054 How Brand Photos Help You Stand Out In An Oversaturated Market with Angie McPherson

Brand Photographer Angie McPherson joins me on the podcast today to talk about the importance of brand photos for photographers and wedding pros. More specifically, how brand photos help businesses stand out in an oversaturated market, and how they can help you attract the right clients and bring in more revenue. Plus, some tips for hiring a brand photographer so you can get the most out of your next session!

Show Notes: https://simplysandrayvonne.ca/brand-photos-angie-macpherson

Angie McPherson: https://angiemcpherson.com/

Get Angie's Free Branding Photoshoot Inspiration Cheat Sheet - https://angiemcpherson.com/cheat-sheet

Template Shop: https://simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop

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Takeaways

• Brand photos help businesses stand out in an oversaturated market and attract the right clients.
• When hiring a brand photographer, look for someone who provides a planning guide, questionnaire, and shoot plan.
• Brand photos should have variety and consistency to be effective.
• Personal connection is important in building trust and attracting clients.
• Brand photos can lead to increased revenue and opportunities.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Overview
02:14 Introducing Angie McPherson
03:34 The Importance of Brand Photos in an Oversaturated Market
08:08 Tips for Hiring a Brand Photographer
13:42 What Makes a Good Branding Session
23:40 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Transcript

00:00 Introduction and Overview

[00:00:00] Sandra Henderson: Welcome back to the podcast, everybody. I hope you are having an amazing week so far. I hope that you're hanging in there this far into wedding season. I know everybody in my area is about a month, month and a half into their season. So I hope that things have been going well. Your couples have been amazing.

[00:00:17] The days have been stress-free. Most importantly, you are absolutely loving the work that you're producing. Last month on the podcast, I interviewed my friend Yasi Salavatian about incorporating brand voice into your business and your marketing. You can listen to that on episode 50 in case you missed it.

[00:00:35] And today I am talking to Angie McPherson about the visual side of your brand, more specifically your brand photos. Angie is a branding photographer, marketing strategist, and hype woman for creatives. She photographs entrepreneurs, brands, and influencers throughout the country, providing custom imagery to elevate their brand.

[00:00:56] She helps branding photographers build an impactful and profitable business through courses, digital products and coaching. She and I chatted all about how brand photos will help you stand out in an oversaturated market, which I think is something that we can all relate to regardless of where we live.

[00:01:12] We also talked about what to look for when you're hiring a brand photographer and even how to get the most out of your next branding session. Angie is such a sweetheart And I know that you are going to love every second of this interview. So let's get to it.

[00:01:26] Welcome to keeping it candid. I'm your host, Sandra Henderson, an international wedding and family photographer and business coach. I help wedding photographers use systems to build out the back end of their businesses to gain control and continue to thrive no matter what life throws their way. And on a more personal note, I'm a strong enneagram 3 wing too who is obsessed with tacos, and my love for travelling combined with navigating chronic illness life are just two of the many things that drive my passion for all things systems, workflows, and beating burnout as a business owner.

[00:01:56] Join me every week for a candid behind-the-scenes look at what it's really like working as a wedding photographer, where I'll give you actionable steps to take your business to the next level. Absolutely no fluff here, friends. So go grab your favourite notebook and pen, and let's dive into this week's episode.

02:14 Introducing Angie McPherson

[00:02:15] Thank you so much again, Angie, for joining me. I am so, so excited to get a chance to connect and talk a little bit more. but before we dive into all things, brand photography, I would love for you to just take a quick second to introduce yourself and let everybody know a little bit more about you.

[00:02:30] Angie McPherson: Yes.

[00:02:30] Hi. Well, thank you so much for having me. I am so excited to chat today. I'm Angie McPherson. I am a branding photographer, marketing strategist, and hype woman for creative entrepreneurs. I'm located in Virginia and I photograph entrepreneurs. worldwide. And I'm just excited to chat with you today. I've had a 10-year photography journey from pivoting from wedding photography to branding photography.

[00:02:54] So I know both sides of the coin there and I'm excited to chat.

[00:02:58] Sandra Henderson: I actually did my very first official branding session last year. And I loved it. I can totally see how so many photographers kind of like, it's like you, you get that spark and it's like, Oh, I really like doing this before I felt so intimidated to just pose a single person, but getting the chance to do some brand photography.

[00:03:18] I was like, okay, I see why this is so great.

[00:03:21] Angie McPherson: So much fun. It's so much fun. And just. Less stressful than other, you know, niches of photography. I've just settled into it and I'm just like, I love it. I love it. And I just want to. Go deeper and deeper and reach more people and, and have more, you know, more experiences with branding photography.

[00:03:39] So it's definitely a fun niche.

03:42 The Importance of Brand Photos in an Oversaturated Market

[00:03:42] Sandra Henderson: Oh, I love that so much. So why do you think that brand photos are so important for small business owners, whether that be wedding photographers or really no matter what industry you're in?

[00:03:52] Angie McPherson: Yeah, I, I think it is so essential because we are, you know, especially photographers, When I was a wedding photographer, this is literally how I pivoted into branding photography.

[00:04:04] I was shooting weddings and, you know, in my local industry, everyone was showing photos of bouquets and rings and their clients. And not a lot of people were showing photos of themselves, the person behind the camera. And so my friend and I actually were like, Hey, and back in this day, it wasn't called branding photography.

[00:04:24] It was like lifestyle headshots. My friend and I decided to meet up for lifestyle headshots and just swap another photographer. And I swapped and we brought like five different outfits. We've got our hair and makeup done. We were very intentional about the photos we were taking because we wanted them to align with our brands. We wanted them to go on our website, social media, and email marketing. So we were very intentional and we were doing this for the sole reason of setting ourselves apart from everyone else who was just posting photos of their work, of their clients. And as soon as I started posting photos of myself, my business just blew up.

[00:05:00] I mean, people were wanting to work. with me, not only because my work was beautiful, but because they wanted to work with me. And those are the type of inquiries you want to get in your inbox when someone's already made the decision that they want to work with you. They're not price shopping. They don't like, you know, just a specific style of your photography.

[00:05:18] They are zoned in on you and they just want to know, how can I book you? And so that was the business that I had gotten into after I started sharing my branding photos. So they're so important for. Small business owners, because every market is oversaturated. And that's totally fine because we have our own unique personal brands or our unique personal, you know, personalities are unique approaches in our business.

[00:05:41] And if we share that, if we put that out into the world we're going to be attracting the right people who can really have a transformation by working with us who can really sing our praises, you know, they're going to have great testimonials for you. So you really want to connect with people on that personal level so that you don't get the price shoppers so that you don't get the people who are, you know, zoned in on something specific people who just truly see your potential.

[00:06:05] Your experience, your personality and your vibe. And you guys can just create magic together.

[00:06:12] Sandra Henderson: That was the best explanation as to why everybody should immediately be getting in front of the camera instead of just sticking behind. But one thing that you said that I really loved was talking about how it sets you apart.

[00:06:24] So when I'm looking to hire someone, I'll go onto social media and see what kind of profile they have. It really stands out to me when I'm scrolling and scrolling and scrolling on Instagram, and I have no idea who you are or what you look like. For me, that sort of visual connection is really important.

[00:06:44] I want to know who you are as a person. And so that's one thing, especially in markets. I love that you said that every market is oversaturated because it is so true. But we all know, being wedding photographers, like we feel that in the wedding photography industry, it seems like for every one photographer that leaves the industry, we've got 20 more that are joining.

[00:07:02] And so taking really beautiful photos isn't enough anymore. And little things like putting yourself out there and letting people get to know you are so important in bridging that gap and getting people to see you and remember you as opposed to everybody else.

[00:07:18] Angie McPherson: Yeah. I, I hear so many people say, you know, in their respective industries, Oh, the market's oversaturated.

[00:07:23] There's too many, you know, X, Y, Z is exactly what I, you know, what I am. And I'm like, okay, you can't control that, but what you can control is your narrative and how you connect with your audience and get people to be attracted to what you're putting out there.

[00:07:38] Sandra Henderson: Focus that stress where it needs to be focused to be stressed

[00:07:43] Angie McPherson: on things that you cannot control. You cannot control the oversaturation of the market, but you can't control yourself.

[00:07:50] Sandra Henderson: So what do you think makes a good or even not-so-good brand session?

07:55 Tips for Hiring a Brand Photographer

[00:07:55] Angie McPherson: Oh, I love this question. So what makes a good, a good branding session? I mean, both, I'm going to give you the same answer on different sides of the coin. What makes a good branding session is variety. Because there's, there's, there's ways you can take headshots. You can take product photos, but in a branding session where you're going in for a couple of hours, you have different ideas and different concepts, and you're going to execute different props and accessories.

[00:08:22] A successful branding shoot is going to give you variety that you can use. across various platforms. So vertical images that you can use for Pinterest and Instagram, you know, real covers and then horizontal photos that you can use across your website, you know, as you're scrolling down the page or YouTube thumbnails of a good, a good session is going to give you a lot of variety, but it's also going to be consistent.

[00:08:47] The photos, the lighting, the colours. All of that is going to be consistent, even though you have variety in the types of photos you're putting out there, lifestyle photos, headshots, product photos, behind the scenes, you know, things like that, that's, that's where the variety lies, but you've got to be consistent in how the photos actually come out because you want to have that brand recognition.

[00:09:08] If someone goes to your Instagram profile. And you have a gorgeous, you know, headshot as your profile photo. And then they go over to your website and the colours are completely like, it's like, you almost have like a totally different photographer, your Instagram profiles, all bright and airy from one photographer you connected with.

[00:09:26] And then your website's dark and moody. It screams inconsistent. And when things look inconsistent, you're losing that trust factor. You're losing that no like and trust factor. So a good branding photoshoot is going to give you consistent images with lots of variety. A bad branding photoshoot is going to get you a lot of inconsistency and really, No variety.

[00:09:48] So the same photos, you know, the same exact photos. Imagine you've done a branding shoot in your gallery. Everything looks the same. That's not really a great branding shoot because you didn't really leverage and maximize the time that you had. So, yeah, both sides of the coin. They can really, you know, make or break a branding photo shoot.

[00:10:05] Sandra Henderson: As you were saying that, my wheels were just turning about how that applies to my own business, but I've always done my branding photos, like, on the beach or, in like a white studio and my, My style editing and everything is all light and airy, but I live in Canada and we have four seasons here.

[00:10:23] I don't just have beach weather all the time. And so I was just thinking, as you were saying that, like, it would make so much sense for me to get some photos in the fall so that I have photos that are consistent with the work that I'm showing to use all year round, and that would really maximize the amount of space I could stretch these photos out for.

[00:10:44] Angie McPherson: Yes, absolutely. And I love that you said that because I recommend people get branding photos done at least twice a year, like four times a year if you want to really do something special, but at least twice a year, because like you said, seasons change in your environment. Seasons change in your business.

[00:11:01] There are different seasons that you want to have different photos, different concepts, and different looks. I remember for myself, I did a branding shoot in the summertime and we went to a pool, I had vacation outfits on, I had magazines, I had, you know, fruity drinks and things like that. And I had, I use these from like May to like early September.

[00:11:21] And come in the fall, I was like, uh, I need fall photos. I need sweater weather and coffee and leaves in the background. And so I recommend at least. twice a year so that you're able to show up year-round with fresh photos and be very relevant to what's going on.

[00:11:38] Sandra Henderson: That is such gold. And that actually leads me perfectly to my next question for you.

[00:11:43] Do you have any tips for wedding photographers who are looking to hire a brand photographer for the first time?

[00:11:50] Angie McPherson: Oh, well, the first tip is to hire an actual brand photographer. Yes. So I come from the wedding photography world. I know what it's like. Like I said, my first branding shoot was me and another wedding photographer.

[00:12:02] We met up, we swapped and that was before I, you know, pivoted. And it was great, you know, but when you're at this level and you're already a photographer. You're going to have, if you're already a wedding photographer, you're going to have these preconceived notions in your mind about what you need. And if you connect with another wedding photographer, and of course, if you don't have the budget for a branding photographer, absolutely fine.

[00:12:22] Go with a friend, go with a photographer, go with a wedding photographer. If you're looking for an actual brand photographer, make sure that person is actually a brand photographer, and you're going to know that by not them just saying, Hey, I'm a branding photographer, but their experience, ask them what the process is like, if they're just going to show up and photograph you on the day of.

[00:12:45] It's not really a legit branding photographer. It's more of a lifestyle photographer capturing what's in the moment. A branding photographer is going to send you a planning guide. They're going to send you tips for planning and prepping for your shoot. As far as, you know, outfit inspiration, location ideas.

[00:13:01] What props to bring accessories, things like that. They're going to set you up for success to help you prepare. They're also going to send you a questionnaire because they want to get to know your brand. They can't photograph your brand if they don't know your brand. So they're going to give you a questionnaire to really help the client.

[00:13:17] Of course, the photographer, you figure out. What their brand actually is. A lot of people are ready for a branding shoot, but they really don't know what their brand is. And that's how a branding photographer can help with branding. I call myself a marketing strategist because that's what I am. I'm not just going to show up and take branding photos.

[00:13:31] I'm going to help you figure out what is the intention for the shoot? What's your vision for the shoot? How can you use these photos to really connect with your audience and actually sell your services and products? And so when you're looking for this branding photographer, like I said, make sure they're sending you some type of guide or prep tips to get ready.

13:48 What Angie McPherson Thinks Makes a Good Branding Session

[00:13:48] Make sure they're sending you a questionnaire so that you too can really nail down your vision for the shoot. Make sure that you are creating, like a vision board for them, a Pinterest board, a vision board, because there's one thing about answering questions and there's another thing about putting the vision into practice you know, a visualization that you can share.

[00:14:08] Sandra Henderson: Hey friends, I'm interrupting this episode because I wanted to remind you that the waitlist for my brand new template shop is now open. This template shop is going to be filled with everything you need to simplify and streamline your business behind the scenes. Including things like HoneyBook Smart File Templates, Email Swipe Files, workflow processes and tutorials to help you get them built inside your CRM. So many good things are coming. So head over to simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop to get on the waitlist and you'll also have a chance to enter to win a free bundle as well as get a little special something to say thank you for being here.

[00:14:45] simplysandrayvonne.ca/shop.

[00:14:49] Angie McPherson: I've had clients send something in a questionnaire. I'm like, Oh yeah, I've got it. This is great. And then they send the pinch, the pinch board. And I'm like, Oh, I see. They were going in this direction. And then I didn't have that. It would not be in alignment with what they're doing.

[00:15:06] So make sure that the planning guide questionnaire ends up a Pinterest inspiration board, and the number one thing I can say is make sure that you guys have a shoot plan. Most branding photographers will do this themselves but have an actual shoot plan that takes all of what you've talked about, the vision board, the questionnaire, the prep, what you're bringing, and they're putting into some sort of document that you guys can work from on a photo shoot day.

[00:15:31] So my shoot plan includes literally the addresses for all the locations that we're going to, down to the street name, the zip code, and where the nearest parking lot is, because you're working with a limited time. My branding shoots are three hours. We don't have time to be circling the parking lot for 20 minutes looking for parking.

[00:15:48] And it also includes. This is a brief overview of their brand story. So I can really remember who they are as a brand. This also includes the concepts that we're shooting. So I usually do 2 to 3 concepts for branding shoots. And by concepts, I mean, for example, if I'm working with a yoga instructor, one of our concepts might be, You know, meditation and, and I've worked with the yoga instructor and one of her concepts was meditation.

[00:16:11] So we took photos of her with, you know, headphones and their coffee with a notebook and, and captured a concept of her meditating and getting ready for the day. Another one of her concepts was one-on-one instruction because she does in-home yoga instruction with high-end clients. So she brought in a friend and we had her pose the client.

[00:16:31] And so those are just different concepts that you can have. So when you're thinking about your own branding shoot. What concepts do you want to have in your business? What type of topics and content are you planning to share? What type of services are you planning to share? And so my branding shoot plan includes those concepts and the shot list for concept number one, the shot list for concept number two, the shot list for concept, number three, the prop list for concepts, number one, two, and three, the locations, and so just having it be thorough, but also giving space for the photographer to be creative. You don't want them to go and feel like they're like in the military checking off a checklist, you know, one, two, three, you want to make sure that it's a guide and it's a starting point so that you aren't completely thrown off.

[00:17:16] Sandra Henderson: So two things, one, I need to go and find a real brand photographer immediately, like no offense to all my wedding photographer friends that I have done headshot swaps with, but that sounds like an absolute dream. I am so like, I'm such an organized person. And so type a that like that just, it would be so nice to have everybody just handle all of that for me.

[00:17:38] And then also I was thinking like for all the wedding photographers that are listening to this, I think your big takeaway is that your branding photographer should be treating you the way you treat your wedding clients when it comes to planning.

[00:17:50] Angie McPherson: Yes, exactly. Yeah, we know, we know wedding photographers.

[00:17:54] We know we don't just show up to a wedding day. There's a whole, there's a whole, you know, front end of it where we're prepping our clients and where we are getting the timeline of the day. And even my shoot plan includes the timeline, you know, if we're shooting from 12 to 3, my timeline says 12 to 12, 15, we are setting up.

[00:18:14] Concept number one, 1215 to 1245, we are photographing these shots, these props, et cetera, et cetera. It's not just a, Hey, we're shooting 12 to three and we'll figure it out when we get there. We need to know a timeline so that we can stay on track.

[00:18:27] Sandra Henderson: Yeah. That is so important. So for any photographers who are listening and have never done brand photos before, really feeling that hesitation of getting in front of the camera, do you have any words of encouragement to help them get past that intimidation?

[00:18:44] Angie McPherson: Oh boy - to not be intimidated my words of motivation are: It's only going to help your business having branding photos is only going to help you connect more with your clients. It's going to help you to stop just showing your work and actually showing a variety of the client experience. It's going to help people connect with you on a personal level.

[00:19:11] It's going to bring in more clients. More inquiries, more, more revenue and really more opportunities. Not only has branding photography brought me more clients, but just putting myself out there as a personal brand has. Got me speaking on stages, speaking on podcasts, you know, speaking in different groups, and just building my business that way.

[00:19:33] So having branding photos in your business, intentional branding photos that are just consistent and really showing who you are is only going to benefit you. And so, you know, some people say, Oh, I, you know, You know, I don't have the time or, you know, I, I don't think that people are going to care about me.

[00:19:54] Trust me, they will care about you. Think about the brands and the people that you interact with. Are you interacting with them because of what they're selling, because of what they are, you know, what they're putting out there for you to buy, or are you interacting with how they, how they give you great education on a specific topic?

[00:20:16] How the, for example, let me think of an actual, of an actual brand. Let's just say maybe like a nutritionist, you know, she offers. meal plans. She offers things like, you know, like a 10-a-month meal plan or something like that. If I'm looking for a nutritionist, I'm not just looking at Instagram pages with a bunch of pretty pictures of food.

[00:20:36] You know, I want a variety of content. I want to know who this person is. Why should I trust her? Why is she the go-to nutritionist? You know, what's her background? I want to know what she's doing on the weekends. Is she going and she picking up local, you know, produce at the farmer's market, that's going to put her as an authority in my mind, because I'm seeing how she's living personally in addition to what she's actually selling. Now, she was just saying, here's my meal. Here's my meal. Here's how you can sign up. You know, here's a delicious... I'm just like, okay, great. That's all great. I can get that from. You know, HGTV, not HGTV. What's it called? The Food Network or a magazine. But if you want me to invest in you, then I need to be able to connect with you.

[00:21:25] And not only that, I'm going to tell. my friends about you. I'm going to, you know, send your link around to everyone else, especially, you know, with branding photography, it's a great way to share your education as a business owner. You should be really educating your ideal clients to really show that authority that you have in whatever niche that you're in.

[00:21:46] And so would you rather educate with just a bunch of like bullet points and text and stock photos and things like that? Or would you rather educate Show your face and say, Hey, here's what I have to say about X, Y, Z. Like that is going to connect your clients more than just a regular stock photo that you took off of Google.

[00:22:07] Sandra Henderson: And there is nothing better than working with clients. That you just clicked with and connected with. They're totally your people. You can be best friends with them outside of the wedding. And that happens when you're able to make that personal connection. And we can even look at like big corporations.

[00:22:23] That's why they have celebrity ambassadors and things like that because it gives a face for us to relate to.

[00:22:30] Angie McPherson: You're still right. You're still right. When you think of, like you said, when you think of brands and companies and you think of like Flo from Progressive. You know, like nobody was talking about progressive before Flo came along, and now Flo has like a team.

[00:22:47] She has like the, like two or three people that, you know, show up in these commercials and you know that look at Jake from State Farm, like I have State Farm, you know, and I'm just like, oh, like I, yeah, Jake from State, like you just connect with people. And if we're just hiding behind what we're selling.

[00:23:05] We were losing out on that connection. Branding photography is only going to bring you more revenue, clients, and opportunities.

[00:23:14] Sandra Henderson: Yes, absolutely. I think that is the perfect place for us to end. That was a mic drop moment, anything else that we say cannot top that. But that leaves me with my new favourite part of the podcast.

[00:23:27] I have a little, would you rather question to end things with. And so for any of our listeners who aren't familiar, Angie was, on the TV show, press your luck.

[00:23:37] So I wanted to know, for your next TV game show appearance, would you rather go on The Price is Right or Family Feud?

[00:23:46] Angie McPherson: Oh my goodness.

[00:23:47] Okay. At this point, I have been on a couple of game shows. It is literally my hobby to apply for game shows. I really wouldn't go on the strip one. I love that so much. And so, when I lost Press Your Luck, it was a devastating moment in my life. And it really was about luck. And so I think my next, my next game show, I want to pick a show that would have, I would have the best luck.

[00:24:16] So Price is Right. It's like, hopefully, you get picked from the crowd. Hopefully, you get called up. Hopefully, you win. With Family Feud, it's literally your family against someone else's family. And I will take my odds on family feud any best family members that I can bring.

[00:24:36] Sandra Henderson: Yeah, for sure. I also am a huge Steve Harvey fan.

[00:24:40] So I got family here too.

[00:24:43] Angie McPherson: Yeah. And one of my, one of like my, my bucket list items is like having like a video go viral and but not like a video like I put on Instagram but like something funny like on Family Feud so my goal would be to like say something so funny and silly and it's just like goes viral but hopefully nothing bad you know like something funny not like oh my gosh that was such a dumb answer.

[00:25:07] Sandra Henderson: Love watching the clips of Steve Harvey reacting to men who have said horrible things about their wives and then realized what they did after they said it. And Steve Harvey just looks at them like, no, what are you doing? I could watch this for hours. They're so funny.

[00:25:25] Angie McPherson: I love it. I love it.

[00:25:27] Sandra Henderson: Awesome. Well, thank you so much again, Angie.

[00:25:29] This was such a fun conversation. I know that listeners are going to have so many takeaways to apply for their next branding session and hopefully they'll find some inspiration to get in front of the camera the first time. So actually before we wrap up, if you could just let listeners know where to find you on social media and all the places where they can follow you.

[00:25:47] Angie McPherson: Yeah, you can check on my Instagram. It's Angie Janine. So Angie and then J A N I N E, my middle name. Someone else had Angie McPherson, unfortunately, and then my website angiemcpherson.com.

[00:26:01] Sandra Henderson: Thank you so much again, Angie. This was amazing. You enjoy the rest of your day, and I can't wait to connect again soon.

[00:26:07] Angie McPherson: Thank you so much. I appreciate it.

23:40 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

[00:26:11] Sandra Henderson: Whether you're doing a photo swap with friends or hiring a brand photographer, I think one of the most important takeaways from this interview with Angie is that you should be getting a variety of images beyond just new headshots. You also want to have photos that you can use for projects and launches down the road to get longevity out of the photos that you're having done.

[00:26:29] When it comes to social media and your email list, it is never a bad idea to frequently reintroduce yourself to your audience as it grows, because you have to keep in mind that not every single person is seeing every piece of content that you're producing. So letting them know who you are, and showing your face in various places on your website to help people get to know you and recognize you.

[00:26:49] These are all places where you are going to find your brand photos really come in handy. Another great benefit is that when it comes to sessions or consultations, I very rarely run into an instance where someone can't find me because they know exactly who they're looking for.

[00:27:04] I have my photo in my email signature.

[00:27:06] I have it included in my pricing guide. Everywhere that they could possibly be interacting with me, they're gonna find a photo of me, so they're always able to place a face with the name. And I mean, who doesn't want to avoid awkward situations where people don't know who you are or you think that someone is someone that they're not?

[00:27:25] I, After 11 years in the industry have no shortage of embarrassing moments and situations that I've run into. And I will never forget waiting in a coffee shop for a consultation. And I saw this woman walking towards me and it was right at the time my meeting was supposed to start. She smiled in my direction.

[00:27:42] So I stood up, I introduced myself, and said, so nice to meet you. Then she replied by letting me know that she was actually there to see the person who was sitting in the booth behind me. She was not my potential client. And. So yeah, who doesn't want to avoid a situation like that? Right. And having my photo all over my website and social media has definitely helped with that.

[00:28:03] And then being able to include photos when it comes to mini sessions and other launches that I'm doing in my photography business has really just been so helpful. So make sure that you're getting a variety, especially if you don't love being in front of the camera, because then you can get the most out of one session.

[00:28:21] And you don't have to constantly be doing new sessions every few months or every year when you have new things that are coming out.

[00:28:26] And that wraps up another episode of the podcast friends. If anybody needs me, you can send me a DM, but I am laid up on my couch with my phone. So, um, I'm going to be talking a little bit about how I got my feet up, nursing myself through this wedding hangover.

[00:28:40] I had a wedding on Saturday and for anybody who is familiar with my story and my chronic illness journey, my wedding hangover is not just one day. It is usually about three or four days, if not more. And so I am in the thick of it right now and giving myself the time I need. To be able to rest. I plan this into my calendar ahead of time when I book weddings.

[00:29:03] So thankfully I don't have a to-do list that's piling up on me. Everything was scheduled around this. Highly recommend doing that. If you are listening and aren't making time off a priority, it needs to go into your schedule first, but that's a little side tangent soapbox for another day. You guys enjoy the rest of your week.

[00:29:20] Get some rest if you need it. And I will be back with our first July episode next week.

[00:29:26] Today's episode of Keeping it Candid is sponsored by Aftershoot. Full disclosure, I took a break from using Aftershoot and have talked a lot about how incredible some other AI editing platforms are. And don't get me wrong, that hasn't changed.

[00:29:39] But I cannot deny how amazing Aftershoot's new features are, and there was no question that I had to make the switch back. Aftershoot is an AI culling and editing platform that learns your style of editing based on the photos that you've already done in the past. And then applies that to new photos going forward.

[00:29:57] It's not like finding presets where you just apply it to your photos and it doesn't make any changes and you really have to heavily edit each one yourself. This actually learns your editing style and applies Lightroom settings to your photos the same way you would if you were the one who was actually physically moving the sliders yourself.

[00:30:16] With the AI culling feature, it's able to sort through photos where people are blinking, photos that are blurry, and anything else that you might want to weed out as far as duplicates and things like that leaving only the best of the best for you to have to go through in a few minutes as opposed to a few hours.

[00:30:31] And the feature that brought me back to the platform is that all of this can now be done all in one. There is no more need to upload photos in Lightroom and then cull them an Aftershoot, and then load them back into Lightroom, and then edit them into Aftershoot.

[00:30:47] But now everything can be done inside the platform. The only time you have to bring them over to Lightroom is if you want to make any tweaks to the individual photos themselves. It's an absolute game-changer and will save so much time. If you're interested in trying it out, I want you to head over to simplysandreevon.ca forward slash resources to get a 10 percent discount using my affiliate link. 

[00:31:07] Thank you so much for listening. You can find full show notes from today's episode at simplysandrayvonne.ca/shownotes.

[00:39:29] In the meantime, let's connect! You can find me on Instagram and TikTok, just search Simply Sandra Yvonne. And if you love this podcast, I'd be so honoured if you go ahead and hit that subscribe button and leave a review until next time!