The business of equine photography and bookings via expos

Premium Members, click here to access this interview in the premium area.

Louise Sedgman of www.giddyupfoto.com and www.thefotocreative.com.au initially caught my attention when she responded to a thread in the PhotobizX Premium Members group on generating leads at events.

She posted that she'd just attended Equitana for four days. She had a site there with her photography work on display, a competition running with QR code, and lots of products on display and overall, it was very successful.

I did a little more digging to learn this photographer is a mum of two beautiful girls, a wife, a businesswoman, a daughter, a horsewoman, and her favourite thing in the world is photographing horses!

She's won many awards in the last 15 years for her work, and it's no wonder! Look at her online portfolio, and you will see some incredible and beautiful photography featuring the Aussie outdoors, fantastic light and amazing horses with and without their owners.

In addition to her photography business, she teaches, tutors and coaches other horse lovers looking to learn the art of equine photography.

In this interview, Louise shares details on the business of equine photography and generating bookings via equine expos.

Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:

Where Louise's clients come from
Louise's session fee and what it covers
How long does it take to complete an equine photo session
Client's average spend
Louise's most popular package
Louise's IPS process
Louise's business structure as an equine photographer
How Louise started venturing into Santa photography during the Christmas period
Is it profitable to do Santa photo sessions
Annual turnover/revenue
How to build up an equine photography niche
How clients find Louise's Equine photography business
The benefits of attending and displaying at expos
Why you should consider expos and exhibits to grow your equine photography business
How much are the usual expo fees
The need to create goals before joining exhibits
Describing booth setups and what happens during expos
Setting up QR codes for your business
How to attract passersby to your expo booth
Why Louise doesn't show her award-winning photos during expos
Branding
Different flyers needed for the expos
Reduced session fees and how they work
Qualifying leads for competition
Louise's process when calling competition winners
Are horse owners good photography clients
Dealing with rescheduling photo sessions
How to deal with average-looking properties when doing location shoots with clients
Success rate with getting actual bookings from social media
How to encourage past clients to rebook new sessions
Can any photograph get into equine photography

What’s on Offer for Premium Members

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I try not to go down the rabbit hole of worrying about what other people are doing or thinking. I'm there to do my thing and people are either going to like me and my work or they're not. – Louise Sedgman

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group, where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, motivated, caring and sharing photographers online.

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In addition to everything above, you'll get access and instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable and build friendships with other pro photographers with similar motives to you – to build a more successful photography business.

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything from what Louise shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you plan to implement in your business due to what you heard in today's episode.

I'm always filtering the people that I want to work with and the people that really want to work with me. – Louise Sedgman

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

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iTunes Reviews and Shout-outs

I check for any new iTunes or Google reviews each week, and it's always a buzz to receive these… for several reasons.

Firstly, it's confirmation that I'm on the right track with the interviews and that they are helping you improve your photography business. That's awesome!

If you're going to do equestrian photography, you just need to realize that you're working with a live animal with a brain and there are a flight or fight animal with a flight or fight response. You just have to be aware of that. – Louise Sedgman

Secondly, iTunes and Google are the most significant podcast search engines, and your reviews and ratings help other photographers find PhotoBizX. More listeners mean more interviews and, ultimately, a better show.

If you have left a review in the past, thank you! If you haven't and you'd like to, head to https://photobizx.com/itunes or https://photobizx.com/google, and you can leave some honest feedback and a rating which will help both me and the show, and I'll be sure to thank you on the show and add a link to your website or blog if you let me know the URL of your website and your name.

Alternatively, if you've left a review for PhotoBizX and are looking for more backlinks to help your SEO, leave a review for the new Photography Xperiment Podcast. Email me your keywords or phrases and where you'd like me to link them.

Another great way to get a backlink to your site is to send a video testimonial. It doesn't need to be fancy, and your phone will be perfect. Click record and tell me how PhotoBizX has impacted you and your photography business.