Victoria Phipps Photography

Victoria Phipps Photography Film family photographer in Cheshire prioritising prints over pixels and mentoring photographers who want to do the same!

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I’m Victoria and I’ve been taking photographs seriously since 2009. I have a very unsophisticated addiction to mochas and the garden is my happy place! Having bounced around a bit, I now live and work 10 minutes away from where I grew up in a quiet village on the Wirral/Cheshire border. Over the past 15 years I’ve built a successful wedding photography business, co-founded a veterans' charity with

my marvellous Dad, project-managed a couple of house renovations, fundraised £450,000 for a D-Day Veterans' garden at RHS Chelsea, got an MBE from Princess Anne, had two babies in the pandemic, pivoted from weddings to family portraits and began sharing photography tips and tricks to help parents document their day to day lives in a way that leaves them with a beautiful archive of family photographs telling their unique story. All this experience has eventually led me to where I want to be; capturing modern-day memories on old-school film for families of all shapes and sizes. Yes, I did say film! A blast from the past I know, but hear me out. I’ve shot both extensively and to my mind there is no question that medium format film makes more soulful photographs. Last but not least, I ensure that every client I work with has at least one piece of beautifully printed artwork which is destined to become a family treasure. Our photographs are not meant to languish as digital dust on a cloud, they are meant to be artfully printed, shared and enjoyed!

I know this might ruffle a few feathers, but I think it needs to be said.The photography industry has a habit of telling...
27/05/2026

I know this might ruffle a few feathers, but I think it needs to be said.

The photography industry has a habit of telling us that if we just get better at the craft, everything else will follow - better gear and better editing software means better images and better business.

And so we invest our time, our money and our energy into improving the thing we can most easily measure.

But the starving artist stereotype is rooted in truth. Talent alone has never been a business model.

I’ve met photographers whose work takes my breath away who are struggling to make ends meet. And I’ve met photographers with modest technical skills who are running thriving, sustainable businesses.

The difference almost always comes down to how they attract their clients, how they deliver their work and the experience they create.

For most of my career I adopted the digital gallery model without question. I delivered the files, attached a price list, waited and watched as my confidence plummeted.

It wasn’t my photographs that were the problem. It was the model.

If that resonates, hit follow! I want to show you what is possible when you do things differently…


So much shifted in my business when I stopped fighting against the stories I’d been telling myself for years and started...
22/05/2026

So much shifted in my business when I stopped fighting against the stories I’d been telling myself for years and started replacing them with something better!

This reframe didn’t happen overnight. I’d been a photographer for 14 years and learned a lot of hard lessons before I challenged myself to think differently, eventually making the shift to a print-led business that finally felt aligned with my values.

If any of these landed for you, save this post. Come back to it on the days when the doubt creeps in.

And if you’re ready to explore a different approach in your photography business, I’d love to have you at my free Print-First Mindset Masterclass this Tuesday 26th May at 11am.

Comment “MINDSET” below and I’ll personally send you all the details…

This one is for the family photographer who is wondering whether it’s supposed to feel this hard 🫠The one who loves the ...
20/05/2026

This one is for the family photographer who is wondering whether it’s supposed to feel this hard 🫠

The one who loves the work, but is exhausted by the model.

The one who finds themselves editing mini-sessions late into the night.

The one knows they’re capable of more, but can’t quite see the path to get there… because I’ve been there, felt all that and got the t-shirt!

If any of this lands with you, I want you to know that the clients who know the value of good photography exist. The families who will invest in beautiful printed artwork and thank you for guiding them there exist.

The story of your business doesn’t have to end where it is right now.

If you’re ready to start a new chapter, join me at the Print-First Mindset Masterclass this Tuesday 26th May at 11am.

It’s free, it’s live and it’s where the shift begins!

Comment “PRINT” below and I’ll personally send you the details to save your seat…

18/05/2026

I spent years telling myself that my clients in my area just didn’t want prints.

And then I started looking more honestly at what I was actually doing - delivering a gallery link with a price list and hoping for the best - and I realised I’d never actually given my clients the chance to want something more.

Because I’d never shown them what more looked like.

That’s what the Print-First Mindset Masterclass is about. Not tactics. Not pressure. Just a genuinely different way of thinking about the service you offer and the value you create.

It’s happening online on Tuesday 26th May and I’d love to see you there!

Comment “PRINT” below and I’ll personally send you all the details…

13/05/2026

If any of this sounds familiar, I want you to hear this…

it’s not the quality of your work that’s keeping you stuck, it’s the business model you’re operating.

The digital gallery model asks your time poor clients to make important decisions alone, in their own time with no guidance. And it asks you to wait in silence with your fingers crossed, hoping they’ll value what you’ve created enough to act on it.

That’s an incredibly vulnerable position to put yourself in session after session after session.

The good news? There’s a different way and it doesn’t require you to become a different photographer - just to deliver your work differently and serve your clients fully.

Follow along if you’re curious, because this is where I show you what that looks like 🙂

07/05/2026

There’s a myth in the photography industry that the route to higher prices is “better” pictures… a better eye, better camera, better editing, better locations etc. etc.

This leads to chronic comparisonitis and it’s such a red herring!

I’ve met incredibly talented photographers who are chronically undercharging and I’ve met photographers with modest technical skills who are running thriving, profitable businesses.

The difference isn’t their talent, it’s the experience they create for their clients.

People don’t just pay for photographs. They pay for the quality of the experience itself, from the first enquiry to the final printed product on the wall.

If you’re ready to start thinking about your family photography business differently, you’re in the right place!

The “people only want digital files” belief is one of the most common stories I hear from family photographers. And I u...
02/05/2026

The “people only want digital files” belief is one of the most common stories I hear from family photographers. And I understand why, because it feels true when that’s all you’ve ever offered.

But you wouldn’t walk into a fine dining restaurant and ask for the raw ingredients. You go for the excellent service, the quality food and the experience itself.

There are families out there who want exactly that from their photographer. Many just don’t know it’s possible because so few photographers are doing this stuff!

What if you were the photographer to show them what’s possible?

I can’t believe it’s nearly 17 years since I set myself up as a photographer 🤯There have been a lot of lessons learned o...
01/05/2026

I can’t believe it’s nearly 17 years since I set myself up as a photographer 🤯

There have been a lot of lessons learned over the years… most of them the hard way.

For the majority of my time in business I believed that if I just got better at photography, everything else would fall into place. That talent was the answer.

I had to get to the grand age of 40 before I realised that it really wasn’t.

The shift came when I stopped looking around me, stopped comparing my work to everyone else’s, stopped copying other photographers’ business models and started designing my own.

I finally designed a business that was built around the things that genuinely lit me up… embracing film and print in family photography, only saying yes to the work that feels aligned and delivering a client experience that feels meaningful from start to finish.

I think that’s the most important lesson of all and if it helps one photographer leapfrog over years of self-doubt then I’m so glad.

Stop looking sideways. Your business is yours to design. So design yourself a business that you can call home too!

If any of these learnings resonated, save this post and follow along to see what building a print-led family photography business actually looks like in practice.

30/04/2026

The stories we tell ourselves about our clients are usually led by the stories we believe about ourselves 🫢

I know this because where limiting beliefs are concerned I am an expert. I’ve been there, done that and got the t-shirt!

Those stories kept me small - overworking, undercharging, people-pleasing and wondering why I felt so unfulfilled despite doing work I genuinely loved.

The mindset shift isn’t easy and it isn’t always linear. I’ve watched photographers make it and then slowly drift back to what felt safe.

But I have never once met a photographer who fully committed to a print-led business and wished they hadn’t. Have you?

If you’re ready for more in your photography business then follow along!

I’m going to keep showing up and sharing everything I’ve learned, because I now know there’s a better way and I want to help you find it too.

Address

Chester

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9am - 4:30pm
Friday 9am - 4:30pm
Saturday 9am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+447709391253

Website

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