In this episode of The Portrait System Podcast, host Nikki Closser speaks with photographer Kara Marie, who currently runs her boudoir portrait businesses on two continents, with one in Austin, TX, and another in Italy. She also has a personal branding portrait business in Texas. In this conversation, Kara Marie shares how she balances work and home life, and she previews her new online course, Boundless Boudoir. 

This was Kara Marie’s second appearance on The Portrait System Podcast. In her initial appearance, Why Kara Marie’s Clients Spend Over $5,000 on Boudoir Shoots, she shares how she got started in photography and built her first business in Austin, Texas. That interview took place just a few months before she and her family moved to Italy two years ago. In Italy, the photographer books just one shoot a month and leads educational workshops. When she travels to Texas, she takes on many more clients per visit, but even when she isn’t there, she has one associate photographer shooting boudoir under the Kara Marie Studios banner and several more shooting personal branding for the Kara Marie Collective. 

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Kara Marie encourages all photographers to consider taking on associates as soon as they are shooting consistently and have their schedules booked out about eight months in advance. She firmly believes bringing in associates is the best way to avoid burnout. “It’s a recipe for success,” she explains. “It’s really going to help you take the load off, and it’s going to allow you to pass the torch and give another creative maybe with a little bit less experience than you a leg to stand on. And that’s really rewarding.” 

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The photographer has an ethos of celebrating her associates own creative visions which mirrors her passion for bringing out the unique styles and desires of her clients in their photo sessions. While her first online course The Boudoir Series focuses on imparting the fundamentals of boudoir photography and business, her new course, Boundless Boudoir seeks to spark photographers’ imaginations about just how expansive the genre can be. It accomplishes this aim by sharing twelve real-time photoshoots—each in a different boudoir style. At the same time, she shares how to troubleshoot all the kinds of issues that can come up in client photography sessions. 

To learn more about Kara Marie’s boudoir portrait businesses and her upcoming in-person workshops in Italy, visit Kara Marie Studios. To see her online offerings, check out The Kara Marie Store. To view Trombetta’s associates’ work, visit Kara Marie Collective.

The Portrait System Podcast helps portrait photographers navigate the world of photography, business, money, and much more. Hosted by Nikki Closser, the podcast is powered by The Portrait System, a comprehensive, online educational platform that teaches all aspects of running a successful portrait photography studio.