Our pet photography business survived Coronavirus and here’s how we did it
On March 10, 2020, we made the difficult decision to cancel our month-long road trip from Florida to California and up to Seattle. We were in San Francisco at the time and decided to cancel the rest of our Pet Photo Shoot Fundraising events through March 28th and head home to Tampa, 2 weeks early. We didn’t want to get stuck living in our short term rental so we packed up our things and drove home.
We were scheduled to speak at an Apple Store in San Francisco as well host Office Pet Photo Days at Google in Mountain View and Seattle as well, both of which were canceled. We also needed to cancel our April events set for NY and Boston as well as events in Atlanta in early May.
2.5 months of cancellations lead to thousands of dollars in refunds and we were slowly starting to lose hope and put plans in place to shut down our pet photography business, that we have worked so hard to build, and get full-time jobs again. The future of AGoldPhoto Pet Photography wasn’t looking good at all.
On March 30, during a walk with our dogs, Mary mentioned that her Mom saw a photographer in Michigan offering front porch photo sessions to document the quarantine. I had seen a news report with a photographer doing something similar and brushed it off because I didn’t want to copy their idea.
After talking it out, we realized we could do something similar, put our pet photography spin on it and also raise money for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. After that walk, the Safer at Home Portrait Project was born. The project was aimed at raising money for the shelter and families could support us by purchasing prints. The shoots were to be facilitated from our van to maintain a safe distance.
Within 36 hours of launching the registration, 80 families signed up for Round 1. With the demand so high, we opened Round 2 and another 76 families signed up in another 48 hours. The whole project raised just over $8,000 for the shelter.
The project was also featured on a few local and national news outlets, which helped get the word out.
The response from the project was tremendous. Families had something to look forward to. It gave us a reason to put pants on and it saved our business and our sanity too.
Now that states are starting to re-open, we have decided to offer Front Porch Family Photos as part of our private pet photo shoots.
You can also learn more about our Front Porch Family Photo Shoots below.
Sign Up for a Front Porch Family Pet Photo Shoot
Cost $250
What’s Included
The photo shoot includes 3 web resolution photos, which are meant for sharing on social media. You’ll get to choose your favorites via an online gallery. Prints will be available for purchase starting at $12 and you will receive the web resolution photo for any prints that you order.
High resolution photos are available for $95 each.
Before the Photo Shoot
15-20 minutes prior to the photo shoot, we’ll send you a text message that we are on our way.
Dogs who know how to sit and stay will do the best. Leashes are recommended for larger dogs who can’t be held, at least in the beginning. We can hide the leash behind them so it’s not as visible.
During the Shoot
We’ll pose you and your family in various positions. We’ll make lots of silly noises to get your pet’s attention. Don’t worry, we’re not afraid to make fools of ourselves. We’ll do our best to make you laugh and tilt your head too.
We’re happy to capture different family member combinations and solo pet photos too.
After the Photo Shoot
Schedule a Front Porch Family Session
Locations Offered in 2020.
Spots in each location are limited.
– Tampa Bay Area (within 35 minutes of 33610)
– Atlanta (within 25 minutes of 30318)
– Denver (within 25 minutes of 80231)
– Boulder (within 25 minutes of 80301 or 80026)
– Austin (within 25 minutes of 78758)
Interested? Please email [email protected].