Practice what you preach

When you look at your photos, do you recognize the person staring back at you?

Recently, I asked myself that question, and, aside from part of the portfolio being created several months prior, the answer was NO.

The vast majority of the photos I’ve been using were from several years ago, which is a sin.

And hypocritical.

I’m the first one to bark at a client for posting images that are out-of-date.

But, when I looked at the photos I wanted to update, I not only looked different, but I also FELT different from where I am now, in business and in life.

As a result, these photos felt out-of-place and needed to be retired, period.

So, I knew it was time to find a photographer to update a large chunk of my lifestyle portraits.

The good news is that John Armato, a photographer I’ve been coaching through the Deliver Magic program, was game to trek up to NYC to help me fill the gaps in my image portfolio.

It was also an opportunity for me to provide direct, on-the-spot training for a portrait session, so we were able to create a win-win situation.

So, I sat down, sketched out a strategy for the session, and talked John through exactly what I was looking for in terms of lifestyle scenarios captured, the amount of visual variety I sought, and the locations in which we would shoot.

The goal was to capture what working looked like to me before and after a photo session - those were the photos I desperately needed to update.

The majority of the session was conducted in my apartment, as well as some time spent in my second office - my local bar, Madam Maries.

After all, this is how the sausage is made for you folks.

Once we got down to it, John did a terrific job working to create as much visual variety as possible. I felt like a proud poppa watching him roll around in my apartment looking to find unique angles and compositions.

He was so open and appreciative of the unending amount of coaching I threw at him during the session and when reviewing the photos together.

The result?

I now have photos I’m proud to share online with you, and was able to offer a valuable experience for a photographer that, in due time, will make a big splash in the branding photo market.

Magical, isn’t it 🙂