Pet photography

Background

I had been doing pet photography as a hobby since 2000, never once considering that I could make a living at it. Dogs are 85 percent of what I do. Cats are about 15 percent. I also shoot any other pet people want me to. I will shoot an iguana if you want. I've done rats and horses, too.

Fine art images:

 It's basically graphic design work of pet photographs. I do everything in Photoshop. Then I send the work to my printer and he prints them on canvases that I can stretch. And then I provide them as stretch-canvas art pieces that people can hang on their wall. I started doing this work two years ago and I have 250 clients nationally. This is 50 percent of my work.

Q: Do you have a photography studio?
A: No studio. Eastern Cape provides me with my studio. I don't use any fancy  lighting as a rule. I just use my camera. I do shoots year-round, and I've only had to reschedule shoots four times because of the weather. And obviously kitties are shot indoors.

Q: What hours do you keep?
A: I have more energy at night as a result as working as a newspaper sub-editor for about 12 years, so I get my best work done between 5 pm and 1 am I have the luxury of not having to do photo shoots early in the morning. I generally start my shoots at 11 am, which is perfect for me.

 There is nothing a pet owner appreciates more –  than being told what a stunning, well behaved pet they have. Of interest parents of children and pets both love and appreciate their 'children' being valued.

Q: Pet photographer, how easy is it really? 
A: I suggest you get a lot of experience working with animals. It's the number one most important thing for a pet photographer. Of course loving animals in critical to any sort of success in this industry

Number two is get business knowledge. Eighty-five percent of this job is being a small-business owner. Fifteen percent is being a pet photographer and artist. People think, 'I'm going to photograph pets all day long.' It's just not like that.