Visually Branding Your Portfolio

So excited to have wedding photographer Alicia Candelora of No Eye Has Seen Photography guest blogging for us on the blog today. When she first shared with me this idea, I thought it was GENIUS. Essentially, it’s an opportunity to visually brand yourself and your portfolio. Read on to get inspired on how to incorporate ideas like this in your business!
-Tiffany 
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It was pretty much the same questions every time, by every client, no matter what the season or style of our shoot. They wanted to know what to wear. They wanted to make their sessions “unique” and “different”. They wanted it to be in a beautiful location but could rarely come up with a different idea beside some sort of rose garden. I started asking my clients questions to try and understand them more and then suggest a style or theme for their shoot but, still….things just kept getting “stuck”. I found myself in one too many parks, with a picnic basket and books for props….over and over again. In the back of my mind I had a million and two (ok…maybe just, like, 18…) fantastic ideas for shoots, but they never seemed to fit with the answers clients gave me or the information they disclosed about themselves.

Enter ShowIt. And, namely, the capability they have for +sites.

I’ve been with ShowIt for over a year now and only recently started messing around with +sites. And…oh.dear.sweet.baby.Jesus…I had no idea what I was missing out on! I started with client sites and sites that contained more detailed info than what was on my website. And then one day, as I was preparing for yet another Picnic-in-the-park engagement session, the idea hit me. Why not create a +site where clients can view some styled inspiration boards and choose their own theme based on their personal style and preferences? And, just like that, in a matter of hours, I had a bunch of boards created and a site running live. This is all brand new and I haven’t shot any of these themed shoots yet, but I’ve sent it to clients whose engagement sessions are coming up in the next couple months and they LOVE it! I’ve had a few of them say that they sat down with their friends and commented on every board “OMG, .that it TOTALLY us!!!” or “Yeah that one definitely isn’t you guys”. I’m not sure if you caught the first part of that last sentence, but they are sitting down with their friends….looking at my site, with my branding. Which means, naturally, those friends are taking note of this photographer who is doing something they’ve never seen from any other photographer.

Not only has this helped me separate myself from other photographers in the area, but it has also helped reinforce my brand. I am 100% in control of the kind of boards that are on the website. Which means I’m the one suggesting outfits, props, locations, and general style. By doing this, I am catering to my ideal client and portraying to each current client what I hope they come looking like. Because I know I’m not the only one who’s had a client show up wearing beat up flips flops and an oversized {dirty!!!} t-shirt for an engagement session. Some people may think that this looks as though it’s more about me than them but, really, it is all about them. When a prospective client sees images on my blog or website, they hire me because they want to look and feel like those people whose images they are gawking at. And, let’s be honest, most of us don’t look or feel like models most days of the week. But if we as photographers can help give our clients that experience of looking and feeling like a million bucks, then I’d say that’s a job well done. When I look at the boards I’ve created, I myself desire so badly to be that cool, that pretty, that chic, that fun, or that cozy. For me, it’s about the client experience. And these boards are just one more way to make clients feel like they are totally worth every ounce of my time, energy, and attention.

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Is this something you are interested in doing? Awesome! Here are a few tips I have for you:

#1 – First, and foremost, if you don’t have Showit….don’t worry! I love ShowIt and brag on them a lot, but that doesn’t mean that just because you don’t have the $$$ quite yet, or because you use another company that you are unable to do these design boards! Create some files in photoshop and put it all together in a pretty PDF file to email your clients.

#2 – Think through your branding as well as you can and only post boards that cater to reinforcing the type of photographer you are, and want to be. If you don’t want to shoot hippie brides with maxi dresses and feathers in their hair, then don’t put up any pictures of feather headbands!!

#3 – Remember that this applies, across the board (see what I did there), to any kind of shoot! I’ve just started with engagement sessions but I fully intend on making a +site like this for boudoir sessions, bridal showers, and newborn sessions.

#4 – Have fun with it. Let’s be honest, who of us wouldn’t mind spending HOURS on Pinterest drooling over images  for our boards and actually, legitimately, be able to call it “work”.

Want to see more? Check out Alicia’s whole Get To Know You Site to be inspired for your own business!

While you’re at it, be sure to check out her Facebook and Blog!

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