When the Button You Didn’t Know Existed Changes Everything
Thomas returned for his second photography lesson, this time bringing his friend Cindy for her very first session. Cindy mentioned early on that she had owned her Sony camera for several years, but never quite liked how one part of the lens operated. I asked to see her camera as I knew the exact button to switch to address the issue! She did not even know that button existed. I was glad to be able to instantly solve the issue that had been frustrating her for years. Those are the kinds of small but powerful adjustments that can completely change someone’s relationship with their camera.
Even though this was Thomas’s second time hearing my 5-step process for shooting in manual mode, the review helped reinforce what he learned during our first one-on-one session. We wrapped up with hands-on shooting practice in the studio. I guided them through applying the 5-step process step by step, then changed the scenario and asked them to create a well-exposed, sharp image completely on their own. Watching that moment when everything clicks is always the best part.
If you run a business, offer professional services, or create anything for a living in Pacific Grove or the Monterey Peninsula, there is a good chance you are already doing “personal branding”… even if you have never called it that. Every time someone lands on your website, reads your bio, checks your LinkedIn, or sees your profile photo next to a review, they are forming an impression in seconds.
Personal branding photography is simply the visual side of that first impression: modern, natural-looking images that show who you are, what you do, and what it feels like to work with you. Here are five practical reasons personal branding photos are one of the best upgrades you can make for your business presence.
A Creative Shoot for a Doctor in Monterey from Headshots to Branding Photos to a Group Shot
Six Months ago I brought my mobile studio headshot setup to Monterey Natural Wellnesss to make team headshots for Dr. Allison and her team. She recently reached out because she is adding two new team members who needed headshots in the same style as the ones I created previously.
Back in Watsonville to photograph another vehicle for Cars & Bids for Brian of Peixoto Auto Group. This unique truck makes the third vehicle I have photographed him for auction. I am very happy to report that the custom Shelby Mustang I photographed for him last month sold for a very good price! For sure this converted truck was unlike anything I have photographed for auction before. I took the same approach, but the logistics were an extra challenge due to the length of the vehicle for getting the required 360 views photos. Then even though this is a well driven and worked truck, I still want to glam it up with some hero shots if I could. Moving it to a tree covered spot on the property allowed me to hero it up pretty well if I do say so myself! The interior also presented another challenge as there was no backseat to put myself into nor was it a convertible to get full dash shots like I normally would do with a car auction shoot. Good thing I like a challenge and have many car auction shoots of experience to draw on to get the best possible shots, to help Brian get the best possible closing price for this unique truck! Thank you Brian for continuing to choose me as your car auction photographer!
From Dolphins to Design: My First Shoot with Illusions of Grandeur at Monterey Plaza Hotel
This was my first shoot for new client Illusions of Grandeur, an event planning and design business, and my first event photo shoot at Monterey Plaza Hotel. It was an incredible setting, right on a pier behind the hotel with the waves rolling in right beneath our feet! We saw dolphins swim right by, that’s how on the water it was. Alison and the team at Illusions of Grandeur did an incredible job transforming the space into an under the sea nautical adventure, with a huge red octopus watching over all! They had new custom tables they asked me to highlight in photos, along with capturing wide and detail shots of this design rich venue environment they created. There was also a spillover space inside the hotel that tied in with the AT&T Pro-Am golf tournament happening this weekend that the actual event itself was being put on in honor of. I really enjoy shoots like this that take me into a different world, and a world I world otherwise never see! Thank you Alison and team for choosing me as your event photographer and I look forward to the next shoot on Saturday in Carmel!
A Second Visit to a Pebble Beach Build in Progress
I returned to this stunning in progress Pebble Beach estate 6 months after my first visit to make updated drone video and aerial photos and to also get still photos of the special materials being used to define the interior of this 10,000+ square foot home. A lot has happened since August of last year when I first met Nick of Annigoni Construction on site. The most obvious addition to the exterior is the stunning copper roof! It glinted in the sunlight as the drone flew around it capturing new video. The interior had several different types of wood used in the ceilings, as well as stone on the walls. Thank you Nick for continuing to choose me as your drone pilot and photographer and I cannot wait to return to get the finished property drone video and photos!
5 Reasons Your Team Needs Professional Team Headshots
If you run a business, a practice, or a growing team in Pacific Grove, Monterey, Carmel, Pebble Beach, or Seaside, there is a good chance your website and LinkedIn pages are quietly telling a story you did not intend. It is the “everyone has a different headshot” story. Someone has a cropped vacation photo, someone has a photo from ten years ago, someone has a dark selfie from inside a car, and one person has a perfectly lit professional headshot that makes everyone else look like they work at a different company.
Team headshots fix that fast. They are one of the simplest, highest-value upgrades you can make to your business branding because they immediately create consistency, trust, and a sense of professionalism across your entire team.
