Branding Session: Makeup with Mer

Meet Mer..aka Meredith! This gorgeous firecracker and mama has something to share with you all. She has been using an awesome line of products and makeup for a few years now and decided to take the plunge with going into business. Makeup with Mer was launched as a mobile makeup and skincare service using LimeLife by Alcone.

We launched her service with a Branding Session that she came into the studio for and focused on what her services were, what she loves about these products and how passionate she is about sharing them with you. She is a wealth of knowledge and will help you to design a skincare regimen best suited for you. She shared that all products are chemical free, cruelty free, vegan and paraben free.

So if you are in the market for trying something new or just looking to be educated a bit more while getting your makeup professionally applied, head on over to her Instagram page @makeupwithmer1 and reach out to her. Alternatively, you can also follow her along on Facebook Makeup with Mer’s Beauty Boutique.

Personal Branding Sessions are those that can be designed to be whatever you’d like them to be. You and your brand are unique. While your niche may be something that other’s do, there is only ONE of you! People want to hear from YOU and to participate in your business. Sometimes they just don’t know how. Show up, get personal, open up and share the real life about you. Chances are, your clients will love you for that and even relate better with you. By building that connection, it opens doors and forms bonds for the future. You just never know where that will take you. Trust me and have fun!

Wishing you all the best Meredith and look forward to seeing you again soon!

Ajax,Durham Region,GTA Portrait Photographer:: Being in Business

Let's see a show of "Likes" if you know someone who is a photographer?  I think it's safe to assume that we all know someone who is correct?  In this day in age, anyone can purchase a digital camera as seen "on sale" and adopt the term, yes I am a photographer.  However as much as companies make it more and more accessible for the general public to do so, only a fraction of that actually makes the decision to further their knowledge and new found skill.  This cannot be done overnight.  One must build a solid portfolio before thinking of taking the next big step...starting a business.  The same applies to flash websites and  photography blogs. One must learn and practice before opening up shop.

In the last 5 years I've been in business, I've seen a huge influx of photography businesses arise.  Most are as I started out to be myself, known as MWAC=mom with a camera.  Bearing in mind we all need to start somewhere, the amount of photography websites and blogs are a bit mind boggling.  It's grown overnight and out there online for all to see, while the subject of quality hangs in the balance.  Sure we all grow.  After 5 years of business I am still growing. For that I will always do!  I am constantly looking to steer myself in new directions, challenge myself and grow stronger as a person not just a photographer.  The demand for business IS there, this we know. But as a good friend recently expressed, the demand for quality is on the decline!  WHY?

Why is it that one individual will chance the quality of photographer (A) vs photographer (B)?  Style?  Price?  Location? Convenience?  How is it that we are so picky when it comes to the food we serve at our table for our family, the kind of car we drive and the quality of living we work hard for?  Yet when it comes to preserving the memories of the ones we love MOST, we are brainwashed into thinking that the lowest price is the best!  This my friends, always comes back to kick us in the pants. Quality does matter!  Very much so.  It's not all about providing one with digital images on a CD for $100 ( session fee may or may not be included) because let's face it. Those that choose to purchase these packages are going to share them online to every family and friend they have and then tuck that CD away safely in the back drawer only to collect dust.  These images will be forgotten or pulled out once every few years. Professional portraits and artwork lives and breathes on your walls. It's a daily reminder of  just who you are. What you have been blessed with and are proud of!

Being in business is tough. There is no doubt about it.  I've said it once before, that very few find a balance between home and work. This rings more truer for those that work from home. But I DO love what I do.  I DO work my butt off into the wee hours of the night to strive and provide the best quality that you deserve.  As do all professional photographers.  It is up to you to do your research.  Figure out what works best for you.  Professional photography is not for everyone.  It is an investment.  That said, it is the BEST investment you can make.  After all isn't what's important most to you your family and the memories you will make together?

I'll end with some food for thought...

The goal is not to change your subjects, but for the subject to change the photographer.  ~Author Unknown

A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety.  ~Ansel Adams

Buying a Nikon doesn't make you a photographer.  It makes you a Nikon owner.  ~Author Unknown

Look and think before opening the shutter. The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera. — Yousuf Karsh

Which of the photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow. — Imogen Cunningham

My favorite:  Be yourself, everyone else is taken. ~ Author Unknown

Thank you to all my clients both present and past.  You are the reason why I work so hard.  Just as you love your family, I LOVE mine.  Time is special to all of us and sharing my talent with you to adorn for years to come is what matters most to me.  I look forward to seeing you soon!

Love,

P