I recently got together with fellow creative Trudi Murray to work on a project that will ultimately give her business the super boost it deserves! We wanted to capture lifestyle images and portraits for a new enhanced web presence. Trudi is an established and successful artist and illustrator based in Hampton, west of London. I would describe her work as vibrant, joyful, uplifting, full of character and spirit. I would describe her as delicious! 🙂
The internet is such a gift for artists and those running a small business (and I should know). It has never been more important to ensure you present your best side to the world, and attract your target audience (clients and customers). It’s not enough to just write a great ‘about me’ paragraph ‘Hey I’m really nice, you must commission me!’ Or have a darn hot trendy logo. In these times it’s all about the visual. You have moments, quite literally, to grab the attention of those viewing your site, draw them in, encourage them to engage with you. This is why microblogging sites such as Instagram have become absolutely massive, we see what we want to see in an instant. We like the beautiful, the quirky, the different. For those posting to these sites, we share exactly what we want people to know about our life, our likes, our tastes, our talents. We can find out everything we want to know about the person from looking at their photographs. Photographs are powerful!
So when approaching this project I first wanted to know who is Trudi and I asked her to give me 10 words to describe herself. Her reply; Bold, gentle, friendly. Sensitive, beautiful, different. Joyful, controlled. Free. Intelligent. This description began the creative process and gave me an idea of what I needed to capture in order to convey the essence of Trudi through the imagery. The visual collative website Pinterest was also my friend. You can take a look at the board I created here, it helped me prepare for the session as much as Trudi.
I spent a day with Trudi in her loft studio, shooting alongside her as she worked. At first it must have felt very strange, but it wasn’t long before we were chatting and working together and I am so pleased with the results. In the second of my posts featuring Trudi I will share portraits I captured, so look out for that later.
Trudi’s feedback began with an account of becoming so engrossed in her photographs that the kids tea took a back seat!
“Seriously, I can’t stop looking at the photos. Somehow by the process of having them taken, and now having them to look at, they have cemented and made real all my next steps – a new website, getting out there more, building my business to the next level. It’s been so helpful and thrilling to see what I do through someone else’s eyes, i.e. yours and the camera! That bit of distance is quite emboldening in a way. I know I’m good at what I do and I work hard (if you’ll forgive the lack of modesty!), and seeing that captured in professional photos is quite a thrill. And a great boost.” Trudi.
I can’t wait to see how Trudi’s website develops and look forward to working with her again in the future.
Now go follow!
Trudi’s website – https://trudimurray.wordpress.com/
If you would like to see more of my commercial photography please take a look here.
