I love helping entrepreneurs capture the essence of their business—what makes them and what they offer unique—through personalized, creative branding photos. Working with Desiree from Aligned Living was a dream. We split the session between lifestyle headshots, action shots of her doing what she does best—home organization—and details shots that showcase her skills. Here are some favourites from the session!
This lifestyle branding mini session took place among the blossoms in Springbank Park. My gorgeous subject just so happens to be my big sister, so this was extra special for me. Here’s a handful of favourites!
Last year, I started a self-portrait project in January, with the goal of taking and sharing one self-portrait each month. Being in front of the camera is not my favourite, and this seemed like a huge undertaking. Especially from January to August when I had at least one of my girls at home in addition to running this very much full-time business. When was I supposed to even find the time to take self-portraits - something that seemed so frivolous and maybe even a little self-absorbed? I questioned it a lot, ultimately realizing that my fears were more a reflection of my own insecurities and innate instinct to take up as little space as possible. So I pushed through those thoughts and announced my project to my humble social media following. I hoped that putting it out there would keep me somewhat accountable, and it absolutely did. Because let’s be honest, there was NO WAY I would have stuck with the project otherwise.
From a technical standpoint, the first few months were tricky because I was still using a remote trigger with no way of seeing what the camera saw. This led to the frustrating experience of guessing on placement and focus, and constantly having to reposition and try again. Once I discovered the Canon phone app that essentially allows you to see through the viewfinder and press the shutter from your phone, taking these became a breeze (except for June when I didn’t have my tripod with me and had to rig my camera to a ladder perched against my greenhouse. Do not recommend.)
From a storytelling standpoint, I knew I wanted to show different parts of myself. Motherhood (May), My love of music (March), My tattoos (April), My love of gardening (June - note to self and anyone else, if you take photos inside a greenhouse during a heat wave, you will be SWEATY. Not the best look, haha.), My love of the woods (October). There were a few months where I remembered at the last minute and basically phoned it in with a quick 10 minute attempt at a snapshot (February, where I was frustrated after a day of failed attempts (this was before I had the Canon app) and gave one last ditch effort before running out to get my kids at the bus stop by basically just sitting on the floor by my patio door, hair a mess. July, where I ran outside and sat in my driveway at dusk on the last day of the month, praying the neighbours weren’t watching. August, where I forgot until a few days into September and just took a silly portrait in my living room before rushing out to my husband’s birthday lunch.) With some of the self-portraits, I tried something new with lighting or angles (September was fun - and nerve-wracking. I’ve never doubted my tripod more than when it held my camera pointing down directly above my face).
I definitely grew in confidence as the project continued. At the beginning, I was almost ashamed of my endeavour. It felt vain and embarrassing. And it brought out all of my insecurities. By October, I was brave enough to venture out into public and even had a few people walk past me as I posed for my woodsy self-portrait. It was mortifying - and then it was ok. I realized that no one cares, and that I should stop second guessing myself.
With my final two self-portraits - November and December - I felt the most comfortable and confident. Rather than try to capture a hobby or a part of my life, or try to play with angles or interesting backgrounds, I put my face front and centre, no distractions, and tried instead to capture a feeling. In November, the word that came to me was '“Unapologetic". I am a yes-person and say sorry constantly. It’s all out of a fear of rejection, and realizing that has helped my to unapologetically set healthy boundaries. I felt really empowered with this self-portrait, and “Unapologetic” has become my word for 2020. In December, I felt a quiet contentment as the year came to an end. When I shared this one, I wrote about how it would be a “New Year, Same Me”. Same imperfect human, trying her best, proud of herself for asking big questions and making big changes, and open to change and adventure in the new year, while valuing kindness always.
I think December might be my favourite self-portrait of the year, though they all hold a special place in my heart. These were a pain every single month, but I’m glad I went through with the project, and I’ve learned a lot on many levels because of it.
February is already upon us, and I have obviously not started the project up again. I don’t think I’ll be continuing on a monthly basis, but I would definitely like to continue with occasional self-portraits in 2020 - maybe seasonal. There are ideas I wanted to try in 2019 that just didn’t happen - like playing with the dapples of warm morning light that bounce on my bedroom wall, or playing with a mirror, or experimenting with the last slivers of light in a dark room, or incorporating a mug somehow (I am truly shocked I didn’t to a self-portrait with a mug of coffee in 2019.) If and when I do, I’ll be sure to share them.
For now, here are my 2019 self-portraits. Thank you to everyone who left comments of support over the months and encouraged me to keep at it. :)
The great thing about a lifestyle branding session is the ability to incorporate different outfits, locations, and styles in the same session. Bree even included her adorable family for a few photos before heading out to explore downtown with me. We grabbed coffee, found a back alley staircase and took a stroll on a sun-soaked bridge at golden hour, all in different outfits. We jumped between professional, playful and lifestyle approaches and the result was a gallery full of different photos that tell the story of who Bree is as a person, as a business owner, as a mama. I feel like her bubbly personality really shines through in these images, and I am so happy to finally be sharing some favourites here on the blog!
I feel like a broken record saying this, but it is truly such an honour when another photographer trusts me with the task of photographing them. Randy and eileen (who prefers her name spelled with a lower case ‘e’, in case anyone thought I was consistently forgetting to capitalize it. ;) ) are an amazing husband and wife photography/videography team here in London, and I’ve loved getting to know them. These photos were meant to be branding photos for their new website, as well as document their sweet family. I’m sharing some favourites from their lifestyle branding session on the blog today!
When Alison’s lifestyle headshot session fell on a very gloomy, cold, rainy day (with no time to reschedule), we headed to Parkway Garden Centre for some warmth, natural light and an explosion of Spring colour. It was the perfect setting for these branding photos. Here is a handful of favourites!
I absolutely loved Aimee’s lifestyle headshot session in a downtown London cafe. I first met Aimee when she booked a couple photography mentoring session with me. We hit it off and have since become friends (as have our daughters!) and I was delighted to be able to shoot some headshots for her in an empty corner of a busy downtown London cafe. I loved the light streaming through the window for these photos, here are a few favourites!
It’s that time of year where I come to terms with having fallen off the blogging wagon during busy season and decide to jump back on with new resolve! I’ve got a blogging schedule to get me through the rest of 2018 and 2019 over the next 10 months, so buckle up! ;)
Today I’m looking back on Nicole’s lifestyle headshot session. We started off at Covent Garden Market before heading to the Gibbons Park, capturing both Nicole’s love of laid back market browsing as well as her love of outdoor adventure. I happen to love outdoor snowy photos, so I was all in to bundle up and head out the the woods. Here are a few favourites from her session! If you’re interested in more info regarding my branding/lifestyle headshot packages, you can find that HERE.
You may or may not know that I offer 3 branding packages for entrepreneurs and small businesses. The smallest of these - the Lifestyle Headshot Mini - is perfect for those needing only a handful of updated headshots for their website and social media. As with all of my photography, my approach to branding photography is natural and personal with a lifestyle feel. I want your headshots to tell the story of who you are, beyond just a plain backdrop. These two sessions took place within walking distance from each other, but are completely different - perfectly demonstrating how even with a headshot mini, you can infuse your personality into your photos.
Julie Anne - who also happens to be my gorgeous big sister - is a doula with who loves evening walks and beautiful sunsets. It seemed only fitting to update her headshots at golden hour, while walking along the water, in a location that really showcases that glowing pre-sunset light.
Lindsay is a naturopath who really wanted her personality to shine through her photos. After chatting a bit about what that would look like, we settled on a downtown cafe for a few photos before heading out - coffee in hand - to take advantage of the nearby brick wall backdrops.
Here are some favourites from their sessions!
Michelle is the talented photographer behind Michelle A Photography, and someone I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know while photographing 2 headshot sessions, her engagement session and her wedding! It’s been such an honour to help capture these important moments for Michelle over the last years. With her next headshot session coming up in a few weeks, it was definitely time to blog this fun branding shoot from 2017. If you know Michelle, you know she loves her adorable dog, Samson. I love that he was such a big part of this session - and I swear this dog actually smiles for the camera! We incorporated some other things Michelle loves - golden hour, iced coffee, and of course her camera - and included outfit and location changes around Wortley Village to ensure a gallery full of variety that Michelle could use on her website and social media as needed. I absolutely loved this lifestyle branding session, and am so happy to finally be sharing some favourites on the blog!
