Switching from weddings and portraits to full-time pet photography
You’re a professional photographer. Maybe you offer weddings and/or family portraits, but every now and again you have clients request their dog join the shoot.. and those are always your BEST shoots ever?!
So you’ve started thinking.. can I just specialise in pets?
But wow, is it even possible to replace your current income with only animal portraits?
Good news- HELL YES YOU CAN.
Hi, I’m Kirstie McConnell. I began photographing pets a decade ago at age 21, and quickly turned that into a full-time, six figure business and am now the host of The Pet Photographers Club.
MY TOP THREE TIPS FOR NICHING:
Know your ideal client and be where they are!
Show less and less of other genres, and more and more of your pet work on your website and socials
Don’t over-complicate it- what worked for your portrait pricing will work for pets too!
BONUS TIP
If you’re new to working with animals, pick a few “safe shots” to grab each shoot for now- find ideas in our free guide to dog poses that sell
WANT MORE PROOF THAT GOING FULL-TIME IS POSSIBLE? CHECK OUT THESE SUCCESSFUL PET PHOTOGRAPHERS AND OUR INTERVIEWS WITH THEM:
Alex Cearns | Houndstooth Studio
Perth, Australia
Season 4 Episode 12: Media Features and Growing your Following with Alex Cearns
Allison Shamrell | Allison Shamrell Pet Photography
San Diego, USA
Season 1 Episode 12: Spoiling your client
Cat Race | CatsDog
Preston, UK
Season 3 Episode 3: Part-time Venture to Full-Time Career in 3 Months
Craig Turner-Bullock | Furtography
Christchurch, New Zealand
Season 3 Episode 1: Publishing and Personal Projects with Craig Bullock
Kimberly Buccheri | Kimberly Sarah Photography
New Hampshire, USA
Season 5 Episode 7: Creating a High-End Customer Experience for $10k sales
Nicole Begley | Nicole Begley Photography
Charlotte, USA
Season 3 Episode 3: Ditching the Session Fee for pet photography
View our entire global pet photographers directory
P.S. If you’re new to the business of photography all together and looking to launch a profitable and sustainable pet photography business, check out our Business Foundations Challenge