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

Maddie Mae of www.adventureinstead.com is a US-based elopement photographer… with a difference! She was one of the first, if not THE first, elopement photographers.

After shooting big weddings for 5 years, a couple booked her an elopement in the Rocky Mountains. She says this booking changed the course of her life and the trajectory of her business. It was elopements or bust from then on.

Fast forward to today, and she's photographed over 300 elopements in the last 10 years.

Has worked in over 40 countries, photographing weddings.

Take one look through her portfolio and you will die with envy… the locations, photography, couples and moments will blow you away.

In this interview, Maddie shares how to run a profitable destination elopement photography business.

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

• How Maddie manages travel, seasonal shifts, and stacked shooting schedules while staying profitable
• Why aligning client expectations with your creative goals sets you up for long-term success
• The SEO, Pinterest, and Instagram strategies that bring a steady flow of high-value enquiries
• Building a portfolio that sells — and how styled destination shoots can fast-track your bookings and brand positioning
• The trust-building tactics that spark referrals and repeat clients
• How Maddie books dream jobs in regions with strict photography rules
• Humanising your brand online — why personal storytelling and behind-the-scenes content create stronger engagement
• Futureproofing your marketing with AI, Google Ads, and a clear homepage message
• How education and mentorship can expand both your influence and your income
• Bringing your creative vision to every job while keeping the client experience front and centre

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.

A really unique thing about eloping couples is that most of the time when they reach out to elopement photographers, they are much earlier on in their planning process than the point at which clients typically reach out to traditional wedding photographers. They don't typically have a date, they don't typically have a venue. Eloping clients are usually quite open and quite flexible. – Maddie Mae

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've learned over time, and especially the more that I charge and I'm working with higher end clients, they expect and crave and want my vision. That's what they're hiring me for. They're hiring someone who has that vision and has ideas, so that takes the burden off of them from coming up with all the ideas. – Maddie Mae

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 Maddie 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.

I'm very proud of my business. It's taken me a long time to really learn by trial and error, the marketing, branding, sales process, back end that leads to me be able to consistently and sustainably do this. – Maddie Mae

If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Maddie, or a way to thank her 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.

The best way to show up in AI search is to have good SEO, because that's where AI is pulling this information from. It's from the web. It's from Google search results. That's where they're looking for stuff. – Maddie Mae

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.

The first step in being able to book elopements of any kind is really understanding what they are, and, number two, believing that they are just as valid and important of a wedding day, deserving as just as much photography coverage… that is like key to being able to brand yourself for them, market yourself for them, price yourself for them. – Maddie Mae

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.​

Here is the latest review…

★★★★★ The things they share are insane!

Via Google reviews by Central Coast family photographer, James White, in Australia on September 20th, 2025.

Honestly, where do I start?

I first listened to Andrew back in 2021, and then, well, life happened, and my membership lapsed. Fast forward to a month ago, and I came back to PBX, and honestly, I've not looked back.

Andrew is easily the best host I've had the pleasure of listening to, he asks questions I want asked without me being there. The quality of his guests and the things they share are insane. Most podcasts hold back and don't give away the good stuff unless you sign up for their multi-thousand-dollar course… not Andrew; his guests share everything. It has transformed my business and my mindset.

Thank you Andrew, a true legend of the industry. I can't wait to see where the podcast and the community go from here. Worth the tiny annual subscription fee 1,000 times over!

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

Adventure Instead Website

Thrive: The Business of Unconventional Weddings & Elopement Course

Adventure Instead on Instagram

Adventure Instead on Facebook

Weddings & Wanderlust – Adventure Instead Facebook Group

Maddie Mae on YouTube

Adventure Instead on Pinterest

Quaderno

My website is the hub of all of my marketing, any marketing I'm doing anywhere, it's all pointing to my website. – Maddie Mae

Thank you!

Big thanks to Maddie for sharing everything she did — the wins, the challenges, and the things that really moved the needle for her. From handling crazy travel schedules to building trust that keeps new client inquiries coming in, and letting SEO quietly do the heavy lifting… there’s a lot to take in. I’d love to hear about your biggest takeaways — what’s the one thing you’re keen to try after hearing Maddie’s story?

I love finding the most efficient ways to market my business, and best ways to serve my clients, to be able to charge really profitable rates that are sustainable for me and that I think to teach that to other photographers, that we can all be running sustainably profitable businesses and support our families. – Maddie Mae

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

Thanks for listening—speak soon,
Andrew

The post 635: Maddie Mae – How to Run a Profitable Destination Elopement Photography Business appeared first on Photography Business Xposed - Photography Podcast - how to build and market your portrait and wedding photography business.