Episode 2:How To Start Thinking About Branding With Ashley Rae Studio

Link to Spotify: Episode 1

How To Start Thinking About Branding With Ashley Rae Studio

Transcript

The owner of Ashley Rae Studio a wedding photography and cinematography Company in San Luis Obispo if you're curious about branding and how to tackle this tricky subject in this episodes for you to check it out.

This was an auto transcript so please forgive the misspellings or awkward breaks!

I think branding is like a big question like I was saying lots of photographers have to wrestle with and lots of the Navy don't and I don't know how to before we get into that tell us about who you are and just like your backstory and then maybe how you got in photography so my business is under my name Ashley Rae studio so Rae is my middle name and basically we are a photography and cinematography so it started out just so you know I just really fell in love with photography and my husband saw that so he's been a huge support getting our business up and running and we would have two years ago I actually started out I started working in the wedding industry with a videography company so I worked on and off with them for about I want to stay between 68 years you know I was just a second shooter

So I got a really good understanding of the slow wedding all things works out at work and so it needed a lot easier when I started shooting a lot of Photography and shooting weddings ice already felt more comfortable so that was it was really nice and it's were able to start in photo So we're trying to do is go between California and Hawaii you know it's so funny because you all the time and I wanted to be more kind of like that if we could go to Hawaii and out of the year to be in Hawaii right now for a wedding tomorrow and obviously but it will it got moved next year so it will celebrate then you really like set up shop in many places and like create markets are like getting the markets in different areas and that is like we're out what else can you do with that where it's like you know what I mean is weather for a little bit and then hang up shop there now and like starting to bring in what we had last year for like vacation and we try when we travel anywhere that we love we try to do a little bit of work while we're over there

So I was able to make some connections with some planners over there and do some some work for them and help them out with them like headshots then you know just get to know them a little bit so it was great and that's cool question about. Then let's say someone wants to set up I don't know let's say they're based out of Canada and they want to work in the US right so they could do that is that like they contacted or they could contact like a wedding vendor vendor or a venue or maybe even like a like a planner and just touching bases. That's what you're saying how you Spectre things is really big what I've learned and what I hear a lot from people for a successful with this is It's it doesn't really works to reach out to vendors are planners and say hey can you refer me weddings or can we  That's cool question about. Then let's say someone wants to set up I don't know let's say they're based out of Canada and they want to work in the US right so they could do that is that like they contacted or they could contact like a wedding vendor or venue or maybe even like a like a planner and just touching bases.

That's what you're saying how you definitely I think that you know it's the whole networking aspect of things is really big what I've learned and what I hear a lot from people are successful with this is It's it doesn't really works to reach out to vendors are planners and say hey can you refer me weddings or can we work to get you know I want to get to know you so because of what you can give me so there's a lot of and I think it's a really good business practice any way to approach whether it's vendors or potential clients you know what can I do for you kind of think so I think that's a good way to live life anyway but when you approach planners or again potential clients you're like what what do you need that I can provide so you can either you take a little bit of a risk that you could provide something for them and nothing will ever come with that you just give but you know in a very competitive industry you kind of have to be one step ahead of the other guy so to speak and be willing to go that extra mile anyway.

So I found that you know just being genuine and reaching out to whether planners or other vendors that you want to work with you nobody asking them what what do you need what can I provide for you and then just start the relationship there and see what comes with a super helpful and very valuable Ashley so how long have you been photographing weddings for then I don't know if I ask that question lace actually constraining weddings for about 3 years only not before long we were my first official paid wedding yeah was about three years ago and it's funny because it hasn't been that long but honestly because things to my husband and thanks to you no sympathy different things we've been able to really we want our business to look like and what we want our grand to be and how we want people to view what we put together and so it's been it's been a challenging in a good way to start the photo business with a Brandon mind or did you start with a passion for photography and then figured you did not answer your question

I think I definitely started more with the passion aspect of it I remember this first I shot an engagement for my brother-in-law and I didn't even because I went from shooting video to photos and so you know I had some video equipment and my brother-in-law got engaged and I saw it to your engagement photo I thought everything in me I know I didn't even use autofocus cuz I was used to sitting in her video and cute and they look great but I'm like oh man I didn't know what I was doing but how I felt when I was shooting those photos like ever since then I've just been I don't know is like it just did something for my soul I love even now just like shooting engagement sessions or on wedding day working with couples like that and I just absolutely love it so much that and then you know as we started developing our business you do you start thinking about branding what kind of business do you want to put together what kind of nutrition do we want to make on people who see our website are social media I did I forgot to mention to my husband does all the above so so then if you had to describe branding to the person who like has no clue what that means

I mean even just thinking of like Starbucks mention their brand is constantly changing and even with the logo I have embraced all every few years it's always changing as important to think about so thinking about branding and stuff you can be pretty overwhelming for lots of people where the heck do I even start to give some advice to like a new photographer who is just like hey where would I even start with this what would you say yeah I think what three words would you use to describe your grin like I remember different points thinking what do I want so we talked about how it's a certain feeling that the public or your potential clients get when they view your business and so like what kind of feelings do you want that person to feel when they look at it like one thing that's easy I feel like is to identify what you don't want people to feel when they look at your right so like I don't want people coming to my website and my social media thinking that I am a super super cheap and affordable photographer I don't want them to come to my business and think that I'm kind of sloppy right or I just am not professional that's for me personally so for my business is very important.

I present I want people to think I want people to look at my website and my social media and say. Looks like I'm going to have to invest in that packet or whatever like it if I can get cheap but wow it's really nice clean its professional you know so I think that identifying what you don't want to come across as a business start I don't know if that's a cool way to think about it yeah for sure think of an image that we want them to achieve more like live up to and maybe actually means you're not trying to be like other people you still need to be yourself. One thing that his helpful for me and I'm constantly doing this obviously we want like you said you want to be our own we want to copy someone else but we also gain inspiration from other artists and we are drawn sister people's work so I'm constantly any photographers that I'm drawn to I'm always analyzing will why you know why am

I drawn to that work what is What feelings do I get when I look at their portfolio and that gives you an idea of the feelings that you want to evoke and someone when they look at your work and then it's kind of building when you kind of identify what you want to be you and how you want to make people feel then you can come to start building on that with how you design your website how you put together your social media and things like that did you ever notice a change in your business I mean three years is not a long time that's pretty incredible that you just jumped into it and it's like bam here you are you have like a measure of whatever and so so you come a long way really quickly I think any photographers or just floundering for a long time did you notice a change in your business when you when you started implementing new things or was there a moment where you guys for decided to like you know we're going to change some stuff and then you noticed a big change happen yeah you know.

I have to say that that comes to mind so for me over the years thinking about our brand and what we want to portray definitely want to showcase like a higher-end experience with our clients and analyzed a lot what why why do I think this photographer looks luxury or this why does this photographer Steve why do I look at their page and think they must charge a lot you know and honestly what I wanted a big things that I saw a lot was film photography and I realized you know that kind of photography I was really drawn to be aesthetic to so honestly I think when I started implementing Spilman's my business it's a lot of that's a whole nother subject a lot of stock refers I think so nervous about a cost of implementing film into their business but I usually I associate. Typically with the more luxury brand of photographers but beyond that the reason why I wanted to implement is because I love the look of it and now it's it's just been so amazing having it be a part of things part of the business so I would say that because it is like I said it's a certain aesthetic so your portfolio transforms a little bit I think stand so visually people think or feel something when they look at those images they may not even know what it is exactly absolutely yes so the actual work that you're producing is withdrawn for the most although fonts and colors and things like that produce help that Vibe you're saying the actual work that you're doing that's going to attract you to the point that you want oh yeah yeah I definitely think that's a big part of it you know a lot of photographers we want to be at a certain trolliver and we think we can do all these different things Without Really analyzing won't my work has to be of that caliber to not that there's not really successful photographer be more Media Group photography but combination of everything and feel like and you just want to when you're thinking about Brianna and I think you have to apply it even to like even though how you you appear like I was reading something or listening to something about you know you your face and your personality are part of your Grant too so is very easy for me like I don't like being on the camera I don't want to do like Instagram live videos and all the stuff but I myself to you because obviously when you see someone who's the face of their brand you develop certain feelings and so you won't I want to have my potential clients still positive towards me feel like no show me feel comfortable so that's part of it to social media is massive in this world obviously and going live Irish and things like that which I have I know you do all the time that is so scary to lots of people are you know what this is a part of being my business right I am my business and you know what was her to push you to finally just make that first Instagram live happen yeah honestly and this is base my husband to you cuz he talks like this lot but constantly thinking about like it's just business like I hit that sounds. Driving I think as photographers were so we're creative and we're artists and we and we feel a lot about our work and we feel like it's easy as like to be a little bit of motion based in this profession but to be successful as a business you really have to think a lot about well what's in a get me where

I want to be in business and so a lot of times I will have a mental talk with myself and say I don't want to do this like I so uncomfortable doing this or but is it going to help the business so then I try to just get over myself and do it for the person who's never done it is there like a reward that you feel afterwards of doing it likes the complish Minotaur how do you feel afterwards yes I totally totally tired but you know it's yeah you don't I don't want it be good if you could like herself on the back and be like yeah you know I and you should I should do that more often. Usually after I do live videos and stuff but I also it's also good to because it is a challenge and I do genuinely believe it or not I do want to present my true personality to my audience like I want people to feel like they get to know me and it's just different with social media cuz I mean and I don't know how old you are but like I'm 31 and we didn't grow I didn't grow up with this Social Media stuff so for me I grew up being a very interpersonal Communicator which I'm way more comfortable I'm not comfortable you know with talking to you know 50 people or whatever amount of people on a device feels really weird but just kind of talking yourself into like why do you know this is for this is going to help my business going to help my brand this is going to help people get to know me.

I mean I know I have people follow me on Instagram or people connected with me who are interested in my work with haven't hired me yet right so why do I want them to feel I want them text you I want them to know me and if they don't connect with me and we don't work together then maybe it's the better thing in your brain about you know just kind of going for it and taking the emotion out of it as much as you can and doing what's best for your business I'm the same age actually and I remember like seeing kids on their phones talking to themselves or like on in a face I don't even know what they would use probably like Snapchat was the thing so narcissistic and it's like you really

I mean this is just a different era that were in where this is how you so maybe Instagram live and social media can be a whole episode of we can really we can spend so much time online it is so important now it is for sure so so for the new photographer getting into thinking about branding are there areas that you would like poison to to say like hey here's some like helpful places to go to did you start thinking about it or would you use to process I think that's the nice thing about the time we are living in is wherein we have wealth a wealth of information at our fingertips with social media I think that you know just learn me just being open to understand