You guys have questions, and I have answers! These are answers to some of the most common questions I get in emails from other photographers, plus a few of my own goofy questions thrown in. Not a photographer? This stuff gets pretty technical so you may want to hit the ‘back’ button lest you be bored to death.
Also for those photographers who have missed it, please read these blog posts first:
On the importance of being original
These are the questions that are answered on this page:
1. What kind of camera and lenses do you use?
2. What does your post-processing look like?
3. How much do you charge for a sitting and then prints? I have no idea what to do here. Help!!
4. Do you print and mount your own photos or do you take it somewhere to be done?
5. Do you have a day job? If not, how long have you been doing this full time?
6. How do you get those crazy shots of dogs running and smiling with their ears flying?
7. What did you find to be your biggest challenge when starting out in this business?
8. What do you always have in your camera bag?
9. What are some of your favorite techy things you can’t live without?
10. Do you have an assistant? If so, how many? How does that work out? Ever worry about not being able to pay your assistant? What if it’s a slow time?
11. What is one thing about you that only your assistant knows?
12. Do you work out of your home or do you have a studio?
13. What settings do you use on your camera?
14. How old are you?
15. What are your favorite things to eat or drink?
16. What are your favorite bands?
17. When you aren’t in your office or out on a shoot, where in the Emerald City can we find you?
18. Do you use a polarizer to get those intense, vivid blue skies I see in a lot of your photos?
19. Do you use flash for outdoor dog photography? Do dogs like it?
20. Have you ever taken photo classes or did you learn all by yourself with trial and error?
21. How do you feel about selling high-res CDs/DVDs to clients?
22. What was the experience like moving from part-time to full-time? How did you decide or know when was the right time? Did you have a bunch of money saved? Was it scary?
23. Is it a good idea to start a luxury business during a recession?
24. What tips would you give to someone who is just starting out as a pet photographer?
25. How can you tell when your work is nice enough to sell? When others love the photos you take? When you feel personally ready?
26. How many photos do you “throw out” from a one hour shoot? How many do you keep?
27. Any tips you could share on SEO? Do you think flash sites are a big no-no for photographers?
28. I am currently searching for a hosting site and wanted to know what are the two most important criteria, for you, what you need to have in a hosting site? The second one is do you get model releases, or I guess they would be called “pet releases”? I know this borders on a legal question but we could steer away from the why’s if you would like.
29. Could you give us an example of your “client flow”? In other-words how you move from start to finish through your clients. From the initial phone call on to maybe a pre-meeting then the shoot and so on. I’m trying to figure out how best to approach this and determine which areas are the most important.
30. What gear did you start out with?
31. What do the owners do while you photograph their pets? Do they stand there and watch? I think that might make me nervous.
32. How can I approach dog owners to photograph their pets?
33. How did you purchase your first equipment? By saving? Taking out a loan?
34. Do you limit yourself to any type of distance or travel time for shoots?
35. Similar to question 1, would you attend a dog-product and service trade show located 5-6 hours travel time by car from your location in order to promote your business, why or why not? Have you ever done displays at trade shows?
36. Does pet photography really necessitate a full frame camera, if most shots are closely cropped? Or is it more of a preference thing?
37. Can you give me some tips on photographing black dogs?
38. You mentioned your fave is the 20mm 2.8. But I see you also have the 24-70mm 2.8. Do you feel being zoomed out to 24mm would be close enough to 20mm and since they are both 2.8 lens, the 24-70 would do the job? Or is there a reason you need/want the prime 20mm seperate?
39. Also, I am looking to get an external flash for indoor photos. Do you know much about the Nikon flashes? I was thinking the SB600 might be sufficient because of the price compared to the new SB900 but the recycle time is slower. Do you feel its necessary when you use a flash to have that super quick recycle time? Do you often use the flash for indoors? I am thinking you probably do although I don’t have fast lenses so I’m not able to take natural light photos indoors. But for example when you take a photo of a dog on the couch….are you using a flash and do you hold it off camera and use a diffuser?
40. I would like a source for learning how to produce albums and press printed books so I can add that product to what I offer my clients. I’m not sure where to start. Can you give me some sources?
41. Do you ever feel photographer’s block? As a former journalist, I know it can happen for a writer. I was wondering if it ever happens to you. For instance, if you ever engage in a shoot and you feel a little off creatively. If so, how do you overcome that?
42. How do you feel about renting booth space at animal related events to get exposure. Did that work for you?
43. Can you give some advice on posting to blogs/facebook/flickr? How do you keep each item separate and fresh, and how do you determine what to put on each site? I would think that posting my latest blog post on my company Facebook page is easy, but then where is the incentive for someone to follow both if it’s the same information?
44. Can you give more specifics about marketing? For example, did you go into gourmet pet food stores, groomers, vets, etc. and introduce yourself and ask to leave postcards? And/or did you mail postcards to those places? And do you find the regular sized or the over-sized postcards work best?
45. Can you give me some ideas on how to get displays up in retail spaces? Do you pay the stores, offer incentives, get them for free?
46. Do you ask clients to exercise their dogs before the shoot? I know they should have SOME energy during the shoot but some have TOO much! Lately that has been a problem for me, especially when the client has two dogs and wants a photo of them together.
47. Do you focus your sales efforts toward selling a “wall portrait” similar to what a family portrait studio would do, or do you focus on album or book sales similar to what a wedding photog would do? Or do you approach your products in a completely different way altogether?
48. Do you think choosing a niche market has helped or hurt your business? Do you think aspiring pet photographers should specialize so much when they’re first starting out? Why did you choose to shoot only pets?
49. One more question, which may have been answered already (it has been a while since I read the whole Photographer Q&A) - Which do you use most often: auto focus or manual focus? Why?
50. Session questions - How long do your sessions last? Who is doing the primary interaction with the pet - you, your assistant? How much interaction does the pet owner have?
51. As a new photographer I have run into this a few times already. Do you give friends discounts on sessions/prints/etc? I’m sure as you know we need to make money some how but sometimes it seems like they expect you to offer to photograph their pet/s for a discounted price. What’s your opinion on that?
1. Q: What kind of camera and lenses do you use?
A: You can check my gear page but I will also answer it here.
I use a Canon EOS 5D, not quite a professional camera, but it has a full-frame sensor and takes beautiful photos. It is very popular among portrait, wedding and pet photographers for a whole host of reasons. I am not one of these people who is brand loyal however and I think Nikon does a fantastic job too. In fact, I will even go out on a limb here and say that I think Nikon does a better job at evenly exposing images (please don’t kill me Canon fans!). If I didn’t have the 5D I would have the Nikon D700 in a heartbeat. You can find many unscientific comparisons between the two brands online, and I am sure the debate will rage on in perpetuity, or at least until a new major brand rises to the top.
I also like the next-step down Canons and Nikons for pet photography for those who are not ready to drop a grip of dough. Specifically I like the 40D and 50D and the Nikon D300.
(That said, you don’t need a fancy camera to get great shots- it’s the photographer who determines the quality of the images. But, if you are talented, and your skills have grown, you will notice a significant difference in upgrading your gear.)
I will warn people here that once you go full frame you will never want to go back. I have decided that my next camera will be the Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III (21.1 MP full frame, yeahhhhh). Heavy to hold in one hand, but with the help of some regular barbell use, I think I’ll do fine.
For lenses I use: (all Canons): 24-70mm 2.8 L (the most versatile pet photography lens out there), 20mm 2.8, 50mm 1.8 (fantastic plastic), and the 70-200mm 4.0 IS L. My very favorite lens is the 20mm 2.8. Not an expensive lens (or even high-quality glass), But I LOVE the look of wide angle shots, and it totally fits with my style of photography and the look that I am going for. For those who are still trying to define your style and what looks best to you, I recommend renting different lenses first and trying them out before investing. You may find that you are more drawn to telephoto zoom shots where you aren’t interacting with the pet, but instead capturing them ‘from afar’ like shooting dogs at the dog park, or you might fall in love with the fisheye look. You might want a really shallow depth of field like you can get on the 50 1.4, or want just as much focus on the background as the dog. Lenses can be rented for cheap- $25-$30, so there is no reason not to try before you buy. There is no point in having a camera bag filled with lenses you will never use. I rent lenses from my favorite Seattle camera store Glazer’s, but you can also rent them online from Borrowlenses.com, or Lensrentals.com.
For comprehensive Nikon and Canon lens reviews check dpreview.com, arguably the best online source for camera and lens reviews and information.
When you ARE ready to buy, you can always buy used, getting great prices on high quality glass. Check the Digital Picture for a long list of used Canon lens resources, and KEH for used Nikon lenses.
2. Q: What does your post-processing look like?
A: I used to do very little post-processing at all. Actually, let me rephrase that. When I started, and for maybe a year or two, I would OVERPROCESS images in Photoshop. I think that stemmed from an insecurity about my work, and also the fact that I am a perfectionist and loved playing with Photoshop. Then, I went the opposite direction and decided that I wanted to do very little post-processing because I didn’t want images that would look ‘trendy’ or artificial. THEN, I got Adobe Lightroom 1 early in 2008 and it changed my life (I’m serious!). Now, with the exception of some cropping and ‘tidying up’ of images in PSCS3 (oh, and removing noise and sharpening) before they go to print, I use Lightroom 2 exclusively for processing. I have found my ‘happy medium’. For now.
Every image is different, but my standard Lightroom steps are: increase exposure a little bit, lighten shadows, increase contrast, increase clarity a little bit (doing too much looks odd), maybe add a vignette, and increase the blacks just until the image ‘pops’. FYI: increasing the blacks and contrast helps the other colors look more saturated. This is how I get my saturated colors photographers often ask me about. But I’m trying to scale it back with the contrast these days because going too far creates way oversaturated images. Then after I’ve exported my images from LR2, in PSCS3 I use Noise Ninja on all of my images to both remove any noise (if there is any) AND sharpen at the same time. Still getting the hang of it.
In terms of using actions, I have more actions than you could go through in a weekend. I have downloaded many for free, paid for a bunch more, gotten some of the ‘big guns’ and have always resorted back to doing things ‘my way’. Meaning, no more actions. I do like Kevin Kubota’s Digital Clarity and Magic Sharp, but rarely use either of them. Ooh, you know what’s really great action-wise? Kubota’s ‘Light skin powder’ in his Production Tools 2. Fantastic on human skin. Have never tried it on doggy skin. I also like some of the actions from the Perfect Enhance set by Michelle Black. I think she does awesome actions. But my very favorite most used action (when I was still using PS) is definitely Local Contrast, a free action created by Alex Wilson. Be sure to read his whole article about local contrast. It may change your views of photography forever. Also, see my quick PS tips blog post for a couple more processing ideas. Also, check out how to use multiply and screen layer adjustment masks in PS. (I use the black masks and selectively lighten and darken). You can also do great things with curves if you have the time to work on each photo.
The most important thing to do before determining what kind of post-processing you want to do is define/determine your style. Is it the old antique vintagey look you like? Then find techniques/actions that will help you achieve that. Do you prefer all black and white? Then play around with b-w conversions and see what looks best. Do you like the high fashion portrait look? You can find actions that help you get that. I also always recommend that, instead of trying to emulate another photographer’s style, that people experiment, with no other photographs in front of them, and determine what makes THEM happy. Every person has their own unique tastes and personality, and your work should reflect who YOU are, not who that other photographer you saw online is.
Also, keep in mind with PP that if you plan to run a business, whatever process you create needs to be feasible on a larger scale. If it takes you 5 hours per client, then how many clients can you service in a month? I prefer a TMOL (two minutes or less) per image editing philosophy. With LR2 I can go through (flag, delete, rate) about 325 RAW files from a shoot (about what I average for approx 90 minutes of shooting) and narrow it down to 50 in about 30 minutes. To process/fix up/edit those 50 files, and export them as JPEGs is another 60 minutes in LR2. So overall it’s very quick! Totally maintainable when I have a large volume of clients.
3. Q: How much do you charge for a sitting and then prints? I have no idea what to do here. Help!!
A: Ahhh, sigh. This is the most challenging part of our job. What to charge. Pet photography is kind of in a no-mans land, unchartered territory if you will. We don’t really have a good base for comparison. It’s not people photography, it’s not wedding photography, it’s dogs and cats. So what are owners willing to pay? I’m still trying to figure that out myself, but if you want to take a look at my pricing, it’s on my location rates page of my website. This is definitely the higher end of things for pet photography, but after 7 years of doing this, I can command this, and should be charging more than I am.
What I can tell you is that an industry ‘average’ rate for a pet photography sitting lasting between 1-3 hours is about $250. This is what I call ‘competitive’. This does not include famous pet photographers who are in large cities like San Francisco or New York. The rates are all relative of course. Some pet photographers include prints in their sittings, some do not. Some offer print packages, or ‘collections’, some do all a la carte. I personally do everything a la carte because I have found it to be the most straightforward (I did packages for a long time before switching and found them to be a PITA). There is a large range of print prices pet photographers charge- from $5 for a 5×7 up to $50 or more. I think an ‘average’ for an 8×10 is between $40-$65. When I see photographers charging $10 or $15 for an 8×10 I cringe. Again, I need to emphasize the word ‘average’. Pricing is based on so many factors: what your specific market will uphold, how many pet owners there are in your area, what your local competition is charging, how MUCH competition you have, how good your work is (a very important factor for obvious reasons), how much experience you have, etc etc. I have found that ‘in general’ (sorry, I hate using generalities, but here I have to), people will spend between 20-30% LESS on pet photography than child or human photography. I see that changing, and if you are a photographer who is also a really good businessperson, you can narrow that margin even farther.
I should also say here that I think doing a ‘package’ of sitting that includes prints is a really bad business move. Trust me when I say that I have experience doing all types of pricing strategies, and this one was my least successful in terms of my bottom line. When you do this, this is what happens: you have clients who take a year to pick images for prints they already paid for, and you can’t really charge them an extra late fee on something that is already paid. You end up setting their budget for them, and they rarely purchase additional prints and products, even if they can afford it. You lower the value of your time by including prints. You attract a certain type of client with a certain type of mindset “Your photo session is $350? What do I get with that?”. Those may be the types of people you want to work with, but my goal is to work with a type of client that not only values my art, and my products, but my time as well. It’s impossible to measure the value of time when you are including a product with it.
One thing I teach in my workshops is to not undervalue your work. Photography is not a cheap business to run, and every photographer I know works their fanny off to run their business and pours an immense amount of time and money into it. You provide a service to people who absolutely adore their animals, and that service has a value to it. Please do not offer a shoot and CD of high-res files for $100, or I will have to kill you. Oh, and don’t advertise on craigslist. Love the site but that is one surefire way to lower the value of your business.
For those who have never heard of it, please do a google search for the term ‘perceived value’ as it pertains to marketing.
4. Q: Do you print and mount your own photos or do you take it somewhere to be done?
A: I used to do all of my own printing on an Epson R1800. That got very old when the printer started having feed issues, and I started getting tired of running to the store for ink. Ultimately I determined that with my business, even though I am a control freak, there are things I need to let go of and let the experts handle. Printing is one of them. I now outsource all of my printing to labs, including canvases and Decopaw art. I personally think that, since professional photo labs (those who only serve licensed photographers) are so great, and produce such consistent, high-end work, so quickly for such a reasonable price, there is no reason why any photographer should have to do their own printing. Unless of course they enjoy it. Which I very much don’t. Some great labs for prints are: Millerslab, ProLabExpress, WHCC, Color INC, ProDPI, and ACI Lab. Also, a quick browse in the back of any professional photographer’s magazine will give you a long list of lab/printing resources.
5. Q: Do you have a day job? If not, how long have you been doing this full time?
A: No day job, or any other form of employment or income. Cowbelly pays all of my bills. I won’t lie to you and say there haven’t been tough times. I don’t have a spouse’s income to fall back on, no big inheritance or lottery winnings, or a family with money, or corporate career that padded my savings account before I started my business. I have had to scrape by at times, mainly because I didn’t really know what I was doing. I am a creative person by nature. Businessperson? That I have had to learn over time. Now I have a much better sense of what things I need to do to make this business profitable and keep food on my table. I love my life now, and have been running the business full time since April of 2005. I absolutely think anyone with some skills and talent and a deep love for animals can make a go of this business and become a fulltime professional photographer. If you knew all of the obstacles I have overcome in the past 7-10 years you would go “shoot, if Jamie can do it, so can I!”. It’s not easy. It’s hard hard work. But it IS fun, and extremely rewarding. And if you are dedicated and driven, and committed to doing what it takes, you can give up that awful corporate ‘cubicle’ job, leave the pack of sheep behind, and make a living doing your dream.
6. Q: How do you get those crazy shots of dogs running and smiling with their ears flying?
A: That’s an answer I only share at my workshops. 
7. Q: What did you find to be your biggest challenge when starting out in this business?
A: At that time, even though it wasn’t that long ago (mid-2003) people still didn’t really think of doing pet photography on their own. It was a relatively unique concept, even though many successful photographers had been doing it for many years by then. It was the kind of thing where, if you mentioned pet photography to someone, you would see the light bulb go off in their head and they would say “hey, that’s a great idea!”, but they wouldn’t wake up one morning and think “I’ve gotta go find a pet photographer today and get photos of my dog”. Now it’s different, but back then I found that the biggest challenge was lack of visibility. I had to get my business in front of many people to get to where I am today. It’s all about brand awareness, and when you don’t have any money, it’s all grassroots stuff. Guerilla Marketing, is what it’s called. Now I find that I get as much as 30% of my new clients through google (I’m #1 in in a Seattle search for anything relevant to my business, so they are seeing me quickly).
People want to do it and seek it out on their own. Almost like it’s more socially acceptable and ‘normal’. Of course, the internet doesn’t take the place of good old fashioned marketing, and every business owner must still market themselves aggressively and create a community in their industry if they are really passionate about having a photography career and actual paying clients. Every new business owner faces the problem of lack of visibility, but I think when I started it was even greater. My best suggestion is to do every single thing you can to market your business. Do not leave any stone unturned. Experiment. Put yourself out there. Sell yourself. Guerilla Market. Business and increased revenue do not come from taking photos of your dog all day or sitting at home tinkering on the computer in photoshop or even having lots of people following your blog. Marketing is ESSENTIAL when it comes to making a living as a photographer. If you plan to keep your day job and just do this on your own free time away from your corporate career, you can go easier on the marketing and it won’t matter if you do one client shoot per month or 20, but if you want a truly successful CAREER as a photographer, you need to work, and work hard for it.
8. Q: What do you always have in your camera bag?
A: Lens wipes, lots of them. Dry AND wet. Squeaky toys, Zuke’s salmon dog treats, 2 charged backup batteries, one 2GB memory card and one 4GB memory card (Sandisk Extreme IV). A spare poop bag or two for when clients run out. Extra pens. Contracts. Marketing postcards. Oh, and Bonne Bell chap stick. Watermelon.
9. Q: What are some of your favorite techy things you can’t live without?
A: My Lexar Pro firewire 800 memory card reader. SUPER fast! My 4×6 Wacom Intuos tablet (Fergie chewed through the cord once and I cried so hard you’d have thought someone died), my 20mm 2.8 Canon lens (see above), my iPhone loaded with travel apps and twitter, my GPS unit (TomTom), and my auxiliary computer speakers to play Pandora through.
10. Q: Do you have an assistant? If so, how many? How does that work out? Ever worry about not being able to pay your assistant? What if it’s a slow time?
A: Yes. One. Christina. She works part time. Definitely worry. I think that’s normal. So far so good with paying her (with one little exception one time where I was a week late- sorry Christina!!). I think about all the time how I’m not just responsible for me, but for someone else as well. But I will say that I wouldn’t have it any other way. Assistants are great at taking care of all of the little things you aren’t any good at, and leave you to just focus on your creativity, which means you are more productive, and make more money, AND do better work for your clients. It’s a fine balancing act but in my case it totally pays off. I love Christina and she is a huge asset to my business. Just the other day she sent me an email that had this as a PS:
P.S. Have I told you recently that you are the best boss in the world?
P.P.S. You are. ( :
Awwwwww…..
11. Q: What is one thing about you that only your assistant knows?
A: That I work on two computers at the same time. It’s a little bit schizophrenic, but when I’m in the studio I always have my laptop set up on the desktop to my left, and then my iMac in front of me. And this is really kind of sad and weird. I have a cordless Logitech keyboard, so sometimes I will move the keyboard aside and actually set my laptop in front of me on my desktop between me and my iMac. Sometimes I don’t know which mouse to move or which keys to punch. (I know, I’m crazy).
12. Q: Do you work out of your home or do you have a studio?
A: I *used to* rent an office in a large photography studio that I shared with 3 other photographers. Even though it was a fantastic place in a great, central location on the edge of downtown Seattle, just a 5-minute walk from my house, I was never there. In the summer of 2009 I moved into a house with an extra bedroom I could use for my office. As a result I have been loving working at home and wouldn’t have it any other way. Unfortunately I am not saving any money by doing this, but the convenience factor makes it totally worth it. I don’t have clients over so it makes no difference if the place isn’t spotless, and my commute can now be measured in seconds. Since I never do studio shoots (been there, tried that, hated it), I don’t need shooting space, just a basic utilitarian office.
If you are not like me and really don’t want to be working at home, I strongly encourage those who are getting more established with their businesses and have a solid filled pipeline to look into shared studio space in their city. It can be extremely beneficial on so many levels, and makes a huge difference in both your productivity and your bottom line. Getting into a large artist’s space with a number of artists and/or photographers is the very best solution until one has the demand and volume to carry an expensive lease on their own. I know they aren’t easy to find, but with persistence it can happen. I found my office space in the photography studio in the commercial rentals section of craigslist.
Before I move on from this question, I should answer the question that will come up from people who have followed me for a long time: what do you do now about meeting clients?
I used to do sales ordering sessions in my office at the studio, but not anymore. After I gave up my studio space, I invested about $1600 into an Epson projector and screen, and ProSelect software for my macbook pro, and now I make trips to my clients, instead of the other way around. I do in-home ordering sessions about 2-weeks after the shoot, and bring all of my product samples with, and help them determine what will look best by projecting the images life-size on their walls. I definitely would not do this without ProSelect, like if I was just showing them the shots on a laptop or something, but doing projected sales sessions makes the extra few hours per client totally worth the time investment. Everything you read about ProSelect is true.
13. Q: What settings do you use on your camera?
A: Before I answer this question, I feel compelled to say something here. Anytime you ask a photographer what settings they use on their camera, you are sort of giving them a backwards insult in a way. I know people don’t mean to do this, but to ask the question implies that the beautiful/amazing/cool/funny images are the result of the camera, NOT the talented eye behind it. So- walk gently anytime you are asking a photographer what camera they use or what settings they use, etc. Not that you shouldn’t ask the questions; just keep this in mind.
That said, I use a variety of different settings, depending on what the situation calls for.
If I am just sort of free-flowing, and not posing the animal or being really rigid about composition and light, I will use aperture priority, set the aperture to somewhere between 2.8 and 4.5, set the ISO and then let the camera dictate the shutter speed. Metering type I will use either evaluative or spot, again, depending on what look I am going for. Also, I frequently use exposure compensation if/when shooting in aperture priority. I use aperture priority with exposure compensation about 70% of the time.
If I am looking for a more structured shot, where I have the dog posed, and am trying to create something really specific, I may use full manual, and whatever metering mode fits the light/situation.
Recently in the studio I also tried shutter priority for the very first time ever, and loved it! I decided I want to try some more shutter priority as I love stopping action with my goofy running shots. I want the dog’s whiskers to freeze in mid-air.
In terms of focus, I always use autofocus, except the very few times I use my 50mm 1.8, then I use manual focus.
I use the * button on my camera as the focus. (CF-04 I think). I will use either center point focus, or all points focus, or sometimes shift to single point focus on the right or left if I am trying to get a really specific shot but know if I move a muscle the dog will move. (It seems like for whatever reason whenever I am doing this my head is either upside down or at a really awkward angle). So I set the focus with the back button, recompose where I want to set the exposure, hold the shutter down halfway, then recompose (if necessary), then depress the shutter all the way to fire it. Back-button focusing takes some getting used to but I find it much easier and faster for the style of photography I do. It’s not really intuitive at all, and I am still learning every day, but so far it’s working. Also, FYI, the center focus point on the 5D is the most powerful. And therefore the most accurate. I have found this to be true, but center focus doesn’t always give me what I need. You can’t really center focus when you aren’t looking through the viewfinder.
So I guess it would be fair to say that I am kind of all over the place with my photography settings. I have gotten really fast at spinning wheels and pushing buttons, depending on what the situation calls for, the look I am trying to achieve and what I am trying to expose. It is necessary to be great at multi-tasking in order to get great pet shots.
I will confess, and it probably shouldn’t bother me, but I am horrified by the blinkies (the areas of highlights in a photo that are completely blown out), and disgusted by overly black shadows. At least, in my own work. These two things I try to avoid at all times. (And for the LR users, yes, I pretty much always have the little triangles checked). I aspire to the obtain the perfect histogram, lol.
Ok, these next few I just made up myself ’cause I thought you might find them interesting.
14. Q: How old are you?
A: Not telling. J/K, I don’t care. 38. March 13, 1972. Pisces, if you care about that kind of thing.
15. Q: What are your favorite things to eat or drink?
A: Eat- spanish tapas, fruity candy, especially with a hard shell and chewy inside, seafood, pepperidge farm parmesan goldfish crackers, anything with lemon and capers. Drink- Gatorade, Red Bull, raspberry lambic, really dry champagne, Hendricks gin with Qtonic, H20, Orangina and Pumpkin ale. I drink A LOT of liquids. Can easily go through a large container of gatorade every day. Buy- anything for my dog (she gets most of my money), Too Faced makeup from Sephora, furniture and accessories for my home, Bath & Body works hand soap and room spray, and candy (of course).
16. Q: What are your favorite bands?
A: Too many to list but at the very top are: Propellerheads, Thievery Corporation, Coldplay, Ingrid Michaels and Sublime. Favorite music is big beat, for the few who know what that is. Send me some big beat artists I have never heard of before and I will love you forever.
17. Q: When you aren’t in your office or out on a shoot, where in the Emerald City can we find you?
A: Pesos, Racha, Bizarro, Norm’s or Smarty Pants for dinner, Baltic Room and Chop Suey for dancing, Sitting Room, Capitol Club, BalMar or Viceroy for drinks, Uptown Espresso or Starbucks for coffee, downtown for shopping and Pacific Place for movies. I am a city girl through and through.
ANSWERS BELOW ADDED 3/9/09:
18. Q: Do you use a polarizer to get those intense, vivid blue skies I see in a lot of your photos?
A: Sometimes. I do use/have a circular polarizer that I use in the summer if the sky looks a little bit washed out, but often times I find that when I am shooting at the wide end (like 20mm-24mm) like I often like to do, I get A LOT of really dark vignetting just in the outer corners. Even in LR that can be tough to fix, depending on how big the disparity is in shade is between the blue sky area in the middle and the blue sky in the corners . Sometimes I *like* that look and that is what I am going for (like in the shot of Murphy from 3/9), it all depends.
When I’m not using a polarizer, which is about 75% of the time, I think the colorful skies are a blend of these things:
1. shooting in RAW
2. bumping up the contrast in LR
3. adding blacks to the image after slight overall lightening of shadows (also in LR). I’m honestly not sure if you can increase blacks in Photoshop, outside of ACR Bridge (which is used for RAW files) or doing adjustments in curves.
These things really make an image pop. You can use the same process on Jpegs, but I recommend lowering the saturation to a more ‘natural looking’ level, then *increasing* the vibrance just until it looks beautiful but not overly saturated or alien-like. Also go easy on the blacks on jpegs, because they can make the image too dark too easily.
19. Q: Do you use flash for outdoor dog photography? Do dogs like it?
A: Sometimes I use it. Most of the time I don’t. (Can you tell I’m pretty inconsistent? lol). Flash on bright days can be indespensible in helping to open up those shadowy areas of a dog’s face and eyes. BUT, I have yet to figure out a way to shoot close to the animal and not have a ‘high fashion’ look that is distinctive in outdoor flash photography. It’s not a bad thing necessarily (again see the shot of Murphy from 3/9/9, where I used flash outside on a super bright day), but that high-fashion look may not always be the look I am going for.
I think my basic relationship with flash, whether it be indoors or out, is I will always try to obtain what I am looking for with just natural light first- experimenting with different metering modes and adjusting ISO. Then, if all else fails, I will put the flash on.
In terms of how the animals react to the flash, honestly *most* dogs don’t seem to care. IF, that is, you are engaged with them. You are talking to them, you are playing with them, you are having a great time interacting with them (which you *should* be!!). Some dogs will shy away at first, but then ignore it after awhile.
I DO NOT recommend, however, shoving a flash in a dog’s face, regardless of where you are, because we don’t yet know what kind of impact that has on their eyes, and they can’t tell us that that hurts (which I imagine it probably does). If you are going to point the flash directly toward them (I always angle it away and either bounce it or angle it above their heads for falloff lighting), make sure you are at least 3 or 4 feet away from them, if not farther. Want a closer crop? Zoom in on them instead.
In terms of cats + flash. They don’t like it. lol.
You can sometimes get away with it if you are angling it completely in the opposite direction, off a wall or ceiling, and the flash has a diffuser on it (like one of Gary Fong’s), but you you pretty much have to experiment with kitties, and the second they look at you with that wide-eyed “what the heck is THAT?” look, you need to take it off an put it away. And not one more shot later, otherwise your subject will disappear under the bed for the rest of the day.
20. Q: Have you ever taken photo classes or did you learn all by yourself with trial and error?
A: I took one photography class when I was 17. It was in high school and it was a film class. It covered composition and exposing and developing. I remember the developing (did not like it one bit) and just really remember loving the taking photos part. I was interested in composition, and loved the look of black and white film. But I never got into the whole ‘photography movement’. I never studied the masters, I didn’t carry my camera around with me everywhere I went. I think I quickly grew out of it, mainly because I didn’t like the processing that came along with it, and at that time, I couldn’t afford to be paying for processing of all of my own film. I also think I was too busy having fun with friends to get serious about any hobby.
Flash forward to my late 20’s. I was petsitting and while staying at client’s homes I would see interactions between pets, or things a single dog would do in their own backyard, and repeatedly say to myself “I wish I had a camera”. Then remembered, wait, I DO have a camera- the old 35mm Pentax SLR.
So I pulled it out (I think I was 28 then??) and started just winging it, pretending like I knew what I was doing. I must have known something, because I shot in full manual, both on the Pentax and with my first digital- a Fuji.
And it went on like that, for several years- me just pushing buttons and flipping switches (ok, maybe not the switches part, but you get the idea) until I learned what worked for me. I think it was great that I didn’t really know what I was doing because it allowed me to start from scratch and determine what camera settings produce the results that I thought looked the best. It was purely subjective and not at all based on any photography rules or what other photographers were doing.
It really wasn’t until the last few years that I started paying attention to photography in general or other photographer’s websites and blogs. That sounds weird, I know, but my #1 focus has always been on my subjects. Like I have always said on my websites and blog- I am first and foremost a dog lover, second a photographer. Ok, actually, second a businesswoman, third a photographer. I have merely been the conduit for the images to come through. I capture the animal’s reactions to me. Not to my settings on the camera, if that makes any sense. The camera has always been secondary to everything I have done in this business. I really look at it (and treat it) like it is an extension of my arm. I have never really placed that much importance on technical skill.
Having said that, I think there is great value in studying at least the basics in some sort of organized way, by either a class, or even entire degree. To be perfectly frank, even when a photographer is new to the biz, I can tell if they formally studied photography- there is a difference. Just like with any craft, the more knowledge you have of it, and the more experience you have, the better you will be. Skill takes time and practice to develop. The more skilled you are, the better your photos will be.
My suggestions: take a photography class. It doesn’t matter what it’s about subject-wise. In fact, to really challenge yourself, take a film photography class, and do your own developing, or at least understand what developing is all about. There you will learn the basics of exposure and metering and color balance and aperture and shutter speed and ISO- all of the main components of photography.
Then, from there, apply the basics to your subjects, whatever they may be, and practice, practice, practice. Experiment, don’t be afraid to screw up, try anything and everything. Try combinations of settings on your camera you think are probably insane. DO NOT STRIVE FOR PERFECTION. If you do you will become more consumed with the technical aspects of photography and forget to get those really expressive shots that clients spend so much money on. With pet photography it’s not like architectural photography where you are seeking the perfect lines, or even portrait photography where you need your models to be dressed perfectly and holding the perfect post- pet photography is all about expressions. Also, and this is important- DO NOT try and be like any other photographer. Not even me.
On this note: I personally think that every and any photographer can only find their own look and style and ‘photo personality’ by experimenting, and determining what looks really good to ‘them’ personally.
It’s kind of like a really good haircut. You may go in with a magazine photo of *exactly* what you think you want, but leave with something a little different, but oh so much better. Be open-minded about what is coming out of your camera, and you will learn how to achieve results that are a true reflection of you as an artist. And *that* is what will sell, not an imitation of what others in your industry are doing. Pinky swear.
And remember, if you are working with living things, like dogs or cats or people, your #1 mental and emotional focus should always, always be on your subject, *not* the technical settings on your camera. This is how you will get the most engaging shots. And engaging shots sell.
I promise you: your clients will purchase a blurry, yet expressive and joyful photo over a technically perfect yet emotionally lacking photo *any day*. Focus on the expressions and *life* of the shots first, then get the technical stuff down.
So long story (and one long tangent) short- I am almost entirely self-taught. And very much still learning.
21. Q: How do you feel about selling high-res CDs/DVDs to clients?
A: I think the photographer who asked me this question thought I would answer with “don’t do it!!”. But actually my answer is: “why not?”. Now, I’m not saying “why not sell a CD of high-res files for $150?” (like I used to). I *am* saying that I don’t think there is anything wrong with the act of providing digital negatives to the client. What I do think is wrong is highly undervaluing those images, as many (if not most) photographers do.
I am by no means a pricing expert, but I am pretty good with logic, and although I cannot seem to practice what I preach here, the general rule of thumb is never sell a CD/DVD for less than your *most* expensive product on your rates card. Otherwise, why would a client want to buy a 30×40 canvas from you if they can save $500 on the CD and just have it done themselves? There is the logic involved. Makes sense to me.
Of course, there is a trickier component involved and that is inherent value. What are your images worth? That is a very tough thing to define, and a question that has a subjective answer for every photographer. For me in the past I have tended to be very ‘reasonable’ with things, probably even underpricing myself as a result of my somewhat ‘laissez-faire’ attitude.
Also, some photographers may wish to never release a digital file to a client because they want complete control over their art- they don’t want it going on someone’s wall as a shoddy product, and the only way to prevent that is to never release a file.
What I have generally done is determined what my highest potential lost revenue amount for future sales with a client would be by selling them a CD. In other words, if they have no need for me in the future, how much of their future print/product sales money would I be losing? Then couple that with the ‘averages’ that my clients spend to come up with a figure I think they would be willing to spend, in other words, what is reasonable for them. I can also tell you that anytime you are selling a lot of something, it’s probably priced too low.
I don’t mind at all selling CDs, what I do mind is if I work hard for a client (I may invest 6-10 hours or more per client), and they leave with just a CD, I don’t get the satisfaction of knowing one of my happy, pretty photos is going on their wall in a beautiful form, say a high-end print or gorgeous stretched canvas. It may be going on their wall as 100 tiny 4×6 prints purchased from the Kodak print kiosk at the mall. That would pain me.
So now my CD’s are an addition to other great products that I sell. They are available for a price with a minimum purchase. This ensures that the client has some really great high-end photography products for their walls, and gets to use the images for personal products in the future such as annual holiday greeting cards, 5×7 gift prints for the parents, screensavers for their office, etc, etc. Honestly most of the clients I work with just want the images ‘just because’; not because they are looking to save money on making their own products.
Also, one last thing about CDs. Some photographers may not want to bother with all of that printing nonsense, or feel overwhelmed at the product options to offer to their clients, so instead just decide to hand over the files after the shoot, and not even sell products. I was reminded today that our clients are coming to us for *our* expertise, which includes prints and products.
Back in the day when I was wayyyyy undercharging for my work I would have clients pay for a shoot and then use the print credit to purchase a CD, in an effort to save money on prints. They would call me later stuck and dumbfounded, not knowing what to do with the CD once they had it. I had to explain how to download the files, what folders to put them in, the different photo editing programs, where to buy prints, etc, etc. I know that some of those clients felt overwhelmed and never did order products from those images. Why not? Because it wasn’t their area of expertise. Another reason why selling a CD along with other products is a great idea. Great for the photographer and client.
I am all about happy mediums and win-win situations.
So, by all means, sell a CD. But for god’s sake, do not sell a CD of 85 high-res files for $150 (like I used to), when you have a $800 canvas on your price list. Ok? 
22. Q: What was the experience like moving from part-time to full-time? How did you decide or know when was the right time? Did you have a bunch of money saved? Was it scary?
A: Damn straight it was scary! So scary in fact that even though it became beyond ridiculous, I clung desperately onto my $800 per month paycheck from my part time dogwalking gig, even though it was blatantly obvious to me I could no longer do both with any modicum of quality.
I knew the time was right when I was only giving maybe 60% of myself to anything I did, yet was working my a** off. Exhausting myself. Not doing anyone any favors. And, more importantly, I had a solid, growing client base and more work than I could handle. Then I knew I had to quit my ‘day job’. It was either that or die of exhaustion trying to do both.
My goal with the photographers who attend my workshops is to get them at least *close* to that place of high-demand before letting go of any steady source of income. It takes time to build a business and a client base, and success does not happen overnight. All small business owners have to pay their dues before they can expect their businesses to be profitable and fully support them.
I think the biggest mistake that a new photographer can make is to have a dream of being a photographer and then, with little or no business experience, and few clients, quitting their day job and expecting or hoping the work will come. All I think when I think of this is: yikes!! Bad idea. Wayyy too risky for your average person. Unless of course you have a bunch of savings, and don’t have a family to support, and/or have a hubby that makes good money and can support you for a couple of years, and/or don’t mind eating top ramen every night if things get bad, in which case- go for it!
I like to tell people: give it 18 months before expecting to go full time. Expect to work harder during those 18 months than you ever have in your life. Ideally by that point you will have built your word of mouth to a point where you can sustain yourself on your photography alone. Of course you WANT to get to this point, because your clients will take you more seriously if they know this isn’t just a weekend gig for you and that you are truly invested and totally passionate about what you do, but I’d hate to see someone quit a lucrative career before they have built a successful business, because the risk of going back to a ‘day job’ would be too high, and I just think that would be depressing as hell.
I had no money saved before I quit my day job (but remember I was only making like $800 per month, BUT it paid for most of my rent at the time), and really felt like I was jumping into a pool of sharks when I went to full-time, but I think that is completely normal. I have talked to other pet photographers who have made the jump and they too were terrified to do it, even though they were in the same position I was- high demand, not enough time, a waiting list of clients, but they say it was the best decision they made.
After I quit my day job, my business income doubled in a very short period of time (a month maybe?) simply because I was then able to give it 100% of my attention, and really structure my time in a way that was most efficient. My energies weren’t being pulled in a hundred different directions.
So if you are a pet photographer and thinking about going full time, don’t do it if you don’t already have high demand for your services. Wait until your pipeline is booked out 6-8 weeks, and *then* make the jump. Not only will it help ensure your financial success, but it will be less frightening as well.
And if you are scared, then that’s ok. Like I said, that’s normal.
23. Q: Is it a good idea to start a luxury business during a recession?
A: Ahhh yes, I knew this would come up, and I am so glad it did! I have been thinking about this A LOT this year, and doing a lot of soul-searching, and talking to experts, and reading, and listening. If I am going to teach workshops to a bunch of people and tell them to do something, I have to really believe in it! Otherwise I am a fake and a fraud and only out for money, and that is so not who I am. Not by a long shot.
Before I say anything else, I need to say that I am not an expert on the economy in any way.
All I know is what popular media is telling me. The focus of all news is on the state of the economy and the horrible recession. I have seen more glass half-empty stories in the past 6 months than I have in my entire life.
What I am not seeing are the success stories. The businesses that are thriving despite the down economy. The 90% of people who still have jobs. The folks who invested wisely whose savings haven’t been touched. The vast majority of Americans who will come out of this unscathed.
It’s all negative. And quite frankly, I’m tired of it. I’m tired of the news freaking people out and constantly reminding us to ’save our money’. (Oh yeah, THAT will help our recession, ha!).
Having said all of that, here is one thing that DOES scare me. People getting laid off. Not because I think it affects my business (I have had my best first quarter ever, during a time of year I am normally very slow, and that this is happening during a recession is saying that not all businesses are suffering), but because I feel awful for the people who thought they had secure corporate jobs who are now unemployed. I very much have a “yikes!” reaction. I have even heard of top-performing employees being laid off because they are paid too much money. Agh!
I am SO HAPPY I don’t have a corporate job right now. I have the freedom to really determine the future of my business, recession or not. I am not at the mercy of a large company’s finances, or go in to work every day wondering if I’ll still have a job.
I have the ability to work harder, and smarter, and market myself more, and pull in my pursestrings, if times get tight. I know how to cut costs, I know how to run a photography business on very little money, I have done it before. I also don’t have an extravagant lifestyle- a big suburban house with a huge mortgage or a gas-guzzling luxury car or a penchant for spendy shoes. I am totally fine with making adjustments to my life if and when I need to. I know how to increase my sales, and get through the rough financial patches. I can weather storms with my business because I am in it for the long haul. If I were an employee I would not have that freedom. In fact, I would have no choice in the matter.
So there is my soapbox about how I feel about being a business owner vs. an employee during a recession.
But that wasn’t the question, and I know that. That was merely my prologue, lol.
Do I think that now is a good time to start a business? My short answer: yes.
And here is why.
As I mentioned in my answer to the last question, it takes time to build a business. The absolute factual statistics state that it takes the *average* small business a *minimum* of 3-5 years before they break even and become profitable, meaning, before the owners are able to pay themselves a salary.
In my case I broke even in the first year because I have always kept my costs so low. I think the aforementioned 18 months is a good, and reasonable goal, for those who are willing to really work hard at it.
Do I think that someone with a bit of talent for photography should quit their job tomorrow to ‘become a pet photographer’? Uh, no.
Do I believe that now is a next-to-ideal time for a person who is passionate about pets and photography to evaluate their situations and start building (notice I said *start) a meaningful career that will be profitable in the long run? Yes.
I believe, in my gut and in my heart, that we will be (mostly) pulled out of this recession well before the 18-month mark. Maybe I am naive, maybe I just like to believe in the power of this country to make changes, and also the ability of the new administration to help us climb out of this hole. But I do envision things getting better, and sooner than people think. Yes, I think they will get worse first, that is what all of the experts are saying, but they will get better. And I believe sooner rather than later.
Here is how I envision things will go: within the next year or so, after people have gotten their stimulus checks, they will learn that hording their money only makes our situation worse, and they will start buying again. (Remember though what I said about how there are lots of people out there who are not being affected by the economy right now, and those will be the clients who spend money during the interim. Those are my clients now). People will be taking inventory of their spending habits, and I think, will trend away from big box stores and start patronizing smaller merchants more. They will develop a more meaningful, healthy consumer relationship with goods and services and really see how their buying habits affect the country at large. That is already happening.
They will be looking for quality over quantity.
And for those who value high-quality photography, it won’t matter how much they make. It’s not about income, it’s about value. I currently want a bed that I can’t afford. But you know what? I am saving for it. I even asked for cash for Christmas to put toward it. And I am going to buy it. Because it is what I value.
There will always be a place for custom photography, and the pet industry as a whole is still burgeoning. Photography is just one service that people who adore their pets purchase. When I went to the store yesterday to buy stuff for Fergie, I didn’t even look at the price tags on the stuff I was buying. I just threw it in the basket. I don’t want to know what the total is, because no matter what it is, I will still spend it. Because I love her that much. Pet photography is the same. People who adore their pets will always spend money on things that honor those family members, recession or no.
Ah, I could go on and on about this for hours, but yes, I do think now is a good time to *start* a business.
24. Q: What tips would you give to someone who is just starting out as a pet photographer?
A: Hmm, boy, well, you can tell I like to talk, but I will keep this answer succinct.
1. Have fun with it.
2. Love your subjects
3. Experiment
4. Practice, practice, practice…. and then practice some more…… and then more…..
5. Value your time and the work that you do for others
6. Emphasize expressions over technical perfection
7. Be nice to everybody but DO NOT be a doormat
8. If looking at other photography makes you feel bad, just stop looking
9. Seek out constructive criticism from people who are not your friends and family and be prepared to take it. Try not to take it personally.
Important note: the more of an emotional attachment you have to your images and your business, the harder it will be to become successful. Your images are your commodity, NOT your babies. This is a difficult thing to learn, but once you become objective about your photography, you will grow and thrive as a businessperson. You can *love* your subjects, but you need to *sell* your images.
10. Research other pet photographers in the industry, and then determine how you can take your special qualities and be different from the others. Seek to outshine, not imitate. Only there will you have true success.
Questions and answers added 2/15/10:
Alexa asks:
25. Q: How can you tell when your work is nice enough to sell? When others love the photos you take? When you feel personally ready?
A: Really good question. In order to be a professional pet photographer, one needs to take good pictures, because the client is paying you to produce those good pictures. So how do you know if yours are good? The best thing to do is to join an online photo sharing forum where you can upload your photos for critique. Flickr is the most popular, and also the easiest to get feedback from, and since it is also populated with professionals along with amateurs, would be a great place to start. They even have entire groups for people looking for (brutally) honest feedback. Ask for critiques, take the advice to heart, and work on the areas that need improvement. Also, if you are doing mock shoots for actual pet owners, and they are going gaga over your work, that’s a pretty good sign you are onto something good. Don’t rely on feedback from family and friends (i.e. those who know you) as they are inclined to be biased, and what you really need here is honest feedback from not just a few people, but a whole bunch of people.
26. Q: How many photos do you “throw out” from a one hour shoot? How many do you keep?
A: It depends on the type of shoot I’m doing. If it’s commercial, editorial or an event I’ll take upwards of 600-800 shots (or even over a thousand if multiple days), if it’s a portfolio building shoot or for a workshop, I’ll take 75-100, then show the client the best 20-25. For a ‘normal’ client shoot, I’ll average taking around 275-325, then show the client the best 50, and keep a total of no more than 100. I’m trying to take fewer images, because generally I am happy with about 80% of what comes out of my camera, and I’m tired of having a slew of RAW files take up space on my hard drive. What I recommend is to overshoot at first because you can always delete the bad ones later. But try not to take more than about 450-500 shots in a single 90 minute or 2 hour shoot or you’ll pay for it in time in the long run. The longer you do it, the fewer shots you’ll need to take to get the keepers.
27. Q: Any tips you could share on SEO? Do you think flash sites are a big no-no for photographers?
Great SEO is all about backlinks, age of the website, content of a website, authenticity of said content, metadata and traffic, in a nutshell. The more links you have linking to your website (that your site doesn’t link to), the older your website, the more traffic you get and the more authentic and better the content is arranged, the better your SEO will be. Read more about SEO here . You can do SEO with some flash websites, the best thing to do is contact your flash provider and ask them what they offer to help improve the SEO of the product they are selling you. I personally love the look of flash photography websites, but have yet to see a flash website have the same level of SEO as it’s well-designed HTML cousins. There are pros and cons to both- neither are perfect. I’m waiting for a 3rd option to come out. In the meantime, I plan to teach myself javascript, which can give the dynamic looks of flash without all of the cons.
Dave asks:
28. Q: I am currently searching for a hosting site and wanted to know what are the two most important criteria, for you, what you need to have in a hosting site? The second one is do you get model releases, or I guess they would be called “pet releases”? I know this borders on a legal question but we could steer away from the why’s if you would like.
A: I don’t know much about web hosting, but the reliability of the hosting brand is important to me. I used to host with a local company E-Nom, and their services really sucked, so I switched to Go Daddy, who arguably have the best hosting at the lowest price. I have been thrilled with their customer service and reliability. For those in doubt, go with Go Daddy. If you are using a flash site, go with the in-house hosting the flash provider offers, since you will have fewer problems in the long run.
In terms of model releases, yes, I always, always have every client I work with in any capacity sign a model release. They are very important to have, not just for legal reasons, but to communicate important business policies and expectations as well. You can find model release templates online in asmp.org, and also in the book Legal Forms for Photographers by Tad Crawford.
I don’t sell my model releases or any contracts separately, as I spend a good chunk of time in my workshops and in-person consultations going over every single term of my contract. (I have something like 14 terms in my standard pet photography contract). I don’t feel comfortable just handing over my contract with no explanation. This could also potentially cause legal problems for me in the future should I ever be implicated in someone else’s mistake.
I have worked with lawyers on my contracts, and have updated them numerous times over the years. This has been a labor of love, and I hold tightly to my contracts since I have poured so much of myself into them. My suggestion is to hire an IP attorney, and have them customize the templates you have downloaded online. This is what I did, and something anyone can do.
29. Q: Could you give us an example of your “client flow”? In other-words how you move from start to finish through your clients. From the initial phone call on to maybe a pre-meeting then the shoot and so on. I’m trying to figure out how best to approach this and determine which areas are the most important.
Everyone’s process is different, and I am only one photographer, but this is mine:
1. Confirm pricing + style (yes, pricing is practically the first thing I talk about). Answer questions. Determine availability (60% of my clients book on weekends; 40% book on weekdays). For me it’s through email.
2. Book the shoot; get 50% deposit
3. Request signed contract + questionnaire through my client services website (a private website just for clients who have booked- has downloadable forms and inline forms)
4. Ask the client to review all of the information on the private client services website (or your welcome booklet or email information)
5. Reminder call 1-4 days prior
6. Do the shoot
7. Process images through Lightroom (ideally same day). Pick favorite 6-14 for blog. Archive images onto backup and online storage.
8. Blog post + email blog post link to client + book post-shoot in home ordering session for 14 days out. This is within 3-4 days of shoot ideally.
9. Gallery online + email client the link (within 7-14 days)
10. Drive to client’s home for ordering session. Bring all product samples + ProSelect + Epson Projector + 6’ screen. Spend 2- 3 hours doing session. Accept order + payment. (Note: it’s not recommended to do this unless you are projecting with ProSelect!! The alternative is to do all ordering through email or online, which is what I recommend for those in their first 2-3 years of business).
11. Detail edit images to print. Crop, clone, sharpen.
12. Order prints/products from lab(s).
13. Accept delivery.
14. Package all pretty and ship to client.
15. Send follow-up email asking if they were received.
That’s it in a nutshell. Sometimes the steps get re-arranged, but generally this is what I do with each client. Time-wise I personally invest about 12 hours per client, including the shoot and ordering consult. Most pet photogs should be around 8 hours per client, especially if they are not doing in-home/in-studio projected sales sessions.
Jeni asks:
30. Q: What gear did you start out with?
A: A Fujifilm finepix S602 zoom. A 6.3 megapixel prosumer camera with a fixed lens. (This was NOT a DSLR). Used that for the first 3 years of my business. No extra lenses except for a screw-on wide angle (wide-angle-ish- it was going on a cropped sensor). Built in flash (never used), camera bag. Lens wipes. Dog treats. I built up my gear *very* slowly, and recommend that others do the same (unless they have some serious bank that they can use to throw at gear- also not recommended).
31. Q: What do the owners do while you photograph their pets? Do they stand there and watch? I think that might make me nervous.
A: They watch.
I’ve never actually had a problem with owners watching because I am always so in the zone I forget they are there most of the time. And if they are in the way or trying to get their pet’s attention (something that drives me batshit insane), I’ll just sweetly say I’m going to take the pet to a different location in the house/park and continue solo for a little while. I also always make it a point to chat up my clients WHILE I am shooting, because I want to establish a relationship with them. This is easy for me to do because my clients are all really nice, rad people. Since I’m pretty awesome at multitasking (if I may toot my own horn here), I can focus on shooting while getting to know my clients. I look at shoots where it is quiet through the entire shoot as a missed opportunity.
I think working in front of people takes practice, and more importantly- confidence. You get used to it over time, and even learn how to carry on a conversation and ask the owner questions about themselves and/or their pet, while at the same time you are thinking about the composition, lighting and exposure of the shots you are taking. Like I said, this just takes practice, and the more practice you have, the more confidence you have. You can also try role-playing with people you trust, like a sibling or friend, who can pretend they are the owner. Sometimes this helps with feeling prepared, which is why this is scary, you don’t know what to expect.
I think for me it was easy, because I had been doing ‘pro bono’ shoots for so long. It’s pretty easy to feel comfortable when money isn’t on the line! lol
32. Q: How can I approach dog owners to photograph their pets?
A: A great way to start is through a rescue group. Often they have foster pets that need photos, and your interactions with the foster parents can be ‘like’ your interactions with regular paying clients, but without the pressure. You can also try approaching people at dog parks, but honestly, when I’m out at a park with my dog, I don’t really want to be bothered. Also, most parks have very strict rules about doing business in a public place (dog parks are public places) so you need to check with the city before marching in there with your camera promoting your business. I really think that rescue groups are the best way to get involved with the community and start building a portfolio. Or, do as I did, and work as a dog walker and in a dog daycare and take photos for your client’s pets free of charge. (Not that that was my strategy for starting my business- it was how I started my hobby that accidentally turned into a business).
33. Q: How did you purchase your first equipment? By saving? Taking out a loan?
A: I took out a $500 business loan for my first camera, the aforementioned Fuji. After I had paid that off, I took out a $1,000 loan, used for promotional materials and displays, then a $2500 loan for more displays, equipment and software, which was the last one I took out. These were over the course of about 2.5 years. Aside from a modest amount of investment money from a family member, my business income has paid for all of my equipment, computer and software upgrades. I should note here that I had about $150 to invest in my business with when I started. When I say on the about page of this blog that I started on a shoestring, I really started on a shoestring! I grew things slowly, and bought what I could when I could. In retrospect it would have been easier to take out bigger loans and start with more money, but it’s largely the challenges that have made my business successful. Had it been easy financially I know I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Josee asks:
34. Q: Do you limit yourself to any type of distance or travel time for shoots?
For example, do you serve up to a 200 (or whatever) mile perimeter around Washington, or do most clients come from close by? Do you charge more for travel time of over an hour (or 2,3,whatever) to a client’s location?
A: Most of my clients are in my city. Meaning, just a 10-15 minute drive away. I do charge for travel time over 20 miles, which is a pretty narrow range, because I hate driving in traffic (and in Seattle it’s bad). I recommend to most people to not charge until they hit at least 40 miles out. I will travel to outlying areas, but since I am using my time to get there, and time is my most important commodity, and most valuable resource, I charge well for extra travel time. I base the fee on my hourly rate (you should always know what you need to bill your time out at per hour to run your business and turn a profit), determine how much time it will take, factor in the cost of gas, include a nominal amount to cover car repairs and maintenance, and spit out a figure. If the client is really interested in working with me, and doesn’t want to pay the travel fee, they can come to me. I have about 15 awesome locations near me I can shoot at, so it’s a good draw. If you live in a more rural area, you’ll need to take that into account when setting your sitting fees. If I lived 2 hours away from a major metropolitan area, where 90% of the clients in my target demographic were going to be, I’d raise my sitting fee, have higher print + collection prices, and then plan to travel for the vast majority of my shoots. Oh, and work seriously hard on producing really fantastic photography to justify the higher prices.
35. Q: Similar to question 1, would you attend a dog-product and service trade show located 5-6 hours travel time by car from your location in order to promote your business, why or why not? Have you ever done displays at trade shows?
I’ve never done a display at a trade show, and am not sure I would because I don’t know if it’s my demographic (depends on the show). If the crowd IS your demographic (which needs to be determined before anything else: marketing, price setting, branding, etc, etc), then I’d say go for it! I always look at events as potential losses though, because you have no idea if it will pay off, so I never spend more than I’m willing to throw down the toilet. So much can be gained from guerilla marketing that I don’t think it’s essential to do big trade shows. Simple networking with parallel businesses can potentially bring you lots more business. It just depends on what your goals are- increase visibility or increase revenue. A trade show would be great at the former, but might potentially do nothing for the latter, unless you figured out a great product to sell at the show that sold like hotcakes (most event attendees look for freebies or dirt cheap products). General events for shelters or rescue groups can be great in terms of increasing your visibility however, but it depends on how much booth space costs. Don’t pay $500 for booth space if that’s all you have to spend on your business that year! I haven’t done events since the 2nd or 3rd year of my business, but did find that there were a few that were great at helping raise visibility. There was no rhyme or reason as to what they were, again it was just a matter of experimenting.
36. Q: Does pet photography really necessitate a full frame camera, if most shots are closely cropped? Or is it more of a preference thing?
Cropping the image after the shoot actually doesn’t have anything to do with full frame or cropped sensors. The sensor size has to do with the quality of an image when it comes out of the camera. A cropped sensor just picks up less data than a FF sensor does. I say that once you go FF you will never go back because, at least to me, the quality is so much higher. High enough that you can easily see the difference the first time you use one. But if you have never used a FF body, you don’t know what you are missing and can take perfectly great photographs with a cropped sensor. Just don’t plan to rent a FF camera if you can’t afford to go out and buy one. That is guaranteed to break your heart!
Just remember with everything you do, the only person you are trying to impress is your client. If they would be happy with the shots you are taking with your Canon Rebel, then don’t upgrade! At least not until you can easily afford it, and have invested money into your business in other more important areas. I’m serious here. I personally think it’s much better to become a really great photographer using crappy equipment, then to be a crummy photographer with great equipment. SO, I have nothing against a cropped sensor, but since using the 5D I will never go back. How’s that for confusing? ha!
Rachel asks:
37. Q: Can you give me some tips on photographing black dogs?
In a nutshell:
Use:
-higher ISO’s
-a fast lens
-fast shutter speeds
-great natural light
-overexpose by a stop.
that’s it.
Ok, I know, I know, it’s not that simple. Not exactly. Let me explain.
There are two common problems I always hear from those trying to photograph black dogs with subpar results:
#1- they are blurry
#2- they are too dark, especially around the eyes
Before I say anything else, let me pose these questions to those of you who have had problems:
1- are you photographing inside?
2- is it in the evening/at night, like after work?
3- are you using the auto setting on your camera?
4- are you shooting at f/4.5 or slower? (like f/5.6, f/8, f/11, etc)
5- are your dogs moving when you try and take their picture? (even just a little?)
If you said yes to any or all of the above questions, this is why you are getting the results you are.
Here is what I recommend for getting great shots of black dogs:
Go outside. First and foremost. Make sure it’s early during the day, and not on a really dark overcast day.
Use the fastest aperture you have. Ideally 2.8. I hate to say this, but to do pet photography professionally, you really need to have a 2.8 or faster lens. I can tell you from experience, even a 4.0 lens is too slow to stop motion and prevent blur. Unfortunately the faster lenses are more expensive, but get a non-branded lens (like a Sigma or Tamron), if you can’t afford the branded fast lens.
Set your lens at it’s fastest aperture. Stand between 6-10 feet back from your subject. Autofocus the hell out of that baby. Meaning, hit your autofocus button to the point you think it won’t work anymore.
Set your camera to either manual (ideal), or aperture priority. If you are really having problems with blur, you can use shutter priority, and set your shutter speed around 1/800-1/1200. This will most likely require a pretty high ISO setting, especially if you aren’t using a fast lens. If that still doesn’t do the job, try using exposure compensation and bump it up a half stop (or more). Since I don’t know what equipment and settings you are working with, you’ll really need to experiment. Hopefully those tips will help!
Addition: added on 2/24/10. If your camera is having a hard time focusing because you don’t have enough contrast on your black pooch (every camera needs at least a little bit of contrast- or difference in color or texture- to ‘grab’ onto something to focus), tie a bandanna around the dog’s neck, or a colorful collar, or, best yet, aim for focusing on the lower edge of the eye- where the white meets the lid. If you do this in good natural light you shouldn’t have any problems focusing on a black dog. Also, remember that on the Canon the middle focus point is the strongest, so you can try setting it to middle point focus and try again.
Alyson asks:
38. Q: You mentioned your fave is the 20mm 2.8. But I see you also have the 24-70mm 2.8. Do you feel being zoomed out to 24mm would be close enough to 20mm and since they are both 2.8 lens, the 24-70 would do the job? Or is there a reason you need/want the prime 20mm seperate?
I do see a difference between the 20mm and 24mm. Noticeably different. I don’t know if it’s the glass, or if the difference between 20mm and 24mm is just larger than say between 30mm and 34mm? I’m not a technical photographer, all I know is that I like the look of the 20mm more than anything else that comes out of my camera. That is MY personal artistic preference- what appeals to MY eyes. This won’t necessarily be true for other people because it’s so subjective. I also love prime lenses as I like to move around a lot during my shoots. It’s a very active, engaging experience for me, and there is a lot of energy in my shoots. This produces dynamic shots that don’t have a cold, stiff, ‘dead in the eyes’ posed look.
If you really aren’t sure what lens/lenses would be best for you, I recommend renting different lenses, taking a bunch of shots with all of them, and opening the images up in bridge, sorting them by mm and comparing which ones you like the looks of most. You my surprise yourself. See my answer at the top of the page on gear for renting resources.
39. Q: Also, I am looking to get an external flash for indoor photos. Do you know much about the Nikon flashes? I was thinking the SB600 might be sufficient because of the price compared to the new SB900 but the recycle time is slower. Do you feel its necessary when you use a flash to have that super quick recycle time? Do you often use the flash for indoors? I am thinking you probably do although I don’t have fast lenses so I’m not able to take natural light photos indoors. But for example when you take a photo of a dog on the couch….are you using a flash and do you hold it off camera and use a diffuser?
Unfortunately I am the last person to give advice on Nikon (or even Canon) flashes because I am a darn near exclusive natural light gal! I think a fast recycle time isn’t super important for pet photography, although with moving animals you want to be able to respond quickly. I’d definitely get the faster recycle if you are ever doing commercial work, where you have zero excuse NOT to get the shot- you HAVE to get the shot on commercial assignments. But for regular client work? I dunno. Is it that important? Maybe not…
Also, to answer your other question, I do use reflectors sometimes and am a proponent of using them inside. Fast lenses + high ISOs can take the place of artificial light, and artificial light can be just as good as natural light if you have great skill and experience with it, which I certainly don’t, mainly because I’m impatient and really don’t like dealing with equipment. I pretty much want my camera and that’s it. If the light sucks, I just bump up my ISO’s, move to where there is the most light, pray for the best and ‘fix it in post’. Not a very glamorous strategy, but all I need is ‘good enough for my clients’. My own standards will always always be higher than my clients’.
Deborah asks:
40. Q: I would like a source for learning how to produce albums and press printed books so I can add that product to what I offer my clients. I’m not sure where to start. Can you give me some sources?
Oh boy, there are so many products coming out on the market I can’t even keep up. If you have the dough to drop the best thing to do is to go to a photography trade show, like the annual WPPI conference in Las Vegas. Here you get to see and feel every type of product imaginable. I personally have never been, but have a feeling I’d be like a kid in a candy store.
Since most people can’t take the time and money to go to WPPI, here are some resources that I am familiar with. A quick look in the back of any professional photography magazine will also give you a slew of product vendors.
Book printers:
Asuka http://asukabook.com/
Finao http://www.finaoonline.com/
Kiss http://www.kissweddingbooks.com/
Zookbinders http://www.zookbinders.com/
Album designers:
Lavalu: http://www.mylavalu.com/
Kobo: http://www.koboservices.com/
Willow Album Design: http://willowalbumdesign.com/
Red Boot Design: http://www.redbootdesign.com/
Lani asks:
41. Q: Do you ever feel photographer’s block? As a former journalist, I know it can happen for a writer. I was wondering if it ever happens to you. For instance, if you ever engage in a shoot and you feel a little off creatively. If so, how do you overcome that?
A: Hmmm, that’s a really tough question to answer. Um, no? lol. At least, most of the time. And here’s why: I do very little controlling or pre-planning of my shoots. I let the shots happen in front of me, and I’m just there to capture them. And every pet is different, and every session is different, so no two are alike. The creativity is sort of inherent in the shoot, if that makes any sense at all. Doing pet photography is also like second nature to me, in that I guess it’s a skill not unlike Apolo Ohno’s speed skating (sorry, currently watching the Olympics), so it just flows pretty easily for me, most of the time. I’m always passionate about what I do, and since I strive to impress my clients first, and it doesn’t matter if I produce the same shot 5 shoots in a row, I don’t need to push the creativity envelope with every shoot, if that makes sense.
Now, having said THAT, I have had shoots where I really feel like I need to do something different, mainly because I myself am getting tired of what I’m doing (this can happen when I’m shooting a lot), and I just feel creatively dead for some reason. I think I’ve always had a pretty creative brain since I was born (it’s definitely genetic- I cannot take credit for this!), so I normally have no lack of wacky ideas, but it does happen that my brain just sort of resets and the creativity is gone.
What I do during those times is go back to the reason why I started this in the first place, and that was to have fun. I’ll pick a subject that I love to photograph (like dogs and graffiti for example, or flowers, which is another love), and do a shoot or two or three, just to get the creative juices flowing again.
I think the real key when this happens is just to get out there and shoot. You don’t need to be perfect; it’s about the process, not the final product. You just need to remind yourself why you love doing it so much. That usually gets you back into the groove of things.
Ok, I realize this is probably a pretty lame answer to this question, but this is good food for thought, and something I will definitely be thinking about more in the upcoming weeks. Great question Lani!
Debbie asks:
42. Q: How do you feel about renting booth space at animal related events to get exposure. Did that work for you?
See above
43. Q: Can you give some advice on posting to blogs/facebook/flickr? How do you keep each item separate and fresh, and how do you determine what to put on each site? I would think that posting my latest blog post on my company Facebook page is easy, but then where is the incentive for someone to follow both if it’s the same information?
I personally try not to duplicate the content I post, because I don’t want people that follow me in different ways to get irritated seeing the same thing. I try and get to know my audience in each place, (they are all different) and give them the content that is most relevant to them. So Facebook gets different images and posts than twitter, the blog stands on it’s own with things I don’t talk about on either twitter or FB, and sometimes I’ll post cross-links between sites, like posting a blog link on twitter. I also pull my blog feeds into my FB wall, which is easy enough to do through networked blogs. I use each one strategically, and don’t invest more time in any of them that I can afford to take away from clients (hence the reason why I tweet more than I blog post- tweeting takes me 10 seconds, a blog post takes me an hour).
Also, I can’t tell people where to follow me, I want them to have the freedom to obtain information from me wherever is most convenient for them. Yes, it creates more work for me, but I have accepted it as part of the new social media game.
44. Q: Can you give more specifics about marketing? For example, did you go into gourmet pet food stores, groomers, vets, etc. and introduce yourself and ask to leave postcards? And/or did you mail postcards to those places? And do you find the regular sized or the over-sized postcards work best?
For a pet photographer, ANY pet related business is an opportunity to market one’s services. There are so many pet businesses out there, one only need to do a quick google search to see what they are in their area. Again this goes to networking with those in your community. And for pet photographers, your community is NOT the photography community!! It’s the pet community. Decide what kind of people you want to work with, look at what other businesses they frequent and network with those businesses. The power of aggressive networking cannot be understated. Business does not come from throwing up a website and posting images of your dog to your blog. Of course, if you have a full time job and don’t care how many clients you have, you can just move into it very slowly and rely on your website to do all of your marketing for you. For me personally I’d rather be out there meeting people. Pet owners are pretty rad people, and I want to hang out with them. Hanging out with them helps my business and my visibility and positively affects my bottom line. And that is rad.
And I should clarify here and say that when I say ‘networking’ I’m not talking about attending networking events, which I think are, in general, completely lame and a big waste of time, I’m merely talking about getting out there and meeting similar businesses and trading business cards. The most famous photographers are simply the ones that KNOW the most people in their industry. They don’t necessarily have the best skills, or the most recent gear (most pro photogs have older crappy gear anyway, because they know gear doesn’t generate revenue, and it’s not the gear that makes the photos), but they do know a heckuva lot of people. There is definitely something to be said for ‘being connected’.
Oh, and as far as what type of promotional materials to use, that doesn’t matter as much as getting them out there. Postcards of any size are of no use if sitting in the box they came in, know what I’m sayin? Other than that, it’s just a personal preference and depends on what the store allows/accepts.
45. Q: Can you give me some ideas on how to get displays up in retail spaces? Do you pay the stores, offer incentives, get them for free?
I’m lucky in that all but one of my displays have sought me out. For the one that I courted, I pitched the benefits to the store (using art without having to purchase, saving thousands of $, improving the look of the space for customers, having something fun and happy on the walls, etc), and created a written agreement about the display. I never offered a monetary kickback, because I feel that if they need me to pay them they are ‘selling’ my work for the wrong reasons: I want them to be authentic fans. That goes for the owner/manager and employees.
I will say though that the times I have done photography events at or through stores I have always paid them commissions, as those events translate to direct revenue.
The best way to get a display in a store, any store, is to get to know the owners! It’s all about networking and establishing relationships with the people who work there. They will be far more inclined to give wall space to someone they know than some random photographer off the street who walks in and says “can I hang my work here?”.
Also, if another photographer already has their work in that store, tread very lightly as you don’t know what their relationship is like with the staff. The best thing to do is to ask the owner if they rotate out displays every few months or if it’s permanent. If they say permanent be very gracious about it and backpaddle lightly, lol. I was in one awkward situation once when this happened. Luckily for me the store folded after less than a year in that location so it’s no big deal now.
46. Q: Lastly, do you ask clients to exercise their dogs before the shoot? I know they should have SOME energy during the shoot but some have TOO much! Lately that has been a problem for me, especially when the client has two dogs and wants a photo of them together.
A: It’s funny. I recommend that other photogs do this, but I very rarely ask my clients to exercise their dogs first. I think for me it’s because I want to photograph the pooch being completely, 100% themselves, and if that means running around like a maniac then so be it. If the client wants mellow shots of a dog that isn’t mellow, then I just explain that we are really trying to capture that dog’s essence. Sometimes if the dogs are just having too much fun during a shoot, I’ll put my camera away for a few minutes and just let them play. I’ll even do a game of fetch, or run around the park or yard WITH them, taking pictures of them as we run. Photographing playing dogs while running around with them is SO. MUCH. FUN.
If you need to shoot 2 high energy dogs together and they aren’t cooperating, and the client wants ‘posed’ portraits (yawn), then you need to pull out all the stops- get some bacon from the fridge, make a list of all of their key words, have the client work with you to get them to sit/stay. Luckily for me I don’t do a ton of sit/stay shots, unless the dog is happy doing that and voluntarily stays in that position, so this usually isn’t a problem. Sometimes it’s just a matter of educating the client about what is reasonable to expect. Also, wait until the last 10 minutes of a shoot to try and get shots of energetic dogs together. You may find they relax in their own, and settle down for ‘the perfect (organic) shot’.
Bruce asks:
47. Q: Do you focus your sales efforts toward selling a “wall portrait” similar to what a family portrait studio would do, or do you focus on album or book sales similar to what a wedding photog would do? Or do you approach your products in a completely different way altogether?
I’ll tell you one thing before I answer this question: I don’t do any hard sales. I don’t talk my clients into spending money, I don’t push them toward anything they don’t want to do. My job is to educate them, and offer suggestions that I think would work for THEM, regardless of whether I’m hitting my target ‘per client’ sales. This is just one thing I do that translates to better/increased word of mouth. That word out mouth business is what keeps me alive and food on my table.
Having said that, I sell both a la carte products and collections of products, including books. Similar to both portrait and wedding photographers. My a la carte items are priced higher than my collections, and I have a wide variety of collections in each price point. My products sell themselves (my clients get to view samples of everything I sell in different sizes in person before buying), and they end up getting exactly what they need.
I don’t try and sell books, if they want to buy one they buy it, and I don’t try and ‘upsell’ to larger canvases. They get what they want and that’s it. If I think they are looking for encouragement to go bigger, I’ll give it to them. If they aren’t sure which products to buy, and want all of the images, I’ll suggest a book or CD, because I think that would best serve their purpose. I show them all of my samples, and we talk pricing. But the last thing I ever do with my clients is make them feel uncomfortable for not spending more money. That’s a horribly awkward situation to be in as a buyer (of anything) and I never want to put them in that place. That’s not serving my clients.
The one thing I will do, is educate my clients about not purchasing a single 8×10 print, and show them how small an 8×10 is when displayed on a wall. I am very firm about not working with clients who are looking for a single small ‘portrait’ because that’s not my business model, and my services are way overkill for them if that’s what they are looking for.
For anyone wanting pricing advice and help in determining what products to offer, I strongly recommend Alicia Caine’s Easy as Pie Pricing Guide for Photographers. It’s absolutely worth it’s weight in gold.
Stacey asks:
48. Q: Do you think choosing a niche market has helped or hurt your business? Do you think aspiring pet photographers should specialize so much when they’re first starting out? Why did you choose to shoot only pets?
A: Absolutely helped for sure. I never had any intention of being a ‘photographer’. I work with animals, first and foremost. If I wasn’t photographing them, I’d be working with them in some other way, as my past shows (pet photography was a hobby for 2 years while I studied and worked with dogs, and later ‘accidentally’ became a business). So it never occurred to me to do any other type of photography. I’m just honestly not that passionate about photography (I know- shocker!).
Yes, I see with a photographer’s eyes, and love love love photographing animals, but for me, the animals are my #1 priority. And I believe now that if I had decided to generalize and do other types of photography as well, it would have distracted me from focusing 100% of my energies on what I am most passionate about- and that’s pet photography. And to be successful at anything, you need to focus 110% of your energies on it (I added another 10% there, ha!).
Most highly successful businesses out there specialize, meaning, they are in a niche, whether it’s one they themselves created, or one they joined and produced a different or better product that propelled them to the top.
I think with photography this is especially true. I don’t see a lot of highly successful photographers who generalize. Ansel Adams didn’t photograph babies, Ann Geddes didn’t photograph sports, Art Wolfe didn’t photograph bar mitzvas, Richard Avedon didn’t photograph wildlife, etc, etc. And you really need to be successful as a photographer to make any money at it, considering the average income for an average photographer is pretty darn low.
I think fear can prevent someone from going for what they really want, and I hate seeing businesses start from a place of fear. It’s hard, hard work to make a living at any type of photography, especially pet photography, but if a person has a combination of passion + drive + talent, they absolutely can make it work. Passion + drive + talent = excellence, and excellence sells.
It’s also really important to keep in mind, and this is something I highly stress in my workshops, that it takes TIME for ANY business to become profitable. It takes 3-5 years on average for any business to clear the red and turn a profit. This means that you can expect to be doing shoots for a good 2-3 years before making much money at it. This is about what I’ve heard from all of my business owner friends in all industries, and it’s just pretty much the norm. My business was profitable from the first year because I have been so fricking stingy about not spending money on it (as you can see from above, lol). I’ve also worked my fanny off, which I know made a huge difference. It was not hugely profitable for the first few years, but it was enough to keep me alive without needing any other source of income.
So the point I’m making is, if a photographer is specializing, and working really hard, and in 2-3 years isn’t turning much of a profit, then it’s time to reevaluate and determine where to go next- to add something into the mix, change pricing or to switch tracks altogether. You can’t really know if something is going to work unless you pour your all into it. I say, just be patient with the process, be willing to work harder than you ever have on anything, read and study as much as you possibly can (workshops are great too!), and give it time. Nurture your business as you would a plant or a child, and yes, specialize.
49. Q: One more question, which may have been answered already (it has been a while since I read the whole Photographer Q&A) - Which do you use most often: auto focus or manual focus? Why?
Auto. 100% of the time. Unless I’m shooting with my little plastic 50mm 1.8, in which case I use auto 50% of the time, then manual 50% of the time. I rely very heavily on my autofocus on my 5D because my eyes aren’t reliable enough to tell me when I got the shot. Sadly my eyes have ‘gone soft’ in my 30’s (and I’m only 38! Well almost, birthday is March 13th).
I punch that focus button (for me the * button on the back of the Canon) so frequently you’d think it would just say eff you and quit, lol. I trust my equipment, and communicate to it what I expect from it, and expect it to do it’s thing. And most of the time it does. And when it doesn’t, I just toss the shot and move on. Of course, now that my camera is old and abused, the autofocus isn’t working all that well, which is a whole other story. But I’ll keep using it until it dies. Yeah, I like to fly by the seat of my pants, lol.
Mica asks:
50. Q: Session questions - How long do your sessions last? Who is doing the primary interaction with the pet - you, your assistant? How much interaction does the pet owner have?
Generally 90 minutes. And somehow from my dogwalking days I developed a scarily accurate internal clock. I never wear a watch but am usually pretty right on when knowing when to end a shoot.
My assistant Christina never comes with me to shoots, because I don’t do ‘posed’ work, so I don’t need someone trying to control the behavior or position of the dog (when I do occasionally need help I ask the owners, who are always happy to help), I don’t use auxiliary lights, so I don’t need someone to hold my flash, and there is no big equipment that needs lugging. So no assistants on my shoots- it’s just me, the owner and the pet(s).
When Christina started working for me she came to a couple handfuls of shoots, and I learned pretty quickly that I was paying her to stand around and watch. She’ll attest to that too, lol. It was fun for her, but not as fun for my pocketbook, ha!
In terms of interaction with the pet- I do 100% of the interaction. I don’t allow my clients to talk to their pet during the shoot, or do anything that would attract attention. It’s just me and the dog or cat in our own little bubble. And I like it that way.
Q: Other than charitable marketing with humane society, etc. what are some other good marketing avenues?
See above.
Lexi asks:
51. Q: As a new photographer I have run into this a few times already. Do you give friends discounts on sessions/prints/etc? I’m sure as you know we need to make money some how but sometimes it seems like they expect you to offer to photograph their pet/s for a discounted price. What’s your opinion on that?
Ahhhh, sigh.
You probably have learned by now that somehow, for some reason, family and friends are SO not the best people to work for, lol.
To answer your question Lexi, I DO give discounts to family and friends; a discount rate of 35%. Most of them still can’t afford me, and I make no attempt to work with them. At all. My family is different (they have tremendous respect for what I do), but friends generally don’t get it as much, unless they themselves are also small business owners.
For some reason, that I have yet to understand, it seems to be a photographer’s friends and family that have the least amount of respect for what they do, and tend to be the biggest cheapskates.
Case in point: I did a shoot for a (now former) friend, gifted her with a 2 hour session of her 2 pets, produced some amazing shots for her, didn’t charge her a dime of my regular (at that time) $250 sitting fee, wrote up a glowing post on my blog. And then she balked at the 8×10 print size I suggested, and ended up ordering only 2 5×7 prints. Oh, and never paid me for them. Yeah, that pretty much sums up the working relationship between a photographer and their friend.
So my advice is not to work with family and friends. If they are looking for a budget photographer, refer them to someone who is, just like you would a client who was trying to work a deal with you. The more people you work with that don’t respect you, the more resentful you will become, and if it gets bad enough, you won’t want to do it anymore. It’s just not worth the risk. You HAVE to be profitable to have a business. Explain that it’s no longer a hobby, and you charge for your time and products. Period.
And if you are underpricing your work already, I’d say offer a 15% discount. That’s usually low enough they wouldn’t take you up on it, in which case, problem solved.
THANKS FOR READING AND I HOPE THIS INFORMATION HAS HELPED WITH YOUR BUSINESS!
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