Before & After Preview

Funny how I'm most productive during my weakest moments. Knee in brace and body supported by crutches weak. I have a reason to sit down and get work done (because I can't move) - Anthony looooves it. "Hey Anthony, can you get this for me? Hey Anthony! Mind doing this for me? Hey Anthony [insert some other command here]." What a sport he is. 

In the meantime, while he's away washing dishes, I've been redesigning my website. This is a before (top) and after (bottom) preview.  Man, I really had no direction with my first website. We all have "what was I thinking" moments... but that's the fun of learning. I'll be launching my new site soon - so stay tuned! :)

Updates

been falling behind on this blog because:

1) going through an actual rebranding process

2) getting bored with my 50mm lens

3) bringing out my big gun - the 85mm

But that isn't what really matters anyway. What does matter is that the last 3 months I've been hard at work exploring my business' identity - analyzing how my style has evolved - understanding my strengths and weaknesses - is my work consistent with my brand? 

I've been participating in activities to help me uncover what Lisa V. Lupo Photography stands for. Clean. Modern. Zazz. (I never use the word 'zazz'. Ever. But when I was thinking about my brand, this word just kept popping up in my head...again, never used it until now. I know it's not a real word - but pizzazz is). 

The exercises to help me put my brand together have been quite fun, really. For example, one activity asked, "If money wasn't an issue, where would you shop for clothes? Use those companies for design research reference." My stores included: Zara, J. Crew, Cole Haan, and of course, Anthropologie. What draws me to these stores is that they are all clean, classic, balanced, and not over done. I love Cole Haan's energy (and shoes of course...). 

Another exercise asked me to associate my brand with 3 songs: 

1) Nora Dean - Angie La La

2) Bebel Gilberto - Samba da Benção

3) Parov Stelar - Booty Swing

I love where my brand is going. I love discovering who I am as an artist. It's quite the challenge creating art without any inspiration (the lesson I learned last year) - because it's with these inspirations that will lead me in the direction I want to go in. I want my clients to be attracted to my work because they too appreciate a clean, modern, zazz-tastic approach to art. So with all of this in mind...I go back to redesigning my website with these elements of design in mind - because God knows my website right now is nowhere near what I want to be associated with. 

2013

2012 Lessons:

1) Slow down

2) Keep going

The two most important for me. Something I'm carrying over for this year. 

||

I'm in the process of redesigning my brand. Something more me. Something really me. When I "designed" my first website, I was anxious. Wanted it done now. I rushed. If I didn't have an online presence the next day, I'd be a failure (in my mind). If I didn't have an online presence the next day, people would write me off.  
Lesson: Slow down

||

Most of my day, when not out shooting or editing, revolves around reading articles about photography, researching new techniques, and scrolling through photo after photo on blogs. The latter of which is the least healthiest for me. And the most discouraging for me. I've compared myself to these other photographers and feel like a worthless, untalented, amateur photographer. (WOAHA! dramatic). But you know what I mean. I go to bed worrying about my future in the field. Yea, it's no "overnight success," I get that. But I just have to keep going with my true self. 

||

It's sort of inevitable once you've come this far in the planning process. You want to challenge yourself and see if it can be executed according to your standards. Having done it once demonstrates that I am capable of doing it. Now I am curious to see if I can do it better. Cheers to bigger and better ideas!

Sneak Peek // My Website

So between now and the end of the week, I'll be launching my BRAND NEW WEBSITE. It's about time, huh?! Here's a sneak peak of what's coming (with maybe just a few adjustments here and there). Everything is slowly falling into place. I'm excited!

Reveal!

So, here it is! My new look! There are different variations of the color combo. 

Anthony and I brainstormed a few rough adjectives for the vibe of these logos: this is what we came up with. 

- Fine

- Clean

- Balanced 

Man, thinking of three words was quite challenging! We realized there's not much inspiration/creative feel to the words. So we're going back to the drawing board tomorrow. Personally, I think Georgia O'Keeffe captured this challenge perfectly, "I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for."

Up next! Website launch. Stay tuned! 

Business Cards

Today I'll be attending the "Pricing, Process, and Profit" workshop in Seattle. I'm really excited because it's my "first" professional workshop. HOWEVER, when I got my confirmation email last night, I sort of panicked... what should have been an easy task, turned into a  day's long design session. 

The email popped up and advised us to bring 3 things tonight:

1. Pen                                 (check)

2. Paper                             (check)

3. Business Cards        (oh..snap!)

Number 3 is what got me! So off to the design board I went. Here is what I found - and hope to put together in a nice, clean, modern way. Obviously tonight's version of my cards won't be as ambitious, but I've still got some ideas up my sleeve. Gotta' represent! Wha-wha!

Left Images: Seven Swans Wedding Stationary
Top Right: Shop Around Graphic Design
Book Cover: November 22, 1963

Your Life Story

I've been doing a lot of research of other photographers in the Greater Puget Sound area. There are some pretty talented artists in the area. It can be a little discouraging at times because I feel behind. When I emailed Alejandra Vidal of Imaginale Design asking for advice she put everything together for me. When I mentioned feeling behind she told me we experience this because "it revolves around the idea that sometimes when we see incredible work we become discouraged because it's a yearning to BE MORE.  The beauty highlights our yearning for more." 

She couldn't have said it better. What makes it difficult for me is looking at all their work and liking it. Where things get dangerous is trying to mimic their style. No. No. No. I can't do that. I have to follow my instinct and create my own. In my office hangs a quote - "write your own life story" and it keeps me going. I have mounds of magazines and books in my office with cut-outs and bookmarks of everything I can relate to/admire. 

So - where I am going with this? Really, I am not sure. But this weekend I have a shoot planned out with my new camera. So I'll be experimenting with a few techniques I've been dying to try! And staying true to my style that will help establish my business. Sit tight and have a great weekend!!!

Branding

This is where things get a little tricky. I've been reading so much about owning a small business, specifically a photography business. DO's & DON'Ts. And to be honest, it's a little overwhelming! One thing remains constant, however, and that is how you brand your business.


Some advice I've come across is "find your style..." or "find your true self..." (which was always too vague for me - I would just think to myself, "uhh..I'm right here..") But last night I had an "ah-ha" moment at 2:00am (I thought all nighters were only a college habit for me?!) and everything made sense. I stumbled upon Promise Tangeman's blog and found this little gem.

Credit: Promise Tangeman

Now, you may be thinking - that's all wrong! But allow me to quote her:

"Do you ever have that feeling in your gut of just exactly how something SHOULD be? Let’s use a photographer as an example. You know that moment when you are shooting the same subject with another photographer and you think, “That needs to be shot from here, at this angle, with this setting.” Or that feeling of, “This is what I would do if I were in that situation.” That may sound arrogant, but it’s not….that is your STYLE talking. You may not be able to see your own style for a while, but the more you shoot, create, make, and design, the more your style will be revealed over time. Soon others will be able to recognize your style too. Or they may even be the first to notice! create, create, create, and then look back to see how you have evolved and developed as an artist. And your style will be shining bright." 

That's happened to me so many times - it just never clicked that it would be considered "my style." I've been limiting myself to what I found on Pinterest or other sites. So, this weekend I will be stepping away from my computer and shooting pictures, figuring out how I want to compose the shot, bringing out the good ol' pen and paper, and designing how I want to brand my business. Come Monday, I'll put it all together in Photoshop and make it work (and if I can't figure it out, I'll find a way). Stay tuned because you may just see something totally different on my blog. ;)  But before I can be that ambitious, I have to finish the laundry and walk Molly. Until then, have a GREAT weekend!