Paw Prints in Time: Using Calendars to Boost Your Pet Photography!

Calendars - are typically used for recording important dates and deadlines, but they can do so much more.

With our calendars, you can also record one of the world's many beauties – animals.

Be it pets, or even animals in nature, one could be reminded of their existence every time a date needs to be checked or ticked off. In the prospect of a family pet after a photo shoot, this seems like a no-brainer for sentimental and emotional value, especially as an add-on.

Are you looking to learn more about equine photography and its best print products? You’ll be pleased to hear that nPhoto has something just right for you – an equine sample guide PDF all about getting started and making the most out of the genre.

To give you, the pet photographer (or aspiring pet photographer), a decent outlook on what makes offering calendars so valuable, we'll briefly go through them - their specifications, uses, and applications for your business and how you can make the most of having them around when offering a photo shoot.

To show how it could function in a realistic business offer, we’ll also be placing some of these uses through the unique lens of equine photography - so let’s ride.

The Product

Let’s be honest; you know what a calendar is - the real question is how nPhoto, and our calendars differ.

To start, you have the following calendar types available - the Basic, the Pro, and the HD.

The Basic

Just about how you’d imagine a calendar to be like - except that it is made using professional-grade paper through the HP Indigo 12000 and allows you to add your own unique set of photos for each month and a cover. Available in A3 vertical/horizontal or A4 vertical.

The Pro

Essentially being a sized-up version of the basic, this calendar can easily double down as wall art. It features a much larger and more pronounced image area, and with the potential of over a dozen unique photos, it makes for an ideal budget or temporary add-on replacement for wall décor. Available in B2 vertical or horizontal.

The HD

Here, you are getting something that could last longer than just a year. The HD offers a separate, fixed photographic spread in addition to a calendar that can be mounted onto it, meaning that your client’s favorite photo will never be obscured. Available in 12x24” or 12x35.4” as an elongated version. This unique shape and setup are ideal for a front-facing shot in the equine photography genre. Features the durable and beloved Fuji Silk paper, used primarily on nPhoto albums.

The Uses

Let’s look at how your client could look forward to getting their hands on something as simple as a calendar.

• Pet owners tend to love showing their pets around everywhere they can. Treat that as a bonus for your field of work! A calendar of this sort can be presented to the client as a perfect gift for friends & family, in addition to one being kept for themselves. We’ll come back to this part later, but keep it in mind as something one could do with a print product such as this.
• A great advantage of calendars compared to other print products is their location versatility. Just as pet owners wish to bring their pets around with them anywhere they can, one can now do just that - by bringing a calendar of this kind to their workplace, their personal office space, their kitchen, and much more. While a dog, for example, could be brought to many of these places, you would be totally out of luck if you had an interest in horse riding and the like (not to mention most workplaces don’t have a bring-your-pet-to-work day.)
• A calendar is also a logical answer to those wondering about the practical use of keeping wall décor around - seeing as it would be combined into something many of us use daily.

The Applications

Now that you know what to expect from someone who’d find interest in a calendar, how do you, the photographer, make the most from it?

• Going back to the first point in its uses, look at the sheer potential for a bulk sale. You could sell two or even three calendars to a client who could then gift them accordingly (of course, we’re not disregarding the chance that the client may use more than one calendar, i.e., one at home and one at work as well)
• A simple calendar starting package could be your key to spreading your wings in print photography. It can be easily considered as an add-on to an otherwise entirely digital sale, and one can then start moving on to bigger sales. Going further, a calendar + triplex package can be introduced, then a calendar + folio box, then a calendar + album… well, you get the idea.
• A calendar would be, by far, the easiest and most mobile way to present your portfolio in a non-intrusive manner. It’s not a product that requires much maintenance, nor would you need to elaborate on it - your photography is right on its first page. Of course, while it would be much more effective to bring in a complete set, this way, you can have something to show straight from your car or when you’re “in the field.” You can also leave your contact information or logo somewhere on it, further promoting your personal brand.
• As mentioned before, the HD calendar or even the Pro is perfectly suitable for some of the more creative shots out there, one excelling in front-facing photos to give those animals some much-needed closure, and the other allowing for almost picturesque, long-distance shots - e.g., with a horse in the field, undisturbed by human interaction.

Now - with all this potential going around, it would be a true shame not to get the chance to experience it for yourself. So download the sample guide for equine photography and learn how to expand your business!