Why You Should Take Yearly Family Portraits
Why You Should Take Yearly Family Portraits
by Linda McCarthy
How many times have you wanted to take a family photo, maybe for your Christmas cards, and then simply been too busy? Life gets hectic, and you find you don’t have time to wrangle all the kids and sit everyone down for a proper photo.
Or maybe you have albums full of photos of your kids, but none with you and your spouse in them because one of you is always taking the pictures.
This is where a professional family photo shoot is a great idea. Instead of worrying about taking a photo yourself, you can let a professional shoot, edit, and even print the photos, providing you with memories to cherish for the rest of your life.
Capture changes in your family.
From first steps to braces to high school, as your kids grow up, you don’t want to miss a moment. Having an annual family photo taken allows you to document all the changes in your family, whether it’s a new addition or a rapidly growing child. Professional family photos will be something you and your children can look back on for years to come.
Create art for your home.
What better way to decorate your home or office than with beautiful photos of the ones you love? You may have plenty of photos of your kids snapped on your cell phone and even some selfies of the whole family, but those are hardly the kind of pictures you want blown up on canvas and hanging above the fireplace. A professional family photo shoot helps you ensure that everyone will be in the photo, looking their best.
Start a tradition.
Whether you grew up taking family photos or not, it’s a great tradition to start with your family. Someday your grandchildren and maybe even their children will look back on your family photos, so it’s important to have quality, professional images for future generations to enjoy. And once you start the tradition of taking family photos each year, your children can continue it when they have families of their own.
Eliminate the stress of taking your own photos.
Instead of trying to organize and shoot a family photo yourself, a professional can do the work for you. Professional photographers work frequently with families and children and will know how to keep your kids happy and get them to pose. Even better, they can often help with printing the photos, so you know you’re getting the best quality images of your family.
Next time you’re thinking about how much you need an updated family photo, consider scheduling a session with a professional photographer—and make it a tradition that your family can enjoy for years to come.
Click here to set up your complimentary Zoom call to discuss family portraits with us.
VISUAL CONCEPTS PHOTOGRAPHY
3272 Davidsonville Road
Davidsonville, MD 21035
410-353-3702
linda@visualconceptsltd.com
Why Your Business Needs Professional Branding Photography
Why Your Business Needs Professional Branding Photography
by Visual Concepts Branding
As a small business, your brand identity is incredibly important. It’s more than your logo or colors—it’s how you show potential customers who you are and what you have to offer. If the imagery on your website doesn’t reflect the type of brand you want to be, then it may be time for some updated photos.
Professional branding photography can provide you with a library of images to use not just on your website, but on social media and in press releases. It’s an investment in your brand and business and a way to show the world the professional you are.
Show, don’t tell
Great, keyword-rich copy is incredibly important to have on your website, but photos can also tell a story. They can show what your brand mission and values are, how much you care about the work you do and how talented your team members are. Images can say exactly what you want to say in a second.
Remember that potential customers aren’t going to take your word for everything. Don’t just describe your workspace or your staff—show them off! After all, you’ve worked hard to put together a business you’re proud of. Why not let the world see what you’ve created?
Establish your brand identity
Professional photography is the perfect way to capture your brand identity. These images can include the products or services you offer, your workspace or storefront, your staff, and, of course, you! By giving anyone who sees your photos a peek into your world, you can help potential customers better understand your story and how you stand out from your competitors.
Ask yourself: How do you want your customers to picture your brand? What do you want them to remember? The answer is your brand identity, and a professional photographer can help you capture that identity in images that you can use to promote your business across social media and on your website.
Let people know your products or services are high-quality
Even if you’re not a photographer, it’s pretty easy to spot amateur photos on a website or social media page. They’re often blurrier, not well framed or even poorly lit. If you use amateur photos to promote your business, potential customers may see your brand as low quality. Even average photos can create the wrong impression: that your services are run-of-the-mill and offer nothing new.
Professional branding photography gives you unique images of your business. Using these photos lets potential clients know that you’re a professional who takes your business seriously—and that you will take their purchase seriously as well. When someone sees that you’ve put time and money into your brand photography, they’re more likely to trust you with their business—and maybe even become a repeat customer!
Have a library of images to use
With professional branding photography, you get a variety of images you can use for any promotional purpose. From social media posts to blogs to emails, you now have tons of images at your fingertips whenever you need photos to represent your brand. Plus, using high-quality images on social media increases the likelihood that visitors will share your posts, leading to more social engagement.
Photographers can help you show off your brand
A professional photographer does more than click a button. They have years of experience and knowledge on how to light, frame and shoot your business, as well as how to edit your images to ensure they look amazing.
Your photographer can even help you out if you’re uncertain how to best capture your business. They can offer advice and suggestions, as well as expert staging skills, to frame your business in the best light and help you turn your vision for professional, high-quality images into a reality.
Working out of its farmhouse studio and gardens, Visual Concepts Branding provides professional, high-quality images to sole proprietors and small and large businesses seeking to grow their businesses. Our studio is conveniently located on Rte. 424 in Davidsonville, MD, with easy access from the Greater Annapolis Area, Anne Arundel County, Howard County, Southern Maryland, Baltimore and Washington DC. We also provide on-location services in the greater Baltimore/Washington corridor and throughout Southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore.
Check out our blog on 5 Reasons Why You Need Professional Headshots:
Any questions?
VISUAL CONCEPTS BRANDNG PHOTOGRAPHY
3272 Davidsonville Road
Davidsonville, MD 21035
410-353-3702
linda@visualconceptstltd.com
Why Professional Beats DIY When It Comes to Your Headshots
Why Professional Beats DIY When It Comes to Your Headshots
by Linda McCarthy
When everyone has a camera on their cell phone—and often a pretty decent one—it can be easy to think you don’t need professional photos for anything and certainly not for your headshots. Can’t a friend just snap a good picture of you with their iPhone in Portrait Mode?
Well, you certainly could ask your friend to take your headshot, but if that friend is not a professional photographer, you definitely won’t get an image that conveys the right impression of you and your personal or professional brand.
If you choose to get professional headshots, you should do them right—hire a professional who can help you create the images you want.
Image is everything.
Professional headshots give off an impression of organization and expertise that a selfie or blurry photo from your company party just doesn’t. Whether you’re job hunting or trying to promote your own business, you want to give off the best possible impression with your headshot.
Think of your headshot as your own personal logo. It’s the quickest and simplest way to get noticed by everyone from potential employers to prospective clients. You wouldn’t sketch out a sloppy logo and post it to your social media and website. You’d hire a professional to create a logo that represents your company and the work you do. Shouldn’t you take the same time and care with your headshot?
A professional can get you the results you want.
Anyone can snap a quick photo, but if you want a high-quality image, then you need a professional headshot photographer. A pro knows their craft, everything from composition to lighting to editing your images, and they’ll ensure that you get the photos you want.
After all, you want people to hire you for your services because you’re a professional and the best at what you do. The same is true for your headshots: hire someone who has the skills and expertise to do the job and do it well.
Invest in your professional growth.
More than a financial investment, professional headshots are an investment in your future, whether it’s your career or a growing company you started yourself. Quality, eye-catching images can create a solid first impression for potential employers or clients who look you up and can even make them more likely to trust you and connect with you.
Professional headshots are about so much more than having an image for your LinkedIn or other social media profiles. They’re about putting your best face forward as you network and connect with potential employers and prospective clients, and a professional photographer can help you do that!
Visual Concepts Branding Photography provides professional headshots and branding services for your business from our conveniently located studios on Route 424 in Davidsonville, MD, with easy access from the Greater Annapolis area, Baltimore and Washington, DC. We can also provide on-location shoots.
Check out our blog on 5 Reasons Why You Need Professional Headshots:
Questions?
Visual Concepts Branding Photography
3272 Davidsonville Road
Davidsonville, MD 21035
410-353-3702
linda@visualconceptsltd.com
Why Personal Branding Photography Is a Must
Why Personal Branding Photography Is a Must
by Visual Concepts Branding
If you’ve ever scrolled through the website or Instagram of a favorite influencer or brand, you may have noticed something that stands out: Their photos look amazing! That’s because the best brands recognize the importance of having authentic, high-quality images to represent their business.
Your brand is more than a logo or a color scheme. It’s what you offer and provide to your clients—how you can make their lives a little bit better. Your branding imagery shouldn’t be stock photos or quick images shot on a cell phone, but professional images that evoke emotion and trust.
If you’ve never had a professional branding photoshoot for your business, you’re missing out! There are so many ways you can use the images to market your brand and draw in potential clients.
You only have one chance at a first impression
The world moves faster all the time, and most people won’t spend too much time browsing a brand’s social media or website before they decide if they want to work with them. If a potential client visits your website or Instagram and just sees generic stock photos or grainy images, they’re more likely to look for someone else to meet their needs.
Professional, personalized branding images not only set you apart—they tell the story of who you are and what you have to offer. The way you present yourself and your brand in your images lets clients know exactly what to expect if they choose to work with you. And if your photos are authentic and stunning, they’ll be eager to sign up for the chance to talk to you!
Build trust through genuine images
A personal branding photoshoot is the perfect way to express your values and mission visually. Many people are visual learners, and while it’s also important to have written content on your website, your photos should express your identity in seconds. Authentic branding images allow visitors to feel a connection with you.
Genuine imagery also allows potential clients to develop a sense of trust in you—without ever having met or spoken to you! Professional photos encourage confidence and let anyone who sees them know that you care about your business and how you present yourself to your world. They can trust that you will care about them just as much and provide them with the products or services they need.
Demonstrate what makes you unique
The goal of personal branding photography is to show off what makes you different from your competitors. This can be what you offer to your clients, but it can also simply be you! As the face of your brand, you are the person people want to connect with. Most visitors to your website or social media profiles are looking for the face behind the business, the person they would speak with and work with if they booked your services.
Strong brand imagery gives these potential clients a solid reason to care about your brand and what you have to offer. By telling your story through personal branding photos, you’re inviting everyone—current and future customers alike—to be a part of that story.
Increase leads and sales
Professional photography not only makes your brand and website look better—it can also have a huge impact on your sales. Authentic imagery that tells the story of your brand can help improve your conversion rates and encourage more visitors to your website to take the next step and contact you or book your services.
Branding photography is versatile too. You can use it to update your website, but you can also use those images to boost your social media presence. Instead of struggling to come up with photos for your Instagram posts, you’ll have a whole library of images to choose from! By posting professional images regularly, you can increase your following on social media, expanding your audience and letting more people know about what you offer.
Personal branding photography is an investment in you and your business—a way to let the world know that you’re serious about making a difference and providing products and services that people will love. When you have authentic personal branding images that tell your story, more people will want to listen to what you have to say—and what you say is worth hearing!
Looking for a professional headshot or branding session? Look no further than Visual Concepts Branding Photography. We provide sole proprietors and small and large businesses with the highest-quality headshot and branding images to help them to grow their businesses. Our farmhouse studio and gardens are conveniently located on Rte. 424 in Davidsonville, MD, with easy access from the Greater Annapolis Area, Howard County, Southern Maryland, Baltimore and Washington DC. We can also do on-location shoots with our portable studio equipment in the greater Baltimore/Washington area, and even on the Eastern Shore.
Check out our blog on Five Reasons Why You Need Professional Headshots:
Interested in learning more about our services?
Click the button below and we will get in touch with you shortly:
3272 Davidsonville Road
Davidsonville, MD 21035
410-353-3702
Tips on How To Take Better Family Lifestyle Photo Sessions
As you know, we are a family photography in Davidsonville, Maryland serving the Greater Annapolis area as well as Baltimore, Washington, D.C., the Eastern Shore and beyond. We are currently practicing self-isolation and social distancing and are camped out at our farmhouse home/studio during these uncertain times. We decided to write a short blog on how to get great family photos while you are at home with your family. No doubt you have heard the words, “we are bored.” One activity that can keep your children happy and engaged is a lifestyle family portrait session. Here are some tips on creating beautiful family memories:
- Dress code: try to keep the color scheme cohesive. If you mix patterns with stripes, for example your eye won’t know where to look. Please click here for some samples.
- Pick a place that isn’t too distracting. (Make sure you tidy up first 😉
- Lighting is paramount that will make or break a photo. Instead of placing your children in front of the big window, make them face the window. The light will fall evenly and naturally on them and there won’t be dark shadows. Just make sure the background is not distracting. Watch where the light falls in your home. Light is best in the early morning or late afternoon.
- If you decide to photograph them in front of the window like the example below, make sure you have a reflector bouncing light back to your subjects. Click here for a tutorial on how to make your own reflector.
- Have them look at you for the first few clicks and don’t hesitate to let them cut loose. That’s when you will get goofy, fun photos of them.
- Place your subject slightly off center in the viewfinder. It is almost always a more pleasing photo and not so static.
- Have your children photograph each other.
- Photograph them during an activity such as playing a board game, playing outside, helping in the kitchen, making their bed (??), reading, brushing their teeth…the list is endless. As long as they let you!!
- Have them photograph you as you go about your day. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, gardening…all these activities are worthy of being recorded. You need to exist in photos for them. What a wonderful memory you are preserving for years to come!!! Better yet, make sure Dad photographs YOU with your children doing daily activities and chores!
Have them write a daily journal about their experience. Doesn’t have to be long.
And finally print them out and create a beautiful pictorial essay with their own words for them to enjoy for years to come.
I would love to see your children’s creative work. Send your images to linda@visualconceptsltd.com and I will be happy to post them!!
And finally we are considering teaching a kids photography course via webinar. If this is something your children would like, please click here and we will get in touch. If we have enough participants, we will plan out a course designed for children ages 9 – 14.
February Headshot Special
Is your headshot over a year old? Are you leaving money on the table? A professional headshot tells your prospective client that you separate yourself from your competition. It is the first thing your prospect will see!!
Take advantage of our February Special!
PREMIER HEADSHOT SESSION: Only $295 (regularly $395)
Includes:
consultation
studio session
makeup artistry
private reveal of your images
choice of 3 digital images
the session, makeup artistry, one completely retouched file of your choice. Additional poses/files are only $99 each.
SCHEDULE TODAY – 410 353 3702 or click here.
A Gift for You . . .
Visual Concepts Photography is offering Gift Certificates for a Family Portrait Session to be used at any time in the coming year. Purchase a session for a $100 fee and receive $200 in products !!!
Call Linda at 410-353-3702 for more information or email her at linda@visualconceptsltd.com .
Supplies are limited so order yours today ! Click below for a secure transaction.
Headshot Special – 1/31
DETAILS
On Friday, January 31, we will be holding a headshot marathon at our farmhouse/studio located in Davidsonville, a short drive from Annapolis, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. We are located on scenic 424 – a mere 2 miles from Route 50.
What makes us different from our competition?
We have a loft portrait studio as well as outdoor gardens and a southern front porch. Many of our clients prefer both so that they have a variety of images to choose from when marketing themselves. Everything is custom designed with YOU in mind!!
Our headshot photography clinic offers you the following:
- a 10-minute portrait session, the choice of studio and/or outdoor location
- on-site preview of images for you to view and choose
- 1 retouched high res images of your choice.
The cost is $99 (value $199!)
You have moments to make a good impression! Make it a great one with a custom-designed shoot with you in mind in a Visual Concepts Portrait!!
To book your session, please click here.
ABOUT LINDA
Linda believes in living your life embracing your passion. With that in mind, her purpose is to capture her subjects’ essence through portrait photography, creating powerful images through simplicity that speak to the soul.
Linda operates a low-volume, high-end portrait boutique studio conveniently located in Davidsonville, Maryland. Linda specializes in family and children photography as well as elegant portrait sessions with a touch of glamour for women so that they exist in photographs for their loved ones.
BOOK YOUR SESSION NOW !
HOLIDAY THEMED MINI SESSIONS (back by popular demand!!)
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
Mini Holiday Sessions at the Farmhouse
Visual Concepts Photography located in Davidsonville, the Greater Annapolis Area!
(Our November mini sessions booked almost immediately! We are opening up two more days! This is the perfect holiday card photo idea for your family!!)
HURRY!! Book your session today! December 7 and 8
This time of the year is really busy!! Let us take the hassle out of holiday photos this year with a holiday themed mini session at our farmhouse. We can create wonderful snowy images for you and your family in a specially created holiday theme portrait at the farmhouse. We can even create snow for you!!
We’ve got you covered in a Visual Concepts Holiday Mini Session at the farmhouse
$175 – includes 10-15 minute session + 3 digitals and snow 😉
CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR SESSION AND FOR MORE INFO.
2nd Annual Fundraiser to Benefit The Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis & Anne Arundel County
THE DETAILS:
We are pleased to announce our 2nd Annual fundraiser to benefit The Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis & Anne Arundel County for our family mini sessions at the farmhouse during the month of October.
Your session fee of $100 will be donated to the Clubs and with every order you will receive 25 holiday cards as our way of saying “thank you!” for giving back to the community and helping those who are less fortunate.
Come on over to the farmhouse located in Davidsonville, a short trip from Annapolis and conveniently located off Route 50 between Baltimore and Washington, where you will have a choice of variety of locations for family portraits including our southern front porch, custom designed gardens, pond, tree swing and access to our neighbor’s strawberry farm where your children will delight in seeing the sheep and chickens and just may spot the farmer on the tractor.
Create beautiful memories for you and your family!! They will thank you for it!!
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
We will send you our What to Expect Guide, pricing and availability.
To learn more about The Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, click here.
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ABOUT LINDA
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Linda believes in living your life embracing your passion. With that in mind, her purpose is to capture her subjects’ essence through portrait photography, creating powerful images through simplicity that speak to the soul.
Linda operates a low-volume, high-end portrait boutique studio conveniently located in Davidsonville, Maryland. Linda specializes in family and children photography as well as elegant portrait sessions with a touch of glamour for women so that they exist in photographs for their loved ones.
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