Inside the Photography Business: Michelle Petkovic
PhotoMerchant: Tell me about yourself and your photography business.
Michelle Petkovic: I’m a work at home mum who runs Michelle Petkovic Photography and I’ve got two small children. I’ve had a passion for photography for a long time. I remember when I was about 13 years old going out with my dad and a camera and going nuts taking photos. Mum wasn’t as keen because she had to pay for the developing!
When my daughter was born, that was when I really wanted to capture every moment. We had some professional photos done of her, which I love and still have around the house, but I wanted to be able to do it myself. I got myself a whizz bang camera and went out every day and practiced, and kept developing my skills.
I had my wedding photographer as a mentor. He was fantastic giving me feedback to improve and grow. When I was pregnant with my son and on maternity leave, it was the perfect opportunity for me to start taking photos professionally.
I also have a part time job twice a week, but the rest of my time is dedicated to photography. I could easily give up the job and focus on photography. Since I started professionally, I’ve got so much work to do, and I’d love a few extra hours in the day.
PM: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about running a business?
MP: Customer service is huge. I’m very picky about the quality of the photos I deliver, but customer service is what’s often remembered. I’ve heard a lot of stories of people being turned off by poor service. They might get fantastic photos, but if the photographer has given bad service, the customer won’t go back. It’s a big reason why a photographer may lose business, or lose repeat business.
When photographing children, you want the kids to feel comfortable around you. I did a few jobs at child care centres to get known in my area. I got a lot of bookings because it’s hard to find photographers that that can mix with kids and encourage natural smiles out of them.
PM: Why do you think your customers like working with you?
MP: I create a relaxed atmosphere. I go for natural shots where you can capture the subjects’ emotions. I try to create something people can look back on in 10 years’ time that will remind them of how they felt as a parent. I get that sense looking at photos taken of my children, and I want to be able to recreate those emotions for other people as well.
PM: Is there anything you’ve changed about your business since you started?
MP: My website is one thing. When I first started, I tried doing it myself, and I had a lot of problems and it just didn’t look professional. So I did a lot of searching on Google for someone who could help me who wouldn’t be too expensive. I was looking for something that I could easily update myself, but I didn’t have to know HTML code and that sort of thing. It’s all over my head! That was when I came across PhotoMerchant. I’ve had so much good feedback about my website from clients and my print lab. So hats off to you guys.
PM: I’m glad you’ve had a good experience with it. So did you talk to web designers before you looked into more, not really a do-it-yourself service, but a package service, like PhotoMerchant?
MP: Not really because I knew they’d be really expensive. I’m sure they would have come up with something great, but I love what I’ve got.
PM: How do you manage your workflows and calculate the costs of running your business?
MP: A few different ways. I have an hourly rate for event photography, christenings and birthday parties, and then I have packages.
I read this on one of your posts on Facebook: look at how much you want to earn, and the work out how many jobs you need to do within the year to achieve that goal. That’s how I try to work it out.
PM: What do you do to stay competitive with other photographers in your market?
MP: That’s hard. I try to research what other photographers are doing in my area and around the world to get inspiration. The area where I try to differentiate myself is in my editing. My product has a different look and feel to what customers would get with somebody else.
I try to be consistent in my images and have a different style to other people’s.
PM: If you could go back in time and give your younger self a piece of advice, what would it be?
MP: Lightroom!
Also to follow my own style. I used to try to give people what I thought they should get, and not what I saw or wanted to create. So I would tell myself to follow my heart with my photos. Shoot with my heart.
PM: Do you have any tips for new photographers?
MP: Follow your heart and what you believe with your photos. And the customer service!
PM: What do you think is going to happen in photography in five year’s time?
MP: I think it will definitely change. Look how it’s already changed. As for what it’s going to change into, I really don’t know. There have been a lot of things in Lightroom that make it a lot easier to edit photos, to do large batches of photos, and to do more to a photo a lot quicker.
PM: What do you do in your spare time?
MP: My husband is a musician. He’s been playing bass guitar and guitar for as long as he’s been big enough to hold one. So music is a big part of our lives. Also shopping. I love shopping for anything to do with photography: cameras, props, anything. Spending time with our kids and close friends is also very important to us.
| Michelle Petkovic runs Michelle Petkovic Photography and is based in Adelaide, Australia. |
