Taylored Photo - Brand Photographer in Las Vegas

Making strong first impressions.

You are here: Home / Search for "1"

Search Results for: 1

Brand Photography Gives Your Wellness Business Marketing a Healthy Boost

by

Seeing clients take their business to the next level by using the brand photography I captured for them gives me such a rush. Their success inspires me to help even more people grow through a well-executed photo session.

When they are able to showcase their skills, build their brands and make an impact on their audiences, it truly makes me happy to have been a part of their journey.

New images for social media channels, digital marketing efforts and traditional advertising pieces (brochures, business cards, handouts, direct mail) pay off for them every time.

The good vibes double when I’m working with owners of wellness businesses, because they turn around and make the lives of other people better through the work they do.

I recently worked with a pair of yoga instructors, Paul Benedict and Clarissa Thompson. Each of them was looking to flex their marketing muscles and reach for greater sales successes. 

Here are the stories of their brand photography sessions.

Planning

Being prepared for a brand photography session is an important warm up exercise for the photo session itself. I had conversations with Paul and Clarissa about what they were wanting to accomplish and what their photo collections needed to have in them.

Paul wanted quality, creative images that would make him stand out, and Clarissa was focused  on capturing the essence of the work she does.

Clarissa hosts a number of retreats and performs different kinds of healing, spiritual and mindfulness ceremonies. It was important to have her passion and excitement come through in the photos and showcase her many abilities and areas of expertise.

Paul’s friendly demeanor and his charming personality have been an asset for him in his yoga practice and we decided to use his energetic vibes to our advantage..

In both cases, we worked hand-in-hand to find out who these wellness business owners were on a more personal level, and then drew up a plan to bring that out during our brand photography sessions.

Styling

Paul and I talked a little about the yin/yang relationship of ego (outer focus) and yoga (inner focus) and how the need to market his practice interferes with his motivation to focus his actions on the desire to benefit all of nature. As he said, “If there was no concern for outer appearances at all, chances are there would be no advertising industry, no social media and very little suffering in the world.”

But alas, those things do exist. Keeping this in mind, we can use advertising for all of the good things we do that benefit our communities, such as providing a business that focuses on wellness and making ourselves better people. Having this discussion before our shoot helped inform the style choices Paul and I made for his session. 

There are two types of styling to consider for a yoga instructor brand photography session: attire and environment. Both have their own energy and meaning, and we worked together to create the look and feel we were going for.

Yoga attire usually focuses on comfort over fashion, but in the case of creating professional brand photography you do have to make some concessions to comfort in order to look professional and attract clients. “Something to think about,” as Paul likes to say.

Environmentally, you also want to have the right vibe. For Clarissa, that meant a number of outdoor settings. She’s very connected to the earth, the seasons, the moon cycles and the beauty of nature and wanted that to be evident in her brand photographs.

We picked some of her favorite spots in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and used the great outdoors to help fill the frame and show her gratitude and reverence for Mother Earth.

Posing

During a brand photo session, many clients need to be coached on how to look natural in front of the camera and to feel comfortable while doing it. It’s my job to get them loosened up so their poses aren’t stiff or look forced. 

For this pair of wellness business photography sessions, posing meant something different entirely. 

If you know what you’re looking at when watching a person do yoga, you can tell who’s a well-practiced expert and who’s still working on mastering the basics. For Paul, keeping his yoga poses crisp and tight allows his audience to see that he’s at the top of his craft. We made sure to select images that he was happiest with because they showed him with fantastic posture.

Clarissa looks so graceful while doing her yoga poses that it allowed us to get creative with some of the tools and equipment she utilizes during her classes. Her familiarity and comfort with the pieces she uses every day made the photos easy to execute.

Results

The brand photography for these two wellness professionals has given healthy boosts to their bottom lines. 

The collection of professional brand images they each have are super valuable for them and the continued growth of their practices.

Paul says, “The team at Taylored Photo was highly skilled at their craft and a pleasure to work with. The suggestions for shoot locations, poses, and new ideas were fun and made for gorgeous photos!” He even turned our session into a blog post, allowing him to get even more content out of the work we did.

Giving my clients a great experience and fantastic photographs is what Taylored Photo is all about. I’m so glad Paul and Clarissa are happy with the photos we captured together, and I love watching their businesses grow.

If you’re a wellness professional who could benefit from brand photography, I highly encourage you to do yourself and your brand a favor by scheduling your own brand photography session with me for a wellness business photo session. The impact can be exponential.

Visit Paul’s IG here.
Visit Clarissa’s IG

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
MM slash DD slash YYYY

The Art and Strategy of Content Curation for Business Growth

by

Can your business benefit from time and resource efficiency, diverse content, audience engagement and SEO benefits? Then your search is over. You need content curation for your business.

What Is Content Curation?

Content curation is simply gathering, discovering, organizing and sharing valuable and relevant content from numerous sources to a specific target audience.

It involves sifting through a large amount of content like articles, videos, blog posts, social media posts images and more. You then select the most valuable and relevant pieces to present to your audience in a more meaningful and organized way. Essentially, you are mining for content to use. 

What Is the Difference Between Content Curation and Content Creation?

Unlike content curation, content creation involves the development of original and unique content, like articles, videos, graphics and other media, from scratch.

The content is then tailored to a specific audience and conveys your brand’s message, information or entertainment. It isn’t found; rather, it’s created, which can be a time-consuming and resource-intensive process that involves significant effort, creativity and expertise.

Content creation is about producing entirely original content, while content curation is selecting and sharing existing content that is relevant to your audience. 

What Are the Benefits of Content Curation for Business?

Content curation offers several benefits for your business when it’s part of your content marketing strategy and is something you want to seriously consider to get an upper hand on your competition. 

Time and Resource Efficiency

Content curation allows your business to leverage existing content you can find easily online with a quick search. This can save you time and resources compared to creating original content from scratch. It’s especially useful when your resources are limited or you are just not feeling as creative as you need to be right now. 

Diverse Content

When you take the time to curate content from different sources, you can provide a wider range of perspectives and info to your audience. This kind of diversity makes the content more engaging and informative. People hunt it down because of the value you’re providing them. 

Expert Positioning

Want to be seen as an expert? When you take the time to curate content from experts in your industry, you can start establishing yourself as knowledgeable and even more reputable within your niche. This can actually make the content you share more informative and engaging. People will see it’s coming from a place of know-how and will swarm to it. 

Audience Engagement

What you want is for your audience to be informed and engaged because it really does boost interactions and gets you more likes, shares and comments. And who doesn’t love a few more follows? You start building a community around your brand.

SEO Benefits

Adding curated content to your website regularly can improve search engine optimization (SEO). Search engines love fresh content, and curated content is a great way to maintain an active and regular presence online. 

Cost-Effective

Looking for a more cost-effective marketing strategy? Well, you found it! When you compare curated content with traditional advertising, you will find that content curation is a much more cost-effective way to engage your audience. It builds up brand awareness and credibility — and you don’t have to shell out tons of money to do this.

Social Media Content

You also need to stay on top of all your social media profiles and post regularly. Curated content gives you that steady stream of content you need to keep all your channels active and alive. It’s crucial to find the right visuals to go with your posts. Hiring a professional photographer for a branding photo session is highly recommended as an investment that pays off exponentially over time. These visuals can be that wow factor you need to really stand out against everyone else. 

Stay Current

Industries are always changing, and it’s so important for businesses to stay up-to-date and current. When you choose content curation, you can share the latest news, trends and updates with your audience and you don’t have to spend time doing extensive research or exhaustive reporting. 

Fill Content Gaps

Finally, if you have any gaps at all in your content strategy, curated content can fill those gaps. For example, you might not have the expertise needed to cover a certain topic thoroughly. And that’s okay! You can curate content to still provide your audience with value in those areas where you may be lacking.

What Are the Limitations of Content Curation?

Content curation has many benefits, but let’s take a quick look at some limitations you may encounter.

Lack of Originality

When you rely too much on curated content, it sometimes leads to a lack of brand identity and originality. As a business, you want to stand out in the crowd for all the right reasons. You don’t want to look like you are just copying others or lacking in the creativity sector. 

Quality Control

Finding trustworthy and high-quality content can sometimes prove to be a challenge in and of itself. You won’t find the same standard of content across the board, which means you may end up with substandard or low-quality content.

Limited Control

Some businesses also find they have limited control over the curated content they collect. The content may not always align with their brand messaging or values, and this can cause an upset in consistency.

Copyright Issues

You have to make sure you have the proper permissions to use curated content, or you could be facing copyright violations that can lead to messy legal issues. In other words, don’t just snatch content and use it. 

What Are the Best Practices for Content Curation?

When curating content, there are some best practices you should follow:

  • Understand the interests of your target audience and curate content that resonates the most with them
  • Find content from different reputable sources, influencers, publications and user-generated content
  • Make sure the content you curate adds value or insight and it comes from a credible source. You also want to avoid curating content from your direct competitors.
  • Always give proper credit when due. Give proper attribution to the original creator and respect copyright laws. Again, no snatching! 
  • Be consistent. Maintain a regular posting schedule to keep the audience engaged.
  • Find some balance with original content. Curated content is complementary. It should never replace your original content strategy.
  • Find the right images to accompany your curated content. Visual branding is just as important, and this can help you maintain brand consistency, highlight key points, break up text and tell the story of your business. Hiring a professional photographer is the best way to get images that align with your message. Simply let the photographer know what the images are for and get started on organizing your branding photo session.

Ready for more helpful tips and advice on images as you curate content for your business? 90 Days of Instagram Content From One Branding Photo Session is a great place to start. It has all the advice you need to make a lasting impression on social media and shows you what you should focus on when you find it difficult to strike the balance you need with your content strategy and visuals.

Crafting Your Impactful Entrepreneur Mission Statement

by

As an entrepreneur, you want to craft a clear and direct mission statement for your small business.

It’s a declaration that essentially outlines your business’s fundamental purpose and core value.

It serves as a guiding principle for you and articulates the business’s goals, the value it aims to provide your clients and the principles driving your actions and decisions.

We will show you how to craft a more impactful entrepreneur mission statement and further highlight the importance of this declaration for your business and other ventures.

Why Does an Entrepreneur Need a Mission Statement?

There are several important reasons you should develop an impactful mission statement. It’s the North Star everyone follows to find clarity on the purpose of your business and the value it offers. 

  • Provides guidance and focus
  • Provides direction for decision-making
  • Improves communication
  • Creates alignment

What Should an Entrepreneur Mission Statement Include?

When it is time to write a mission statement, there are some key points you want to be sure to include. These points should encapsulate the essence of your business while conveying its purpose.

Core Purpose

This is the primary reason the business exists. Is there a problem you are there to solve? What needs and desires do you work to fulfill for customers? The core purpose is the central focus of your mission.

Example: “Empowering individuals to embrace natural beauty and wellness through our thoughtfully crafted organic skincare products. We are dedicated to providing skin-loving solutions that nourish, rejuvenate and inspire confidence while promoting environmental sustainability and ethical practices.”

The core purpose of this example is to empower individuals to enhance their well-being and confidence through the use of their organic skincare products.

Value Proposition

Next, describe the unique value your products or services provide to your target audience. What kind of offerings are there, and how do they positively impact the lives of your customers and your business?

Example: “Transforming lives through dynamic fitness experiences that empower individuals to achieve their health and wellness goals. Our expertly curated classes, supportive community and personalized approach inspire lasting transformations, fostering physical strength, mental resilience, and a vibrant lifestyle.”

The value proposition of this mission statement is that it highlights the unique aspects of this business and what sets it apart from others, like curated classes and a more personalized approach.

Language Aimed Toward Target Audience

When writing your mission statement, identify the specific group of people your business aims to serve. This clarifies who your products or services are meant for and recognizes who you are trying to reach.

Example: “Elevating urban professionals’ daily lives with functional and stylish products that seamlessly integrate into their modern routines.”

The target audience in this example is urban professionals, and the statement focuses on their specific needs and lifestyles.

Core Values

Core values are the fundamental principles and beliefs that guide a business when making decisions or taking action. These will define the ethical and moral compass of the company.

Example: “Driven by our commitment to sustainability, integrity and innovation, we create fashion that embodies conscious style, empowers artisans and treads lightly on the planet.”

The core values in this statement outline sustainability, integrity, and innovation.

Vision for the Future

Now you want to paint a picture of the future you are working toward. Describe the impact you want to make and what your long-term vision is for the company and those who benefit from it.

Example: “Empowering a renewable future through innovative energy solutions that drive global sustainability, reduce carbon footprint and pave the way for a cleaner and brighter world.”

This statement’s vision for the future is precisely articulated and states its present purpose.

Tips for Writing an Entrepreneur Mission Statement

Here are tips for writing your statement and how you can narrow down what your mission and vision actually are.

  • Keep It Concise and Clear: Different audiences should easily understand the mission statement. Aim for a few sentences that capture the essence of your business.
  • Seek Feedback: Share your draft with trusted friends, mentors, or colleagues. Get their input and suggestions for further refinement.
  • Language and Tone: Choose a language and tone that best resonates with our target audience and reflects the personality of your small business.

How to Narrow Down Your Mission and Vision

Prioritize, clarify impact, and make it unique.

You should focus on your passions and values and define the company’s purpose and goals that are most important to you; this is especially important for any customer centric company.

Reflect on what sets you apart from others and how you can contribute more distinctively.

What Is the Difference Between a Mission Statement vs Vision Statement?

Both a mission statement and a vision statement are important components of a business’s strategic framework, but they serve different purposes and focus on different aspects.

Here is a breakdown of the two:

MISSION STATEMENTVISION STATEMENT
Outlines the fundamental purpose and reason for the existenceOutlines long-term aspirations for the future of the business
Describes current core functions and operationsFuture focus that extends beyond the present
Includes current core values and principles that guide actions and decisionsSets a high-level direction and overarching goal for growth and future development
Concrete and specific for the current timeBroad and ambitious in scope
Has an internal and external focusInspires and guides the internal team

How to Write a Mission Statement

Here are some examples you can reference when drafting your entrepreneur mission statement:

Tech Startup

“Empowering businesses through innovative technology solutions that streamline operations, enhance efficiency and drive growth.”

Fitness Studio

“Inspiring individuals to embrace a healthier lifestyle through dynamic fitness classes that foster physical strength, mental well-being and lasting friendships.”

Travel Agency

“Enriching lives through unforgettable travel experiences that immerse travelers in diverse cultures, forge connections and broaden horizons.”

Catering Company

“Creating unforgettable culinary journeys that delight the palate, elevate events and bring people together to savor the joys of food and fellowship.”

Interior Design

“Transforming spaces into personalized havens that reflect the personalities and aspirations of each client while enhancing their quality of life.”

The entrepreneur mission statement for your business should reflect its unique identity, values and aspirations. The information and examples we have provided can help guide you through the process and show you how to tailor your mission statement to perfectly capture the essence of your small business.

Once you’ve crafted your mission statement, share it with us on our Instagram or LinkedIn and tag us!

Using Brand Photography in Social Media Marketing

by

Let’s  explore strategies for leveraging brand photography to enhance social media presence, increase engagement and drive conversions.

We’ll show you how to use images, what kind to use and — most importantly — when to use them. We’ll be heavy on specifics in order to give you a clear understanding of the concepts covered.

What Kind of Photos?

Having a relevant photograph in your arsenal or having the ability to get one done quickly will allow you to catch the trend before it floats away.

Educational or resourceful images boost your company’s credibility but also help drum up engagement across social media platforms.

Professional photos are obviously best. When everyone else is using amatuer photographs, yours will stand out because of their higher quality, better composure and professional execution. 

Hundreds of millions of photos are posted on social media every day. To make yours stand out and to get your audience to engage, it’s important to use professionally shot, edited and managed images.

How to Use Them

Knowing what’s trending will allow you to tap into a fast flowing current and siphon off plenty of eyeballs for yourself.

Join a trend and your post will be included in the content available to all the people looking for posts on the trend.

Just be sure to think about how your post will add value to the topic. Don’t just post to post.

Be creative and post something interesting that will attract readers and advance the narrative, not just be derivative of what’s already out there.

Be Regularly Active

To make the most out of social media, it’s necessary that you are consistently active.

But, don’t overdo it.

Posting content at regular intervals will be helpful and keep your readers engaged. Your readers will view you as an authority on the topic if you are regularly posting educational, well-informed and knowledge-based content.

Serve Your Customers

If you’re using social media to attract business, then keep things professional. Posting funny pictures and videos will not help your business if you aren’t proactively engaging with your customers, addressing their needs and attending to their complaints.

Also pay attention to what your customers are saying on social media about your business, your attitude and your product, and react positively and in a helpful manner when interacting with customers and potential customers.

The more high-quality your images are the more credibility you’ll have built up for yourself and the easier it will be for your customers to trust you. This will pay dividends down the line because you’ll have earned the benefit of the doubt.

Audit Results

Monitoring and auditing your social media campaign results through analytics is crucial to your business. This helps you understand what is going right for your campaign and what isn’t working.

Use data to tweak performing and non-performing photographs to optimize engagements. Analytics also help you understand your audience and respond to them more effectively.

Interact

Social media platforms are primarily for social networking. You have to connect with people, have conversations and listen to them. Reaching out to your audience is as essential as creating attention-worthy posts.

By building relationships with your audience, you’ll make them feel understood and show them that your business cares about helping them address their needs, all while generating brand loyalty and word of mouth publicity for your brand.

Promote Your Accounts 

Promote your social media accounts so that more and more people discover them.

Encourage your family and friends to promote and interact with your social media accounts. This will create a ripple effect and can increase the reach of your social media presence. 

You can also stimulate engagement by using a call-to-action (CTA)  in your posts.

Posing a question, posting a poll, giving the audience a chance to chime in or letting them offer their opinion makes your posts harder to ignore and easier to react to.

Reactions and engagements also help promote your account because of the nature of the way algorithms respond to content.

Use Tools For Maintenance

Use tools that make managing your posts easy. There are tools that can post simultaneously on all of your social media accounts.

Check out CinchShare, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, eClincher and Social Pilot. Tools like these allow you to pre-plan and pre-schedule your social media posts ahead of time so you can spend more time actually doing the work that you do best.

When to Post

The recommended number of posts is between two and four per day. You should keep that in mind and then stick to the recommended times of day. Make sure you’re posting at least once in each of these Eastern Time time slots.

X (Twitter)

According to the audience.

Business to Business (B2B): Between 9 AM and 4 PM Monday or Thursday

Business to Consumer : Around 12 PM and 1 PM Monday through Wednesday

Software companies: Between 9 AM and 4 PM Monday or Thursday

Media: 6 AM to 7 AM, 11 AM, 7 PM to 10 PM

Nonprofits: Between 9 AM and 4 PM Monday or Thursday

Facebook 

According to the audience.

B2B: Between 9 AM. and 2 PM Tuesday through Thursday

B2C: Around 12 PM Monday through Wednesday

Software companies: Between 9 AM. and 2 PM Tuesday through Thursday

Media: Between 8 AM to 10 AM and at 5 PM Monday through Friday

Nonprofits: Between 9 AM and 2 PM Tuesday through Thursday

Instagram

According to the audience.

B2B:  Between 12 PM and 1 PM, 5 PM to 6 PM and 8 PM to 9 PM Monday through Friday

B2C: Around 8 AM, 1 PM and 5 PM Monday through Friday

Software companies: Between 12 PM and 1 PM, 5 PM to 6 PM and 8 PM to 9 PM Monday through Friday

Media: Around 9 AM, 12 PM and 3 PM Monday through Friday

Nonprofits: Between 12 PM and 1 PM, 5 PM to 6 PM and 8 PM to 9 PM Monday through Friday

Pinterest

All audiences are the same. 

Between 8 PM to 11 PM and 2 AM to 4 AM Fridays and Saturdays

LinkedIn

According to the audience.

B2B: Around 8 AM, between 10 AM to 12 PM and around 6 PM Monday through Friday

B2C:Around 12 PM Monday through Friday

Software companies: Around 8 AM, between 10 AM to 12 PM and around 6 PM Monday through Friday

Media:Around 8 a.m. Monday through Friday

Nonprofits: Around 8 AM, between 10 AM to 12 PM and around 6 PM Monday through Friday

When Not To Post

There are a few days and times that your audience is rarely on social media. It’s important to post when you’re confident users are logging into these platforms and actually viewing your posts. Otherwise they may never see them.

Times and days to avoid posting on each social media channel:

Twitter: Before 4 AM and after 10 PM each day, especially Saturdays

Facebook: Before 7 AM and after 9 PM each day, especially Sundays

Instagram: Before 6 AM and after 9 PM each day, especially Sundays

Pinterest: Between 5 AM and 4 PM each day, especially Monday through Friday

LinkedIn: Before 4 AM and after 8 PM each day, especially Sundays

Get to Work

If you follow these steps, you’ll be well on your way to improving your social media presence and making your posts work for you!

Of course, if you need a  new gallery of brand photographs to help you fill out all your posts, we hope you’ll reach out to Taylored Photo to schedule a brand photography session. 

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
MM slash DD slash YYYY

Out-of-Office Message Template: Make Your Small Business Stand Out

by

Running a small business is a rewarding endeavor. Being successful in your small business is especially satisfying if you’re able to discover a few helpful shortcuts along the way.

Now and then you’ll find yourself unable to keep up with your work emails, either because you’re taking a much deserved break, attending a conference or dealing with personal matters that need your attention instead of your day-to-day business tasks.

That means it’s time to put up an out of office message.

As a small business owner myself, when I’m working overtime trying to tie up loose ends before going away for a couple days, every second counts. That’s why I’ve templatized my out-of-office messages. 

Each one comes in handy and serves a different purpose for my absence and ensures smooth communication with my clients, partners and colleagues.

I’m sharing them with you below and hope the collection of out-of-office templates that I use can be a helpful shortcut for you. Feel free to copy/paste and fill in the blanks as needed or adapt them and make them your own.

Basic Out-of-Office Message Template

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out! I’m currently out of the office and will not be available until [Date of Return]. During this time, I may have limited access to email.

If your matter is urgent, please contact [Alternative Contact Name] at [Alternative Contact Email/Phone Number]. Otherwise, I’ll get back to you as soon as possible upon my return.

Respectfully,

[Your Name]

Vacation Out-of-Office Message

Hi,

I’m currently taking some time off to recharge and relax. I will not be available until [Date of Return]. During this period, I won’t have regular access to email.

If your matter is urgent, please contact [Alternative Contact Name] at [Alternative Contact Email/Phone Number]. I’ll prioritize catching up with you when I’m back to work.

Have a nice day,

[Your Name]

Conference Attendance

Hi,

I’m currently away from my office in order to attend an industry conference from [Conference Start Date] to [Conference End Date].

I’ll be checking my email periodically during this time but may not be able to respond to your message immediately. If you need immediate assistance, please reach out to [Alternative Contact Name] at [Alternative Contact Email/Phone Number].

Thank you,

[Your Name]

Extended Leave for Personal Reasons

Hello,

I’m currently on an extended leave for personal reasons. While I may not be checking my email as frequently, I’ll do my best to stay updated on urgent matters.

If you need immediate assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact [Alternative Contact Name] at [Alternative Contact Email/Phone Number]. Your patience and support during this time are greatly appreciated.

Take care,

[Your Name]

Project-Specific Out-of-Office Message

Hi,

Thanks for getting in touch. I’m currently on deadline for an important project and will be dedicating my full attention to it until [Project Completion Date]. Before then, my availability may be limited.

For any immediate needs, please contact [Alternative Contact Name] at [Alternative Contact Email/Phone Number]. Your understanding as I work to deliver exceptional results is appreciated.

Talk to you soon,

[Your Name]

Generic Holiday Out-of-Office Message

Dear [Client/Colleague’s Name],

Happy [Name of Holiday]. I’m currently spending quality time away from the office and will be away from [Start Date] to [End Date].

If your matter requires immediate attention, please contact [Alternative Contact Name] at [Alternative Contact Email/Phone Number]. Wishing you a joyful holiday and looking forward to reconnecting with you following the break.

Warmest wishes,

[Your Name]

Strengthen Your Company, Even While You’re Away

Crafting effective out-of-office messages is a cornerstone of successful communication for small business owners. Pick a tailored out-of-office message template that fits your scenario and then step away with the confidence that everything will be OK when you come back.

With these out-of-office messages, you’ll ensure your business maintains its reputation for reliability and dedication.

Reach Out for Brand Photography

Another great way to enhance your small business’s brand image is by using personal brand photography. My team and I at Taylored Photo can boost your brand with one of our personal brand photography sessions. Get in touch with us today to power up your small business.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
MM slash DD slash YYYY

A Sweet Branding Photography Session Will Cook Up New Business for Your Bakery

by

I’m always inspired when I see a client’s success grow following one of our brand photography sessions, and it motivates me to help even more like minded individuals grow their business.

I love helping people build their brands, make an impact on their audiences and showcase their skills and products.

New images for social media channels, digital marketing efforts and traditional advertising pieces (brochures, business cards, handouts, direct mail) pay off for them every time. 

In my wedding business, I work with a number of incredible vendors who put together amazing experiences for our couples.

The cakes my bakers bake are beautiful and yummy, and if I were to capture some fantastic brand images for them that would sweeten up their marketing and sales efforts, here’s what we would do.

Planning

We start by having a conversation about what they want their photos to accomplish for them.

I’ll ask about their journey becoming a baker, how they feel about the current status of the business and what level of excellence they want to push and build towards for greater success. 

Likely they’ll be seeking to secure more images for their marketing materials and to boost their online presence.

Many couples having a destination wedding rely exclusively on the internet to make their vendor selections, and cake tastings are morphing into cake viewings, so the digital environment and the online visual you create for people are more important than ever. 

They’ll help more cake businesses reach more clients, maximize leads and add new revenue streams to their business.

This is a classic case of adapting to the times, and I’m always eager to help make these visions a reality.

Styling

In the case of a cake business, brand photography means more than just a couple of shots of the baker measuring out ingredients, stacking the layers of cake and putting on the frosting. 

Online product listings need to demonstrate the beautiful final results clients would be choosing for their wedding.

I’d build a list of needs and keep the photo style consistent from one to the next so they would be recognizable and cohesive for the audience.

I’d provide a uniform and professional look to emphasize the credibility and authority of the business and their skilled workers.

As a visually creative person myself, I am able to offer my brand photography cake business clients useful wardrobe, location and lighting suggestions.

This gives them confidence that we’ll ultimately get the images they crave for their brand. 

Posing

If posing doesn’t come naturally during a brand photography for your cake business photo session, no worries!

It’s part of my job to guide you through how important it is to listen to the photographer and follow my posing cues so that you can feel and look your best on camera.

We’ll start with the basics, then add in more advanced techniques as we both loosen up.

Working together, we’ll be able to build a well-rounded gallery of images during our session.

We will also work through the list of photos you’ll need for your online sales platform.

These are a little more structured than the natural baking photos of you in action in the kitchen and provide you with a versatile collection to activate for multiple uses.

Results

I make it a priority to ensure that my branding photography clients really enjoy their sessions with me.

I alway try to make it fun and comfortable, so they have no doubt about who they’ll come to when it’s time to refresh their images.

A collection of professional brand images are super valuable for entrepreneurs and the continued growth of their businesses.

A recent client of mine had this to say about the results of our session: 

“The pictures turned out great, and they have definitely brought more attention to my posts and provided a level of professionalism I was missing.”

Many clients often tell me they didn’t realize how much they needed a brand photography session, nor how valuable to them the resulting images would become in strengthening their brand. 

Going above and beyond my clients expectations is what Taylored Photo is all about. I love watching their businesses grow in all of the ways they are looking for when they first come to me with an initial vision.

If you own a cake business and would benefit from brand photography, I highly encourage you to do yourself and your brand a favor by reaching out to my team at Taylored Photo to schedule your own brand photography photo session. The impact can be exponential!

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
MM slash DD slash YYYY

7 Key Types of Brand Photography and How They’ll Boost Your Brand

by

If you’re a small business owner, you most likely need brand photography because brand photography is a powerful tool for building a stronger brand identity. It helps to create a visual language that speaks directly to your target audience, conveys your brand values and tells your story in a compelling way.

With so much competition out there, every brand needs to find ways to stand out and make a lasting impression. Professional photography can help you achieve that and more. When you invest in high-quality photography and use it to promote your business online, in your social media feeds, on printed materials and everywhere else you advertise and market, your brand grows stronger, gains more recognition and becomes a force to be reckoned with in your industry.

But what types of brand photography are there and which are right for your business?

Below, we’ll help you decipher seven types of brand photography and provide info on how to best take advantage of the properties of each.

1 – Personal Brand Photography

Personal brand photography is basically an all encompassing term for all the photographs in your collection of photographs that you use for your brand. Personal branding photographs that are unique to your company are by-design 100% on brand! They show your personality and the vibe of your company.

Some people might confuse personal branding photography with headshots. However, as I explained here, they’re not the same and you may in fact need both.

Personal branding photos can come in many different forms, whereas headshots, while they have been modernized, are a more specific and defined type of photography.

Use personal branding photography for website banner images, advertising pieces, blog posts, email marketing and much more.

You’ll want a handful of brand photographs so that you don’t have to place the same one everywhere. Since they show your personality, they’re great at helping people feel like they know you simply by having seen your picture.  

2 – Product Photography

Product photography consists of images of your actual items for sale. They’re pictures that are meant to entice customers to purchase the product that’s on display. They feature product details and features, so that viewers can actually see the product, in part or in whole. Think of product photography as accurate visual descriptions of your product.

Product photographs are often taken with the help of a cyclorama, or cyc wall, a blank walled background with curved surfaces and seamless corners. This gives the photographer an “infinite” space to place the object.

Cycloramas provide a neutral and endless-looking background that lets the photographer take images that focus exclusively on their subjects. They come in sizes from table-top all the way up to giant Hollywood stages.

It’s important not to skimp on product photography. A picture tells a thousand words, and you don’t want the message that your product photos tell to be “I’m cheap,” “I’m lazy” or “I don’t know what I’m doing.” 

Use these photos on your website, sales brochures, advertisements and anywhere else you want people to see your products.

3 – Event Photography

Event photography is a way to get ready made photography gems out of an event you’re already holding. Your agenda provides numerous opportunities for key moments, faces filled with compelling reactions and exciting reveals, so why not capture them for use in your marketing materials?

Even if your event is a simple booth at the local farmers’ market, any event is a great opportunity to capture photos of you in your element, interacting with your customers and just flat out looking the part.

Event photography ensures that all the time and effort you put into putting on an event doesn’t go to waste after the event is over. Photos of your event can be used in future marketing pieces, including in promoting next year’s event and showing employees and users interacting with your products in natural ways.

Event photography captures the moments that happen during your event, which offer great potential for re-usable branding photography. You’ll want to get it right by hiring a professional — any photography that impacts your bottom line is worth every penny. Asking your guests to take their own pictures and share them with a hashtag is a great idea, but it’s not good enough to serve as the sole photos from your events.

4 – Lifestyle Photography

Don’t let the name deceive you. Lifestyle photography is still brand photography. 

These types of photographs can be defined as photographs of you when you’re doing your work, but also when you’re not!

In this day and age, small businesses are more attached to their owners than ever before. The face of the company is just as important as its product. People want to know who they are buying from, what they represent and how they conduct themselves.

Your lifestyle brand photography is another place you can show your personality, as well as for displaying your work ethic, dedication, enthusiasm and knowledge. Showing that you eat, sleep and breath your product sends a pretty strong message to your customers. 

This type of branding photography shows a little bit of you beyond your business. A sneak peak behind the curtain of your mad genius is always a good thing. It’ll go a long way toward establishing a connection with your clients.

5 – Service Business

If your small business is a service-based business then this type of brand photography will be really helpful for you. It showcases you providing the service you make your living doing. 

Yoga instructors and personal trainers are service-based, for example. But service business photography encompasses much more, including hair stylists, dog walkers, pool cleaners, landscapers, handyman workers, auto mechanics, car washers, caterers, make-up artists and so many others.

If you’re trying to attract customers to your service-based business, they’re much more likely to  hire you if you have professional-looking brand photography before they hire someone who doesn’t have a professional appearance in their marketing materials.

If you were looking for someone to do a service, how would you shop for the right person? In the absence of other information these types of decisions are based on looks and visual appeal. You’ll also want to keep your score up on review sites like angi.com, that’s a given.

6 – Headshots

Headshots are exactly what they sound like: a front on and close up photo of your head and shoulders. It uses a standard formal pose that almost always has a plain single color background, usually white, grey or black. It accents the person in the photo (the subject) rather than the environment, background, wardrobe, etc.

A headshot is a time-tested business tool. Today it can be used for your social media profile,  the “About” section of your website or “Meet The Team” type materials. Real estate agents often use headshots on their business cards and yard signs.

Headshots are great for these applications because they are usually small and tightly cropped for placement where there’s only enough space for your head and shoulders.

7 – Food Photography

This is a very specialized type of brand photography. If your business is a restaurant, food truck, hamburger stand or ice cream shop, you’ll need some juicy, savory, bone-stickin’ food photography!

Ever wonder why the photographs on the menu look better than the dish you get served? Credit a good food photographer. They have tricks up their sleeves that make every entree enticing, all the appetizers…uhm appetizing and all the desserts delicious.

People eat with their eyes first. You’ve heard the expression, “My eyes were bigger than my stomach,” right? And the joke about the see-food diet, right? If you see it, you eat it! LOL 

This is all due to a biological trait. Humans are hardwired to eat things that look safe, yummy and healthy. Food that looks good sells, so don’t sell your food short by skimping on the quality of the photography.

The many different types of brand photography all serve the same purpose: they tell the story of your brand and help you connect with your target audience. Each of these seven types of brand photography helps you harness the power of professional photography in building a stronger brand identity. Use them to make waves in your industry!

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
MM slash DD slash YYYY

All Photographers Are Not Created Equal: Know the Difference Between Hiring a Traditional Photographer vs. a Brand Photographer

by

Hiring a brand photographer can give your small business a big boost. The photographs they provide will help tell your brand’s story in an authentic, meaningful and impactful way. 

Picking a brand photographer to meet your needs and your style is an important part of getting your gallery of images.

In a previous blog, we discussed what to look for when a hiring brand photographer, the steps you can take when choosing one and why it’s important to get one you get along with. 

In today’s blog we’re going back to basics.

If you’re already familiar with how a brand photographer differs from a traditional photographer, that’s great! But from time to time we all need a refresher, and it can be eye-opening to review the differences!

What Is Brand Photography?

Branding photos allow you to show your personality and emphasize the environment, props and interesting backgrounds that showcase your business.

Personal branding photos are taken on location in informal, organic, natural and even outdoor environments.

Depending on your business needs, you might have photos taken while you interact with clients, type on your computer or pose with your latest clothing pieces or the hot rod you’re tuning up for a customer.

What Is a Brand Photographer?

A brand photographer is a key collaborator in making sure your brand’s identity is in line with your brand strategy so you can market your business clearly and consistently.

Good brand photographers are also experts at brand strategy because they need to understand the marketing goals and objectives their images must meet.

How Is a Brand Photographer Different from a Traditional Photographer?

Traditional photographers tend to be more artistically focused. They can make beautiful images and have a great understanding of the principles of art.

They’ll have an ingrained ability to take photos that have pattern, balance, emphasis, contrast, unity, variety and movement — all the principles of award winning pictures, because their years of practice make this ability second nature.

But they won’t likely have a hold on what matters to you as a small business owner.

They will rarely have the expertise you need to create images that truly connect with your audience and grow your brand. Marketing is a whole different animal.

Why do you think so many artists are starving? Maybe because they can’t sell their creations. If they can’t sell theirs, how are they going to help you market yours?

A brand photographer takes into account your brand and your audience well before they press the shutter button. They’ll use this information to create a set of unique images that will truly reflect your brand. 

Your brand images should let your customers feel like they know, like and trust you. A brand photographer knows how to make that happen.

What Info Does a Brand Photographer Use to Produce Impactful Brand Photos?

A brand photographer will likely want to get their hands on your brand checklist or guidelines, to fully understand what makes your brand special. 

Sharing your mission, vision and values is a good first step. When your brand photographer understands your passions and goals, they can make that come through in your photos so your target customers can feel it too.

The brand voice, messaging and story also help inform the brand photographer’s decision tree on the day of your photo session.

A cohesive story with consistency and authenticity is a major driver for brands that are able to connect with their audience. Letting your brand photographer into your world helps them show your world to the universe.

Get Your Brand Photos

Single-owner businesses, small businesses, medium businesses and everyone in between will benefit from a gallery of useful brand photography because it will increase your conversion rate.

Plan and schedule a shoot with us and you’ll soon have a complete set of personal brand photographs along with a personalized plan for how to successfully use it.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
MM slash DD slash YYYY