Marlene Rivera
Featuring Personal Branding, Lifestyle & Product Photoshoot for Marlene Rivera, of Musa Natural LLC
Stop working with people who drain you
It manifests in your body language. It can show up in your facial expressions. Having your energy drained is not a good feeling.
And it may not even only contain itself to your inner vibes. You may see it happen in your bank account. Whether it’s the actual investment of working with that person or it may be the retail therapy you feel drawn to in the days following your experience.
Working with someone who drains you isn’t the right move for your business. Because when you feel drained emotionally, mentally, or physically, you aren’t going to be able to show up fully in other areas of your life and business.
Being present with your family and friends
Over delivering for your clients
Upleveling your branding or marketing
Networking with others in your industry
Engaging with your online audience to nurture your leads
So many aspects of the life you’ve built can suffer so much from just one negative interaction. So why put yourself through it and how can you avoid it?
The good news: It’s totally possible to maintain your sanity, positivity, and glow. The better news: I’m letting you in on my secrets to success with action steps you can implement this afternoon. Because when you feel good, you give even better. And we all know that successful businesses are built on wellness of the mind, body, and spirit. When all of YOU is aligned, your business can fall into place, too.
So let’s get into it...
Mistakes CEOs make when partnering with a photographer
Ever been in the middle of a meeting and realize this isn’t the right situation for you? Maybe it’s the vibe of the person you’re meeting with. Maybe it’s that your values don’t line up. Maybe it’s nothing you can even put your finger on and you just feel like something is off. This is exactly what I help my clients to avoid before we even meet up, because I KNOW this feeling and it’s not something I’d recommend. Don’t avoid asking ALL your questions! And encourage them to ask you all of theirs too. This way, you both feel fully confident that you’re making an informed decision at the end of the day -- whether that’s to work together, renew your contract, or even small decisions like choosing the right outfit for your brand session.
Ways to get all the Qs answered:
On-boarding form
Brand guide template
Feedback form for past experiences
Open discussion on a discovery call
Extra 15 min. prior to photo session for conversation
Lifting the burden of unanswered questions removes guilt, fear, and overwhelm, leaving room for more goodness.
Signs you're aligned with your photographer
Like a breath of fresh air, our session gave me fulfillment.
“Your energy is amazing.”
A client recently said this to me after our branding session together. *cue the teary eyes* I’m not kidding when I say my business gives me life.
Working with incredible people like this one affirms my belief about the energy that goes into each session I have with my clients. I believe the energy we bring to our work directly affects the results later. And if my energy is off, theirs will be too. Even worse, their audience will witness their discomfort in every photo they see online. So I practice maintaining and raising my positive vibes on the daily. Daily practices are crucial to exuding radiant energy and feeding others’ light. Also, before each session in my studio, BrandWell Creative, I make sure to set the mood in the best way so that they come in feeling ready to represent their brand with confidence.
You’ll know you’re aligned with your photographer if…
You feel confident talking about your brand
They ask about the deeper meaning behind your goals for the session
When viewing your gallery, you feel the most radiant and confident you have about your brand’s visual imagery
As they on-board you prior to your session, they gather all your thoughts, ideas, and goals for each photo you’ll take together
There’s much more to a branding session than just getting good angles for your website’s banner and social media pages.
And when you align your photographer with your brand, it’s like piecing together the most beautiful puzzle that was perfectly designed for your business.
This is why you should know your brand's values before booking your brand session
Remember the dating game (or maybe you’re still in it) when you’re both asking those surface level questions to get to know each other.
You know the ones…
“How many siblings do you have?”
“Do you have any pets?”
“Did you play any sport in school?”
Yeah… those. They’re the ones we dread answering for what feels like the hundredth time and we’re just waiting for the day where the questions get deeper so that we reach the next level of getting to know each other. Because that’s when we begin to really determine whether or not this person is worth the time, ya know?
So we get to the stage of asking about opinions, principles, and experiences. This is when the juicy stuff comes out. Now we get to really tell our friends about this person in more detail and get their feedback.
Similar to this, when we dive deeper into our brand, we reveal more and more so that we resonate better with the right people. This is when brand recognition and loyalty are born. This is why it’s so important to know your brand’s values, mission, and messaging prior to your branding session with your photographer. Incorporating these aspects of your business into your session gives you SO much more to play with, resulting in more branded images and less generic looking photos. Your audience then gets a whole peak into the life of your brand which lands them inside the experience of working with you.
Your energy is 100% portrayed in your photos -- Is your brand's energy being represented properly and fully in your current marketing imagery? If not, it may be time to take a look at your brand’s values and shine some light on them!
Top ways to help your photographer get to know you for better brand photos
Give. Them. Your. All.
Don’t hold back. When they ask you questions about your business or your brand, don’t be afraid of answering it honestly -- They’re asking because they want to know!
Share your brand guide with them
Send them a link to your Pinterest board where your photo inspiration lives
Ask them what you can do to enhance your experience during the session
The more you share, the more customized your experience will be, resulting in more branded photos! And with super branded photos, your audience can have more of an opportunity to get to know you on a deeper level and feel as though you were made to work with them.
This is why I'm committed to bringing the right energy to my sessions
Who you work with makes a huge difference in what happens after the project is over. Photographers, brand managers, social media strategists, and the like -- We all partner with each other to scale our businesses. And when we’re choosing the right person to share a project with, it’s so important to make sure we’re aligned. Energy fuels results. If your energy is off, your results will reflect this. The better the alignment of energies, the better the results.
“Ever since you touched them (my puppies) and took pictures of them, I have money literally flowing into my bank account. I grew my Instagram by 300%. Your energy is amazing.”
Seriously… I couldn’t believe this feedback a client gave me recently! Well, I could believe it because I know the impact energy has on work, but I’m still impressed that she correlated the two! This is why I put so much effort into my self love. It’s all connected.
I share more tips and advice from my experience as a brand photographer with my email list, too! If you aren’t on my list yet, join me! When you sign up, you’ll get a free branding checklist so you’ll be fully prepared for your next session, ready to be treated like the VIP you are.
Learn more about Marlene of Musa Natural by visiting her online bath & body boutique at musanatural.com.
Studio: BrandWell Creative
Copywriter: Taylor’d Media