EP 2 How Photography Can Transform Your Brand Story

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Today I am here with Laura from any something photography. Laura is a brand and product photographer, and I met Laura about a year ago at ladies who Latte because she runs it, which is really nice and you should go along to it if you are a lady who's a business owner in deal.

And today we're gonna talk about brand storytelling, through photography. My first question to you is, what is brand storytelling? Oh, what question? Uh, thank you for having me.

Brand storytelling for me is all about, well, obviously telling the story behind your brand. However, that's a really easy thing to say. I think it's probably best to look at the sort of the why, why we tell our brand story. I think at the moment in a world of AI and, you know, big global conglomerates run by faceless, you know, people, I suppose, um.[00:01:00]

Telling the story of what you do and showing the human behind the brand is absolutely key right now. And I think for 2026, this is it. It's just, it's massive for your brand because. By showing the human behind the brand, you are showing trust. You're building trust. You are also showing the value in what you do because it's not just a mass produced item.

Maybe if it's a product that you sell, it's not some mass produced item. There's thought, there's love, there's design, there's care, there's passion. All of those things that go into making that one product, which means that it adds value to what you do as well. For service-based industries, if you show the human behind your brand.

Through photography or video, people can connect with you before they decide to work with you. And it's a massive, plus for your marketing to have those images that show you as a person because they do the talking for you without you having to say a word. Because if your brand photography is really, really [00:02:00] good, it'll show how warm you are.

It'll show your sense of humor. It will show, um. How passionate you are about what you do, it'll show your expertise. And so it does so much talking and we're in such a visual world right now that I just think it's really key. And this year, um, my big focus is on working with product, owners, people that.

Make and create products. So ceramicists artists, scandal makers, all of those amazing people that make these incredible products, but have a tendency to kind of hide behind them and be like, oh, I don't wanna show my face. So I'm trying to bring people out from behind. Brand. And it also means you can, you can charge more for what you do because you can show that art is and qualities behind what you do as well.

Right. So I think it's, you know, I mean, I could talk all day about it because it's, it's what I love and it's my passion. Mm-hmm. Um, but I think key things is that at the moment, it, it just adds that [00:03:00] human element to what you do and build trust. That's a very fantastic answer to that question. Much. How did you get into.

How did it become your passion? Oh my gosh. Uh, of, of, so I was a primary school teacher for 18 years, so. Absolutely nothing to do with branding. Completely different. Um, and until about five years ago, if you'd have said to me, Laura, please give me five words to describe you. Creative would not have even featured.

I never saw myself as a creative person. I was very, as a teacher, I was incredibly organized. I liked, I like a pen and paper. I like to know what's happening. I like a list. Still, all of those things are true, but. I did teach in a creative way, and it's only when I look back on it now that I can see that.

And I have always been massively passionate about small brands and for my home. I loved like finding little bits and bobs for my home that were made by like makers and [00:04:00] creators. I didn't want my home to look like everybody else is like something out of a next catalog. No, no disrespect next. Um, and for gifts and things like that, I was always trying to find something original, something different, something unique. And I have a personal Instagram account, tin Biscuits, which I used to share these brands on. Anybody that I loved, anything that I found for the house, anything that, you know. I, I just was really passionate about, I would share on there and I built up quite a, an engaged, loyal, lovely audience on there.

And then I found that. Small businesses were saying to me, oh, can you just, if, if we give you these products, can you just take a couple of snaps of it in your home because we're rubbish at the photography. We don't get time for this photography. And we found that when you've shared our things in the past, it's really helped us to grow.

And I loved that. I loved that I could help these little brands. Grow and [00:05:00] get their name out there and tell more people about what they did. And so I started doing that sort of on the side a little bit. Mm-hmm. Um, as a hobby really. And then it kind of began to grow. And at the same time, for lots and lots of reasons, teaching was.

Less. And for me, um, it's having an impact on my physical health as well as, you know, my work life balance and all of those things. And so in 2022, I decided to take the planned quit teaching and go full-time with this. And I haven't really looked back. I started off, I was just gonna do product photography because products don't move.

I can control everything. Yeah. I'm very happy out here in my studio, you know? And then people kept saying to me, oh, could just do a couple of photos of us for our website, and I found that I really loved getting out and meeting the faces behind the brand and hearing the stories. As much as I talk to all of my product clients before I take a photo for them and I get to know their brand really, really well, it was actually really nice going [00:06:00] and physically being in the same room with people.

Helping them to be relaxed behind the camera. So now my work is about 50 50 really product to branding. Um, and that is a really lovely balance for me. So, yeah, it's amazing what you said, um, that the brands contacted you simply because you like to taking photos and they aren't so good at it slash don't have time for it.

Isn't it amazing, like the power of community? I'm sort of learning that this year. When you meet like, well, this is, this is a huge thing that you're doing for community. Yeah, it's amazing. But yeah, I'd, I'd love to do more of that as well. And when I started the business, I really wanted to sort of work.

Generally with sort of local brands. And actually my work has spread. I work with people, people nationwide. Now I travel, you know, all over. But I really love those little connections that come up through doing this work. So, yeah, a hundred percent. And, and also, you [00:07:00] know, the power of being able to help.

A business who wears all the hats and does all of the things themselves. And to be able to go, do you know what, let me take that off your plate. And not, not only that, not only am I gonna give you more head space and more time and, and what have you for everything, all the bits that you love doing, but also these photos are gonna add value to what you do.

And they're gonna help you to confidently market yourself wherever you need to. So there's a real power in, in all of that. And yeah, I love it. I love it. I just wanted to mention, um, so I worked with Laura and I went, went, went to her, was it mini, mini brand days? Yeah. My mini branding days. Yeah. Yeah. And I have to say they're my favorite photos that have ever been taken of me in a work, in a work setting.

'cause I used to work in, um, marketing agencies and so I was always sat on a chair. And always told you, but have your photo done for the team page. And I'd hate it. And I'd be like, oh, this is like awful. And then we, we went [00:08:00] and done it in a little cottage in deal and I loved it. It was great. Everything went well. I felt really confident that also because it was yours, you were sort of, because you were quite good at sending me some ideas of what you fancied having and so on, and it was very much for you, for your brand, and for something that you are building. Which I think makes it more meaningful anyway, but also the fact that you could potentially be a little bit more relaxed.

You know, I don't do headshot. I don't sit you on a, as you know, I don't sit you on a chair in front of a white background and you know, have endless numbers of lights around me and so on. I just get you to relax in front of the camera and then your personality comes out. So my biggest job, which is one that I didn't really foresee when I started doing this, is about making people feel relaxed.

Yeah. Even when people send me their products. Because if I work with. Newer businesses, they're quite often a bit nervous. They're like, oh, I dunno if, I dunno if my products are good enough. I dunno. And then they get the photos back and they're like, [00:09:00] oh my gosh, you've made them look so much more established, so much more than I could ever do.

Um, and it gives that confidence boost that it gives people is just, yes, it is really powerful. But I think, you know, the reason that you love yours the most is not only did you prepare really well for that shoot, but also. It was all about you and what you are building and, and what you wanted to put out into the world.

Yeah, yeah, I guess so. It was nice like being able to control the narrative, I suppose. Yeah, a bit. Yeah. More than like being told, sit here, try and look pretty up straight. There's gotta be a consistency with everybody else's headshot and stuff. Your branding photos. They can be wacky, they can be, you know, and I try and offer those, um, those days two or three times a year because again, part of what I love doing is making professional photography [00:10:00] accessible, no matter what size your brand is.

'cause a lot of brand owners would say to me, I can't, I can. Afford that investment. At the moment, it's not a priority. I can really see the value of professional imagery, but it's just way out of my reach. So the, the mini days were about how can I make that affordable? How can I, mm-hmm. Bridge that gap if you like.

Um, and so for, and for the products, I offer subscriptions so that people can have regular shoots and pay monthly because again, I know I'm a small business owner, I know what cash flow is like, and so it was all about trying to solve those problems for other brand donors. So yeah, I definitely recommend doing it.

If anybody is looking for photos done, start there and then work, work towards the bigger day. Shoot. Yeah. My next question is. Can you give me example? Somebody you worked with where they didn't have very nice photos, they worked with you, they got nice photos done and it really helped them [00:11:00] with brand awareness and.

Really getting their story out there. Can you think of anyone? Yeah, I mean, there's been a few, as you would hopely expect. I think the one that springs to mind is, um, a lady have a look at her. She's called Alice's, well she's called Kathy. Her brand is Alice's Wonders, and she's a, she sources boutique, women's accessories basically.

So handbags, socks, jewelry, all of that sort of thing. And she'd never considered. Photography. Um, and I bought one of her bags for, I treated myself when I launched the business. I was like, oh my gosh, these bags are beautiful. I love a bag anyway. Mm-hmm. Um, and I was like, this can be my new work bag for my new, you know, and I happened to take a photo of it and share it.

And she found me through that. And she said, I've never considered having professional photography before, because obviously I'm selling. Products from other brands and they tend to have their own stock photography, right? So it's not great, but you know, it does me [00:12:00] and she's taken out a subscription. She's been with me, one of my longest running clients.

She's been with me almost since the beginning. And. What she says is that now she doesn't have to think if she's gonna write a marketing email. She doesn't have to then go, oh my gosh, I need to do the images to go with it. She's just like, send them to Laura. It does involve a little bit of forward thinking of going, right, what do I wanna talk about next month or the month after?

But she can send those to me and she knows she'll get a bank of photos back. And she can just use them wherever she likes to. She doesn't have to worry. Um, and she says that as much as it has improved sales and all the rest of it, it's, it's more for her. Confidence for her peace of mind that she knows it's not another job.

It's not a barrier to getting that stuff out there. It's there, it's ready to go. And people tell me a lot that, they've applied for maybe. Um, so I had another client that applied to exhibit at Hampton Court, flower Show [00:13:00] as a stool holder because she had the imagery that was strong enough. To feel that she could, you know, take that little next step forward.

Um, so I hear a lot of that from people. Oh, I've applied to be in a magazine, or I've applied to have a stool at someplace that I've always wanted to go, or I've, put myself forward for a speaking gig that I never would've done because I have the photos that support that application now that make me feel confident, established, and like I'm gonna fit in in that.

Room if you like. Um, so that's what I hear the most. But yeah, Kathy will tell you that it's just helped her take that off her plate. And so now she's very regular with her marketing emails and, you know, her website is all looking consistent. And she says that that's the biggest thing for her is that whereas beforehand she was probably a little bit more sporadic and, you know.

Didn't have those images to support what she was selling. And so [00:14:00] naturally sales have increased because of that. So yeah. Nice. That's really, that's really interesting that she forward, thinks that far ahead actually. 'cause I work with people sometimes on a little bit of like SEO marketing, not really.

Socials or anything, but they struggle a lot with that. Like what to write about, when and why. And I think there's a lot of a big learning curve for business owners on that side of things. So I sometimes think one feeds into the other as well though. So if she wasn't sure, so some months she probably thinks, oh, I'm not really sure to send, but I'll send these things.

And then it's like, well, I've got these images, so that's what I'm gonna talk about because, so it almost works. Both ways really. Yeah. And also with the subscriptions part of it was about that, was that I know that especially creative business owners, I find creative people in general haven't got, they're not naturally for planners.

I hope. Like that's not a massive [00:15:00] generalization, but that's what I've found. And so to have me drop into their inbox every month and say, right, I'm now booking for these months. Subscribers get, um, priority studio slots anyway, so the slots are there. I'm booking for these months. What do you need? This is what's coming up.

Mother's day's coming up. Easter's coming up. Oh, okay. Um, the summer holidays are coming up. Have you got summer campaigns that you are thinking of? And so I'm there kind of almost a little help in their marketing side of things going, these things are coming. If you need a shoot for any of these or anything else.

These are your spaces, what do you need? And they find that that really helps keep them accountable as well in terms of planning and making sure that that campaign happens and doesn't just, isn't just on the to-do list and gets pushed further and further down, like, you know, we all do from time to time.

Oh yeah, for sure. We, we definitely will do that. On the flip side of that, then, uh, let's say somebody, is a business [00:16:00] owner is female and she does, let's do creative phone cases. She makes her own phone cases and she's just launched. She can't afford a photographer or a big camera. What would advice would you give her to get started?

Okay. Keep it simple. That's the first thing. Okay. Yeah. So, um, that's my little motto for most things. Uh, kiss, keep it simple, stupid. That's what I always say to myself in my head, you know, when you're trying to over. I love that stuff. Um, invest in, um, I've got one here, actually a little photography background.

That maybe matches your brand colors or the feel that you are going for. They cost about 20 pounds on Amazon or there's various companies out there. So invest in a, a background that you can use so that you've got consistency across all of your shots. Find some good lighting. Start noticing the lighting in your house or in your workplace or wherever.

I would always suggest, as you can see, I've got like a window next to me. Side lighting is your [00:17:00] friend. It won't give you harsh shadows. It won't give you, it will soften anything and make it look just that little more sort of leveled up if you like. So try and set yourself up. Next to a window side lighting not right in the middle of the day.

So kind of mid-morning to mid-afternoon when the light is a bit softer. Midday is quite harsh and terrifying sometimes, especially in the summer. And if you can either invest in like a diffuser, again, 15 quid from. Amazon, they're kind of fold up things that are a bit like a net that you can put across your light source, so it kind of softens that light.

I've got a neck curtain that I use, avo, something like that. So they're the three things that I would say if you can afford to buy them. Buy them. Mm-hmm. And then just. Have a little YouTube of how to take the best photos with the model of phone that you already have, because phones now do a great job. They won't do the same job as professional camera and a professional photographer, but you can do a [00:18:00] bloody good job.

Excuse my language, on, um, on a, on a phone. So have a Google. There's loads of YouTube videos out there. Um. Maybe invest in a tripod, but you don't have to. I wouldn't say that's a prerequisite at all. You can manage quite well handheld, but learn how to get the best from whatever you've got. I always say the best camera is the one that you've got in your hand already, so you don't need to spend thousands and thousands to just have a go.

So a backdrop that maybe matches your brand or the feel, because there's different colors and all sorts of things out there. A diffuser to diffuse the light and some side lighting and just shoot. Not right in the middle of the day. Hmm. Those would be my tasks. That's some really good advice. Actually.

I had no idea because obviously I don't do products. I would do a service, so I never think about like, if you're taking photos of yourself though, yeah, you, yourself. Nice gentle side lighting, um, you know, not too harsh. Move yourself around. Same as I would say, move your product around and work out the best place to, you know.

To [00:19:00] put it mm-hmm. In terms of the light, uh, and just have a play, have an experiment. And then once you've, once you've decided what you like, write it down. Write down what you've done. Okay. So that then you can repeat that. Because the key to trust in your brand is consistency. So if you can get consistent images all the time, that kind of all flow in together, that's gonna build the trust in your brand.

And it also helps to make your brand look instantly recognizable so someone can pick you out and go, that's. So and so that's their type of, that pick you out of a lineup sort of thing? Kind of, yeah. Hopefully nothing, you know, nothing as that, but yeah, that's the idea is kind of, you know, if you've got five photos of five different jewelry brands, you should be able to look at those and go, that's so and so.

Right. Yeah. That's a arx and that's a, I dunno, another watch brand. There is probably lots. But yeah, that's one that came to mind. I have a little bit of advice as well. So my partner is much better taking [00:20:00] photos than I am and actually constantly moans if I take a photo wrong. Like if we're out and they go, oh, I want a photo down.

And I'm like, I definitely would never do that. Okay. And I'll stand there and take those. And then they're like, no, no, like this, like this. And I'm like, oh, fine. But what I do well is I take videos very well. So what I'll tend to do instead is I'll start recording a video and then take a still from the video.

Yeah, it works well as well. You can do that. You have to be careful a little bit about shake and blur and so on, but yeah, that can work really well as well. Yeah, so and also think about what you are going to use those photos. So if you are using them for social media, a portrait photo is gonna take up.

More of that real estate space, it's gonna work better on a social media platform. If it's for your website for a banner, then you are gonna need a landscape photo. So before you take your photos, just have a think about where you are going to use them, and then tailor what you do to towards that. That would be my final bit [00:21:00] of advice.

Okay, cool. One last question actually, we're at the end of the questions. If there's one thing you wish business owners would give themselves more permission to do, what would it be? Show up for themselves. Because I think we are all really unkind to our own businesses. I wrote an email, around Valentine's Day, which was just like a love note to your business because I think it's really easy to sit and look at your brand and what you are building or have built and think, oh, I should be here.

I should be doing this. So and so's doing that. And comparison is the thief of joy, isn't it? And I just think, take a moment, have a look at what you've built and what you've done, and be kinder to yourself, but also give yourself permission to talk about what you, what you do, to shout about it from the rooftops.

Because what you do has value. It brings something amazing into the world. And [00:22:00] don't be shy to talk about it. 'cause that's your passion and that's gonna be infectious. And if you are finding that you are not. It's not resonating with the people around you just keep going 'cause they're just not your people yet.

And you will find your people. But yeah, don't let that stop you from shouting about what you do to everybody you meet and you know, being proud of it because all small business owners are amazing people. It takes a special person to run your own business. And yeah, just keep that in your head and don't be afraid to shout about it.

Hmm, that's really lovely. Way to think about it. I've actually been caught a lot in the past. I try not to do it so much now, but I compare myself to somebody else's 10 years and I think, why am I not there? It's like, yeah, oh. 'cause they've been doing it for 10 years more than I have. That's why I'm not there.

And you have to remember that I'm guilty of that too. There are photographers that I look up to and I think, oh my gosh, I wanna be like them. And then you think, well, hang on. You know, this is my fourth year and they've been doing it for 15. There's gonna be a little bit of a difference. But yeah, I [00:23:00] just think comparison is, is the thief of joy.

That's really good, what you said about Yeah. Don't compare your. Year two to somebody else's year 10. But we all do it, don't we? Yeah, we do all do it. It's actually psychology behind why we do that. But we won't digress into, into that topic. I've learned a lot about psychology doing this job actually.

Yeah. And it wasn't, again, it wasn't something that I thought would really come into, you know, what I do, but in terms of getting people to relax in front of the camera and then helping them to use those photos. 'cause the other thing I find is that sometimes people get the photos and then they're like almost frozen.

They're like, I dunno what to do with them. Yeah. So. I try and give, especially for the smaller days like you came to, I try and like follow that up with a little bit of advice of have you thought about using them here or here, you know? Yeah. Um, so yeah, I think there's a lot more to it than just, yeah, holding a camera.

I would say it's exactly the same for me as well. A lot of the time people come to me and they're like, oh, I [00:24:00] need to a website, and I'm like, right, okay. And then I asked them something like, why do you do, what you do? They're like, hang on, hang on. I just want the website done. Another thing that keeps coming back to me as we're talking and then keeps going again, so I'm gonna sort of grab onto it while it's there.

Um, I dunno if it's gone again now though. Hang on. My menopausal brain, um, is that, yeah. So when I, people always say to me in terms of kind of my marketing and showing up and putting myself out there on Instagram, they always say, oh, you're so on it, you're so good at putting yourself out there. I wanna help as many small brands as I can, and I can't do that unless people know that I exist.

And any, any business starting out, the biggest challenge is to get people to know that you exist. And I still get people in deal going, oh, I didn't know that there was a photographer like this that lived in deal. And so. That's, I kind of try and flip it on its head of, yes, sometimes it can feel vulnerable to put yourself up there and it can feel scary and it [00:25:00] can feel a bit uncomfortable.

But actually I wanna help as many people as possible. I also wanna run a successful business that pays my bills for me, because, you know. We all have to do that, don't we? Yeah. But um, but yeah, so that's my kind of why is that I wanna help as many people as I can, so I'm gonna put myself out there. So that's what I would encourage other brand owners to do, is just think about who do I wanna get my message out to?

The only way you can do that is by showing up. That's very, very true. Very, very true and hard to do, but very true. Yes. Nobody said it's easy, but I'm here to help. Exactly. Exactly. Um, that's it. So yeah, I just wanna say thank you for coming along and you can find Laura on Facebook, Instagram, her own website, and have you got anything coming up soon that people can get?

Um, so if you sign up to the mailing list on the website, it'll be first to hear about. So there should be a popup that comes up when you join. When you go to the website, which is any something.co uk, um, then [00:26:00] you'll be first to hear about things like the, the branding days, like the, you came to. I've got one coming up in May.

It's a little bit different. It's not in deal, so that's scary. Um. I'm also doing a very similar thing at the moment that I'm trialing for product based businesses. So I'm, again, hiring a house offering up slots throughout the day for product businesses, so at a lower cost than my normal packages to kind of allow them to dip their toe, but also to maybe get a slightly different style of imagery to support what they do.

So, you know, giving it context within somebody's very beautiful house. That kind of aspirational imagery that's gonna help them take that next step. So, um, I'm just trialing that at the moment, so there'll be more of those on offer as well. So yeah, join the mailing list and then you'll be the first to hear.

I'm, um, pretty good at the emails, but I don't spam you, but that's always good not to get spam. Yeah. No one wants that. No, nobody wants that. [00:27:00] Yeah. Thank you again and thank you for, to the audience for listening to us chat for half an hour or so.