2011 was a wonderful in every aspect of Petography’s world. I bought more equipment, learnt more about my style and learnt these essential lessons:-
1. My clients are the loveliest people in the WORLD.
From the very beginning I had a very specific idea on the type of people I want as clients. To some, simply hearing my Session Fee (which is $175 for those playing at home) is enough to send them packing – and that’s fine. They are not my clients. The images I’m most proud of and display on facebook and my website for all to see are not of dogs in the perfect stance, or of horses with the ‘correct’ leg position, my images are REAL and most importantly full of emotion. Whether that emotion is love, laughter, passion (usually for the treat i’m holding above my head) or pure happiness, THAT is what I aim capture in my images & this year i’ve managed to attract clients who feel the exact same way. My tag line is “for the love of doG” – and I mean it. I photograph clients who love their pets as much as we do, when we’re photographing your dog, horse or cat we’re photographing a member of your family, not show ponies, not “guard dogs” andcertainly not “just an animal”.
2. You can’t trust everyone when it comes to business 🙁
I’m what you might call confident yet hesitant when i meet new people. I generally know if I feel I can trust someone upon a first meeting, and if i don’t, I just won’t get too close. My radar failed me this year and someone I truely thought to be a valuable (and lovely) new business contact used me to get their own business ahead. I lost nothing, but i gained a whole new level of respect for people who stay true to their word and understand the line between business & friendship. I’m a true believer in things happen for a reason and a disappointing situation early on in the year lead me to meeting the most amazing few companies who have supported me like crazy! I’m so thankful to them for everything they’ve done for me in 2011 & I can’t wait to continue working together this year!
3. I believe in my work!
Photography is tricky. One person’s idea of a fabulous photo does not always ring true to 5 more. This year I’m incredibly proud of the work I’ve produced & i know my clients are too. I can now proudly tell people “I’m a Professional Pet Photographer” and when they visit my website, the images will back me up. I’ve found my style this year (which i can best describe as modern & unique) and have had bursts of excitement as people tell me they’ve seen my work and tell me “it’s very modern isn’t it”, or “how very unique” 😀 Quite the confidence booster to know the ideas in my head are being seen that way in real life by complete strangers 🙂
4. I’m PROUD to do what I do.
We’ve been to a lot of weddings this year. When you meet new people, the start of the conversation is alwaysssssss “So, (insert name here), what do you do”? For the first year or so i chickened out and answered with “I’m a photographer” and then, if they cared enough to ask what I photograph I tell them. You get mixed responses – some will look at you a little confused, smile politely andfinda way to change the subject. Others (my kind of people!) will be bursting with questions about how I got into it, how do I get the dogs attention, how did I start out etc etc. In 2011, every single time i’ve been asked I’ve proudly told them “I run a small PET (always have to make a point of the word i’m saying is indeed PET) Photography Company called Petography” whilst smiling like an idiot. If they are those judgemental people who don’t believe that is a ‘real’ job i can tell from their reaction and that’s fine, I just pray I don’t have to sit next to their boring butts for the entire wedding! I LOVE what i’mdoing for a living, like couldn’t possibly love it more if i tried (unless sometimes i could take the pet home for a few days after the shoot :p) I’ve never been one to care what others think about me, or what I choose to do, I find those people are generally just unhappy with their own lives & make even prouder to have such a unique nd wonderful job that brings joy to so many people.
5. Competition is not something to be afraid of.
Pet Photography is a niche market, but the same principles apply to Pet Photography as every other category, be it Weddings, Families, Landscape, Underwater or Children. If you KNOW you’re good at what you’re doing, if you consistently produce amazing work that clients are thrilled with, and if you truely do believe in and LOVE what you’re doing, then it doesn’t matter what any of your competitors are doing. Word of mouth is the single most amazing marketing tool for my little business. All it takes is one photo on one wall of a clients house for their friends to notice it (hopefully with a GASP of amazement :p) and ask “WHERE did you get that done”?? From the very first Business plan I wrote back in 2009 I stated “I want my images to speak for themselves” and I truely believe i’ve achieved that in this last year.
THANK YOU to all of my clients from 2011 – I’ve love love loved meeting you and your fur babies and hope to see you all back again in 2012 🙂
That is the way to go — do what you love and do it the best you can and be proud of yourself. Wonderful words and photos — great blog post.