Hello, beautiful people. Welcome to episode 41 of the Photo Country podcast. And I'm your host Rajeev. In this episode, I talked to a photographer and business owner. Amanda King from, by the horns. I actually got really fascinated with the cattle shots that were popping up on my Facebook feed sometime back. And I have been following her work ever since. Her work is distinguished by the larger-than-life, imposing images of these majestic Highland cows.
I have never seen anything like that before. Because they are framed, on a black or white background. And it's got a singular focus. These cows really look at you.
You can't miss them. If you put them up on the wall. So that's what really got me curious, and I have always wanted to, invite Amanda to the show and talk to her about her process.
You're going to take away a couple of things from this conversation.
What goes into running a photography business, and
How do you keep reinventing yourself in the face of an ever-changing marketplace?
Plus a whole bunch of nuggets of some amazing insights into how you can turn your passion project into a thriving business. You can follow Amanda on her Instagram feed by.the.horns. Or buy some prints from her website bythehorns.co.nz
Before we get into the conversation, a shout-out to all the amazing listeners of the show. I have one request for you all: Leave a review on Apple or Spotify. And tell me why you like the show and who is your favorite photographer. And I will definitely feature you on the show.
I took this photograph of a highland bull and I just decided that to make him stand out on the wall to, to put a bit of a dark background behind him, and it did really make, I think that's what really made him pop and it made people stop when they were scrolling when they saw that.
What I wanted on my wall is I wanted a huge print on my wall myself. And I think that's probably what caught people's eye, their attention as well, as these prints were massive, so I wanted them to be statement pieces. And I think that's what's been a little bit different to my business as well compared to others. - Amanda King
Amanda started off as a school teacher and found her passion for photography through a workshop that the school sent her to learn the craft to teach at school. That serendipitous moment took Amanda on a journey that she never expected to go on.
You just never know what's going to happen, really. I couldn't have told you that I was going to create a book, three years ago.
I wouldn't have thought I would've got one published. And I wouldn't, there, There's images out there that I have taken and I did as a laugh, I put it on my social media as a laugh. And now they're my number one selling print. Which I did not expect. So that's why I say keep an open mind because you just don't know what people want and what they like. - Amanda King
Raising a young family on a working farm while managing a growing business brought its own set of challenges. From flakey internet to managing printers across different geographies around the world, Amanda has made this work. Her prints hang on walls in Australia, Saudi Arabia, the USA, and the UK to name a few places. Her story is truly remarkable and a great inspiration to upcoming photographers.
She has also brought out a coffee table book - a compilation of her images, called A Load of Bull, published by Penguin Book New Zealand. This is a book that you would want in your collection! Such an amazing set of images showcasing the majestic highland cattle.
She has now diversified her imagery into botanicals too. She also has plans to extend her offerings through textiles and furnishings as well. It is a great way to repurpose the portfolio.
Thank you so much, Amanda. Thank you for sharing your experience and insights into running a business and following a passion.
Amanda King’s Links:
Instagram - by.the.horns
Website - bythehorns.co.nz
I hope you guys liked this episode as much as I did putting it together for you. Don't forget to leave a review on why you like the show and who your favorite photographers are on Apple or Spotify. You can also email me at rajeev@photocountry.co. And I will feature you next time.
Big thank you to my pal Niloyd Pereira for the music. You're amazing. Go show him some love on Instagram, vintagelensshooter .
That's all for me this time. Till the next episode, stay safe and keep clicking.
Essential Tips for Running a Photography Business - Ep. 41 - Amanda King