The Photo of the Month comes to us from Amanda Tung of Blueberry Photography located in California. Most of us have seen the ever so popular “bride in the window” shot being recreated in many different ways, but Amanda was able to bring this shot to life and in a unique and vibrant manner, truly grabbing our attention! Thank you Amanda for this amazing shot!
To see more of her work click the links below!
Photographer of the Month: DollFace Studio
Sometimes even the most successful businesses need to take a step back and consider a rebrand. Branding is important, especially to photography businesses, because it’s how your customers perceive you. For something as emotional and personal as a wedding or a sexy boudoir session, your customers need to feel like they can connect with you to foster a relationship that goes beyond a two-hour shoot.
DollFace Studio specializes in boudoir photography. Image compliments of DollFace Studio.
DollFace Studio of Philadelphia, PA realized this is just what they needed. Two edgy, fashionable women, Darah and Siobhan, co-own and operate the sexy studio that caters primarily to boudoir and edgy photography for weddings. They’re the faces of the DollFace brand—yet, their website and marketing materials didn’t reflect them or their company.
The need for the rebrand was simple: the two owners felt there was never any cohesiveness with their brand. A big part of the rebrand came from their desire to really determine who they are as a company. Plus, they were in the mood to kick their business up a notch.
Knowing their strength is photography (and not creative brand development) they outsourced the initiative to an agency that did a full analysis of their business, including internal research and interviews with their clientele! Although it was a lengthy, back-and-forth process, Darah expressed that she and her partner could have never done it themselves; they had too much personal investment in their company and they saw the power of having an outsiders’ opinion. “The agency took what we definitely knew and included parts that they found out by researching us and made us complete,” said Darah.
With a few logo changes in the past, this was the first major overhaul of the DollFace brand. What was involved in this overhaul? A new website, a new studio space “with a totally different vibe”, a new logo, new marketing materials in the works…and a new confidence in their brand image.
DollFace's NEW logo
With the new website just about a month old, DollFace has already gotten great feedback from their customers and prospects, who now believe their website makes them look more professional and the rebrand reflects the high quality work they do. With boudoir women as their primary clientele, they’ve heard their customers automatically feel more comfortable.
So while rebranding may be a costly and timely project, its power is undeniable. Having a strong brand that reflects your business and photography can lead to new customers, returning customer and a much greater chance of referrals. So what’s Darah’s final advice to any photographer considering a rebrand?
“I would say if you’re looking to take your business to the next level, you’ve gotta do it. It takes time [about 6 months on the website alone] and a lot of money to really do it right. It’s not going to happen overnight—which we didn’t realize it would take so much time. It does feel good to have a new, refreshed look that you’re really proud of.”
DollFace Studio was featured on CBS Philly on December 5, 2012—we can’t say it was because of their rebrand, but we’re sure their fresh new look coupled with their incredible work will help get even more of the city’s attention! Check out their rebranded website at: http://www.dollfacestudio.com.
Photographer of the Month: Mindy Decker and Jaimy Ellis of Ovation Photography
This month we had the opportunity to interview two wonderful ladies over at Ovation Photography in Iowa City, Iowa. Mindy Decker and Jaimy Ellis started Ovation Photography in the summer of 2006 after graduating from the photography program at Hawkeye Comm. College. As a full service mobile studio specializing in high school seniors, they also enjoy shooting a handful of weddings, babies and families each year! A big thank you to you both for answering a few questions for us!
What or who has inspired you? We are inspired by our clients. We try our hardest to capture who they are and what they are like. And we also love to look for inspiration in fashion magazines.
If you could shoot anywhere, where would it be? Oh my…the Taj Mahal
What do you like best about working with seniors? Seniors are our favorite! They always want something different or super creative. We try to make everyone’s session memorable, fun and created to fit their style and personality! And we love BIG personalities!
What is your favorite lens? 70-200
What photo editing software do you use most? Photoshop
How have Photobooks helped your business? We use Photobooks for everything! Wedding Albums, Guestbooks, Senior albums, baby’s first year books….EVERYTHING! The Photobook is a perfect fit for our customer base.
Greatest accomplishment as photographers? One of the things we are most proud of is founding Cherished Portraits at the Univ. Of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Cherished Portraits is a volunteer program offering photography to families experiencing stillbirth, newborn death, infants and children with life-threatening illnesses, children who are facing the end of life, or at the time of an unexpected death. Since the program started in 2006 we now have over 12 volunteers and have provided photographic services to over 300 families.
If you are interested in learning more about Ovation Photography click below:
With so many shots taken during a wedding, sometimes it’s fun to just focus on the little details. Today it’s all about shoe shots! What is it about the bride and groom’s shoes that we all love so much?
Regardless of what draws us in, I think we can all agree that whether you choose to display the shoes lavishly like a museum treasure, or simply allow them to peek out from under the dress, wedding shoe shots are an art and being able to cleverly display them is a talent!
Here are a few tips to help you get the best shoe shots:
• Always ask the bride to refrain from wearing the shoes until you are ready to begin shooting. Dirty, worn shoes are never attractive. Suggest a pair of sneakers to keep her comfortable and keep those shoes clean!
• Decide if you would prefer the bride to wear them in the shot or create a still-life shot with the shoes only.
• Choosing to have the bride wear the shoes can give the image personality and a sense of storytelling.
• Shooting the shoes alone can give you the ability to show off the brand. This shot style also helps to focus on less of a storyline and more on the finer details of the shoes design.
• Ask the bride her opinion. She has probably invested quite a bit of time tracking down the perfect pair of shoes and asking her how she would like them displayed shows her that you want what is right for her!
My personal favorite is a mix of storytelling and still-life, showing a bride in the background maybe running towards the groom and the the focus being on the shoes she just kicked off. The best of both worlds!
Photo Credits:
Kudos to our amazing customers for allowing us to use their images! For more information check them out!
Top Left image: Heidi Oberstadt at www.theoberstadts.com
Top Right image: Michael Sackett at www.michaelsackett.net
Bottom Left image: Erik Perel at erikperel.com
Bottom Right image: Kim at KB Image Photography
In the marketing session we held during our open house last month, groups gathered to discuss their marketing concerns and questions with our Web Designer. Each attendee received a web site analysis based on their current site and suggestions on how to make a client’s web experience even better!
We were excited to see such a great response to this session! In the weeks following the event, numerous guests have followed up with our designer, showing off the changes they have already made! One of those changes was from Mandy Solner of Love Above Photography. Mandy already had a really great site; it was well structured and organized in an inviting manner. There was just one tiny flaw: her splash page.
While the site itself created an emotional connection through her amazing imagery and clean style, her splash page lacked that same feeling. Thankfully Mandy was ready to hear our suggestions and dive right in! See below for Mandy’s before and after splash page changes. You can also click here to view her full site showing how nicely the branding ties together!
Before:
After:
Wondering what changes you could make to your site? Below are a few tips to get you started!
Tips:
Templates:
Custom Sites: