The Pet Photographers Club Podcast Archives

Don’t you wish you could be a fly on the wall watching the judging that goes on behind the scenes of the International Pet Photographer of the Year Awards? Well now you can be!

We brought together the five judges of the 2021 Awards: Alice Loder, Cat Race, Craig Turner-Bullock, Sara Glawe and Caitlin J. McColl to share their top tips for pet photographers entering awards AND a members-only bonus deepdive video into their “Judge's Choice” favourite images. It’s totally fascinating to hear the judges agree about what they loved about each image - and argue about what could be improved. A definite must-watch panel discussion for any pet photographers interested in learning more about what catches the eye of these leaders of our industry.

Click here to watch the Panel Discussion video in the Memberzone

P.S. Registration for the 12 Week Business Foundations Challenge closes this Thursday at 10am Rome! Secure your place here.

Goal Trackers Call with Ina J Photography | Big White Dog Photography and new member Suzy McCracken

We kicked off Season 10 with a Goal Trackers call. Goal Trackers are a member perk- a way to get to know other pet photographers, discuss your current goals and get some feedback from others. This quarters I was joined by Ina, Angela and Suzy.

In this episode you will hear:
• How Ina pivoted when Covid Lockdown limited her Mini Session bookings (00:06:50)
• The new product that Angela is introducing and why it makes sense for her (00:15:27)
• And the steps Suzy is taking to prepare for launching her business (00:23:12)

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BUSINESS FOUNDATIONS CHALLENGE

Speaking of setting up a new business, our 12 week challenge to do just that is starting on the 13th September.

During this challenge you will write your own business playbook and put it into action to fill your calendar (and your bank account).

• If you’re starting out and feeling overwhelmed by pricing or how to get the phone to ring- this is for you.

• If you’ve been in business for a bit but you aren’t seeing a financial return yet- this is for you.

• If you need to create a plan for just one aspect of your business- join us for only that class (p.s. Marketing classes are almost full).

LIMITED PLACES AVAILABLE

2021 International Pet Photographer of the Year Results

The annual Awards are an annual celebration of the artistry and skill of professional and emerging pet photographers from all around the globe. This year, more than 2500 pet portraits were submitted by pet photographers located in 52 countries. The top 100 shortlisted images were released first, followed by the Top 25, then the category winners and now, the overall International Pet Photographer of the Year, Veronika Šandorová from Slovakia.

In this special video episode, Caitlin and Kirstie discuss the winning images in relation to their scores.

This video episode is available to everyone. If you’re a member, we recommend watching it in the memberzone. Otherwise, catch it on YouTube.

Zoe Hiljemark has collaborated with us to create a four part, step-by-step guide to approaching the media for promoting your success in the awards. There’s one section of the guide available for free on the blog to help get you started.

Whether your pet portrait has been shortlisted as one of the top 100 or the top 25 in its category, or you have been announced as one of our four Category winners or even as the Overall winner – the International Pet Photographer of the Year - there is every reason to celebrate!

CHECK OUT THE SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE FOR FREE NOW

And if you want more help with approaching the media, grab the full guide this week while it’s on sale (by 50%)!

Don’t forget, you have to act fast with getting your story out there to the media. So jump on this now!

Learn more

Optimising your Instagram Account for more clients

Having thousands of Instagram followers is one thing- but having the right followers and then optimising your content to turn those followers into clients is a whole other project. Join Kirstie in this video episode as she shares her top nine tips for optimising your account- plus a special offer for an upcoming workshop at the end!

This video episode is available to everyone. If you’re a member, we recommend watching it in the memberzone. Otherwise, catch it on YouTube.

P.S. Our video episodes are usually members only. To catch more videos's like this, Join us at thepetphotographersclub.com/join

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CREATE THREE MONTHS OF RECYCLABLE INSTAGRAM CONTENT IN THIS ONE HOUR WORKSHOP

Would you love to “set and forget” your Instagram posting with content that actually helps you grow your business (and not just your following)?

Let’s organise it so all you have to do is a few stories or reels every now and again!

Learn more

Please tell me I’m not the only one who has always procrastinated writing my client blog posts! There seems to be a thousand other things to do in my business, so blogging inevitably gets pushed to the side and before I know it, it’s been months (years?!) since I last wrote a client session blog post. Which is really a shame because I know that these posts are a great resource to have on hand for enquiries AND an easy way to update and add new content to my website (you’re welcome SEO juice).

So I sat down to brainstorm a way to properly integrate blogging into my client workflow - and ideally save myself some time too!

So here it is: my easy, peasy blogging hack! In a nutshell, it’s as simple as presenting your client their proofs via a blogging platform - tune into today’s quick tip episode as Caitlin shares exactly why and how you should be using this hack to save time in your business.

p.s. this is also a video episode, so if you’re a member then we recommend watching rather than listening!

Click here to listen to the full extended version of this episode in the Memberzone

I want you to take a moment and open up your website. What is the story you’re telling? Is it all about your journey as a photographer, your style, maybe lists some awards and achievements? There’s a portfolio page, obviously - and probably a pricing page too (or “Investment”, if you fancy haha). Essentially what I’m asking is - is your website all about you?

If the answer is YES, then it might be time to consider a different approach

Have you heard of Storybrand? It’s a very popular and proven marketing strategy that helps businesses clarify their message and build a sales funnel into their website. In this 7-part framework, you cast your clients as the hero - rather than your website being all about YOU, your website tells a story that your client can relate to. Sounds intriguing, right? We interviewed website expert and certified Storybrand guide, Ryan Toth of Clearbrand to find out all about this powerful framework and how pet photographers can use it to improve their websites.

IN THE EXTENDED EPISODE:

* What does the client do next?
* Capturing leads with your website
* Defining your offer and pricing

Click here to listen to the full extended version of this episode in the Memberzone

LINKS:

Website: http://myclearbrand.com/
StoryBrand Website Template: https://clearbrand.com/storybrand-website-template-thanks

Use code: ppclub for 20% off Clearbrand website templates

Catch a snippet of the free workshop hosted by Kirstie to build a pre-shoot questionnaire that is actually useful AND easy for your clients.

The full replay of this live workshop is now available to Club members.

We covered:

Why you want a pre-shoot questionnaire

What questions to ask to sky rocket your sales

When to send it to your client and how

What kind of images to use

and more!

Join The Club today to watch this and other special episodes.
thepetphotographersclub.com/join

Already a member, look for s09e07 in the memberzone here

Do you find the whole concept of PR for your pet photography business utterly overwhelming? Pitching? Profile raising? Publicity? Where are you supposed to start, who are you supposed to contact, what are you supposed to say?

So you bury your head in the sand of your business and tell yourself that you really don’t need to worry about PR anyway.

The thing is though - it could be HUGE for you. And it doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

Tune into our interview with Zoe Hiljemark, a PR and Marketing expert who works exclusively with professional photographers. Her mission is to help photographers become ‘PR savvy’, gain visibility and grow a loyal audience - and she shares all her best tips in this episode. It’s time to get that head out of the sand and see how you can use PR strategies to grow your business!

IN THE EXTENDED EPISODE:

* Pitching to different kinds of media (from print, to radio, to tv)
* Lead times - what are they and what’s appropriate?
* Zoe’s favourite tool for connecting with journalists

Click here to listen to the full extended version of this episode in the Memberzone

LINKS:

Website: https://www.zoehiljemark.com
Blog: https://www.zoehiljemark.com/news
Facebook Group - PR Savvy Photographers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/prsavvyphotographers
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/zoehiljemark

What better way to inspire and motivate yourself than by listening to the goals and strategies of fellow pet photographers around the world?

Today I was joined by Kelly Schulz of K Schulz Photography in Bloomington, Minnesota and Ina Jalil of Ina J Photography in Canberra for our season 9 Goal Trackers meeting.

Eavesdrop into our conversation about everything from book launches to doggy brand ambassadors and if you haven’t already, we’d love for YOU to share your Top Three Goals for the next three months over in the Mastermind Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/The.Pet.Photographers.Club

MY THREE GOALS:

- Wrap up all my open jobs before Maternity Leave starts (eeeep!)
- Complete my part of judging the 2021 International Pet Photographer of the Year Awards
- Edit our awesome pre-recorded interviews for Season 10 of the Pet Photographers Club (it’s going to be our best one yet!)

Click here to watch to the video version of this episode in the Memberzone

In the midst of 2020 lockdown, going a little bit crazy with nothing to do (and no way to service my clients), I thought it would be a brilliant idea to learn how to do digital painting. It seemed like the perfect extra service to offer my clients - gorgeous artwork that could be created even after their pets had passed.

Excitedly, I bought myself a wacom tablet and enrolled in a digital painting course, ready to become the next Vincent Van Dog.

Well. It was not nearly as easy as I had hoped it would be - that skill takes some serious practice! I’m a little embarrassed to admit that after a month or so, I put down wacom pen in defeat. My dreams of offering digital painting as a secondary revenue stream to my clients were quietly retired - until we heard about Lesley Davidson and her ghost painting service with the Painterly Portrait.

Tune into this latest interview episode to find out everything you want to know about digital painting for pet photographers - whether it’s Lesley’s best tips for learning yourself, how you can hire a “ghost painter” if (like me) you’re not a digital painter and in the extended episode we brainstorm different ways that you could successful integrate this service into your existing business model.

in THE EXTENDED EPISODE:

* Session and pricing ideas for introducing digital painting to your pet photography business

LINKS:

Website: https://www.thepainterlyportrait.com.au
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/thepainterlyportrait and https://www.facebook.com/thepainterlyportrait

ALSO MENTIONED:
Awake Group with Sebastian Michaels (Compositing)
Elevate Your Art: Digital Painting with Michelle Parsley

Click here to listen to the full extended version of this episode in the Memberzone