Before you Hire a Branding Photographer, What's Your Why?

I talk about this a lot with my Personal Branding clients during their Branding Strategy. There are some things you really need to think about before hiring a photographer to take your branding photography. You’ve made the decision to invest in yourself and your business so let’s get started!

START WITH YOUR WHY

What’s this all about? Well, when you have a deeper sense of purpose, your message will resonate with more people. To help you really define your why, here are some questions to think about:

• What would you do even if you didn’t get paid to do it?

• What makes you forget to eat lunch?

• Who inspires you most?

• If you had a year to live, what would you do?

• What did you love to do when you were 10 years old?

• What would you regret NOT doing in your life?

• What makes you smile?

• What makes you angry?

• What do other people ask you for help with?

• What are you naturally good at doing?

• What are the challenges you’ve overcome?

• What causes do you strongly believe in?

• If you could get just one message across to a larger group of people, what would you say?

Before you launch that new website, print that new brochure or book a speaking gig, you want to get clear on what you want to be known for. That way, the clients you attract are strategic.

Grow Your Business

Now that you're prepped for "shelter-in-place" and you have enough toilet paper, canned beans and wine to host a campout in your backyard (but you can't actually invite anyone over,) what will you do with all of your spare time??

Here's a few ideas:

1. Don't spend the entire time binge watching. Unless it's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. You should definitely binge watch that. Otherwise turn the tv off....especially the news! Listen to inspirational Ted Talks or podcasts.

2. Sit down with someone you care about and check out 36 questions to make you fall in love. These questions are a beautiful way to inspire deeper conversation.

3. Start meditating. It's a much better way to deal with anxiety or trouble sleeping than popping a pill. You can get started with guided meditations with the Meditation Oasis app.

4. Make a list of all of the crap you've told yourself you "don't have time to do" and do it. Clean out your closets. Empty your email inbox. Organize your pantry. HELLO Marie Kondo! Listen to her book on audible while your at it: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

5. LEARN something new. About tech. About yourself. About the people around you.

6. Practice GRATITUDE. Start a journal and each morning when you wake up write down at least 5 things you're grateful for.

7. Have Zoom dates with old friends and catch up. It's okay to wine and whine a little but be sure to share some positive stuff too!

8. Calling business owners - use this time to work on ways to grow your business in the coming months! One of the best ways? Visibility! Let's set up a Zoom call to chat about how I can help you create a fantastic library of personal branding images for you to share with the world.

9. Be that POSITIVE voice in the world. Think of 5 local small businesses that have made you happy recently. Go write them a positive review! Facebook, Google, Yelp - wherever you think it will help them best and get the most exposure.

10.  And finally be of service to others. Ask around and see if there are any elderly or young but immune-compromised and at risk people in your area. I promise you there ARE! You just need to find them. Offer to bring them supplies. Shop for them. Pick up their prescriptions. Even just leaving a card on their door letting them know you're thinking of them will mean more than you can imagine!
 

I hope some of these inspired you! We will get through this!

Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce Photographer

I love my town of Pleasanton. I live here, my studio is here and it’s an honor to be Pleasanton’s favorite photographer. Thank you for such a nice article about me and my business written by the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce.

Personal Branding Image Library

Meet Michelle King, one of our recent clients who was looking to create a library of images to use for her website and print collateral.

Why do you do this type of work? We live in a world where so many of our challenges feel overwhelming. I love connecting with people, meeting them where they are and helping them to navigate past their challenges to build a life that works for them.

Describe your ideal client. Who are you hoping to connect with through your images? My ideal client is someone who is ready to tackle their challenges (personal or professional), who is willing to become more self-aware through self-evaluation and exploration. I am hoping that people who are interested in coaching, leadership development, personal development or business development will see these images showing kindness, compassion. fun, and someone they can trust.

How does your client's life change after working with you? What's the outcome? That's my favorite part! When I work with a client they walk away with a plan they are excited about, tools to navigate future challenges and a greater sense of themselves.

What is your signature method or process? Tell us more about working with you. My signature method is called Crafting Your Personal Vision which begins by evaluating your satisfaction in different areas of your life, focusing on your values, and aligning them with your personal vision. At the end of the session you have developed a personal board of directors to support you in pursuing your vision. My method is solution-focused. What this means is that I help clients work on what they have control over in their lives and how they can get to a solution (or definitive steps toward the solution) in every session.

What do you do for your clients that is unexpected? How do you make them feel special? I am a certified Mindfulness instructor and a Connection Practice instructor so one of my specialties is helping clients find a way to incorporate mindfulness into their daily routine. As a Connection Practice teacher I can help them to learn how to resolve conflicts and develop their intuition. I also provide two services that help my clients feel truly heard - I send a follow-up email after each session with what we discussed and what we agreed they will be focusing on for the next week and I offer SOS sessions where a client can reach out to me to schedule a quick 15 minute session when they need some immediate help.

When people see your brand images, what do you want them to feel? I want people to feel that I am someone they can talk to easily, someone who will truly listen, care and help them to find their way.

Where do you draw your inspiration from? Everywhere! Honestly I am continually inspired by my clients, my friends, family and the world around me. Particular influences are individuals who have sought to help people feel more connected like Brene Brown, John Maxwell, Simon Sinek, and Martin Seligman to name a few.

What do you love to do outside of work that can give us a peek at who you are behind the scenes? I am a stained glass and mosaic artist. I have a workshop in my garage and about 6 projects that are in all states of development. I love using beautiful glass to create art pieces. I am also a writer, love to read (you should see my stack of books), and enjoy cooking. I'm a mom of six so family activities are important to me. My husband and I love to travel and our mutual passion is music festivals and concerts.

What the three core messages of your business? 1. Everything you need is already inside you. 2. Asking for help is a strength. 3. Together we can find the solutions

Learn more about Michelle King HERE.

Photos last forever

Thank you to the 300+ smiling faces that got in front of my camera in 2019.

I look forward to entering my THIRD DECADE in business and seeing all of you in 2020!

$10,000 fine and a year in jail?

Great news - I have a Child Performer Services Permit and can officially photograph minors under the age of 18!

It’s surprising how few people are aware that anyone working with any artist, model or performer who is under 18 years old in the state of California for a fee MUST have a Child Performer Services Permit. This includes managers, acting coaches, publicists, and photographers. The penalty for not having this permit is a year in jail and a $10,000 fine. The law, AB 1660, states that anyone who works with child actors in the state must be fingerprinted and pass an FBI background check. “AB 1660, prohibits registered sex offenders from “representing or providing specified services to artists or performers under 18 years of age.” Fingerprints and FBI background checks are required to ensure that registered sex offenders don’t skirt the law by working under assumed names.” Totally creepy right?

So the process to get fingerprinted for the FBI is not that easy. The process and forms needed are lengthy but I passed and have my Child Performer Services Permit proudly hanging in my studio.

It’s important to know who you are working with, whether it’s a modeling agency or advocate. There are several photographers on the “Approved List” for a San Francisco based modeling agency who do not have this permit!