Creative photography is alive and well with pet photographer Angie Connell

Angie Connell of www.angieconnellphotography.com.au is arguably the most creative photographer I've interviewed for the podcast.

It's rare in the world of photography today to see something unique or to see a photographer creating something different from the norm.

In a social media run world where we are over saturated by imagery, it feels like an impossible task to be different, to find your specialty and stand out from the crowd.

At the same time, we're told to find what moves us as a person, as a photographer, an artist and focus on that. And if we do, if we let our unique voice come to the surface and shine through in our work, we will find we have no competition.

We're told, do this and we'll connect with our perfect clients who will be drawn to our vision and life as a successful creator will be assured.

The problem is… finding and recognising that unique voice and translating it to our work is tough.

Today's guest has done exactly this.

I've always tried to produce work that speaks to me and speaks to the subject and sort of infuse my humour in it. – Angie Connell

Her photography is unique, it's captivating, thought-provoking, inspiring, funny, quirky and just damn good.

She shoots conceptual pet photography for the quirky pet lovers in this world.

She's becoming more and more recognised within the industry by her peers and I have a feeling, she will become known around the world if she continues to produce the work she has been.

I'm talking about Angie Connell and I'm rapt to have her with us now.

Angie, welcome!

A big thanks to The Image Salon for sponsoring this episode of the podcast and making the show possible. If outsourcing your editing is something you're currently doing or considering, please put the guys at The Image Salon to the test… I think you'll be blown away! They service some of the biggest names in the industry including Fer Juaristi, Two Mann Studios, Gabe McClintock and Edwina Robertson to name a few.

Here’s some of what we cover:

How Angie describes her niche to people
Using digital reworking to capture quirky images of pets
Angie's thought process when conceptualizing her pet photo sessions
Does Angie consider herself an artist or a photographer?
How Angie measures failure or success in her personal work
Angie and her struggles with perfectionism on the images she creates
How Angie deals with people who don't appreciate her work
Angie's driving force behind the images she produces
Angie's clientele and how she sells her work
Is Angie making a living shooting her style of photography?
Discovering the balance to sustain your regular job while doing your photography
Why becoming a full-time photographer is not necessary if you only want to be seen
The stigma associated with part-time and full-time photographers
What clients get from Angie's $495 creative fee pet portraits session
Angie's workflow when booking a shoot with her clients
How much Angie charges for editing
The most common size clients order for their walls
Handing out questionnaires to clients when coming up with a photo shoot concept
How long it takes for Angie to finish the final artwork
Pricing and the add-ons that clients receive
When does Angie do the price reveal?
How Angie's peers reacted to her photography style and the feedback she got
How Angie accidentally stumbled upon her niche
How Angie dealt with the negative response when choosing photography over nursing
Why pet photography is a viable business
Where Angie gets her inspiration to come up with unique concepts
What Angie does first when working on a new shoot
The difference with doing commissioned work for a client vs creating your own art
Why Angie stresses the importance of getting her commissioned works right and communicating that story
Does Angie feel she is a success?

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to read your feedback and comments. Was there something from this interview that struck a chord, inspired or motivated you?

Will you take any kind of action after hearing what Angie had to share?

I have to always remind myself that sometimes my failures are not what other people would consider failures. – Angie Connell

Let me know by leaving your thoughts in the comments below.

If you have any questions that I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Angie or if you just want to say thanks for coming on the show, feel free to add them below too.

My personal work is more for me to try new things out and whether it succeeds or fails is always something to be seen. – Angie Connell

I struggle with perfectionism in my images a lot like I spend so much time working on an image that you'd become obsessed with the little details when the bigger picture is very much there. – Angie Connell

If you can't get what you want, then you have to work around that and sort of adjust the concept a little bit. – Angie Connell

Links to people, places and things mentioned in this episode:

Angie Connell Website

Oddball Tails

Oddball Tails on Instagram

Oddball Tails on Facebook

Angie Connell on Intagram

Angie Connell on Facebook

Angie Connell on Pinterest

Thank you!

Thanks again for listening to the show and thanks to Angie for coming on and experimenting with a new and different format for this photography podcast and for sharing her thoughts, views and ideas.

Also, a big thanks to The Image Salon for sponsoring this episode of the podcast and making the show possible. If outsourcing your editing is something you're currently doing or considering, please put the guys at The Image Salon to the test… I think you'll be blown away!

At the end of the day, not everyone can love your work so you just got to keep on producing and putting it out there and managing the anxiety with a bit of wine. – Angie Connell

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions about this episode, please be sure to leave them below in the comment section of this post, and if you liked the episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of the post!

That’s it for me, hope everything is going well for you in life and photography!

Thanks and speak soon

Andrew