Business Diaries - The Photoshoot

Welcome to my first Business Diary. Where each month I'll bring you my inner monologue/brain dump/thoughts and feelings on something I learnt or did whilst navigating the roughlay and tumblay (thanks Shameless Gals - hope you haven't trademarked that phrase) of business ownership.

This is completely non-essential reading. I offer no advice on business management, I am completely unqualified to do so and these blogs will likely be an endless stream of things I've messed up, learnt the hard way, or found uncomfortable (read. This post). But I also love the goss on how other people do business so I'm sharing for those out there who feel the same.

It will come as a surprise to no one who knows me well that I am not a photoshoot kind of gal, I wish I was, but no. Being the subject of a photo doesn't come naturally to me, unless it's in a self-deprecating, 'capturing something that’s gone horribly wrong for me' kind of way. I also don't mind a group selfie. But headshots? No sir. Did I consider that opening a business and needing to sell myself would include a professional photography shoot? No. Did the necessity become apparent during the development of my website much to my horror? Yes. Yes it did.

But, if I want to put my writing, knowledge, expertise and passion out into the world, the ego needed to go in the bin and my tendency towards self-consciousness needed to go with it… for one hour at least. I really wanted my website to feel authentic and like 'me'. I did an endless search for stock imagery that would do the job, but it felt really disingenuous to me to be starting a brand about awesome teams and great leadership skills, using images of people and teams I'd never met. Absolutely not a dig at stock imagery, it's so useful, but I wanted MY team on my pages (even though I don't have a paid one… yet).

Like any new online business owner, I took to Instagram to find who and what I needed to get the job done. And that is how I found Amy, from Carlon & Co. I came across her page (I think) because she worked with a stylist I follow from Geelong and a quick glance at her work and website told me everything I needed to know. Until seeing her content and work with other businesses, I was still on the fence. But, I reached out to Amy and she was just as delightful as she seemed online. I gave very little detail, however she knew exactly what I was after (probably better than I did) and recommended some beautiful venues. We ended up going with her first suggestion which was perfect (as it turns out!) and she made all the arrangements with the venue, a breeze from the beginning.

Now all I needed was my pretend colleagues! Can't have a fun workplace shoot without a fun team! My brilliant friends (who actually were and are my colleagues) stepped in to bring the office team vibes. And best believe there are faces all over this website that will be my first hires as soon as PE Partners is ready to take that leap. These legends didn't even bat an eyelid when I gave them the styling brief and dictated down to the colours they could wear. They just got to work sending me options and planning their fits. Honestly, what more do you need in friendship? Whilst my friends are wonderful and up for any challenge, none of us have even a teaspoon of experience with photoshoots. Except for one photogenic delight who recently got married so had her angles DOWN. However, this is no problem when you have a very skilled and easy going photographer! Which is why, if you take anything away from this particular blog it's: work with someone who is the right vibe for your business, your personality and who understands the outcome you're looking for. Amy gave us direction, told us where to put our hands, reminded us to type or write when we forgot and was just great fun to have 'on set'. She laughed with us and joined in the chats and we were through the hour before we knew it. With 3 costume changes, many scenes and some sore smile muscles, we were done!

Now, it might not be obvious, I know I'm subtle, but the whole gang loved Amy. And THEN, the sneak peaks came through, that very evening (can we say, efficient?!). To be honest, I don't even think I was this excited for my wedding photos to come back. Because she nailed the brief. As someone who doesn't love photos of themselves, I was beyond happy with the vibe, her photography style, the way she captured candids during 'meetings' and 'phone calls'. It's exactly what I would have asked for if I'd known what to ask for. It didn't matter because Amy knew what I needed. I'm aware this blog post has dissolved quickly into a love letter to Carlon & Co, but it is what it is. Amy was just so great to work with. AND I had all the final shots in my inbox within TWO DAYS. We hadn't discussed timeframes, but I was expecting weeks. That turn around was invaluable to me and it meant I had my website finished within the week.

Am I in a hurry to do another photoshoot? Nope. Will I do it again next year to update the website and our PEP socials? Yep. And I'll definitely be going straight back to Carlon & Co. Now that the website is finished and by the time you're reading this it will be published, I am so glad I invested the energy and money into professional imagery. I am so proud of how the website has turned out. It's a work in progress, and I will no doubt be tinkering with it forever (I agonise over words & copy). But I love the way it looks. It's exactly as I pictured it months ago when PEP was a fever dream whilst I took some time off work to figure out what to do with my life.

I could not be more grateful to my EXCELLENT mates, who dived straight into this project with me, without any (obvious) hesitation. Their enthusiasm enabled me to quite literally bring this vision to life (vision=photos, geddit?). Thanks gals, you very much know who you are and what this means to me. And an enormous thank you to Amy (Carlon & Co) for capturing us in a way that didn't highlight how awkward and giggly we were throughout the shoot. Dare I say it… we look… confident!? Though folks behind the scenes know just how much nervous laughter was had. With another dear pal in the background bursting out with 'more energy, more passion, more foot work' whenever we needed it, this actually turned out to be… fun.

PS. It goes without saying, I highly recommend working with Carlon & Co - and their services are not limited to photography, check out their website www.carlonandco.com