Branding.  It can be a bit of a scary word.  Mainly because this one little word holds such a massive, complex meaning.  Branding is often misunderstood, this results in underdevelopment and an inconsistent message, which can be detrimental to your business.  For several years I failed at branding for one simple reason: I didn’t have one.  I was unclear about the message, the tone, the feel and the direction of my business.  I didn’t know what I stood for, who I was marketing to, what my photography meant to me or to my potential clients.  I was flailing.

For a long time, I thought if I just had a logo and color scheme and focused all of my attention on the photography, it would work itself out.  But when my delivery was all over the place, my marketing was all over the place, my demographic of clients was all over the place and I was all over the place.  I realized that I had to get to the core of who I was as a person, what my passions and interests were and make the things that I loved the heartbeat of my business and build a brand around it.  The result: Young & Free.  I can honestly say, I have never been more at one with my brand, my message, my business and who I am as an individual.

My brand would not be a fraction of what it is today without the help and guidance from an incredible friend who not only understands the importance of branding, she understand the importance of identity.  To put it simply, she gets it.  Heather Alkhateeb-Dunnigan, the girl behind Thea Creative, is a total mastermind at her craft.  She’s no stranger to my blog, as I have mentioned her on several occasions.  :)  She is who I turned to this past summer for my brand overhaul, she created my logo & website and has done several other creative projects for us.  She is pure brilliance!

With a passion for helping other understand their brand & identity, Heather recently created Blueprints: The Photographer’s Resource to Building an Authentic Brand.  I am so excited to share with you a little interview with Heather today and a killer giveaway that you don’t want to miss!!

Tell me a little about yourself!
Hmm… who am I. Always the toughest question to answer it seems. First and foremost, I’m a dreamer and an artist who’s inspired almost daily by the unexpected moments of life. I’m tenderhearted and not afraid to show my emotions. I’m passionate and loyal to a fault. My family means the world to me and keeping traditions alive brings me an overwhelming joy. There’s nothing sweeter then being snuggled up in my husband’s arms with a cup of tea in my hands while we watch the sun set over the Barnegat Bay.

Professionally, I’m a graphic designer and branding consultant for passionate artists. I’ve had the pleasure of working with 50+ amazing photographers across the world since 2010- helping them develop brands authentic to who they are at their deepest core. I also own a portrait photography business in Princeton, NJ that brings in close to 50% of my yearly income so I understand my design clients in a way most designers cannot- as I’m striving to run an authentically branded photography business just as they are.

How did you get started in the photography business?
Being a professional photographer was NEVER something I dreamed of being when I was growing up. In fact, I didn’t even own a digital P&S till 2004 or so. I spent the better part of my youth dancing 5 days a week and dreamed of being a prima ballerina with the New York City Ballet. After a knee injury that forced me to walk away from dancing professionally, I spent the better part of 5 years trying my hand at an array of unfulfilling jobs.

It wasn’t until after I met my husband, Jamie, and we were married, that I “found” photography. Seeing the creative nature that being a photographer innately requires, I realized that creating art was what my heart was missing. In October 2008, I bought my first DSLR, pulled it out of the box, threw it straight into manual, and never looked back.

What inspired you to begin working with photographers on branding?
I often joke that I began working as a graphic designer because it gave me an excuse to use the college degree I spent way too much money for. Seriously though, after picking up a camera in 2008, I never gave design as a parallel career much thought. I didn’t think it was possible to be both a successful photographer and a successful graphic designer.

The two actually found their synchronization in January of 2010. Another photographer I had befriended on a forum saw the website I built for my own business and asked if I’d help her build hers as well. After a few gentle tugs from Tina, I finally caved in to her. Within 6 months, I noticed that working with photographers to develop brands for their business filled another creative hole in my heart. Just as capturing the relationship between a mother and child preserves the intimate moments that come and go way too fast, guiding photographers to developing a brand that uniquely reflects them fills my heart with passion and joy in a way I never imagined.

I knew at that moment that I couldn’t just be a photographer or designer- because I’d always feel as though I was missing something creatively in my life.

What is branding and why is it important?
This is such a loaded question for me and it’s actually the cornerstone of the Blueprints workbook. Branding really isn’t important. It’s the identity behind the brand, not the branding itself, that’s important. It’s something often confused by photographers so let me explain. If you think that picking a color, choosing a font and slapping your name on something is all you need to develop a brand, you’re dead wrong. These items are only important if they express a part of you.

Your personal identity defines your business and dictates what your branding reflects. Your brand is not what you show, but rather how your audience percieves what you show. And your branding is how you choose to show it.  The business of being a photographer is innately personal- so it’s the process of discovering and identifying yourself, then showcasing and reflecting your personality through your branding is what’s truly important.

What is Blueprints and how is it helpful to new or even seasoned photographers?
Over the last year or so I’ve noticed a real gap in the photography industry when it comes to access to custom design. Photographers want, need and crave a brand unique to them, yet most custom designers are unaffordable to the photographer who’s in their first 5 years of business. So photographers limp along with a style group, theme, or template to get them by until they can afford something custom. But why limp? You can successfully take a “starter kit” and truly make it reflective and authentic to you IF you know what you want your brand to reflect. The Blueprints workbook is meant to help photographers old and new do just that- find their authenticity.

Divided into three major sections, Blueprints: The Workbook, helps you gather the information needed to define you and the brand you desire, analyze that information and funnel it into a focused baseline for your business, and implement your baseline visually through your website, blog and day-to-day communications with your audience.

The workbook is founded and written based on the process and real exercises I give to each of my custom design clients. With over 140 pages of content, it offers 10+ exercises offers to help you define your authentic brand, a complete step-by-step action plan for building and sustaining a brand that’s truly authentic to you, real client case studies and my own personal brand journey.

Whether you’re just starting out, redefining your niche or simply looking to further refine the brand experience your audience and clients have, I think Blueprints offers something for each of you.To find out more about Blueprints, check out www.photographersblueprint.com.

What is one piece of advice you would give a new photographer starting out?
Listen to your clients and trust your gut. If another photographer tells you that you MUST do something (like go all digital or raise your prices), they’re wrong. You don’t HAVE to do anything. What you do need to do is to make decisions that are right for you and that you believe in. At the end of the day, YOU have to stand behind your body of work, pricing, products and brand- not the person ragging on you about something they don’t like about your business.

Simply stated, if you choose to make decisions that are deeply rooted with your personal beliefs, you will always organically infuse YOU into your brand, your business and your life.

See Heather’s portfolios at www.theacreative.com and www.hdandco.com.

WANT TO GET YOUR HANDS ON A COPY OF BLUEPRINTS?

Follow the steps below and one lucky winner will be selected at random! Entries must be completed by 10am PST on Friday, March 8th, 2013. The winner will be announced on my Facebook Page at 12pm PST on Friday! Have fun and good luck!!

STEP ONE: “Like” Thea Creative’s FB Page.
STEP TWO: “Like” Holli True’s FB Page.
STEP THREE: Share this post on your FB wall, to help us spread the word about this giveaway! (Shortcut: click the “Like” button below)
STEP FOUR: Leave a comment here on this post once Step One, Two & Three are complete, telling us why your brand needs Blueprints!