A few weeks ago my friend Camille, a fellow photog (and total branding connoisseur), asked if I’d be willing to be part of a branding book she’s putting together for photographers. “Heck yeah!” I’d said. She told me she’d send over a few questions for me to answer, and then she’d also want me to pick out a few of my favorite images to accompany the text. So then I put my foot in my mouth and said “favorite images? Or images that really embody my brand? Because if you’re creating a branding tool for photographers, wouldn’t it make sense to have images that illustrate each photographer’s visual aesthetic?” She agreed, and asked me to send over fiveish images that illustrate the visual side of Abby Grace Photography.

Yeah, SO much easier said than done. It took me three hours to whittle it down into a mere five photographs. Because, see, I wasn’t just picking images I love the most. I was picking ones that embody everything about the physical BRANDING side of Abby Grace Photography- taking into consideration photographic style, the intimacy with which I shoot, colors, layout, attire, the style of my subjects, composition and architecture. I went back and forth about a hundred times, sorting this image and that one, re-choosing photos I’d *just* sorted into the “nah, that won’t work” pile. But in the end, I was really happy with what I settled on.

If I had to sum up the visual portion of the Abby Grace brand in fiveish images, this is what I’d show you:

An exercise in branding- choosing 5 images that represent your visual aesthetic- Abby Grace Photography

I actually have five total picked out, but when I went to write this post I realized the fifth one really didn’t fit. Just these four photographs do it- they communicate pretty much everything my about my visual aesthetic (with the exception of typography, obviously). The white, city-like architecture, the classic nature of each subject, the white-and-gray-with-pops-of-pink color scheme, the black tux, the Marine Corps dress blues, the birdcage veil, the two cathedral-length veils, the classic champagne glasses, the smiles on the faces in the background. All of it fits perfectly!

This is an exercise I’d suggest all photographers do at some point! It forced to me to examine, really examine the “sticking points” of my what I’m visually communicating with my online presence, which will be so helpful in the future whenever I go to make tweaks to my website and such!

For Photographers- an exercise in branding

February 24, 2015

  1. David Abel says:

    Yes, narrowing down the photos to the essence of what you want your photography to be about is so difficult! Look like you’ve got it figured out though!

  2. Rici says:

    Great ideas here! Thank you for the inspiration <3

  3. Camille says:

    Such gorgeous photos Abby – and they really do scream Abby Grace Photography. 🙂 Thanks again for your awesome contributions (photos and wisdom) to my branding series. I shared on your wall already but just in case you don’t see it there your interview is live! http://www.camillecatherine.com/branding-talkback-with-abby-grace-photography/

  4. Kat says:

    I LOVE this idea, Abby!! So often I hear about finding words that you identify you brand with (which I think is important!), but I LOVE the idea of a photograph:) xo!!!

  5. […] this post by saying it might be the one that took me the longest to complete. Ever. My friend, Abby, did a blog post earlier this year about picking the five photos that best define her brand and […]

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