There is no denying that people love their pets. And I doubt this will change anytime soon. People spend a lot of money on their best furry-footed friends, from daycare to clothing to pampering! So if you are thinking of starting some type of home business, maybe a pet photograpeher will interest you.
The best way to find out if this career is a good fit for you, is by taking photos of animals every chance that you get. Many photographers use their love for their own animals and turn their pets into full-time models. This is a great way to begin to practice your techniques with subjects that you are already familiar with.
Part of the secret to pet photography is having a certain connection and trust with the animal that will give the final product a natural and honest appearance. The best photo of animals are the ones that will show the animals in a state of carefree spontaneity, in which the animal is comfortable in showing their true personality and candor. Even the type of equipment and training is often times less important than the simple love of the subject you are shooting. The animal can sense when they are liked and will become more at ease with that person.
Photographing pets with their owners would probably appeal to most animal lovers too. Most owners won't struggle to take a photograph with their pet all by themselves. You can be the one who makes it easy on them. Not only can you charge for the service and your time, but you can offer the photograph in it's digital form or as a print that you can mail to them later - either created by your own photo printer or by a photo servicing center.
Pet photographers, for the most part, will probably get the best results from using surroundings that are comfortable to the animal, which means traveling to the clients most of the time. Which is a bonus for someone starting out because it alleviates the immediate need for a studio.
Later on, a mall shop or rented studio would come in handy if you are interested in commercial work and/or a portrait styled photography in a controlled environment. Plus you could potentially bring in a lot of customers by having your studio in a mall.
But to just get started and get your first customers, here is an idea you could try:
You simply create “Free Portrait Certificates” that you print off on your computer.
Think about it. Who wouldn’t like a free professional portrait of their lovable precious pet? And what pet owner could possibly resist purchasing some of the adorable extra poses you will be taking and showing them?
This is one of the most effective and low cost ways you could ever use to start and market your own full time or part time home based pet photography business.
Leaving your coupons at veterinarian offices, dog parks, pet stores, etc... would be an easy and free way to potentially get customers. Hopefully the pet owners will be so in love with the free photo, they will buy more copies, and /or refer other customers to you!
If you love animals and are good with a camera, give this some thought. It could be a business you can satrt small with, but keep growing year after year.
