Improving creative work is always a tough challenge if one chooses to work alone. Speaking for myself, I find that I often get into a rut without another set of trained eyes to help guide my direction. Recently, I enlisted the help of artist consultant Jennifer Kilberg who will be a partner in elevating my work to the production values of clients I want to book. I know many photographers out there have questions about working with consultants (as did I) and so I plan on tracking my progress with Jennifer right here on this blog. One of the first things Jennifer pointed out was the lack of a strong branding presence and recommended I get in touch with a designer to make my brand better across my website, business cards, promos, etc. Branding is one of those things I think all photographers think they know how to pull off, but rarely execute properly (myself included – and I even worked in advertising at one point!). Fellow photographer and a regular source of inspiration, Nick Onken, has detailed the importance of branding several times and has even gone through the trouble to show the process of his brand’s evolution. I certainly plan on covering my branding process because I’m sure there a TON of photo assistants out there looking to make the jump and hopefully I can do what I can to help you all pull the trigger on getting to the next level. A rising tide lifts all boats, right?
Admitting to myself that I’m not skilled enough to transform my brand was the first step. Second step was finding a designer whose taste I could trust, fee I could afford, and personality I could endure. Luckily I didn’t have to look too far and wooed my super crazy talented good friend Anna Laurent to tackle the job. We’re currently ironing out the creative direction and I will keep the process updated as the pieces come into place.
Snapped a photo of Anna after dinner.