May 1st, 2023 . Brand identity and creating content that speaks to your brand.

When it comes to building a brand, compelling images are an essential tool for creating a cohesive and recognizable brand identity. As a photographer, I understand the importance of images in conveying a message or story. Your branding is the personality behind your products or services and the images that your company puts out to the world has to resonate with your target market … your persona. Visual elements like colors, typography and your logo tell the story of your brand. Whether your selling physical products or a service, images are arguably one of the most powerful components of branding to help show your potential clients who you are as a brand by displaying a visual story … and if done right they can get a clear understanding of the brand's offerings, values and mission without even reading a word. Strong images can really help establish an identity and voice that helps you shine over some of your competitors and build a framework of loyal and repeat customers that connect with you and your brand.

You want to hire a photographer that has a body of work with a style that aligns with the aesthetics of your brand can help create a consistent look and feel across all platforms from your website, social media profiles to your business cards and product packaging. Using your phone and other friend’s a family to take snap shots does not equal the value that a photographer can bring to a photoshoot with thousands of dollars of professional equipment and the experience behind the camera. They can create a collection of images that tell the story of your brand that will speak to your audience.

Professional images are such an important component of brand recognition and can really help make a strong impression. Good quality images elevates a brand, creates trust and helps build brand awareness. Even if your target client doesn’t purchase the first time they discover your product or service, they will at least be likely to remember you as a well polished brand that had a clear communication of what your brand is all about.

Whether you’re professional providing a service or have service and/or product based brand, you need to create a story that will resonate with your potential clients and stays consistent across all platforms and sales tools. People don’t buy products only on the fact that they work, they buy products because they identify with the brand’s image, values and mission.

High-quality images can increase engagement on social media and other digital channels, helping to build brand awareness and attract new customers. If your visual message is consistent, they are more likely to remember you when they are ready to buy or hire your services.

Here’s what to expect if you decide to hire a professional photographer to work with:

• A consultation phone call to talk about your vision and photographic needs.

• A good photographer will ask that you provide them with visual examples (websites or social media accounts you admire or a Pinterest page as mood board). This helps get both the client and the photographer on the same page and establish clarity on the look and feel you are hoping to achieve from a photoshoot.

• Them comes an estimate with the photographer’s rates, then maybe followed by a conversation about what kind of budget you are working with and how many deliverables you hoping to get from this photoshoot. Sometimes it’s easier to problem solve the budget together until you can come to an production cost that works for you, the client, while also being respectful of the photographer’s time, equipment and expertise that person is bringing to the table.

• Then you plan the shoot: Will it be shot in studio or on location somewhere? Will you need models, makeup artists, wardrobe stylist or will it be smaller production with just you and your products?

• Keep in mind the cost of a photoshoot with a professional will not only depend on how long the shoot lasts and how many final images you expect but also on what responsibilities the photographer is in charge of to put together this photoshoot: location scouting, model research, finding props or putting an entire productions team together.

• Depending on the photographer and the size of the production, you will likely need to pay 50% up front to confirm the day and time of your photoshoot in case they need to turn other work away and usually you will pay the balance upon deliverables.

• Always have clear directions on your timeline for final images and make sure they can deliver the images on time specially if you have a product or website launch date.

• It’s always a good idea to have a list of shots for your photoshoot so you can tick them off as you shoot to ensure you don’t finish your photoshoot only to realize you forgot some important images you need.

• Because of the popularity of social media and behind the scenes, it’s not a bad idea to make sure you capture some real time behind the scenes while on a shoot as often these shots get some much engagement and be sure to show your personality. People like brands and products that have personality that they can relate to.

Here is an example of a shoot for a client with a telling a story with a cohesive look, feel and style.

Feb.16th, 2023 Athlete portraits collection

I’ve always had a passion and fondness for sports which have a little fear factor and a big exhilaration component. Action sports have played a big part of my life. I left home at 18, leaving behind the chilling winters of the East Coast of Canada in search of new adventures and in lure of skiing the big mountains on the West Coast. So I took a drive across Canada in mid January with two friends with only one vision in mind … to do some big mountain skiing! I was lucky to spend three full seasons in Whistler and probably skied up to 120 days a year. I mean, we skied our asses off:) getting enough sleep was no my motivation at the time. I worked in the evenings so I could ski all day and no matter what time I went to bed, I was up to hit the mountain for some fresh tracks on any given powder day. I coached the kids ski racing on Blackcomb on the weekends to get my pass and I was sorted. When you’re young and noone’s depending on you, all you need is a pass and a good pair of skis, some friends ready to charge the mountain with you and your having the time of your life. I didn’t think twice about any of the dangers of what and where I was skiing. I mean, how bad can it hurt if there’s so much snow.

After my stint in Whistler, my heart was stolen by another sport which soon was all consuming and all I wanted to do. The wind and waves were calling me. I started traveling to the Oregon to the Columbia River Gorge every time I could. After soon releasing this passion was leaving me, I packed up my things, signed up for college in Portland and moved myself to the charming town of Hood River, one the world’s well known windsurfing hubs. That is where I found my tribe as they say. Windsurfing is one of these sports where if you want to do it and do it well, it pretty much as to be your life. To go windsurfing once in a while is not going to get you anywhere, at least not where I wanted to be which was in the waves of Hawaii. I definitely didn’t need anyone pushing me to go sailing aka windsurfing anytime the wind was up. I was known for hitting the water at first light on the River when the wind was blowing and spent most windy days putting in marathon sessions on the water. Five, six hours was nothing. We were a crew of friends with a common passion that was unstoppable.

After going to school and sailing on the River for a couple of years, many of my peers and I decided to hit the big stage and make the move to the North Shore of Maui. Being from Monreal and growing up skiing, the powerful waves of Hawaii were foreign to me. Although I did spend the first year of my life in Hawaii, I didn’t have the luxury of growing up near the ocean and the waves. I distinctly remember standing at Hookipa, the most famous windsurfing beach in the world, on a big day wondering how a girl from Montreal was ever going to be good enough to ride out there. Well, as with anything practice makes perfect and working on your skills, it didn’t take long before I braved the ocean and it’s powerful surf to eventually spending my days sailing at Hookipa.

Playing in the surf is fun but it can also be stressful when it gets big or the wind turns offshore and you’re at the mercy of nature. Things can go sideways quickly if you don’t know what you’re doing or head out and don’t have the skills to handle the conditions. When you get nailed by a big set, you better not let anxiety sink into your brain. You need to stay calm, hold your breath and just go with the flow. All you can do is come up for a breath and duck underneath the next waves and wait for a lull in between sets to collect your gear or swim for it:) unless you have the unfortunate experience of getting slammed onto the rocks and hope that not ALL your equipment is broken or shredded to pieces and that you don’t end up with reef and rocks cuts everyone. If it sounds stressful, that because it was.

When they say have respect for the ocean, that’s because you must know that if you want to play there, you need to be aware of the possible dangers and consequences associated with it power and unpredictability.

Here are a few images I shot as part of a personal project I started and have not finished as our lives got interrupted by a little thing called Covid. Hoping to continue this project this year and will keep adding to my collection.