Conversations with Gaelle Glass

Today we’d like to introduce you to Gaelle Glass.  

Hi Gaelle, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started photography in 2018. My 1st baby was a fur baby! He was a yellow Labrador named Simba. He passed in 2015 at almost 14y old, he had a great life. I was devastated, it was really hard losing him. Some people after losing a pet go get another one right away. I couldn’t do that. But after one year or 1.5 years, I was missing having a dog around me but I was still not ready to have my own. So, I started dog sitting. I was taking pictures of the dog’s parents with my phone and I started to love it. So, I bought a professional camera, took some lessons, and got certified with PPA (Professional Photographers of America). In 2019 I launched my business Gaelle Pet Photography, I create memories and beautiful custom fine art for pet parents and their homes. I started to be interested in doing branding photography in the pet industry right before Covid. During the confinement, I took classes online about portraiture, and I loved it. After Covid, I decided to start Gaelle Glass Photography and I offer branding sessions for small business owners, headshots, and portraits. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it’s not a smooth road far from it! Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. You work alone a lot and you have to find the motivation within yourself every day. I am not where I would like to be yet, but will I be one day? The more I learn, the more I need to learn and implement. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a photographer with two niches: 1/pet photography mostly dogs and some cats sometimes. I love dogs and learned a lot about behavior. I volunteered at some local shelters. An important thing about my business is to be able to help and support local charities (pets and kids). 

I have done a pet calendar contest for the Denver Animal Shelter for the past two years and raised over $22,000. 

I give vouchers for local auctions, and a portion of my sales for a full session go to my client’s favorite charities. I am working on a book project for a new charity, but it’s not launched yet! I am really excited to be able to help the community with what I know and love to do: photography. 

Serving my clients is my top priority. Before every session we’ll have a consultation and talk about their goals for the session, what do they want to do with those pictures? Why now? I want to know their pets before photographing them, what makes them, so I can capture their personality. It’s also important for me to know what they want to do with their images before the session, I am going to take different pictures if I know they want an album, I will tell a story but if I know you want a big wall art, I will focus to have the right image for that. I will make sure that the image, color-wise, and design-wise will match their home. After our session, we’ll meet again and I will reveal the pictures. I help my clients choose the right pictures for what they need because sometimes it can be overwhelming! I offer folio boxes with images, albums, and wall art. Digitals are included with all prints bought. I will also deliver their custom art to their home and can provide wall art installation if needed. 

I mostly photograph women entrepreneurs and creatives. I help small business owners elevate their brand with unique, story-telling images. I take marketing-minded; strategic photographs that help the small business owners be seen how they want to be seen. I will create visual content that ultimately helps disconnect the bridge between their intentions for the brand and the public perception of the brand. I create images for content that address all areas needed: website, social media, book cover, email signature, sale pages, funnels, newsletter, opt-in pages… 

I will have a deep consultation with the owner and discover his/her brand and needs before the session. My passion is creating images for women who hate having their pictures taken. I make the process, easy, fun, and with no stress. I provide a professional hair and make-up artist to their taste; this is the part where they feel pampered and then feel really confident in front of the camera. I also help them decide what to wear prior to the session, and because we have thoroughly planned everything, the day of the session is the fun part. During the session I tell my client what to do, I pose them so they can have amazing images! 

I am also working now on a project “over 50 and Remarkable”, I photograph and highlight women 50 and over. The concept is the same with consultation, styling, hair, and make-up, but I am also interviewing those women, everyone will have a digital cover magazine with an interview, I will create a magazine with all participants, and at the end of the project, we’ll have an exhibition/party to celebrate! 

What matters most to you?
I want to be able to freeze some moments, life goes by so fast and sometimes we forget to stop and appreciate. Especially with the pets, they don’t live as long as we do. I want to be able to create those memories and cherish them for the rest of my client’s life. 

For the small business owners, I am always excited to learn about their accomplishments, where they are coming from, and where they are going. I love being a part of their success because professional branded images will elevate their business! 

For the women 50 and over (I am one of them), I think it’s time to highlight them, and show what they accomplished and what they are accomplishing still! We need to talk about it more! Most of my clients are launching their own business after a career in corporate America, they took care of their kids and everybody else but themselves. The photography sessions are also a time to stop, being pampered and feel good about themselves. Those portrait sessions are a confidence booster! 

Pricing:

• session fees start at $200
• packages start at $850

Contact Info:

• Email: gaelle@gaellepetphotography.com
• Website: www.gaellepetphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/Gaellepetphotography
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/gaellepetphotography.com
• Twitter: www.instagram.com/gaelleglass
• Youtube: www.gaelleglassphotography.com
• Yelp: www.facebook.com/gaelleglassphotography