The Pet Photographers' Journal cover art

The Pet Photographers' Journal

The Pet Photographers' Journal

By: Ina J Photography
Listen for free

Welcome to The Pet Photographers' Journal, a practical and unfiltered podcast for talented pet photographers ready to build a business with more purpose, passion, and profitability. I’m Ina J, a pet photographer who turned my side hustle into my full-time career. In this podcast, I share exactly what I’ve learned and actually applied in my own business. We talk about pricing, mindset, marketing, client experience, and sales, without feeling pushy. Some lessons I picked up from others but I always tweak things to work for me and I’ll tell you how you can too. I overshare sometimes but in the best way possible because I believe in learning from real-life experiences not just theory. Whether you’re just starting or scaling to five-figure sales this show is your behind-the-scenes guide to pet photography business success.Copyright 2026 Ina J Photography Art Economics Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • Third Party Marketing for Pet Photographers: How Kirstie McConnell Built a Fully Booked Calendar After Relocating to a New CityThird Party Marketing for Pet Photographers: How Kirstie McConnell Built a Fully Booked Calendar After Relocating to a New City

    Third Party Marketing for Pet Photographers: How Kirstie McConnell Built a Fully Booked Calendar After Relocating to a New CityThird Party Marketing for Pet Photographers: How Kirstie McConnell Built a Fully Booked Calendar After Relocating to a New City
    Jun 2 2026
    When Kirstie McConnell found out she was moving back to Australia after six years in Italy, she had six months to prepare. By the time she landed in Melbourne, a city where she knew almost no one professionally, she had 26 sessions already booked. Her first three shoots were four days after arriving home.In this episode, Ina sits down with Kirstie, one of Australia's original pet photographers and co-host of the now-closed Pet Photographers Club podcast, to unpack exactly how she did it. This is a masterclass in knowing your numbers, building a client system that does the educating for you, and making third party marketing work the way it's supposed to.Key takeaways:The client should hear about pricing at least 10 times before they ever sit down at the ordering appointment. The voucher says it, the letter says it, the video says it, the questionnaire says it, the phone call confirms it. By the time they are looking at their photos, no one is surprised.Third party marketing works when it is genuinely a win for the partner. If they are not distributing your vouchers, the problem is not the system. It is that you have not made it worth their while. Kirstie does commercial shoots, provides wall art for store fit-outs, and makes the whole process require zero effort from the partner.Sending 80 emails got Kirstie 10 partners. If each of those partners generates 20 clients at a $2,600 average, that is $500,000 in revenue from 80 emails. Do the numbers.The step most photographers skip is the automated funnel between voucher receipt and first phone call. If clients are not converting, this is usually where the leak is.Know your capacity and protect it. Kirstie caps at 12 sessions a month because she knows what happens to quality, turnaround time, and her personal life when she pushes past it.Connect with Kirstie:Instagram: @classicoportraitsaustraliaWebsites:Classico Portraits Australia: classicoportraits.com.auClassico Portraits Italy: classicoportraits.com Resources mentioned:Wistia (free for a small number of videos): wistia.comFillout Forms: fillout.comAirtable: airtable.comMailerLite: mailerlite.comFundy Wall Designer: for superimposing artwork into client home photos💬 Join the Pet Photographers' CollectiveIf 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 growConnect 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 InaInstagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.comFree Consistent Bookings Audit - find your gap in getting consistent bookings: https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-auditMentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographer
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 29 mins
  • The Facebook Ad and Giveaway System That Books Out a Studio 4 Times a Year with Jason Krygier-Baum from Fido Foto

    The Facebook Ad and Giveaway System That Books Out a Studio 4 Times a Year with Jason Krygier-Baum from Fido Foto
    May 18 2026
    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 businessThe giveaway structure that generates 400 to 450 leads per campaign and converts roughly 35 to 40% of winners into booked clientsHis exact ad spend: $8 to $10 per lead, $4,000 to $5,000 per campaign, run four times a yearWhy he spends $500 a day on ads and does not stress about optimising every dollarHis same-day ordering appointment process and how he culls 350 images down to 30 in just 15 minutesThe automated booking workflow he uses in Go High Level so clients book themselves without a single phone call from himHow he physically mails a printed magazine to every client a month before their session to prepare them for the experienceWhy he does not post on social media at all right now and what he does insteadKey timestamps:02:40 Jason's 17+ years in pet photography and how Toronto shaped his approach05:00 Two brands, one pivot: the difference between Jason KB and Fido Photo09:00 Pricing breakdown including digitals, portraits, wall art, and coffee table books14:00 The booking workflow from lead to session without phone calls17:00 How Jason shoots six sessions a week across three days20:00 Culling 350 photos in 15 minutes and running a same-day ordering session32:00 How the giveaway model actually works, who wins and how many book37:00 The ad spend breakdown and the ROI equation he uses39:00 How he structures his Facebook campaigns: ad sets, audiences, and one ad per set1:20:00 Why he puts zero effort into social media and what he is building insteadConnect with Jason:Instagram: @fido.foto Website: fido-foto.comResources mentioned:Go High Level / Difference Maker Revolution (CRM and automation platform Jason uses for his booking workflow)ProSelect (slideshow and ordering session software)💬 Join the Pet Photographers' CollectiveIf 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 growConnect 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 InaInstagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo Email: ina@inajphotography.comFree Consistent Bookings Audit - find your gap in getting consistent bookings: https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-auditMentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographer
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 15 mins
  • How to Keep Marketing When You're Too Busy Doing the Work

    How to Keep Marketing When You're Too Busy Doing the Work
    May 10 2026

    Right now I've got 16 sessions booked for May, ordering appointments to run, editing to get through, and prints to deliver.

    And I'm still marketing.

    I know that probably sounds like a lot. This episode is about what that actually looks like, and why having a system already in place means marketing doesn't have to stop just because life gets full.

    I also share the moment that changed how I think about this entirely. A trip to Iceland, two months of no marketing at all, and coming home to a completely empty January and February. No bookings. No enquiries. Checking my emails constantly and genuinely thinking about applying for other jobs.

    That experience is a big part of why I built the repeatable marketing system I use today, and why I created the workshop.

    Enrol in The Pet Photography Marketing Systems Workshop

    The Pet The Pet Photography Marketing Systems Workshop starts 14 May 2026 7:30 AM AEST (13 May 2026 5:30PM ET). More info about the workshop or to enrol visit:

    https://www.inajphotography.com.au/the-pet-photography-marketing-systems-workshop

    💬 Join the Pet Photographers' Collective

    If you want to sign up for the workshop, join the Pet Photographers' Collective, it's a free community for pet photographers who want to build a profitable, sustainable business with less overwhelm.

    Inside, Ina shares:

    ✨ Practical marketing tips

    ✨ Business lessons and mindset shifts

    ✨ Free resources to help you grow

    Connect with other photographers who get it and start creating a business that truly supports your life, not consumes it.

    Join here → https://www.skool.com/pet-photographers-collective-3125/about?ref=9c7b56d2963f48a791297a43a29109e1

    ✨ Want to Be Coached Live?

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

    📲 Connect with Ina

    Instagram: @inaj.thepetphotoceo

    Email: ina@inajphotography.com

    Free Consistent Bookings Audit - find your gap in getting consistent bookings: https://www.inajphotography.com/consistent-booking-audit

    Mentoring & Coaching for Pet Photographers — Learn More: https://www.inajphotography.com/for-photographer
    Show More Show Less
    12 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet