Happy New Year!
It’s the first blog of the new year, so welcome to 2022; how’s it been for you so far? If you read the news it doesn’t look particularly happy at the moment, but I’m sure things will improve.
After a short break away from things over the festive period, I am now back and ready to start the year. You will find me (and Fidget) in the studio on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays (as long as I am not busy on a photoshoot), but if you want to visit at any other time, just let me know and I will make an appointment for you. I am currently busy looking at ways to attract more customers, and trying to work out how to convince you to spend as much as possible! And I am definitely looking forward to welcoming everyone who got a Shooting The Dog gift voucher for Christmas to the studio or to an on-location photo shoot. I can’t wait to meet you and your dogs.
A Bit Of Wildlife Photography
During the break I have been indulging in my passion for wildlife photography. I am very lucky to live near the coast, so there is always something going on, whether it’s the seals showing off or a visit from a pod of dolphins. This year we were very lucky to have some Gannets visiting the bay, certainly a challenge to photograph, but great practice for fast moving dogs!
Winter is a great time of year for wildlife photography, because it is much easier to see things with no leaves to get in the way.
The Bad News
As I am sure you are all aware, the cost of EVERYTHING has gone up leaps and bounds recently. This impacts my suppliers, as well as all the costs involved with keeping the studio open (electricity, broadband, insurance, etc, etc.), and ultimately impacts the amount of profit I make (or don’t!). I have tried to absorb these costs as much as possible over the last few months but this is becoming untenable. So it is with a heavy heart that I will be increasing my charges from the 1st February 2022. This is the first price increase for several years, but I just see no alternative at this time.
The cost of my photoshoots will rise to £85, and will continue to include a £50 credit towards wall art or an 8×10 print. I believe this still offers fantastic value for money, and is still lower than many of my competitors. My gift voucher prices will obviously have to increase to reflect the new prices.
As far as the wall art prices go, I will not be increasing these at this time. I will, however, be monitoring my suppliers closely and if there is an substantial increase in their prices then I will have no choice but to increase my prices in line with theirs.
The Dogs Of 2021
Normally at this time of year I will have a review of the dogs I got to photograph during the previous year. I see no need to not do it this year, even if last year was a bit strange and rather stop start. A lot of the photography done during lock down was out on dog walks and you can see all of them in the dog walk gallery.
However, these are the “official” photo shoots of 2021:
Many thanks to everyone for their support in the last year. It really has been a difficult couple of years, which makes the support of my clients even more important and valuable to me. I look forward to meeting lots of new dogs in 2022 and who knows, maybe a few old faces coming back again for another photoshoot.
What do you think?