As the volume industry first started transitioning from paper order forms to online selling, volume photography studio owners had to take a leap of faith. “Will image-first selling work for me?” “How will my sales cycle be affected?” “Will parents really love this new process?” These are all valid questions worth considering! But as countless data and studio success stories prove, it pays off to be bold.
Online selling introduces a world of opportunities—blasting through sales records, enjoying precious free time, and more—but one pain point it’s introduced is image theft. If you’ve ever lost sleep over parents screenshotting galleries, the rise of AI watermark removal, or whether you should “go back to pre-pay,” you’re not alone. These topics are dominating online conversations, but they may be distracting you from what really grows your business.
In a recent episode of The Volume Vault podcast, Emily Davis, owner of Click Studios and The Volume Vault, sat down with Lisa Mallis, Co-Founder and COO of PhotoDay, to tackle one of the most emotionally charged topics in the volume photography industry today: image theft.
In the episode, they unpack why worrying about digital theft is not what modern volume photography studios should be focusing on—and what actually helps you sell more. It’s a wonderful episode full of expert insight and thoughtful discussion, so be sure to listen to the podcast for yourself!
Why This Matters to Volume Photographers
Photographers often feel torn between protecting their work and building a thriving business. Owning and caring for a creative business can lead to defensive emotions clouding logical explanations.
“When we operate out of fear—fear of theft, fear of misuse, fear of losing a few bucks—we end up making decisions that cost us thousands to save pennies.” — Emily Davis
Instead of building sales, many studios get stuck in endless debate threads and half-baked protective tactics that don’t actually move the needle.
Image Theft Is Real. But It’s Not the Problem You Think
Let’s be clear: unauthorized photo sharing and screenshots happen. But they’re not the roadblock to growth that many photography studios think they are.
“Yes, there's a threat. Yes, there will always be somebody who's going to steal from you…But if you put all of your time and energy worrying about that and not your 98% of the people who want to buy from you, you'll never succeed.” — Lisa Mallis
In other words: focus on the people who choose to pay you, not the small minority that never intended to. That’s where your energy belongs, rather than policing watermarks or retreating from online selling.
The Hidden Cost of Going Back to Pre-Pay
One common reaction is to go back to shooting pre-pay only, thinking it will stop theft.
But here’s what that really does:
“Going back to pre-pay is not protecting your worth. It is putting a ceiling on your income.
And when you require pre-pay, you're limiting participation. You're limiting sales. You're limiting the number of images that you can actually offer to a client. — Emily Davis
Pre-pay locks you into outdated workflows and limits what you can offer customers:
- Only one image per order form
- No proofing before purchase
- Reduced sales opportunities
- More operational headaches
On the other hand, modern online selling gives families more choice and value, which turns into higher sales, bigger order averages, and happier customers.
Image-First Selling Changes the Game
A huge difference between pre-pay and post-pay selling is psychology: people buy more when they see what they’re buying.
“You want people to see the images and go, ‘Well, I couldn't possibly not buy that.'” — Emily Davis
Customers don’t just want one snapshot. They want the smile, the goofy pose, the game face, the team photo, the action shot. When you give customers a gallery with multiple beautiful images, they feel both confident and excited to purchase.
Satisfied, emotionally engaged customers with a large inventory of photos to choose from lead to higher average order values, which boosts your overall revenue.
Watermarks Help, But Don’t Solve the Issue
Many photographers have poured countless hours into repeatedly updating their watermarks to combat AI watermark removers. But there’s a catch:
“The minute photographers find the greatest watermark, they go and run it through every removal tool and train the AI on how to remove it.” — Lisa Mallis
That creates a frustrating cycle where you spend time on tools that don’t solve the problem and, in the process, make the buying experience worse for legitimate customers.
It’s completely normal and understandable to feel violated and emotional about having your work shared or screenshotted without your permission. However, emotions shouldn’t dictate your business strategy.
“The fear around image theft and people posting watermarks is often really inflated, and it's an actual revenue loss.
I think the real risk that people should be looking out for is wasting your time trying to protect $20, instead of trying to use your time to go out and book a $20,000 league.” — Emily Davis
While better watermarks aren’t a foolproof solution, PhotoDay takes great care to update our default watermark to be as resistant to AI removers as possible. Check out our recent webinar with Pixnub’s Damon Bell: AI-Proof Your Watermark.
What You Should Be Spending Your Time On
So if you shouldn’t be policing screenshots or retreating to pre-pay or paper order forms, what should you be focusing on instead?
1. Sell to the People Who Want to Buy
“The answer is simple. You focus on the 98%. You look at the people who are buying from you—your best performers, your best organizations, your best leagues, your best schools—and you go find more of them.” — Lisa Mallis
Your business growth comes from serving communities that value your work, not chasing down every complaint thread.
2. Deliver a High-Value Experience
Modern galleries, high-quality photos, multiple pose options, digital downloads, and easy mobile checkout help parents see the value and feel confident about buying their photos.
This aligns exactly with what PhotoDay users see when they switch to selling with our online galleries: more products purchased, more digital downloads sold, and higher profitability.
3. Know Your Target Audience
If you’re selling to communities that can’t afford higher-value products, you’ll always feel friction. Price your services based on the audience you want to serve and grow with confidence.
Looking Ahead: Building Trust
As parents continue moving toward mobile and online experiences, volume photographers must adapt.
“Photography needs to continue evolving as a service.” — Lisa Mallis
This means building trust with customers, delivering value first, and meeting modern expectations for online buying. Not retreating to old workflows that limit growth.
“Look at consumer trust online. People tend to spend more money with brands they know and trust. You don't get that in the pre-pay environment.
And that's one of the things here at PhotoDay that we take a lot of pride in—brand equity. We want your customers to know that when they're buying your images through PhotoDay, they're going to get what they pay for.
Consumers who trust the brand they're buying from spend more money with that brand year over year, and they come back over and over again.” — Lisa Mallis
Go beyond building trust as a business, and build trust as an individual! It’s much harder to steal from someone when you know them, when your kids are on the same teams, and you’re going to the same community events. Just getting involved in your community has incredible payoffs.
Make Decisions That Grow Your Studio
While image theft feels personal and frustrating, fear-based decisions often cost photographers far more money than the theft itself.
At the end of the day, worrying about image theft is like worrying about your house being broken into. It feels big in the moment, but it shouldn’t prevent you from building the life you want.
Instead of operating out of fear, focus on what grows your business: high-value galleries, modern e-commerce workflows, and serving the customers who want what you offer.
💡Ready to move forward? If you’re still using paper forms or thinking about switching platforms, give PhotoDay a try. Start for free and see how modern online selling can help you grow revenue and simplify your workflow.
