Croydon Brand Photography
We often think of marketing as what we post on social media, print in promotional brochures & how we present ourselves at networking meetings. But as a business owner & sole trader, I am learning that everything I do is marketing.
I am my brand & my brand is me.
Lorraine is a great example of a client who came to me through non-traditional marketing methods. Her husband & I are members of the same running club. We often chat whilst running around the roads & trails of Croydon. Lorraine is also a runner but runs with a rival club (boo hiss!) but she sometimes comes along to our social events.
It was propped up at the bar at one of these events that we first started chatting about photography. She told me about her new professional qualifications & the counselling business she was setting up. She mentioned she needed some photos for her new website…
This gave me a great opportunity to talk about what I do. I attend lots of Croydon’s business networking events & so I am well-versed in telling people about my photography services.
Over a drink, we talked about headshots & I explained how a branding shoot would help her visually tell her story & connect with her target clients. With immediate enthusiasm, we brainstormed there & then & came up with some initial ideas.
A couple of months later, after proper planning & preparation, I rolled up with my camera kit to her Croydon home & we got shooting!
Brand Personality
I often talk about matching the tone of your photography to your personality & Lorraine’s brand shoot is a great example of this.
Bright & bubbly, she plays to her strengths & doesn’t present the conventional image of a counsellor. Working holistically with care & compassion she offers several different therapeutic approaches. Sometimes this is talking but equally, it may be doing an activity as often this is when people are at their most open. She also leads a ‘Run & Talk’ group offering a safe space to meet & talk whilst running or walking.
She is colourful, lively & bright & wanted photos that expressed her character.
We chose big, bold colours. We brought in friends to act as clients, got out the crafting materials, let her cat wander through photos & then went for a run in the park! And I have to say, this shoot was so much FUN!
Below are some of my favourite images from Lorraine’s brand photography shoot in Croydon.
Lorraine often works outside with clients, not just during her Run & Talk sessions. She will walk & talk one-on-one with a client using the opportunity to engage with the natural world around them. To illustrate this part of her business, we took photos in one of Croydon’s many parks. It was a beautiful autumnal day & from a photographer’s POV the light was just perfect!
We finished with a few relaxed, non-work photos. Of course, Lorraine’s cat had to get in on the action!
Leaving the final word to Lorraine…
Just for fun!
Lorraine’s shoot prompted me to look at how my clients find me. It’s a question I ask everyone because knowing which marketing activities bring in the most work is useful. In technical terms, which has the biggest ROI?
“Google” frequently popped up. I am delighted about this as I have put a lot of hard work into improving my website. As did “networking”, again, something I have invested heavily in over the years.
But there were also some surprising other answers. Some of which made me smile & I am going to share here.
How clients find me…
⭐️ “L recommended you” (L was one of my best friends when I was a teenager. We bunked off school together…).
⭐️ “We watched you photograph another company in our building”. ⬅ You never know who is watching you!
⭐️ “You used to work with my wife”. (I worked with his wife back in 2012-14, way before I ran a business).
⭐️ “You photographed my wedding in 2016. I now need a new business headshot”.
⭐️ “I run with you at Striders of Croydon”. 🏃🏼♀️
⭐️ “Book Club”. 📚
⭐️ “You ran the same race as me last summer & I noticed afterwards that you are a photographer”. 🏃🏼♀️
⭐️ “You did my branding photos four years ago & I want to update them”.
⭐️ “A recommended you”. (I met A whilst running…) 🏃🏼♀️
⭐️ “Help! I accidentally double-booked myself, can you help…?” (Another photographer!)
⭐️ “N recommended you”. (N is a good friend, we met running…) 🏃🏼♀️
The above shows that many clients haven’t found me through traditional marketing activities. We didn’t meet networking or on LinkedIn. We met in real life & built real-life connections.
And although you may get bored of me banging on about running all the time, I hadn’t realised how much work my running connections had brought in!
It shows that as a business owner, everything I do is marketing!
Brand Photography in Croydon, London, Surrey & the South East
Through the use of style, tone & colour, brand photography works with & compliments your brand personality. From social media to your website to print, it helps to create a consistent visual identity across all of your business & marketing collateral.
With over 12 years of photography experience, I specialise in telling your brand story with creative photography. Based in Croydon, South London, I am ideally placed for shoots across the South East.