March 17, 2014
Erin King, Erin King Photographer
At a Glance
Bio The path that led her to this point
Art subjects were always my strong point at school and after enrolling in photography I knew from that point onward it was what I wanted to do.
After finishing high school I was accepted into Massey/Victoria University combined design school and graduated with a Bachelor in Design majoring in photography.
I always remember one of my tutors saying that every year they pumped out so many photographers who wouldn't get work unless they made the work themselves and I didn't want this to happen to me.
I was determined to make something out of my photography and was lucky enough to get to work as an assistant with a number of professional commercial and wedding photographers in Wellington, New Zealand.
I found this really was invaluable for learning on the job and getting real experience in the industry.
I eventually started shooting for them and gradually built my own name and started shooting independently.
I moved to Melbourne in 2010 and it wasn't until I arrived that I was able to branch into pet photography, something I had been wanting to get into for a while, being that I am such an avid animal lover.
I now specialise in emotive pet portraits and wedding photography, both which capture joy, love and laughter in the relationships we share.
Q&A Insider advice & tips
What's been your greatest achievement to date?
Being hired for destination weddings and getting to photograph weddings in beautiful island locations like Rarotonga and Hawaii.
What's been your biggest challenge so far?
Working in my business by myself; being a solo entrepreneur and trying to get my head around the business side of things. Finding and integrating my work into systems and processes to make me work more efficiently.
Best lesson you've learned along the way?
Trying to, and developing some solid structure to my business, so everything has a place and every process is refined. I find being a creative I am less structured and I tend to just jump head first into things and do things out of order, rather than making a plan and working through things step by step.
A website, book or resource that has helped you in your business or inspired you and why?
I have just found Insightly an online small business CRM and it's exactly what I've been looking for. It incorporates project workflow, to-do tasks, and client inquiries. I also use Pancake for invoicing which I love.
Which person or brand do you most admire and why?
Jasmine Star. I think both her work and her business is inspirational, she has a great business model and is a very successful photographer. I lover the way she has built her business around her personality.
What advice would you give someone starting an independent business in your industry?
Creatives need the background business knowledge first. It's one thing knowing your art, but knowing how to market it, sell it and sell yourself is hard and takes a lot of time and experience. Being able to talk or present to a group of people or being a great conversationalist are great skills to help in your client interactions.
Finish this sentence
Everything changed for me when…
I realised what it was that I wanted to do. Rather than just photographing every job that came my way I have now managed to hone my skills and narrow my work to just the things I am passionate about being wedding and pet photography. I used to always find myself photographing families and children and this was never really fun for me, as it's not something I am passionate about when it comes to photographing it.
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