Shannon K Dougherty is a St Louis, Missouri portrait photographer who specializes in boudoir, fashion, maternity, and motherhood. Dougherty’s average sale is $3,500, and in this episode of The Portrait System Podcast, she speaks with host Nikki Closser  about the personal touch approach she takes in her business that has made her business so successful.   

Dougherty has taken a somewhat unconventional approach in her life. She opted to drop out of high school early to get her GED, so she could go to college early. While there, Dougherty studied fine art with an emphasis on oil painting and figure drawing. After college, working as a bartender, she didn’t have a studio to continue oil painting. Feeling dissatisfied because her creative mind wasn’t being stimulated, Dougherty took up photography as an artistic outlet.  

It took Dougherty awhile to realize that she could make money with art. She says, “It took a lot of inner work to be like, you can start your business on your own. You can do this. You don’t have to work for someone else. Before it was like, oh, don’t pay artists. That’s just a hobby. And now I think that we’re living proof that it’s not a hobby. It’s a career.” 

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Along with the quality of the product she creates, Dougherty’s approach to her clients and her business make it a high-end service worthy of a $3500 sales average. To start, no one can book with her until they have a phone conversation. Dougherty feels that true connections are not made over email, and the personal touch of speaking on the phone ensures she and her clients have good rapport and understanding before committing to work together.

As a stylist, Dougherty also prepares the overall design of her clients’ sessions, including consulting with them on wardrobe. After their session, she encourages her clients to go out and enjoy a special afternoon and evening in the hair and makeup from their session. Then in the next day or two, they share an image review on Zoom, where everyone can be comfortably at home with no pressure put on the decision of what to purchase. And when it comes to delivering products, Dougherty loves the extra touch of hand delivering her folio boxes, ready-to-hang art, and digital drives in branded boxes and bags. 

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Good boundaries are also a key part of what makes Dougherty’s business feel unique and personal for herself and her clients. Dougherty reserves Sundays for creative shoots only, never shoots on a Saturday and has no problem telling her clients that she will not take on family shoots. Being firm about when she works and what kind of work she takes is part of the personal touch that makes Dougherty’s studio the high-end business that it is.

To learn more about Dougherty’s portrait business, visit Shannon K Dougherty Photography.   

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.