Pet Photography Business Plan

Adorable Pet Photography offers a variety of products and services to meet our client’s needs. We offer specific information on each of our products to the prospective client. This information is designed to help the client select a setting for the portrait session. The pictures we provide give the client a feel for the variety of poses that can be used, and help them decide if they wish to incorporate other family members in the portrait. The discussion of the different settings helps the client select a studio session, home session, or outdoor location for the portrait. We also provide instructions for each setting. For example, for formal portrait sessions, we provide detailed instructions to the owner for aiding their pet to feel at home in unfamiliar surroundings, and items such as a favorite toy or blanket to bring along to the session. The following sections are examples of the services we provide and the resulting product.

3.1 Product and Service Description

Formal Studio Portrait:
The studio is a controlled environment, free from distraction, where the pet can be comfortably posed and lighted to enhance the beauty of the final image. A variety of props and backgrounds will be used to stage a setting that will highlight the pet’s features and coat color. These sessions must not be rushed, so the pet can become comfortable in the studio environment and be certain that the studio lights do not frighten or excite the pet. There is a standard charge for the portrait session which we refer to as the sitting fee. The owner is provided immediate digital images to be certain we have captured a pleasing likeness. These digital images are not the final proofs, but they do provide photographer and client with the assurance the session is accomplishing the desired outcome. A total of 24 proof-quality photographs will be provided for the client within five days of the photo session. The client will then have ten days to consider the images and the portrait packages before making a final selection.

Location Portrait Session:
The pet may be more comfortable in the home or a familiar outdoor location. The staff of Adorable Pet Photography will travel to the location prior to the portrait session to select an area that is best suited for the session and is most acceptable to the owner. Prior to the session, Adorable Pet Photography staff will stage the lighting and any other props needed for the photo session. Although the digital image capability is not available for on-location sessions, 12 additional photographs will be taken to ensure the client an array of choices for the final image. If the location selected for the photo session is in a public park, the owner, not Adorable Pet Photography, is legally responsible for the behavior of the pet. There are two on-location photo session fees. The fee for a photo session in the home is more than the studio because the equipment must be transported, staged, and then broken down. The fee for the photo session in an outdoor location is the most expensive because an assistant is required for managing light-enhancing equipment throughout the session. The client will be provided 36 photographic-quality images within five working days of the photo session. The client will then have ten working days to consider the images and the portrait packages before making a final selection.

Holiday Candid Photographs:
Adorable Pet Photography, through arrangements with local pet stores and other pet specialty stores, will provide pet owners with the opportunity to have 12 snapshot-quality photographs taken of their pet with Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. Adorable Pet Photography will also be available at these locations for other holiday-themed candids, such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. The fee for these candid photos is standard and includes twelve photos that will be mailed to the client within five days. Negatives from these photo sessions will remain the property of Adorable Pet Photography should the client wish to have reprints made.

Additional Services:
Adorable Pet Photography is aware that a pet portrait is an investment as well as a cherished memory. We offer a variety of portrait finishes from which to choose. These finishes will be shown to the client upon pick up of the proofs, and the client will be given a brochure which illustrates these finishes to compliment a variety of pet images. These finishes are used on the beautiful portraits that are displayed in our studio gallery. Adorable Pet Photography also offers custom and ready made framing for all portraits. We have a beautiful selection of tabletop frames to enhance the client’s selection, and a variety of framing materials displayed in the studio for custom frame construction. At Adorable Pet Photography we are committed to customer service and satisfaction.

3.2 Fulfillment

Adorable Pet Photography employs local vendors who have the same desire to be the best at what they do. Through the use of reliable local vendors, we are able to reduce the cost of supplies and offer more services to the client. We use only Kodak™ film, which is processed by APA Laboratories. APA Laboratories deals only with professional photographers and offers the latest in photo finishes and portrait sizes. By using the services of APA Laboratories, Adorable Pet Photography is able to reduce the need for additional personnel, expensive photographic laboratory equipment and supplies, thus minimizing our start-up cost and capital investment. This saving trickles down to the client in our portrait-package pricing. At Adorable Pet Photography, we concentrate on the artistic quality of the portrait image; we leave the enhancement of that image to the taste of the client and the professionals at APA Laboratories.

3.3 Competitive Comparison

Adorable Pet Photography is one of three photographers in the Atlanta area that specialize in pet portraits.We are experts in working with pets to make them comfortable and to bring out the inner quality and personality of the pet. We also work with the other family members to include them in the portrait session, if that is the desire of the client. Although we are a new organization, we are not novices to photography or photographing pets. Our scheduling and location flexibility are specifically geared to be client friendly.

The fee schedules for Adorable Pet Photography portraits are competitively priced. No other area photographer offers the flexibility and array of services provided to the client at Adorable Pet Photography. Our commitment to customer service and satisfaction is unequaled.

The critical threats to this business venture are:

• Sudden negative change in the local or national economy, since this is a luxury item.
• Increased competition in the metropolitan Atlanta market.
• Unsuccessful partnerships with pet specialty show organizers, breeder associations, and pet specialty stores.

At Adorable Pet Photography, we care about our community. We use only local suppliers who have a reputation for excellence and timeliness; thus, we add back to the economy of the area. We participate with the local Humane Society by creating a virtual adoption page on their website by photographing the animals available for adoption. These photographs have helped to increase the adoption rates of the local programs.

3.4 Technology

Digital imaging technology has brought new and exciting tools to photography. Today the client can see the images recorded in the studio moments after they are taken. High-resolution printers make a print of the image readily available–no processing of film is required. The software to control and manipulate the digital images can remove unwanted objects and shadows, and enhance other qualities. Many sources believe that in the years to come we will replace traditional film with digital images. While this may be true of the amateur photographer and the commercial or technical photographer, we at Adorable Pet Photography believe that the time-honored artistry of photography, exhibited by Ansel Adams, Yuseff Karsh, Annie Leibowitz, and other famous photographers, will continue to be recorded on film.

With a single piece of equipment–the camera–different film emulsions can be used to control grain, contrast, tone, and texture of an image. This image, and the lighting of the subject, is composed in the artistic eye of the photographer and captures a moment in time. While we certainly believe that digital imagery is an enhancement to the portrait photographer, and its application in portrait photography will increase, we do not believe that it is a replacement for artistic talent.