Reflections on 2020 as a Brand Photographer

2020. What a year. When I think back to the beginning it feels like 5 years have passed. So much has changed, including the fact that having an online presence is non-negotiable for your business’s survival.

It’s wild to me that even though I had a month + of absolutely no work back during the first major shut down, my business still grew this year. It surprises me because I hear of a lot of businesses not doing well and shutting their doors, but then again it doesn’t…because what I do is absolutely essential to your business surviving in this new world we are living in. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I feel blessed to have had a good year in business and even feel overwhelmed by the number of people that need my professional help.

I am not telling you this to brag, but rather to reflect on the year and process the change myself. I am honored to be able to work with each and every business that comes my way and I hope to be making some small impact in the world…mostly in the world of small businesses in my hometown of Tacoma, Washington.

In the Bible, God tells his people to live in and care for their city in Jeremiah 29: 4-7: “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce…Work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” I pray that through my work, I am seeking the welfare of my city and living for the glory of God.

The year started out at a very unusual pace for me. In the past I’ve had a slower start, but now that I have fully pivoted to brand photography, my yearly rhythms are changing. I kicked off 2020 with brand photoshoots for two of my social media clients: Bliss Small Batch Creamery and hello, cupcake!

And then a fun brand shoot for Waffle Stop to take lifestyle brand photos for their website and social media. This shoot was such a fun one for me, between a great group of models and a great, family-run business with a bright, fun brand! Ah, and no restrictions on dining yet 🤯

Then came a month full of headshots! Some for Give InKind and then a large project for TCF Architecture capturing headshots, office life, and details.

Aaaand some more food. This time for a line of grab-and-go snacks and sandwiches from Harbor Wholesale. Their vision for this line is fresh and healthy, quick foods for the Pacific Northwesterner, and so we planned a three part shoot to show the ease of purchasing it in a convenience store and taking it with you on an adventure, in addition to showcasing the food itself, propped with fresh produce.

In February I also did my first ever day of brand mini sessions! It was a fun learning experience for me and I hope to do it again soon. I rented out GRLS studio and had 4 small businesses come through. Next time I’ll leave more time for each client 😉

Then oh, the irony, just before the world shut down I did some additional work for hello, cupcake and started working with Quickie Too, two local eateries (with very different brand aesthetics) that ended up having to switch to take out for the remainder of the year just after we captured dine-in service 😭We were still able to make some of the images work for their social media and web presence, just with much different captions than we had anticipated.

After such a busy start to the year, it felt like out of the blue that the world shut down. For about 3 months (basically 2nd Quarter) I had just a few little photoshoots out of my home, thanks to the safety of porch drop-offs and the like. It was heartbreaking to watch the businesses I worked for close their doors and only be able to open for takeout. What an uncertain and trying time! I was thankful to have a few things here and there to help me stay creative even if it was just out of my kitchen and little sunroom studio. My focus switched to writing content for my blog and building relationships with local businesses by offering things like shooting curbside takeout in exchange for a meal.

And then when things slowly began to re-open there were a lot of shoots planned to showcase how businesses were handling the pandemic and what safety measures were in place, which was weird at first but has become a new norm for me over the second half of the year.

And slowly things picked up again for business with some social distancing in place and camera fog (photographers and people who were glasses, you know what I mean! 😝) and taking advantage of summer weather for outdoor shooting. There was more ice cream and cupcakes and some new clients too! I got to do brand photoshoots for Major Party Shop and the Sweet Treats Cart by Harbor Cakes over the Summer too!

In addition to brand photography, I got to work with the City of Tacoma on a virtual workshop on the importance of social media, which was a big success! They also connected me to several new clients and we worked together on social media campaigns for Master Burger Meister and The Hilltop Action Coalition. I was able to shoot photos around the Hilltop Neighborhood businesses and help promote them which was such a great experience. And I had another great group of models that helped me out for the Master Burger Meister lifestyle shoot in the Tacoma Mall Food Court! I felt like these jobs really challenged me and helped me to grow as a business woman, photographer, and social media manager and I am grateful to the City of Tacoma for facilitating them.

In September I started working with Creatively Squared, a creative agency the connects brands with creatives and through them I got to work with several bigger name brands which has been pretty cool! It all started with a shoot for Alamos Wines and for the first time, rescheduling for inclement weather meant wildfire smoke 😩Like I said, what a year! When the smoke cleared enough to be outside though it ended up working to our advantage as the client wanted a moody feel to their images.

I also started a new social media project in September working with Channing Baby & Co in Downtown Tacoma. I’ve enjoyed working with them before and so it’s great getting to work with them more consistently now. We did a couple of shoots in their shop and a fun modeling shoot with some cute kiddos at GRLS studio too!

Another social media account I’ve gotten to work with near the end of the year is the cutest little Italian tap truck for weddings and events, called The Mini Bar. They are just trying to get their feet off the ground and are hoping to build their brand for when more events are allowed. I love getting to work with brands to help build a recognizable social media presence as they get started so this has been another fun project!

November brought with it another partial closure here in Washington and in true 2020 fashion, I was just getting ready to send off another gallery to a local restaurant. Here are a few shots from my photoshoot with Marzano Restaurant, which by the way, has the most amazing Tiramisu.

I get to meet a lot of amazing and creative people as a brand photographer and Shanik is one of them. We connected over Instagram and before I knew it we were collaborating on a fun shoot late this year. She makes the most perfect gift boxes at All Things Sheek. I am so glad we met and that I got to help her create these images for her brand.

Oh and then there were holiday shoots! Here are a few shots from working on Enfamil’s Christmas campaign.

One of the last photoshoots I got to do this year was for Only Oatmeal Cookie Creations at their new location in the Point Ruston Public Market. It is always a joy to work with Karina and I’m so excited for her as she grows her business!

I also got to work with S’well on a couple of occasions throughout the year. I love working with local companies, but sometimes it’s fun to work with the bigger national brands too!

Lastly, I want to share one of the biggest surprises that 2020 held for my business. I never imaged that I would get to create brand imagery for this company. The brand I am talking about is Google 🤯 I got connected with this project through Creatively Squared and got to collaborate with other photographers around the world to create candid, lifestyle imagery for them. My part of this larger project included creating photos to show individuals taking control of their finances using technology, and the role technology played this year in schooling and working from home with kids around. Here are a few of the images I created for Google.

As I said in the beginning of this post, 2020 was a crazy year with a lot of surprises. Some good, some bad, but all an opportunity for growth. And though I am entering 2021 a little more tired, and maybe a little less enthusiastically, I am still looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me this year. He is good all of the time!