Photographer Amanda King's captivating prints are inspired by the subjects she encounters on her Hororata farm.
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
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
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 .