A woman turned her passion for pets into a lucrative side hustle and now makes more than £3,000 a year taking pictures of them. Lauren Meehan, combined her love of photography with her dream of working with animals to make a nice little earner.
She takes photos of the animals, then photoshops her snaps to make bespoke pictures. Among her favourites are a pet horse that she made to look like it was in space and a Halloween picture of a dog in a castle.
The part-time cleaner hopes to grow her business into a full-time dream job. The 27-year-old, who lives near Watford, said: “I just really really love it. It’s amazing! I’m doing what I love and creating special memories for people, which makes them happy too - it’s perfect."
Lauren studied animal care for five years and wanted to be a vet but then realised her passion lay in photography. So she gave pet photography a go and started posting pictures daily of her own dogs, Coco and Joey, on her Facebook page.
People liked and shared her pictures and gradually customers flocked in. Business dropped off due to Covid but is bouncing back now, she said.
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Many customers want to create a special picture as their beloved animals get old, Lauren said. She serves three or four customers a week at the moment, bringing in a tidy £300 a month - roughly £3,600 a year.
Her profits are going towards a smart new studio for her work in old stables at the home she shares with her parents and brother. Lauren said: “It’s such a great feeling when people really love them and share my pictures.
“It makes me very proud. My customers’ happiness is the most important thing for me."
