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Kirstie McConnell of www.classicoportraits.com and www.classicoportraits.com.au will be well known amongst pet photographers and long-term listeners to the podcast.

Originally based in Adelaide, where she was South Australia's first specialist pet photographer before cofounding The Pet Photographers Club with equally talented photographer, Caitlin McColl.

She has appeared on the podcast multiple times, where she presented two separate Masterclasses on how to Set up for Success as a Pet Photographer and How to Successfully Move into Pet Photography.

Since then, she met, fell in love with and married a handsome Italian gentleman and moved to Italy, where she started a brand new business — Classico Portraits.

It hasn't been plain sailing, but she's built the photography business into something special, where she averages $5000 for her tourist portrait sessions.

Now… she’s relocating back to Australia and planning to hit the ground running as she starts over, again, with her new photography business as a Gippsland & Mornington Peninsula photographer where she'll be focusing on families, couples and pets on adventures.

In this interview, Kirstie shares exactly how she moved from pets to premium portraits and reinvented her photography business.

Here's some more of what we covered in the interview:

• How a move to Italy reset Kirstie’s creativity and sharpened her positioning


• Why she pivoted from pets to luxury family portraits—and what changed in her sales


• The “start from zero” plan: building a client base in a new country without a network


• Turning tourism partners into a pipeline: hotels and operators with €400+/night guests


• SEO as the quiet workhorse: ranking in multiple Italian cities for high-spend enquiries


• From pets to people: what transfers, what doesn’t, and how to price for the jump


• Cold outreach that compounds: 380+ targeted emails, and why she doesn’t follow up


• Same-day sales, poolside viewings, and the buyer experience that lifts average order value (AOV)


• Marketing across cultures: what landed in Italy and how she’ll adapt for Australia


• The relaunch plan back home: blending family and pet sessions under one brand


• Scaling with help: when an associate photographer makes sense (and when it doesn’t)


• The mindset that carried her through the messy middle—moves, marriage, and starting over

What’s on Offer for Premium Members

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I just reached out to, like, everybody and anybody that I thought would be a good business partner for me, which, you know, in Tuscany in the tourism industry, is like everybody. — Kirstie McConnell

You'll also receive access to the members-only Secret Facebook Group, where you can connect with other Premium Members and interview guests to help, support and motivate you to take ideas you hear in each episode and put them into action. The group also has FB live video tutorials, role-play, and special live interviews. You will not find more friendly, motivated, caring and sharing photographers online. Seriously, that's not all.

The long-term one that definitely works best was focusing on SEO. I wanted to rank high in Google so if someone was searching for a photographer in X, Y or Z city in Italy—and ready to spend—they’d only have me to choose from. — Kirstie McConnell

In addition to everything above, you'll get access to instructions on forming or joining a MasterMind Group with other premium members. These groups are super motivating, make you accountable, and build friendships with other pro photographers with motives similar to yours – to build a more successful photography business.

What is your big takeaway?

Following this interview, I’d love to know if you're taking anything from what Kirstie shared. Is there something you heard that excited or motivated you to the point where you thought, yeah, I'm going to do that! If so, leave your thoughts in the comments below; let me know your takeaways and what you plan to implement in your business based on what you heard in today's episode.

I’ve sent around 380 emails now—hotels, experiences, any business serving clients spending €500 a day. If they’re interested, they email back. I’m better off keeping the outreach rolling than chasing. — Kirstie McConnell

If you have any questions I missed, a specific question you’d like to ask Kirstie, or a way to thank her for coming on the show, feel free to add them in the comments area below.