Guest Post I’m Emma, owner of Paws in Action and I wanted to share with you how I went from a career in banking to becoming a London Dog Photographer. Hopefully this will inspire those of you thinking of a change in career, to bite the bullet and go for it!
My Banking Career
I left University back in 2001 with a degree in Geology. But all my working life was spent in the finance industry, firstly in auditing and then in banking, where I spent 16 years.
I loved my job. I loved the team of people I worked with; lots of them lifelong friends. I had a senior position in the team and there was certainly room for progression within my career.
But the work-life balance wasn’t great. Hours were long; I’d be up at 6am, home at 7pm or later, have some dinner, go to bed, and repeat the next day. Weekends were spent catching up on chores and sleeping, that’s if I wasn’t working.
And there was something missing in my life. And that was a dog. I’d longed for a dog since I was a child. Working the hours I did I thought it would be a long time before I was eventually able to have one.
Schlappohr
At the start of 2019, I decided I was going to get a dog, and shortly after I picked up eight week old Cockapoo Schlappohr (which means floppy ear in German). I was still working in the City, so if I wasn’t working from home Schlappohr went off to doggy day care. He’d get picked up and dropped off and he seemed to love it! He made lots of new doggy friends.
But I was still working long hours and missed him when I was at work. It also made me realise there was more to life than a successful career and money, and that whilst I did love my job, I actually wasn’t that happy.
So a few months after Schlappohr came into my life I quit my job. I had no idea what I would do for money, but knew that I would figure it out.
Dog Photographer
I started thinking about what I could for a living away from banking. Clearly I love dogs. And I’ve always enjoyed photography, mainly taking pictures of cityscapes whilst on holiday. So maybe I could put the two together? Is a dog photographer a job?
Turns out that yes it is! There are some very well renowned dog photographers in the UK and across the globe.
So the next few months were spent starting up my new business, which I’d named Paws in Action. It meant learning new skill-sets. I’d never built a website before. Never sold anything or marketed anything. I was learning about WordPress, costings and Facebook ads!
And then there was the actual photography side of it. I had a decent camera but it wasn’t a professional one. So I bought new equipment, learnt how to use it, worked with mentors and other dog photographers to hone my skills. I did free photoshoots so that I could practice and start my portfolio.
And then I started attracting clients and it was very rewarding to be able to capture photos of the owners beloved dogs that I knew they would treasure forever. I’ve had clients cry tears of joy when I unveil their gallery to them. I’d gone from wearing tailored dresses and high heels, to lying down on often muddy ground, camera in hand whilst a dog runs full pelt towards me. But I couldn’t have been happier!
I specialise in outdoor, natural light photoshoots. They’re normally held at a favourite park of the dog. I take portrait shots (dogs standing, sitting, lying down) as well as action shots which I love. The action shots really show the dog having fun, often with a goofy expression on their face! And if I’m lucky I’ll capture a flying dog – that split second when all four paws are off the ground.
All Dogs Matter
Shortly after I started Paws in Action we had the pandemic and when that was over, we were faced with the cost of living crisis. Everyone was struggling; individuals as well as businesses and charities.
At the start of 2023 I decided I wanted to help raise money for a good cause. Given dogs are close to my heart, I felt that raising money for a dog rescue would be perfect. So I teamed up with North London based All Dogs Matter.
The idea I came up with was to create a coffee table book showcasing some of the wonderful dogs they’d rescued and rehomed. Their past clients applied to be in the book, with all session fees being donated in full to All Dogs Matter.
Over five months I photographed 37 dogs that they’d rehomed. I travelled across London, down to Guildford and up to Norfolk. All the dogs I met were amazing. Some had had horrific starts to their lives; including one dog who was found as a puppy in a cardboard box with his legs tied together, and a few dogs that had been rescued from the dog meat trade in China and Korea. I met Terriers, Staffies, Greyhounds, to name but a few of the breeds that featured in the book.
I’d never created a book before but really loved the experience. The final product was a hard-covered A4 sized coffee table book in which each dog had a two page spread featuring images from their photoshoots as well a short story explaining their past and how they’d come to be rescued and rehomed.
All the owners loved seeing their dogs in print and I was delighted with the book. I’m really proud to have done it, and we raised over £2,000 for All Dogs Matter. They’re seeing more and more dogs needing to be rescued so every penny really does count for them.
Final Words
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about how I went from Banking to Barking!
What I would say to anyone who is perhaps not happy doing what they’re doing is – life is too short. The thought of change and doing something outside of your comfort zone can be daunting. But go for it. I feel so much more fulfilled now and am really glad that I took the plunge and went for it!