Many of my clients lead off their first conversation with “I’m not really comfortable getting my picture taken.” But what I love about shooting business “grown-ups” is upending how they view photos of themselves. It delights me when my clients follow up with “It was actually an enjoyable experience and I LOVED the way my images turned out!”

Craig was relaxed and easy to shoot. Here is what Craig & I came up with in our recent Brand photo shoot, Downtown Dayton.

Doug McDermitt and I exchange a sheepish look of agreement. We’re helping his beautiful wife Angela, daughter and baby girl select accessories during their session’s outfit change.  He looks as foreign to frill as I do but we both chime in, “that one!” Every thing they put on and do is adorable, right.

Then playtime resumes.  My second shooter (daughter Pruitt) and I chase the McDermitt family cameras on a mild late summer afternoon until the dusk draws the lights. I always come home mud covered and breathless from the lively family sessions. But I’m happily reminded how fun it is to let the wind tug on your balloon.  My work is play. Here are some images from our fun session with the McDermitts:

As a photographer, you accept that your role is to take the pictures. So when a kind neighbor asks, “Don’t you want to be in one.”  I reluctantly hand over the Nikon and he shoots. It made me realize that when I do family albums or look back at the snapshots that dot-to-dot our lives…I’m the blurry one caught mid sentence trying to teach the person holding my camera how to depress the shutter. This is what that looks like:

I’m on a journey climbing a hill in search of something precious that I lost when I wasn’t looking.  Perhaps the result of overwork, over juggling of family and business, I reached a burnout loss of inspiration and creativity not uncommon to photographers. Yet, it surprised me. {more here}

I started hanging up my camera to enjoy the things I love. As if they were somehow separate. I’ve been blessed to photograph so many families, couples, business, entrepreneurs this year and I do not want to discount how grateful I am for that opportunity. But suddenly I realized I stopped telling our story- mine, my husband’s, daughter’s, son’s and even my crazy dog’s.  I couldn’t see the trees for the forest.  Time to refocus.

Making progress, I am remembering again bit by bit what makes me passionate about photography.  It’s liberating.

Lesson one from my passion project: Take photos of what you love. Don’t stop… no matter what. 

Somewhere along the way this year, I lost a passion.

I was holding the camera, taking/editing/selling/sharing photographs but the camera was no longer holding me. The fire went out.  Once I realized that I had reached total photography burn out, to the point of considering another profession, I set out on a quest to rekindle my passion for taking pictures. I wanted to love it again.

Passion is as elusive as it is all-consuming. Where did I lose it? How do I get it back? Is it gone forever? Am I destined for blah, blah, blah.

Right now, daily, I’m digging in to these questions and I am making progress in fueling my inner fire. It’s feels like a rebirth, raw, painful and naked. It’s difficult but exciting. Here are a few of the steps I’ve taken. There are more. But I still am learning what they are.

Step one: Stop. Don’t take pictures. See the world with your eyes not through a viewfinder. For me, this took roughly a month. Until I recognized that this option sucked. I am a storyteller. Taking away my camera was like being an amputee.

Step two: Why. Why do I take pictures? Not for the profit margin, I assure you. Though it is my business. Our answers to this will vary. Try this exercise…and be honest with yourself.

For me, the “why” exists in the meaning of an image. What’s at the heart of the photo. I’ve taken countless photos. A few dozen of them truly MEAN something to me. I’m not talking about well captured, neatly crafted edits we use for our portfolio to gather new business or notoriety. I’m talking about photos that make me feel. Make me understand a character or the world. Photos that evoke raw emotion or understanding. That is why I depress the shutter.  To evoke.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten so far. I’m hellbent on finding my passion again. I am hopeful I will find it again. I invite you on the journey from passion lost to passion found with me. Maybe you need the trek as much as I do. Maybe we can learn from each other. I’ll be sharing on my progress regularly using the hashtag #evoke on Twitter & Instagram.

Branding intrigues me.

I love representing individuals, organizations and  brands with photography. So when I was approached to do this photography project with Chevrolet capturing real, local people and their unique Chevy ownership stories, I took the bait. Creating photos true to Chevrolet’s brand while authentic to each of these Dayton folks was delightfully challenging.

The storytelling project is part of Chevy’s Centennial celebration which included many other photographers across the country. Please check out their photo sets and stories on The Road We’re On main site.

Gathering the stories while taking the photos, I learned that what we drive is often intrinsic to who we are. Here is a sampling of my photo sets, these interesting owners and their personal Chevy stories.

Passion Born.

Don Boeke | Automotive Collector/Restyler in Dayton, Ohio |1961 Corvette Roadster, 1965 Corvette Coupe, 1967 Corvette Roadster

When Don Boeke (known locally as The Egyptian) got out of the Navy in ’61 he had saved enough to get his first car, a brand new 1961 Corvette Roadster.

Sitting in that first car today, Don explains that the Roadster is undergoing a makeover which he calls intense, insane customizing. Don’s collection of car is comprised of 40+ new and vintage automobiles and motorcycles in his 6000 square-foot restoration and repair shop. It is a man cave. Smells like motor oil and dust, the place is laquered wall-to-wall in automotive history.

Don says his first love and current automotive passion is the Corvette.  He restores them laborious and in exquisite detail to their former luster. He admits, “I find that when I get them exactly how I want ‘em, I don’t want to let ‘em go.” Nine of them still grace his garage in the Dayton shop.

He has always been drawn to the throttled machismo of the Corvette. Felt it suited his personality through the years. The wave of a fellow Corvette owner passing by is like connecting with a family member, a special automotive community. “When you drive a Corvette, you are part of a family. But most of all, I just like the performance of them. Always have. Always will,” Don says. To view more images from this shoot, click {HERE}.

Legacy of Strength.

Kelly Gilliam | Muay Thai Kickboxer & MRI Technologist in Beavercreek, Ohio |2004 Silverado

On the Mark. 

Mark Monbeck | Financial Consultant, Black Belt & Outdoorsman in Centerville, Ohio |1999 Chevy Tahoe

Sunny side.

Taylor Woodworth | Server & Student  in Brookville, Ohio | 2007 Cobalt

Bright, stylish and outgoing. Taylor’s personality suits her Chevrolet. Her pick for a first car was a sunny yelly Chevy Cobalt because 1) it reminds her of summertime 2) it gets noticed and 3) it’s her favorite team’s colors. Go Steelers! Her mom likes that it’s safe and gets great gas mileage. Less money on gas means more money for the fashions Taylor loves.  To see more images from Taylor’s shoot click {HERE}.

How They Roll.

Frank & Janie Schacherer | Retirees & Busy Grandparents in Miamisburg, Ohio | 2009 Impala

Though both retired, Janie and Frank are always on the go whether their headed to couples bowling night or to the grandkids weekly sporting events. Frank appreciates his Impala for sharp looking, classic, clean lines and adds “It’s also a great ride for the whole family. It’s a sweet car.” More images from Frank & Janie’s session can be found {HERE}.

I’d love to hear your comments. Let us know what you think about these Chevy stories and The Road We’re On. Do you have a Chevy story you’d like to share? Well, let’s hear it.

~Leigh

@fleurdeleigh

Because so many of us are pulling out our smart phones to snap a photograph rather than our point-and-shoot cameras, photo sharing apps are wildly popular right now.  Instagram is the fan favorite.  Its simple with an enormous social community and its sixteen well-designed photo filters make it fun. When you upload a photo to Instagram, you can easily share it on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Tublr, Foursquare and Posterous, something many other photo sharing apps fail to offer. And, it’s free.

{More here….on the Adorama Blog}

It bears explaining.  The word “headshots” make me cringe.  So, I vote we 86 it from the photography lexicon. The term “headshots”  for me connotes an uncomfortable, posed, static, assembly line photo shoot.  Pictures of you, play acting. Yuck.

Since the explosion of digital photography and smartphones has changed us all (even my parents) and has collided head on with the internet’s rise of personal branding, something new emerged with a big bang. Something I love and consider to be the core of my business at fleur de leigh.

I call it Brand Photography. It is modern, yet authentic, photography with a marketing ear to the wall for web use and networking prowess. It differs from Portrait Photography in its intrinsic purpose of message, branding.

I’ve photographed hundreds of wise individuals who recognize that brand photography is the gateway to social networking and e-commerce.  Entrepreneurs and corporations get it. They are investing in quality photographers who understand their personal or professional brand and are acute enough to capture it.  With keen Brand Photography an individual or group sends a cohesive message on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, the like.  The result is marvelous, as well as profitable.

Seth Godin master marketer and says “If you use any online social network tool, the single most important first impression you make is with the 3600 to 5000 pixels you get for your tiny picture.” Also called an avatar, suddenly that little profile pic you’re using has become more of a business tool.

Is your photography properly marketing yourself (personal branding) or your organization (corporate branding)?  Is it time to update the first impression your sending your networks and customers? Here are a couple ways to check the pulse on the images you are using.

1) Define yourself, your business, your organization in three words.  Does your online photography reflect ALL three clearly? Without articulating your own impression of who you are, how can you expect a Brand photographer to acurately capture that.  When your definition is married with images that express YOU, it’s a match made in internet heaven.

2) Do your images have personality? This is not to be confused with play acting in images.  Brand Photography is comprised of subtleties, including scene, clothing, tone, composition, feel, expression, gestures, stance which ultimately send a message to your audience: This is the real me. Only cooler. I AM my brand.

If you care about expanding your business, your social network or opportunities, Brand Photography can work for you.  The future of your brand depends on investing in its authenticity, magnetism and reach. Unfortunately, there are no do-overs on your first impression. Do it justice.