to my career choices, both as a photographer in business and a business/success coach and podcast hostess.
From selling flowers to neighbors, babysitting, and writing a “Dear Luci” column for a newsletter, to hot tips on how to have an easier session with children, I am sharing some of my memories, and the clues that helped me choose a career path that was a natural fit for me.
Why? And how does this fit with the idea of being profitable?
I hope to:
Inspire you to think about your own life stories to give you an understanding about your career choice and niche.
Entertain you and let you know a bit more about me.
And share some lessons I learned on my journey from a little girl having a yard sale to an entrepreneur that has had a great career for 40 years.
I would love to hear your stories…over coffee in San Diego, lunch in Nashville at the PPA Imaging Expo in January, or even a phone call or zoom meeting.
By the way…I LOVE COACHING
I want to coach you if you are ready to have a major shift in your photography business.
And I am offering 5 FREE “Business of Your Dreams” Strategy Session to people that reach out in Oct. Just email me
A big, exciting and maybe a little scary dream to have a successful, profitable and creative photography business doing exactly what you love for wonderful, grateful clients? Or do you want to bring your business to the next level of fun and profit.? If so, then this Podcast is for you.
For over 36 years, I have made a great living as portrait and wedding business, Luci Dumas Fine Photography, with no other source of income. No rich husband or lottery winnings, through the ups and downs of the industry and economy.
Now as a business coach with Insight Training for Photographers, I love love love to support photographers who want to do the same. This podcast is full of practical business info, and insights gained from my years in business, plus interviews with amazing people. My desire is to help you along on your joyful journey to success, however that looks to you.
