We were lucky to catch up with Michaela Trujillo recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Michaela, thanks for joining us today. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
The best investment I have made for my business was attending a dog photography workshop right before I fully launched BMAC Pet Photography. To be honest, I believe that this workshop was one of the reasons I knew I was supposed to start this business. I had been toying around with the idea of starting a photography business for a few months and wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted to specialize in photographing. I happened to be scrolling instagram one afternoon and saw that world-famous dog photographer, Kaylee Greer, had just posted an announcement that she would be hosting a dog photography workshop in Lake Tahoe, CA in a few months and applications to attend would go live the next morning. These workshops usually happen internationally or in a location I would have to fly to, but this one was close to home and coming up in a matter of months. I knew right away that I wanted to apply, and somehow knew I would get in because the universe was handing this opportunity to me on a silver platter. Sure enough, a few days later I got the email that I had been accepted. Best news ever! This was a large monetary investment, but it was worth every penny. I had the privilege of spending time with 3 amazing dog photographers in beautiful Lake Tahoe learning more about the craft and getting hands-on experience photographing canines in stunning locations. My happy place is the mountains and nature, so I felt totally inspired by all the beauty Lake Tahoe had to offer and came to realize my passion is photographing dogs in beautiful locations. This experience introduced me to 11 other aspiring pet photographers, some of which I still keep in touch with and have learned so much from. I also made connections with some of the people who brought their dogs to model for the workshop, and have traveled back to Tahoe twice to photograph more dogs thanks to these connections! If you are going to splurge on something for your business, education will always pay off!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Michaela and I am a traveling dog photographer based out of San Diego, CA. I became interested in pet photography when I adopted my first dog, Cosmo. Having a dog inspired me to get outside, travel and go on adventures, all while capturing it through my lens! My dog photography journey started there and has turned into my passion and business. As a dog photographer, I specialize in creating inspiring portraits of pets in beautiful locations. I say inspiring because it is my hope that my photography inspires others to get outside with their dog and explore new places. I always shoot on location in the great outdoors with natural light to highlight dogs’ true personalities when out in nature. Most of my clients turn into friends because I get to know both them and their dogs through an initial consultation, our session, an image reveal, and finally, delivering their final images and prints! It’s so much more than just a photo session together. Not only do we create photographs, but I also turn these photos into timeless artwork such as metal prints, photo albums and fine art prints for clients to enjoy for years to come. The BMAC Pet Photography experience is unlike any other!
How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?
I first want to say that I feel so lucky for all the people and dogs I have had the pleasure of meeting through this business. It is because of them that I am able to pursue my dream job. My goals is to offer an exceptional client experience from start to finish when working with me, and this means that all communication I have with clients is directly from me (not an assistant, automated email responses, etc). When someone inquires about my services, I personally answer the emails and always take the time to get to know what they are looking for. Next step is a consultation call where I get to talk directly with potential clients, which is one of my favorite parts of my process. I love hearing about the special relationship they have with their dog and get to know them on a more personal level. I am extremely introverted, so these one-on-one conversations mean everything to me, and I think my clients, too, as society seems to have lost that level of connection. I find that speaking with clients on the phone vs email allows me to really educate clients on the type of experience they will get working with me. When it’s time for our shoot, I want my clients to have the best experience possible and provide a level of service that they wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere. Many other photographers send their clients all the digital files in a gallery and never really talk to them again, whereas I play a fun slideshow of all the images from our session, help clients choose which images they’d like, and then create beautiful artwork and albums for clients to cherish for a lifetime. Since my price point is higher than some other photographers, this allows me the opportunity to spend more time with and on my clients, offering much more than just a few photos. Something that I love is that most of my clients turn into friends! We keep in touch on social media and I have even formed friendships where we go hiking or get our dogs together long after their session with me.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
The reason that I began photographing dogs is because I adopted my first dog, Cosmo, after seeing an amazing photo of him online. I couldn’t get that photo out of my head and knew I needed to adopt him. Then, after I did, I fell in love with photographing him on all the adventures we went on together: road trips, camping, hikes, etc. This turned into feeling inspired to help more dogs like Cosmo find their forever homes through photography, as well as photographing other dogs enjoying life in nature. Photographs are so important to bring back memories and moments otherwise lost, and I love being able to provide this to my clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bmacpetphotography.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bmacpetphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bmacpetphotography
Image Credits
BMAC Pet Photography