Investing in a photoshoot

Recently Annette Kerstin Patko posted another great headshot on Instagram, and it incentivized me to set up an appointment with her. Six years into this solopreneurship venture, it was time to invest in a professional headshot.

The headshot originally featured on my web site was taken before I made my jewelry, and during an impromptu workshop break.

Then I used a cropped and photoshopped post-haircut selfie for a while (shocking, I know) for the various ads and small features I appeared in.

So after my latest coloring adventure at ChromaK8, I set up an appointment with Bordeaux Studio.

Annette instructed me to bring solid color tops, and she picked out the ones that worked out best on camera and with the purple streaks.

Then makeup artist Amy Banas set to work making my face camera ready.

I hardly ever wear makeup, but I know that for the camera lights, evening out skin tone and making the eyes and lips pop is crucial, so this was a fun investment.

Soon I was ready for the test shots, where lighting and shadows were tested to both touch up my makeup some more and to ensure the camera settings were right.

I paired each top with different pendants, and had fun with the various poses Annette instructed me to do to feature the jewelry. Annette did some really cool artsy shots that I am excited to see.

To me, the a professional photoshoot is an investment to make my business more visible, and be ready for any calls about magazine an blog interviews that might come my way (since the Evanston Woman feature caught me off guard).

It also helps me to realize that I can and should be seen. I pretend that people like my jewelry and focus on that during the art fairs, but ultimately buyers also want to connect with the maker, which means that I as a person need to be visible.

Annette has done a beautiful photo series about Evanston Women, Women of Substance, that was on display last year.

She often documents city-wide events like the Evanston bi-annual wine walk and holiday lighting ceremonies. She also works on weddings and special events, so check out her page and see what you need!

I had a blast and look forward to seeing the final results and figuring out what to use my new photos for!

Selfies may be trendy and fun, but for business, a professional picture is best!