Being young with little business experience meant Caitlin had to learn fast or change direction. She almost gave up at one stage before “busting through” and business has been great since. In this interview, Caitlin shares how she grew her business through marketing, Facebook, a business plan, strategy and systems. We cover the things that really work and some that definitely don't. No matter what style of photography business you run, there is something to learn form Caitlin.
Here's some of what we cover:
My advice after interviewing Caitlin is to follow her on social media, check out her blog to truly understand what a motivated professional photographer can do in regard to creating content, being seen and attracting more business.
What is your big takeaway?
After listening to this episode, what is your one big takeaway, what's the one thing you'd like to implement in your business as a result of what Caitlin is doing or had to say? Get involved, leave a comment below and start the conversation rolling.
Disagree with something? Feel free to add that too, as long as you are being respectful, healthy debate is totally fine.
Staying Motivated with a New Camera
At the beginning of the show I mentioned a new camera that has reignited my passion for shooting for fun, the Fuji X100s – it's a real beauty, just fun to use.
I said in the podcast I love this camera because I don't have to think, it has a fixed 35mm lens and that's it. After thinking a little more about that statement, I guess I have to think just as much about my shots but I'm less distracted with options of lens choice and a bag load of gear.
Working within the constraints of this small, retro, capable and very cool camera.That's what is so refreshing about it.
If you have something that gets you inspired or motivated to shoot for fun, let me know in the comments below.
iTunes ratings, reviews and Shout-Outs
One great iTunes rating and review this week from Jerome Cole of www.jeromecole.com.au in Melbourne. Thanks heaps Jerome, great to have you listening and thanks for taking the time to review the podcast in iTunes!
Also, a few shout-outs to photographers/listeners that have made contact via email or social media this week:
Rob Ervin of www.robervinphotography.com
Kate Little of www.katelittlephotography.com
If you'd like to get in touch, ask a question or make a suggestion for the show, you can email me andrew@photobizx.com, find me on twitter https://twitter.com/andrewhellmich or on Facebook at https://photobizx.com/facebook – I'd love to hear from you.
Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:
Ragamuffin Pet Photography: http://ragamuffinpetphotography.com.au
Ragamuffin on Facebook: http://ragamuffinpetphotography.com.au
Ragamuffin on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/RagamuffinPhotos
Beautiful Beasties – resource for Pet Photographers world wide: http://www.beautifulbeasties.com
Pro Photo Blogs: http://www.prophoto.com
WordPress Blogs: http://wordpress.org
Hoote Suite for managing social media and scheduling posts:
Animoto for slideshows: http://animoto.com
Shoot and Sell – sales tool to show framed prints on your clients walls: http://www.shootandsellapp.com
Preveal – iPad sales tool to show framed prints on your clients walls: http://getpreveal.com
Google Docs: http://docs.google.com
Text Expander, a great tool for creating custom keyboard shortcuts to add frequently used text or images: http://smilesoftware.com/TextExpander/index.html
Family Image Photography – check out Brian's new website: http://www.familyimage.com.au
The Business of Photography – Brian's 3 Day Business Workshops: http://www.thebusinessofphotography.com.au
That's it for me this week, hope everything is going well for you. I'd love for you to leave a comment below to let me know what you took away from this interview.
Speak soon
Andrew
Andrew, At first I thought, oh brother…a “pet” photographer. But I took your advice and listened to the entire podcast and you were exactly right. Wonderful episode. Well worth my time. Caitlin’s organization was my big take away that I can try to apply to my own photo biz.
But what struck me was how sharp she is vs how young she is. Very impressed, indeed.
It’s funny because as a kid we had a dog named “Hot Dog” and I remember my mom took us to get his photos photos made one day. And to this day I still remember those photos and they trigger my memory of how much I loved that dog.
So I feel I have gained a new appreciation for pet photography today.
Thank you!
Joey Joiner
Fort Worth, Texas
USA
Hey Joey, haha, glad you stuck around to have a listen to Caitlin, I knew you wouldn’t be disappointed!
Agreed, Caitlin is one switched on and organised photographer. I love how she plans each day of the week and knows exactly what she’s doing.
Nice memories for you and it reinforces how important is for all of us to create an “experience” for our clients – look how long the memories last.
Speak soon
Andrew
Particularly pertinent episode as I’m loking at different ways to market myself and for me, Caitlam ‘hit it right out of the park’ … what she does and how she goes about it just made good sense
Brilliant podcast and looking forward to future episodes …. and you don’t need to convince me about the X100S … I never leave home without mine 😉
Hi Chris – thanks for tuning in and for stopping by to leave a comment. How good is Caitlin, and organised!
Another X100s user… nice one, how good is this little camera.
Hope you enjoy future episodes and check some of the back catalogue if you get the chance – lots of cool marketing advice and tips hidden amongst the interviews. Check out Matt and Katie, Nick Evans for starters.
Great episode once again, but boy do i feel old sometimes. Caitlin seems to have things sorted in terms of marketing in the right places, putting her foot in the door with a large place for animals was the best idea, also the landing page for specials to see the reaction, just great. Also to hang in there when she thought she was going to quit and just see what happens paid off. Her images are awesome, lively and capture so much, good on ya keep going strong and all the best.
Take away for me was to look at better marketing techniques and maybe to home in on the area that suits my direction.
Hey Paul – I know exactly how you feel. I remember talking about the “old” photographers when I was starting out 14yrs ago and now, far out, I’m one of them! I guess the lesson is stay up to date, adapt to the changes and keep working hard or get left behind.
Caitlin is a real inspiration in her approach and strategy – lots to learn from her.
Glad you took something from the episode and hope you’re well!
Thanks Paul, I’m so glad (and humbled) to be able to inspire anything in someone with so much more experience 🙂
I am a pet photographer in Sydney and I think Caitlin is amazing… her work is both original and identifiable and I was so thrilled to hear she knows how much she is worth. She is so young yet so clever and is obviously working bloody hard!
Thank you for interviewing her and Caitlin thank you for sharing so much.
Hey Bron, great to have you listening and thanks for stopping by to comment, I appreciate it.
Yes, how good is Caitlin – great work, switched on and working bloody hard as you say 🙂 Not sure how many episodes you’ve listened to but the working hard thing seems to be a common thread amongst all the successful photographers.
Glad you enjoyed the episode and hope you stick around for more.
Thanks Bronwyn – always lovely to hear such kind words from a fellow pet photographer 🙂
What a great interview! Awesome to see someone young being so successful. Pet photography is amazing, but whenever I have spoken to people about it as a business I get told that not many people would spend more than a few hundred dollars on it. Its great to see that there are people that value their pets and great photography.
Hey Justin, isn’t Caitlin an inspiration and I guess it shows that it’s possible to be successful in any genre with hard work, talent and a systemised approach to consistent marketing. Glad you enjoyed the interview.
Hey Andrew, another tip of the hat to you here – another awesome episode.
I’ve actually been back through and listened to this one twice more, i’m just so impressed with what Caitlin has managed to achieve, and at a relatively young age! REPRESENT!
Being young and in business myself (albeit not pet photography) I can really take a lot of inspiration from Caitlin and this episode. She’s out there and she’s doing it. Also, learning fast too – burning out at such a young age and so early in her career was probably one of the best mistakes she’ll ever make, because now Caitlin is learning to manage and appreciate her time that much better. And, aside from the money we earn from our business, isn’t time still more important than cash?
Again, another brilliant interview.
Regards
Michael
Thanks for your comments Michael.
I’m so happy to have interviewed Caitlin. It felt like a bit of a risk interviewing a pet photographer for fear of treading too far from the wedding and portrait niche of the podcast. I could’t have been more wrong.
Caitlin’s maturity and business systems left me in awe and there is no doubt that any photographer in any niche applying half of what Caitlin does will be a success.
Lot’s of takeaways form this episode. I’m already looking forward to interviewing another pet photographer in the future.
Speak soon
Andrew
Thanks Michael – it’s so awesome to hear from other younger photographers rocking the business side of things too! Doing everything we can to battle that infuriating lazy Gen Y stereotype 😀
Wow Caitlin just blew me out the water. Starting to think and even implement business strategies whilst still at Art school was so impressive to hear. I was to busy not wanting art school to end ! My biggest takeaway was her marketing and business plans and her dedicated workflow. Love her work, just showed it to my mum and we both oooed and ahhed over the awesomeness. Thanks again Andrew and Caitlin for sharing.
BTW I shared your links on my personal and business facebook pages just now, you put a big old grin on my face by mentioning me in your shout out, so cool !
Kate
Auckland
NZ
Hi Kate – glad you heard your shout out 🙂
I was just like you while interviewing Caitlin – amazed at her workflow and planning!
With the systems she has in place and the way she sticks to them, it’s no surprise the success Caitlin is having… And good on her!
Thanks for sharing on Facebook too – that’s a big help and really appreciated.
Speak soon
Andrew
Thanks for the kind words Kate, I’m so glad that you and your Mum liked my work 😀
I’m fortunate because I do genuinely enjoy the business side of things and I’ve always been a bit of an organisation geek (I have to admit that my binder system and study schedule in school were not so far removed from my attitude with Ragamuffin!)
That was a fantastic interview, I met Caitlin sometime ago and I really like her as a person, and love her work. Thanks for all the info and keep up the great work guys!
Hi Arek, great to have you listening and thanks for stopping by to comment. After chatting to Caitlin a few times, I agree, she is a lovely person and has fantastic work.
Awww thanks Arek! Looking forward to our pet photographers’ dinner 😀
I love how organised Caitlin sounds. Its definitely something I struggle with. I wonder if she uses a particular application to keep everything organised. I thought I heard mention of google docs was there anything else I missed? Would love more tips on putting processes in place
Yes, I certainly do use a few applications!
I use Gravity Forms for my booking forms/client questionnaires/contracts/enquiries etc. which allows me to collect lots of info about my clients. I then bring that data into excel, where I use the Modern Tog’s Easy Client & Money Manager (which I’ve customised to suit Ragamuffin) (http://www.themoderntog.com/photography-accounting)
I use the excel workbook to track everything from referrals, expenses, enquiries etc.
I use dropbox so I can access it on multiple computers.
I use Google Docs for my email templates and price list with my cost of goods/profit (again, so I can access them anywhere, anytime).
Within gmail (all my email addresses are connected to one gmail inbox) I use google tasks to keep track of my to-do list. I’ve got GoTasks on my iphone that syncs to my gmail tasks.
I use ical/google calendar (they are synced together and also to my iphone) obsessively. Obviously I use it to schedule appointments etc. but I also use it to keep track of my productivity and plan my daily tasks hour by hour. I find it helpful to be able to know exactly how long a given task is going to take.
With my orders, I use pictures pro photocart (on my own website). My ordering is done with in-person sales, but I then put that order into the photocart myself, so that my clients can see their photos again, they get an online invoice, everything looks clean and professional etc.
Finally, I use boomerang in gmail. I use it so that I am not emailing clients at crazy hours (I’m a night owl, but they don’t need to know that!) I also use it to remind me to reply to certain emails, enquiries etc. after an amount of time (for example, I always “boomerang” my enquiries for two weeks later. It means the enquiry comes back into my inbox after a fortnight, and if that enquiry hasn’t replied to my email, then I can write/contact them again – I’d forget otherwise!)
I also use it to schedule payment plan reminders.
Thanks Caitlin for your incredibly detailed reply – you are one organised young woman!
Oh – and I use good old fashioned pen and paper for my workflow (it is also written down in google docs). I have a detailed checklist of every step needed per job (everything from “back up files” to “facebook images”) which I check off and date as I go. I just personally find it easier to be able to scribble notes and stuff down on paper, so every client has a file (with their booking form/client questionnaire/invoice/workflow) so I can easily flip through.
Thank you so much for your detailed reply. That’s awesome.
Gotta be happy with that answer from Caitlin! 🙂
[…] if you’ve been following the conversation in the comments with Caitlin McColl of Ragamuffin Pet Photography, make sure you get back there and have a look at the tools and resources that Caitlin uses to stay […]
[…] you soooo much, Andrew, for interviewing Caitlin as I got soooo much out of her podcast. The main thing for me was how I was going to get my […]
Pet photography is a major part of my new business (also doing newborns and family) and what great insight from my favourite inspirational pet photographer! So glad I found this podcast, going to listen to all the episodes whilst I edit! My biggest takeaway is how Caitlin has her week planned to focus on different things, Facebook, blogging, editing etc. I am currently working full time (different industry) whilst trying to get my business off the ground and time management is soooo important!
Some great tips from one of Melbourne’s most popular pet photographers!
Thanks for stopping by and great to hear you enjoyed the interview with Caitlin.
I just discovered this amazing site and resource! Even though this is an older podcast I wanted to comment as this was the first interview I listened to. I’m a pet photographer in Washington, DC and found Andrew’s conversation with Caitlin to be very inspiring. I loved hearing about how she built her business and how successful she has been as a result. Thank you Caitlin and Andrew!
Hi Gillian and welcome! It’s great to have you listening and as a pet photographer I can see why you would have loved this interview with Caitlin – how organised is she!
Thanks for adding your comments too.