Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area

Kenny Martin of  www.thestudiodoctor.co.uk is someone I’ve been hearing about behind the scenes for a while now — especially from photographers in the UK.

Known as The Studio Doctor, he is a portrait photographer and mentor based in Scotland. He’s been shooting professionally since the ‘80s, launched one of the UK’s first fully digital portrait studios, and now travels across the UK, Ireland and Europe helping studios grow, pivot, or get back on track.

He’s not big on self-promotion — you won’t find a massive online presence — but talk to anyone who’s worked with him, and they’ll tell you: Kenny’s the real deal. No fluff, no gimmicks, just honest advice and solid results.

It was Susan Renee, from last week's episode, Premium Member and fantastic pet photographer, who first reached out and said:

“Kenny tells it how it is. You’d love speaking with him.”

In this interview, Kenny shares his thoughts and ideas on building a sustainable photography business by focusing on profit over hype.

Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:

• Why profit matters more than turnover (and how to stop chasing the wrong number)
• The 7 parts of your client journey you have to get right — from first enquiry to final sale
• How one smart shift to wall art tripled the studio’s average sale
• Could you be unknowingly filtering out your best clients?
• The old-school sales tool that still works: telesales done the right way
• How a simple pram shop promo filled the calendar and boosted bookings
• Still leaning on Facebook ads? These proven promo ideas work better (and cost less)
• The £14.4k coaching offer that turned into a 15-year photography business
• Why smaller, simpler studios are the path to profit and balance
• Want to double your sales? It starts before the shoot, not after
• Why copy-paste business plans fail — and what to focus on instead
• The real numbers you should be tracking (that most photographers ignore)
• How client education builds trust, boosts sales, and leads to better referrals
• Think you don’t need a coach? Why that might be costing you more than you realise
• What your slow season and quiet inbox are actually telling you
• From in-person to online: how Kenny’s pivot made coaching more accessible
• The one question to ask before launching your next promo
• The “family feel” of long-term coaching — and how deep support brings deeper results
• Emails going nowhere? Try a quick text or personal video to re-engage leads
• Why your next big promo win could come from a baby expo or charity collab

What’s on Offer for Premium Members

If you’re on the fence about becoming a premium member, join with the $1 trial today and get access to the FULL interviews each week, a fantastic back catalogue of interviews, and have ALL future interviews delivered automatically to your phone or tablet.

Plus, special member-only interviews.

Literally, every single one of my studios, Andrew, who were doing weddings before I started, were desperate to stop the weddings after about two years, because they realized how important and how much more money was to be made in portraiture right now. – Kenny Martin

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group, where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

Seriously, that's not all.

I think small is beautiful. So I'm really not that interested in what the turnover is. I'm more interested in what kind of profit that is for these guys at the end of the day. – Kenny Martin

In addition to everything above, you'll get access to instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable, and build friendships with other pro photographers with motives similar to yours – to build a more successful photography business.

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything from what Kenny shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you plan to implement in your business based on what you heard in today's episode.

Without a doubt, if you're not telephoning, if you don't have a structure to telephone these people, you ain't going to succeed. It is absolutely crucial to the success of the businesses. It really is. – Kenny Martin

If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Kenny, or a way to thank you for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.

iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs

I check for any new iTunes or Google reviews each week, and it's always a buzz to receive these… for several reasons.

Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!

Secondly, iTunes and Google are the most significant podcast search engines, and your reviews and ratings help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners mean more interviews and, ultimately, a better show.

I've got a very simple philosophy, and that's, “Give them a chance.” Right? Give them an offer. Give them a chance. – Kenny Martin

If you have left a review in the past, thank you! If you haven't and you'd like to, head to https://photobizx.com/itunes or https://photobizx.com/google. You can leave some honest feedback and a rating, which will help me and the show. I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you let me know the URL of your website and your name.

Alternatively, if you've left a review for PhotoBizX and are looking for more backlinks to help your SEO, leave a review for the new Photography Xperiment Podcast. Email me your keywords or phrases and where you'd like me to link them.

For me, success isn't determined by how much turnover you've got and how big your place is. It's about your mental health, your aspirations, the type of business that you want and how much profit you're going to have at the end of the day to enjoy yourselves. – Kenny Martin

Another great way to get a backlink to your site is to send a video testimonial. It doesn't need to be fancy, and your phone will be perfect. Click record and tell me how PhotoBizX has impacted you and your photography business.​

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

The Studio Doctor Website

Kenny Martin Website

Noir Portraits by Kenny Martin

Kenny Martin on Facebook

The Studio Doctor on YouTube

Episode 626: Susan Renée – Are Giveaways Hurting Your Brand or Building It?

When I see people who try and filter customers before they've been in for a session, who just try and bring in the absolute cream of the crop in their studio thinking that they're going to be better spenders than the normal person, right? They're on the wrong track entirely. – Kenny Martin

Special Offer from Kenny Martin – Save £400 on the Photo Noir Course

Kenny has just released a major new course on his Studio Doctor website, diving deep into his unique Photo Noir concept.

The training is built around a complete step-by-step system — from planning and marketing a promotion, to choosing winners, booking, running the session, editing, selling, and analysing results. It includes 19 core videos, plus a heap of bonus content and downloadable resources.

Normally priced at £995, Kenny is offering a massive £400 discount exclusively for PhotoBizX listeners — bringing the price down to £595.

Use discount code BIZ400 at checkout to claim your saving. Nothing in this for me, just passing on the details from Kenny.

Check out the course and learn more here

Thank you!

Big thanks to Kenny for sharing so openly in this episode. It’s good to hear from someone focused on what really works — building a solid, sustainable photography business without getting caught up in trends. From client experience to promotions and the thinking behind it all, there’s plenty here to reflect on. If you’ve been questioning your approach or unsure if the basics still hold up — this one’s 100% worth a listen. I’d love to hear what stands out for you.

We took them from £270,000 to one and a half years later, £790,000, just by niching down and concentrating on one thing very well, as opposed to, being a jack of all trades. – Kenny Martin

That’s it for me this week; I hope everything is going well for you in life and business!

Thanks, and speak soon
Andrew

The post 627: Kenny Martin – Profit Over Hype. Building a Sustainable Photography Business appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.