This morning, @ParkerLePla posted an article on investing in your brand during an economic down-turn:

“…taking the long view in running a business…helps in the middle of the economic slog we’re all going through—knowing that cycles always change (it will get better, honest) and reminding us to invest in actions that may be long-term winners but short-term losers. This long-view applies to branding, as well. Continuing to invest in your brand differential during a downturn will pay off, maybe not today, but once the recession is over…”

If you’re considering using this slow time to invest in your business by rebranding, consider doing some brand discovery and definition instead of focusing on the physical components of your brand (logo, packaging, website, etc.).  This can be a cost-effective way to approach rebranding since the discovery/definition pieces of rebranding require investing time and energy much moreso than money.  Even if you decide to hire an outside firm to help with the brand discovery process, you will likely still save money because it will make the visual design process much easier down the road.

So what’s brand discovery? Brand discovery is about finding out what value you bring to your clients, rather than you deciding what that value is. Instead of you telling them, you let them tell you. You ask your best clients questions about what they appreciate (and don’t appreciate) about your business, how they characterize you and your company, what you do well, and what makes you unique. Usually this process works best if you can have someone else (not you) call clients and chat with them about these questions. Have them make note of everything clients say, and then read through the answers looking for recurring themes. This process will give you insight into what your clients value about you, and you can build a solid brand on that information. You will be well-positioned to start a visual branding process with a designer who can help you translate your brand into physical components (such as logo, packaging, website, etc.) that speak to your ideal clients by reflecting what they value, what you do well, and what makes you unique.

Books I recommend for this type of branding:
The Brand Called You
Brand Driven
Integrated Branding

This work increases customer loyalty and retention, because it makes you look at branding as every touch-point that a client has with your company. Every time you sound thrilled to hear from your client, every time the neighbor’s dog growls when a client walks to your front door, every extra wallet print you throw into the order as a surprise, every doorknob that is hard to turn, or loose brick a client trips over: ALL of that is your brand. What is it saying about you?

I think now is a perfect time to do branding work. By the time you’ve gone through this process (which can take 2-6 months), the economy is likely to have improved, making it a little more comfortable to spend the money on a great designer who can help with creating your visual brand.

If you’re interested in hiring a firm to help with your brand discovery, get in touch with Parker LePla. I’ve worked for (and with) companies that have gone through the Parker LePla brand discovery process, and it really makes an enormous difference in terms of creating positive change inside your organization.  If you’re ready to catapult your business to the next level, I think they should be the first stop on your journey.

Are you a Seattle-local with a hip, thrift-store sense of style?  Do you like funky accessories, hats, and jewelry? Do you lust after the perfectly ironic t-shirt, and made-it-myself scarves?  If this sounds like you, I could use your help…

I’m in the process of doing some re-branding stuff with my photography business and I want to acquire some interesting props–just the types of offbeat things one might find at a thrift store.  I’m not really an avid thrifter, because (as a fat girl) it has always been just impossible to find anything there to fit me, so eventually I gave up even trying.  I want to pick up some interesting hats, toys, umbrellas, shoes, scarves, and other funky accessories as props to encourage clients to loosen up and get silly in front of the camera.

Anyone willing to help? In exchange, you can use some of the fun new props for me in front of the camera, and I’ll post them on Facebook for you to share with friends. 

Hey, y’all!

I am doing some digital housecleaning this summer, and want to give clients the opportunity to obtain high-resolution images on DVD before they get housecleaned off my drives. 

Your images may be affected if we had a photo session on or before August 31, 2008.  Your photos will be removed from my hard drive by August 31, 2009.

You have two options for purchasing a high-resolution (print-quality) DVD:

1. Retouched Image DVD - $249.99 (Weddings: $499.99*)
Retouched images are final, finished images with professional digital manipulation (airbrushing, rotating, cropping, color-correction, skin-smoothing, tooth-whitening, blemish-removal, etc.) applied to them.  Retouched images are provided in JPEG format.  Retouched images represent a sub-selection of all images captured—the best of the best—and are the same images presented to you in your original proofing and ordering gallery.

2. Original Image DVD - $499.99 (Weddings: $999.99*)
Original images are the original images photographed by me on your session date, saved into JPEG format.  Original images are unsorted, and have no digital manipulation (airbrushing, rotating, cropping, color-correction, skin-smoothing, tooth-whitening, blemish-removal, etc.) applied.  These are often referred to as “straight out of the camera” images.  Original images represent every image taken at your session, including those which may have been left out of your original proofing and ordering gallery.

Please let me know by June 31, 2009 if you would like to purchase either image DVD.

Final DVDs will be mailed by July 31st.

Images will be erased from my storage drives by August 31st.

I will also be releasing (or re-releasing) your images onto Pictage, my proofing and ordering website, should you wish to order any additional professional-grade products before your images are expired from my drives.

Thanks!

*Wedding DVDs are more expensive, because there are far more images which need to be archived for you.

PS: I’m also expiring my Pictage account by August 31, 2009, when I switch to a different proofing and ordering provider.  If you have any outstanding print credits, please be sure to get them in prior to that date!  Album orders should be placed by July 6, to ensure time for production!

Hey, y’all.  I’m currently seeking to partner up with a great make-up artist. (If you can do hair as well, even better!)  Know someone who would be great?  Send ‘em my way!

Successful partners…
…are reachable via email
…have portfolio examples to share (even if they’re just jpegs that you email to me)
…expect to be fairly compensated for your talent
…tend toward a “natural” look, but can vamp it up for some drama
…have a great sense of humor
…love the idea of working with non-mainstream populations: LGBTQ, plus-size, fetish/kink, (dis)ability communities
…enjoy challenging traditional definitions of “beauty”
…are not allergic to cats
…are able to easily get to the Cascade neighborhood (base of Denny, sort of behind REI)

I am…
…mostly a weekend photographer
…queer (high-femme dyke)
…serious about my freelance business
…happy, friendly, and hilarious (okay, well, *I* like to think so!)
…size-accepting and advocating

It’s important to me that you are able to check your biases at the door when it comes to working with non-mainstream communities, particularly with regards to plus-sized bodies. My primary clientele consists of larger-bodied women; boudoir photographs are a scary prospect for most anyone, but even moreso for these women. Respect and consideration are paramount. Being a good match for me is more important than having an impressive resume.

Please send me your website, or let me know if you have jpegs to share. (Sometimes the craigslist mailserver chokes on sending attachments, so tell me in your response that you have some to share and I’ll reply so that you can send them directly to me.) Please also include your rates, policies, and any other information that you’d like considered.

Thanks!

I’m finally getting a chance to take a deep breath after my whirlwind Boudoir Marathon weekend, and WOW.  That was an awesome couple of days!  I had some incredibly H-O-T women posing for me, and they were WORKING IT.  I was pleased to get such a strong turn-out since this was my first time doing a marathon weekend like this, and I am definitely going to be doing it again.  I even think the boudoir marathon may become an annual event.  It got me thinking about other types of sessions I could group together like this, so keep your eyes out for some fun announcements in the coming months!

Seattle has a lot of aspiring “erotic” photographers, so I thought I’d give a little insight into how I prepare for my sessions.  The key to success in any industry is practice, practice, practice, and in photography you often need willing models…fortunately, I have two girls on-call in my studio at all times, ready and willing to sprawl on my bed at a moment’s notice:

Yeah, they have a rough life. 

I’m having a boudoir photography event in a couple of weeks, and I’m inviting you to give the gift of your own sexiness this Valentine’s Day.  Please contact me to reserve your spot, and feel free to pass this along to friends who might be interested!

Molly Bennett Creative is holding a Boudoir Photography Marathon on January 10th and 11th in Seattle.  Boudoir photographs are a wonderful Valentine’s surprise for a partner, and can also be a creative way for you to explore your sexiness as a gift to yourself.

A private 90-minute session:
• $300  SALE! $250
• Up to 3 outfit changes
• Online proofing, ordering and slideshow (all password-protected for your privacy)
• Professional re-touching, processing, toning, cropping and artistic effects
• A classy 5×5 linen album of the best 35 photos from your session

A $100 non-refundable fee (fully-applied toward total) is required to reserve your private time slot.  Albums will be sent to you in time for Valentine’s Day, and are available in your choice of black, silver, navy, beige, pink, aqua, rose or plum! For more information and to reserve a time, email mcb@mollybennett.com.

Nervous?  Don’t be!
I recognize that photo sessions like these are really scary for a lot of women, but if you haven’t ever done photographs like this before, you might be surprised at how they can allow you to see how sexy you really are!  I think that the human body is beautiful, but our culture does quite a good job at making people—women in particular—feel bad about our bodies. Never good enough, we’re too fat, too thin, too old, too tall, too short, have too many pimples, scars, freckles, or bruises, too much cellulite or body hair. If we don’t look like we just walked off a runway, we’d better get ourselves home in front of our mirrors and die trying.

You know what I say? FUCK THAT.

The result of these unrealistic beauty standards is that it is difficult for those of us who cannot meet them (ie: EVERYONE) to feel sexy. Through these sessions, I aim to remind you that “sexy” comes in a wider variety of colors, shapes, and sizes than last month’s issue of Cosmo would have us believe.  You don’t need to be a model for me to successfully capture your beauty.  Take it from me: I’m far from traditional “model” condition, and I know how to flatter your figure, whatever shape it may be.

If you’re still feeling nervous, I invite you to step through my online portfolio with images from past boudoir sessions.  You can see that the people I’ve photographed range the gamut of body shape and size, and I think you’ll have to agree that all of them are stunning: http://mollybennett.com/#/pbou/

For more information on the Boudoir Photography Marathon and to reserve a time, email mcb@mollybennett.com.

One of the uniquely lovely things about being a photographer is that occasionally we have the opportunity to capture some truly inspiring, amazing love between two people that we care about.  Last week, I had one such opportunity.  We only had about 15 minutes before our fingers and toes started to freeze off our bodies, so I’m looking forward to next time we’re all in the same place and we can do a longer session!

Staten Island, NY—Mitch and Marisa are two friends of mine in New York who have been together for 10 years.  Last weekend was their 5th wedding anniversary.   These photographs were my holiday gift to them, and also a way to celebrate the strength and longevity of their relationship.

I am always curious what it is that allows a couple to make their relationship work for so many years, so I asked Mitch what their secret is.  “I think that what has made us last for 10 years has been honesty, laughter, and unwavering support for one another in everything we want to do.”  I asked him what he felt has helped them keep the spark and passion alive between them for this long, and he said, “Have you SEEN my wife?  She’s gorgeous!  But no, really, something as simple as a kiss can make me forget that there’s anything else around me…I think part of it is simply being with the right person…the person who can make me feel that way.”

Can I get a resounding, “Awwwwwwww!” from the blogosphere?  How sweet is that?

Mitch, Marisa, these photographs were a joy to create.  I can’t wait to take more next time we’re all in the same place.  Merry Christmas and Happy Anniversary!  Much love to you both.

Click here for the slideshow.

Have you noticed I’ve been posting more lately?  I’ve had a bit more to report, since I’ve had time to catch up on some editing and blogging!

Seattle, WA—Last year, Deb and Jutta won a portrait session I donated to an LGBT health organization’s annual fund-raiser in Seattle.  We were finally able to schedule our session in September, and I’m so glad we did! Deb and Jutta have this adorable house that they share with two lovable and enthusiastic dogs and one very sweet cat. They also have a GORGEOUS garden in the backyard, which had perfect afternoon sunlight the day I was there.  I had no idea plum trees were so pretty.  And here’s a tip: need your dogs to look at the camera?  Try dangling a plum over your head to get them to look your way!

Deb & Jutta, I hope you enjoy the photos!  And thank you for the plums!  They were the best I’ve ever had!

Click here to view the slideshow.

 Dorothy getting ready…

The female version of The Rat Pack:

Favorite!:

Guests taking candids:

Dorothy giving Angela a gift shortly before the ceremony:

Team Angela:

A small moment shortly before the ceremony…

YUM!

The chic cocktail hour:

The rings:

Seattle, WA: I was so lucky to have Angela and Dorothy be my last wedding for awhile.  Talk about going out in style! As I left their wedding on September 6, I was seriously reconsidering my little break, because I was in photographer heaven!

Angela and Dorothy had a beautiful and unique wedding held at Pravda Studios on Capitol Hill in Seattle.  Angela wore a red dress for most of the day…until she surprised us all by switching to a beautiful white dress prior to walking down the aisle!  All of their family and friends turned out to support their commitment to each other.  It was a beautiful ceremony, but what was really lovely to see was how completely in love these two are.  They have such a matter-of-fact and spunky sense of humor, and are always making each other laugh.  The energy between them is wonderful to witness, and I feel lucky that I was there to capture just a piece of it!

Want to see more from their day?  Check out the slideshow, or order images online through Pictage!  (The “Event Key” is Dorothy’s last name.)

Thank you, Dorothy and Angela, for including me in your day!

I know, I know, I am a very very bad blogger! I haven’t posted since MARCH? Egads. That’s not okay. Let’s just say I’ve had lots of big life changes that have prevented me from prioritizing blogging! I should be blogging at least a little more for awhile as I process through photos from the summer, so please keep checking back! I should also have some graphic-design related things to post on in a few weeks if everything goes as planned. I’ve been buried in a very big, very awesome project at the 9-5 day job, and I am really excited to get to share it with you all!

But for right now, what I want to share with you are some photos I took of a lovely couple back in July! Meet Sarah & Kedrick:

Sometimes I catch a moment like the one below and the moment itself is so perfect that it doesn’t even matter that it’s not in focus…

I LOVE this one!

I got to experiment a lot with the sun flare:

Sarah and Ked are a delightfully goofy couple:

Hey, Sarah, payback’s a bitch!

I love the sweetness of this one:

And here I think they look like a couple of best friends!:

Favorite!:

Blaine, WA: Sarah and Kedrick contacted me after I photographed Matt & Kristen (and family), and wanted to hire me to take some photographs of them together. The last time they had professional photographs taken was at their wedding FIVE YEARS AGO! It can be really fun to take photographs of people who hardly ever have professional photographs taken, just because you know they’re really going to treasure having them in their family forever. We met for lunch to talk about the photos last spring, and we got along so well that we ended up making a little trip over to LUSH, where I proceeded to get Sarah addicted to some of my favorite products. (Sorry, Ked!)

When we finally took the photos in July, I drove all the way up to Blaine, WA so I could photograph them in their stomping grounds. Sarah & Ked generously let me stay in their spare bedroom for the weekend, so we got to make it a two day photo session! It was actually really nice to be able to take our time like that, and wait for the great light at different times of the day. So if you’ve thought about hiring a photographer who lives quite a distance from you, don’t hesitate to do it! I think it let us be really relaxed and have a lot of fun with the photographs, and I would definitely do it again anytime.

Sarah and Ked, THANK YOU for having me come photograph you! Come down to Seattle again anytime and we’ll go get ice cream.

Click here for Sarah & Ked’s slideshow.

Sarah and Ked’s neighbors had a new golden retriever puppy named Harper, and he was a TOTAL ham for the camera! I couldn’t resist snapping some images of him, too. This was my favorite: