Vail Fucci Photography boosts revenue by 250% with SpotMyPhotos

At a glance

Vail Fucci started her photography career by working at weddings, fashion shows, and large-scale events. But tedious post-production workflows and tight turnarounds made it challenging to manage admin tasks while staying on her A-game behind the camera.

Thanks to SpotMyPhotos’ private, automated photo delivery software, Vail has expanded her portfolio, strengthened her brand presence, and grown her business by 250%. Today she’s wowing her clients with modern photo delivery while saving time and generating leads from every event she shoots.

“That’s the true ROI of SpotMyPhotos: You aren’t just giving a better experience to clients—you also organically get referrals to grow your business. I’ve seen a 250% increase in revenue since I started using SpotMyPhotos.”

Vail Fucci
Vail Fucci Photography

About Vail Fucci Photography

Vail Fucci is a Boston-based professional photographer who specializes in high-end headshots, on-site conference headshots, and event photography. She’s known for creating a fun, easy, and confidence-boosting experience from planning to final image selection.

Affectionately nicknamed “The Headshot Doctor” by her clients, she has a unique ability to put people at ease in front of the camera. Since leaving a career in politics, FDA regulations, and health policy in 2010, Vail has built a photography business centered on great lighting, expert coaching, and an unwavering passion for helping people look and feel their best.

Today, she works with a team of photographers throughout the greater Boston area, offering event photography for awards ceremonies, fundraisers, galas, conferences, and more.

Vail’s challenge

Vail has always gone the extra mile to create exceptional photography experiences for her clients. In fact, next-day slideshows and lightning-fast gallery delivery have been staples of her business since she began her event photography career over a decade ago. 

But to meet this high standard, Vail used to spend hours at her computer after each event culling photos, then making tedious edits–often in the middle of the night–so she could send polished galleries out to her clients the very next day.

“Before SpotMyPhotos, my workflow after any event meant going home, tediously sorting through photos, editing them, and frantically sending them off to the client. Now, I’m turnkey. By the time I leave an event, all that work is done. What used to take days, or keep me up all night, is now finished in real time.”

Vail loved the event industry, but motherhood prompted her to press pause on the relatively unpredictable schedule of event photography, and she shifted her focus to headshot photography instead. 

Fast forward several years, and Vail was introduced to SpotMyPhotos at the ADMEI conference in Boston, where she met several members of the team and learned a bit about our photo delivery technology. Soon after, the SpotMyPhotos team recommended Vail to shoot at another local event, where she first used the platform.

“That night, I got to see how SpotMyPhotos worked. The next day, I called and told the team that I wanted to become an ambassador. It’s the best photo delivery technology I’ve 
ever seen.”

How we helped

Vail credits SpotMyPhotos for helping her scale her business without drowning in behind-the-scenes tasks. 

SpotMyPhotos’ highly efficient, automated workflows give Vail and her team the bandwidth to shoot at large-scale events and deliver pop-up headshot experiences with minimal post-production work. Plus, attendees are always blown away by how fast their photos are delivered. 

When she offers headshot experiences at a conference, Vail has attendees sign up themselves via a QR code. At weddings and similar private events, she also has a QR code on display for easy registration. But she explains that the staff-faciliated registration process is also a great place for photographers to introduce attendees to the SpotMyPhotos experience:

“I like to explain the process and take down their contact information so they can get Spotted. Then, they get the text while we’re still talking. They show other attendees their Spotted photos, inspiring folks to try it for themselves.” 

Vail prefers SpotMyPhotos’ instant delivery workflow because guests get their photos in seconds, but she still has control to hold back any shots she doesn’t want going out.

“Given the choice, people would much rather have their photos right away, even the silly or imperfect ones, rather than waiting until who knows when for a gallery to go up online. I get the most referrals when people are able to experience the results right then and there.”

She explains that this immediate turnaround is especially valuable at events like wedding receptions. Instead of everyone sharing their own cellphone photos on social media right after the reception, the first images out there are the polished, professional ones. And with the option to add a custom border or subtle branding at the bottom, couples can put their own personal touch on the entire wedding gallery.

Plus, this approach saves Vail an invaluable amount of time and effort.

“I’ve been able to shoot an entire wedding with SpotMyPhotos without having to manually retouch a single photo.”

At first, Vail considered offering SpotMyPhotos as an optional add-on service. However, she quickly realized that she didn’t want to work without it, so she made it a core part of her process and business offering. 

After seeing how the platform dramatically reduced her post-production workload and consistently generated new leads, Vail decided to permanently integrate it into her process. Clients now experience the benefits firsthand, and Vail has found that demand for her services has only grown since making SpotMyPhotos an integral part of her business.

The results: More customers, increased rates, and higher revenue

Since becoming a SpotMyPhotos licensee, Vail has increased her rates for both headshot and event photography, in some cases by up to 8x. 

Her higher rates are accompanied by an influx of new customers, referrals, and repeat business. Vail accommodates this growing demand with help from the powerful automation and business development tools in the SpotMyPhotos platform, such as automatic photo optimization and integrated digital image sales tools.

“SpotMyPhotos helped me open a whole other side of my business and greatly increase my earning potential. That’s the true ROI of SpotMyPhotos: You aren’t just giving a better experience to clients—you also organically get referrals to grow your business. I’ve seen a 250% increase in revenue since I started using it.”

What’s more, Vail’s event photography process is completely turnkey. Attendees are Spotted and receive their photos in real time as she shoots an event, so her job is done when she leaves the venue. Event organizers can even access galleries during the event and watch photos populate as they’re taken.

At private events like weddings, it’s not uncommon for Vail to leave with upwards of six new leads. Guests often come up to her during the reception to see how they can book her for their special days as well. Similarly, attendees at larger corporate events come up to her with questions or requests to book her for their own upcoming event.

“Building connections at events is essential. Even if I’m not making a great margin off a specific event, my team and I always get new opportunities through interactions with attendees.”

Vail estimates that while nearly two-thirds of her clients find her via web search, the other third of her business comes from people who meet her at an event. 

After attendees experience SpotMyPhotos’ instant, private photo delivery at one event, they eagerly recommend Vail to friends or professional connections. This ripple effect opens doors for Vail and her team to shoot noteworthy events with well-known athletes, entertainers, and public figures.

“I get high-profile opportunities that would never, ever have fallen in my lap without SpotMyPhotos.”

From birthday parties for celebrities to private concerts featuring iconic pop stars, Vail’s infectious energy and modern photo delivery process–powered by SpotMyPhotos–have helped her win new business, sign on repeat customers, and make invaluable connections within the events industry. 

To keep up with growing demand, Vail has started subcontracting other event photographers in the Boston area. Everyone who works under her is also a SpotMyPhotos licensee, and many have seen an increase in referrals and new business inquiries since integrating the platform into their workflows. 

Vail continues to share her passion with other photographers, offering photography lessons, business coaching, and editing classes at her studio. She also prides herself on her role as a SpotMyPhotos Ambassador. She shares that, while some photographers may worry about giving away their secret edge, she’s happy to educate others in her network about SpotMyPhotos.

“SpotMyPhotos is the secret ingredient that you want to share with other people in your network, but you also want to make it your own.”

Vail explains that it’s not just the platform itself that makes a photographer stand out and delight clients–it’s also the energy they bring to their job, and the connections they make along the way.

Vail credits her success to a mix of SpotMyPhotos’ innovative technology and her unique approach to photography.

“I think it’s a mix of factors. 60% of the magic is the technology itself. The other 40% is more personal. Clients really appreciate my personality, approach, attention to detail, and passion for what I do.