There is a lot more that goes into standing out as a Pet Photographer than simply having nice photos to show clients.

If you are looking to stand out in more ways than one and truly make a splash as a Pet Photographer in your industry, then this post is for you.

That’s exactly what we are going to discuss today.

By the way, if by chance, you’d rather watch than read this post, check out the full video here.

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

1st: Determine Your Value Pillars

To set yourself apart as a Pet Photographer, first, you want to determine your value pillars.

How do you provide value to your clients outside of the photography that you offer? What makes you different and unique from all of the other photographers - pet and non pet focused - in your market?

Value pillars can be things like your education, the products you offer, your style of work, your experience in working with dogs, your awards or accolades, etc. Those are just to name a few.

I just gave you a bunch of random ones, but to help you further here are a few of my value pillars in my business:

Giving: 10% of my client sales are donated back to rescue. I also regularly donate my time to photograph rescue dogs along with hosting other fundraisers to support rescues throughout the year
Comfort and safety are my number #1 priority at sessions, which if a client has a reactive, disabled, or shy dog, they know that I can work with them
I’m product based, so not only can you receive digitals files from my sessions, but I work with you in the entire planning process to design digital and physical artwork, such as wall art or albums, to create keepsakes from your session

You get the idea… the more value you provide and can communicate to your clients before they even inquire with you, the more likely they are to book you and be willing to pay your rates.

It’s about more than just simply taking photos as we know so many people can do that.

So, think about what your value pillars are and focus on three to five strong value pillars as part of your business.

Your value pillars are something you can talk about all of the time across all your marketing avenues! These will be what helps attract your ideal client to you and set you apart as a Pet Photographer.

2nd: Educate Your Client Before They Book You

Another way to set yourself apart is to educate your client before they even book you.

We are all uncomfortable with what we don’t know right?

So, if a potential client is thinking:

I can’t book a session because my dog can’t be off leash
I can’t afford a session for me and my pets
My dog is too dark in color, high energy, or not well mannered enough to have a session
I don’t like being in front of the camera / having my photo taken

These are all things you can address in your marketing to help people overcome those objections or fears about working with you! In other words, making the unknown known.

It’s also helpful to share the process of working with you across your digital channels, so literally sharing step by step on what that’s like, answering commonly asked questions, sharing behind-the-scenes, posting client reviews and images – all of those things are working to help educate a lead before they become a client.

The last thing I will say about educating your client, is the more you educate them prior to booking and prior to a session, the better off your sessions will be, the more amazing the result, and you will look like a true expert in your field.

3rd: Refine Your Unique Style

The third way you can really set yourself apart as a Pet Photography is to refine your style.

Notice I said, YOUR style – not someone else’s!

The more you find a style that is unique to you, the more in demand you’ll be for that specific aesthetic. It’s what you’ll really become known for.

Sure, anyone can photograph pets, but what about photographing your dog running with a ball in its mouth at a gorgeous locale during golden hour?

That’s a really specific experience and one that is more to my kind of style of Pet Photography than other people I know locally.

I know that I don’t specialize in studio photography or black-and-white or more trendy pet photography, like treat catching photos, I’m very much aligned with letting your dog shine in doing what they do best at their session in a stunning natural location. It’s my whole vibe.

Your style will come with time, you’ll find out what you don’t like, what you do like, the kinds of things you prefer to photograph, your editing style, the types of pets you want to work with, etc–all of that will become your unique style.

That’s not to say you won’t have an occasional outlier of photographing different things, but when people come to you looking for photos of their pets, they know based on your portfolio, that you provide this kind of style and that’s what they are hiring you for.

4th: Offer Unique Products

Another way to set yourself apart as a Pet Photographer is to offer unique products no one else is offering, that your clients can’t get easily, and that you simultaneously love!

If you are product-based like I am, then try to offer artwork and other physical pieces people can order custom from you that may be unlike other photographers around you or stuff they can buy easily online.

Is that curved metals? Or acrylic blocks? Or Folio boxes? Or embossed albums? What does that look like for you?

By offering unique products that no one else is selling, you are adding value to the experience you provide and serving up something original people can’t get anywhere.

By choosing products that you love, it will be a natural inclination to suggest and sell more of those products because you genuinely adore them and want everyone to have them.

Besides, when a potential client sees your artwork in someone’s home, like a custom 40 x 60 metal print and they ask “Who took that photo?,” it’s an unintended benefit of selling artwork to your customers!

And who do you think that potential client is going to contact for their session? YOU!

5th: Price Yourself According To The Value You Provide

I talk about this in my Pricing Video, but essentially, another way to set yourself apart is to price yourself according to the experience and value you provide –not what everyone else is charging.

Let me say that one more time: Price yourself according to the experience and value you provide—not what everyone else in your market is charging.

As I’m sure you know, pricing is an art form, it’s very personal, and in fact, there is a whole psychology behind pricing and what it communicates to a potential client.

I’ll be dropping a whole series on pricing in the coming months, so stay tuned for that.

Pricing will assuredly help dissuade people who are not your clients from inquiring with you and attract others who are your ideal client and value what you do.

In other words, you want to price yourself according to all the things we’ve talked about in the video: the education you provide, the unique products you offer, your style, your customer experience, which we will discuss in a moment, etc… that is what people are paying for, not just pretty photos.

Overtime, you’ll learn how to price your services and products accordingly, but the most important thing to remember to set yourself apart is that pricing can help dictate the quantity and quality of the clients you serve!

6th: Develop An Amazing Client Experience

Next, create a customized, client experience for your clients! I spend a lot of time with my clients. From the initial inquiry to the thank you cards I write.

I try to provide as much information, assistance, and guidance as possible when it comes to working with me.

In other words, a fantastic way you can really set yourself apart as a Pet Photographer is to develop an amazing, memorable client experience.

For example, I offer a planning call, so we get to know each other in advance. I educate them at every step of the process, so they can be the most prepared. We sit down and have a virtual ordering appointment to walk them through what they’d like to purchase from their session. Lastly, we swoon over their gorgeous artwork and final images together that I hand deliver to them.

So, think about how you can create an experience… more than just showing up to take someone’s photos.

When you are guiding your client through your client experience, you are creating something way more memorable than simply some person they met at a park for a photoshoot, right?

Where can you add more touch points in your business to help create an amazing experience for your clients, you ask?

Check out this video where I dig into what a client experience is and twenty (yes, twenty!) awesome ways on how to create your own client experience.