GOIN G PRO : MONTH 6

Every month Graham Parker will be sharing what he’s been up to on his journey to turning pro. Six months in, things are going well

I’ve had my studio for some months now, and work seems to be coming in at a regular rate. When a client contacted me recently I asked him how he found me. He told me that he Googled ‘Pet Photography Trowbridge’ and I was top below the adverts. I had to check it out! I tried a few more different searches, getting more general each time, and was pleased to find that I was listed top when searching for “pet photography” in the Google business/map section. I was within 15 miles of my studio address, which is registered with Google, and location-aware services were in operation, but it was still very pleasing as the customers I want are within close reach of where I am based. As for the shoot, it was a present for my client’s wife: a photograph of their 12-week-old dachshund puppy. The shoot went extremely well and the puppy was a real star, which made my life extremely easy.

Planning and booking in clients for the future certainly makes the year appear to go very fast. Christmas will soon be upon us and a few months ago an acquaintance contacted me with the possibility of shooting their work’s 25th anniversary Christmas party. I agreed immediately and have been waiting to meet at the venue to discuss exactly what they required. This week I finally got to see the venue – and what a venue it is! We met at Stanbrook Abbey, Worcestershire, and after touring the building it was clear to me that it was going to be difficult to find an area that wasn’t a great place to shoot in!

My client’s remit included two pop-up studios, one group shot, arrival shots of each couple and paparazzi/candid photography during the party. Watch this space to see how it goes!