Branding The First Impression

As part of my business development, I needed to reevaluate my logo and website.  Both of these are very important as it should represent your brand.  What does your website and business card say about you as a photographer? It is that first impression your client gets of you.  I was told by my high school band teacher that "You never get a second chance at a first impression, so make it a good one."  I live by that to this day.

A photographers brand is what sets him/her apart from the rest of the crowd.  Brand is not only the visual elements; like the logo or website.  It's how a photographer is perceived, and viewed by the world. Personality, values, people skills, etc. all play a major role in how the photographer is viewed.  Don Gianntti, a.k.a Wizwow of Lighting Essentials, puts it very eloquently in his post about brand:




        It is NOT your logo.
        It is NOT your camera.
        It is NOT your gear.
        It is NOT how much you spend on marketing.
        It is NOT how much you make. Or how little.


        It’s YOU.


I whole-heartedly agree, but would like to discuss brand identity, and how it should encompass what your brand is. Mainly the process I am going through to re-design my logo to fit my overall vision of my brand.  Read my previous post on my discoveries about myself and my brand.

Finding my Brand

Do what you like. Like what you do

This mantra surrounds me when ever I go to work.  Not because I don't like my job but because I work for Life is good®.  A great company to work for, and has almost forced me to reevaluate my life, mainly what I wanted my photography business to be.  First place to start; my passions

What are your passions? What do you do for that passion; dress a certain way, set strict guidelines for yourself, research for the sake of research, show up early and stay late? I did this exercise and came up with several things that I think are important to me, and my developing business.  Some are probably obvious to you but I have nothing to go by, no formal business training just my own experiences and values.  Read on...