Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeanne Taylor.
Hi Jeanne, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a lifelong animal lover with a creative streak and always loved photos, so Pet Photography was a natural merging of two things I love. In 2003, I hung my shingle and started my photography business. And by 2007 I had adjusted my small business to become exclusively a pet-centric focus. When I met a random shelter dog named Twister in 2003 at an event, it also set me on a course of volunteering that has grown in so many ways and continues to be a huge part of my life. Photo client obligations or other schedule hiccups notwithstanding, I’m in one shelter a week, sometimes more, photo’ing adoptable animals for their web bios or other promotion to potential adopters. Smaller, foster-based rescues often bring foster pets to me for studio photos as well. My clients and followers are amazing and so supportive of these efforts too!
I’ve worked hard and invested a lot of hours over the years and feel I have been so blessed with recognition and awards – self-employment is not for the faint of heart! But to see my client and volunteer work recognized and appreciated really keeps me going.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When you take the leap to be your own boss, you truly are in charge of everything – I don’t just take photos for a living and manage all that entails like editing, communication, or production. I run a business and that means being responsible for every decision, every pursuit, every adjustment. I wear 1,000 hats because it really has to be an “all-in” commitment. When I started my business, we lived in Virginia and I enjoyed a good bit of success there so moving to SC in 2016 was terrifying. The anxiety of having to reboot so that we could live in a place we had come to love over the years during vacations was palpable. But I just kept at it and here we are today, completely enmeshed in our community!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
For a time, so many people didn’t even know PET PHOTOGRAPHY was a real thing, a niche. People would ask their family photographers if their pets could participate for a few photos and that was the extent of it. But for me, pets are the priority and I encourage families to participate in the photos, so it’s a flip. Their lives are so short but so very special. They deserve to be the center of attention! And at each session, I spot that piece of personality that makes the pet sparkle and then seek that out so it shows in the photos.
I also work hard to keep rates very affordable so everyone can pursue photos of and with their pets. It’s important to the pet, their family – and to me. Memories shouldn’t be about money, so I keep my rates more than reasonable.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I do wish I had known just how much time would be spent on the business end of business. Thankfully, I figured it out pretty early and was able to adapt. But you really do have to be prepared to jump in and play all the roles and that eats up more time than the fun stuff such as meeting pets and their people, learning their stories and capturing what makes that relationship so meaningful.
Pricing:
- www.jtpetpics.com/rates.htm
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jtpetpics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jtaylorphotos
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jeanne.Taylor.Photography
