As someone who started their own small business within a community where that isn’t a very common occurrence it’s been incredible to see the level of love and support that has been shared with me over the years. Now a couple of years in, I try as hard as I can to extend that same level of support, encouragement and love to other South Asian small business owners including the one and only, Hani. It’s such an honor to be able to shoot elevated brand photos for another Indian business owner!

If you’ve been following the blog for a while, you probably recognize Hani since she’s been featured on here a few times! She started Anis Collections a few years ago and it has been amazing watching her grow such a thriving business centered around helping brides and grooms find the perfect outfit that not only fits perfectly but is also unique.

What you might not know about her is that during the pandemic, she saw a gap in the marketing industry and started to pivot and start a new business, Kahani Digital Marketing. Kahani is a digital marketing agency specifically created for South Asian founded and owned small businesses. The heart of her brand comes from the name “Kahani” which means story – her company aims to focus their marketing efforts through the lens of not only deeply understanding their clients companies but truly digging in deep to understand their stories, backgrounds, culture and context and bring this level of sophistication into their marketing services.

She has grown this new company so quickly and has been working with some of the top South Asian-founded companies within just a year of starting! It was such an honor taking her brand portraits for their website launching soon! I can’t wait to see how these images help Hani continue to grow her brand!

We used warmer editing tones to match her brand which draws inspiration from old school Bollywood films, intricate textures and patterns from historical Indian landmarks accented by a modern touch inspired by Sex & the City!

If you’re looking to get updated brand photos for your creative small business, check out more details here!

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Capturing the Heart, Soul & Impact Behind Female-owned Service-Based Small Businesses

This past year I made the decision to start formally offer branding sessions! Looking back it seems like such an obvious decision given that I’ve been photographing female-owned creative small business owners here and there throughout the years.

I’ve always enjoyed being able to flex my creative muscles a little more during those shoots since they were different than portraits & weddings. Although each portrait & wedding day is so incredibly unique, I approach each day pretty systematically to make sure I’m not missing any important detail or moment! With branding shoots I love that I get to bring more of my strategic AND creative brain to the mix. Each shoot is incredibly unique in that there is not set shot list – there’s more digging into the heart, soul & impact of their brand and using my creative brain & photography to visually convey that to connect with their dream clients! So these ladies can get back to doing what they do best & serving their clients and putting the very best face of their business forward!

I wanted to give a huge shout out to Jontell Vanessa Photography – Jontell’s my sounding board for pretty much everything I do in my business and she has been seriously KILLING the game in doing brand sessions over the last year and a half. It’s been such a joy watching her create an incredibly unique experience for her branding clients. When I first toyed with the idea of stepping into branding I was worried that she’d view it as taking over “her” thing but in true #communityovercompetition fashion she welcome me into the world of brand photography & I’m so grateful to have her as the ultimate sounding board to be able to best serve my clients!

Check out this branding session with Jontell Vanessa Photography!

I also wanted to give a big shout out to Abby Grace Photography – I’ve been following along with her work since pretty much right when I started my photography business and it’s been beautiful to watch her breathe so much life into this new type of photography within our industry! She’s been such an advocate for it and getting to learn from the years of work she’s put into scaling her branding sessions has been immensely helpful in taking the plunge confidently & translating all of her education into feeling equipped to serve my clients SUPER well – even if I am a little “newer” to the game!

I always write a lot here but here’s a little sneak peek behind what the Branding Experience entails!

The MP Branding Mission Statement

A personalized brand photography experience that digs deep to understand the core of your brand to capture a curated gallery of elevated imagery to showcase the heart behind your work

An Overview of the Process

1. Let’s Get to Know You & Your Brand!

We’ll chat about your business & brand over Zoom so I can get to know you, your brand & what you want out of your brand imagery in more detail! Then we’ll determine the best collection for you & nail down a shoot date!

2. Digging Into the Heart of Your Brand

After you’ve booked, you’ll have an extensive questionnaire & Pinterest board to fill out so that I can really dig deep & understand the heart, vision and details behind your business.

3. Shoot Planning Prep!

We’ll work to narrow down our shoot location, choose outfits (I’ll guide you through it) and chat over another video call to confirm the direction of your shoot! I’ll present you with a couple of main storylines over another prep video call that we’ll work off of to build out your brand imagery with a detailed shot list so we can maximize our shoot time.

Check out 16 Locations to Consider for Your Brand Session!

4. Get Excited – It’s the Week of Your Shoot!

The week of the shoot I send over a packing list for you to bring everything we need to make our shoot as authentic to you & your brand as possible!

5. Shoot Day!

We’ll plan to arrive early to scout out the locations & get everything you need set up so we can start shooting! I’ll work through our detailed shot list & mood board. I’ll be your eyes to make sure that all the little details are in place so you don’t have to worry about anything other than having fun throughout the entire process! From posing to helping set up the shot to making sure everything is in it’s place – I’ve got you!!

6. Pop the bubbly & celebrate ALL the new images!

You’ll receive some sneak peeks within 1 week of your shoot to share anywhere & everywhere 🙂 And then 3 weeks later you can POP the bubbly!! Your final gallery will be delivered so get ready to spend some time updating your website, social & any other collateral that you have with your cohesive set of brand imagery!!

You’ll forever have all of the online high-resolution images delivered through PASS gallery. I’ll reach out shortly after to get your feedback on the shoot & hear about how you’re using your images to build up your business’ brand identity!

READY TO HAVE YOUR OWN PERSONAL GALLERY OF IMAGERY THAT ENCAPSULATES THE HEART BEHIND YOUR BRAND & INSTANTLY CONNECTS WITH YOUR DREAM CLIENTS?

Be sure to reach out to schedule a consult call or learn more HERE so we can talk through the hopes & dreams you have for your brand!

Each session includes a prep questionnaire, two planning calls, help choosing locations & outfits, a week-of packing list, 2+ hours of shooting time & an online gallery with digital high-resolution images! I take core of creating our shot list, posing you & prepping you for an incredible experience!

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On this week’s YouTube episode, I walk you through exactly what I have in my bag! I use a Kamrette Mina Daypack bag that I absolutely love – you can see it here! In the video I walk through exactly which lenses and gear I bring to every:

1. Brand Photography Shoot
2. Portrait Session for Couples and Seniors
3. On a Wedding Day

Be sure to watch the video to see how I pack my Kamrette bag and DM on Instagram @manalisontakke or comment on the YouTube video with any questions that you have!

New episodes come out every Monday on YouTube! If you love Behind the Business, be sure to leave a comment and share the show with a friend in the industry!

Cheers to showing up imperfectly & making an impact!

WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT QUICKLY GROWING YOUR BUSINESS? WATCH THE FREE MASTERCLASS!

If you’re wondering what the inside of a successful & streamlined photography business looks like, the masterclass is for you! Tune in to this free masterclass to learn how I grew from $600 to $5k weddings and went full-time in less than 1 year without sacrificing my time!

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If you enjoyed this post check out the MP Educational Series

I got to work with the incredible Cait Kramer to get my very OWN brand pictures taken! It was such a fun experience planning everything from the beginning, picking out Quirk Hotel as one of my locations & finalizing all the outfits & accessories that I would need to bring it to life! Caity I am head over heels in love with these sneak peeks from @caitkramer – I can’t thank you for capturing a part of my journey going after some crazy big dreams I have for this business!! It’s been amazing getting to see tangible pictures capturing the magic behind the work that I do and it has only helped build my belief in my big dreams! I can’t wait to share more of these 🥰

I couldn’t be more grateful that I met you over DC tacos & have continued to grow and support each other all these years! 🥂 You were born for capturing the essence of brands and I can’t wait to see where your talent and heart takes you with it 💕 I only hope that I can make my very own branding clients as happy I have been with these images!

I’ve loved being able to easily update my website & have a TON of content for social as well! If you’re looking to get branding images taken for your very own small business, be sure to check out the Branding Experience here!

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Staring at a blank page — can we all agree that it’s one of the worst feelings there is?! Or juggling not just one job or commitment but multiple at a time, especially when it comes to running not just one business but TWO?!

That means double the client communication, double the content to put out & double the imagery you need to update your website and social.

This is exactly what Andrea of Andrea Cable Photography and Press & Palm experienced as she was planning on taking her photography & design business *full-time* – cue the confetti & cheers!!! That’s why I’m SO excited to share about her brand photography on the blog today!

Andrea is an uber-talented D.C. & Virginia bubbly hybrid-photographer for couples & brands as well as the head director of Press & Palm, a boutique branding and web-design company for creatives.

As soon as she got her branding image sneak peeks, she went right to work, putting her IMAGES right to work for her two brands!

Just as Andrea works magic for her couples & clients, I have loved watching Andrea uplevel her own branding and online presence with her versatile brand images.

We had planned her storylines primarily around her work as a wedding photographer. She is planning on increasing her prices to supplement her income as she goes full-time and most importantly, Andrea is looking to attract higher-end clients that want to work specifically with HER.

That means her brand imagery needs to help her stand out in a saturated market and convey what the experience is like working with her — before a client is ever in front of her camera!

Despite only having 2 hours to shoot, since we had an intentional plan going into her shoot, we were able to cover her images of her as a photographer as well as Andrea as the hardworking business owner who is always there to serve her clients with a smile!

Check out last week’s blog post to see how she put her brand images to work! And be sure to check out the MP Branding Experience!

Looking for some fresh images to use for your creative small business? Be sure to check out the MP Branding Experience to see if we can work together to update your digital drawer of photographs to pull from the next time you’re updating your website or posting to social!

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Back in February, my good friend Jontell of Jontell Vanessa Photography, had a film made about her brand to add to her website! Since she was up in Alexandria near me for the shoot, I decided to come take some BTS pictures for her and a few branding-type images for her to be able to use since she’d already be in an ideal location and with a ton of props & on-brand accessories and outfits!

After she wrapped up a few hours of filming, we quickly took a few shots showing her behind the scenes of her refined processes as both a seasoned wedding and brand photographer! Here are just a few of the ones we snapped within 20 minutes! I hope these help show you how we can get a huge variety of images in such a short amount of time!

If you’re looking to get branding images taken for your very own small business, be sure to check out the Branding Experience here!

Follow Along On:

Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Staring at a blank page — can we all agree that it’s one of the worst feelings there is?! Or juggling not just one job or commitment but multiple at a time, especially when it comes to running not just one business but TWO?!

That means double the client communication, double the content to put out & double the imagery you need to update your website and social.

This is exactly what Andrea of Andrea Cable Photography and Press & Palm experienced as she was planning on taking her photography & design business *full-time* – cue the confetti & cheers!!! That’s why I’m SO excited to feature her on the blog today!

Andrea is an uber-talented D.C. & Virginia bubbly hybrid-photographer for couples & brands as well as the head director of Press & Palm, a boutique branding and web-design company for creatives.

As soon as she got her branding image sneak peeks, she went right to work, putting her IMAGES right to work for her two brands!

Just as Andrea works magic for her couples & clients, I have loved watching Andrea uplevel her own branding and online presence with her versatile brand images.

We had planned her storylines primarily around her work as a wedding photographer. She is planning on increasing her prices to supplement her income as she goes full-time and most importantly, Andrea is looking to attract higher-end clients that want to work specifically with HER.

That means her brand imagery needs to help her stand out in a saturated market and convey what the experience is like working with her — before a client is ever in front of her camera!

Despite only having 2 hours to shoot, since we had an intentional plan going into her shoot, we were able to cover her images of her as a photographer as well as Andrea as the hardworking business owner who is always there to serve her clients with a smile!

 

Below are a few of examples of how Andrea put her branding images to work! If you’re looking to get updated branding images for your business – be sure to check out the MP Branding Experience!

 

Looking for some fresh images to use for your creative small business? Be sure to check out the MP Branding Experience to see if we can work together to update your digital drawer of photographs to pull from the next time you’re updating your website or posting to social!

Follow Along On:

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I had the pleasure of working with Hani again this past year to capture some more brand portraits for her and her brand Anis Collections! They custom create Indian wedding outfits that are tailored to their clients’ individual style and size. It’s been amazing to watch her grow the business over the past few years. She drove all the way down from Maryland to get her pictures taken at Boars Head Resort in Charlottesville! And although it was actually raining during our entire shoot, she was such a champ modeling some of her own pieces as well as jewelry from a fellow vendor in NY. Here are some of the portraits we took during our 30 minutes together before it downpoured completely! I would love to help you bring your brand to life through imagery that feels true to you and your brand! I always aim to capture the heart & soul of your work and the impact you make through your small business – you can learn more about my Branding Photography Experience here.

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I got to swap brand photos with my good friend Jontell Vanessa Photography at Ironclad Coffee & Contrast Studio in Richmond in February! Jontell is one of my business besties and there’s not a day that goes by that we don’t chat over Voxer about all things business and life!

If you want an inside look at our Voxer conversations and hear us chat about growing your business in ways outside of social media, be sure to watch our Behind the Business Podcast Chat here.

She has also been my inspiration for getting into brand photography! I’ve had the privilege of watching her pivot into brand photography since 2019 before it became more popular! It’s been incredible to watch her grow it over the last 2-3 years and to see how creative she gets as she works with such a wide variety of creative entrepreneurs.

I know that I always have her as a friend and trusted voice to ask questions, bounce ideas off of and share my fears with. She always pushes me to dream bigger, pursue branding myself and reach for more – even when it feels scary!

We swapped some branding images at Contrast Studio and I wanted to share some of my favorites that I got to take for her rebrand and website refresh today!

If you’re looking to get updated, elevated branding images taken for your very own small business, be sure to check out the Branding Experience here!

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I have been DYING to share these images from our January brand shoot for Cultivate What Matters but had to keep them under wraps until they had released all of their new Q1 products!!

I have been a longtime fan of using the CWM Powersheets for life & business and was first introduced to them at the Creative @ Heart Conference. Ever since they haven’t left my desk and you can often find them packed in my bags while traveling as well.

The Powersheets have completely changed my mindset around goals & helped me become a recovering perfectionist that celebrates the small wins just as much as the milestone moments!

Ever since becoming a photographer I’ve ALWAYS dreamed of shooting for Cultivate despite primarily being a wedding photographer! I was so honored when they reached out to me to travel down to North Carolina for two days for a branding session! You can see images from our first day HERE!

On the second day, we focused on more lifestyle images in a gorgeous home showing off the new products!

Alright enough words, here are the images!!! I hope you love them as much as I do 🙂 As I’m typing this I still can’t believe this happened and that I took these! It’s so fun seeing them pop up on Cultivate’s site & social media each time! In the Cultivate spirit, I hope you’ll toss some confetti with me over these!

Ready to book a branding session? You can find more details here!

If you enjoyed this post, binge through these brand shoots as well & learn more about the Branding Experience.

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