Photography for Brands

Its like taking coals to Newcastle, I am always working on brand photography for clients, its what was called, Advertising photography, but as the conventions of Advertising have changed completely, marketing a Brand is what happened in the old days when a few major ads would appear across the country on poster sites for clients such as Esso or B&H (Remember when we smoked?) . Now its about awareness, on multi platforms, from Facebook, Tik Tok to a Poster site out of Home, ie on a location in public. Confused, so am I and I do advertising for a living.

The same goes for a simple sole trader like myself, I have to be on Brand and across many platforms, just to be seen in the market place?
Well last year I had a major technical problem with my website, it was sadly a little old and needed an update, as my website is my ‘shop window’ I thought I had better address the issue and so when about looking for a way forward, I was lucky that having loads of connections I could ask around , but I also had the concerns of an aging logo and concerns about SEO.

So as I would advise a client, I took the hard route and started a complete rebrand !

A strange thing to do especially as I was entering my 50th year as a professional photographer!
However, I have no plan to retire and in fact I only want to change to a more sustainable business, work within a more geographic area and concentrate on the types of commissions I like.

First, the website had to be started, I knew it would take a while (always work in progress) , but I needed a new logo. I have lots of great friends who could have done a great design, however I have had a few over the years and I would have had yet another element to build a recognition .

However, instinctively I though I should return to my 1980’s ‘classic’ ? I had left it behind as fashion changed, but my GULLACHSEN hand painted logo was a thing of beauty, originally designed by Stu Newman a friend and Art Director/ designer who got a caligrapher to paint my surname, it was a recognised graphic that was a bit marmite but mostly loved, it was very much of its time, but as the 80’s and other decades has recently become more celebrated.

Once that logo was decided, it was down to my fried, Simon Hume at Milkbar Studio to put a site together, but that is only the start, I shall use the logo for marketing and comms, but also do what I have avoided forever, market me!

My work is what matters, however it is obvious that all marketing, is now about ‘people’. My clients work with me, and new clients need to recognise and engage with the person behind the camera.

So my logo shall become more visible, but also so shall I, sorry!

Branding photography from a photographer who does not have a presence and ‘Brand’ is sadly what I need to do, I hope that all the work I take for clients shall reflect their brand and market them, but in order to be commissioned, I need to show I can do it for my brand, so be aware. Brand photography should be seen to work or why would you commission the creator if he didn’t walk the walk?