Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nikki McDonald. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Nikki thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
Like most people, I really struggled with naming my business. I originally was going to go with my name like most photographers but I also wanted something different. I also did not want to use a location based name because we have moved around a lot being a military family. I ended up incorporating one of my dogs names ‘Royal’ in to it. It felt right since he is my main model subject and I am always taking him out to new locations or practicing new techniques with him. I also wanted my business name to be a pet specific name since there are many different types of photographers out there. While I specialize in dogs I also have photographed horses and cats. That is where the ‘tails’ part came in and I ended up with Royal Tails Photography, LLC.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Im Nikki! I am the photographer behind the lens of Royal Tails Photography. My crew consists of myself, my husband, our 3 human children, 4 dogs and 2 sassy cats. I was born and raised in Arizona but eventually found myself living the Upstate New York life as my husband transitioned out of the military and into civilian life. I have always had a strong love for animals, especially dogs. I currently hold a veterinary technician license in NYS and have held many dog related jobs along the way. My personal dogs enjoy outdoor actives such as hiking and swimming and they also participate in multiple dog sports. With having 3 human children and pets photographs have also been very important to me. My first camera was a simple starter camera just for personal use during birthdays and holidays. Eventually it became more. I wanted to learn everything I could about photography. Everything from the very basics of camera settings, to composition and posing, to post processing in photoshop. That is where my journey began. I spent about 3 years learning, practicing and honing my skills with my own dogs and a few friends dogs before starting my business. I wanted to make sure I was providing clients with high end, professional photography. I have taken classes from top international dog photographers and attended in person workshops as well to expand my knowledge. In return, I have received above professional standard recognition multiple times from multiple international photography competition. My goal is to provide each client with high quality fine art photography that captures their dogs personality.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Ultimately I’d like to be able to earn the title of award winning photographer. But my main mission is creating artwork that clients can look back on many years later and remember that moment with their pet. Whether it’s the funny memory of how their dog leaped though the water or the small moments they will cherish. My ultimate goal is to capture moments to later be turned into memories.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
The best source of new clients has simply been word of mouth. I get recommendations and reviews from previous clients. I also have very supportive friends who share my photos and accomplishments on social media. Lastly I also photograph dog sport trials. Those bring in a number of new clients each time, who share their watermarked photos as well as tag my page social media pages.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://royaltailsphotography.mypixieset.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/royaltailsphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086022893556
Image Credits
Royal Tails Photography, LLC