Spacecraft hosts an annual studio sale that is always worth dropping by. This year it includes artwork favourites - backing cloth paintings, calico wallpaper prints, botanical studies, short story artwork, giveaway calico posters…something for everyone. Stewart and Donna asked me to swing by and pick up some images for their sale promotions - newsletter, social media, and website. Here are a few from the selection I captured.
compost your clothes
The Elemental Collection from local brand Because of Nature. Photography by Emma Byrnes
At the beginning of this year I had an email drop into my inbox and it was simply titled “HELP”.
It was from Geelong-based textile artist and natural dyer Kathy Williams and she was looking for someone to photograph her upcoming 100% compostable clothing collection and get help with visual strategy and web design to relaunch her brand Because of Nature. She also wanted to communicate the work that she was doing in India mentoring rural village women to establish a zero waste weaving and production unit.
Kathy’s SOS had landed in the right place. Immediately my interest was piqued. A brand whose focus was zero waste textiles, 100% compostable clothing and working to empower marginalised women in India. Yes to all of these things.
And when Kathy and I met up we both felt energised by hearing of each other’s worlds and the possibilities that could evolve from a collaboration. (I want to pause right here and point out that this is a very important and sometimes intangible aspect of my business - the synergy between myself and my clients. It has to be deeply felt as I often work with small business owners who are so passionate about what they do and this passion is often commensurate with - or at times supersedes - other more traditional aspects of running a successful business like cashflow projections and the bottom line. If we do “click” then generally it seems that the time and energy that is consequently poured into the project from both parties is satisfying and deeply felt - it can even be transformative).
So Kathy squirrelled away in her dye house for a month or two - dyeing and making - and then I photographed The Elemental Collection in late February. We found a beautiful location and a wonderful model Bee that when combined brought true magic to Kathy’s vision for her garments.
Kathy’s story is so interesting. It is multi-layered and quite complex as she is self taught and has been immersed in textiles for 50 years. For her website I spent hours wrangling words and trying to put all of the pieces together so her audience could make sense of the different threads without getting overwhelmed. I just wanted them to spend their time admiring Kathy’s hard won vision and appreciating her journey. I won’t double up by telling the story - just head over to the website and see for yourself. All I can say is that you will fall head over heels for her methodology and philosophies.
I’ll leave you with a testimonial from Kathy as I am always thrilled when a client gets as much pleasure working with me as I do from them:
“Sometimes running a small business becomes very overwhelming...the logistics of websites, photoshoots, branding, marketing and being all round boss girl can be quite confronting to say the least. And then gracefully with peace, dignity, joy and happiness Emma comes into your life. Ask the universe and she will always provide. Working with Emma has been such an empowering experience, I have learnt so much and she has allowed me to realise I’ve got this! From her exquisite photography, her research, her capacity to understand and embrace your business as if it’s her own and then creating the website of my dreams! Her talents have no boundaries, a truly genuine woman of integrity. A unique quality in this hectic world.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.””
If you think your brand needs a refresh don’t hesitate to get in touch if you think we might be a good match.
rhubarb rhubarb
Photographs by Emma Byrnes
This beautiful organic grocery store is run by beautiful people and sells beautiful produce! What more could you ask for?
In 2018 this family-owned business at Preston market turned 18! Congratulations Rhubarb Rhubarb on reaching such a huge milestone.
Photographing for small business is a huge pleasure of mine especially when it is owned by legends such as Sue and Hayden (pictured above). They were able to use the image series I took for them in their social media/website and now have them up their sleeve for future marketing purposes. The photoshoot also coincided with a series that I did for my client Brave New Eco who designed the beautiful new fit out for their retail space.
Two awesome clients in one space! Shazam!
If your business could benefit from some professional imagery get in touch to book a session with me.
ceremony - contemplation - reflection
Refining the imagery for Melbourne-based brand Tea and Sympathy. Photographs by Emma Byrnes
It was a couple of years ago that Anna of Sweet Polka and I worked together on the branding/imagery for Melbourne-based brand Tea and Sympathy.
After recently refining the T & S marketing strategy Anna requested from me a new series of images for the brand that needed to evoke the following - Ceremony. Contemplation. Reflection.
Our mutual friends - James aka SuperMelody and Pauline aka Popcraft - had the perfect home setting to evoke this message. A lifetime of collecting and curating heirlooms plus an intrinsic sense of colour and style meant that props and setting were more-or-less taken care of. And James and Pauline have huge bursts of teal green in their home and this so happens to be the flagship colour for T & S. So it was a no-brainer - combine a workday alongside a much-loved collaborator for a wonderful local brand and a visit with dear friends - bliss!
twist and squat
Kinematics studio in Richmond. Photography by Emma Byrnes
As a photographer one needs to stay flexible in order to twist and squat into all sorts of interesting positions. But over a year ago I went to get out of bed and I could barely walk. It took me many weeks of trial and error and word of mouth recommendations to find myself on the doorstep of Kinematics Studio but gosh I am glad I did. I can’t even describe to you my admiration for the folks at this physiotherapy/pilates studio. The expertise of their practitioners helped me rehabilitate and propel me back on the rapid road to recovery.
And of course during my visits I was lucky to forge a relationship with co-directors Pep Karulus/Rachel Crampton who then hired me to photograph their new Richmond studio for use with their branding/social media (by this stage I was once again nimble-footed!)
The shoot encompassed interiors shots and product shots with Rachel jumping in to effortlessly provide some context on the pilates equipment. It was great to offer some of my own expertise back to this dynamic duo - long may their business thrive!
warmth and precise artistry
Photographs by Emma Byrnes
Renowned Melbourne hair and makeup artist Dana Leviston has opened her beautiful new Collins St art-deco studio.
I have had the pleasure of working alongside Dana this year as she sought out my branding and small business expertise to consolidate her position as Melbourne’s go-to makeup/hair artist. I am looking forward to working with Dana to further develop her brand in 2019.
For those reading, be sure to keep Dana in mind if you ever need makeup or hair.
She is the most uber-talented, experienced, approachable and mellow makeup artist out there. And that’s no exaggeration.
Some of these snaps I took featured on Frankie Magazine to celebrate Dana’s launch party.
time for a brand refresh?
An image from the new series for Anna at Sweet Polka. As a graphic designer and visual communicator, Anna is keenly aware of the power of effective imagery to win and influence her clients. She knew she did not need a rebrand (a total overhaul of the brand from the ground up) to inject a renewed sense of vigour. All she required was a fun afternoon spent crafting a handful of fresh images for use on her website. Photograph by Emma Byrnes.
Is your brand feeling a little stale?
Does it feel like the ethos and principles of your brand are still relevant but the execution isn’t as elegant and effective as it could be?
If your answer is YES but the idea of a refresh fills you with a deep-seated fear of the endless hours you will lose as you go deep and attempt to reinvent the wheel (or in this case, your brand) - there is absolutely no need to fret.
Rather than going way out onto the precipice of rebranding, you can maintain the philosophy and essence of your brand but transform it into a super-charged version of itself by taking a few simple steps.
A portrait of Anna of Sweet Polka. By using a restrained colour palette and a beautiful inner city location we were able to photograph a cohesive set of images - each one powerful in it's own right but able to sit within a visual framework. Photograph by Emma Byrnes.
To start off, in most cases (with just a few tweaks from one of Heartland Project’s gun copywriter collaborators), your existing content can continue to serve your brand well.
The next step and in my opinion, the key secret ingredient to your brand refresh, is in creating a suite of professional, compelling and enticing photographs that reinforce your brand's central messages in a way that makes sense to your target audience. If you have been leaning too heavily on tired, daggy old imagery it is definitely time to (re)capture the attention of your clients with some original high quality snaps.
Having your own suite of professional photographs that you create from scratch allows you to shape an authentic and precise visual message, giving you control over what you evoke in your viewer. You can showcase real products, real services and real people from your team rather than the poor substitute of “off the shelf” stock photography.
A limited series of original, high quality hero images are a key element - the right ones establish trust and catch the positive attention of viewers right away, adding to effective brand design.
In addition a wider gallery of associated images allows you to showcase your services/products on your website and can also be used for further promotion both on social and print media.
A close up detail of the Tea and Sympathy website for Sweet Polka as part of the brand refresh. Photograph by Emma Byrnes.
Recognising the importance of visual storytelling is key to your brand’s success.
I'm not just talking about pretty pictures, I'm talking about a way to visualise information in a simple way that makes sense to your clients.
If you are tempted to skimp on professional photography bear in mind that images go into our long term memory and heavily influence a visitor’s opinion of your company culture. Potential clients will often eliminate your brand from consideration immediately, based on poor photography. You want the right photos, shot in the right way, by the right person: an experienced pro who knows how to get the most from a photograph. Your photos must be flawless.
Get in touch to talk about the imaging opportunities that exist for your brand. Nothing gets me more excited than the opportunity to uncover a brand's true potential through successful visual storytelling :-)
Em x