The Pet Photographers' Journal

Michelle Marchant used to be flat out for two months, then drop off to nothing. Leads were never her problem. She had them coming in, she just did not know what to do with them once they landed. Now she has eleven bookings sitting in her calendar for August and September, a three week holiday booked over the top of them, and no stress about either. In this episode, Ina sits down with Michelle Marchant of Captured Hearts Photography in the Dandenong Ranges, Melbourne. Michelle has been in business for about ten years and has worked with Ina one on one. She shares exactly what changed when she stopped running her marketing on the fly and built a proper pet photography marketing plan, a follow up process for her leads, and full pricing transparency before the session. This is a real look at how consistent bookings actually get built, numbers included. Key takeaways Leads were never the bottleneck. Michelle already had a good filtering process and knew which marketing worked. What she did not have was anything that happened after a lead came in. A three email nurture sequence and a consultation script closed that gap. One question she was not asking in the consult changed the whole conversation. What is your why. Why do you want this, why did you enter the competition. It opens up a real conversation, and it hands her ideas for what to capture, which lifts the sale. Past coaches had told her not to disclose pricing before a session, and it never sat right with her. "I felt like I was handing over a surprise." She now sends the full pricing list once a client books, gives it earlier on request, and her pre session questionnaire asks whether they have looked at it with the link right there. Between transparent pricing and a reworked price list with more collections, her average sale moved from around $1,500 to $1,800 up to about $2,200 across the last six months. Clients who tell her they are just going to take the minimum package regularly land between $2,000 and $3,000. A $250 Facebook ad run over one week for Mother's Day brought in about 80 leads and 10 bookings. That is $25 a booking. May went from her usual four to six sessions up to eleven, and the campaign worked so well she did not need to run the autumn campaign she had planned. Michelle does not rely on one campaign to book out six months. She runs several across the year, targeting different people, bringing in a few bookings from each. "A campaign can do so well one time. You try it again and it's the opposite." Her Pets of the Hills calendar fundraiser for a local wildlife shelter raises around $4,000 to $5,000, with Bendigo Bank sponsoring the printing for the third year running. Fundraiser clients arrive thinking they are doing her a favour, so she added a phone consult and an in person studio consultation to shift that. Two of the highest sales she has ever had came through it in the last few weeks, one of them over $4,000. The first half of this calendar year has already brought in over $60,000 in revenue, against a goal of four sessions a month at a $2,200 to $2,500 average sale. One thing to try this week Ask every enquiry why. Why they want this, why they entered. Then use what they tell you to plan what you photograph. About Michelle Michelle Marchant is the founder and photographer behind Captured Hearts Photography in the Dandenong Ranges, Melbourne. She picked up a camera in a high school photography class, went on to a Bachelor of Arts, and worked as a camera assistant in the film industry before launching her own portrait business about ten years ago. She photographs families, couples and single pet owners with their pets, works on an in person sales model from her studio, and runs the Pets of the Hills calendar fundraiser for a local wildlife shelter. Connect with Michelle Website: capturedheartsphotography.com.au Facebook: Captured Hearts by Michelle Instagram: @ capturedhearts_bymichelle Also mentioned in this episode Global Image Products , where Michelle first saw Ina's work on display Consistent Bookings Audit If you're getting inconsistent bookings and you don't know what's causing it, do the free consistent booking audit quiz to find out which gaps is costing you. Complete the audit here. The Consistent Bookings Mastermind The Consistent Bookings Mastermind is a 6 month group coaching program aimed to help you build your repeatable marketing system with implementation support and accountability. Click here to learn more and apply for the mastermind. Join the Pet Photographers' Collective (free community) A free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, Ina shares practical marketing tips, business lessons and mindset shifts, and free resources. Join here → https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1 Connect with Ina Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographers

For years I did what everyone tells you to do. I posted consistently, I showed up on social media, I made sure my website was SEO optimised. And I was still sitting there waiting for the bookings to come in. Last year, more than half my bookings came from campaigns I deliberately launched. Book projects, giveaways, being physically present at expos and markets, and the business relationships I built through them. I can track exactly one booking directly to a reel. That's not an argument against social media. It's an argument about what social media is actually for. In this episode I'm walking through the four passive marketing foundations every pet photographer needs, why they're not optional, and why none of them will fill your calendar in the week you need bookings. This is Part 2 of a two-parter. Part 1 was the full breakdown of one of my active campaigns, the Facebook ads that turned $688.80 into over $30,000 in sales. In this episode: What passive marketing actually is, and the honest reason it works slowly Why a marketing campaign is smaller than you think, and what makes something a campaign Your Google Business Profile, and why it matters for AI search now, not just Google What your website has to say about you, beyond being SEO optimised Why "I don't want to be spammy" is costing you bookings, and how often I clean my list The client who booked because a newsletter landed in her inbox at the right moment What your social media is really for, and why a caption without a call to action gets you nothing Where my bookings actually came from last year, tracked honestly Why you can't build a custom audience without passive marketing underneath it The 24 hours I lost access to Instagram, and what saved me One thing to try this week: look at your last 90 days of bookings. How many came from something you deliberately launched, and how many came from someone who just happened to find you? That split tells you exactly where to put your effort next. Work with me in the Marketing System Workshop The Pet Photography Marketing System Workshop is where you build your own campaign with me, in the room. Three live sessions where we build your ideal client, your messaging, and one campaign planned start to finish, that you run again every season. The next cohort starts 13 August. Enrol in The Pet Photography Marketing System Workshop here 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective (free community) A free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, Ina shares practical marketing tips, business lessons and mindset shifts, and free resources. Join the Skool Community here ✨ Off the Record Segment Ran a marketing campaign that didn't work and you're not sure why? Send me a voice note or a DM on Instagram and I'll break it down on the show. You can stay anonymous 📲 Connect with me Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Free Consistent Bookings Audit (find your gap in getting consistent bookings): https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographers

I spent $688.80 on Facebook ads over 13 days. That turned into $33,495 in sales. I keep hearing that nobody's spending right now, and that giveaways don't work because all they attract is freebie seekers. So in this episode I'm breaking down my National Love Your Pet Day campaign start to finish. What I ran, what it made, and the part I got wrong. Facebook ads for pet photographers can absolutely work. Mine returned 48.6 times what I put in. But the ads were never the thing that made it work, and I'm honest in here about where mine leaked. 191 leads turned into 13 bookings, which is a 6.8% conversion rate. The same style of campaign in 2024 converted at 25%. If you've been thinking about running a giveaway or a seasonal campaign and you're not sure it's worth the money, this is the whole thing, numbers included. In this episode: Why I set a booking and revenue goal before I spent a dollar, and where I write it down How to pick an anchor event, and why you can invent one if you need to The real numbers: $688.80 in ad spend, 191 leads, 13 bookings, $33,495 in sales Lead ads versus traffic ads, and why cheaper leads are not always better leads Why your ad copy has to call out your ideal client, not just your ad set targeting The difference between nurture and follow up, and why most giveaways fail on one of them My 6.8% conversion rate against 25% in 2024, and where I think it went wrong The follow-up process I did including the afternoon I called 90 people Why getting someone into a consultation is the whole game, and what happens once they're there How knowing your conversion rate tells you exactly what your next campaign has to generate One thing to try this week: work out your actual conversion rate from your last campaign, or from your last ninety days. Leads in, bookings out. That one number tells you how many leads your next campaign needs. Work with me in the Marketing System Workshop The Pet Photography Marketing System Workshop is where you build your own campaign with me, in the room. Three live sessions where we build your ideal client, your messaging, and one campaign planned start to finish, that you run again every season. The next cohort starts 13 August. Enrol in The Pet Photography Marketing System Workshop here 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective (free community) A free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, Ina shares practical marketing tips, business lessons and mindset shifts, and free resources. Join the Skool Community here ✨ Off the Record Segment Ran a marketing campaign that didn't work and you're not sure why? Send me a voice note or a DM on Instagram and I'll break it down on the show. You can stay anonymous 📲 Connect with me Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Free Consistent Bookings Audit (find your gap in getting consistent bookings): https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographers

When someone tells me AI content all sounds the same, I don't argue. I agree, somewhat. Most people are giving AI basic prompts and getting generic AI slop back. In this episode I'm sharing the difference between AI slop and AI that amplifies your actual voice, and exactly how I use it across my pet photography business and my coaching business with a human-first approach. My brain-dump workflow (one 10 to 20 minute voice note becomes emails, podcast outlines, reels and carousels, in my voice), the litmus test every piece has to pass, my honest answer to "isn't using AI cheating", where I draw my own line (no AI image or video generation), and the client tool I built with Claude Code without knowing how to write a single line of code. Plus what one of my Mastermind clients, Aubri, built for her own studio with no coding experience at all. Links and resources mentioned Free live Claude workshop, Thursday 30 July Bring 3 to 5 samples of your own writing (written by you, not AI) plus your business information. We'll build your slim context file and your Brand Voice DNA together, live, so Claude knows your business and your content sounds like you. Live on Zoom, Thursday 30 July, 10am AEST (Wednesday 29 July, 8pm ET / 5pm PT). Replay available for 72 hours only. Register here: https://www.inajphotography.com.au/claude-workshop 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective (free community) A free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, I share practical marketing tips, business lessons and mindset shifts, and free resources. Join here: https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1 📲 Connect with me Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Free Consistent Bookings Audit: https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographers

A disappointing ordering appointment usually looks like one of a few things. They don’t show up. They turn up and say, my gosh, this is so expensive, or I thought this included all the digitals. Or you relied on them to book it in, and they ghosted you. It feels like it fell apart on the day. It didn’t. Something was broken earlier in the process, before the session ever happened. In this episode I’m breaking down why the sale process shouldn’t start at the ordering appointment, what my own client journey looks like so there are no surprises, and a real planning call from this week where I knew exactly what formats I’d be shooting for before the session. Plus the consultation questions that plant the seed, the tells that show you who values artwork, and how I use AI to create the content that does this educating, without letting it write everything for me. The episode covers: Where the sale actually starts (and what your consultation, questionnaire, and nurture sequence are doing in the background) What I ask on a planning call that shapes the entire shoot before I pick up my camera How to make sure clients arrive at the ordering appointment already thinking about their wall, not being introduced to the idea for the first time Where AI fits into building the content that does this education work for you, week after week, without you writing every caption from scratch One thing to try this week: pull up your consultation questions and check whether any of them get the client imagining the finished photo in their home, not just what they want photographed. Links and Resources Mentioned: Free live Claude workshop On Thursday 30 July (Wednesday 29 July in the US) I’m running a free live workshop where we build a slim context file so Claude knows your business, your pricing and your offers, then your own Brand Voice DNA document, so your content sounds more like you and can educate clients about the artwork long before they book. Live on Zoom, 10am AEST, replay available. Register here: https://www.inajphotography.com.au/claude-workshop 🎓 The Pet Photography Marketing System Workshop, next cohort starts 13 August My paid workshop for pet photographers who want a marketing system that brings in consistent bookings, not random ones. Details and registration: https://www.inajphotography.com.au/the-pet-photography-marketing-system-workshop 💬 Join the Pet Photographers’ Collective (free community) A free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, I share practical marketing tips, business lessons and mindset shifts, and free resources. It’s also where you’ll hear about the next free training first. Join here: https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1 🐾 Struggling with disappointing ordering appointments? Ghosting, low sales, clients surprised by pricing. This is something I work on closely with my Mastermind clients, from the client journey to the consultation to the ordering appointment itself. Learn more: https://www.inajphotography.com.au/mastermind 📲 Connect with me Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Free Consistent Bookings Audit: https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographers

Back when I charged around $250 a session, my marketing sounded like every other pet photographer's. Pet photography pricing works differently now, and generic AI content can do the same damage that generic marketing always did: it makes you impossible to tell apart from anyone else. In this episode I'm breaking down why generic content, including lazy AI-generated content, makes you blend in with the big ocean of photographers, and why that's the real reason you can't raise your prices, not your market, not your niche. I get into what AI slop actually looks like, the anchor line I keep coming back to (using AI isn't the problem, using it lazily is), and how consistent branding and positioning since 2023, not AI, is what actually lets you charge for the artwork instead of the files. In this episode Why generic content leaves price as the only thing left to compare you on The mindset issue behind "nobody in my market will pay more" What AI slop actually looks like: emojis, short sentences, "this is not X, it's Y," and em dashes everywhere Using AI isn't the problem. Using it lazily is. How I turn 15 to 20 minutes of voice notes into content with a human-first process, not a copy-paste prompt Why consistent branding and positioning, not AI, is what let one of my mastermind clients land a $9,000 sale from a single client Why I use AI in my own business, and where my line is One thing to try this week One thing to try this week: read your last five captions or emails back and ask honestly, could any pet photographer have written this? If yes, that's the gap. Links and Resources Mentioned Register for the free live Claude workshop, Thursday 30 July: inajphotography.com.au/claude-workshop Free Claude workshop On Thursday 30 July I'm running a free live workshop. We build a slim context file so AI actually knows your real business, then your own Brand Voice DNA, so AI finally writes like you instead of like everyone else. Live on Zoom, 10am AEST (Wednesday 29 July, 8pm ET / 5pm PT), replay up for 72 hours. Register here: inajphotography.com.au/claude-workshop 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective (free community) A free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, I share practical marketing tips, business lessons and mindset shifts, and free resources. Join here: skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125 📲 Connect with me Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Free Consistent Bookings Audit: inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: inajphotography.com/for-photographers

Not long ago, Stacey Sherman's pet photography business still felt like a hobby. It wasn't the real, paying business she wanted, and it frustrated her. A self-described procrastinator who struggled hugely with confidence. Today she's opening her second studio. In this episode, Ina sits down with Stacey Sherman of BarkHop Studio, a founding member of the Consistent Bookings Mastermind, for an honest client story. Stacey shares what actually shifted for her: how she found the confidence to back herself and negotiate, how she started taking consistent action instead of putting things off, and how she built marketing she can turn on and off, including the community events that now bring her whole town out. If you know the marketing you should be doing to grow your pet photography business but keep putting it off, this one's for you. Key takeaways You don't need more information, you need to see it made real. As a visual learner, what unlocked Stacey was seeing Ina's actual assets, not another abstract course. Your community events are marketing. Strut Your Mutt drew 400 people, 200 dogs and 30-plus vendors, and built partnerships that market her for free. A campaign doesn't have to be a big scary thing. Build it once, keep the assets, tweak and repeat. Confidence is the real product. From imposter syndrome to a second studio, a VA and 19 booked sessions. Her two words: motivation and confidence. Turn the marketing tap on and off. A repeatable system lets you switch it on for bookings and pause it when life needs you. One thing to try this week Look at the events you're already doing and write down which ones are actually marketing. Get next quarter's one repeatable event onto your calendar now, before you're scrambling to pull it together. About Stacey Stacey Sherman is the photographer behind BarkHop Studio, a studio pet photography business she has built over two and a half years. A former family photographer, she found her way to pet work through fostering and rescue, with a second studio on the way. She is a founding member of Ina's Consistent Bookings Mastermind. Connect with Stacey Website: http://barkhopstudio.com/ Instagram: http://instagram.com/barkhopstudio Work with me in the Mastermind Stacey's story is exactly what the Mastermind is built for. The Consistent Bookings Mastermind is open for enrolment: a group coaching container focused on implementation support to help you build your repeatable marketing system, with full support across pricing, sales and mindset. inajphotography.com.au/mastermind Not ready yet? Start with the Free Consistent Bookings Audit : inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective (free) Join the free community on Skool ✨ Want to Be Coached Live? (Off the Record) Drop a voice note or DM on Instagram (@inaj.thepetphotoceo), first name or anonymous. 📲 Connect with Ina Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo · Email: ina@inajphotography.com · Mentoring & Coaching

If you've ever felt like you're posting and posting and still staring at an empty calendar, this one's for you. In this episode I'm sharing a small change to the podcast (more solo episodes, and moving to fortnightly), and why that decision is actually the exact lesson I want to talk about: doing more isn't what gets you booked. Doing the right things, on purpose, is. I break down the difference between passive marketing (your social media, your blog, your SEO) and active marketing (campaigns that actually create a reason to book), and I walk you through a real campaign I'm running in my own studio right now, Dogs of the Season. I'm also launching a new segment called Off the Record. If there's something you're stuck on, send me an anonymous voice note and I'll coach you through it on air. In this episode: Why posting more often isn't the same as being booked Passive vs active marketing, and why you need both The Dogs of the Season campaign, start to finish How a 12-month marketing calendar lets you plan once and repeat Why marketing now is what fills your spring and autumn seasons One active campaign to plan this week Work with me in the mastermind The mastermind is currently open for enrolment. It's a group coaching container focusing on implementation support to help you build your repeatable marketing system along with comprehensive support of your business from pricing, sales, and mindset. Click here for more info: The Consistent Bookings Mastermind 📲 Connect with Ina Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Drop me a voice note or DM on instagram for the "Off the Record Segment". Email: ina@inajphotography.com Free Consistent Bookings Audit - find your gap in getting consistent bookings: https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographers

Have you ever scrolled past a shelter dog and thought "that photo doesn't do them justice"? Adam Goldberg had the same thought, and he did something about it. Adam is the founder of AGold Photos and the creator of Second Shot, a mission-driven adoption photography programme placing professional photographers inside shelters to give animals a real chance at being seen. What started as weekend volunteering has grown into a network spanning five shelters across the US, with a goal of reaching 50 in the next three years. In this episode, Adam shares the full story of how Second Shot came to life, how the model actually works, and what he's looking for in photographers who want to get involved. What We Cover How Adam's photography career started inside a shelter and why he never really left The transition from shoot-and-burn events to IPS studio and what he learned the hard way Why he walked away from private clients to focus solely on shelter photography What a Second Shot session looks like from start to finish, including how he photographs up to 50 animals a week The three-person system he uses to keep sessions efficient and stress-free for the animals How brand sponsorships fund the whole programme so shelters get the work for free What he looks for in associate photographers and what the pilot programme involves The tools and workflow that make the volume manageable (including AI editing) Where Second Shot is headed and how you can apply to be part of it About Adam Goldberg Adam Goldberg is a professional pet photographer and the founder of AGold Photos, based in Tampa, Florida. He is also the creator of Second Shot, a programme that partners with animal shelters and brands to fund and produce professional photo sessions for adoptable animals. Adam has been photographing shelter animals for 10 years and has raised over $250,000 for animal charities through his work. Links and Resources Mentioned Apply to be a Second Shot associate photographer: secondshotpet.com Adam on Instagram: @agoldphoto Adam's email: adam@secondshotpet.com Evoto AI editing software: Use Discount Code ADAM15 for 15% off on annual subscription plans and 20% off on 200 credits pay-as-you-go. Sign up using this link https://link.evoto.ai/goldberg 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective If you want to sign up for the workshop, join the Pet Photographers' Collective, it's a free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, Ina shares: ✨ Practical marketing tips ✨ Business lessons and mindset shifts ✨ Free resources to help you grow Connect with other photographers who get it and start creating a business that truly supports your life, not consumes it. Join here → https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1 ✨ Want to Be Coached Live? Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29 📲 Connect with Ina Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Free Consistent Bookings Audit - find your gap in getting consistent bookings: https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographer

In one week, it will be a year since I released the very first episode of The Pet Photographers' Journal. I honestly didn't know if I'd still be here doing this. I didn't know if I'd stay consistent. I didn't know if it would matter to anyone. But here we are. Over 5,000 downloads later, and I get messages from photographers telling me these episodes have genuinely helped their businesses. That means everything. This episode is a little different. I want to mark the milestone, share some of what's happened in the last twelve months, including some wins from photographers I've worked with, and then get into something practical. Because after a year of working with pet photographers through workshops, one-on-one coaching, and the Consistent Bookings Mastermind, I've seen the same underlying problem show up again and again: inconsistent bookings. But this problem doesn't always come from the same place. And if you're trying to fix the wrong bottleneck, you'll keep spinning your wheels. So today I'm walking you through the four bottlenecks I see most often, and how to figure out which one is yours. A note before we dive in: this episode was recorded during a hard personal time. My dog James was diagnosed with cancer, and stepping back from parts of the business while navigating that has been genuinely tough. I mention it briefly in the episode. Thank you to everyone who reached out with kind messages. It has meant more than I can say. Resources mentioned: Take the free Consistent Bookings Audit (takes about 5 minutes, gives you a personalised result) → https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit Consistent Bookings Mastermind (six-month small group program) → https://www.inajphotography.com.au/consistent-bookings-mastermind Ep. 9 — Why Your Bookings Are Inconsistent (And It's Not What You Think) → https://open.spotify.com/episode/5mUVzPbNGALeVcKvGUDKlF S2 Ep. 6 — From Overwhelmed with Marketing to Fully Booked for Spring with Sharon Canovas → https://open.spotify.com/episode/4LC6bhrtoIgx1RCKXG4IYH S2 Ep. 13 — From Zero Clients to a $9,000 Sale: Yunet's Pet Photography Story → https://open.spotify.com/episode/5C9OWzfPhdsE8x8x3IuXeY 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective If you want to sign up for the workshop, join the Pet Photographers' Collective, it's a free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, Ina shares: ✨ Practical marketing tips ✨ Business lessons and mindset shifts ✨ Free resources to help you grow Connect with other photographers who get it and start creating a business that truly supports your life, not consumes it. Join here → https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1 ✨ Want to Be Coached Live? Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29 📲 Connect with Ina Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Free Consistent Bookings Audit - find your gap in getting consistent bookings: https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographer

When Kirstie McConnell found out she was moving back to Australia after six years in Italy, she had six months to prepare. By the time she landed in Melbourne, a city where she knew almost no one professionally, she had 26 sessions already booked. Her first three shoots were four days after arriving home. In this episode, Ina sits down with Kirstie, one of Australia's original pet photographers and co-host of the now-closed Pet Photographers Club podcast, to unpack exactly how she did it. This is a masterclass in knowing your numbers, building a client system that does the educating for you, and making third party marketing work the way it's supposed to. Key takeaways: The client should hear about pricing at least 10 times before they ever sit down at the ordering appointment. The voucher says it, the letter says it, the video says it, the questionnaire says it, the phone call confirms it. By the time they are looking at their photos, no one is surprised. Third party marketing works when it is genuinely a win for the partner. If they are not distributing your vouchers, the problem is not the system. It is that you have not made it worth their while. Kirstie does commercial shoots, provides wall art for store fit-outs, and makes the whole process require zero effort from the partner. Sending 80 emails got Kirstie 10 partners. If each of those partners generates 20 clients at a $2,600 average, that is $500,000 in revenue from 80 emails. Do the numbers. The step most photographers skip is the automated funnel between voucher receipt and first phone call. If clients are not converting, this is usually where the leak is. Know your capacity and protect it. Kirstie caps at 12 sessions a month because she knows what happens to quality, turnaround time, and her personal life when she pushes past it. Connect with Kirstie: Instagram: @classicoportraitsaustralia Websites: Classico Portraits Australia: classicoportraits.com.au Classico Portraits Italy: classicoportraits.com Resources mentioned: Wistia (free for a small number of videos): wistia.com Fillout Forms: fillout.com Airtable: airtable.com MailerLite: mailerlite.com Fundy Wall Designer: for superimposing artwork into client home photos 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective If you want to sign up for the workshop, join the Pet Photographers' Collective, it's a free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, Ina shares: ✨ Practical marketing tips ✨ Business lessons and mindset shifts ✨ Free resources to help you grow Connect with other photographers who get it and start creating a business that truly supports your life, not consumes it. Join here → https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1 ✨ Want to Be Coached Live? Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29 📲 Connect with Ina Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Free Consistent Bookings Audit - find your gap in getting consistent bookings: https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographer

What if you could run four campaigns a year, spend around $40 to acquire each client, and predict exactly how many sessions you'd fill? That is exactly what Jason Krieger-Baum has built at Fido Photo in Toronto. He has been photographing pets for over 17 years, and in this episode he pulls back the curtain on the giveaway-based lead generation model that now drives his entire business. No organic social. No cold outreach. Just a system that works. This conversation gets genuinely specific. We talk numbers, ad structure, booking rates, same-day ordering, and why Jason believes he would start with this model all over again if he were beginning today. What we cover: How Jason went from a high-touch luxury brand to a streamlined, high-volume studio model and why he thinks it is the better business The giveaway structure that generates 400 to 450 leads per campaign and converts roughly 35 to 40% of winners into booked clients His exact ad spend: $8 to $10 per lead, $4,000 to $5,000 per campaign, run four times a year Why he spends $500 a day on ads and does not stress about optimising every dollar His same-day ordering appointment process and how he culls 350 images down to 30 in just 15 minutes The automated booking workflow he uses in Go High Level so clients book themselves without a single phone call from him How he physically mails a printed magazine to every client a month before their session to prepare them for the experience Why he does not post on social media at all right now and what he does instead Key timestamps: 02:40 Jason's 17+ years in pet photography and how Toronto shaped his approach 05:00 Two brands, one pivot: the difference between Jason KB and Fido Photo 09:00 Pricing breakdown including digitals, portraits, wall art, and coffee table books 14:00 The booking workflow from lead to session without phone calls 17:00 How Jason shoots six sessions a week across three days 20:00 Culling 350 photos in 15 minutes and running a same-day ordering session 32:00 How the giveaway model actually works, who wins and how many book 37:00 The ad spend breakdown and the ROI equation he uses 39:00 How he structures his Facebook campaigns: ad sets, audiences, and one ad per set 1:20:00 Why he puts zero effort into social media and what he is building instead Connect with Jason: Instagram: @fido.foto Website: fido-foto.com Resources mentioned: Go High Level / Difference Maker Revolution (CRM and automation platform Jason uses for his booking workflow) ProSelect (slideshow and ordering session software) 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective If you want to sign up for the workshop, join the Pet Photographers' Collective, it's a free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, Ina shares: ✨ Practical marketing tips ✨ Business lessons and mindset shifts ✨ Free resources to help you grow Connect with other photographers who get it and start creating a business that truly supports your life, not consumes it. Join here → https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1 ✨ Want to Be Coached Live? Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29 📲 Connect with Ina Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Free Consistent Bookings Audit - find your gap in getting consistent bookings: https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographer

Right now I've got 16 sessions booked for May, ordering appointments to run, editing to get through, and prints to deliver. And I'm still marketing. I know that probably sounds like a lot. This episode is about what that actually looks like, and why having a system already in place means marketing doesn't have to stop just because life gets full. I also share the moment that changed how I think about this entirely. A trip to Iceland, two months of no marketing at all, and coming home to a completely empty January and February. No bookings. No enquiries. Checking my emails constantly and genuinely thinking about applying for other jobs. That experience is a big part of why I built the repeatable marketing system I use today, and why I created the workshop. Enrol in The Pet Photography Marketing Systems Workshop The Pet The Pet Photography Marketing Systems Workshop starts 14 May 2026 7:30 AM AEST (13 May 2026 5:30PM ET). More info about the workshop or to enrol visit: https://www.inajphotography.com.au/the-pet-photography-marketing-systems-workshop 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective If you want to sign up for the workshop, join the Pet Photographers' Collective, it's a free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, Ina shares: ✨ Practical marketing tips ✨ Business lessons and mindset shifts ✨ Free resources to help you grow Connect with other photographers who get it and start creating a business that truly supports your life, not consumes it. Join here → https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1 ✨ Want to Be Coached Live? Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29 📲 Connect with Ina Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Free Consistent Bookings Audit - find your gap in getting consistent bookings: https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographer

I'm recording this right at the start of my busiest month. Sixteen sessions in May. And almost every single one of them was booked from campaigns I ran back in January and February. That gap between when the marketing happens and when the bookings land is the thing most photographers miss. And it's exactly what this episode is about. If you're in a busy season right now and you're not thinking about what happens next, or if you're staring at a quiet calendar wondering how it got this way, this one is for you. In this episode: Why the feast and famine cycle is not about how hard you're working (and what it's actually about) The 4 to 6 week marketing lag and why your empty calendar is never about now What a National Love Your Pet Day giveaway brought in, including one client who spent $6,000 and another who spent $3,980 Sharon Canovas's story: how a stunt performer in Hamilton, Ontario went from scrambling for bookings to a fully booked spring by planning her whole year in December The one action to take this week, depending on your season and hemisphere Resources and links mentioned: The Pet Photography Marketing Systems Workshop starting 14 May 2026 7:30 AM AEST (13 May 2026 5:30PM ET): https://www.inajphotography.com.au/the-pet-photography-marketing-systems-workshop Sharon Canovas's episode: From Overwhelmed With Marketing to Fully Booked for Spring Listen on Captivate | Listen on Spotify Your one action from this episode Write down your next peak booking window. Count back four to six weeks from that date. That's when your marketing needs to start. Not when the season arrives. Not when your calendar starts looking quiet. Now. 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective If you want to sign up for the workshop, join the Pet Photographers' Collective, it's a free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, Ina shares: ✨ Practical marketing tips ✨ Business lessons and mindset shifts ✨ Free resources to help you grow Connect with other photographers who get it and start creating a business that truly supports your life, not consumes it. Join here → https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1 ✨ Want to Be Coached Live? Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29 📲 Connect with Ina Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Free Consistent Bookings Audit - find your gap in getting consistent bookings: https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographer

Why You Can't Make Yourself Show Up Online (It's Not a Confidence Problem) with Miss Marissa You know what you should be doing. Post more. Show up consistently. Put yourself out there. And yet something keeps stopping you. In this episode, I sit down with Marissa, a personal brand therapist, coach, and former national TV hypnotist who works at the intersection of neuroscience, subconscious rewiring, and personal brand identity. Marissa has 20+ years in personal branding and marketing, degrees in PR, journalism, and applied neuroscience, and over 3,000 client sessions under her belt. What I expected was a conversation about branding strategy. What actually happened was something I didn't see coming. Midway through our conversation, Marissa turned the tables and started coaching me live, on air. She uncovered a belief I've been carrying since childhood and walked me through a guided subconscious practice that I'm still thinking about. If you've ever pushed yourself to show up online only to freeze, go blank, or find yourself doing literally anything else instead, this episode will give you a completely different lens for that. In this episode, we cover: Why visibility resistance is a nervous system and belief problem, not a confidence problem How your core beliefs form between the ages of 0 and 7, and why they're still running your business today The "thick book" concept: how neural pathways shape your behaviour as a photographer What it actually means to have a personal brand as a solo photographer (and why you already have one whether you like it or not) Why the most talented photographers are often the least visible A live guided inner practice you can use whenever you feel stuck showing up Small, practical steps to start building visibility even if video feels terrifying Marissa's final message for anyone who keeps getting in their own way Timestamps: 00:00 — Introduction 01:30 — Marissa's journey: from shooting her first wedding at 17 to national TV hypnotist 11:52 — The difference between confidence in your skills and confidence in yourself 13:25 — Stripping back belief layers: how our core stories form 20:00 — The "thick book" concept and how neural pathways shape your behaviour 23:21 — Ina shares her own visibility block with coaching 28:36 — Marissa challenges the belief that you need to be "better" than your clients 32:00 — The live inner practice begins 48:07 — Coming out of the exercise: how Ina felt 53:49 — People buy who you are, not just your photos 01:04:23 — What is a personal brand, really? 01:15:09 — Practical steps when you're not ready for video 01:22:13 — Marissa's final message: there is nothing wrong with you Connect with Marissa: Website: heymissmarissa.com Instagram: @heymissmarissa Useful resources: The Pet Photography Marketing System Workshop Waitlist (enrolment opens April 30th) - get a personalised video audit on your website, pricing or offer if you enrol to the workshop and you're on this waitlist. Add your name here: https://www.inajphotography.com.au/consistent-bookings-workshop-waitlist-page Free Consistent Bookings Audit - find your gap in getting consistent bookings: https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective If you want to sign up for the workshop, join the Pet Photographers' Collective, it's a free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, Ina shares: ✨ Practical marketing tips ✨ Business lessons and mindset shifts ✨ Free resources to help you grow Connect with other photographers who get it and start creating a business that truly supports your life, not consumes it. Join here → https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1 ✨ Want to Be Coached Live? Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29 📲 Connect with Ina Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Join the Consistent Bookings Program Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographer

How I Know What a Client Will Spend Before They See Their Photos If you've ever had a client ghost you after the session, or show up to their ordering appointment completely shocked by the pricing, this episode is going to hit close to home. Because here's the thing: the problem usually isn't the ordering appointment itself. It's everything that came before it. In this solo episode, Ina walks through her full client process from first enquiry through to ordering appointment, and explains exactly how she's consistently getting clients spending $2,000 to $4,000 even during a cost of living crunch, with more than half of those clients coming in as giveaway clients. The process is not complicated, but the sequencing matters. And most photographers are missing a step somewhere along the way. What's covered in this episode: 00:00 Why clients get shocked at pricing (and what's actually causing it) 02:30 How Ina's website is set up to educate clients before the consultation even starts 06:00 What happens at the consultation, and why Ina spends most of it talking about the dog, not the pricing 10:00 The one question she asks that tells her almost everything about what a client will spend 13:00 How she introduces pricing without handing over a price list 15:30 The questionnaire and pre-session planning call, and why both matter more than most photographers realise 19:00 How she books the ordering appointment on the way back to the car after the session 21:00 Two real examples from recent ordering appointments, including a $3,200 prepaid session and a client who doubled his own planned spend 25:00 The key takeaway: the ordering appointment is not where the sale happens, it's where it lands Resources mentioned: Consultation That Sells Workshop Waitlist: https://www.inajphotography.com.au/consultation-that-sells-waitlist Free Consistent Bookings Audit: https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective If you want to sign up for the workshop, join the Pet Photographers' Collective — it's a free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, Ina shares: ✨ Practical marketing tips ✨ Business lessons and mindset shifts ✨ Free resources to help you grow Connect with other photographers who get it and start creating a business that truly supports your life, not consumes it. Join here → https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1 ✨ Want to Be Coached Live? Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29 📲 Connect with Ina Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Join the Consistent Bookings Program Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographer

If you've ever thought about offering end-of-life sessions, or you already do and you want to do them better, this episode is for you. In this conversation, I sit down with Angela Schneider from Big White Dog Photography for an honest, emotional and deeply practical discussion about what it really takes to photograph families during one of the hardest chapters of their lives. Angela is an adventure dog photographer based in Spokane Valley, Washington. She's also a Pet Loss Grief Companion, a Grief Educator through David Kessler, and a Master Grief Coach through Cathy Cheshire. After losing her own heart dog Shep in 2014 and now navigating anticipatory grief with her current dog Bella, Angela has spent years learning how to show up for grieving clients with real emotional intelligence. She's recently released her book Through the Lens of Goodbye: A Pet Photographer's Guide to End-of-Life Sessions , which covers everything from grief education to pricing, marketing and the operational side of offering these sessions ethically. We both get emotional in this one. It's raw, it's real, and I think that's exactly why it matters. Key takeaways: If you're going to do end-of-life sessions, learn about grief first. Becoming grief-informed is not optional for this work. Charging for end-of-life sessions is an act of respect. It reinforces the value of what you do, ensures your business is sustainable and prevents burnout. Stop using guilt-based messaging on your website. Celebrate the life and connection instead of reminding people their dog is going to die. They already know. Your client's grief is not about you. Share your story briefly if asked, then circle back to their experience. Always get consent before sharing end-of-life images on social media. Warn your client before posting and respect their wishes if they say no. About Angela Schneider Angela Schneider is the founder of Big White Dog Photography, an adventure dog photography business rooted in the wild landscapes of the Inland Northwest. She photographs women and their dogs on ridgelines, in forests and along quiet lakeshores. Angela is a Pet Loss Grief Companion with Two Hearts Pet Loss Center, a Grief Educator with David Kessler and Grief.com, and a Master Grief Coach through Cathy Cheshire. Her book Through the Lens of Goodbye: A Pet Photographer's Guide to End-of-Life Sessions is available on Amazon in print and Kindle. Connect with Angela: Website: bigwhitedogphotography.com Email: angela@bigwhitedogphotography.com Instagram: @bigwhitedogphotography Substack: dogphotography.substack.com Mentioned in this episode: Through the Lens of Goodbye: A Pet Photographer's Guide to End-of-Life Sessions by Angela Schneider ( Amazon US / Amazon AU ) Angela's Substack: dogphotography.substack.com (weekly posts on anticipatory grief with action items) 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective If you want to sign up for the workshop, join the Pet Photographers' Collective — it's a free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, Ina shares: ✨ Practical marketing tips ✨ Business lessons and mindset shifts ✨ Free resources to help you grow Connect with other photographers who get it and start creating a business that truly supports your life, not consumes it. Join here → https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1 ✨ Want to Be Coached Live? Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29 📲 Connect with Ina Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Join the Consistent Bookings Program Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographer

Cat Race has been photographing dogs professionally since 2013, and she is one of the most recognisable names in the industry. Her work has won awards, appeared in national and international publications, and her Scarf Project is one of the most distinctive bodies of work in dog photography today. She is also refreshingly honest about the things most photographers don't talk about out loud. In this conversation, Cat and Ina go deep on what it means to build a career that is genuinely your own, from protecting a creative idea before releasing it into the world, to posting a reel openly sharing a £5,000 sale, to the ongoing question of where inspiration ends and copying begins. There is a lot in this one that will make you think differently about your own work. In this episode we cover: Cat's unconventional path into professional photography, including her year working inside Venture Photography and what that early experience taught her about the real value of photographic work How her style evolved gradually over more than two decades. Note: after recording, Cat clarified that when she mentioned her distinctive style beginning in 2021 or 2022, she was specifically referring to the launch of the Scarf Project as a defined body of work. Her visual evolution actually began from the very start of her career and built naturally to that point. She has shared a series of images labelled by year so you can see that progression yourself: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/v0sddbequown4lcqu2nmp/AIDX3hY_wf5D_jZYkWcsCNA?rlkey=ugit2somtmvwp7e4wd4fek99i&e=1&dl=0 The story behind the Scarf Project: how it began as a tiny ribbon on her dog Lily at Christmas, why she kept it private for a full year before releasing it, and why she would do the same again The inspiration versus copying conversation: where Cat draws the line, how her thinking has shifted through her ongoing conversations with Gabi Kline, and why she believes the more important question is whether you are making something genuinely yours Pricing confidence and what it actually comes from. Cat's first year in business she averaged £500 per sale. Her average at the end of last year was £3,000. She will tell you it had nothing to do with her style, her awards, or how long she had been shooting. The reel she posted publicly sharing a £5,000 client sale, why she did it, and how it led to her collaboration with Gabi Her lead generation model using events, model calls, and price draws, with an assistant who qualifies leads before sessions happen The bootcamp she runs with Gabi, what it covers, and what following the path of least resistance has changed for her What she would prioritise if she were starting over today (her answer may surprise you) A note from Cat after recording: Cat wanted to clarify her comments about when her distinctive style developed. The Scarf Project launched in 2021 and marked a clear turning point, but her visual signature evolved gradually from the beginning of her career. Resources and links mentioned: Cody and the green scarf at Giant's Causeway (a key Scarf Project moment): Watch here Milkshake the flying pug: Watch here The pricing reel that connected Cat and Gabi: Watch here Gabi Kline's episode on The Pet Photographers' Journal: Episode 6 Season 1 Connect with Cat Race: Website: CatsDog.co.uk Instagram: instagram.com/catsdogphotography YouTube: youtube.com/@catsdogphotography TikTok: tiktok.com/@catsdogphotography Facebook: facebook.com/catsdogphotography 🎓 How to Price Your Pet Photography for the Income You Actually Want A live workshop with Ina Jalil — Wednesday 15 April, 8am Sydney time. If you've been pricing based on what other photographers in your market charge rather than what your business actually needs to earn, this workshop is for you. We'll work through the maths together from your cost of doing business, your income goals, how many sessions you want to do and build a pricing structure that actually adds up. Replay included if you can't make it live. Register here → https://www.inajphotography.com.au/pricing-workshop 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective If you want to sign up for the workshop, join the Pet Photographers' Collective — it's a free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, Ina shares: ✨ Practical marketing tips ✨ Business lessons and mindset shifts ✨ Free resources to help you grow Connect with other photographers who get it and start creating a business that truly supports your life, not consumes it. Join here → https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1 ✨ Want to Be Coached Live? Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29 📲 Connect with Ina Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Join the Consistent Bookings Program Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographer

You did everything right. The session was amazing, the dog was a star, the client loved it. Then you sent the gallery link or reached out to book their ordering appointment. And nothing. In this solo episode, Ina gets honest about what's actually happening when clients go quiet after a session. And it's probably not what you think. Spoiler: it's almost never a closing problem. It's a communication breakdown that happened much earlier in the process. Ina also shares a personal update on how the current economic climate is affecting her own business, what she's still seeing work, and a question she wants your input on. What This Episode Covers Why ghosting after a session is rarely a sales problem, and what it usually is instead The full client journey Ina uses, from the first phone call through to the ordering appointment, and why each step matters How to talk through pricing at the consultation so clients arrive at the ordering appointment already knowing what they want The single shift that has done more for Ina's conversion rate than anything else (it happens at the end of the session itself) An honest update on Ina's own bookings and conversion rate in the current economy A question Ina wants your input on before she builds something new Key Takeaway By the time a client gets to the ordering appointment, they should already know what they want to buy. Your job at that point is just to show them the photos and help them design their walls. If that's not happening, the answer isn't a better closing script. It's going back and looking at where the communication broke down earlier in the journey. And if you're doing nothing else from this episode: stop letting clients leave their session without booking in their ordering appointment on the spot. That one shift, right there in the moment while they're still on a high, is the most reliable thing Ina has done for her conversion rate. Mentioned in This Episode S2E14: AI and Pet Photography: What's Actually True, What I'm Using, and What You Should Know 🎓 How to Price Your Pet Photography for the Income You Actually Want A live workshop with Ina Jalil — Wednesday 15 April, 8am Sydney time. If you've been pricing based on what other photographers in your market charge rather than what your business actually needs to earn, this workshop is for you. We'll work through the maths together from your cost of doing business, your income goals, how many sessions you want to do and build a pricing structure that actually adds up. Replay included if you can't make it live. Register here → https://www.inajphotography.com.au/pricing-workshop 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective If you want to sign up for the workshop, join the Pet Photographers' Collective — it's a free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, Ina shares: ✨ Practical marketing tips ✨ Business lessons and mindset shifts ✨ Free resources to help you grow Connect with other photographers who get it and start creating a business that truly supports your life, not consumes it. Join here → https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1 ✨ Want to Be Coached Live? Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29 📲 Connect with Ina Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Join the Consistent Bookings Program Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographer

AI Won't Replace Pet Photographers. But Here's What Will Change. If you've been scrolling photography groups lately, you've probably seen the panic. "AI is coming for us." "Is pet photography even safe?" It's loud, and honestly, it's understandable. So in this solo episode, Ina addresses it head on. Not to dismiss the concern, but to give you an honest, grounded take from someone who is deep in AI and still actively shooting weekly. The short answer? Your photography work is safer than you think. But your business operations? That's where things get interesting. In this episode, Ina covers: Why pet photography is one of the safest niches when it comes to AI replacement, and what the data actually says about the growing pet photography market What AI genuinely cannot replicate: the connection, the experience, and the behaviour reading that makes your sessions irreplaceable The tools Ina actually uses in her own business, including Imagine AI for editing and custom Claude-built research agents for marketing and competitor analysis What "vibe coding" is and the AI apps Ina has built for her business and coaching clients, including an ideal client avatar wizard, a marketing campaign builder, a pricing calculator, and a session vision planner A simple prompting framework to get better results from any AI tool Why the photographers who will fall behind aren't the ones who fear AI, but the ones who ignore it entirely Timestamps: 00:00 - Why photographers are worried (and why Ina isn't) 02:30 - What AI actually can and can't do in a pet photography session 07:00 - The market data: why demand for pet photography is growing 09:00 - How Ina uses AI for editing with Imagine AI 11:00 - Claude, custom GPTs, and building AI research agents 16:00 - The apps Ina has built for her business and clients 21:00 - A simple prompting framework anyone can use 24:00 - Where to start if you're just getting into AI Key takeaway: AI cannot replicate what you do inside a session. The way you read a dog's body language, build trust with a client, and create an experience from inquiry to ordering appointment. That is yours. But the photographers who will do the best over the next few years are the ones asking "what can AI actually do for me?" and then figuring it out, one tool at a time. Resources mentioned: Consistent Booking Audit quiz Fstoppers article on the pet photography market Imagen AI - use my referral code to get free edits for 1500 images Consistent Bookings Workshop waitlist Consistent Bookings Mastermind : reach out to Ina directly via Instagram or email 💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective If you want to sign up for the workshop, join the Pet Photographers' Collective — it's a free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm. Inside, Ina shares: ✨ Practical marketing tips ✨ Business lessons and mindset shifts ✨ Free resources to help you grow Connect with other photographers who get it and start creating a business that truly supports your life, not consumes it. Join here → https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1 ✨ Want to Be Coached Live? Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29 📲 Connect with Ina Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.com Join the Consistent Bookings Program Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographers