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5 Reasons Why You Need Brand Photography

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Did you know it takes around 7 seconds to make an exciting first impression? This means if you have anyone coming to your website or social media profile, it’s crucial make it or break it moment.

You only have a small window to grab potential consumers’ or businesses’ attention. 

One way to stand out from the crowd and make your business memorable is through brand photography.

Brand photography does many wonders, like allowing you to raise authority in your niche by looking more credible and professional. 

To be honest, there are way more benefits to using brand photography. To know more about why you need brand photography, keep on reading.

What is brand photography? 

Brand photography is exactly what its name says. It’s a photograph representing your brand, providing you with a visual identity. This identity allows you to show off who you are to the world and your potential customers. 

Depending on how you decide to depict your brand, this type of photography can help tell a story and provide insights to your clients on how your services look or the products you sell.

These visual images are essential to generating trust and showing your transparency in the digital world. Plus, they are custom to you and can be used repeatedly on marketing collateral. 

But what about stock photos?

When looking at other brands online, you may find they use stock photos. These photos are already available from photographers or agencies that you pay a fee for or use for free, crediting them. The major problem with these photos is that they’re too generic and don’t trigger engagement. 

Plus, you may find other brands using the same photo you got online.

Trust us, confusing potential customers about your brand identity is the last thing you want. 

Why is brand photography important for businesses?

Before fully delving into why you need brand photography, let’s highlight the importance of imagery. Whether you’re a solopreneur, entrepreneur, startup, or corporation, imagery is important. 

Everyone is drawn in by images, and brand photography helps keep the attention span of your visitors on track. In an information-heavy consuming world, brand images break up articles, social media posts, and web text. Therefore allowing others to know what your business is all about while on the go. 

5 reasons why you need brand photography 

Brand photography can boost your businesses presence online dramatically and provide you with the following benefits:

1. Shows your authenticity 

Did you know there are around 1.13 billion websites and counting in the world? That’s a lot! This means whatever niche you’re in, it’s a lot of competition to look trusting and authentic compared to the other sites out there.

 In addition to that short time window, everyone else’s attention is scattered. No one has the time to fact-check or go beyond to see what you’re really like. 

If captured correctly, brand It photography can give an exclusive insight into your audience and what it’s like to work with you. It lets you show off your personality and company culture and reveal your operations behind the scenes.

In other words, your potential customers can connect with you, as they have a face behind the name. This is especially the case if you have headshots of your staff!

2. Elevates your professionalism

You’ll reinforce your brand’s message and vision by using high-quality photos consistently across your social media channels, websites, ads, and print materials. 

Using the same ones will allow others to quickly recognize your brand in a short time frame and connect with it quickly. With brand photography, you’ll never run out of options for marketing collateral! 

3. Helps tell a story

When existing online, you’ll want to connect with your customers, and one of the best ways to touch their hearts is by playing with their emotions. So, how do you tune in with their emotions?

A story! 

With well thought out branded images, you can craft a story and an emotional response from your potential customers. To give you an idea, the photos could be about your employees, clients, suppliers, or anything. 

5. It provides you with a competitive edge 

Having high-quality images for your business can help you have that edge over your competitors. Standing out on a Google Ad or social media post can make a vital difference. Professional brand photography can demonstrate to your customers your dedication to supplying high-quality products or services. It can help enhance your business growth. 

6. Reveals your brand’s identity

Another one of the reasons why you need brand photography is because it reveals your personality. What’s your brand voice? This type of photography can be a great way to reveal your fun, witty, serious, corporate, or any other type of personality your brand has.  

How to get started with brand photography 

If you haven’t got any branded photos for your venture, then it’s about time you get started. It’s not that difficult either; just book a call with a branded photographer like us. When working with us, you’ll be at ease; we work with you to find ways to show off your personality and character.  

We’ll listen in-depth to information surrounding your brand and plan around your requirements. Then, we’ll schedule a photo shoot and execute and edit accordingly. Whether you require headshots or photos of your team or operation, you can count on us to take brand photos that leave a lasting impression. 

Want to know how brand photography can help your business? Drop us a message, and we’ll share it with you over a call. 

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Find the Perfect Colors for Your Headshot with a Color Analysis

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Not sure what color to wear for your headshot? Try a color analysis. 

Do you have a big corporate photoshoot coming up, an event where you need a headshot or even a passport photo? We get it; the thought of having a headshot can be slightly awkward. 

After all, 90% of what our brain processes is visual. 

Which means if you want to look professional, beautiful, or achieve a certain look in your headshot, you must consider color. Yes, colors can help lighten your face, enhance certain features or make you look completely different. 

Color from your makeup or clothing can influence your image dramatically. So if you’ve got an important photo shoot lined up, you must know the best color to have on. Don’t worry, though; in this post, we’ll help you by sharing the best color to wear for headshots. 

How to choose the right colors for a photoshoot 

If you’ve got a photoshoot lined up, save yourself stress before the day with a good preparation of colors. The best way to do that is through a color analysis. If you’ve not heard of this term before, you may be familiar with the terms “Skin Tone Color Matching” or “Seasonal colors.” What this process is, is it allows you to figure out the best colors via a color palette that complements your skin tone. 

What are the benefits of choosing the right colors?

A color analysis is ideal for finding the best color for your headshots. If conducted right, it’ll help enhance how you look and feel about photos. Having colors chosen correctly will allow you to look flattering and harmonious and have great headshots you like over time.

If you choose the right colors, you can look more energized, younger, radiant, and even slimmer! The right color tones can save you from looking tired, dull, or old. Trust us, if you want to look good, then colors are essential. Plus, it saves you time shopping and trying on clothes if you know what colors work for you. 

How is a color analysis done? 

One of the main methods a color analysis is conducted is by using the season’s winter, spring, summer, and autumn. Every season has a different color palette, and it can help you figure out the best color to wear for headshots. 

Another one is through a tonal analysis, where colors grouped into seasonal categories are later extended to 12. This is more of an in-depth color analysis that looks into dominant traits within coloring. 

But, for a true color analysis to be conducted, it has to be done by a qualified consultant. 

These consultants have received extensive training on theory and color Psychology, learning how to assess the right colors for clothing, cosmetics, and accessories for photos. If you plan on getting a color analysis done, typically, the following will happen: 

  1. Identifying your color 

The first step in undergoing a color analysis is finding out what your coloring is. A color analysis will try to find out the temperature tones your skin has. This means they’ll look to see if your skin tones are warm or cool. They’ll do this by looking at the hue to see the brightness!

Try it yourself: Get two different colored drapes and place them on either side of your face. See how they interact with your facial features. If you find one side brighter than the other, you may have a cool palette. On the contrary, if you find one darker than the other, you will likely have a warm palette. 

  1. Consultation happens 

Once you know the right temperature for you, you’ll want to have a color consultation. In this process a color consultant will suggest colors that flatter your warm or cool palette. They’ll do a similar process holding drapes next to your skin to see how you look. 

Often, if the colors enhance your eyes, these are complementary colors for you. Plus, if the color elevates the richness of your hair or shows your natural shade, this is often a better color to wear for a headshot. 

  1. Finding your signature color 

Lastly, when finding the best color to wear for headshots, professionals will find your signature color. This means they’ll look for specific shades that make you pop and ones that highlight your best features. 

Once they define your signature colors, they’ll help you with recommendations on creating outfits to enhance your headshot in photos. One of the best things about color analysis is that it can be done online or in person. Both have benefits and different experiences. 

What to consider when choosing a color consultant 

When choosing a color consultant, you should do your research first. Read reviews and look at feedback from the consultant. Then see if they’re available in person or for a virtual consultation. When the consultation is happing, make notes and have questions to ask about your clothes. Only once the consultation is done, buy certain clothes or makeup that complement you afterward. 

Final thoughts 

Overall, a color analysis can be essential to helping you look better for headshots. Color analysis help detect which colors can complement your skin tone, hair, and eye color. If done rightly, you can look much more energized, radiant, and happy for a headshot. 

To know more about what colors work, just google color consultants in your area, or there are even color analysis apps. For further tips, check out what to wear for a photoshoot. Finally, once you know the best colors, you can use them for branded photography for you, team members, and coworkers to look amazing. 

25 Things First-Timers and Repeat Visitors Must See and Do in Vegas

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Las Vegas is world famous as a gambling mecca. But visitors don’t have to take chances on having a good time. Our list of must-see and -dos in Sin City is a sure bet!

Check out our curated lineup of must-see attractions, hidden gems and unforgettable experiences that will make your next trip to Las Vegas complete!

First-Timers

If you’re making your first trip to Vegas, then you may spend a good portion of your trip covering the basics. Granted, nothing about Las Vegas is basic, but every tourist destination has some things you really need to do before you can really claim that you’ve been there. 

Strolling the Strip

Walking up and down Las Vegas Boulevard is a rite of passage. You haven’t been to Sin City if you haven’t done it. Mandatory photo-op stops include the Bellagio Fountains, The Caesars Palace porte co·chère, The Mirage Volcano (while it lasts) and, if you really want to stretch your legs, the Welcome to Las Vegas sign.

Along the way, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to play a few games of chance, have some cold drinks, shop ‘til you drop and get a bite to eat,  in and of-themselves all a part of the real-deal Vegas experience.

Visiting Fremont Street Experience

If you haven’t gotten in enough crazy people watching, or perused enough souvenir shops after a day or two of meandering the Strip, then head down to the older side of town to check out the Fremont Street Experience. 

This tourist hot spot is like the midway at the state fair on steroids. It’s an over the top collection of casinos, bars, restaurants, light shows, musicians and street performers where the party lasts all night.

Dining & Drinking

Vegas is known for a lot of things, and the culinary scene is near the top of the list. First-timers in Vegas are amazed at all the options. Celebrity chefs are the name of the game at the top end, and there’s no shortage of stars: Bobby Flay, Gordon Ramsey, José Andrés, Lorena Garcia, Nobu Matsuhisa, Mr Chow, Giada De Laurentiis and so many more. 

Chilling at the Pools

When it comes to sunshine, Vegas has it in spades. Hitting the pool is a must-do, especially if you’re visiting from the upper Midwest,the Northeast or England, where the sun hides behind rain clouds way too frequently. Whichever hotel or resort you’re staying at will have a pool. Be sure to use it! 

Hitting the Clubs

When the sun goes down, the nightclubs heat up. Vegas has some of the most thrilling clubs on the planet, and if you’re a party all nighter, then be sure to make this a part of your trip. Top DJs from around the world have made Las Vegas their home. And pretty much every major sports league championship winning team comes to Las Vegas to celebrate at one of the Vegas clubs, including the latest NBA champs, the Denver Nuggets.

Casino Games and Race & Sports Books

Let’s also mention the obvious must-do. Las Vegas was built on gambling, first and foremost, even though it’s added to its entertainment offerings over the years. 

Slots, poker, blackjack, pai gow, craps and roulette can be found all over town, and you might just be the next lucky player to hit it big. It happens all the time and would be a great way to celebrate your wedding anniversary, like a recent winner at Caesars Palace.

Now that sports betting is becoming more popular and more widely offered in the US, the industry is booming in Vegas more than ever. It doesn’t have to be a big event like the Super Bowl or March Madness to have some fun. Every gameday is a great day to place a wager and to root for your bets to cash. On the Strip, you should visit the iconic sportsbooks at the Westgate and at Caesars Palace, or check out the flashy newcomer at Circa in downtown Las Vegas.

Repeat & Frequent Visitors

Ok, now that we’ve covered the basics for the first-timers, let’s tell you about the deep cuts that locals have on repeat and returning visitors should add to their list of must see and dos.

The More Unusual

There may not be a more iconic visual representative of Las Vegas than the showgirl. Once a staple of showrooms up and down Las Vegas Boulevard, they have been a part of the city’s entertaining history for decades and still have a place in the Vegas universe. 

You can celebrate the history of this Las Vegas mainstay at Grant Philipo’s Las Vegas Showgirl Museum. Tens of thousand of showgirl artifacts are on display there, including actual wardrobe pieces, sets and props, costume designs, film footage, historical documents and photos.This museum allows visitors to pay homage to the glamour and beauty of Las Vegas entertainment, as well as show business history from other parts of the world.

Slots machines aren’t the only amusing games with bells and whistles galore. The Pinball Hall of Fame is a fun destination where the games are playable and the stakes are lower. The history of this arcade staple is told through the machines in the collection and continues with every quarter you pump in.

Car enthusiasts should stop by the Carroll Shelby Heritage Center to pay tribute to one of the greatest car builders and designers of all time. The museum is free and open to the public during normal business hours. Self-guided and VIP behind the scenes tours are sure to get motor heads revved up.

Outdoor Exploration

A visually stunning part of the Vegas Valley, Red Rock Canyon is great for hikers, rock climbers and bikers. Photographers will have no lack of beautiful landscapes to capture, and the scenic drive in a rented convertible is an awesome way to spend an afternoon. Bring your camera! 

The waters of the Colorado River fill the reservoir behind Hoover Dam and create the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. It’s the country’s first and largest national recreation area, offering visitors swimming, boating, hiking, cycling, camping and fishing. While you’re on your way to or from the lake, repeat Southern Nevada visitors may also want to spend some time in Boulder City. The historic town that built the dam has a number of things to see and do, too. Many outdoor outfitters can be found here, and there are lots of shops and restaurants. The people are friendly and offer plenty of living history lessons if you stop them to say “hello.”

Las Vegas’s summer respite for outdoor enthusiasts is Mt. Charleston. The temps atop the mountain are 15 to 30 degrees cooler and offer a cool spot to enjoy nature during the hottest times of the year. Hiking, mountain biking, disc golf and the chair lift are just a few of the summer activities available. It can also be a lot of fun in the winter because there’s a ski resort too!

Transportation Adventures

Helicopter rides are a great way to see the city from a new perspective. The major players are Papillon, Maverick and 5 Star. And you’ll get the best deal by booking directly with the operators. They all pledge to match or beat any third-party price you may find online.

All three offer a variety of packages, depending on what you want to see and the add ons you can’t live without. The starter rides, which offer a 10–15 minute flight over the Strip, are a pretty reasonable way to spend a hundred bucks.

The Nevada State Railroad Museum has free admission and also offers excursion train rides from its covered platform near Boulder City. If you want to upgrade your ride and join the engineer and the brakeman in the cab, it’s an easy add-on at just $35. The museum will soon offer a much improved guest experience with the addition of its new Visitor’s Center. 

Museums & Exhibits

The National Atomic Testing Museum gives guests a comprehensive look at how the atomic age captivated the country. History buffs can explore the story of nuclear testing and its impact on popular culture. If you’ve just seen the smash hit Oppenheimer in theaters, then this museum will help tell you more of the story.

The Rita Deanin Abbey Art Museum celebrates the incredible career of the “most important unknown artist in Southern Nevada.” She personally designed the spaces at the Las Vegas museum that now bears her name. The prolific artist used many different mediums in her southwestern themed abstract art.

Architecture

Las Vegas might take its knocks for being a light on culture city, but don’t tell that to the folks at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts. Not only do they host a fantastic lineup of touring Broadway shows and nationally known musical acts, but they’ve also got one of the most architecturally interesting buildings in town. The art deco style theater oozes style and is a fantastic place to see if you’re into architecture.

The Mob Museum is another must-see and -do spot in Las Vegas. Yes, the museum itself is a big draw, but the building it’s housed in also has historical significance. The downtown Las Vegas museum’s neoclassical building was opened in 1933 as the US Post Office and Courthouse. Prior to opening as the museum in 2012, renovations restored many of the building’s historical features.

Golfers who are also into architecture should book a tee-time at Las Vegas National. The 18-hole course weaves its way through the Paradise Palms neighborhood, Las Vegas’s first master planned community. Homes here once belonged to some of Hollywood’s biggest stars including entertainers, mobsters and other members of the city’s social scene. Famous residents included Johnny Carson, Debbie Reynolds, Dionne Warwick, Phyllis Diller and Rip Taylor, just to name a few. 

Tours

For its sheer vintage Vegas vibe, the Neon Museum offers the best tour in town. Guided tours are conducted by knowledgeable staff and last 45 minutes. It’s hard to call the Neon Museum a hidden gem because it’s one of the most popular attractions in town, but with everything else there is to do, visitors don’t always make it to the museum. That’s why we like to remind repeat visitors not to miss this must-see and do in Las Vegas. The Neon Museum gives photographers of all stripes one of the best photo ops in town.

The Hoover Damn tour is no joke even though the Griswolds sure had their laughs in the movie Vegas Vacation. The Guided Dam Tour gets you access to historic tunnels, a ride in the original elevator to the top of the dam, a view of the Colorado River through the inspection ventilation shaft, a stop at the 8 commercial generators in the Nevada Powerhouse and a look inside the 30 foot diameter penstock where you’ll feel the vibration created by water rushing through the pipe. There’s nothing funny about one of the engineering marvels of the modern world.

Views

Some of the best views of Las Vegas can be had from some very high vantage points. Head to the LINQ Promenade to ride the High Roller. It’s not just a ferris wheel, it’s an observation wheel — and the world’s second tallest at that! A smooth half-hour ride moves at a barely noticeable speed, so motion sickness isn’t a problem.

The Stratosphere lays claim to the title of the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States and the second-tallest in the Western Hemisphere, surpassed only by the CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario. Located at the north end of the resort corridor on the Strip, the Strat also has amusement rides for guests with a bit of a daredevil streak in them.

The Legacy Club rooftop at Circa Casino is 60 floors up and delivers an elegant lounge with a panoramic view of the Downtown Las Vegas skyline. If thrill rides scare you at any speed, then this new bar might be a better choice. 

The Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas also offers visitors top-notch views. It’s not as tall as the real thing in France, but it’s not a bad simulation and since there’s hardly ever any clouds in the desert, the view is rarely obscured. 

This list of must-see and must-do in Las Vegas is in no way an exhaustive list, but we do hope it gets you started! If you’re looking for more, check out our sister blog’s entry for Exploring Vegas After Your Wedding: What to Do and See. 

Brand Photography Adds Muscle to Marketing Efforts for Fitness Trainers

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Every time I see my client’s success grow following one of our brand photography sessions, I’m inspired to help even more like minded individuals.

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. 

I recently worked with Rachel Shippee, a personal fitness trainer who wanted to strengthen her business. 

Through a little pre-planning and some pointed styling and posing cues, she and I were able to capture some fantastic brand images that have added muscle to her marketing and sales efforts.

Here is the story of her brand photography session.

Planning

We started by having a conversation about what she wanted her photos to accomplish for her. She told me about her journey becoming a personal fitness trainer, how she felt that she had reached a plateau and why she wanted to keep pushing and building on her success. 

She wanted to boost her online training platform, in addition to securing more images for her marketing materials.

The digital environment she was creating for her clients was a way for her to reach more clients, maximize her time and add new revenue streams to her business.

This is a classic case of working smarter not harder, and I was eager to help make her vision a reality.

Styling

In Rachel’s case, brand photography for fitness trainers meant more than just a couple of shots of her working out, spotting her clients at the benchpress and doing some advanced yoga poses. 

Her online training program offers tutorials and lessons, so she needed photos to demonstrate the powerful moves her clients would be tasked with performing.

We built a list of needs and kept the photo style consistent from one to the next so they would be recognizable and cohesive for her audience. She and I wanted a uniform and professional look to emphasize the credibility and authority of her training.

Rachel knew that photography was her ticket to greater marketing success but had never done a brand photo session. She was feeling a little lost and clueless about the process.

A fitness enthusiast myself, I was able to make her feel at ease by offering useful wardrobe, location and lighting suggestions. This gave her confidence that we’d ultimately get the images she was craving for her brand. 

Posing

Posing came naturally to Rachel during this photo session. She was used to giving instruction to her fitness clients, so she understood how important it was to listen to the photographer and follow my posing cues.

We started with the basics then added in more advanced techniques as we both got loosened up. We were able to build a well-rounded gallery of images during our session.

We worked through the list of photos she needed for her training platform, too. These were a little more structured than the natural workout photos and provided Rachel with a versatile collection she could activate for multiple uses.

Results

Rachel really enjoyed her brand photography for fitness trainers session. She said it was fun to do, and would “unquestionably” do it again when it’s time to refresh her images.

The collection of professional brand images she now has is super valuable for her and the continued growth of her business.

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

Before she contacted me, and even during our session and post-production timeline, Rachel says she didn’t realize how much she needed a brand photography for fitness trainers session, nor how valuable to her the resulting images would become in strengthening her brand. 

Going above and beyond my clients expectations is what Taylored Photo is all about. I’m glad Rachel is happy with the photos we captured together,  and I love watching her business grow in all of the ways she was looking for when she first came to me with her initial vision.

If you’re a personal fitness trainer who could benefit from brand photography, I highly encourage you to do yourself and your brand a favor by scheduling your own brand photography for fitness trainers photo session. The impact can be exponential.

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Your Guide to Photoshoot Props and How to Choose Them

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Ready to schedule your branding photography photoshoot?

If so, you need to pick the perfect props.

To do this, you must be intentional with your choices, find props that bring out your personality and represent your brand and what you do.

Let’s get into your guide to photoshoot props.

We will offer tips on how to pick the perfect props and how to use them.

However, remember that your branding photographer will also be a great help when it comes down to making these decisions.

Four Types of Photo Props

Here is a brief description of the four types of photo props you may encounter.

1. Creative Props

Creative props encompass a wide range of items that add artistic value and imaginative touch to your photos.

They often defy conventional norms, including anything from colorful umbrellas to vintage furniture, abstract sculptures, and other whimsical accessories.

2. Industry-Specific Props

These objects are closely related to the field you are in or the theme you’re photographing.

These props contextualize the subject matter and create more of an authentic atmosphere.

For example, if you are doing a bakery photoshoot, the props may include baking utensils, freshly baked goods, and a chef’s coat.

They are props that can highlight your expertise.

3. Personal Props

Personal props often hold significance to you and can include personal belongings, mementos, and objects that reflect your interests, hobbies, or memories.

Personal props add depth to any photoshoot and create more of an emotional connection to the photos.

This allows your personality to shine through.

4. Lifestyle Props

These props are more commonly associated with a specific lifestyle or activity.

They create a narrative around your daily life and routine.

For example, if you are a fitness enthusiast, relevant props include workout equipment, water bottles, and activewear.

These props are a relatable portrayal of your way of life.

Each prop type offers a more distinct way to enhance the storytelling aspect of your photoshoot, whether through artistic flair, thematic context, personal resonance, or a lifestyle representation.

Additionally, the right combination of these props can elevate your photoshoot and make the visuals more engaging and memorable.

Before Choosing Props

Before selecting on-brand props for a branding photoshoot, you need to understand the importance of choosing props that align with your brand’s identity, values, and messaging.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do that.

1. Understand the Brand

Clearly understand your core values, personality, and target audience. This will be a foundation for selecting props that resonate with your brand identity.

2. Identify Key Brand Elements

Determine the key visual elements that best represent your brand. This can include colors, textures, patterns, symbols, or themes consistently used in your brand’s marketing materials.

3. Create a Mood Board

Plan ahead and create a mood board that encapsulates your brand’s visual aesthetics and styles that reflect your essence. This helps you visualize the overall look and feel you want to achieve with your photos.

How to Choose On-Brand Props

When selecting props, keep the following in mind:

·  Color Palette: The props should align with your brand’s color scheme. So, use your brand’s primary color scheme or complementary shades.

·  Texture and Materials: If your brand is more rustic and organic, choose props with more natural textures like wood or linen.

·  Consistency: The props should maintain a consistent theme and style for a more cohesive narrative.

·  Symbolism: If you choose props with symbolic significance, be sure they relate to your brand’s message or values.

·  Relevance: The props must also be relevant to your products, services, or industry. Don’t use any props that could potentially confuse or muddle your brand.

·  Subtlety: The photoshoot props play a vital role in your branding photoshoot, but you don’t want them to become the main subject of the shoot.

·  Minimalism: Remember, less is more. Use a few impactful props rather than a ton of props. You still want to be the focal point of your photos.

What Props Should You Bring to a Branding Photo Shoot?

When choosing props for your branding photo shoot, consider the specific brand, identity, and story you want to tell.

Products and samples are a good representation of your brand’s core offerings.

For example, if you are a sound ceremony facilitator, you can bring along your sound bowls.

If you have any branded signage, banners, or posters, these could make a good backdrop or create more of a branded atmosphere in your photos.

If your brand has a natural or eco-friendly aspect, you can incorporate plants and other greenery to convey this message.

Those in the technology and gadgets industry might use smartphones, tablets, or laptops as props during photo sessions because they are such a focal point to their brand.

Collaborate With the Photographer

Always communicate your prop choices and vision with your branding photographer before and during photo sessions.

They can provide valuable insights on integrating each prop more seamlessly without negatively impacting the composition and lighting.

When using props during photo sessions, avoid overcrowding the scene and maintain simplicity.

Collaborate with your branding photographer to ensure all the props are used in the best ways.

They can guide you on the best placement, lighting and how to make each prop work best for each photo.

You can then review the shots with your photographer and see if there are any different arrangements you want to try.

During the editing phase, the photographer will ensure your props remain consistent with your brand’s visual identity, and any edits will enhance your overall brand message.

Remember, any branding photoshoot aims to create visually appealing and meaningful photos that tell your brand’s story.

Props, when used effectively, can prove to be powerful tools to engage your audience and convey your brand identity.

Ready for your branding photoshoot? Inquire below for more information.

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The Difference Between Branding and Marketing

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To really have your A game in your field, you want to make the most of having a strong digital presence.

If you’ve primarily been focusing offline and wanting to switch to online, or have been existing online for some time and want to make yourself more visible, then you must focus on branding and marketing.

Often many people get confused about the difference between branding and marketing because they complement each other.

However, branding and marketing are pivotal to any business or professional to exist on any digital channel.

Branding involves creating and managing a unique identity that aligns with your personality, business and resonates with your target audience.

In contrast, marketing involves deploying specific actions to attract customers to buy your products or services.

While both have a similar end goal, they both have various benefits. 

Importance of branding and marketing for your business 

To be honest, the benefits of branding and marketing for any business is never-ending.

Importance of Branding and Marketing for Your Business. Establishes Recognition. Can Get You Traffic. Generates Loyalty. Beneficial for Employees.

Establishes recognition

If you have strong branding, more people will likely recognize your company easily. Branding covers everything from your logo, tagline, website, typography, letterheads, and more. 

If you have consistent branding that’s bold and resonates, it allows people to gain a sense of connection and familiarity, convincing customers to buy from you repeatedly. Similarly, by implementing strategic marketing campaigns, you can become more recognized and 

Can get you traffic

Running well-executed marketing strategies can allow you to generate more leads for your business and, as a result, increase your chances of sales. Whether on social media, in publications, or anything else, marketing allows you to create different promotions to help you stand out from others. 

Marketing can also allow you to track your metrics of customer behaviors, allowing you to understand them better and create stronger relationships. 

Generates loyalty

Effective branding and marketing campaigns can show your target audience that you have a human side to your company. This can allow your customers to relate to your business and appeal to their emotions more, increasing your connection. 

Beneficial for employees 

Branding and marketing also benefit your team and future employees too! It lets you distinguish your organization as a leader and become known. So, in future hiring processes, you can easily attract, recruit and get the right candidates. 

These are just a few benefits; there’s a lot more out there!

Understanding branding

To break it down even further, branding is the foundation upon which marketing strategies are built.

Understanding Branding. Identity. Positioning. Messaging. Experience.
  • Identity: This focuses on the visual aspects of your brand, like your typography, design, color palette, and more. 
  • Positioning: Reviews who you are, what you do, your mission, and your customer commitment. It covers your values and what your company represents.
  • Messaging: Look at your brand’s voice to connect with your customers. Explores your language on social media, websites, and customer conversations. 
  • Experience: How customers connect or engage with your services, products, and team. 

If you’re interested in exploring branding for your business or want to refine your brand strategy, check out our branding checklist to keep you on track. 

Importance of consistent Branding across various platforms

To generate credibility, trust, and recognition, you have to be consistent with your brand identity, messaging, and positioning on all channels. 

If you are consistent, it leads to a greater chance of brand recognition, increasing the likelihood of more purchases and commitment to your company from your customers. It also helps reinforce your core values allowing others to trust you on any platform they see you on. 

Exploring marketing

Marketing involves creating, communicating, and delivering specific offerings, products, or promotions to your customers. It looks at identifying, predicting, and addressing your customer needs. 

Marketing is the vehicle that drives your brand’s message to your customers. Marketing strategies and goals vary based on each individual and the direction of a company. Some of the common objectives many face are:

Exploring Marketing. A greater understanding of the customer. Increase sales. Greater market share. Improved product/service awareness. Maintain customer relationships.
  • A greater understanding of the customer: Marketing involves conducting research, competitor analysis, and customer analysis and allows you to gain a greater insight into their behaviors, preferences, and needs. 
  • Increase sales: One common objective of marketing that every business abides by is generating more sales and revenue. You can promote products and services through effective strategies, allowing you to expand your customer base and generate repeat purchases.
  • Greater market share: You can get a greater market share than competitors. With focuses on pricing strategies, product/service differentiation, and promotion.
  • Improved product/service awareness: If done effectively, marketing can help you generate more attention towards a newly launched product or service. It can educate your customer and generate more sales in the long term. 
  • Maintain customer relationships: Marketing strategies can help you engage and connect with your customers, creating more value and a sense of worth. 

Different marketing channels and strategies

When marketing, there are different channels you can exist on, and each channel has different strategies, where you allocate certain resources, time, and goals accordingly. Some of the main marketing channels are: 

Different Marketing Channels and Strategies. Social media. Search engine marketing. Email/direct mail. Direct to consumer. B2B. Partnership.

Social Media

Strong strategies for platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and more can help increase your consumer base. They’re a crucial platform to help generate more sales, and the strategies can vary based on the algorithms of each channel. It’s a cost-effective and great method to connect with existing and new customers, using targeted ads to promote your products or services. 

Search Engine Marketing 

Search Engine Marketing, also known as (SEM) allows you to use paid advertising to help increase the ranking and visibility of your company on search engines. 

Effective SEM marketing considers search engine optimization (SEO). It allows your website to appear at the top of searches for specific keywords prominently and gain more traffic. 

Email/direct mail

Allows you to quickly reach a large customer base and effectively through newsletters and campaigns. Direct mail allows you to send printed pieces to people’s addresses to inform them about your company, but it is often more expensive to conduct. 

Direct to consumer 

This involves communicating directly with your customer, allowing you to build a more meaningful relationship. It lets you control the message and gain crucial data about their behaviors and needs. 

B2B

This process involves looking at relationships and transactions across businesses. It looks into high transactions, formal contracts, and relationships. This is often a more complex form of marketing than others. 

Partnership

A form of marketing that allows you to team up with another company to help promote your products or services. Through ambassadors, affiliates, and public relations, you can gain attraction from new customers. 

Importance of targeted marketing for specific industries

When marketing your business, you’ll really want to get specific. Target marketing allows you to give a unique position to your brand that’s different from your competitors. Honing down on your target audience increases the chances of more effective marketing campaigns that speak directly to them.

If you have a wide audience, your marketing may not be able to resonate with everyone on a personal level. Once you attract your audience personally, you will increase your chances of high-quality leads resulting in more sales. 

Moreover, focusing on a specific market can help make you more unique and well-known and increase your credibility in your field. Similarly, because you are targeting a certain market, you’ll be able to understand your customer’s needs and behavior better, as a result being able to refine your products and services. 

Leveraging marketing to reach the target audience effectively

To ensure you effectively communicate with your target audience, you’ll want to do the following:

  • Create content that resonates: Create useful and engaging content that communicates to your target audience. You’ll want to write blog posts, undergo video marketing, and be active on social media with stories, text, and images. 
  • Run targeted ads: Run ads on Google and social media and filter and use advanced targeting options to attract your target audience. You can amend the ads based on your target audience’s location, demographics, and behavior.
  • Leverage influencers: Partner with influencers that resonate with your target audience to promote your products or services.
  • Referral marketing: Create a referral system, giving incentives or special offers to your customers if they share it with others. This way, you can reach more of your target audience quickly, with low investment. 
Leveraging Marketing to Reach the Target Audience Effectively. Create content that resonates. Run targeted ads. Leverage influencers. Referral marketing.

Branding vs. Marketing: Understanding the Difference

To recap, the difference between branding and marketing relies on connection and understanding. Branding is more about creating a unique identity for your business and connecting with your audience. In contrast, marketing involves understanding your audience’s behavior and promoting products and services to increase sales. 

How branding and marketing work together for business success

Branding and marketing go hand in hand, complementing each other for business growth. Branding allows you to create a unique identity and set of values, and marketing allows you to communicate this to your target audience to drive engagement, leads, and sales. 

Ultimately, they’re two powerful elements that intertwine that allow you to differentiate your brand, enhance customer relationships and drive business growth. 

Make your brand stand out, and schedule your brand photo session with us!

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The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Common Small Business Challenges (+ How to Overcome Them)

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As small business owners, we all go through challenges. We get stuck, we face big hurdles and we feel like there’s no way around over or through them. Even though it might feel like you’re all alone, you’re not the first one to encounter these obstacles. 

You can’t move forward while you’re stuck in neutral, so this blog is designed to get your small business out of the pits and back into the fast lane. We’re going to acknowledge the common small business challenges, but we won’t dwell on them. Let’s focus on solutions.

1. Financing Hurdles

When the costs of production, marketing and delivery outweigh the revenue generated from new sales, small businesses face the prospect of having  to close down.

Solutions:

One way to address financial issues is to review and rewrite the business plan. If the current plan isn’t working out, it may be time for some changes. Make some adjustments, move some pieces around and see if there’s a better fit.

You may want to secure loans or grants specifically designed to help give existing companies a boost. If debt is the problem, you could also explore the possibility of refinancing it. Do a web search to see if a local organization offers assistance. Attendance at a training seminar may be required and is totally worth your time, so pay attention. Don’t just go to check off the box to get the money.

If you know you have a fantastic business idea,  you may be able to convince venture capitalists and angel investors to provide some funds. In Las Vegas, there’s a group called AngelNV that seeks to match investors with entrepreneurs. They even offer boot camps so you can learn how to make a successful pitch.

If money matters are just way over your head, perhaps it’s time to buckle down and bone up. Free financial education might be the solution you need. The Small Business Association’s website has a great learning center with content that will teach you how to manage your finances.  

2. Inadequate Management

Maybe you know everything there is to know about creating and selling a viable product or service but lack managerial qualities and struggle seeing the big picture. These could lead you to mismanage critical aspects of your business and your lack of business know-how could be dragging you down or holding you back.

Solutions:

Have a slice of humble pie. Admit that you have some flaws and need some assistance, then go out and find yourself a good business manager. My business manager is an invaluable piece of my organization. She runs meetings, keeps things humming, figures out how to turn my ideas into a reality and isn’t afraid to say “no” when I need to hear it. 

Working with a business coach might also be a good option. Business coaches can steer you in the right direction, offer advice, show you examples of success they’ve encountered in the past and act as an important sounding board.

A business coach can offer an unbiased viewpoint and provide constructive criticism when you’re ready to listen. They are full of thoughtful recommendations and can help you maximize your skills for the betterment of your business.

From a strategic standpoint, they can help you get back on track with your business plan and make sure that you’re accountable and motivated.

3. Ineffective Business Planning

Small business owners often overlook the importance of effective business planning. Failing to have a clear description of the business, market opportunities and threats, budgets, marketing initiatives or competitor analysis can lead to insurmountable obstacles, now and in the future.

Solutions:

There are many pieces that go into a business plan, and if any one of them is insufficient, it could throw the whole thing out of whack. If you don’t have a proper business plan, it’s time to write one.

Don’t think of it as a weekend chore; think of it as a long term to-do list that will actually get your business functioning the way you want it to, and keep it that way. Your business plan is an essential tool throughout the life of your business — from starting out to cashing in.

Do some research. Actual examples of business plans can be studied in business books found at bookstores and libraries, especially the business libraries of local colleges. The Library of Congress has a nice reading list of business planning research guides. Finding a few of the titles at your local library or bookstore would be a good place to start.

Another good plan for ironing out your business plan is to meet with a mentor. Talking to someone with hands-on experience could be a lifesaver.

I suggest looking into your local chapter of the Service Corps Of Retired Executives. SCORE is a nonprofit group with more than 11,000 working and retired executives and business owners who donate their time and expertise as business counselors.

They provide free and confidential business advice, counseling and workshops for both start-up and in-business entrepreneurs. They know what they are doing and are glad to help.

Their simple find-a-mentor tool can pair you with a mentoring match based on location, but don’t worry — if there isn’t the expert you need nearby, they offer Zoom meetings as well!

4. Marketing Mishaps

Failing to prepare for the marketing needs or underestimating the total cost of early marketing campaigns can be a major misstep, because marketing is a crucial aspect of any early-stage business. 

Solutions:

Once again, knowledge is power. The first thing you’ll need to do is identify where your company’s marketing went wrong and take corrective action. The problem likely lies in one of three places:  target markets, pricing and how you promote your product.

Have you chosen target markets that you can’t easily access? Your target markets must be accessible at a reasonable cost, and its members have to be interested in your product.

Your company may have selected target markets that don’t match the product. For example, you’ll have trouble selling a high-value brand in a low-income market or a product aimed at families in a market mostly made up of singles. The fix is simple — select more appropriate target markets for your product. 

The price of your product depends on your costs and what your market studies indicate. Establish a target price in line with what the members of your target market can afford and competitor prices.

Then control your costs to ensure a profit. Reviewing your pricing and cutting your costs will help solve this piece of your marketing puzzle.

Your promotional strategy has two components: using a method of communication your audience uses to receive marketing often (if your ideal audience is on Instagram then you have to use Instagram) and delivering a message that appeals to them. If they aren’t connecting or responding to it, then change the message itself.

Finding The Fast Track

The road to success is long and winding but each mile down the highway is valuable; we can learn from our mistakes as much as our successes — sometimes more, in fact.

It can be frustrating when you encounter the pot holes, detours and freight trains in your way. But, by educating yourself and by seeking help, you’ll be back in high gear in no time. 

If your small business could use some new branding photography, reach out to me and my team. We provide galleries and guidance for using them successfully, so your small business can thrive. 

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Small Fish Can Create Big Ripples by Using Corporate Social Responsibility

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Corporate Social Responsibility isn’t limited to big corporations — small businesses practice it too! 

In fact, small businesses can oftentimes do it better than large corporations. Sure, your small business doesn’t have the money that the big fish have, but in a small pond your efforts can make big ripples.

Small business leaders often build tight bonds with the communities they serve and, because of that, their civic engagement is driven by the customers and clients they see every day.

When you’re answering directly to your customers, it’s a lot easier to know what matters to them, to gain their trust and to make your efforts visible. Start with that and build from there. 

CCW Staff at Project 150 in Las Vegas

What Is Corporate Social Responsibility?

Corporate Social Responsibility is a self-regulatory business model that allows businesses to be socially accountable to stakeholders and the public.

By adopting clear strategies, companies accept responsibility for their impact on society, including all economic, social, and environmental aspects.

Why Should You Engage in Corporate Social Responsibility?

1 – Ensuring an ethical and inclusive workplace creates a better working environment for everyone.

2 – When your business gives and gives regularly, small amounts of giving accumulate and can eventually create sustainable funding for the causes you’ve chosen.

3 – Since every business is part of a value/supply chain consisting of other businesses, when businesses advocate for sustainability, ethical practices and generosity, this creates a positive ripple effect on all stakeholders.

4 – Responsible leadership in a company is tied to better overall performance of the organization.

Having the Right Mindset

It’s important to genuinely want to do good with your business. If your heart’s in it, then it’s easy to leverage your passion  to invest time and effort into developing a good and comprehensive plan.

Additionally, your message will come from the heart and easily connect with and inspire your team and your customers.

Embracing corporate social responsibility also makes sure you attract employees who share the same worldview as you and who will embrace a good work ethic.

Employees prefer to work for a company that practices positive corporate responsibility. Taking care of your people reduces turnover, and when you have their buy-in for the initiatives you want to undertake, you gain an army of advocates.

What We’re Working On

I’m a big advocate for corporate social responsibility because my wedding photography businesses are all about love.

In Las Vegas, the Wedding Capital of the World, we celebrate love everyday as we marry couples from all walks of life. Our job is to spread joy, excitement and appreciation to the individuals who choose us for their wedding day.

We’re lucky to get to share their special moments, meet their amazing friends and family and enjoy the beautiful environments we take them to for their ceremonies.

My Cactus Collective Weddings, Electric Sugar Elopements, Gather After and Taylored Photos brands all practice good corporate social responsibility under our Cactus Collective Cares initiatives.

Our slogan is,  “Love is our business. Caring is in our heart.”

As a weddings-based company, we know that we have the honor of experiencing some of life’s most beautiful qualities. But to keep working in the places we do, with the couples we do it’s important that we care for the communities and environment that make this possible.

Working to protect and improve the world around us has been part of our business model from day one.

In the early days, this meant requesting couples forgo decorations or sourcing environmentally friendly options when absolutely necessary; partnering with like minded, forward-thinking local business; and attending courses and talks that allowed us to listen to the voices of communities we support so we can become better allies.

As the business has grown, so has our ability to make a real difference. We partner with and practice the principles formed by the Southern Nevada Conservancy and Leave No Trace.

We have also volunteered for causes that are important to us including Ronald McDonald House, The Cupcake Girls and more.

We’re a small business but we know our efforts make a big difference!

Cactus Collective team smiling at the camera, standing outdoors in Vegas desert.

Words of Encouragement

Don’t be scared or anxious about all of this. You’ve got to start somewhere, and big steps will take you a long way in the right direction.

Just remember, small businesses are naturally a part of their communities and have been acting upon local needs for a long time.

Your efforts play an instrumental role in the success of communities precisely because of your size, which gives you an ability to impact your city, town or neighborhood in ways that go beyond just jobs or service creation.

With your ability to listen to and understand local needs that matter most to the people you serve, you’re doing the best kind of corporate social responsibility as you develop relevant and authentic approaches.

If you have questions about how I approach corporate responsibility as a small business owner, or are looking for a photographer that can capture your team volunteering, get in touch with me. I’m always happy to help.

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