An update from our newest photographer Kelly in WA
Back in July, we ran a profile piece on our newest photographer and franchisee – Kelly Altria in Western Australia – and this is a short update on that.
Kelly started with Little Images about three months ago and it’s safe to say it has been a ‘hit the ground running’ type start! We caught up with Kelly recently over the phone – here’s what she had to say…
Little Images: How’s it going, Kelly?
Kelly: I’ve been incredibly busy, to be honest. Just to give you an idea, I’ve been completely booked out with photoshoots at childcare centres for the past three weeks, had shot on three days last week and the week before that was chock-a-block. So yes, pretty busy!
Little Images: Where’s the work coming from?
Kelly: I’ve had 43 bookings made for the year so far – this has been from a combination of popping into childcare centres and leaving my card or chatting to the team, and getting jobs coming through from head office. There are also a few referrals where one centre is recommending me to other centres – I’m running a special deal at the moment based on a suggestion from my former boss (Kelly worked for a childcare centre as a minibus driver previously), which is working quite well!
Little Images: That’s great! And how are the photoshoots going?
Kelly: They have all been great so far – very appreciative and also very helpful getting the children ready for the photos – in one case a centre got all their children’s hair brushed or combed ahead of the photos, which made for a slightly quicker shoot. Just in case, I always carry wet wipes as well as combs and I’ve just got some bows for the children who want to pin their hair back. Sometimes the children’s parents are there for the photoshoot and I’ve had great feedback from the – parents really appreciate how I work with the kids – my background in childcare certainly helps me there! Plus they all like how quickly we’re able to get the photos out to them.
Little Images: How about the admin side of the job?
Kelly: Well, it has to be done! Seriously it’s pretty straightforward but if I’m honest I prefer the photography itself.
Little Images: When is the next time you’ll be going back to the centres after their photoshoots?
Kelly: Most centres are keen to re-book for next year and quite a few are also taking up our offer of a Christmas photoshoot package or wanting to shift their photoshoot to an earlier date to avoid our busy period.
Little Images: And how is your work/life balance?
Kelly: Compared to my previous job, it’s a lot easier. I’m often working in the morning, but most days I’m free in the afternoons, so I can pick up my kids and spend some time with them. Generally, I’ll wait until they’re safely tucked up in bed before I run through the photo processing and admin work, which doesn’t take very long in any case. I can make more than I used to work only three days a week during the school term, plus I can take all the school holidays off to be with my children.
Little Images: That’s great – thanks for the update, Kelly!
Like to become a photographer just like Kelly? …you can let us know here
