Top 5 things I use for my equine photography business

1. Database and management software

I use Lightblue for storing clients’ details and organising photo shoots. This is where I create leads, booked clients, shoots, workflows, invoicing, ordering and any follow ups.

I have tried many different databases and CRM’s in the past and although Lightblue isn’t the prettiest, it’s the most efficient and very easy to use. It does what it says on the tin.

2. 70-200mm lens.

This may surprise some people but I use 1 lens for 99% of my equine portrait shoots. This is my trusted 70-200mm. It is such a wonderful lens and gives me the ability to be far enough away from my client that I’m not in their face but close enough that I don’t need to shout the directions.

3. Landline phone with headset

I spend hours on the telephone. It was actually a slight fear for me, picking up the phone. When I have worked for other people the phone was never daunting, I would be the first to pick it up. I’m a people-pleaser, so the phone has always been a way of connecting with people.

When it came to picking up the phone for my own business, this was a little harder. However, I now have an old fashioned office phone with an answer machine and a blue tooth head set. The headset has been the game changer. It means I can walk around if I need to stretch the mind (and legs) on a creative call or I can type notes as I go.

4. Podcasts

My love for podcasts is true and here to stay. I spend SO much time in my car that without podcasts I would lose about 15hrs a week in listening time. I get to grow and discover new business practices, mindset challenges and general inspiration from influencers.

I currently have a list of 25 Podcast shows and this list will keep growing. This list includes The Archers and Desert Island Discs – It’s good to chill out sometimes!

5. Connections

It will be of no surprise that I believe in the phrase “it’s not what you know but who you know”. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, as with photography, you have to know something, but when you are running your own business the best steps I have taken have been because of a connection I made.

For example:

When I moved to Bath, I introduced myself to the owner of the flat underneath us. He happened to be an architectural photographer and we spoke most days. One day he mentioned that he had been asked to photograph a rider and it wasn’t his bag and did I want the gig? It paid £350 for 2hrs work. Sure I said (of course) that rider was Harry Meade and I went on to a personal project with Harry for 3.5yrs!

A week in the Life of Emily Hancock

My life, you could say, somewhat changed following the addition of my two beautiful bundles of joy. I am no longer 100% focused on me and my business working; no longer working 60 hr weeks. So you won’t be surprised to read that my working day is frankly no more than a quick sprint.  Hear goes the week in the Life of Emily (I think I am going to surprise myself…)

Monday

8.00 Drop Kids at School

9.00 Meeting with Stuart and Hannah – Strategy brainstorm

12.00 Working lunch catch up on Emails

1.00pm Go through presentation for tonight’s webinar

3.00pm Pick up Kids

4.00pm Mummy time with kids, dinner, bath bed routine

7.00pm Back in the studio for Training Webinar

9.00pm Finished Webinar

Tuesday

8.00 Drop Kids at School

9.00 Creative morning-  produce new art piece

12.00 Working lunch catch up on Emails

1.00pm Business progression – marketing, reaching out to potential connections

3.00pm Pick up Kids

4.00pm Mummy time with kids, dinner, bath bed routine

7.30pm Choir

9.30pm Home

Wednesday

8.00 Drop Barny at School – Hettie staying home with me today

9.00 Tidy house

11.45 Personal Training Session

1.00pm Baking/Art/making a big mess/play with Hettie

3.00pm Pick up Barny

4.00pm Mummy time with kids, dinner, bath bed routine

6.00pm Mastermind Skype call

8.30pm Read and relax

Thursday

8.00 Drop Kids at School

9.30 Training Client arrives at Studio

4.00pm Finish Training day – Mummy time with kids, dinner, bath bed routine

7.00pm Creative Evening in studio

9.30pm Home to read and relax

Friday

8.00 Drop Kids at School

9.00 Catch up with work; a bit of everything- marketing, promoting, creation…

3.00pm Pick up Kids

4.00pm Back to school for Parents Meeting

6.00pm Give blood

7.00pm Back home with curry in hand

8.00pm Relax and enjoy some time with hubby.

Saturday and Sundays are almost always family days together, many years ago I decided I would not work weekends and it’s been the best thing ever- it didn’t affect my business- no one even noticed.  So there you have it- a week in the life of a creative mum!

My Modelling Experience with the Training Barn

I recently volunteered to model for the Training Barn on an equine photo shoot. They had a group of 6 friendly photographers who were keen to hone their photography skills, using my pony and I as their subject!

It was an exciting morning. I was up at the crack of dawn- apparently this time of day hosts the best light! It was the morning after the first lot of rain we’d had in weeks- my grey pony had made the most of this and was completely black- An emergency bath was in order!

By 8am we were ready to go. Emily and Hannah led the shoot and posed my pony and I in various beautiful locations; in the woods and out on the heath in the middle of the New Forest.

My pony, however, not used to the modelling world, was a little impatient and was more interested in scoffing or going back to his field mates than looking smart and posing for photos!! He was a real fidget, but Emily and Hannah were really helpful and professional and made sure we kept moving so that my pony didn’t get bored too quickly!

In the end, it was a really fun morning. Even with my fidgety pony, the girls managed to capture some really amazing shots. I even got a USB of the final images- I couldn’t be happier with the results!

What does your portfolio say about you?

By Hannah Freeland

We all know that the first thing a potential client wants to see is our portfolio of work, but what are they looking for?

• Who have we previously photographed?
• What type of feeling comes across in the image?
• What does a typical client look like for the photographer?
• What type of yard do they photograph at?
• Are they an expert?
• Are they horsey and understand when a horse looks good?
• Have they worked with anyone famous?

And many many more, but the point is – clients won’t be looking for 100 images to ensure you have photographed thousands of clients in every possible location. Your client wants to view 10-20 beautiful images that speak to them. You need to put what you do best – RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM.

What is it that you bring to a shoot? For example:

• Dramatic shots with dark backgrounds
• Children and ponies are your thing
• Smart dressage horses with the rider in all of their gear

Whatever your ‘thing’ is, make sure you throw it in your potential clients face when they look at your portfolio.

My ‘thing’ is capturing the bond. I love the quiet moments that happen naturally while my clients are simply adoring their horse. This is what’s shown in my portfolio, and I have heard clients tell me hundreds of times they just love the connection I capture.

People will talk themselves out of it

 I remember reading once that if you show a client 10 perfect images that match what they are looking for then they will purchase. If you show them 99 perfect images and 1 that doesn’t speak to them, they will walk away and find another photographer. People will find excuses for not booking, it’s part of our makeup.

It’s a harsh reality, but it’s another reason why we must make sure we have the following checklist ticked off when building our portfolio:

• Are you 100% happy with each and every one of them? If you’re not sure about the image – TAKE IT OUT of your portfolio.
• Is your target market in your portfolio?
• Is your ideal location to photograph in your portfolio?
• Can you replicate the results in the portfolio?
• Is it clear what your ‘thing’ is?
• Does it flow nicely and give a great overview of your brand?

If you cannot answer YES to these questions, take a look through your hard drives, re-edit your images and get out there and shoot to fill this check list!

Last but not least, as I could write about Portfolios for days… when was the last time you updated yours?

People love to follow photographers for years before they book with them, believe me!

Make sure you are always showing your best and most current work.

Why I love Ashley Longshore Art 

I have followed Ashley Longshore for some time now. I was told about her by one of my business mentors, who said she sells her work on Instagram- and it literally sells out in minutes. I’m not talking one piece being sold. I’m talking, like, hundreds of pieces being sold within minutes of her posting “the shop is open”.  

I got sucked in left right and centre- this lady is the most incredible, insanely talented, honest, authentic version of herself you could possibly imagine. If you check her out, she might not be your cup of tea. But you know what? She gives every artist and every woman the encouragement, the motivation and the belief that she can smash her goals, her dreams and the world. Because Ashley did.   

She says this overnight success was not overnight success. It was 24 years of hard graft, copious amounts of rejection and people telling her to go get a proper job. And yet, she stayed the course, she kept her head down, kept hustling and finally she made her dream come true. And she believes we all can too. She is one of the most famous living artists, financially rocking the world and living her dream right now.  

I decided I wanted to order a painting from her. So as soon as she had released her new limited edition paintings I logged on to Instagram and went straight to the link…. SOLD OUT SOLD OUT is all I saw. Disappointed I was reading the 100’s of comments below the post… “I’m so upset I wasn’t quick enough” …“when are you next releasing work”… “I’m gonna be quicker next time” …“I WILL get one of your pieces eventually- I will!”.

I looked around her website a bit longer and manged to buy her book – completely and utterly inspirational, written about her journey as an artist. But the best bit about my purchase was the email I received. It made me laugh so hard that I printed it off and have kept it on my desk to remind me to be myself, be authentic and don’t be scared of who you are and who is listening. Have a read below… 

My earliest photography memory

By Hannah Freeland

I was recently asked about how photography entered my life. I had to really think about this as there was no ‘lightbulb’ moment.

When I was about 6-7 I borrowed my father’s film cameras and started photographing objects around the house and garden.

I remember picking a single rose from the garden, bringing it into the house, finding my mum’s cut crystal vase and setting up the rose and vase onto the dresser for the oak back drop. I had no idea why I was doing this, but I just wanted to style something and make it my own. I played with this for hours, turning the rose so only the perfections could be seen, making sure the vase had no marks on it and giving space around them both.

Waiting for films to be developed was so normal then. The excitement would build and I would constantly beg mum to pay for the 1hr turn around. ‘Absolutely not Hannah, the 1-week turnaround is fine’, oh the agony.

I used to photograph my animals constantly. We still have 100’s of images of the dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens and of course the ponies. I just wanted to capture the love I had for them.

I assumed that others wanted to see of the cute things they would do, like my horse eating hay in his stable… It’s incredible right?

When I was about 12, I had a best friend also called Hannah. We devised a plan to get our ponies to live together, and would you believe it, we pulled it off! So Rudolf and Candy lived together on my grandparent’s farm and we were able to ride together and spend entire weekends at the stables together.

I asked Hannah if I could take some photos of her and Candy (like the magazines, I told her) at the stables. I wanted to take pictures of her, in her riding gear with her pony Candy, looking cute. She of course obliged and posed for hours with Candy.

Little did I know that I had just lit a fire inside. I had such fun that day, but when you have that much fun doing something you assume that this is your hobby. Another thing to do in your spare time when you’re not working and earning your living.

I now see so many children and young adults taking thousands of images on their phones and instantly getting the feedback from friends online. I wish they could feel the same joy I used to, at taking 1 picture with your film camera and the anticipation of waiting for it to be developed. The problem with instant feedback, is it’s instantly moved on from. The creation, the excitement, anticipation and waiting makes moments worth holding on for- something I can sense when clients wait for their special images to be viewed for the very first time!

Why I used to charge £90 for a whole shoot, and I’m not even sad about it. 

By Hannah Freeland

Back in 2006 I owned and ran my own website and graphic design company.  

I set it up, trained myself in running a business and hired a team to support me as I walked through the trenches.  

I worked with wonderful clients on exciting projects and managed to travel to inspiring places around the UK.  

While I was working alongside these clients I would offer my ‘Photography’ skills on the side. We would be building a website for a vet client and I would suggest we do a photo shoot for the imagery. I would offer my services, with my Canon DSLR, for £90!  

Yup, you heard me right. £90. 

I would include all of the images for this price, editing time and delivery.  

Let me tell you my reasoning behind this price:- 

It wasn’t because I didn’t think the images were worth more and it wasn’t because I didn’t value my time. 

It was because I just LOVED photography to such an extent that I was just so happy if someone let me loose with their product or company and photograph their vision.  

I was being paid to create the website, the graphic designs and the clients online structure. The photography was the part of the job where I felt it was my down time, and where I could really use my imagination. They were actually willing to pay me and extra £90 to work on my photography and hone my skills…in my head – that’s a win, win!  

So, when I look back, it’s only with positivity.  

The lessons I learnt for £90:- 

• How to use my camera for product shots 
• How to photograph products on different coloured backgrounds 
• How to use lighting 
• How to edit product images 
• How to capture lifestyle shots with a commercial twist 
• How to capture images that the client’s audience would engage with 
• How to use natural light 
• How to use my camera to its fullest 
• How to use my editing software 
• How to export images for websites 
• How to create a bank of images clients can use for their touch points 
• How to resize for print 
• How to work with 6 different subjects for one photo shoot

The list goes on and on – but without diversifying this way in my other business, offering this service that I loved from the bottom of my heart, I would have never had the opportunity to develop my love for photography. I would have also had to work for FREE in order to gain this experience! 

Whenever we do work for cheap or for free there HAS to be a reason. None of us can survive without getting paid. We can’t pay our mortgage with a shout-out in a magazine. We can’t pay our electricity bill with client testimonials.  

What we can do, and you need to be strategic and clever with free or cheap work, is LEARN, GAIN EXPERIENCE and GROW.  

Make sure you are grateful for each and every experience you take and remember not to miss any that will add to your knowledge. 

20 Facts about Me 

 By Hannah Freeland

1. I have loved and ridden horses since I was 2
2. I have 3 sisters, of which I am the eldest, and they are my best friends
3. I am useless at Cross Country- I’m just not brave enough!
4. I didn’t know being a full time equine photographer was a job or business until 12 years ago
5. I believe furniture should be moved frequently for a clear mind and because my Mum does it
6. I swapped from Canon to Nikon a year ago
7. I have a trusted team around me who help support and run things with me
8. I’ve had a business and photography mentor for 9 years
9. I continue to be surprised at how beautiful horses are with their owners on every single shoot
10. I worked with Harry Meade for 3 years photographing behind the scenes. It was only supposed to be one event! We continue to be firm friends and I miss the adventure on daily basis, but I’m also happy that I’m creating my own adventure
    
11. I’m jealous of other people’s self-confidence
12. Time genuinely flies past on photo shoots – it’s when I am at my happiest
13. I am constantly trying to diet, however, my will power is my enemy
14. I have a retired horse called Twiggy
15. I love driving; and its part of the job. It gives me the chance to listen to the MANY podcasts that I subscribe to
16. I am constantly learning new strategies for running my business
17. I feel it takes me longer to come to conclusions than others
18. I am 35
19. I am grateful for my work and life, each and every day
20. I don’t ever want to get off of this ride

20 things you might not know about me

By Emily Hancock

• I am a book worm – you will always find me reading when I have 5 minutes
• I play the piano and sing
• I play the Ukulele (loosely speaking…!)
• I can ski and snowboard
• I’m OBSESSED with stationary
• I have a huge stamp collection- over a decades-worth, in fact!
• I have a very large family- at my wedding my immediate family took up 60 seats!
• I am a dog person
• I have owned horses all my life
• I competed in Dressage competitions up to Advanced level
• I took 2 gap years and travelled the world
• I have a BSc degree in human biology
• I have been with my husband for nearly 20 years
• I love the countryside
• I love my vegetable patch- I grow a massive assortment every year!
• I keep a journal and write in it every day
• I am the youngest (and the quietest!) in my family of 5 brothers and sisters
• I have eaten marmite on toast for breakfast nearly every day for the last 35 years…I’m a woman of routine, what can I say!
• My hair is totally uncontrollable I look like a witch when it hasn’t been tamed
• My main goal in life is for me and my family to be happy, embrace every moment and enjoy the ride.

🙂

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.