Today, I’m sharing my best advice for new pet photographers. That’s right - I’m spilling the tea!

I’ve been in business for almost three years now and have had some monumental failures and successes along the way.

So, I’m not so far along in my journey than where you are right now meaning there is a lot I can share to help you avoid major missteps and pitfalls in your own business.

From one pet photographer to another, I hope that even something small I share in this post inspires, encourages, or helps you in your own pet photography journey. Let’s get to it!

In the event you’d prefer to watch rather than read, check out the full YouTube Video for this post here.

Psst… love this post? Be sure to pin it for later!

My Best Advice For New / Budding Pet Photographers

1 STOP TRYING TO BE EVERYONE ELSE

Piece of advice #1: stop trying to be like everyone else!

I can’t tell you how many times people sent me underwater dog photos or treat catching photos or holi powder dog action shots and told me, “You should do this.” So, I felt like I needed to do those types of photography even though they are not my style or photography aesthetic at all.

It was very disheartening because it made me feel like I had to fit into a mold to be successful or copy someone else’s work in order to get work.

I think it’s a very normal thing when you get started to look at other people’s work for inspiration and awe, but that’s where it should end. In my opinion, which you can take with a grain of salt, when it comes to your pet photography, you also have to forge your own path and figure out what your style is.

That’s not only going to set you apart in the industry and make you more valuable, but it’s going to prevent you from looking like a copycat or that you are ripping off someone else’s original ideas.

So, be yourself; figure out what your style is and run with it!

2 SET BOUNDARIES

Piece of advice #2: Set boundaries with your clients.

I didn’t initially have a contract with my sessions and having one would’ve saved me so much heartache, time, and stress along the way.

Now, I do have one from TheLawTog, which I believe was about $350, but it is designed specifically for pet photographers, which also includes a media release and print release. I am not an affiliate, but just really appreciate the service they provide for photographers.

If that isn’t something you can do right now, you could literally have them sign a simple PDF you drafted up that has a few of your base policies.

Boundaries / policies can look like:

What your office hours and when you’ll be communicating with client
How you like to communicate whether that’s email, phone, direct message
How clients book with
When payment is due
What sorts of things you’ll tolerate / not tolerate during a session
What your cancellation policy is
How your images can / can’t be used
What type of editing you’ll do
If you charge travel

These are just a few to help you get started, but they are so pivotal when it comes to protecting yourself and your business, but also showing up like a professional.

I have found with my contract that the opportunity for people to take advantage of my time or energy has diminished significantly, because everything is laid out for them in my contract!

So, if you want to protect your business and your work, be sure to start setting boundaries and sticking with them!

3 IT’S NOT ABOUT THE CAMERA, IT’S ABOUT THE OPERATOR

Another major misconception when you first start out in your photography business is that you have to have the best of the best equipment.

Piece of advice #3: it’s not about the camera, it’s about the operator.

I only upgraded my camera recently to a “fancier” camera, but prior to that, I had a really basic, beginner camera and one lens, I was still able to book clients and make anywhere from $250-$2000 per client.

So, let me say that again: it’s not about the camera, the lenses, the fancy bells and whistles, it’s about the operator.

Try to learn everything you can about your equipment, light, editing, and shooting manually, so you can create stunning work even with a more rudimentary camera system. The more you know, the stronger of a photographer you’ll be too.

4 ITS OKAY TO FIRE A CLIENT / IF A CLIENT ISN’T THE RIGHT FIT FOR YOU

Piece of advice #4: it’s okay to fire a client or not accept a client if they aren’t the right fit for you.

I know, it’s easier said than done especially when you have only a very small handful of clients, but knowing when you need to fire a client or if a client isn’t the right fit for you is going to be really beneficial because trust me, you don’t need the headache.

You are the owner of the business and if you feel like someone doesn’t value you, isn’t treating you well, or is constantly complaining about you, your pricing, the photos, etc, then those are a lot of red flags that they aren’t your client.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t fix something if a client is unhappy, because if the issue is genuine, that’s an entirely different story.

Plus, you can tell just by working with someone and the conversations you have, that gut feeling you get, if there are going to be a lot of issues or red flags along the way.

Sometimes it’s just best to cut that client loose and move on to bigger and better things.

5 YOU HAVE TO VALUE YOURSELF BEFORE ANYONE ELSE WILL

Piece of advice #5: you have to value yourself and what you do before anyone else will. This not only financially, but also with your photography skills.

When I first started, I did so much for free and it’s because I didn’t value myself or believe in myself as a pet photographer enough to ask for $50 or $100 from my clients.

I know that some of this belief in ourself comes with time (I’ll drop a video about that here), but if you want to become successful as a pet photographer, you’ve got to start valuing what you do early on and charge for it. This goes in line with what I said earlier about boundaries; boundaries are another way that you value who you are and what you do.

Even if your session starts super low early in your business, that’s money you can put back into investing in yourself and your dream of being a pet photographer.

Not only that, but if people see that you don’t charge or charge too little, you’ll become known as the cheap photographer and nobody wants that. Being a cheap, turn-and-burn photographer is a business model if you have the right systems and structure in place, but most people don’t…

Taking on a ton of clients is a surefire way to burn out and the quality of your work will suffer.

So, value what you do. Charge for your sessions even if just a small something. Set boundaries with your client. Act as the expert you want to become and everything will start falling into place.

From one budding pet photographer to another, those are some of my best pieces of advice to help in your pet photography journey that I wish I would’ve known or followed sooner.

Did any of these in particular inspire or encourage you in some way? If so, leave in the comments.