On October 17th at noon central, I am giving a brand new, never heard before live masterclass called the three secrets to booking brand photography clients. I would love to see you there. You're going to want to mark your calendar to spend about 90 minutes with me. So we have plenty of time to answer any questions that you might have. You can sign up at Maddie Prashan. Dot com slash masterclass. I'll also make sure that the link is in the show notes. There will be a replay that sent out after, but you have to sign up for the class in order to get the replay. After the masterclass, I will be opening the doors to my signature group program. Rebrand, and if you attend the masterclass, you're going to get access to bonuses and discounts. So you really don't want to miss it. Make sure you sign up at Maddie Pasha. sean.com/masterclass.

You're listening to Take It Personally, a podcast for photographers about the personal side of business and the art of standing out. Here I'll help you build a business and a brand that is uniquely you. If you want to attract dream clients and stop looking at the competition to decide your next move. If you are ready to show up as a confident branding authority to help you serve your clients and consider your goals and priorities too. If you want to make your mark in a new, underserved niche of photography, then this is the place for you. I'm your host Maddie Pachon, South Dakota brand photographer and educator. I'm a straight shooting, Instagram obsessed, and Instagramer. Diehard Swifty who has built a multi six figure business on the back of brand photography all while raising a family. And I know you can do the same. Let's get ready to take it personally.

When I left my job in 2018, I was a wedding photographer, but I knew that I wasn't going to be a wedding photographer forever. One of the big reasons that I left my job was because I felt completely burned out. I had two really young kids. I was working a full-time job. And then I also had my side hustle that had turned into much more of a full-time job. And I felt like I wasn't doing a very good job. As a wife, as a mom, as a business owner, as an employee, like I just felt like I was stretched way too thin. And I knew that wedding photography and being a full-time wedding photographer, wasn't necessarily going to end that I knew that with two young kids and with a family and enjoying my nights and weekends, like I knew that wedding photography wasn't going to be my end goal. But at the time, I was just kind of in a season of saying yes to things and figuring out what I liked and what I didn't like. And for whatever reason, I had gotten the idea that I thought it would be really cool to be a product photographer. I think what I was really already starting to recognize was that I would like to be a brand photographer, but I didn't quite have the words for that yet. And I noticed that a lot of these items that I was purchasing as a new mom, pacifier is cute. Baby clothes. Little girls bows. I noticed that they had really cute product photography. So I started following some of the photographers that were getting some of these photos, and I just started following some of these brands. And I eventually came across this Facebook group where it connected brands with photographers. And typically it was newer brands and photographers who are trying to kind of break into brand photography or moms who wanted to make a little bit of extra money or wanted to get free product, but not necessarily like do photography. Full-time. So I started posting in this group whenever people were looking for photographers and I ended up getting connected with a company called little Sleepy's. You may have heard of little Sleepy's now, but at the time they were just starting out. This is a pajama company they're based out of LA. And if you aren't sure about the name, you've probably seen their stuff in children's boutiques or even online. They have gotten really big in recent years, but like I said, at the time they were just brand new. They were looking for a photographer and I threw my hat in the ring and I must've been one of the first people to comment. And Meredith the owner got in touch with me and said, Hey, we would love to send you three Zippy pajamas. And in exchange, you can send us some photos. I think it was like 10 photos or something. It wasn't, it wasn't a time. And I thought, okay. This is my chance. I rented a studio. I picked up coffee for the moms. I made sure that I prepped the moms and let them know like, oh, you know, make sure that you have your daughter's hair pulled back and, um, bring a really neutral diaper. So you can't see it through the Zippy. And. Really tried to make sure that I had everything figured out and I put up my own money for this shoot. It wasn't paid from the company because we were doing a trade, but I wanted to do a really good job. So they would potentially want to work with me again and so the moms who were bringing their kids into model, so they started to think of me as this like brand photographer, product photographer. So we had the shoe, I delivered the photos back to the client back to little Sleepy's and she was like, Hey, we love these. We're looking for a full-time photographer to be able to send product to whenever we have drops or launches. Would you be interested? I was like, oh my gosh, this is exactly what I want. And so I went on to work with little sleepies over the period for, I think it was about two years. When we started working together, I was shooting for them a couple times a year. Then we moved to quarterly. Then we moved to monthly. And by the time we parted ways, I think it was like every two weeks, like they had just gotten to be huge. They did a licensing deal with Disney right before our partnership ended. Like it was just incredible. And it also taught me that I don't want to be a photographer for baby brands. A big reason as to why I love brand photography so much is because I get to work with adults. I get, I get to work with the grownups. Um, I love my children, but I don't necessarily want to go to work and work with a bunch of little kids, even though they are to date some of my most favorite images because. It doesn't get better than cute kids in pajamas. Right. But it was so much work to get those really great photos. However, I will always look back on my time working with little Sleepy's so fondly, and honestly, I'm just so grateful for our relationship. First of all, super cool company, super cool owner, really great team, like just really good people. And we really grew together. Obviously. They're huge. Like they have gotten to be. An absolute like household name as far as I'm concerned. And I am absolutely still, you know, a team of one, but it was really cool that we, Meredith and I left our jobs at the same time and started working on our businesses. And there was just a really cool energy to some of those early days, but really, I am incredibly grateful for my relationship with these guys because it taught me so much, they were such an excellent. First brand photography client. And so many of the things that I learned from them, I carry with me to this day. One of the reasons that I think this partnership works so well for so long was because we were both new at the same time. So when we first started working together, I was charging pretty low prices and that worked really well for them because they were just getting off the ground too. I'm sure that they had a ton of overhead expenses. I cannot fathom being in the product industry. I think that that would be incredibly overwhelming. So it worked out really great, but I was a talented photographer, but someone who was just getting started with brand photography, so my rates were a little bit lower. But I was still absolutely thrilled with being able to charge what I charged for this client. Really the fact that we found each other at all, as a Testament to the fact that we were both new at the same time, like they were willing to exchange product for photos. And I was willing to make that work. I had little kids. I knew that I would use. The product that they were sending me. And I also knew that this would be a really great portfolio builder for me. One of the things that I teach when I'm working with photographers who want to be brand photographers is to pitch new clients. And oftentimes they get really hung up finding the businesses who aren't new, who maybe have some really great brand photography. And that makes sense because that's why they're attracted to their profiles. But I think the reason that this relationship with little Sleepy's worked so well is because they were new and I was new. So if you're in that stage of wanting to pitch a new client and work with a new client, I really recommend trying to find someone who is also new to their industry, who doesn't have photos, who hasn't worked with a brand photographer before. It really makes you use your creativity because you have nothing to look at previously. You have to look at other people in their industry and you have to get to know their brand really well. So you can understand how to create brand photography for this client. They're also going to be way more likely to say yes to you, because if they have galleries and galleries of really great photos from other photographers, they don't have as much buy-in to get more, really great photography. Whereas if you're working with a business that is new, they likely need help in just about every facet of their business. It can be really appealing to want to pitch brands that are a little bit more established. But I think about the impact that really good brand photography can have on a newer business. And that gets me really excited. So even if they don't become a longterm client, or even if I offer them a price and I'm not going to offer them that price again, like it's a one-time thing. These photos are still going to benefit them so much. And that makes me feel really good about the job that I'm doing. Little it's like these also taught me that it is not a bad thing to shoot for free or to shoot for a free or reduced rate. The first photo shoot that I did with little sleepies was a free shoot for them. And I spent my own money. Probably around 300 to $400 to rent the studio and then a little bit more to get coffee and props and that sort of thing. So it's not like I was spending thousands of dollars, but for a photographer who had recently left her full-time job. Wasn't new mom was trying out a new niche of photography. And like I had no idea how it was going to go. Putting up $400 of your own money, can still feel intimidating, but ultimately I'm so glad that I did it because I think that. It made me show up in a really different way. And it also showed the company that I was serious. I treated this shoe. Like it was a paying client and the images reflected that. And I think that's a huge reason as to why they hired me to be their photographer going forward. I also recognize that a lot of it was timing and luck and that was absolutely at play. The fact that they were looking for a photographer. Blows my mind, but I also have to credit the work that I put in to make sure. Okay. Even though that this is a free shoot. I want the client to feel like it's a page shoe. And I also want to be able to add these photos to my portfolio, to get more clients like this. So again, I want this to look like a paid shoot. I was scrolling on threads the other day. I'm kind of obsessed with threads right now. And I came across this thread. Of a new photographer saying, I just can't get anyone to book me right now. And I don't know what to do. And I offered her some advice, but when I was looking through the responses, I was surprised and not surprised at the amount of people who were like, don't shoot for free, whatever you do, don't shoot for free. And I just don't agree. I think that that's insane advice. I think that it's really tone deaf to think that the only form of payment that we ever receive is in the form of money. That's just not true. I have done so many free shoots that have given me something else. They've grown my reputation. They've given me really great portfolio work. They've given me connections. I understand that free shoots don't pay the bills and yes, you absolutely have to be discerning with how often are you going to say yes to free shoots? There was somebody inside rebrand the other day who had gotten approached for a free shoe. And honestly, it was like a pretty ballsy ask on behalf of the potential client. So I understand that photographers are a little burned out by people in the industry asking for free stuff. I get that. But at the same time, there's a time and a place to shoot for free and you can't convince me otherwise. Especially when you were at the very beginning of your photography journey and you don't have any portfolio work to show for the industry or for the niche that you want to go into. It makes sense for you to shoot for free to build your portfolio with that type of work. And I teach a way to do that where you don't have to shoot for free. But sometimes you do, like, sometimes it just makes sense to say, Hey. This is what I want to do for you. Here are the boundaries around it, but at the end of the day, it's not going to cost you any money. And if that is an ideal client type shoot, and you're going to walk away with a gallery full of killer images to use in your marketing and to use on your website, you still benefited from that shoot. I also think that there's something to be said for shooting about shooting for free, from an energetic perspective. It feels really crappy to just be sitting on your hands, not booking anything. So sometimes to get out of that funk, just taking a free shoot to get out of the house, get your camera in your hands. Be among the living, remind yourself that you're talented and you can do this and you have value in all of those things. It can be really helpful for your mindset. I will sometimes do free or really discounted shoots when I'm in a bit of a lull. And I do it for me. Like I do it to benefit the business that I'm offering a free shoot too, but I also do it because I feel better about myself when I'm contributing to something. An object in motion stays in motion. And if that means that once in a while, you're doing something without exchanging dollar bills, at least you're in motion. So you can move that much closer to your next paying client. The third thing that little Sleepy's taught me is a lesson that I take into every single session. And that is, it is about the brand, not me. Towards the end of working with little Sleepy's, they got really particular with how the colors were shown. And while it was sometimes frustrating to go back and like have to kind of re color great things and to tweak presets and all of those things. I completely understand where they were coming from. And a lot of the time when they would email me and be like, Hey, sorry, like these colors aren't right. I would kick myself because I'm like, oh my gosh. Yeah, you're right. Like, that's totally my bad. And now I got to go back and fix it. It's really important, especially when you're talking about products that those colors are reflective of what the actual colors are. How often have you gotten something that you've ordered online and you get it? And you're like, I thought this was supposed to be red and it's very much more of an orange and it makes for a very annoying experience. Of course they were concerned about that type of thing and it taught me such a good lesson. That it's not about me. It doesn't matter if I don't like a particular color. So I want to like tone down the red tones, which I wasn't doing, but you get the idea right? This comes up a lot. When it comes to editing for brand photography. I do find that for the most part, I get clients who want my editing style because that's the style that I'm marketing. It's what they see on my website. It's what they see on social media. And so I feel like typically clients who are hiring me trust that's what the photos are going to look like. And so they don't try to micromanage it. But I also have no issue if a client were to come to me and be like, Hey, we love everything about everything that you do, but we want the photos to be a little bit darker or moody or whatever. Can you edit them in that way? And if I feel like I'm up for the job, like if I feel like I'm a good fit, the answer is yes, because it's not about my brand. It's about bears. Same thing for if a client takes a photo after you've delivered it and puts a filter on it. It's not about my brand. It's about theirs. I don't care if they edit it a little bit. I don't care if they put a filter on it. I don't care if they crap out the subject and put it on a white background so they can make a poster out of it. That's the point of brand photography that my client can use these photos for her brand. As a brand photographer, it's really important that you act as a partner. In your client's business. It's not to say that photography is not an art form and that photographers are not artists, but brand photographers, especially really have to put their business owner hat on. And sometimes, you know, it kind of shove that artistry off to the side a little bit. And that's not to say that you can't have fun and you can't do artistic things. But at the end of the day, your client is hiring you for something for their business. They're hiring you to create something. That's going to allow them to grow and market and scale and make more money in their business. That's your job. And if that means that they put a filter on a photo, I could really care less. I also try to approach this topic overall with empathy because it's hard. It's hard being a business owner, and it's hard showing up as the face of your business and posting on Instagram and updating your website. That can feel really hard. And I can't imagine my client getting over the hump of posting on Instagram and me being like, oops, you put a filter on that. So you're going to have to take it down. Like. I just, I don't want to slow their roll like that. I don't want to make them paranoid of how they should be using the photos that they paid for. As long as they are within the licensing agreement. I have no issues. And in fact, I will encourage them. I will comment on that post with a filter on it. I. I will share it to my stories. Like I will make sure that they know they are supported and not being watched like a Hawk. I'm such a believer that every single client in your business, even if they turn out to be the type of client that you realize you don't actually want. Every single client makes a difference in your business and every single client teaches you something. I absolutely loved the years that I worked with this company. Even though I ultimately decided that I didn't want to do the type of work that I was getting from this client. I learned so much from working with them and I am so grateful for the opportunities that working with them. Got me. Whether you are looking for your first brand photography client or your next brand photography client. I really hope that you join me on October 17th. We're going to talk all about the three secrets to booking brand photography clients. the masterclass is at noon central. You can sign up at Maddie Dot com slash masterclass.

Thank you so much for listening to Take It Personally. If you haven't already, would you head over to iTunes and leave us a review? This is the best way to let other photographers know about the show and help keep us creating content you crave. And if you want more tips and tools to build your personal photography brand, head over to my website, MaddiePichon. com. Here, you can access my downloadable ultimate personal brand session shot list to get your clients singing your praises and browse my blog for more trade secrets to help you hone your craft and grow your business. Love to learn while you listen, visit MaddiePachon. com and click on podcast for all things. Take it personally. From show notes to recent episodes and incredible guest profiles. Remember friend, the most important part of any brand is the people behind it. Branding and business is personal, so let's take it personally.