I shake my head when I think that I photographed my first paying wedding over 30 years ago and although I wasn’t ready to make it a full time business, I was definitely hooked.
In 1993 I graduated from Mohawk College for Television Broadcasting and landed amazing job after amazing job in film and television in Toronto. I worked on TV commercials, documentaries and music videos and throughout the 8 years I was immersed in TV, I almost always had a camera in my hand.
Fast forward to 2006 when I finally decided to take the leap and make my dream a reality and pursue it as my full time gig. At the time, photographing Weddings was my passion!
It was an incredible way to hone my technical skills in an environment where I had to be fast and have little to no control over the lighting and location. It forced me to troubleshoot ways to create beautiful and memorable images out of sometimes unfavourable circumstances.
That said, I’m proud to say that I’m not a technical photographer.
My passion NOW is my subject – women mostly. Portraits, Families and Branding for Creatives and Women in Business.
I’ve always known how SO MANY WOMEN hate getting their photo taken that I considered it a bit of a challenge to help my client feel comfortable in front of the camera and be able to give them photos that they love.
My goal always WAS and IS to create a collection of photographs that capture the essence of the subject. But to do that, my subject needs to feel at ease – and to feel at ease, they need to know what to do.
With their hands…
How to stand…
Where to look….
How to smile…
And so, I’ve spent a lot of time educating myself on the small nuances of posing and coaching my subjects.
In March of last year when we had our first Covid-19 lockdown, I had already been shooting Branding sessions and I was taking several courses on Personal Branding and Branding photography. When we came out of lock down, I was bombarded with calls for shoots from female business owners wanting images to update their websites and also to pivot their businesses to include e-commerce.
The other thing I discovered was that many of these business owners weren’t sure HOW to incorporate their brand values and personality into their visual strategy.
– how to reach their ideal client
– how to communicate their mission and what makes them different
– to show who they are and how they help
So, in an effort to want to help as much as possible and not create generic, trendy Instagram images, I put together an intro prep package that introduced many of these questions so together we could curate an authentic visual representation of who they are, what they do and how they help.
I’m constantly inspired by hearing the answers to these questions.
There’s many ways to create your digital marketing formula – including self-taken video and smart-phone snaps but a key part of this should also be professional services like photography and video.
Showing professional images that speak to your Brand identity are important for many reasons – looking professional and showing a cohesive feel to your on-line presence of course…
But the benefits of…
– having a bank of professional, on-brand images to choose from when you post to social media
We’ve all felt the struggle of what do I post???
– having high quality images on your website that are specific to YOU and not stock photography
And knowing that the one thing that makes you the most different from your competition is YOU, makes curated content so important!
I was thrilled to be working with Our Kitchen Brantford last summer to photograph a calendar featuring some of their amazing food and beverage creators. I don’t think I’ve ever had so much fun on a project!
The pin-up, tattooed chef, the organic tea-maker in the Victorian garden, the hot sauce creator over a flaming bon-fire at night, the jelly-maker wrapped in an apple tree and the vegan chef at a local market.
It was a fantastic experience… all 12 shoots!
I love to help my clients feel empowered to create their perfect photographic experience. To know they’re in good hands and to feel comfortable digging in to the how’s and why’s so we can show the world an authentic representation of who they are and what they do.
Let me know how I can help you SHOW the world who you are!
519-771-1725
Sherry xo
