My Career as a Pet Photographer
Last week, I spoke to 50 5th graders about my career as a pet photographer. Throughout the year, the guidance counselor at Guilford Middle School, Karen, brings in speakers from various professions to speak to the 5th graders about their jobs, hoping to expose the kids to a wide range of professions and possibly spark their interest in something they didn’t even know was a possibility. Gauging by the reactions I get from most people when I tell them what I do, I’m guessing that most of the kids never would have thought of pursuing pet photography as a career.
When you’re a photographer, putting together part of the presentation is easy—it’s all about the photos. The kids’ reactions to the slideshow I showed them were enthusiastic—they laughed at the funny ones and “oohed” at the cute ones. But most of what I do is pretty technical, camera settings, light placement, etc., and most people are not interested in that minutia. My husband is a teacher and he helped with the rest, telling me to share my story, how I got started, what I like most about my career, etc. He also reminded me to be interactive and to ask questions to get them engaged. And that turned out to be the most fun part.
I started with the obvious, by asking how many of them have pets. Most do, the usual dogs, cats, birds, fish, hamsters and guinea pigs, and the unusual, a hedgehog. I was surprised to see how many of them knew what film was (that was how I got my start, 40 years ago). And that the first person who answered the question about the best time of day to photograph got it right (around sunrise and sunset; her dad is a part-time photographer, and he shares a lot with her when he “gets home from his gigs.”). The two best questions they asked were if my photos are in a museum and what are the biggest challenges I face every day.
The question of mine that got the biggest reaction was when I asked what the most unusual pet I’d ever photographed was. Their answers ranged from snake to goat to pig. The most unusual pets I’ve ever photographed are not that uncommon: rats, lizards and chinchillas. But I have a lot of friends who are pet photographers, and they have photographed some very unusual pets, such as a skunk (he’d had his scent glands removed), a pig, a wallaby and an Asian Water Monitor (all pets). Looks like I need to step it up.
I hope I inspired some of them to pursue a career as a pet photographer. If you love pets and love photography, it is the perfect profession!
Ellen Zangla Photography—Specializing in pets and the people who love them.
2015 Silver Medal Photographer of the Year: Professional Photographers of America
