Starting a Pet Photography Business
While many people would consider a pet photography business to be a little obscure and less mainstream, there is no denying that there is a great opportunity to make good money in this niche photography business if you are able to produce good results. In the multi-billion dollar pet industry, pet owners are more than willing to spend money for such specialized services.
The reason for this is that many people have an emotional attachment to their animals and in a lot of cases; they are treated as one of the family. Just as new parents spend $500 for professional baby pictures, many pet owners won’t hesitate to spend good money for professional pictures of their beloved four-legged companions.
The key word here is, “professional.” There is a reason why they are hiring you as opposed to just picking up a camera and photographing their pets themselves. They are looking for professional quality and the types of poses that they can never seem to get.
For this reason, you should have a decent amount of photography experience. Getting the “money shot” is often a matter of being able to take advantage of those perfect expressions. Unfortunately, when it comes to pets, those expressions are very fleeting and may only last for a second. If you’ve ever talked to any professional baby photographers, they will tell you the same thing. You need to have a good eye and a quick shutter finger to take advantage of these rare opportunities.
Naturally, you should love animals and know how to handle them properly to get the best shots. Of course, always insist that the owner be present and participate as much as possible. There are two reasons for this: First, you want to make sure that you don’t get bit or otherwise injured. Second, having the owner there will put the animal at ease and give you a greater opportunity to get the shot you need.
Getting into the pet photography business can be inexpensive if you already own your own quality photography equipment. It’s not necessary to have professional equipment, but you should at least have a quality SLR Digital camera, a quality tripod, and a simple lighting package. In addition to this, you might also want to have a background package with several backdrops to choose from.
If you want to get into this business, but you have no experience or photography equipment, start by taking a few photography courses. Then purchase a quality SLR Digital camera and get busy taking pictures. There is nothing like real world experience – it’s the difference between taking average pictures and producing something extraordinary.
Once you’re comfortable with your camera and you see your pictures improving, purchase a lighting package and backdrops. You can easily spend upwards of $5,000 for your first quality SLR camera and all the accessories you’ll need to start a serious pet photography business.
Next, photograph your friend’s and family’s pets to get some experience. You might be surprised at how difficult it is to photograph some animals – especially if they are hyperactive. Take as much time as you need and try to get this valuable experience before you start advertising your services.
Marketing your business will be a matter of printing up some business cards and asking local pet store owners, groomers, and veterinarian clinics if you can stick your card up in the window or near the cash register. You will need to be able to sell yourself here because these people don’t want to recommend just anyone to their customers. You’ll have to assure them that you are, indeed, a professional. For this reason, you should create a small portfolio of your best work.
Additionally, you want to post your ad on community bulletin boards and grocery store bulletin boards. As well, you can try a limited flyer campaign to see what kind of response you get.
As with most service businesses, advertising in the local paper is always a good idea if you can afford it. Try to negotiate a price for a permanent advertisement in their classified section.
Ultimately, most of your business will come from recommendations by satisfied customers. However, this will take a while to start producing a decent volume.
Starting a pet photography business isn’t for everyone, but if you like photography and you love animals, you can easily make money with your two passions. One of the greatest advantages of this type of business is that it can be run full or part-time. You can easily do it after work and on weekends.
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