Tamara Lackey is one of the world’s top children’s portrait photographers. She is also a great educator and is very generous in sharing her wisdom with others. Her book, The Art of Children’s Portrait Photography is probably the best book on children’s portraiture I have ever read, covering pretty much everything from working with different children’s personalities to marketing and pricing, with gorgeous photography to get you inspired added to the mix. If you are into children’s portrait photography and haven’t read that book yet – go get it now.

I discovered that The Art of Children’s Portrait Photography answered most of my general questions, so when I got a chance to interview Tamara (yay!), I decided to dig a little bit deeper into the specifics…

Looking at successful photographers it’s easy to forget that the road to success is long and winding. How long did it take you to get where you are now, and what advice can you give to those who are at the beginning of their journey?

I started shooting professionally seven years ago, and it was never not work.  I love this industry, but it’s also a lot of work.  I left a career behind where financial success was simpler to attain, but not nearly as fulfilling – and I’ve never regretted the change in career.  For photographers just starting out, I strongly advice that they focus on building a sound business structure first while continuing to work on their craft – and go all out when you have enough organisation and businesses processes figured out to be able to handle your success (or to better sustain you through any droughts).

What would you say were the 3 key factors behind your success as a professional photographer?

I can share three vastly significant factors that aided me.  First, a sincere desire to really portrait my subjects in a genuine and attractive way.  It was never about wrapping up a shoot and delivering enough to make them happy.  It’s always been about focusing in on the best in my subjects and consistently trying to capture them well.

Another factor is a real curiosity behind what makes people tick.  I don’t ever really get people all the way, just as I know I’m not all the way understood.  Knowing there are always surprises along the way can make one feel insecure or keep one interested – but whatever that does for your feeling of inner safety, it’s a remarkable thing for an artist to understand.  Each new person is a new mystery, and we are granted surprisingly close access to the inner workings of a wide array of individuals.  I think being consistently interested in people as aided my career exponentially.

Lastly, my inherent good sense for and interest in business.  I have a great love for building and running a successful business – it wouldn’t have ever really mattered what the industry was.  The fact that I love photography is almost a wholly separate thing.  That being said, I also recognize my limitations (oh so many ;) – I love studying great business strategies and looking at long-term goals and setting up key routes in my business to achieve them; I don’t love – nor am I much good at – the day-to-day tactics of operations, of all the administrative work required to carry out such a plan.  So I don’t put myself in the role of doing such things.


In terms of marketing, what worked particularly well for you (and what hasn’t at all) when you were just starting out?

You hear it all the time, but that doesn’t make it any less true: word of mouth referrals are absolutely the best form of marketing.  It matters that people love your work and their experience of working with you.  Hands down best marketing.

What would I not do?  Spray advertising – you can spend a lot of money diluting the exclusiveness of your brand.

In your book you talk about reaching out to your desired client. Do you have any particular tips on how do get first 5 clients from your target market (particularly if you as a photographer are not one of them)?

The specific point of target marketing is to define the market share you want, rather specifically, then learn what their lifestyle choices are, what they care about, what they aspire to – and reach them through those defined avenues.  What do they read?  Advertising in that specific vehicle is now targeted advertising vs. spray advertising.  Where do they socialize?  What benefits or auctions/galas do they attend?  Donate to a session and showcase your best work.  What are some of the schools their children attend?  How can you market to them in a way that doesn’t feel like selling, that feels more like what is comfortable to YOU – just introducing them to who you are.

Any tips for those who feel awkward about self-promotion and sales?

I’d reiterate the line from my last answer – when reaching out for the first time, it’s merely an introduction.  Your ad/promotion/showcased work/website is nothing more than the nametag you wear when you greet someone at a mixer.  Pay attention to how you wear that nametag – and if you want to attract them to who you are and the work you do, then be yourself and show what you are capable of producing.  You’re not selling anything – you’re greeting them.


There are tons of tools and resources to help newbie photographers with everything from their website design and packaging to data backup and business forms, but it’s impossible to invest in everything at once. What would you say are the must-have items (apart from camera equipment) that those who are starting out should sort out before they do anything else?

Everyone learns differently.  Some people pick up information more intuitively by reading an essay on the subjects.  Others by stepping through diagrams and yet others only through trial and error.
How do you best learn?

I can only speak for myself, but I find that I take on new things by, first of all, taking a stab at it.  I try something new by simply doing it how I inherently think I would do it.  After that, I can assess what’s not working and then figure out how to best learn how to do it well.

I learn really well when I can watch something demonstrated and then try it out for myself and see if it fills in any missing gaps.  Watching someone who is really good at what they do is highly educational for me.  So I would invest in education – workshops, books, DVD’s (just happen to know of a great one ;) , etc. It doesn’t have to be modern education, though. I’ve learned as much from art history and reading age-old works than I have from anything I’ve seen at today’s conferences.

Note – that’s hugely different than seeing how someone else does something and doing it their way.  That’s a near surefire way to not succeed.  First of all, you’re not being you, you’re trying really hard to be someone else – and, thus, squandering your best resource.  I’ve seen people do this when they start out – examine exactly how someone else presents their work and copying it from top to bottom. If you came into this profession because you have a passion for it, you’re cheating yourself and your clients by just imitating another and not really putting you out there. You might be able to fool someone else, but how thrilled are you with you?  How fired up are you about digging deep into… presenting another’s work?

It was eye-opening reading about some of the mistakes you made during the course of your career (forgetting about the session and then losing all the files… I can’t even imagine how you must have felt!). I had a similar situation just recently, when things went pear-shaped with a client’s order. Although I’m doing everything in my power to fix it, I’m really worried it’s going to cost me losing this client and their recommendations. What is your advice on dealing with situations like that – both on the personal and professional level?

The best you can do in professional ‘miss’ situations is the same as the best you can do in personal ones.  Own up to the mistake.  Explain exactly what happened from your perspective.  Apologize.  Genuinely apologize.  Don’t expect forgiveness but go ahead and sloppily thank them if you get it.  Make up for it however you can.  And then take safeguards to ensure that you don’t make that same mistake again.  If you learn from those failures, you are only winning in the future by no longer losing that particular way again.

Look at it as long-term improvement.  As Donna Brazile said, “Failure” is just what happens when we lose perspective.


You are a well-published photographer, and being published certainly adds credibility. But how you do get published in the first place? Any tips on approaching publications?

I have been the acting Director of Photography for Endurance Magazine, a regional fitness & lifestyle publication, for nearly seven years.  It’s actually just a title now, as they don’t really need me anymore – but I can tell you that I have received and continue to receive all kinds of submissions from photographers – and we look at them.  We get excited about great photographs, new looks & feels, as they only enhance the look of the magazine.  And we never would have seen that work if someone hadn’t submitted it. With many larger publications, it’s the same premise – they just have a lot more rules, regulations and long-term planning in place.

If you want to shoot for a certain publication, send them samples of your work.  Introduce yourself. Follow up.

When people tell me they’d love to see their work here or there or be profile in this magazine or that, I ask them how they’ve initiated contact to get that going. A surprising amount of people are kinda just hoping it’ll fall in their lap. I’m not saying that doesn’t happen. People do get discovered out of nowhere. But we’re all living in a fast-fast-paced world, and discovery takes time. Why not move that along?


There’s a whole chapter in your book devoted to working with children. Where there instances when you just couldn’t get the child to cooperate and what did you do?

Funny timing. I literally had a shoot yesterday morning – a two and one year old set of brothers. Both seriously adorable. Mum and dad dressed them up in these super cool contemporary man-style suits. They looked awesome, but the kids did not want to wear suits (go figure :) They were, in a word, uncooperative. So what did I do? Pretty much whatever it took. I chased them, I threw stuffed animals at their faces, I bribed them with candy, and I let them each take turns tackling me. The younger brother did it once and was no longer interested. The older brother wanted to keep the game going out in the parking lot, long after the shoot was finished.

I found an even measure of letting them cry out their fits here and there, talking to them about what they cared about, picking them up and finding new pockets of energy to bring them into, and keeping the camera away from my eyes so I could keep interacting with them directly as I shot. Sometimes when you’re really working for it, when you’re literally sweating, you hit a zone where it’s just all about you and your subjects, and you can pull out your best work in spite of all that’s going wrong.

When photographing on a beach, going into the water or when a child throws sand all over you, what’s the top tip to keep your equipment safe?

Invest in a great lens bag. There are a few out there – I’ve been using the Boda bag for years. The newest one seals up really tightly.  I also bring out two cameras with two different lens options affixed to both – and I hold the camera up high when I’m waist-deep in the ocean or getting sand tossed in my face ;)

What books or websites would you recommend for those wanting to learn more about photographing children and about the business of photography?

My friend Dane Sander’s book ‘Fast Track Photographer’ is a great read for those wanting to get a sense of the industry and start out by avoiding some common pitfalls.  Websites – this one, certainly. Another one for those just starting out is Scott Bourne and Skip Cohen’s www.goingpro2010.com.  A great website for better learning techniques and watching a wonderful photographer in action is Jerry Ghionis’ The Ice Society.


And finally… I’m gutted that I missed your master class at SWPP in London in 2010. Any plans to come to the UK with your workshops in the near future?

Aw, thanks :)

I started out this year with some intentions to offer 3-5 workshops over the next year. I do have one right now in my own studio on August 19th that I’m happy to say is filling up well. My hope is to offer two in New Zealand and Australia in 2010 and another one in – yes – London next summer. The reason I haven’t officially launched any other ones yet, though, is because of a project I’ve been working on with renowned cinematographer, Rex Ballard.  He and I teamed up to create my Inside Contemporary Children’s Photography DVD – and we had such a great experience with that, we’ve teamed up again on a new production project that’s a bit under wraps right now and taking up significantly more time than initially expected (for good reasons that I’ll be excited to share soon).

Thank you so much Tamara for sharing your knowledge and experiences with us! To see more of Tamara’s work, go to her blog: http://www.tamaralackeyblog.com/

Useful resources:

Tamara’s DVD Workshop: Inside Contemporary Children’s Photography
Tamara’s book: The Art of Contemporary Children’s Photography