What’s in my photography kit bag?

By Hannah Freeland 

I am sure my Peli 1510 case is unlike most with what is inside… 

This is because in the last year I actually took a leap from Canon to Nikon.  

Unlike others who have done this, I didn’t sell my Canon kit. So currently in my case is: 

Nikon 850d 

Nikon 70-200mm Lens 

Canon 5d Mark III with battery grip 

Canon 70-200mm Lens 

Canon 50mm prime lens 

Card Readers 

2 x Peli card cases 

Spare batteries for both camera bodies 

That’s it!  

I don’t need to have other lenses with me, as 90% of my shoots require one body, one lens. I have backups because I’m professional and would hate to let a client down and technology can be tedious sometimes.  

I used to have a Billingham bag, but again swapped about a year ago to the Peli 1510 case, it makes it so much easier to grab kit and see if anything is missing quickly.  

I charge my camera after every use as soon as I am back in the studio and I back up my cards to 3 different locations. I never leave my kit with full cards and low batteries. I make sure that it’s ready to go at a moment’s notice.  

I also have a photography basket (anyone who knows me, knows I love a good basket!) In here I have:  

• Spider belt
• A spare Mountain Warehouse running top which is what I wear on photo shoots 
• Spare socks (because my Mum always told me to have spare socks) 
• More spare batteries for my cameras 
• Polos 
• Spare shoes – just slip on’s, but these have come in so handy if I end up having a coffee after the shoot and don’t want to wear my shoot boots 
• Breakfast bars – I get hungry!

So there we have it, both the Peli case and basket are always prepped and ready to go and they are my travelling buddies! 

When your client flies a Zulu tribe to the UK for their daughter’s 21st Birthday Party and you majorly F***k up! 

By Hannah Freeland

I’m not going to lie to you, this still hurts. I was commissioned at age 17 having been recommended by another photographer friend to photograph a 21st birthday party. I jumped at the chance as this was going to be one of my first “big” paid jobs I had done. Sharp and keen, I jumped in with two feet and was confident that I could produce a nice set of images from the party. I was promised £500 to do the job.  

Keen as mustard, I turned up early, got familiar with the surroundings; the various marques; the amazing flower sculptures; the gigantic fire pit; and oh so much more.  

The party started and hundreds of people arrived. The Zulu tribe made a surprise entrance at around 9.00pm. Wow oh WOW, how incredible, and what a photographic opportunity this was for me.  

Buzzing and unable to sleep I downloaded my images onto my laptop about 1am in the morning.   

The next morning, I happily trundled off to my next job- an equine event that lasted almost 12 hours. I was exhausted but still filled with the previous day’s excitement.  

Fast forward a couple of days. I was on my spare bedroom floor (my home office in those days) sobbing my heart out in front of my mum and dad. I had not backed up the party images and they had all been lost. They were nowhere to be found. Not on a card, not on my laptop, nowhere.  

I cried for almost 2hrs non-stop, unable to figure out what to do. I had made the fatal error of not backing up my images. I only had one copy of them- on the laptop that had died. My laptop was sent to London in the hope that they may retrieve the images but no – there was no such luck. That was the end of the road and I had to go to see my clients and confess.  

That day was one of the biggest, bravest things I had ever done. My mum and dad being the wonderful parents they are asked if I want them to come with me. But in my mind, if I was big enough to get paid £500 for a job, I was big enough to confess to my clients that I had lost all their images (in fact I actually managed to find about 15 shots that I printed large for them in the hope this would lessen the blow). But nonetheless, I would be turning up, alone, to say I didn’t have their images.  

Unsurprisingly, they were disappointed. But the 3 children were wonderful to me, saying they had loads of friends that had taken photos, so they would rally around and gather them up for their collection. The father (the one paying me) was a gentle giant, who obviously felt I could have been one of his own children, being around the same age as them. He even tried to insist I kept the £500 Coutts cheque. The mother tried her best to hide her disappointment and anger that I had not produced the images she had been so desperately excited to see, but I couldn’t avoid the harsh reality that she was bitterly upset by the whole experience.   

I walked away that day learning a very harsh, but valuable lesson. There is no room in business for not knowing your business.  

The day a £500 party turned into a deposit for a house!

By Emily Hancock

I wanted to share with you a rather exciting little event that happened over 10 years ago, and kick started the photography business I went on to create.

I was a recommended supplier (back in the days where I photographed weddings) at a very nice 5-star hotel. One day I received a phone call from the wedding coordinator. She said they had a regular client who would be hosting his 80^th birthday party at the venue and wanted a photographer for a couple of hours on the Friday night of his big birthday bash.

Initially I was a bit put off because it was a Friday night (and I had decided that I didn’t want to work evenings anymore!) Anyway, I agreed £500 to turn up for the 2 hours, and included a medium-sized framed image for the client to choose after the party.

I met with the client and had a coffee to discuss details and what he would like to achieve. It turned out that he wanted me to photograph all 80 guests performing the art of sabrage (if you’re not familiar with this, check it out on YouTube- the short version is they chop the top of a magnum bottle of Champagne clean off with a sword and then drink it all!). He requested a sequence of each of his friends doing this, and lots of candid images of people enjoying themselves etc etc.

I felt confident that I could produce a beautiful set of images for my client.

The party went well, I was there for just over 2 hrs and I managed to shoot about 2000 images, ranging from the enormous birthday cake, the beautiful opera singer, the sabrage, the dancing, the dinner and much more. Overall I was very happy with the results.

Next came the viewing – here I was ready to show the images off and get prepared in case the clients wanted to purchase more images. Slideshow set, price guide out, nibbles and drinks at the ready.

The client loved the images, and the first sentence that came out of his mouth was “I want them all” – all 700 images I was showing them. I was a little shocked to be honest. Ok great, I thought, sounds good.  In a very calm manor, I said “ok, so if you would like the digital high res versions, they are £20 each”. I picked up my calculator and tapped in 700 x £20 = £14,000… believe it or not, I actually kept a straight face! The client didn’t flinch, but he said “I’ll give you £9000”… I kept my cool and came back with £12,000. He said “ok, let’s call it £11,000”… I said great it’s a deal.

OMG what just happened?? I just sold 700 digital files for £11,000….whaaaaat! I was feeling a little bit giddy and calmly said, is there anything else you would like. To my complete and utter surprise, he he wanted all the images put into big albums. My chin nearly hit the floor, I was surprised I didn’t pass out at the is point but yet again, I kept my cool and told him the albums would come to £6000. He said “great, can I give you a cheque?”.. Ummmmmmm YES!?

As my client walked out the studio door, he turned to me and said “Emily, I suspect that was the best mornings work you’ve ever done?” Bearing in mind I was in my very early twenties at this point. I smiled and chuckled, almost child-like.

I very clearly remember phoning my now-husband and saying “I have a check in my hand for £17,000… The Chinese is on me tonight babe!”

3 Personality traits I’m proud of

By Hannah Freeland.

1. My connection with horses.

This has been the case since I was 2 years old. I am very quiet and calm around horses. I like to get to know them, their character and personality.

This next bit happens fairly frequently… I’ll be chatting to the owner of the horse on a shoot, and they comment that their horse isn’t normally as settled with new people as they are with me.

I remember a few years ago that I was chatting with an owner whilst her lovely horse nudged me for a good old rub behind his ears. While I scratched away, she told me that he never lets anyone, including her, near his ears…Flattering or what!

Although I have been dragged along a gravel track by a tiny pony who was desperate to return to her girlfriend, and have had more arguments with my bolshie mare than I can remember, these creatures settle my soul every single day.

2. Making people feel totally relaxed

On every photo shoot I have done, I am always told that the shoot has been so much more enjoyable than they had imagined it would be.

Whether clients are dreading the shoot due to being camera shy, or just feel like it’s a self-indulgent thing to do, they are always so thankful for how relaxed and fun I made the whole experience for them.

My ability to put others at ease allows me to capture truly natural and beautiful images. I know how I feel in front of a camera, so I sympathise with others who are a little nervous of posing for a photographer!

My highest priority on photo shoots is the safety and comfort of my clients and their horses. If I have these things covered, everything else falls into place.

3. Being on time

I have grown up being told that being on time is essential. If someone makes time for you in their life, you 100%

ensure you respect this by being on time. When booking shoots, I leave enough time to allow for traffic delays or an often necessary coffee stop!

I am not saying that I am never late- this is impossible, but if I am late then there is usually a jolly good reason for it!

5 Must-Dos for your Equine Photography Business

We’re sure you scroll through Facebook and Instagram on a daily basis and come across posts that say stuff like “increase your income by 100%” or “work a 1-hour week and still earn a full-time rate” … Some of these are genuine, achievable claims, and some are, well… just not!

It can be a little loud, daunting and confusing in the online world. So, we wanted to take this blog ‘Back to Basics’. We know full well that this may sound a little boring, and you may feel like you have exhausted all the basics, but let us explain…

As creatives and artists, we get to dabble in light, colour, textures, poses, backdrops, locations and styling in the images we create. So, let’s take the creative out of our business for a second and make sure that your ducks are in a row, your processes are in place and that your business is good to go!

Honestly, we have learned to LOVE the business side. And what says you can’t too? This can include branding, websites, writing blogs and creating presentations but to name a few…

Going back to the theme, ‘Back to Basics’. We wanted to break down the most important must-dos you have for your business to ensure you can be creative in your work and keep taking your business to new heights, each and every day.

Let’s dive in…

1. Get your numbers down on paper and understand them

You need to be so aware of your valued time. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of saying, “oh it’s only my time- that costs me nothing”. Your time IS NOT free! You need to be aware of your running costs, what you must make per week and month to stay on top and any extras that may crop up. Sometimes, you will only be shooting 15-20% of your week-  just bear that in mind- it needs to cover your costs.

Write it all down, even if it’s super scary, write it down. If you don’t have a goal for each month, you are flying by the seat of your pants.

Let us simplify it for you:

• You need to make £2,000 a month in order to cover your bills, tax and pay yourself £500 into your personal account.
• You also want to add £1,000 a month to invest in sample products, marketing and outsourcing some part time freelance admin work.
• Your total monthly income must be £3,000 (plus cost of sales).
• You charge £350 session fee and are getting an average £800 sale per client.
• Therefore, you need to book 3 shoots per month in order to bring in £3450. You will need to work out whether the £450 left over will be enough to cover your cost of sales. If it isn’t then you will need to book 4 shoots a month (1 per week).

How much less scary does that sound?? It’s so easy to think “where on earth am I going to get 3K from?!?!’…. Now you have your simple, yet very important and realistic numbers 🙂

2. Be the expert in your field.

There is no doubt that you want to be the best. The best photographer? The best equine photographer? The best equine portrait photographer? The best equine portrait lifestyle photographer?

This is what we mean by being the expert. We don’t mean be the one who knows everything about your camera, or can read a light meter on demand. We mean figure out what it is that you want to be known for and become the expert in this niche.

The more you can narrow this down, the better your ideal audience will hear you and won’t look any further because they want exactly what you are offering.

An example for you:

I am a tired Mummy whose child just won’t go to sleep. Who would I book at any cost to address this situation? I see the following adverts:

• “Do you want to learn how to get your child to sleep and want to stay in bed all night?” Mrs A, the expert
• “Do you want parenting tips?” Mrs B, the expert.

Use the same analogy for photography:

I want to book my 16-year-old daughter an equine photo shoot for her birthday, that’s relaxing and enjoyable considering she is a little camera shy. I see the following adverts:

• “I am an equine portrait photographer who specialises in using natural light, capturing friendships, producing lifelong memories and keeping you at ease” Mrs A, the expert.
• “I am a photographer” Mrs B, the expert.

Get it? Enough said.

3. Use your time wisely.

This is one of those points where we can totally hear you all groaning and saying, well duh!

We want to make this a super easy one. Every time you get asked to do something for free, think about the time this takes you away from marketing your business to your ideal client – is it worth it?

Every minute we are away from our computer, or not connecting with potential clients or influencers who can help us level our business, it better be paid for!

If it’s building your portfolio, then this comes back under the marketing umbrella. However, if it’s a mate asking for a free shoot because she can’t afford it, know that you are taking your best asset away from your business to do this favour for your friend.

4. Experience

Have you ever heard of a successful business owner who said, “It wasn’t hard at all. I didn’t need to gain any experience, I was hired on day one and I knew everything I needed to know”. No, I didn’t think so. You need to pay your dues.

Experience is there to safeguard us and our clients. It’s about learning what to do when things get tough or something goes wrong.

Our biggest advice has always been to gain experience.

As a new photographer, there is no shame in getting shoots under your belt before you start charging the bigger money.

Clients understand that you are learning, you may be developing a new style or maybe you have taken a leap into a business you have always wished of starting. Either way, gain that experience, learn from wins and misses and kick on!

5. Patience

We are both as bad as each other for waiting and being patient. However, we know how important it is to take one step at a time and get each step right.

Don’t try and rush the creation of your wonderful business. Gaining the experience, learning your numbers and targeting the right customers take time. It won’t all happen in a day. We’ve both been working on our business for many, many years and are constantly taking the next step.

Make your plan, take your time and get it right!

Establishing your ideal client

By Hannah Freeland

Let’s talk about what we mean by ‘ideal client’

This is the ONE client we all hope knocks on our door, calls us in the studio or pings us an email saying, “I have seen your work and cannot wait to get a photo shoot booked in with you, when is your next free date?” 

This client will be educated in the way you work and see value in the finished product.  

So, who is going to educate them…? 

YOU 

First of all, we need to establish who your ideal client is. We want you to start creating a profile of this client and we have even included a blueprint for creating this profile.  

Here’s an example profile:

• Female in her 40’s – 50’s 
• Fairly glamourous 
• Lives in a big house 
• Has a disposable income 
• Drives a 4×4 

• Has a second home in London 
• Has 2 children with ponies 
• Stables the horses and ponies at home 
• Employs a groom/yard worker 
• Values photography and art 
• Values and respects my time and skills 

Now that you have the outline of the client, we need to think about what they do on a day to day basis. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:  

• What magazines do they read? 
• Do they go to equestrian events? 
• Do they eat out a lot?
• Are they part of a professional body? 
• Do they attend any pony club events? 
• Who are they likely to be friends with? 
• What do they do in their spare time to relax? 
• What would a perfect birthday present look like for them? 

Now it’s time for you to fill in your own ‘Building A Profile’ blueprint. 

After you have built your profiles…

Reaching out to this client 

So, we now have our dream client.  

Going back through our list now- have a look at the places they are hanging out. 

Do they attend Badminton and Burghley? Will they be at the Nationals? The Polo? The Bath and West? The local pub? An art exhibition?  

When you have created this list, think about what they might be doing in this place and how you can get in front of them…  

For example: Your local high end pub attracts disposable-income-types that are happy to spend over £100 for a Wednesday evening dinner. So, what do these people do while they are there? Maybe they sit in front of the fire and read the free magazines that are in there. Which magazines are these? Can you afford to advertise in them? Maybe you could supply the lounge area with a couple of beautiful framed portraits and ask the pub if they could have your card or brochure on the side. 

The client may see the framed image and pick up your card. 

Now they will go home and look at your website and your social media. If you are posting regularly with posts that are informative and interesting to them (because you share content that is attractive to this ideal client!!) then they follow you. They may not BUY today, but you are on top of your marketing game which keeps you in front them again and again. 

Maybe they see you in a second location? A trade stand at a local event. They remember you from the beautiful portrait in the pub. All these previous baby steps lead to them wanting to talk to you about your process. You have connected with them in a place they feel good and comfortable- bingo! 

We need to make sure our general tone ‘speaks’ to our ideal client. Now here’s a golden nugget… 

In ‘speaking‘ only to our ideal client, not only do we entice and encourage them, but we also weed out clients that won’t be a good fit for us!  

There are many opportunities to market to your client. Through social media, website, blog, newsletters, networking, advertising in yards, advertising in tack shops, trade stand at shows/events, collaborations… the list goes on and on. Through these outlets you need to have one strong voice that speaks only to your ideal client. 

For example: 

If you know that your ideal client will be on a livery yard, create a package that will entice livery yards to contact you. Advertise in livery yards. Network with yard owners. By targeting a group, you become the go to photographer for livery yard photo shoots.  

Your ideal client needs to connect with you on a personal level, too. Your passion is also theirs. Your client must like you and be intrigued by your work and life.  

We have found that through marketing, we’ve allowed potential clients to see inside our working lives. They love to see behind the scenes and feel like they are getting to know us on another level.  

All of this allows the client to fall for our business and photography. 

Step by Step: 

1. Download and print out Training Barns ‘Building your Profile’ blueprint
2. Fill in as much as possible
3. Repeat to build more than one profile
4. Review these profiles and start planning your marketing strategy to target ONLY these profiles 
5. Review this process as often as you feel your target market is changing (We suggest at least once a year). 

Are you a product collector?

 By Hannah Freeland

I’m going to paint you a picture, and I want you to admit if this is you.

You’ve been to SWPP, you picked up all of the brochures on anything that took your fancy, you watched demonstrations of software, cameras, lenses and gizmos. You spoke to lots of trade stands about their frames or albums, while they tell you how amazing their product is and that you can get 75% off if you purchase in the next 3 minutes (ok, that’s an exaggeration, but you get it). You were inspired, energised and you had a plan.

Then you got home, with all of these brochures and thought “Ah! I just want it all!”

You ponder on it for a while, you don’t narrow it down to those perfect products for your clients, but instead you add 8 more products onto your price list and 12 new print sizes.

Starting to sound familiar?

3 months past and low and behold it’s time for the Photography Show at the NEC. You make an agreement with yourself that you will go, be strategic and make final decisions on the products that will make your price list, but wait, that frame company has a new type of floating box with illumination backing, none of my competition have that, well that ought to be added.

And it goes on.

We have ALL been there. We get swept away because we can see how good these products allow our images to look. We also want to spend money on products that will help our clients spend money with us in return.

Here is a harsh truth that you may not want to hear…

The product doesn’t actually matter, its ALL about the image.

Let me explain…

Of course, you need to pick a supplier who produces a great and worthy product. You need a product to showcase your images and you need to rely on the supplier to help you if something goes wrong.

But here’s the thing, your client isn’t buying the frame, the box or the presentation case. They are buying the IMAGE. Do you see the difference? I’m going to admit to each and every one of you now, I fell into this whirlpool of product dysfunction.

I ordered 12 different frames for my studio, each with a different sized image and each with a different frame style. I also ordered a 3 in 1 and a 9 in 1 frame sample. I then ordered 2 canvases. I ordered an acrylic. I had a coffee table book and a big album with different album cover material options.

Hi my name is Hannah and I was a Product Collector!!!

Here’s what I was thinking…

• There will be something here that they want. If they don’t like black frames then they will like the wooden ones- don’t worry, I’ve got one of those.
• If they don’t want a super posh album, then I can sell them the coffee table book.
• If they have a modern house, then they’ll probably want acrylics not frames

On and on and on…

Now, what I actually did to my client was this:

• Here is the car of your dreams… now, what colour would you like? What interior style? What wheel size? Alloys? Smart technology inside? Fuel type? (you get the point)

Or, do you think your perfect client would rather:

• Here is the car of your dreams, these are the 2 colours available and you can have the sports package or the travellers package.

I know which one looks better.

The point is, they are buying the image. The product is irrelevant. They trust that you have thought about the inks, paper, mount, glass, backing, frame, wood, album covers, gluing and delivery. They just want to choose from a few high-quality add-ons to show off their memory.

What’s in store for our exclusive 3 day course?

We couldn’t be happier to announce that we have opened up the course dates for the much sought after Business of Equine Photography course!

This 3 day intensive course will be held on 11th-13th September 2018 at the Training Barn studio in Burley, Hampshire.

Not heard about this course yet? Want more info? Keep reading…

Do you have these questions running through your head?   “I want to make money from my photography business, but I don’t know how” “I feel like I have so much un-tapped potential but don’t know where to start” “I love horses and photography and dream of working with them both every day” “I need to invest in a business mentor but Im too scared to commit” “I want to be properly guided, face to face and helped with my equine photography business, not just a course that teaches photography”

Don’t worry- you are not alone! If these questions sound familiar, then you are perfect for this course.

The Business of Equine Photography course has grown so popular over the years, that we have launched these extra dates just for you, in order to fit one last course in this year. 

 

Already interested? Fill out our form and sign up today!

SIGN UP TODAY!

 

A quick glance: 

Over the 3 days, we will be covering the business of equine photography and 3 live photo shoots.

Everything will be covered, from creating stunning, saleable images, through to the client experience, marketing, branding, networking, collaborating and much much more…

Let’s break it down…

BUSINESS, MARKETING & PROMOTION

Everything you need to know about running a successful equine portrait business

• • Business Foundations
  • Target Market
  • Profiles
  • Portfolio
  • Pricing
  • Products
  • The Sales Process

   

  • Client Experience
  • Workflows
  • Templates
  • Mindset
  • The Final Touches
  • The Extra’s
  • The Plan Moving Forward

 

• 3 Creative, Equine Photo Shoots
• Beautiful Locations
• Understanding the Psychology and Behaviour Of A Horse
• Comprehensive Instruction and Guidance On Technique
• Lighting & Posing For Both Horse & Owner

• Structuring A Shoot – Start To Finish
• Finding The Best Backdrops
• Tips & Tricks On The Unpredictable
• Portfolio Images
• Technical Help With Software & Gear

 

AND IF THAT WASN’T ENOUGH, ALSO INCLUDED:

• Private Facebook group for help and support while you get yourself set up
• A private membership site for helpful PDF’s and Checklists
• Bonus Recordings
• Online access to course material and templates
• Join like minded creatives on this 3 day intense journey to help support and encourage each other
• Refreshments and light lunches

All of this for just £1500!

There are only 6 exclusive spaces available- so be sure sign up soon!

SIGN UP TODAY!

We will ensure you are right for the course and are very happy to answer any questions you have before you commit.

If you would like to speak to one of the team, pick up the phone and call 01225 793436 or 07890 738283.

If you know you are ready for this and it’s exactly what you have been waiting for then click the link above, enter your details and lets get your equine photography business to the TOP!

Love Emily and Hannah