Charlotte Branding Photographer

Podcasts Killed The Radio Star

March 27, 2017

Podcasts Killed The Radio Star

So I may be a little late to the game, but I LOVE podcasts. Like seriously LOVE. I’ve listened to Serial in the past and totally binged on the trial and story of Adnan and Hae Min Lee, but listening to podcasts was never anything that I did on a regular basis. That is until recently. One of my favorite #GirlBosses, Jenna Kutcher recently started a podcast called Goal Digger. I’m a fan of her work and follow her Instagram account as well as receiving her newsletters and participating in her online social media courses. I decided to give her podcast a go and it instantly spoke to me. As a creative entrepreneur I feel like she is speaking directly to me and the topics she discusses are so relatable.

My morning commute to my 9-5 gig is roughly 40 minutes. It’s in my old hometown and while the commute was something to get used to when I first purchased my home in a neighboring town, I kind of enjoy the drive now. I’m not stuck in any back to back traffic and it gives me some time to myself before my day goes into full swing. My mornings used to be filled with a mix of hip-hop, pop, easy listening and morning talk radio. I’d flip between about 4-5 stations and that’s how most of my mornings would go by, unless I received an unexpected call from a friend or family member that made my drive go by more quickly. But since discovering Jenna’s podcast that’s how I’ve started almost every morning for the last few weeks. I’d plug my phone into my car and the next 40 minutes would go by with interesting conversation between Jenna and her latest guest, good advice, laughs and heartfelt moments. I enjoy my ride to work so much more now that I have this to look forward to each day. I loved the Goal Digger podcast so much that I posted about it on my Facebook page and asking my friends if they had any other inspiring, motivational, business and creative based podcasts that they loved and I received some great feedback so now I’ve added a few more to my morning, and now even my evening, routine. I’d LOVE to know which podcasts you enjoy so I can check them out and possibly add them to my line up. Comment below with your faves!

My Podcast List

The Goal Digger Podcast

Creative Empire Podcast

Hashtags and Stilettos

Side Hustle Pro

The Biz Chix Podcast

Being Boss

Girlboss Radio with Sophia Amoruso

Organize 365 Podcast

You Need A Budget

Life According To Her Podcast

It’s been about 7 months since this blog post was written and I wanted to pop in and update my podcast listl. Over the last few months my needs have changed a bit and I wanted to broaden my range of podcasts. Before they were all centered around business and while these podcasts are all still relevant and have great information, they don’t all fit in with my current listening needs. I am still listening to The Goal Digger, Being Boss, Creative Empire and Organize 365, but I’ve added some new ones to mix it up a bit! So here’s what’s new on my podcast in October 2017:

The Queen Photographers – I’m so excited that an organization I’m a part of has it’s own podcast! It features women of color photographers discussing their journeys in the creative field. And you can hear me on on episode 2!

Casefile True Crime – To be fair I haven’t given this one a listen yet, but I’ve heard great things about it and I plan on diving in this week! It’s all about true crime cases that will possibly scare you and definitely intrigue you.

Binge Mode – I’ve finished this podcast, but plan to keep it on my list for when Game of Thrones returns. If you’re thinking of starting Game of Thrones this is a great companion piece that breaks each episode down.

Motivated – I love this weekly podcast all about healthy lifestyle motivation. Episodes air each Monday and it’s a great way to kickstart the week!

Necessary Baggage – I absolutely LOVE listening to these ladies and their guest as they discuss everything you need to know about worldwide travel.

Online Marketing Made Easy – Amy Porterfield is a marketing maven and her podcast gives great information and real world application for any entrepreneur.

The Firing Squad – Pop culture commentary with a dose of realness from 5 guys that I attended college with. You’ll get a few laughs in while listening to them discuss everything from our current political climate to Kanye’s latest antics.

The Business of Photography – A great resource for any photographer looking to up their game with great interviews and practical information.

Work Your Wealth – Getting our finances straight is a top priority for many people I know and this podcast gives advice that everyone can benefit from.

The Read – Something a little fun, albeit a bit risque, that deals with everything that’s going on in today’s world.

Colorstock | We See Color

March 20, 2017

we see color

Colorstock | We See Color

I recently signed on with a stock photo company known as Colorstock. Their unique vision is what drew me in and I’m excited to partner with them for what I hope will be long term. I asked them to share with my readers exactly what it is they do and what sets them apart from other stock photo companies (see below). If you’re a business owner looking for diverse images for your website and social media accounts they are not to be missed!

Stock photos. The phrase alone may bring to mind cheesy images of people laughing or awkwardly staged photos. They get a bad rep for lacking authenticity and nuance. Stock photography, however, can be both of those things and so much more.

Whether it’s through social media or blog posts, using stock photos can be crucial to finding dynamic images that engage target audiences. Consistent visual storytelling through the use of stock images connects audiences to brand images. Harnessing the skill of connecting carefully selected photos to enhance visual storytelling can be the difference in a new follower, reader, or subscriber. Photography links to a brand and resonates with an audience, relating an engaging image to a specific vision and purpose.

The importance of stock photography use is exactly what sparked Colorstock’s creation. Colorstock launched in 2015 tackling the stock photography industry’s lack of diverse images and setting to solve a huge problem by representing various ethnicities and races in stock photography. These realistic and nuanced portrayals of people of color doing anything and everything —from eating brunch to vacationing at the beach—are crucial for companies and brands looking to reflect the diversity of the people they serve. Colorstock sees color where other stock companies fail to.

Basic Google searches for stock photos yield some pretty monochromatic but unsurprising results. When an image search for “young boy stock photo” or “family vacation stock photo” bring up varying shades of beige, entire groups of people are alienated and literally left out of the picture. The subjects that are left out of stock photography are often people of color. When people of various races are not represented in a medium that is so crucial to developing brand image, message, and intent, something is wrong.

Understanding the importance of using stock photography and the impact it has on developing an audience is essential. Utilizing culturally intelligent stock photos is a first step in reaching diverse audiences and telling unique stories.

. . .

Colortstock is the first curated stock photo marketplace featuring nuanced and diverse photos of people and color. We’re changing the hue of stock photos.

The Carter Family | Rock Hill, SC Maternity Session

March 13, 2017

glencairn garden

The Carter Family | Glencairn Garden (Rock Hill, SC) Maternity Session

A few weeks ago I met and worked with the Carter family for their maternity session in Glencairn Garden, Rock Hill, SC. It was an unusually warm February evening and thankfully for us the trees and flowers were already beginning to bloom in the beautiful park they chose as their backdrop. It made the typically bleak, but still beautiful winter garden, feel more like spring with it’s abundant colors and lush greenery. I knew from the minute I stepped out of my car and introduced myself to the Carters that they were going to be a lot of fun to work with. Mom, Erica, radiated and literally glowed from her pregnancy. And while she is just a few months shy of bringing her little one into the world I was amazed at how tiny she was! We could all only hope to look as great as she does while pregnant.

glencairn garden

Mom and dad definitely knocked it out of the park during some of their solo shots as we took advantage of the setting sun (golden hour is definitely my favorite time to shoot!), but it was daughter Jaeya that stole the show. Being a dancer she knew exactly how to work the camera and move her body into angles that worked for her and made her look her absolute best. And not only that, but her bright personality made the day so much fun. I had such a great time with the entire family and Jaeya telling her jokes to get mom and dad laughing was definitely a highlight of the day for me. I’m so excited for this next chapter in their lives and wish them nothing but the best as they welcome the newest member into their family!

Robin H. Branding Session | Uptown Charlotte, NC

March 6, 2017

Robin H. Branding Session | Uptown Charlotte, NC

A few weeks ago on a very cold Sunday morning I met Robin of Danny’s Closet in Uptown Charlotte, NC for her re-branding session. Prior to us finally meeting in person we had great communication regarding her upcoming session. If you’ve been following my blog any length of time you know that I absolutely adore branding sessions. There’s something exciting about working alongside another entrepreneur and helping them bring the vision that they have for their brand to life. And when they’re equally invested in their session as I am it gets me even more excited. Robin and and linked up through one of my prior clients and we hit it off immediately! Robin scheduled a FaceTime meeting with me so that she could get her vision across clearly and we could brainstorm ideas for her session. Over the next few weeks we emailed back and forth and set up one last additional FaceTime meeting before the big day arrived.

As I stated previously it was a very cold morning the day of her session, but the skies were clear and the normally busy Uptown area was sleepy and quiet which allowed us to work uninterrupted. We first took to the streets and got some great shots of a queen thriving in the Queen City. Halfway into her session and a wardrobe change later, we moved things indoors to Amelie’s French Cafe where the morning crowd filtered in and out as Robin displayed some of the books she authored while sipping on a hot cup of yummy coffee. Robin is so enthusiastic about the direction of her career as an author and because of her drive I know she will continue to do well in her endeavors. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for her and picking up a few of her books myself since I’m definitely a “book nerd”. If you want to keep up with Robin and Danny’s Closet, her brand, you can find her at www.dannyscloset.com.

3 Branding Tips To Help You Stand Out

February 27, 2017

3 Branding Tips To Help You Stand Out

My second blogger for my Guest Blogging Series is Bianca Crawford of The Crawford Austin Agency. She has become a great client and friend over the last year and we have so much fun with each branding session we do. Bianca is the owner of The Crawford Austin Agency which is a PR firm that specializes in “branding, digital media, production, event planning, written communications, speakers bureau and business services.” When looking for guest bloggers I knew I had to have Bianca write about branding since she’s an expert in this field and with so many people becoming entrepreneurs having the correct branding is essential for a successful business.

At least once a week I get asked by potential clients how to differentiate their brand from the others that are out there? They all want to know how to create a voice for their brand, especially when there are mixed messages coming from so many different platforms? Digital advertisements, social media campaigns and billboards are shaping the way consumers think about a brand. You can’t miss them. Brands are everywhere. I always tell potential clients that for customers to understand your brand, you must first understand why you began in the first place. I tell them to think and meditate on these three points:

1. You must understand what your internal beliefs are. Once you know why they are, you have to make sure these beliefs are reflected in how you communicate to you target audience.

2. You must understand who your potential customers are and why they should utilize your skills and talents.

3. You have to understand what separates you from your competition. This is important in creating brand value among your audience.

Your brand voice is what motivates you to make a difference in the world. It also sets you apart from every other brand that exists. Customers need something to believe in. Why can’t it be you?

You can find Bianca on Facebook + Instagram!

Podcasts Killed The Radio Star

Colorstock | We See Color

The Carter Family | Rock Hill, SC Maternity Session

Robin H. Branding Session | Uptown Charlotte, NC

3 Branding Tips To Help You Stand Out

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