Old Photo Restoration
Since the start of the pandemic, there's been a higher demand for photo restoration than I've ever seen!
(And yes, that's me wearing my Mother's wig!)
People have spent more time at home cleaning and going through photo albums, leading them to find photos that have become faded or otherwise damaged.
The biggest inspiration to become a professional photographer was being the keeper of old family photo albums.
So naturally, one of my favorite services my studio offers is photo restoration.
Simply email a mobile-phone snapshot of an old photo you wish to have restored, and I can tell you what's possible.
Here are some before and after examples:
Client Spotlight | Kahlilah Guyah
I was fortunate to meet Kahlilah shortly after arriving to the Bay Area from New York and let’s just say we’ve been fast friends ever since. She’s smart, driven and super successful. Read on to learn more about her and her business EHS Compliance Services Inc.
Why do you do this type of work? While I have worked with many industry sectors my sweet spot is manufacturers and laboratories that desire to build world-class environmental health and safety programs.
Describe your ideal client. Who are you hoping to connect with through your images? My mission is to help organizations build world-class environmental, health, and safety programs and embed EHS excellence into daily business operations. I work with clients to leverage existing business processes or build new ones where necessary to protect workers, the environment, and brand reputation resulting in a more sustainable business.
How does your client's life change after working with you? What's the outcome? My signature risk assessment process helps businesses identify their environmental, health and safety priorities while also establishing the important connection to the core values of the business. I've further expanded this process through the recent development of the 5Is, a methodology designed to help organizations identify and eliminate negative impacts to workers physical, mental and emotional health and safety. This methodology was built from an ongoing interest and research into the ways the mental health directly affects physical health at the workplace.
What is your signature method or process? Tell us more about working with you. My signature risk assessment process helps businesses identify their environmental, health and safety priorities while also establishing the important connection to the core values of the business. I've further expanded this process through the recent development of the 5Is, a methodology designed to help organizations identify and eliminate negative impacts to workers physical, mental and emotional health and safety. This methodology was built from an ongoing interest and research into the ways the mental health directly affects physical health at the workplace.
What do you do for your clients that is unexpected? How do you make them feel special? Our guiding principals are excellence, integrity, collaboration and value and my goal to exceed client expectation on each project. I start this process by spending time understanding my client's business processes and leverage those where possible. When that's not an option, I work to co-create solutions that fit the business culture of the client--this helps to ensure the work we do continues long after the project has ended.
When people see your brand images, what do you want them to feel? Images are one of the first things people see when they see you online. I think they can help make an impeccable first impression if done well, I'd like people to feel that I'm approachable, confident, competent and easy to work with when they see my images.
Where do you draw your inspiration from? My maternal grandmother has always been one of my greatest inspiration, a domestic worker with only a third grade education, she pushed me to pursue excellence in all my endeavors.
What do you love to do outside of work that can give us a peek at who you are behind the scenes? When I'm not working with clients, you can find me mentoring emerging EHS professionals and hosting dynamic conversations on my LinkedIn Live show "Connecting the Dots.” I love good food and great conversation. I enjoy sitting on the beach, hiking and traveling with my family.
Learn more about Kahlilah Guyah and her remarkable business HERE.
6 Steps to Reinvent Your Personal Brand
You’ve diligently focused on your personal brand for years — but what if you now want to reinvent yourself?Your personal brand is a combination of what people think of you and what you actually are.
We are meant to change and evolve. I for one am not in the same place I was in my first career. I have definitely changed. What’s the saying, with age come wisdom? Well, most of the time.
Here are 5 steps to reinvent your personal brand:
Acknowledge Where You Are Now. We are the results of our experiences. But, we do control our destiny. So if you aren’t where you want to be now, that’s ok. You can still get there.
What’s Your Destination? Start by writing a detailed description of where you want to go, and the knowledge and skills needed to get there. When you learn the skills you need you will gain the confidence necessary to start identifying (and sharing) yourself in your new identity.
Leverage Your Points of Difference. What makes you different from anyone else? That’s what people will remember, and you can use it to your advantage.
Develop a Your Narrative. It’s human nature to have many interests, to seek new experiences, and to want to develop new skills over the course of your life. It’s important to share how your past fits into your present.
Reintroduce Yourself. The vast majority of people, may not be paying much attention to you. That means their perceptions are probably a few years out of date — and it’s not their fault. It’s like going to a high school reunion. Many of your former classmates have an impression of who you are based on their interactions with you in high school. We all know, that’s very unlikely to still be an accurate perception. Therefore, you have to make a concerted effort to get the word out of what you and your personal brand represent.
Prove Your Worth. Here’s where the know, like, trust come into play. I might know you are a mortgage broker, but unless I see proof of your skills, I may hesitate to put my own reputation on the line by sending you referrals. That’s where blogs, podcasts, videos and other social media platforms come into play. It’s critical to let potential clients see what you’re about and understand your your approach before they make a large commitment.
I hope this was helpful! Please send me a message and let me know if any of this resonated with you.
If you want to learn more about personal branding, I invite you to check out my ebook OWN IT: A Step-by-Step Guide to Developing Your Personal Brand.
If you want to get your own quick headshot with fast turnaround - contact the studio now!
3 Ways to Kick Imposter Syndrome
What’s Imposter Syndrome? It is a core negative belief that you are inadequate and unworthy. This way of thinking can greatly damage your professional growth.
Because you fear being exposed as an impostor, you may do things to avoid embarrassment and humiliation. For example, you may procrastinate and never finish a project to avoid the shame of criticism.
It can also turn you into a to-do-list addict, which is just a trick to keep yourself feeling validated.
Overall, the fear generated by not believing in yourself can keep you playing small and hold you back from growing and advancing in your career.
Don’t worry… you can change this way of thinking! Here’s some helpful steps:
1. GO ON OFFENSE
One of the best professional and personal development skills you can develop is learning how to request and receive constructive feedback.
While getting random unsolicited advice can sometimes be scary, research shows when we proactively solicit feedback, we perceive it as being more helpful.
Look for opportunities to show your work to other people — whether with your team or with a trusted mastermind group of other entrepreneurs who support you.
2. SAY IT AND BELIEVE IT TO BE TRUE
Those with Impostor Syndrome commonly undermine themselves by using minimizing language like:
“Oh, it’s no big deal”
“That was nothing”
“I was just lucky…”
By demeaning your accomplishments, you’re diminishing yourself.
3. WELCOME PRAISE
Stop pushing compliments away. Accepting compliments or accolades for your work is not egotistical, despite what your inner critic might be telling you.
The next time you’re given a compliment, internalize it as fact. Don’t judge yourself against what was said, or analyze it for deeper meaning.
Gracefully accept compliments and leave it at that. There’s no reason to launch into an explanation of how it was “nothing,” or it was just luck.
Want to learn more? Check out my new ebook OWN IT - A Step-by-Step Guide to Developing Your Personal Brand.
Personal Brand Action Plan
In my new e-book I give you a step-by-step Action Plan to help you develop your own personal brand. Every one is different. To have a valued personal brand, you don’t necessarily have to even be the owner of the company you work for. Your Personal Brand is how people see you - how you want to be seen and how you can ultimately become successful in what you do.
Personal Branding E-Book: OWN IT!
So excited! This labor of love is finished and launches March 1st for download! This PDF EBook is a step-by-step guide on how to develop your personal brand. I’m on IGTV and answering questions and would LOVE to hear from you!
Personal Brand Subscription for Service Based Entrepreneurs
The Personal Brand Photo Subscription is for service based entrepreneurs who are looking for new branded content throughout the year. Two or three sessions within 12-months and download 10 great photos each session. This perks of this subscription is to:
Provide variety: On your session day, you’ll be able to have unlimited outfits and we’ll visit 2 locations of your choice.
Exceed your goals: If you goals change frequently then your photos need to as well. Or if you have honed in on your goals, we will create relevant photos to communicate your businesses priorities.
Save money: Who doesn’t want to save money? Subscriptions give you the advantage of a lower per-session cost. A monthly payment plan is also available upon request.
A custom library: How nice will it be to have your own personal library of images you can use on your website, social media platform, presentations, etc.
This is the most economical way to work with me on personal brand photography in 2021, there are ONLY 8 SPOTS available and doors close Monday 2/15.
If you’d like to learn more, book a 15 minute call or contact me by filling out the form below.
Why it's Personal Branding GOLD when people say "I've heard of you."
You’re on a speed networking zoom call, you get put into a breakout room with someone you’ve never met before and they say…. “I’ve heard of you.” Well guest what? That means your personal brand has VALUE! Of course we’re hoping this is a positive thing, not that you’re known for the wrong reasons.
Word-of-mouth marketing has real capital in personal branding. It means your brand is working for you in the background on your behalf. It also the difference from cold-calling to having a personal referral from a trusted contact.
So what do you need to do for people to “hear about you” and recognize your personal brand?
Here are some tips:
1. Build your online profile on LinkedIn - Set up a profile that engages others, has a great professional headshot and make sure that you have a robust summary section with keywords related to your target audience. Engage your audience by writing frequent posts on your area of expertise.
2. Keep networking - Even during our new norm of Zoom Networking, try and connect with as many people as possible. Stay active on LinkedIn and other social media platforms where your clients hang out. Follow up afterwards with a phone call or even handwritten note.
3. Engage - Be sure to be active on social media with your contacts. Like, share and comment on the content they are posting. This will help raise your profile among your target audience, but it needs to be done on a daily basis. If you do it too randomly, people are more likely to forget about you.
4. Connect through your affiliations - Tap into your networks, even if it’s just the alumni association of your college or other schools you’ve attended. Share your news with their monthly or annual newsletters.
As you start applying these tips, you will probably find other ways to become more well known for what you do. Clients will be willing to pay a premium for your services and they will be more likely to know, like and trust you. By having personal brand familiarity is priceless.