Meet Ryan Erickson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Erickson.

Hi Ryan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Colorado and love the many adventures that it offers me and my black lab, Henry. I studied photography at CU Denver and started photographing weddings 15 years ago. As a result of the pandemic, I was unable to photograph weddings and was forced out of the routine that I had become accustomed to. That allowed me the space to grow the idea of working with dogs as my subjects.

I’ve always loved dogs and after spending so much time at home during the pandemic with my black lab, Henry, I believe he helped prove to me how significant our animals are in our lives. I have moved my focus to full-time with Fetch Photo Truck and am already appreciating the more flexibility in my schedule to spend time with Henry and go on all the fun adventures that Colorado has to offer.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The exciting thing about Fetch is that from its conception over a year ago, it has grown smoothly and with promise. I’ve been able to use my decades of. experience in photography and being part of a successful business which helped me hit the ground running. Little things such as outfitting the mobile trailer with heating and air conditioning proved to be more difficult and more lengthy of a process than I imagined. About three months were lost last Summer as I was figuring out the best combination of units and waiting for the HVAC specialists to get it installed.

Managing my time and knowing when to outsource projects has been an instinct that I’ve had to sharpen. Outsourcing my photo editing is a decision that I’m so happy that I made early on. Quality control is higher and it frees up my time to focus on different aspects of growing Fetch.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My mobile portrait studio travels to clients’ homes where I photograph unique studio portraits of dogs. I’ve learned quickly that the secret sauce to my approach to photographing dogs is that I’m at the comfort of their home. Many dogs get stressed on car rides so the fact that their owners don’t have to worry about packing them up for a trip across town really makes a difference. One of my goals is to make it as easy as possible for clients to have a unique experience with their dog and to be able to order quality artwork of their fur babies. My other secret sauce element is the fact that people get to see their photos on the same day as the session inside my trailer. I have a projector screen where, shortly after the session, I welcome them back into the studio to review and order photos the same day. Typical delivery time for artwork is two weeks which is much quicker than the industry standard, In our consumer world of Amazon Prime Delivery, Instacart, Door Dash, etc. consumers have shown how they value the convenience of services coming to their homes. I believe that people really do value their time and if a service or experience satisfies the importance of time, they are willing to pay extra for it.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I’ve been told that I am a dog whisperer when I’m photographing inside the trailer. I consider myself an empath and I think that animals are sensitive to the energy of people. I feel happy that my natural instincts with animals help me capture the unique expressions of dogs. Knowing that I’m giving dog owners photos of their pups that show off their personalities and makes me happy and rewarded.

Pricing:

• Portrait Sessions are $149 and include the time spent to plan, create, capture, edit and present the photos. A 5×7 gift print is included in the session. Artwork options are available to order the same day and the average investment is $850.

Contact Info:

• Email: ryan@fetchphototruck.com
• Website: www.fetchphototruck.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fetchphototruck/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fetchphototruck