We were lucky to catch up with Lisa Peterson recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Lisa with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I grew up on a busy dairy farm in western Wisconsin. As a farm kid I learned the value of hard work, teamwork, and taking responsibility.
Because our family’s survival depended the farm’s success, all of us worked together – and relied on each other- to get the work done as efficiently as possible. Some of the jobs were dirty, dusy and downright disgusting. Some of them were tolerable, and some were fun. One of my favorite jobs was feeding the calves their milk from giant sized bottles. I watered down the leftover milk in the bottom of the bottle and fed it to the plethora of cats in our barn, and then I got to play with the cats. We would run down the barn aisle playing with baler twine.
I also loved helping my grandparents with preserving their food for the winter. They all had big gardens, and I was blessed to live close to all of my grandparents. They were patient with my endless questions about canning and freezing food. I spent many hot summer days on a stool in my grandparents’ kitchens, stuffing canning jars with garden fresh produce.
As I got older I worked in local restaurants to raise money for college. Many of my friends were in the same boat, and we all went home early on our nights out, because we all had to get up to milk cows in the morning.
Like many of my peers, I worked during college so I could afford to attend. That was back when college was somewhat affordable.
And now, today, that same drive to get things done, to survive. to push forward even when you are dog tired, is as much a part of me as it was in my youth. I just move a little slower!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a pet photographer. I love animals, and I know in my soul that dogs are furry puddles of unconditional loving goo.
I help dog loving Minneapolis St Paul parents celebrate their pets by creating beautiful customized art.
I’m a proud Crazy Dog Mom and a dog and cat photographer. I founded Pawsh Photography because I want every pet owner to have beautiful images of their beloved fur babies.
I love working with other animal loving people. Most of all I love proving that any pet can be wildly successful with pet photography. It just takes patience and positivity. My clients call me the pet whisperer!
I provide a full pet photography experience. From picking the ideal location for pet photos – it could be my cozy pet friendly studio or a beautiful local park – to choosing the best artwork for clients’ homes, I help my clients every step of the way. The process is relaxed, fun and easy.
Everything is customized to clients’ needs. Families with human children, my LGBTQ+ community, families with multiple dogs, cats of all kinds- those are just some of the clients I serve. All beings are welcome at Pawsh Photography.
I just earned my pet loss certification from One Last Network, which will help me support clients whose pets are nearing the end of their lives. I am honored to create end of life portraits for these specials clients.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
In my journey to becoming a successful pet photographer in Minneapolis St Paul, three things helped me the most: resilience, creativity and business acumen.
It is not enough to be a skilled photographer, if you want to create a photography business. Focus on the business side of photography, especially marketing. And no, an instagram feed by itself is not a marketing strategy. Building relationships with real live humans, makes a positive impact on finding – and keeping – clients. Finding lasting success requires steadfast resolve especially in the lean years, and a clear vision for the future.
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
Summer and fall are the busier months for most northern hemisphere photographers. Between editing, marketing and meeting clients the never ending task list can feel overwhelming.
To help manage this, I rely on technology to do some of the heavy lifting.
One of the biggest boons to my business has been implementing a client process flow, and communicating to clients automatically using my CRM, Dubsado. I can also see at glance where each client is in the pet photography process, in real time.
The other big efficenty driver is Metricool. I use it to plan and schedule my social media posts a month at a time. While it’s a pain to invest a few hours once a month to create the posts, it’s a secure feeling to know this big task is done for the month.
I am a list maker, so I tend to live by task lists. I enjoy using ToDoist because it keeps track of my never ending task list and keeps me organized.
When I am feeling overwhelmed, I take time to work on my to do list. It helps to empty my brain and feel more settled. Going for a walk in the woods, a soothing cup of tea, and some cuddle time with my wife round out the strategies for coping.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://pawshphoto.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pawshphoto
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pawshphoto
Image Credits
Pawsh Photography LLC
