Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Pet Photographers' Journal

In February, Ina spent $688.80 on a Meta ads competition for National Love Your Pet Day. It brought in 191 leads and 13 bookings. That's a 6.8% conversion rate, which sounds low until you see the sales: a total of $35,326. Before that, she tried Google Ads for about three months, spent two to three thousand dollars, and got zero bookings.

In this episode, Ina sits down with Monica Koudsy, founder of Kurious Group, an agency that runs Meta ads for photography studios. Before the agency, Monica helped open a pet photography studio on Sydney's northern beaches and ran its booking calls and sales herself. They were buying about 750 leads a week, doing five sessions a day, with a $3,000 average sale and fully booked two months in advance. Together they go through Ina's live International Dog Day ad account: the offer, the settings, the lead form, and what happens after the lead comes in.

Your offer has to beat the next studio's ad. Monica says once someone clicks on an ad, the next seven to twelve ads they see are your competitors'. Studios copy each other from the Ads Library, so if a competitor's offer is better, they're likely to win that client. For the studios she works with, that usually means gifted artwork or a credit off.

Turn off Advantage+ Audience, or your ads can end up interstate. Monica builds a campaign live to show where Meta hides the settings. With Advantage+ on, a Sydney campaign showed up to 20 million people, because the ads could run in Queensland and Perth. She turns off "reach more people likely to respond", clicks "further limit the reach of your ads" even though Meta promises a 9.7% lower cost if you leave it, sets her own age range, and excludes Audience Network, which she calls a complete waste of money.

Put your budget where the bookings are coming from. Monica recommends setting the budget at the ad set level, not the campaign level. In Ina's account the lookalike audience was bringing in leads at $1.48, so she'd give it more budget and drop the spend on the other two. And if you need to pause, turn the ad off rather than dropping the budget, because dropping the budget alters its learning.

Speed to lead is where bookings are won or lost. Monica contacts new leads within the first 24 hours, because the longer you leave it, the colder the lead gets. Her studios text during commute hours, when people start replying before 9am, aim for at least 10% to respond, and then ask when they can call. Her other tip: ask for a photo of their dog. "The moment you ask someone to send you a photo of their dog, they're your best friend."

A cheaper session fee brings in more rubbish, not more leads. For Australian studios, Monica says $149 to $150 is enough skin in the game that people show up. She has seen good come out of $90, but she has also seen studios struggle to get good clients in at that price.

Use video and statics, and don't over-edit. Monica says face-to-camera video is the most authentic thing you can make, so pick up the phone and record. She recommends the Edits app by Instagram, which has a teleprompter built in, and a good variety of static images alongside.

Want to see the screen share? The video of this episode, with Monica walking through the Meta ad settings on screen, is inside the Consistent Bookings Mastermind.

Join here → https://go.inajeducation.com/consistent-bookings-mastermind

Website: https://www.kuriousgroup.com

Instagram: @kuriousgroup

Edits by Instagram (free video app with a teleprompter)

Meta Ads Library: https://www.facebook.com/ads/library

The Consistent Bookings Mastermind is currently open for enrolment. It's a group coaching container focused on implementation support to help you build your repeatable marketing system, with full support across pricing, sales and mindset.

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.

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: https://www.inajeducation.com/coaching

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

Selling feels salesy. Emailing your list feels spammy. Posting your offer twice feels like bothering people. That's what Ina hears from pet photographers over and over, so she asked a sales psychologist about it. Shelley Janes says if you're scared of turning into the pushy person who gave you the ick, that fear is evidence you never will.

In this episode, Ina sits down with Shelley Janes, a sales psychologist with a master's in psychology and 20 years in sales. Shelley was the first sales hire for a Techstars company and then a Y Combinator company in San Francisco, burned out, and now lives outside Amsterdam teaching people how to sell without pressure or manipulation. They talk through pet photography sales from the consult to the ordering appointment: story selling, the money conversation, what to say when a client says it's too expensive, and why your emails only feel spammy when you only email to ask.

Key takeaways:

Sell what a normal day looks like with it. Shelley once sold salad-making robots to food service distributors at conferences. She was told to talk about the specs. Instead she described employees at a company like Google getting a fresh, customised salad that no one had touched, at any hour. For pet photographers, she says, what you're selling is art on their wall forever.

Use a past client's story to take the pressure off. Shelley's favourite way to sell is to talk about another client, like the one who thought she only wanted a few prints and ended up choosing a big piece above her fireplace, and what that cost. It shows you're capable and that people love what you do, and because you're talking about a third person, the listener's defences stay down.

Have the money conversation long before the ordering appointment. Ina's clients see her pricing before they book a consult, and get a video to watch after they book. At the consult she asks where they'd like to display their photos, then tells them most of her clients spend between $1,000 and $3,000. Some clients now pre-purchase before their session. When Ina's first meeting with a client was at the park on the day of the session, her average sale was around $600 to $700. Once she made an in-person consult the only way to book, it went up to $2,800.

Saying your price is reps, not personality. Shelley's advice is to say your price out loud in the mirror 30 or 40 times, until you know your packages the way a barista knows the coffee menu. When a client says it's more than they expected, try "Totally fair. Tell me what you were expecting." Then adjust the scope or offer a payment plan rather than jumping to a discount, because a quick discount tells them you weren't sure about the price either.

Your emails feel spammy when you only email to ask. If you only email when there's a promo, every email is a sales pitch. Email regularly, especially past clients, who Shelley says are the ones who will pay you the most. A pet photographer has their dog's details, so even a birthday email keeps you top of mind, and staying top of mind is what leads to referrals.

Put your call to action where understanding peaks. Shelley says the moment someone understands something is the moment their trust in you peaks, so that's when to invite them to take the next step. That can be early or in the middle of a reel or caption, where people are still watching. And a vague "if you're interested..." reads as a lack of conviction. A clear next step shows them the door exists.

Instagram: @shelley.janes

Classes and resources: https://stan.store/shelleyajanes

Shelley's Story Selling Masterclass (see her Stan store for the next one): https://stan.store/shelleyajanes

ManyChat: https://manychat.com

The Consistent Bookings Mastermind is currently open for enrolment. It's a group coaching container focused on implementation support to help you build your repeatable marketing system, with full support across pricing, sales and mindset.

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.

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: https://www.inajeducation.com/coaching

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

When Ina built her first website, her About page said she loved photography and had done darkroom in high school. Copywriter Andrea Shah hears a version of that story from almost every photographer she works with. She wants to hear the one that's actually yours.

In this episode, Ina sits down with Andrea Shah, a US copywriter who writes website copy for wedding photographers and other creative businesses. They talk through pet photography website copy from a copywriter's side: where to find your real story, how to talk about pricing without scaring off the right people, how much to write so Google and AI search can find you, and whether AI should be writing your copy at all.

Your reviews already hold your story. Andrea's first move is to reread past reviews and look at why those clients connected with you. In her words, "they will tell you why they love you and why they related to you, and you need to use that to get the next five, ten, or twenty clients like them." No reviews yet? Read the reviews of photographers outside your area, not your direct competitors, and look for the themes.

If you wouldn't say it out loud, it doesn't belong on your website. Andrea's test is simple. Read your copy back, and if you think "I would never say that out loud," cut it. Your website should sound like you do on a Zoom call.

Give people an idea of price, not the whole menu. Most of Andrea's clients don't list one fixed price. They say what the average client spends, or where pricing starts, and they name any session fee or minimum so people who won't pay it don't enquire. The same goes for how you deliver. If you sell artwork rather than digital files, say so clearly, because "the only way they can weed themselves out is if they know."

Write enough for search engines and AI to understand you. Andrea aims for at least 300 to 400 words on every page, and says the first hundred words matter most for tools like Claude and ChatGPT. Keep your business name the same across your website, Google Business Profile and Instagram so AI links them as one business, ask clients to review you on Google, and add new photos to your profile regularly.

Fix your homepage and services page first. If you're writing your own copy before you can hire a copywriter, Andrea would start there rather than the About page, because "the homepage and the services page are where you're making those sales."

Use AI to research, then write your copy yourself. Andrea uses AI to transcribe client interviews and to look at what competitors are doing, not to write. Her reason: "I want to get a sense of who you are, not who Claude thinks you are."

Website: https://www.andreashah.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andreashahcopy

Threads: https://www.threads.com/andreashahcopy

The Consistent Bookings Mastermind is currently open for enrolment. It's a group coaching container focused on implementation support to help you build your repeatable marketing system, with full support across pricing, sales and mindset.

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.

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: https://www.inajeducation.com/coaching

Sharon Canovas used to charge $75 for a session with around 40 photos, and it was turning into a very expensive hobby. Today her average sale is around $2,000, and she has booked out spring, summer and autumn in a row. She did it while working full time as a stunt woman, and while recovering from a concussion.

In this episode, Ina sits down with Sharon, a pet photographer in Hamilton, Ontario, who has spent twenty years doing stunts for film and TV. Sharon first came on the podcast in February, after her first fully booked spring. They talk about marketing for pet photographers when your time is not your own, why she raised her prices three times, how she sells photo albums, and what changed when she moved from Ina's marketing workshop into the Mastermind.

A planned year keeps your marketing going when you can't. Sharon got a concussion last year, and this year it brought panic attacks, anxiety attacks and having to teach herself Photoshop again. Because she had already planned her marketing for the year, with everything scheduled in HoneyBook and her landing pages done, she could keep going one small step at a time.

Three things a night will move your marketing forward. Sharon sets a marketing goal for the month, and each night she writes down three things she has to do the next day to support it. On set she can be gone fifteen hours a day, so she answers emails and blogs in her lunch hour and photographs dogs on the weekend.

Posting on social media is not marketing. Before the workshop, Sharon would post, hold her breath and hope for the best. She dropped business cards at pet stores, and the only thing that reliably worked was the Pet Expo. Now she runs a variety of marketing, and she is taking half of November off to plan next year.

The clients who value your work won't question your prices. Sharon went from $75 to $250 to $350, and says it got scary. What settled it for her was hiring a pet photographer herself, for close to $1,400. Her average sale is now around $2,000, and she is raising her prices again next year.

Put the album in their hands before you talk about it. The photo album is what Sharon sells most. At every consultation the album is in the client's hands while she talks, and she shows videos of albums she has designed for other clients so they can picture their own. A payment plan helps too: "A lot of people don't wanna put two thousand dollars on their credit card."

The group is where the ideas get better. Sharon brought an idea to the Mastermind: a colour palette to help clients work out what to wear next to their dog's coat. Ina built it in under an hour, and every member now has it. "It's a very lonely business," Sharon says, "and coming up with ideas sometimes it can be very exhausting."

Website: https://canovasphotography.com

Instagram: @scanovasphotography

Sharon's first episode on The Pet Photographers' Journal, February 2026:

Listen on Captivate

Listen on Spotify

The Consistent Bookings Mastermind is currently open for enrolment. It's a group coaching container focused on implementation support to help you build your repeatable marketing system, with full support across pricing, sales and mindset.

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.

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: https://www.inajeducation.com/coaching

In April, Aubri Poon wrote down her dream result: another successful calendar contest, and $10,000 donated to dog rescues. By August, the beer can label contest she ran with a Calgary brewery had raised $87,341 for the Calgary Humane Society. A separate campaign, a birthday giveaway she launched during the Marketing System Workshop, had booked 14 sessions and filled her calendar into October. In this episode, Ina sits down with Aubri, a Calgary dog photographer who went full time in August 2025 after twenty two years as a flight attendant. Before this year, her bookings were few and far between. They walk through both campaigns step by step, and the pet photography marketing structure behind each one, from the entry form to the press release to the email drip campaign. Key takeaways: Start with the ordering appointments you haven't booked. Aubri had clients she had photographed and never brought in to see their photos. Her first win in coaching wasn't a new campaign. It was booking one of those clients in, and they ordered over $2,000 of wall art. A giveaway only works if it is set up for clients who will spend. Aubri says she doesn't believe in giving sessions away, so she put qualifying questions and disclaimers in the entry form to set expectations before anyone entered. Over 25 people entered, she made offers to 17, and 14 booked and confirmed. The sales so far are $2,500, $2,500, $1,500 and $700, with more ordering appointments still to run. You don't need an ad budget to get press. Aubri had never thought of sending a press release. She used Ina's template, sent it to Calgary news stations, and the campaign was covered on Global News. She then worked out which Calgary radio DJs were dog people and messaged them directly, which got her an interview on air. A cause campaign should also bring in bookings. Ina coached her on how to keep her own business visible while the contest ran. Two months after telling Ina she didn't have enough enquiries to need one, Aubri built an email drip campaign with a special offer session, and three people beyond the winners had already contacted her about it, with a week still to go. Your own call recordings show you where you lose sales. Aubri now runs her consultation and ordering appointment recordings through AI to check what she missed, the questions she skipped, and the objections she didn't answer.

Website: https://www.aubripoon.com

Instagram: @aubri_poon_photography

The Furever Golden Tale beer label contest: https://www.gogophotocontest.com/fourdogsbrewing

Four Dogs Brewing Co.: https://www.fourdogs.ca

The story behind the four dogs: https://www.fourdogs.ca/about-us.html

Aubri on A Woman a Day with Tyler and Danaye: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/962-tyler-danaye-fuzzy-sound-b-122690064/episode/aubri-poon-on-a-woman-a-342224550/

Calgary Humane Society: https://www.calgaryhumane.ca

GoGo Photo Contest

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. My marketing templates library is included, press release templates and all, which is exactly where Aubri got hers.

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.

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographers

Kaity Hartley has said the thing most pet photographers think and never say out loud. She wants to be the photographer everybody can afford, because she genuinely believes everyone should be able to have beautiful photos of their dog. She is also a full-time mum with bills to pay, and three families a month at her entry package comes to $1,500. In this live coaching call, Ina works through what that one belief is costing her, and why her pet photography pricing is the only lever she has that does not cost her another weekend.

Kaity runs Koarlie Studios Pet Portraits on the Sunshine Coast, shooting bright, colourful, joyful studio portraits of dogs. She is a certified canine behavioural dog trainer, which is why anxious and reactive dogs do so well with her, and it is the thing almost nobody knows about her. This is a real coaching call, recorded live, with her real numbers and her real goals on the table.

• Why accessible and profitable are not opposites, and what happens to the people you want to serve when the business stops being able to stay open
• The three gaps Ina looks for first: messaging, visibility and conversion
• What Kaity is actually booking now, and the dream she almost talked herself out of saying out loud
• Why more sessions is the wrong goal when your weekends are already spoken for, and what happens to the maths when you raise the average sale instead
• Making the financial decision for your client before they get to make it themselves
• Why raising your prices without raising your positioning is what makes people say you are too expensive
• The client who paid Ina $250 for all the digitals years ago, came back in 2023, and spent $3,000
• Giving people the full pricing before they book, and letting them decide
• What Kaity already knew, and the one thing she actually needed

If you have ever felt guilty about what you charge, this one is for you.

Kaity Hartley is the photographer behind Koarlie Studios Pet Portraits on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Her work is bright, playful and deliberately a little bit different, built for furkids of every type and every temperament. She has worked across the animal industry since 2012, from conservation and education to doggy daycare, behavioural training, rescue and enrichment, and she is a certified canine behavioural dog trainer. She was part of the first beta round of Ina's marketing workshop, and the feedback from that group shaped what the workshop became.

Connect with Kaity

• Koarlie Studios Pet Portraits: www.koarliestudiospetportraits.com
• Kaity on Instagram: @koarliestudios.petportraits

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. My marketing templates library is included, press release templates and all, which is exactly where Aubri got hers.

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.

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographers

Two of my clients have been on television recently. Neither of them paid a cent for it. They both sent a press release.

In this episode I'm talking about press releases, which I think is the most underused free marketing available to pet photographers. I'll walk you through what my clients actually did, what it produced, and the part almost everyone skips: being featured doesn't get you booked unless you go and use the coverage afterwards.

I also cover the two things that stop most photographers sending one. Not knowing what to write, and not knowing who to send it to. Both are much smaller problems than they feel.

• Why a press release is free advertising, and why most of us never send one
• The fear that actually stops people, and it isn't the writing
• How Aubri's beer can label contest raised $87,341 and got picked up by Global News Calgary
• How Stacey got on Philadelphia TV without having to be the story herself
• Why press buys you authority and credibility, not just visibility
• Being featured is not the same as being booked, and the four places your coverage needs to go
• The three questions that come up every single time I talk about this
• How to find the right journalists, and why that isn't the hard part
• One thing to do this week: find your angle

Look at what you've got coming up over the next few months. A campaign, a charity project, an award, a new studio, a collaboration with a local business. Pick one, and write down the angle in a single sentence. What's the reason a journalist would run this, and why now. That's the hard part. The writing is easy once you've got that.

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. My marketing templates library is included, press release templates and all, which is exactly where Aubri got hers.

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.

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographers

My projects

• Barking Beautiful, applications: inajphotography.com/barking-beautiful-application
• Tails of Canberra Volume 2: inajphotography.com/tails-of-canberra-volume-2-book-project
• Canberra Paws Calendar Contest: gogophotocontest.com/canberrapaws2026
• The Sunrise clip, on my Instagram: watch the reel

Aubri Poon

• Aubri Poon Photography: aubripoon.com
• The Furever Golden Tale contest page: gogophotocontest.com/fourdogsbrewing
• Her Global News Calgary feature, via her own LinkedIn post
• Aubri on A Woman a Day with Danaye: listen here

Stacey Sherman

• BarkHop Studio: barkhopstudio.com
• Stacey on Positively Philly, PHL17: A Purr-fect Addition to Phoenixville
• The three-way partnership behind it, in MyChesCo
• Calla's Critter Rescue and Maddie's Castle, where Calla's Kitty Kingdom lives

• Canberra Times: Picture paw-fect · Perfect pooches · Telling tails
• Canberra Daily: Paw-some opportunity · Ina J Photography
• HerCanberra: Barking Beautiful · Canberra Paws Calendar Contest
• Pet Industry News, People's Choice

Erin Ollila spent years comparing wedding photographers before her own wedding, and she still remembers ruling one out. Everyone in her area loved them. She looked at their website and thought she would probably get in trouble if she did not smile correctly.

In this episode, Ina sits down with conversion copywriter Erin Ollila to talk about pet photography website copy, and why beautiful images are not doing the selling most photographers assume they are. Erin writes websites for service-based businesses and pairs SEO with conversion, and her position is blunt: your site is not a portfolio, it is your marketing team, your sales team and your education team. They get into what is actually missing from most photography websites, whether to put your prices up, how to ask for a testimonial without feeling like a nuisance, and where AI genuinely helps your copy and where it makes you sound like everyone else.

• Why your website is not a portfolio, and the three jobs it should be doing instead
• The answer for anyone thinking "but my photos are better than a beginner's", and why that stops mattering the moment you are compared with another good photographer
• The most common copy mistake on photography websites, over-explaining what is included and under-explaining why you and what happens next
• What Erin found when she researched one local photography market: the site ranking far above the rest was the one with the most of the photographer in it
• Why the line items should be negligible, and what people are actually choosing between
• Confidence has four layers and only one of them is your camera skill
• The honest read on the word "luxury", and the rule if you are going to use it
• Why it is fine to be exclusive, and how repelling opens the door wider for the people you want
• Pain points do not work in photography. Desires do. Erin explains the difference using her own wedding
• The distinction worth the whole episode: you can repel someone without turning them off, and reminding a client their pet has an expiration date is turning them off
• Should you put pricing on your website: why Erin says no detailed menu but yes to pricing clues, and how to set a range that actually means something
• What happens to the client experience when someone books at a price they were not expecting, and why you start from below zero
• A more creative approach to case studies: the client spotlight, and how it does the selling and the SEO at once
• How to ask for testimonials when you feel like you are bothering people, and why the real problem is that clients do not know what to say
• Using AI for your copy without sounding like everyone else, and the work almost nobody wants to do first
• The third option between DIY and done for you that most people do not know exists

Look at your website like someone deciding between you and one other photographer whose work is just as good. Not a beginner. Someone genuinely good. If the only difference a reader could name is the number of images included, the words are not doing their job yet.

Erin Ollila is a conversion copywriter and SEO specialist who writes websites for service-based businesses. She studied fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction before moving into content marketing in the early 2010s, writing for very large brands, then moved into website copy when she started her own business and found herself surrounded by skilled people who did not know how to write about what they did. She hosts the Talk Copy to Me podcast. Ina put a call out on Threads looking for a copywriter and Erin came recommended by Colie James.

• Erin Ollila's website: erinollila.com
• Talk Copy to Me podcast: erinollila.com/podcast
• Work with Erin: erinollila.com/services

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 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.

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

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographers

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.

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.

Ask every enquiry why. Why they want this, why they entered. Then use what they tell you to plan what you photograph.

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.

Website: capturedheartsphotography.com.au

Facebook: Captured Hearts by Michelle

Instagram: @capturedhearts_bymichelle

Global Image Products, where Michelle first saw Ina's work on display

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 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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

• 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.

Register for the free live Claude workshop, Thursday 30 July: inajphotography.com.au/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.

• 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.

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.

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

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 free community on Skool

Drop a voice note or DM on Instagram (@inaj.thepetphotoceo), first name or anonymous.

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

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

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

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

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.

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

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

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.

Instagram: @classicoportraitsaustralia

Websites:

Classico Portraits Australia: classicoportraits.com.au

Classico Portraits Italy: classicoportraits.com

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

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

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)

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

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.

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

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

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

• 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

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.

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

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

Website: heymissmarissa.com

Instagram: @heymissmarissa

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

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

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

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

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

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:

1. If you're going to do end-of-life sessions, learn about grief first. Becoming grief-informed is not optional for this work.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Your client's grief is not about you. Share your story briefly if asked, then circle back to their experience.
5. 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)

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

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

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

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

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

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

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

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

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

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

When Yunet Solarzano reached out to Ina on Instagram, she had been trying to build her pet photography business for about a year, had no paying clients, and was at a crossroads. She'd already invested in all the creative gear, tried collaborating with local businesses, and spent money on templates and equipment. None of it moved the needle.

In this episode, Yunet shares what actually changed when she invested in coaching, from opening a studio in Kirkland, Washington to landing a $9,000 sale from a client who came in through one of the marketing campaigns she built inside the Consistent Bookings Workshop.

This is a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what growth in a pet photography business actually looks like, including the struggles, the mindset shifts, and the moments of genuine disbelief when things start to work.

What we cover in this episode:

1. Why Yunet had invested thousands in creative tools and equipment without seeing business results, and what finally shifted
2. The mindset breakthrough that mattered more than any marketing strategy
3. How a calendar contest campaign led to a $9,000 sale (and why Yunet almost missed it by defaulting to a digital package)
4. What the Consistent Bookings Workshop gave her that one-on-one coaching didn't, and vice versa
5. Why she joined the Mastermind even after completing both coaching and the workshop
6. What she would tell any photographer thinking "I can't afford coaching right now"
7. Where Yunet is headed in the next 12 months and what she now believes about her business that she didn't before

About Yunet Solarzano

Yunet is the owner of Olive and Fable Pet Photography, based in Kirkland, Washington. She specialises in fine art studio portraits for pets and the people who love them. Her work is genuinely stunning, and seeing where she is now compared to where she started is one of those stories worth hearing in full.

Find Yunet here:

Instagram: @oliveandfable

Website: oliveandfable.com

Resources mentioned in this episode:

1. Consistent Bookings Workshop
2. Consistent Bookings Mastermind
3. 1-on-1 Business Coaching with Ina

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you subscribe and leave a five-star review. It helps more pet photographers discover the show and join the conversation.

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

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

If your marketing plan starts and ends with Instagram, this episode is for you.

I sat down with Claire Lauer, an SEO and content marketing strategist who works specifically with photographers, to talk about what a real content strategy looks like for pet photographers in 2026. We covered why Google and AI search tools are becoming one of the most powerful ways to attract the right clients, what blogging actually involves (and yes, it's still worth doing), and how to build something sustainable without burning out.

We also got into pricing mindset, simplifying your offers, and why you are probably not charging enough.

About Claire Lauer

Claire Lauer is a marketing strategist and SEO expert who helps photographers simplify their marketing and use search and visibility to attract the right clients, without burnout. She is the founder of CL Content Marketing and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

What we cover in this episode

1. Why posting on Instagram is not a marketing strategy on its own
2. How SEO works for pet photographers and what realistic results look like
3. What keyword research involves and why local nuances matter
4. Why blogging is still worth doing in 2026 and what to write about
5. GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and how good content helps you show up in AI search results
6. How to build a content roadmap around your dream client
7. The do's and don'ts of using AI tools for content creation
8. Pricing mindset and why you are not your client

Website: clcontentmarketing.com

Instagram: @clcontentmarketing

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/clairelauer

Email: claire@clcontentmarketing.com

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you subscribe and leave a five-star review. It helps more pet photographers discover the show and join the conversation.

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

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

Most episodes of The Pet Photographers’ Journal focus on the business side of photography. Marketing, pricing, and building a sustainable photography business.

But this episode is a little different.

Instead of talking about strategy or sales, this conversation steps back into something much more personal.

Photographing our own dogs.

Ina Jalil sits down with Kerry Martin from Puppy Tales, an award winning Melbourne based dog photographer who has spent more than sixteen years documenting life with dogs across Australia.

Together they talk about the importance of personal photography projects. The kind that are not created for clients, awards or social media, but simply to capture the everyday moments with the dogs who share our lives.

Kerry shares how small projects such as photographing daily moments or recording a one second video each day can become deeply meaningful over time. Especially when those quiet memories are all that remain after our dogs are gone.

For pet photographers who spend their careers documenting other people’s dogs, this episode is a gentle reminder to turn the camera back toward the lives unfolding at home.

1. How Kerry Martin started her pet photography journey after leaving the Navy
2. The evolution of pet photography over the past 16 years
3. The story behind Kerry’s photography projects including Snow Dogs and Dog Tales of Australia
4. Why personal photography projects are different from client work
5. How to start a meaningful photography project documenting your own dog
6. The one-second-a-day video project that changed how Kerry remembers her dogs
7. Why simple, imperfect moments often become the most meaningful photographs
8. How documenting our own dogs can reshape how we photograph for clients
9. The emotional value of creating memories before time runs out

As photographers, we spend so much time creating beautiful images for clients that we sometimes forget to turn the camera toward our own lives.

This episode is a reminder that personal photography projects don’t need to be perfect. They just need to exist.

Future you will be grateful that they do.

Kerry Martin is the photographer behind Puppy Tales, a Melbourne based photography and storytelling platform dedicated to celebrating the bond between dogs and their people.

She considers pets very much part of the family and shares her work to inspire fellow pet parents to create incredible memories of life with their dogs.

Kerry travels throughout Australia offering her award winning dog photography and is known for her seasonal photography experiences, most notably Snow Dogs, as well as her studio based project Project Dogalogue.

Over the past sixteen years she has received many national and international photography awards. Highlights include Master of Photography, Australian Pet and Animal Photographer of the Year, and the Pets and People category winner at the 2024 International Pet Photography Awards.

As she travels with her own beloved dogs, Kerry also writes and shares stories about dog photography, dog friendly travel, and life with dogs. Her content reaches a community of more than 500,000 dog lovers across the Puppy Tales website and social media platforms.

Through her writing and photography she encourages dog inclusive lifestyles, shares practical resources to help dogs live happy and healthy lives, and tells heartfelt stories about the relationships between dogs and people.

Puppy Tales is also a business for good, operating as carbon negative and supporting local charities through photography and fundraising. Kerry founded the Australian Dog of the Year Awards in 2021 to recognise the incredible contribution dogs make to people, communities and society.

Website: https://puppytales.com.au/

Instagram: @puppytalesphotos

Facebook: Puppy Tales

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you subscribe and leave a five-star review. It helps more pet photographers discover the show and join the conversation.

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

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

Is your website quietly turning away clients?

Most photographers have a website. Far fewer have one that actually converts. In this episode, Ina sits down with Alex Vita, a web designer who works exclusively with photographers and has nearly 20 years of experience helping them get more enquiries through their sites.

They cover the most common content and user experience mistakes photographers make, what good SEO actually involves in 2025, and how the rise of AI tools is changing the way potential clients find you. There is a lot of practical, actionable advice in this one whether your website is brand new or years old.

Key takeaways:

1. Your homepage has about five seconds to tell someone who you are, where you are, and why they should choose you. A slideshow does not do that. A collage of four strong images with a clear heading, location, and differentiator does.
2. Backlinks still matter more than almost anything else in SEO. Cleaning up your H1 tags is helpful but it will not get you to page one if your competitors have years of quality links behind them. PR and genuine outreach are the longer-term answer.
3. AI tools are already recommending photographers to potential clients. Consistent business details across every platform, an FAQ section on your homepage, testimonials throughout your site, and content that shows your expertise all help you show up in those recommendations.
4. Pricing on your website does not have to be a full price list. It should address investment in some way. Gating it behind a newsletter subscribe might gain you a few subscribers but it reduces conversions and, as Alex puts it, it is a bit icky.
5. Your service page is not just about pricing. It is about the experience of working with you, the benefits, the process, the social proof, and then the investment. All of that together is what converts.

About Alex Vita

Alex Vita runs Foreground Web, a web design, SEO, and consulting service built specifically for photographers. He started out as a photographer himself before his computer science background pulled him back toward the web. He has worked with hundreds of photographers worldwide and is known for his in-depth articles, courses, and honest, no-fluff approach to helping photographers build websites that actually work.

Connect with Alex

Instagram: @foregroundweb

Website: foregroundweb.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@foregroundweb

Useful Links on Alex's Website:

Articles:

https://www.foregroundweb.com/ai-proof-photography-website/

https://www.foregroundweb.com/displaying-prices/

https://www.foregroundweb.com/seo-obsession/

Sign Up to Alex's Newsletter: https://www.foregroundweb.com/subscribe/

Contact Alex directly via email through his website, he replies to every single one.

💬 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

In this solo episode, Ina shares the moment that changed how she thinks about marketing forever. After quitting her six-figure government job to go full time in photography, attending an overseas retreat, and coming home to zero bookings in January and February, she learned the hard way that posting on social media and having a marketing strategy are two very different things. She also introduces her Consistent Ideal Client Method, the three part framework she now teaches to pet photographers who are ready to stop guessing and start building a system. If you're stuck in the feast and famine cycle, this one is for you.

Key takeaways:

1. Why posting consistently is not the same as marketing
2. The difference between passive and active marketing
3. Why the feast and famine cycle is a structure problem, not a talent problem
4. The Consistent Ideal Client Method: Magnetic Visibility, Aligned Positioning, and Intentional Client Experience

🌐 Sign up for the Consistent Bookings Workshop or Find out more about the Consistent Bookings Program

📲 Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

🌐 Mentoring & Coaching: https://www.inajphotography.com/coaching

🌐 Sign up for the Pet Photographers Marketing Reset Free Masterclass

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:

1. Practical marketing tips
2. Business lessons and mindset shifts
3. 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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠Apply here⁠

If this episode resonated with you, share it with another pet photographer who needs to hear it.

And if you haven’t started building your email list yet… this is your sign.

What does it take to transform from photographing 1,000+ weddings to running one of Northern Ireland’s most successful boutique pet photography studios?

In this episode of The Pet Photographers’ Journal, we sit down with Graham Crichton of Belfast, Northern Ireland, who has built a premium studio brand with over 400 five-star Google reviews and an average sale of £1,500–£2,000 per client.

You’ll learn why photography alone won’t grow your business in today’s AI-driven, competitive market and what actually will.

From gift voucher strategies and transparent pricing, to automated client touchpoints, reveal sessions, premium sales techniques, and the psychology behind perceived value, this episode breaks down the full luxury client journey step-by-step.

If you want to:

1. Raise your prices with confidence
2. Increase your average sale
3. Stop attracting price shoppers
4. Deliver a premium client experience
5. Build long-term reputation and referrals

This episode is your blueprint.

1. Why you’re not in the photography business — you’re in the service business
2. Building a high-end pet photography studio model
3. How to design a complete client journey from first inquiry to product pickup
4. Using gift vouchers strategically (without attracting time-wasters)
5. Why transparency in pricing increases trust
6. How to prepare clients for higher investment without “selling”
7. The power of video in pet photographer marketing
8. Creating perceived value through small experience details
9. Handling price objections the right way
10. Why over-promising and under-delivering destroys trust
11. Getting (and leveraging) 400+ five-star Google reviews

1. Stop introducing yourself as “just a photographer.”
2. Think like hospitality, not like an artist.
3. Ask: What does my client experience feel like at every touchpoint?

1. Map every stage: website → inquiry → call → session → reveal → pickup.
2. Remove friction and uncertainty at each step.
3. Repeat key messaging (especially around pricing and products).

1. Avoid free vouchers that attract non-buyers.
2. Include full pricing transparency in the experience box.
3. Follow up proactively before expiry dates.

1. Use phrases like “We shoot for product.”
2. Prepare clients before the reveal session.
3. Send questionnaires asking what and where they plan to display artwork.

1. Offer premium coffee or small thoughtful touches.
2. Personalise welcome screens with client names.
3. Create an immersive slideshow reveal experience.

Small details create big emotional impact.

1. Four out of five people may think you’re expensive — that’s normal.
2. Your job isn’t to convince everyone.
3. It’s to attract and nurture the right clients.

1. Under-promise and over-deliver.
2. If turnaround is 5 weeks, say 5 — even if it might be 3.
3. Trust builds reputation. Reputation builds premium positioning.

Graham is a photographer and educator with nearly 20 years of professional experience across multiple genres. For the past decade, he has specialised in high-end pet portraiture and runs one of the very few specialist pet portrait studios in his country.

With a boutique studio model focused on client experience over volume, he has built a highly profitable pet photography business, earning over 400 five-star Google reviews and establishing a reputation for exceptional service and premium wall art sales.

What does your client journey currently look like?

Are you relying on your photography to sell… or are you intentionally designing an experience worth investing in?

Share your biggest takeaway from this episode inside the community, we’d love to hear what you’re implementing next.

If this episode shifted your perspective, send it to another pet photographer who needs to hear it.

📲 Instagram: @theexperienceengine

Listen to the Experience Engine on Spotify

Website: www.grahamcrichton.com/engine

📲 Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

🌐 Mentoring & Coaching: https://www.inajphotography.com/coaching

🌐 Sign up for the Consistent Bookings Workshop or Find out more about the Consistent Bookings Program

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:

1. Practical marketing tips
2. Business lessons and mindset shifts
3. 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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠Apply here⁠

If this episode resonated with you, share it with another pet photographer who needs to hear it.

And if you haven’t started building your email list yet… this is your sign.

Marketing can feel overwhelming.

Email lists. Social media. SEO. AI. PR. Sub-niching. Ads. Reviews.

If you’re a pet photographer wondering where to actually focus your energy, this episode brings clarity.

Ina is joined by Tarryn Michie, co-founder of Pet Biz Creatives, a pet-industry marketing agency that partners with ethical, purpose-driven pet brands to help them grow sustainably without burnout. With a background in investment banking, naturopathy, and strategic marketing, Tarryn blends data-driven strategy with meaningful storytelling to help pet businesses get visible and convert.

While Tarryn works heavily with pet product brands, the strategies she shares are incredibly relevant for service-based businesses like pet photography, especially when it comes to email marketing, trust-building, and future-proofing your visibility.

📩 Why email marketing is still one of the highest ROI tools available

1. The real reason you shouldn’t rely on social media alone
2. Why inbox fatigue is often just a mindset block
3. How often you should email (and what to actually send)
4. What to do if your email list has gone dormant
5. How to set up a simple welcome sequence that builds trust

🎯 Sub-niching to increase conversions

1. Why speaking to “all pet parents” weakens your message
2. How narrowing your audience actually grows your business
3. Examples of powerful sub-niches for pet photographers

🤝 Case studies, testimonials & reducing buyer anxiety

1. Why pet parents hesitate before booking
2. How sharing real client experiences removes fear
3. A simple way to guide clients when asking for reviews

🚀 Getting visible beyond social media

1. Practical ways to approach PR (even without a big budget)
2. How to leverage awards, media mentions, and podcasts
3. Why backlinks and third-party credibility matter more than ever

🤖 AI, SEO & being found in the future

1. What AEO/GEO really means
2. How AI tools decide who to recommend
3. Why blogs, FAQs, and structured website content still matter
4. How to position yourself as a trusted authority online

🧠 The mindset piece

1. Imposter syndrome in business
2. Why comparison kills momentum
3. Feeding your brain the right inputs as a business owner

If you feel overwhelmed by marketing, don’t try to do everything.

Start here:

✔️ Build or activate your email list

✔️ Send one value-packed email per month

✔️ Share more of yourself and your story

✔️ Focus on connection before conversion

Email is intimate. It builds trust. And trust is what converts pet parents, especially when bookings can take months or even years.

🌐 Website: https://petbizcreatives.com

🔗 LinkedIn: Tarryn Michie

🎁 Free lead magnet: Pet Parent Decision Making Matrix

📲 Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

🌐 Mentoring & Coaching: https://www.inajphotography.com/coaching

🌐 Sign up for the Pet Photographers Marketing Reset Free Masterclass

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:

1. Practical marketing tips
2. Business lessons and mindset shifts
3. 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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠Apply here⁠

If this episode resonated with you, share it with another pet photographer who needs to hear it.

And if you haven’t started building your email list yet… this is your sign.

Mentioned in this episode:

Free Webinar Ad - Pet Photographers' Marketing Reset

Stop doing "random acts of marketing" and start building a repeatable system. I have an upcoming free Masterclass, the Pet Photographers' Marketing reset where I'll cover: - The 3 specific shifts that took me from panicking about bills to consistent bookings - Why consistent posting on social media does NOT equal consistent bookings. - The system I use to stay booked weeks in advance without relying on the algorithm. 👉 Register for the Free Webinar Here: https://www.inajphotography.com.au/webinar-registration-3041

Do you feel like your marketing is scattered or your marketing reactively instead of proactively? Are you posting on social media just to "post something," hoping it leads to a booking?

In this special episode, I’m sitting down with Sharon Canovas, a talented pet and family photographer based in Ontario (and a professional stuntwoman!). Sharon joined my Consistent Bookings Workshop because she was tired of the being overwhelmed with marketing and wanted a clear path forward.

We dive deep into how she went from random social media posts to mapping out her entire year of marketing in advance. Sharon shares exactly how implementing a proper marketing strategy took her from uncertainty to being fully booked for the entire Spring season for the first time ever.

If you think you don't have time to market your business, you need to hear this. Sharon balances her photography business while working 15-hour days on film sets doing stunts and she still made it happen.

In this episode, we cover:

1. The shift from "Scattered" to Strategic: How Sharon stopped posting random "cute dog" photos and started posting with a purpose.
2. Planning 12 Months Out: How mapping out the year eliminated her anxiety about "what to do next".
3. The Power of AI Tools: How Sharon uses the tools from the workshop to brainstorm social media posts and emails in her dogs' voices, saving her hours of work.
4. Passive vs. Active Marketing: Why relying on social media alone isn't enough and how Sharon used pop-up events to drive leads.
5. The "Walk the Talk" Difference: Why it matters to learn from an educator who is still actively shooting and testing strategies in the trenches.

Memorable Quote:

"I took December off... I just sat down and planned everything out. So now I'm posting on social media with purpose... My Spring is fully booked. It's the first time that this is happening in my business." — Sharon Canovas

Connect with Sharon:

Sharon is a Hamilton Pet Photographer serving the Hamilton region in Ontario. Sharon balances her work in pet photography with her work as a stuntwoman and stunt coordinator. Since starting her business, she is most proud of having been voted Giggster Top 5 Best Pet Photographer from Hamilton, Ontario and has Won Platinum Award by Hamilton Spectator, Reader's Choice. Additionally, she's a certified pet grief specialist through One Last Network, equipped to better serve her clients in challenging times with End Of Life Pet Photography.

1. Website: https://canovasphotography.com/
2. Instagram: @scanovasphotography
3. Facebook: Canovas Photography
4. IMDB: Sharon Canovas on iMDB

Want to map out your year and fill your calendar just like Sharon did? The next Consistent Bookings Workshop launches in March!

Be the first to hear when doors open and get early access to the strategies that will take you from scattered and overwhelmed to having a clear plan and system for marketing.

👉 Sign up for the Waitlist here

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:

1. Practical marketing tips
2. Business lessons and mindset shifts
3. 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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠Apply here⁠

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentioned in this episode:

Register for the Pet Photography Marketing Reset Webinar

🎓 Join the Free Pet Photographers’ Marketing Reset Webinar Ready to start booking your dream clients without discounting or social media burnout? https://www.inajphotography.com.au/petphotography-marketing-webinar-register

Feeling overwhelmed by scattered systems, lost inquiries, and clients who ghost before booking? You're not alone. In this episode, systems strategist Colie James breaks down exactly how to build a client experience that runs on autopilot while still feeling personal and professional.

Colie is a Dubsado Certified Specialist, HoneyBook Educator, and the host of Business-First Creatives podcast. After spending 12 years as a family photographer, she discovered her passion for helping creative service providers streamline their businesses through automated systems and workflows.

In this comprehensive conversation, we cover the entire journey of building client experience systems that actually work. From deciding when to invest in your first CRM to creating automated workflows that still feel personal, Colie breaks down the exact strategies she's used to help hundreds of photographers book more clients while working less.

We dive into the nitty-gritty: which CRM to choose and why, the three microsystems you need to build first, how to create a booking process that converts in minutes instead of days, and the secret to writing client emails that build trust instead of confusion. Colie also shares her 3 P's framework for client communication and explains the "confidence loop" and why keeping clients informed at every step is the key to preventing ghosting and increasing bookings.

If you've ever felt like you're drowning in admin work, losing track of where clients are in your process, or watching potential bookings slip away because your systems are too complicated, this episode will give you a clear action plan to fix it.

Whether you're just starting out or you've been photographing for years with messy backend systems, you'll walk away knowing exactly what to implement first and how to build a client experience that books itself.

When to Invest in a CRM

1. The moment you can afford $40/month and have worked with about 5 clients, you should start
2. Why building systems early prevents overwhelm as your business grows
3. The hidden cost of scattered information across multiple platforms

Choosing the Right CRM

1. Colie's top two recommendations: Dubsado and HoneyBook for photographers
2. How to decide between platforms based on your business needs
3. Why starting with something is better than waiting for the "perfect" choice

The 5-Minute Booking Process

1. Why making it easy for clients to book quickly dramatically increases conversion rates
2. The three essential components: service selection, contract signing, and payment
3. Real results: clients reporting their fastest bookings ever after implementing this system

The Three Essential Microsystems

1. Instant inquiry response: What to include and why it matters
2. Booking proposal: How to present your offer in a way that builds confidence
3. Confirmation email: Setting expectations and creating excitement

The 3 P's Framework for Client Communication

1. Purpose: Every email should have a clear goal
2. Personality: Making automated emails sound like you, not a robot
3. Preview: Always tell clients what's coming next to build the confidence loop

The Confidence Loop

1. How clear communication builds trust throughout the client journey
2. Why uncertainty kills bookings (and how to prevent it)
3. The psychological impact of keeping clients informed at every step

Strategic Timing for Testimonials

1. Why asking for reviews at different stages gets you different feedback
2. How to balance process reviews with product reviews
3. Using video testimonials to capture genuine reactions

Getting Started Without Overwhelm

1. Start with your booking process - it gives you the biggest return on investment
2. You don't need everything perfect to launch your CRM
3. How to add systems gradually without disrupting your current client flow

1. Business-First Creatives Podcast by Colie James
2. Episode: "The 3 Must-Have Elements for Every Client Communication"
3. Colie's course: Email Like You Mean It
4. Colie's service: Systems In Session
5. CRM platforms: Dubsado and HoneyBook
6. Annemie Tonken's "This Can't Be That Hard" podcast

Colie James, aka the Systems Professor, helps creative service providers build high-touch, automated client experiences using Dubsado and HoneyBook. As the host of the Business-First Creatives podcast, she teaches how intentional communication and smart systems save time, increase conversions, and elevate the entire client journey.

1. Website: https://coliejames.com
2. Podcast: Business-First Creatives
3. Instagram: @coliejames
4. Email Like You Mean It Course: https://coliejames.com/email-like-you-mean-it
5. Systems In Session: https://coliejames.com/systems-in-session

1. Colie's recommended podcast episode: The 3 Must-Have Elements for Every Client Email Communication
2. Get started with Dubsado: Save 20% for your first month or year using the code inajphotography
3. Get started with HoneyBook
4. Colie's Systems In Session (Done-with-you CRM setup)
5. Email Like You Mean It Course

1. Website: https://coliejames.com
2. Podcast: Business-First Creatives
3. Instagram: @coliejames

If you feel like you know what you should be doing in your business...but your calendar is still empty, this episode is for you.

In this solo episode, I speaks directly to one of the most common and frustrating patterns I see after coaching pet photographers.

You’re not lacking information. You’re stuck between knowing and doing.

Between consuming content and seeing results.

Between trying “all the things” and still feeling like nothing sticks.

I share real conversations from inside my community, reflections from my own journey building my business while working full time, and the uncomfortable truth about the hidden cost of staying stuck.

This isn’t about finding a magic strategy.

It’s about building a system you can actually follow.

If you’ve been stuck consuming content, second guessing yourself, or hoping something will finally click, this episode is your wake up call.

You don’t need more information.

You need a plan you’ll actually implement.

WHAT'S INSIDE THE WORKSHOP:

Workshop 1 (29 Jan): The Foundation

We'll identify your ideal client, craft messaging that attracts them,

Workshop 2 (5 Feb): The Marketing Pillars

Strategic Campaign Planning, pillars and identify which suits your business best

Workshop 3 (12 Feb): The System

Learn to map out your next 90 days of marketing priorities

Plus you get:

• Ideal Client Clarity Toolkit with custom ChatGPT bot

• Brand Compass Custom GPT for writing in your voice

• 12-Month Marketing Calendar Template

• 3 Weeks Voxer Access (6 weeks if you join before 9am tomorrow)

• Pre-Workshop Prep Kit

• Private community access

• 30-day money-back guarantee

INVESTMENT:

$529 USD or $790 AUD

Payment plans available: 3 payments of $210 USD or 3 payments of $314 AUD

SIGN UP NOW

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:

1. Practical marketing tips
2. Business lessons and mindset shifts
3. 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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠Apply here⁠

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

What do you do when you've been in business for 13 years, you can take beautiful photos, but you just can't seem to get the clients? Do you give up, or do you get help?

In this honest and vulnerable episode, Sydney-based dog and equine photographer Allira Fontana shares her journey from event photography burnout to building a sustainable private session business. Allira opens up about the moment she nearly threw in the towel, the game-changing decision to invest in business coaching with Mark Rossetto, and why the old "do free sessions for a few months" approach simply doesn't work anymore.

If you've ever felt stuck in your business, struggled with marketing, or questioned whether you should keep going, this episode is for you.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

1. How to know when it's time to invest in business coaching (and how to find the right coach for you)
2. Why marketing was the missing piece in Allira's business puzzle
3. The importance of finding accountability partners in your photography journey
4. How to navigate burnout without giving up on your dream
5. Why it's okay to pivot, pause, or change direction in your business
6. The real timeline for building a profitable pet photography business (spoiler: it's not 3 months)

About Allira Fontana:

Allira Fontana is a Sydney-based dog and equine photographer with almost 13 years of experience in the industry. After starting with event photography and experiencing significant burnout, Allira pivoted to private sessions and invested in business coaching that transformed her approach to marketing and client acquisition. She's passionate about supporting other photographers on their journey and is an accountability partner to Ina.

Instagram: @allirafontanaphotography

Website: https://www.allirafontana.com/

Allira's Social Media Pet Photographers Facebook Group

WHAT'S INSIDE THE WORKSHOP:

Workshop 1 (29 Jan): The Foundation

We'll identify your ideal client, craft messaging that attracts them,

Workshop 2 (5 Feb): The Marketing Pillars

Strategic Campaign Planning, pillars and identify which suits your business best

Workshop 3 (12 Feb): The System

Learn to map out your next 90 days of marketing priorities

Plus you get:

• Ideal Client Clarity Toolkit with custom ChatGPT bot

• Brand Compass Custom GPT for writing in your voice

• 12-Month Marketing Calendar Template

• 3 Weeks Voxer Access (6 weeks if you join before 9am tomorrow)

• Pre-Workshop Prep Kit

• Private community access

• 30-day money-back guarantee

INVESTMENT:

$529 USD or $790 AUD

Payment plans available: 3 payments of $210 USD or 3 payments of $314 AUD

SIGN UP NOW

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:

1. Practical marketing tips
2. Business lessons and mindset shifts
3. 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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠Apply here⁠

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

What actually makes a pet photography business sustainable long term?

In this episode, Ina sits down with Tatum from The Social Dog Company for a raw, honest conversation about what it really takes to build a profitable pet business without burning out or relying on paid ads.

Tatum shares her journey from running dog-friendly events and rescue fundraisers to rebuilding her business from absolute rock bottom and growing a multi six-figure marketing company serving pet businesses around the world. This isn’t a highlight reel. It’s a real look at resilience, business models, and the unglamorous work that actually moves the needle.

Together, they unpack why so many talented photographers struggle to book clients, why “just posting on Instagram” isn’t a strategy, and how simplifying your offer and messaging can completely change how people respond to your business.

This episode is a must-listen if you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed by marketing, or frustrated that your work isn’t translating into consistent bookings.

1. Why incredible photography alone doesn’t build a successful business
2. The biggest mistake pet photographers make with marketing
3. Why organic marketing foundations matter before running ads
4. How to stop confusing potential clients with too many offers
5. What “hustle” actually means in the early stages of business
6. Why going viral doesn’t always help your business
7. How to attract the right clients instead of more followers
8. The difference between awareness, consideration, and conversion
9. Why email marketing still outperforms social media for sales
10. How to think like a business owner, not just a creative

1. Simplify your offers and sell one core service clearly
2. Use stories to sell through pain point, solution, and outcome
3. Stop waiting until everything feels perfect before putting yourself out there
4. Focus on consistent action instead of chasing quick wins
5. Build marketing systems that support your life, not consume it

Instagram: @thesocialdogcompany

Website: https://www.thesocialdogcompany.com

Tatum also offers free social media audit and regularly runs practical social media challenges for pet business owners who want better visibility and clearer messaging.

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠Apply here⁠

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Season Two of The Pet Photographers’ Journal is officially here.

In this solo episode, Ina kicks off 2026 with a grounded, honest reset for pet photographers who want more clarity, more momentum, and a business that actually supports their life.

Ina shares what she’s seeing across the industry, what the data is telling us, and where photographers should focus their energy this year. This isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what works.

If 2025 felt noisy, overwhelming, or unpredictable, this episode will help you cut through the chaos and start the year with intention.

The state of the photography industry heading into 2026

1. Why the technical side of photography is easier than ever
2. Why the business side feels harder and noisier
3. What industry reports are revealing about revenue, client behaviour, and sustainability

How to actually win in 2026

1. Why connection and client experience matter more than gear or trends
2. What photographers doing In-Person Sales (IPS) are earning compared to digital-only studios
3. Why print is far from dead and how it continues to drive long-term revenue

Two simple January action steps to build momentum

1. The Friction-Free Client Audit
2. How to secret shop your own website and remove the small points of friction that quietly kill bookings.
3. The Warm Circle Wake-Up
4. Why your next bookings are likely already in your world and how three short voice notes can restart engagement without selling.

How to choose the right level of support for where you’re at

1. The difference between needing a roadmap, a reset, or an engine
2. When to plan, when to refine, and when to take action
3. Why predictable bookings come from systems, not algorithms

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠Apply here⁠

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: Learn More

It is officially the Season Finale! Whether you are wrapping presents, driving to visit family, or taking a well-deserved break, join me, Ina for this short, special solo episode to wrap up 2025.

In this episode, I pull back the curtain on my first full year of coaching. From the surprise success of launching The Pet Photographers Journal after the closure of The Pet Photographers Club, to the very real battles with imposter syndrome, this is an unfiltered look at what it takes to grow.

Plus, we celebrate YOU. I break down the incredible Spotify Wrapped stats that made this show an "Instant Hit," reveals the most-played episode of the year, and I share exactly what is coming up in January 2026 (including something you won't want to miss).

A Personal Note from Ina: "Thank you to the 6 superfans who had this show as their #1 podcast this year, and to everyone who has listened, shared, and reviewed. I’m taking a short break to be with family in Bali, but I’ll see you in January for an incredible 2026!"

Review & Subscribe: Don't miss the 2026 season launch! Subscribe and leave a review to help other pet photographers find the show.

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠Apply here⁠

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: Learn More

This episode is a deep, honest look at what it really takes to run a photography business with multiple moving parts.

I’m joined by equine and pet photographer Louise Sedgman, who has spent more than a decade refining a business that holds two very different models at once. High-volume seasonal Santa sessions, and slow, boutique fine-art equine portraiture.

We talk through how her Santa sessions evolved over 11 years, from unstructured walk-ins and four-hour queues to a mostly smooth, booked system photographing over a thousand families each season. Louise shares the practical decisions she made around pricing, bookings, team support, client education, and workflow to make that volume manageable.

But this conversation goes further than Santa sessions. We also dive into her equine work, in-person sales process, pricing expectations, lead generation through trade shows, and why boundaries became non-negotiable after experiencing burnout.

This episode is for photographers navigating growth, complexity, and energy management. If you’re trying to balance income, creativity, and sustainability without pretending it’s easy, Louise’s story will resonate.

• A single business can hold both high-volume and boutique work
• Systems and education matter more as volume increases
• Pricing clarity filters the right clients before the session
• Burnout leads to better boundaries, not failure
• Sustainable growth comes from refining, not constantly adding

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠Apply here⁠

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: Learn More

If you love this podcast, you’ll love the conversations happening inside the Pet Photographers’ Collective on Skool — 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

This episode is your gentle reset before we step into a brand new year. If you’ve been feeling the pressure of feast-or-famine bookings, uncertainty around pricing, or the constant juggle between loving the art and dreading the business side… you’re not alone. So many pet photographers have lived the same roller coaster, and this conversation will help you step off it.

In this episode I walk you through the real work of reviewing your year without judgement, finding the lessons inside both the wins and the flops, and using that clarity to plan a more profitable, joyful 2026. You’ll hear about the marketing habits that keep photographers stuck, the mindset patterns that drain confidence, and the small shifts that create a completely different business year.

If you want 2026 to feel more consistent, calm, and profitable, this episode will help you take those first steps with clarity and confidence.

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

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠Apply here⁠

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: Learn More

Today’s guest is Jodie Humphries, a pet-obsessed SEO specialist and freelance copywriter who helps pet businesses connect with the dog parents searching for them. She blends her background in SEO with her lived experience as a devoted dog mum to Wally, bringing a unique understanding of what pet owners actually want to read, search for, and buy.

In this episode, we walk through her Simple SEO Method and how pet photographers can start improving their organic search presence without feeling overwhelmed. Jodie explains the role of keywords, why structure matters more than ever, and how to use intentional blogging to educate clients before they enquire.

She also shares three actionable SEO steps any photographer can implement in the next 30 days:

• Start blogging consistently using FAQs and client questions

• Review and improve the copy on your core pages

• Use a pre-publish checklist for headings, metadata, links and alt text

Stay through to the end for something special. Jodie shares her story as a pet photography client who entered through a free session giveaway. She walked in thinking, “I’ll just take my free print.” She walked out with thousands of dollars in artwork… multiple times. Her insight is pure gold for anyone doubting whether giveaway campaigns can attract high-value clients.

About Jodie

Jodie is a dog mum, SEO expert and freelance pet copywriter based on the NSW Central Coast. She helps pet brands and service providers grow through SEO-friendly content, keyword research, blog strategy and messaging that speaks directly to pet parents. She blends data, SEO best practice and genuine connection to help pet businesses get found and trusted online.

Website: https://jodiehumphries.com/

Instagram: @jodielhwriter

Link to Jodie’s SEO-friendly pre-publish checklist:

https://jodiehumphries.com/free-seo-checklist-for-pet-businesses/

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠Apply here⁠

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: Learn More

If you love this podcast, you’ll love the conversations happening inside the Pet Photographers’ Collective on Skool — 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

What separates the photographers who stay consistently booked from those who struggle month to month?

In this episode, Ina sits down with Andrew Hellmich, host of the legendary PhotobizX Podcast and one of the most respected voices in the photography business world. After more than 600 interviews, Andrew has seen the patterns, the pitfalls, and the powerful habits that set successful photographers apart.

They dive into what’s actually working right now in 2025, why so many photographers overcomplicate marketing, and the surprisingly simple strategies that consistently generate more bookings, higher sales, and better clients.

Andrew also shares his insights on:

• Why the fastest-growing photographers are willing to get people in front of their camera for free
• How to turn cold interest into paid clients through an intentional process
• What most photographers misunderstand about pricing and perceived value
• The difference between “busywork” and revenue-generating activity
• How high-performing studios nurture relationships and create repeat clients
• Why photographers must prioritise experience over perfection

Ina and Andrew also unpack the psychology behind offers, the power of connection, and why real growth comes from showing up and serving, not shouting louder online.

Whether you’re a pet photographer or any portrait photographer wanting more consistency, this episode is packed with clarity, strategy, and mindset shifts you can implement straight away.

Andrew Hellmich is a wedding and portrait photographer who built a thriving business in the Central Coast of NSW. He’s the host of PhotobizX, one of the most influential photography business podcasts in the world, interviewing hundreds of industry leaders and uncovering what truly works for photographers wanting profitable, fulfilling businesses.

PhotoBizX Podcast: https://photobizx.com

PhotoBizX Premium Membership Tria: http://photobizx.com/try

Facebook: https://facebook.com/photobizx

Black Friday Offer http://photobizx.com/blackfriday

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠Apply here⁠

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: Learn More

If you love this podcast, you’ll love the conversations happening inside the Pet Photographers’ Collective on Skool — 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

What does it really take to run a profitable, sustainable photography business, one that still feels creative and fun?

In this episode, Ina chats with Annemie Tonkin, photographer, educator, and founder of This Can’t Be That Hard, about the business strategies that actually work and why success isn’t just about talent, but about understanding how to think like a business owner.

They dive into what’s working right now in a changing economy, how to bring creativity into your business strategy, and why photographers should stop trying to “get it right” and instead focus on consistent action. Annemie also shares how her Membership Model transformed her photography business, creating predictable income and stronger client loyalty and how any photographer can adapt it, even with in-person sales.

Plus, they explore how AI can support creativity instead of replacing it, and what to do if you’ve been resisting new technology (hint: it’s time to get curious).

• Why the photographers who thrive long-term focus as much on business as they do on their craft
• How to build a membership model that creates recurring income
• The creative “white space” habit that sparks your best business ideas
• Using AI to enhance your creative process (without losing your voice)
• The importance of fresh ideas, novelty, and attention in a crowded market
• Why embracing innovation is the key to staying relevant in 2025 and beyond

The Photo Elf:

Based on the “Secret Santa” strategy from Sleigh Your Social, The Photo Elf helps photographers boost holiday sales with a fun, done-for-you gifting app.

✨ Try it here — available free using code PHOTOELF25 until Nov 17 (Nov 16 for US)!

This Can’t Be That Hard with Annemie Tonkin

Website: thiscantbethathard.com

Instagram: @thiscantbethathard_

Annemie Tonkin is a photographer, educator, and founder of This Can’t Be That Hard — a platform empowering photographers to build profitable, sustainable businesses through smart systems, creative strategies, and modern marketing. With 16+ years in family photography, she’s helped thousands of photographers simplify their business, stay creative, and rediscover the joy that drew them to photography in the first place.

✨ Want to Be Coached Live?

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠Apply here⁠

📲 Connect with Ina

Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: Learn More

If you love this podcast, you’ll love the conversations happening inside the Pet Photographers’ Collective on Skool — 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

If your website feels like a digital business card instead of a lead-converting machine… this episode will help you change that.

I’m joined by the brilliant Mikaela, founder of Pet Marketing Unleashed and the host of the Pet Marketing Unleashed Podcast. She designs high-converting pet business websites (yes… including pet photographers) and teaches SEO in a way that finally makes sense.

We chat about how your website can become the hardest-working part of your business. Even when you're sleeping. Even when the algorithm feels like chaos.

Inside the episode:

✅ What SEO actually means in 2025

✅ Why you probably don’t need to hire someone monthly to “do your SEO”

✅ The #1 area to fix first if your website isn’t converting

✅ How to stop attracting low-intent enquiries

✅ Blogging topics that actually drive bookings

✅ Simple ways to track what’s working

✅ How AI search is changing what Google wants to see

✅ What your homepage must include above the fold

✅ Why clear, human messaging converts more than pretty layouts

✅ Should you have a freebie or opt-in? And where should it go?

If you want more enquiries from people who actually value artwork and full-service photography, make this episode your next listen.

• Pet photographer website template: https://www.petmarketingunleashed.com/pet-photographer-website-template
• Website headline tips blog: https://www.petmarketingunleashed.com/post/website-headlines
• SEO course for pet businesses: https://www.petmarketingunleashed.com/seo-course
• Copywriting service: https://www.petmarketingunleashed.com/copywriting
• 18 blog ideas for pet photographers: https://www.petmarketingunleashed.com/post/blog-post-ideas-pet-photographers

Mikaela is the founder of Pet Marketing Unleashed and host of The Pet Marketing Unleashed Podcast. She helps petpreneurs build stress-free businesses with strategic branding and websites that work hard for them. With the right systems and messaging in place, she supports pet business owners in attracting dream clients with ease.

Explore Mikaela’s resources:

Website: www.petmarketingunleashed.com

Podcast: https://www.petmarketingunleashed.com/podcast

Instagram: @petmarketingunleashed

✨ 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

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers:

https://www.inajphotography.com/coaching

If you love this podcast, you’ll love the conversations happening inside the Pet Photographers’ Collective on Skool — 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

Are you holding yourself back without even realising it?

Today on The Pet Photographers’ Journal, I’m joined by the incredible Heather Lahtinen from the Flourish Academy. Heather has helped thousands of photographers shift their thinking, expand their capacity, and finally step into the business growth they’ve been chasing.

We dive into the real reasons photographers stay stuck in inconsistent bookings, low confidence, and undercharging... and spoiler alert, it’s rarely strategy. It’s usually your thoughts.

Inside this episode:

• Why talent isn’t enough without emotional capacity

• What happens when your fear gets to make business decisions

• How to recognise when you’re “playing small”

• The most common mindset traps for photographers

• Why you don’t rise to your goals… you fall to your systems

• Practical ways to stretch your identity so your business can grow with you

• How to confidently sell without feeling salesy

Heather shares powerful reframes and actionable guidance to help you show up with the emotional resilience, belief, and leadership your business actually requires.

If you’ve ever thought…

❝I know what to do… I just can’t seem to DO it.❞

This conversation will hit home.

🎧 Listen now and start becoming the version of yourself who books clients consistently, earns what you deserve, and is actually excited about the future of your business.

Website: https://flourishacademy.mykajabi.com

Podcast: Flourish Academy Podcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flourishacademy/

Elevate Program: https://flourishacademy.mykajabi.com/elevate

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply here: https://forms.gle/oocMwawVB3de6aM29

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: ⁠⁠⁠Learn More⁠ https://www.inajphotography.com/coaching

If you love this podcast, you’ll love the conversations happening inside the Pet Photographers’ Collective on Skool — 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

If you’ve ever struggled to show why your pet photography business matters (beyond “cute photos”), this episode will change how you think about storytelling and marketing forever.

In this heartfelt and insightful conversation, I’m joined by Beth Lambert, founder of Fuzzy Face Media, a niche video production and education brand helping pet professionals attract the right clients and team members through powerful storytelling.

Beth blends neuroscience, adult learning, and visual strategy to help brands connect emotionally, not just sell logically. Together, we explore how photographers can use video, emotion, and authenticity to stand out, create trust, and reclaim joy in their business.

• Why “storytelling” is more than just nice words — and how to make yours unforgettable
• How to use emotion-driven video to attract clients who already believe in what you do
• The difference between showing and telling your value
• How to create videos that connect with pet parents (without being overly polished)
• Why connection beats perfection when it comes to content
• Tips to simplify your B-roll, brand story, and message so your audience truly “gets it”

🎥 About Beth Lambert

Beth Lambert is the founder of Fuzzy Face Media — a niche video-production and educational brand dedicated to helping pet-care professionals attract their dream clients and team members.

After rescuing her dog Chase, Beth became passionate about helping pet businesses reconnect with their original spark using fun, emotionally intelligent video storytelling that inspires and educates.

👉 Connect with Beth:

Website: www.fuzzyfacemedia.com

Instagram: @fuzzyface.media

🎁 Free Resource: B-Roll for Pet Photographers

🎓 Register for the Pet Photographer’s Marketing Reset Webinar:

Struggling to get consistent bookings? Check out my upcoming webinar on 21 Oct and 31 October (Sydney time).

https://www.inajphotography.com.au/petphotography-marketing-webinar-register

✨ Want to Be Coached Live?

Interested in being featured on a future coaching episode? ⁠⁠⁠⁠Apply here

📲 Connect with Ina

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠@inaj.thepetphotoceo

Email: ina@inajphotography.com

Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers: ⁠⁠⁠Learn More

If you love this podcast, you’ll love the conversations happening inside the Pet Photographers’ Collective on Skool — 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