JettyBlue Photography Blog
My journey with Tracey and David began way back in 2014 when i photographed their Engagement portrait at Como, prior to their spectacular destination wedding at Mollymook (which will go down in JettyBlue history as catagorically one of the best with the greatest bridal waltz of all time)…
What is a photograph? Is it a picture? a story? does it have life? Does it make permanent all those fleeting moments we don’t see? Can a photograph define our family history?
To me, photography is not merely the best possible representation of ourselves in this moment looking like the version of ourselves we want to project. It is about future. The stories we capture today will become the past of tomorrow. If in the future there is no record of the past – did it even exist? How will that shape your future? That to me is the whole point of photography. To tell stories to the future, craft a legacy of today.
I was gifted the opportunity to craft Katrina & Matt’s legacy way back in May 2013 when I photographed their engagement portrait. Then there was the wedding…
and then baby Zahlee…
and now its Katrina’s Mum Kerry’s turn to complete the picture with a family portrait of her own with ALL the kids and grandkids…
Can’t wait for the next installment…
One of the most satisfying parts of my job is when I get to see my clients at numerous stages of their lives. I first met Carly 10 years ago when she and a bunch of gal pals got together and had me photograph them all to celebrate their finishing high-school. So I was delighted when Carly connected with me (via Justine, another one of the gal pal gang – thanks Justine! I look forward to shooting your family portrait soon too 😉 so I could shoot her husband and absolutely adorable new bub Sophia. Too much cuteness for one afternoon! So awesome to see you again Carly and I loved capturing this new chapter in your life. Can’t wait for the next one!
In any service-based business, clients want to connect with the business owner. Right? So don’t think that just because you’re a man, that the same rules don’t apply to you. Or that “nobody cares what I look like, I don’t need a personal brand”. In fact, according to an article by Bridget Brennan for Forbes magazine,
“If the consumer economy had a sex, it would be female. Women drive 70-80% of all consumer purchasing, through a combination of their buying power and influence. Influence means that even when a woman isn’t paying for something herself, she is often the influence or veto vote behind someone else’s purchase.”
So even though you’re a serviced based business who sells predominately to men, don’t be fooled. You’re sales data says one thing, but the influence to buy comes from somewhere else all together. Bridget goes on to say;
“Service is a key differentiator. Because women tend to have higher expectations for customer service, when you elevate the customer experience for women, you elevate it for everyone.”
Including your business! Your customers will only connect with you once they establish a “Know, like, trust” relationship with you BEFORE they decide to buy from you or engage your services. Women are particularly cognisant of establishing a relationship with whom she chooses to spend her hard-earned with. If there’s no relationship, she’ll take her dollars elsewhere.
So how do you establish that relationship? The good news is, you won’t have to take her out to dinner to get the sale, the solution is way simpler…TALK to her. Put yourself out there. Tell your story, we all want to hear it! People buy people and the only thing that makes you stand out from all the other business owners is the one thing they can never gain, never buy and never take from you…YOU! Whether you’re marketing to men or women, the same rules apply. To attract your perfect client, you must reflect qualities they see in themselves. Tell your story with images that speak of your authenticity and your clients will recognise their own hopes, dreams and values. This familiarity is priceless and helps your clients feel comfortable and assured that the relationship they’ve just found themselves in is one of mutual trust and respect. BAM! Happy client, good business.
Last Friday evening I had the pleasure of photographing the inaugural gala ball for the SWBCC (South West Bankstown Chamber of Commerce). The premier was there and she gave a unique Q&A style session rather than a long-winded speech which was a refreshing change. The Bankstown sports club was resplendent in its Gala regalia and the ballroom was the perfect venue.
For Guests, you can view and purchase any images from the evening via my web gallery.
The login details are:
Username: SWBCC
Password: gala
Congratulations to Wally and the team at SWBCC for a spectacular night. Its a wonderful event for the community and business in the Bankstown area and I’m sure its just the start of a new “must be at” event. Thanks for inviting me to be part of your team for the night and I had a blast!
Clients often say to me that the main reason they hesitate to update (or even initiate) their personal branding, is they worry that they won’t look like themselves in the images. I’m all about communicating authentically and delivering nothing but authentic imagery for my clients to communicate their story. My client Melissa from Divine Creative Agency recently updated her personal branding and here’s what she had to say afterwards…
Amongst my many talents, JettyBlue is also a fully fledged in-house production photography studio. We can get your product online for you in an easy, fuss-free process. We photograph small to medium sized products in-house such as jewellery, gift items, packaging and most e-commerce items you can think of. We also deep etch your product if required. Our professional lighting rigs ensure your product is colour accurate and every detail is pin sharp. We can also photograph your product in action, editorial style, so the client can visualise your product looking fab in their own home.
We also photograph fashion! we can arrange models, hair and makeup artists. Layflats and video 360’s are our specialty too.
Food??? No problem. We can come to your venue and work with your chefs to shoot your menu with the minimum of fuss an disruption to your lunch or dinner service. We can also shoot your venue while we’re there. If you’re a wholesaler, we can shoot your food items in the studio or we have access to full service studio spaces with kitchens for convenient food prep.
