your 2026 photography business

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Ready to say bye-bye to burnout

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from the ground up.

Photographers Growth Lab — Mel Cieslik
Mel Cieslik

The Photographers Growth Lab

Stop building your photography business alone.

A monthly membership for mums who want consistent bookings, a stronger business, and a community that actually gets it.

Join the Lab — $49 USD/month

Cancel anytime  ·  Instant access  ·  30-day money-back guarantee

2,000+ students worldwide AIPP Newborn Photographer of the Year 14+ years in business Fresh training every single month

Sound familiar?

Doing all the right things — and still feeling stuck.

You started your photography business for freedom. More time with the kids. A career that was yours. And now you're working harder than ever, with less clarity than when you started.

  • 01You're posting consistently but the enquiries are crickets
  • 02You know you need to charge more but fear stops you every time
  • 03You're doing admin and editing at midnight. Again.
  • 04You've got the passion and the talent — but no clear plan for what to do next
  • 05You watch other photographers get fully booked and wonder what they're doing differently
  • 06You started this for freedom. It doesn't feel very free right now.
"The difference between photographers who thrive and those who burn out isn't talent. It's strategy, systems, and having someone in your corner."
— Mel Cieslik

Introducing

The Photographers Growth Lab.

Your monthly membership for newborn, maternity, and family photographers who are ready to build a profitable, sustainable business — without the burnout, the guesswork, or doing it alone.

Every month you get fresh training on a topic that actually moves the needle, done-for-you templates to implement straight away, and a community of photographers who genuinely get it.

Practical. Focused. Built for real mums running real businesses.

I'm ready — let's go

What's inside

Everything you need to
keep moving forward.

Six ways every month inside PGL builds your business — without the overwhelm.

01

Monthly Training

A focused, practical video training each month — marketing, pricing, systems, client experience, and more. Short. Actionable. Made for busy mums.

02

Templates & Swipe Files

Done-for-you resources you can use straight away — email scripts, caption templates, pricing worksheets, planning tools, and plug-and-play assets every month.

03

Community & Accountability

Access to the private PGL Facebook group — a no-judgement space full of photographers at all stages, all building something real.

04

Monthly Challenges

Quick 10-minute implementation challenges to help you take action — not just consume content. This is where things actually change.

05

Business Fix Audits

Diagnostic exercises to identify exactly what's holding your business back so you can fix it fast — no more guessing what's not working.

06

Ongoing Momentum

PGL isn't a course you finish. It grows with you — month after month, season after season. Your business keeps evolving and so does the Lab.

2026 Training Calendar

A whole year of business growth — mapped out and ready for you.

Month 1
Vision, Reset & Business Foundations
Month 2
Marketing That Gets You Seen
Month 3
Client Experience & Conversion
Month 4
Mini Sessions for Profit
Month 5
Workflow, Automation & Time-Saving Systems
Month 6
Offers, Packages & Profitability
Month 7
Mid-Year Audit & Fix Month
Month 8
Content, Authority & Trust-Building
Month 9
Sales, Launches & Promotions
Month 10
Seasonal Planning & End-of-Year Revenue
Month 11
Retention, Referrals & Repeat Clients
Month 12
CEO Review, Reflection & Next Year Prep
"I built this around the business I actually have — not an imaginary one with unlimited time and no kids."
— Mel Cieslik

Is this for me?

PGL is built for a very specific kind of photographer.

This is you
  • You're a newborn, maternity, or family photographer ready to take the business side seriously
  • You want consistent bookings — not just the occasional lucky enquiry
  • You're done winging it and want a clear monthly plan to follow
  • You want to charge more and attract clients who don't blink at your prices
  • You're building a business that fits around motherhood — not instead of it
  • You want accountability, templates, and ongoing support — not just theory
Probably not the right fit
  • You're still learning to shoot in manual mode — Hello Pro is your starting point
  • You want posing-specific coaching — that's what the Precision Posing Program is for
  • You're looking for a one-time course with a finish line — PGL is ongoing by design
  • You're not ready to implement — this membership rewards action-takers
Mel Cieslik

Your coach

Hi. I'm Mel.

I've been a newborn photographer for 14+ years. I've had $5K weeks shooting part-time in Perth. I've built a full-time coaching income while raising my daughter Poppy. And I've done all of it as a mum who refused to let "mum guilt" or "not enough hours in the day" be the reason it didn't work.

I know exactly what it feels like to love photography and simultaneously want to throw your laptop out the window when you try to run the business side.

The Photographers Growth Lab exists because I needed it — and it didn't exist. So I built it. Every month. For photographers exactly like you.

AIPP Newborn Photographer of the Year — Western Australia
14+ years in newborn & motherhood photography
2,000+ students worldwide
Mum to Poppy, based in Perth, WA

Member love

What photographers are saying.

"

Before joining Photographers Growth Lab, I felt like I was constantly guessing what to post, how to market myself, and how to actually turn enquiries into bookings. Mel has such a calm, practical way of breaking things down so they feel achievable instead of overwhelming. I love that the membership isn't about doing everything at once — it's about building proper foundations, one step at a time. I finally feel like I have direction in my business.

Sarah M.
Newborn Photographer
"

Photographers Growth Lab has been exactly what I needed. I had the photography side of things down, but the business and marketing side felt messy and inconsistent. Mel explains everything in such a simple, no-fluff way, and the monthly focus has helped me actually implement instead of just consuming more information. I've already made changes to my client experience, my content, and my weekly workflow, and I feel so much more in control.

Emily R.
Family Photographer
"

Being inside Photographers Growth Lab has made me realise I don't need to be doing more — I need to be doing the right things consistently. Mel's support, templates, and trainings have helped me get clear on my brand, understand my ideal client, and create marketing that actually feels aligned with me. It honestly feels like having a business coach in your back pocket without the huge price tag.

Jess L.
Motherhood Photographer

"One extra booking pays for three months of membership.
And the bookings you get from implementing what's inside?
That's the whole point."

Join the Lab — $49/month

Your investment

Less than one session.
More than you'd figure out alone.

One extra booking per month more than pays for your membership. And the strategy, templates, and support you get from showing up every month? You can't put a price on momentum.

I could charge a lot more for this. But I don't want price to be the thing between you and the business you actually want.

"$49 is less than a tank of petrol. Your business is worth more than that."
$49
USD · per month · cancel anytime
  • Monthly business training video
  • Done-for-you templates & swipe files
  • Monthly implementation challenge
  • Business fix audits
  • Private Facebook community
  • Access to all past training content
  • Mindset & momentum content
  • New content every single month
Join the Photographers Growth Lab

Billed monthly in USD  ·  Cancel anytime  ·  Instant access

30-Day Back Yourself Guarantee

Join the Photographers Growth Lab, dig into the training, use the templates, show up in the community — and if within 30 days you genuinely don't feel like this is the right fit, email me and I'll give you a full refund. No awkward conversations. No hoops. I'm that confident you'll love it in here.

Got questions?

The ones I get asked most.

A course has a finish line. PGL doesn't. Every month you get fresh training on a new topic, new templates, and ongoing community support. Your business keeps growing and so does the Lab. It's built for the long game.
Not a requirement — but CBT gives you the foundation that makes everything inside PGL land harder and faster. If you've already got your basics set up and you're ready to grow, jump straight in.
The monthly training is short and practical — not a 4-hour deep dive. Most members implement in a weekend or across a few evenings. Everything is self-paced. No deadlines. Show up when you can, take what you need.
Yes — no lock-in, no cancellation fees. Cancel anytime through your account portal. You retain access until the end of your current billing period.
Absolutely. The business strategy, marketing, pricing, and systems content is universally applicable. Members are based across Australia, the US, UK, Canada, and beyond.
Yes — you get the full content library from the moment you join, not just the current month's training. Plenty to dive into from day one.
Yes — access to the private Photographers Growth Lab Facebook group is included. It's active, supportive, and full of photographers who are all building something real. No comparison, no competition.

You've read this far for a reason.

Your business deserves more than midnight Google searches and going it alone.

Fresh training. Done-for-you templates. A community of photographers who get it. Every single month. For $49.

Join the Photographers Growth Lab

$49 USD/month  ·  Cancel anytime  ·  Instant access  ·  30-day guarantee