We'd love to learn about your business and what you do. Can you share more?
My dog photography was started with the help of my own dog I adopted in 2017. She is a bully breed and until then, I had not been aware of the stigma that exists about bully breeds. I started taking and sharing pictures of her and eventually friends asked me if I could take pictures of their dogs. My ideal client is the 28-45ish professional female who has had a dog for longer than she's been with her significant other. It's the woman who has had this heart dog go through break ups, moves, and all larger life changes. I love to capture the connection between the person and the dog, the sweet moments that only take a second but I can catch the look the dog gives its owner. Those are the moments I do this for and for the fact that the person will be able to hold on to this moment for forever. I have had a lot of clients tell me stories about how they got their dog, how much they have been through together, and how they have bonded. Being able to create a memento someone can remember their best friend by even until long after their pup has passed is what I do this for.
Achieving a balance between personal life and business demands is a hot topic. What strategies have you found effective for maintaining harmony in your life?
Walks!!! I love to go for a walk in the middle of the day. Going outside, being in nature, it all sounds so cheesy, but it is really where I recharge. Taking my dog out to a big field and into the woods is what I need in order to be a pleasant human being. No headphones, no phone, no distractions. Just out there, walking in the cold dewy morning watching my dog do dog things is how I stay balanced. While I need to be out and alone, I also really enjoy being around other creatives, other women who are already ahead of me in the world of entrepreneurs and who share their wins, their struggles, their challenges. I have learned so much from other female trailblazers, I would have never started my own business had I not been inspired by other photographers out there.
How do you leverage community and collaboration in your business strategy? We're keen to explore how female entrepreneurs are strengthening ties and creating synergies with other businesses and community members.
Networking with like-minded people has been so refreshing and inspiring. I work as a graphic designer for an agency where I'm the only designer. Not having someone else to bounce ideas off of has often been a little challenging. I'm always up for a great networking event and at some of them I have made really great friends. Chatting with other photographers about how they structure their shoots and the whole process around it has been invaluable. I ask questions, I get answers and I love when other photographers ask me for advice. Not that I always have an answer but it's something that gets me thinking about new ideas, concepts, and sessions. I love a good networking lunch or happy hour to meet new people and then I also love the one-on-one over wine brainstorming new ideas.
Failure is often seen as a taboo subject, but it can be a powerful teacher. Could you share an experience where you faced failure and how you turned it into a learning opportunity?
Oh boy... yes, there have been a bunch of those situations. Going out and shooting, my biggest fear is always that I either forget additional batteries for the camera, or an extra card, and then the lighting has to be right and what if it's not?? There are so many thoughts going through your head before a shoot and I really could have very easily talked myself out of ever starting this business. I have had shoots where I was so uncomfortable telling people that I was not happy with the setup that I would just keep shooting. I don't want to make it difficult for people and once they sit and their dogs are in place, I would just shoot. I'm not a fan of telling people what to do and positioning and re-positioning someone in front of the camera is just not what I enjoy doing. So I would just shoot and guess what? All of those images would go right into the trash. I'm getting better at quickly realizing what is working and what is not working and I will make people move. They are paying me for a service I'm providing and I always have to remember that making them just move two inches to the left and out of the sun will just give me as well as them a much better product in the end.
Another super weird situation was when I first started my business and I was hired by a mom who wanted me to come to their farm to take pictures of her daughter and horse (yes, I started as an equine photographer). I get there, it's a beautiful setting and all of the sudden, she is adding 2 more girls with 2 more horses, herself, her husband and a dog... I was overwhelmed to say the least but I also had never asked how many people would be in the shoot nor had I ever specified that I was not a family photographer. In the end it all turned out okay but that was the time that I realized I had to seriously think about the kind of photography I wanted to do as well as who I was trying to advertise to.
Every entrepreneur faces hurdles along the way. Can you talk about a significant obstacle you've overcome and what you learned from it?
For a creative, the biggest hurdle is not feeling inspired. I went through about 3 years of not even picking up a camera. I didn't have the clients, I was going through pretty big life changes and even my dog would just not inspire me to go out and shoot. I just ignored my business and gave myself the time to grieve and old life while also not putting any extra pressure on myself which was hard. I asked other creatives how they got inspired, where they would find inspiration and it just took time. I learned that creativity unfortunately does not come back when you need it. You have to start looking for it and most of the time it's in places where you'd least expect it. I finally got mine back once I had processed all of the changes I had gone through over a period of a few years. I advertised on a Facebook group that I was looking for dog models and sure enough lots and lots of people got in touch with me wanting me to take pictures of their dogs. I did the first few sessions for free and got back in the groove.
What advice or tips would you have for other female founders starting their businesses?
Less thinking, more doing. Don't overthink every single thing. Just go, do, and learn from the things that don't work out. Take a look, figure out why it didn't work out the way you thought it would and change whatever needs changing. People always talk about what they wish they would have done. Just start and figure it out from there.
Find Elena on Instagram at @maas_creative
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