CLICK - a photographers video
I constantly ask my clients to tell me their “why.”
Now I’m sharing my WHY.
Thank you Clay Mosley for telling my story.
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Mother's Day Mini Sessions
NOW BOOKING! Mother's Day Mini Sessions. Treat yourself or that special woman in your life with a timeless portrait. Click button below for full details and book your session online before they are all gone!
The Power of the Niche
Focusing on a niche allows small businesses to stand out in a crowded market. By targeting a specific audience, they can tailor their products or services to meet the unique needs and preferences of their customers. This specialization helps build a strong brand identity and makes it easier for potential clients to recognize and remember the business.
A niche approach also fosters deeper connections with customers. Small businesses can provide a more personalized experience, understanding and addressing the specific concerns of their target audience. This level of attention and care can lead to increased customer loyalty, as clients feel valued and understood, making them more likely to return and recommend the business to others.
Additionally, specializing in a niche can streamline marketing efforts and resources. With a clear target audience, small businesses can craft more effective marketing strategies and messages, ensuring their efforts reach the right people. This focused approach not only maximizes the impact of marketing campaigns but also helps manage budgets more efficiently, ultimately contributing to the business's success and growth.
5 Ways to Get More Clients
Recently I had coffee with someone I met through at the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce. She asked this question - "I had a photoshoot recently and I didn't get the images I needed. I think it’s because I didn’t know what to ask for. What should I have asked for besides great headshots?"
The majority of my clients need some combination of the following 5 kinds of images (not always, but typically)
1. Potential clients and followers want to see YOU embodying the experience that they will have access to by working with you. For example, if you are an online educator who teaches women the tools needed to start a business in order to have location independence, I want to see images of you working in beautiful unexpected locations. If you are a speaker who promotes abundance mindsets as the path to living a rich life, we want to see you living that rich life. Make sense?
2. Clients want to imagine what it would be like to be with you in real life. This question comes up often when I'm planning a session with a client; "If you could not connect with your clients virtually, what would the environment you meet with them look like? Would you book a table at a fabulous restaurant and have a meeting over a glass of proseco? Would you meet with them at your home, barefoot on your couch with a warm cup of tea? Would you welcome them into your chic, modern office and get to business? You get it, create a vision for what your clients imagine their time with you would look like, feel like and have fun with it!
3. We want to connect with you authentically, we want to feel you and we want to feel seen by you. These days, we as consumers are so sensitive to authenticity, we want to feel like we know you. I want you to have images where the real YOU shows up; the playful one, the joyful one, the confident one, the deep one, the no-nonsense one, the teacher, the friend, the expert. We sometimes want a simple direct headshot that says more than "I'm in business."
4. Instagram has made it so fun and easy for people to feel related to us as more than just what we have offer. Lifestyle lifestyle lifestyle, today's modern entrepreneur is living a full rich life and we want to see it. Are you a journaler, a jogger, a resort-hopping beach babe, a lakeside meditator, a forest loving beauty, a whiskey drinker? Create images that give us a full picture of YOU.
5. Last but not least are those details, details, details. Having a collection of images that capture the "details" of your brand without capturing you necessarily can be a designers gold when they are creating for you a captivating website or when you are building your insta tribe.
I hope you found this helpful!
Curious to learn more and discover how we would tell the brand story for your business?
The 5 Most Common Personal Style Mistakes
A excerpt from this article:
Let’s get real. You are no Mark Zuckerberg. Hoodies and t-shirts aren’t going to get you to land that big client or get you noticed by the Angel Investors.
We would all like to believe that how we look and how we dress doesn’t impact the level of personal or professional success we receive in life. And though we would like to believe such a thing, we also know how fundamentally wrong we are.
Studies after studies show that your outward appearance directly affects your ability to influence others and create income producing relationships.
“Your personal brand isn’t just a reflection of you. It is a reflection of how you see the world, yourself, and your work.” Craig says “ Plus people don’t realize that your style is just as much of a branding tool as it is a mindset tool for your ultimate success.”
This is so true! I have met hundreds of entrepreneurs and I’m always suprised when I meet someone who doesn’t put any effort into their outward appearance. This should also be true in the case of your headshot portraits. Don’t just look great in photos - carry that into your day-to-day life.
So here are the 5 most common mistakes entrepreneurs make when it comes to their personal style:
Not dressing the part. I don’t mean wearing gym clothes if you’re a personal trainer. I mean, we get it you’re a personal trainer, but look like the BOSS of personal trainers - dress like an authority in your industry. (Men this means, wear pants - not shorts. And women, leave the athletic clothing for the gym.)
Being too busy to maintain basic personal grooming. If you don’t have time to get a hair cut (ladies - having your roots touched up,) nails kept clean then what does that say about you putting the effort and time for your clients?
Complaining about how BUSY they are. Seriously? Too busy? That’s like saying, I have too much money in my bank account. NEXT!
Acting cheap. If you meet for a coffee meeting, buy COFFEE. Don’t walk in with your own coffee cup because you’re saving money.
Speak clearly. Ask questions. Don’t spend all your time talking about yourself. Smile! Be friendly and remember to make your potential client feel special.
Vacation Property Photography
Recently I traveled to Italy to photograph a client’s gorgeous villa. Note, this villa is available for vacation rental! It’s 5 minutes from the main town of Pienza, 15 minutes from Montapulciano and other amazing wine regions and walled hill towns. An easy drive from Rome in just a couple of hours. Let’s just say, it was unbelievable. Some of these photos were taken just at sunrise - one of my all time favorite times to photograph properties. Three bedrooms all en-suite with a beautiful outdoor space and a pool when weather permits.
Is your headshot a visual cliché?
Visual clichés, much like written clichés, emote a pre-conceived idea rather than an original one. Clichés have no real meaning so they end up distancing rather than engaging your audience.
So often I find business portrait headshots to be boring. Blank smiles that offer no personality.
You, however, are NOT boring. If your photo is boring, it’s because someone just took your photo, they weren’t taking the time to bring out your STORY in your images. Your WHY.
Interest on the photographer’s part is the first step to creating a final image that causes the viewer to say “I think I’d like to get to know that person.”
No matter what my client’s profession is, my top priority is to learn about them and find out what’s makes them interesting.
So unless you are seven and being photographed for the marching band at school, you should leave props behind. Your headshots should be personable and unique. They should reach beyond clichés and convey real meaning.
Teen Model Headshots
Adults aren't the only stars of the show these days. We have been so lucky to work with so many incredibly talented kids and teens as they work to promote their own professional brands, on-screen, on-stage and on the catwalk.
How about your rising kid or teen star? Is it time to update their headshots and modeling portraits?
Whether is just a simple headshot update or a full marketing photography package, we have the package to help your child look like the professional they are.
Contact us to book.