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How to discover your own unique brand - Danielle Trant
208 Plays3 years ago
Happy Woo Wednesday!
Today I interviewed my past student Danielle, Colorado wedding photographer.
She went through my 3 month coaching program. After my program, she went on to make 53k in 5 months. She signed up with me because she was getting inconsistent leads. Now she is fully booked and can't keep up with the leads!!!! So proud of her.
Today we talk about branding! She is a fun, colorful wedding photographer serving outgoing, fun-loving couples who love to have wild dance parties!
Danielle is the queen of color!
Words from Danielle: Color is my specialty and I do it very very well without going overboard. Color makes me feel happy, bright and joyful. My goal is for my couples to look back at their images in 10 years and remember exactly what their day looked like and felt like. I want them to see all the pops of color as they once were. I don't want to take out color, make things darker and remove the natural beauty of all the colors incorporated into my couples’ days.
On Friday, I have a bonus episode with Alex. https://www.instagram.com/alexcollierdesign/
She is the one the made Danielle's amazing website Www.indypopphoto.com
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Guest Overview
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey guys, welcome back to Get a Heck Yes with me, your host, Carissa Wu. If you're loving my podcast, please leave me a review or check out my Facebook group. It's going off in there. So today's episode is with Danielle from Indie Pop. Danielle went through my three month program because she was getting inconsistent leads and after coaching with me, she raised her prices
00:00:23
Speaker
and she is fully booked out. Huge congrats to Danielle. Before working with me, she already had a killer unique brand. So you have to check her out on Instagram and her website. If you're thinking of a rebrand or you want to create a unique brand that speaks to your heart, this episode is for you. And also on Friday, I will be posting an episode with her website designer, Alex Collier from Alex Collier Designs. Enjoy guys.
Carissa's Background and Podcast Goals
00:00:55
Speaker
Welcome to Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. I'm your host, Carissa, and I've been a Los Angeles wedding photographer for over a decade. I've traveled the world, built my team, and seen it all. I now coach wedding photographers hit 10K a month and build a thriving business. In this podcast, we are going to deep dive into how top wedding creatives get that heck yes from their dream clients. We are not holding back on the struggles of the business and how to push through the noise. Some healthy hustle, mindset shifts, up-leveling your money story,
00:01:23
Speaker
Time hacks because I'm a mom of two, a little bit of woo-woo, and most importantly, self-love and confidence are just a few of the many things we will talk about. I want to give you a genuine thank you for following along my journey. I hope to inspire you every Woo Wednesday so that you say heck yes to listening to this podcast. See you guys soon!
Danielle's Journey and Business Growth
00:01:46
Speaker
Hey, everyone. It's me, your host, Carissa Wu. And I have a very special guest. And she's actually my student. She went through my three month coaching program. And her name is Danielle from indie pot. Welcome, Danielle. Hey, thanks for having me, Carissa. Yes, you are a vibrant superstar. But tell the audience and the listeners like all about you.
00:02:07
Speaker
Oh my gosh, where do we begin? Well, I'm a Colorado native and my husband and I just moved back in February with our dogs, which has been so exciting and it took a little while to get settled, but I think I'm finally back into a good routine. So yeah, I've been doing photography professionally for about four years and my vibe is super fun and vibrant and colorful and I love to have dance parties with my couples on the dance floor. Yes, we do.
00:02:36
Speaker
So yeah, pretty much I'm a helicopter dog mom, I live for my dog. That's my life. And you you serve Colorado? Yes, yes. So I actually, I used to go back and forth between Texas and Colorado a lot. But I really the traveling was just so hard on me and I was away from my family all the time. So now that we've moved to Colorado and planted roots here,
00:03:03
Speaker
I have a team in Texas that is taking on weddings for me there, and then I'm taking on weddings in Colorado. Cool. I'm actually going to Denver, Colorado on Sunday, so we should hang out. Yes. Oh my gosh. You have to hit me up. Come see. Yeah. Send me your address. I love it. I'm ready for it. Cool. Cool. Okay.
00:03:30
Speaker
Tell me like about moving to Colorado and like, how have you been like how the inquiries and what's going on with your business? Yeah, oh my gosh, they're good. Honestly, um, I am a little overwhelmed, which is a good thing. Yeah, Jasmine star that said, you know, you have to shift your thinking sometimes in your perspective. And when you're overwhelmed, just remember that you now have what you once wish you had.
00:03:58
Speaker
It's hard sometimes, but I'm like, okay, there was a time when my inbox was empty. Now, you know, it's pretty it's pretty full. And so I'm having a little bit of a hard time keeping up, but it's just temporary. It'll be fine. I told you so many times, I think on every call when you didn't have that many inquiries, I was like, just enjoy your like your time because you're gonna like blow up. Yeah. And I it's so hard when you're in it, like when you're in that moment of
00:04:26
Speaker
And like, I want to work with these fun couples and I want to do fun, colorful weddings. Like, where are they? And, you know, so we were looking to buy in Colorado when we were in Texas, obviously. And so I think that it was the universe's way of being like, OK, we're going to we're going to hold off. I'm going to like wait until we know that they've got the house and the ink is dry. So it was kind of like after that, too.
Managing Time and Setting Boundaries
00:04:54
Speaker
everything in Colorado really started blowing up. And I think, you know, had I gotten a lot of Texas inquiries, I would have taken them and then I would be in the exact same situation of traveling back and forth and back and forth, which I don't want to do. Yeah. Oh my God. I have to say I'm not in your position where I actually don't want the wedding. Well, but you're transitioning out of that though. Yeah. I used to like, yeah, be like you and
00:05:22
Speaker
when you used to tell me that, oh, like, I want this, I want this, I was like, yeah, and then when you get them, like, you're gonna be like, oh, I miss like, you know, going walks all day and like, you know, with friends. Yeah, I'm trying to be better, like time management, it really is such an important thing. And I, I'm just, I don't want to be a workaholic, you know what I mean? Like, I'm not going to just work myself to death. I want to continue loving what I do. And I also want to have a social life. And
00:05:50
Speaker
So I when I don't have weddings on the weekends, like Friday to Sunday, I have an out of office message of like, I'm not, I'm not working because
00:06:00
Speaker
I really need that time. And honestly, the first time I did that was a couple weeks ago. And it was glorious. I just had refreshing time with family. We got to go out with friends. And then I came back even more excited to start the week on Monday. Oh, I love that. When you've been doing the whole photography thing for like you'd four years, you do get those rhythms of like what makes you happy like the weekend like I kind of shut off
00:06:28
Speaker
you know, my phone or like my Instagram, and then, you know, after four o'clock, I turn off my Instagram, I just try not to check my phone.
00:06:36
Speaker
And it's like, we have to do that to stay sane in this industry. Because if not, like, I feel like our heads are gonna like explode. There's just too much going on. Yes, I agree.
Social Media Strategy and Client Acquisition
00:06:46
Speaker
And that's honestly why I've taken a pretty big social media break lately. And I used to be on it all the time. And I had like Mondays were days I would record reels and do all the things. But what I started to figure out was that that's not actually where my clients are even coming from.
00:07:02
Speaker
Like Bill, after they've already found me, which is funny because a lot of the time, I swear, Carissa, like 90% of them are from Facebook. It is wild. I was like, what? I had no clue. And my husband was like, yeah, hun, Facebook's like the powerhouse. But now I know. And so, you know, I like Instagram is where they go after they've already found me and they want to just like kind of check out more of my personality. And so I'm like, you know,
00:07:30
Speaker
You can't do everything all the time and I need my freedom and my personal time and taking time off the app has been just like so nice. Oh my God. When I got hacked, I was like so freaking happy. I was like, for three weeks, I was just like, like listening to the radio, listening to music. Like I just, my mind just like was different, you know? Like I didn't feel so like cluttered or like I have to like do this or do that. So interesting.
00:07:59
Speaker
Yeah. And it's just like, I don't know, there's so many, there's so many things I'm torn on, like when it comes to social media. And I just think obviously like every platform isn't for everyone, you don't have to do what everyone else is doing. So I'm like, all right, that's cool. I'm figuring out what works for me. And I just need to do that. And so that will make me happy personally, and then also professionally. And I think that
00:08:23
Speaker
you know, by taking time away from it, I'm able to give the clients that have booked me like more of
Rebranding and Emphasizing Unique Style
00:08:28
Speaker
my time. Totally. So kind of tell us about the name, how you got indie pop and a little bit about your brand. Yeah. So when I first started, it was actually my name. It was Danielle Lene photography.
00:08:40
Speaker
And I was like, Ooh, that has like a nice romantic classy flow to it and weddings are romantic and classy. So that's what I have to be, right? And so everything was like pastels and it was muted and, you know, to me like washed out when I look back at it now.
00:08:58
Speaker
During COVID, I did some soul searching because I just felt like who I was wasn't really lining up with the work that I was doing, but I just thought that was the rule. If you work in weddings, you have to be soft and muted and classic. I booked a mentor session.
00:09:18
Speaker
And this girl was like, listen, your copy is not aligning with your website and like, you know, your images and whatnot. Like there's a disconnect there. So I was like, oh, huh, well, that makes sense. So I started just letting myself brainstorm and figure out, like, what what do I want to do? And something really powerful that she asked me was, if you could shoot a wedding for free just because you love it, what would that look like?
00:09:48
Speaker
So I was like, oh, okay. So that got my wheels turning. And I was like, color, joy, dancing, vibrancy, fun energy, and cool laid back couples and their families. And so another reason I decided to rebrand and change my name was because nobody could spell Lene right. Everyone was like, Danielle Lynn.
00:10:11
Speaker
It's always Danielle Lynn photography. Yeah, I'm like, just gotta go. It's not working. It's spelled wrong all the time. Nobody can find me. So I started trying to brainstorm what would be fun and align with my personality and the type of work that I want to put out there and couples that I want to work with.
00:10:33
Speaker
I wanted to incorporate my dogs and I was like, man, I can't, I can't come up with anything that incorporates ruckus and ransom like it's not working. So then I thought back and I was like, well, like I had a pretty pop in personality. And my images have pops of color. I love pops of color. And then I thought about my horse that I had in high school.
00:10:59
Speaker
And her name was Indi, I-N-D-Y, not I-E. And she was just the coolest, most vibrant, energetic soul, so bold, and just, oh God, I loved her. So I was like, huh, Indi, pop. That's me, that's who I am. So that's kind of where it came from, was just combining my horse's name and her spirit with pop, pops of color.
00:11:29
Speaker
All the things. I didn't know that you created this brand so recent. Yeah, I just did it in 2020. Oh, that's crazy. I have to see your washed out photos. Oh girl, I may have archived some of those because I was like...
00:11:45
Speaker
It better not. Wow. So you just really blossomed into this rainbow. Yeah. I mean, I was like, listen, you know, I have to be myself. And, you know, why, like, we're not cookie cutter as people, like, why should weddings be and why should, you know, what I offer people be the same as everybody else? Like, that's no fun, you know? You incorporated like a lot of music. I know you like Mr. Wise. Yes.
00:12:15
Speaker
I was on their Instagram a lot today and just checking out all their reels and I love like, yeah, the color and the brands and yeah, I love how like really like you're always at concerts and you always go out like looking so amazing.
00:12:31
Speaker
Like kind of like raver but in like a really more sophisticated raver. Oh my god, I love that. I'm taking that. Oh my god, that's amazing. It's almost like a raver like with like the Emmys like together. Oh my god, that's incredible. I've never heard anything like so.
00:12:53
Speaker
I'm like, okay, new brand words. I love it. Yeah, I mean, you make me look boring. No, why am I wearing black to a wedding again? Like I need to channel my, my color pop too. I love it. Yeah, I did. It's so funny. Like,
00:13:09
Speaker
when i first started i mean of course i was second shooting all the time and so yeah when you second shoot like you learn a lot from the people that you're shooting for and so everybody that i worked with was always like you have to wear black black lace like black lace dress black this black that and i was like oh yeah that's totally fine like
00:13:28
Speaker
I didn't know that when I first started. So that's not what I wore. I just thought I had to look nice. And so I would wear things that were like blue and pink and had flowers. And then this girl that I actually used to shoot with regularly, she was like, a homegirl, please wear black. And I was like, okay, I'm so sorry. Oh, wow, so confusing. Yeah, yeah. And which isn't a bad thing. Like that's her brand. And I am just, you know, I was just a second shooter. So I want to be really respectful of that.
00:13:54
Speaker
And so now when people second shoot with me, I'm like, please wear color. Like you don't have to wear neon, please don't wear neon, but like you can wear pink, you can wear green.
00:14:06
Speaker
Just, I prefer not to wear black just because it's, you know, it's not. Yeah, funeral-ish. Yeah, it's just not who we are. And so I feel like whenever, don't get me wrong, there are days where I'm like, ooh, I want to wear my black, like faux leather jacket. I'm feeling, you know, black leggings. Yeah, but you're going to wear a top of lipstick. That's my share. You darn right, 100%. I just went out last Friday for a girls' night and I was like, all right, we're going to wear all black except for my earrings and my lipstick and my hat.
00:14:35
Speaker
There's always some kind of color in there. Okay, so for the listeners, they have to check out your website. It's insane. And I'm going to post you like on a Wednesday and then I'm going to post Alex, your Corleo, your website designer on that Friday. So it will go hand in hand. But it's literally like the best website I ever seen in my life. Oh, thank you. I mean, I wish I could take credit for it. Alex was
00:14:59
Speaker
Honestly, so, so great to work with and just patient with me because I know what I'm asking. It wasn't, I guess you could say normal. I mean, I scanned so many different websites and a lot of them were really soft and classic and elegant and I'm like, I am not soft, classic or elegant.
00:15:24
Speaker
That's not me. So I was like, how do I portray all this fun and color and yet, you know, showcase the fact that like, hey, I do wedding photography and like you can have the day that you want and it can be infused with color and fun and dancing and all the craziness and weirdness that you want because it's supposed to be about you. So yeah, once I got out of the mindset of like, everything wedding related has to be soft and classic.
00:15:54
Speaker
then I felt like I was like, like, here we go. This is great. When people always try to like do the same thing as everyone else when they see an Instagram or Pinterest, and then they start kind of blending in. And it's kind of like, well, what's different from you from like the other all the other photographers that looks just like that. So yeah, you have to stand out.
00:16:15
Speaker
Yeah. And it's really hard. I personally feel like what makes it difficult these days is that it's so easy to consume everything. Everybody's putting out really cool creative stuff and different things. And so then it's like, oh my God, I'm consuming so many things. Like I don't even know who I am or what I am anymore. Like I like that and that and that.
00:16:38
Speaker
I think sometimes, at least for me, I have to remove myself and I'm like, all right, get off social media for a bit. Just do your thing and you don't need to constantly be looking at other people for inspiration because you have everything that you need.
00:16:51
Speaker
Oh, totally. I totally agree. Like, I can't go on too much. I consume your stuff because I love it. But I can't consume because it just like, yeah, I get confused. And it makes me like less creative. Like, I just rather create 100%. Yes, that is how I feel. I'm like, you know, like, it's so easy to just sit and we consume, consume, consume, and then we consume so much that I think it's hard to feel inspired. And so that's why I think just like getting yourself out of
00:17:21
Speaker
Constantly looking for inspiration. You know as it comes with photography like inspiration comes from doing not consuming. So that's something I'm trying to do more of is just create and just do. I recently bought like so much ribbon. I bought some really colorful like sample invitation suites on Etsy.
00:17:42
Speaker
And then I bought just like some fun colorful like fake engagement rings rings on Amazon. So I was like, you know, I'm just gonna play. I'm just gonna have fun. I'm gonna show what I want to shoot and just have a good time and let myself get creative with some like fun styled flat lays.
00:17:58
Speaker
Oh, that's so cool. Oh, my God.
Personal Growth and Overcoming Shyness
00:18:02
Speaker
Okay. So what were you like in high school? And how did you get into photography? Oh, my goodness. Okay. So growing up, I was, believe it or not, I was so shy, like, wow.
00:18:15
Speaker
Yeah. If I knew you, I would talk your ear off, of course, but I was shy. I didn't want to go stay the night at friend's houses. I was afraid to order food at a restaurant. My parents had to do everything for me. I was super clingy and needy as a kid. My parents, they pushed me
00:18:33
Speaker
to go to like summer camps week-long overnight camps and to do all these things and I would call them in the middle of the week crying just like begging them to come pick me up because I was so miserable and so I just you know and I think that them pushing me to do all of these things is why a huge reason of why I am where I am today like
00:18:59
Speaker
Because I, I tell you why, like I was a sensitive kid. I'm still sensitive and I definitely, without them pushing me to go do these things, I wouldn't have even had the courage to move to Texas after I met Colt. So, you know? Yeah, that's good. Really amazing parents will get into your mom a little bit later. But it just reminds me of like these memories I have of going to these camps and like playing caroms all day.
00:19:28
Speaker
Like, yeah, I'm not kidding you. They sent me to anything and everything like science camps, soccer camp, basketball camp, like volleyball camp, dance camp. It was everything they could possibly send me to and expose me to. So like, you need to get out, like get out of the house. You need to quit being around us all the time. And I'm like, but I love you.
00:19:50
Speaker
So yeah, yeah, I even like, this is so ridiculous as a kid. I would always want to sleep in their bed. And so one time I'll never forget this. I looked at my mom and I was like, I better not wake up in my own bed tomorrow morning. Oh my God. And she's like, okay, what are you going to do if you do?
00:20:13
Speaker
I slept with my mom till I was like, really old. And I think it was bad because after I just I had to always sleep with someone. Yeah. Yeah. I always felt comfortable with someone in the bed. And now I sleep with Piper. So it's just like a horrible cycle.
00:20:33
Speaker
Oh, the things that happen like as kids that translate into adult life. It's so funny. Fuck us up, but it's all good. It's all good. We're thriving. Okay, let's get into our hot topic, but tell us the hot topic and why
Developing a Unique Brand in the Wedding Industry
00:20:48
Speaker
you chose it.
00:20:48
Speaker
Yeah, so our hot topic for today is how to kind of discover your own unique brand. And I chose that just because I remember, like I said, when I started, I thought I had to do what everyone else did. And I didn't have any knowledge of what an actual brand was. I was like, I just know what looks pretty and what, you know, maybe I have to put up out there in order to shoot weddings and like, you know, get clients and whatever.
00:21:14
Speaker
Um, so I just basically, I want to inspire people to really do a deep dive and figure out like who they are, what they want to shoot or not even shoot. Like, you know, if you're a planner, like what kind of weddings do you want to plan and what kind of couples do you want to work with? Um, so yeah, I think it's really important to
00:21:33
Speaker
Yeah, just do a deep dive and figure out from the beginning. So much before with that question of, you know, if you were to shoot a wedding for free, like, tell me like everything about that couple. But I think a question I asked my, my students slash clients are, like in the past, all the weddings you shot, like tell me about your favorite couple. And I actually tell them like,
00:21:57
Speaker
everything? Like what are their personalities? What were they wearing? How did you feel when you met them? Like, were they partyers? Were they drinkers? Did they get in the floor, the dance floor? How was their engagement session? What did they wear? And like really, really deep dive.
00:22:12
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. And you have to because I mean, again, like, you know, if if you're going to shoot something that's like more editorial or that more elegant vibe, like you're not going to go and try to attract couples that want to do like the fun, silly, crazy, you know, adventurous engagement sessions. Right. Like that's totally different.
00:22:34
Speaker
Yeah. What what happens when you get confused on like you, you feel like you like everything? Like how would you kind of narrow it down? Or would you say like, you have to narrow it down? Oh, that's really hard because I feel like
00:22:51
Speaker
I mean, I've been there and I feel like that's something that you experienced when you first start, right? Because you're not exactly sure and you want to try a little bit of everything. And I think the longer you do it and the more you figure out what lights you up, like the easier it's going to be to niche down and define your brand and who you are and who you serve.
00:23:10
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, that was I just asked that because it was hard for me because I like gardening weddings, but I also like the hipster weddings. I didn't like the ballroom weddings, I knew that but and I didn't really like beach, but I liked like mountain. So it just, it's sometimes hard. But I guess me and you like, you know, to our listeners, we have to very emphasize to the people listening that it's really extremely important to hone into your
00:23:43
Speaker
Create a brand that really speaks to your heart. Yeah, absolutely. Because I think when you're in alignment with what you want to do and what you're passionate about, I mean, you're going to thrive. You're going to be so much happier. And you're going to be able to serve your couples so much better because you're going to be doing something that you love and working with people that you love. And you're not going to be like, oh my god, if I have to do another all-white bouquet wedding, I'm just going to.
00:24:04
Speaker
to your brand, to your niche, and kind of do...
00:24:13
Speaker
You know what I mean? It happens. You got to show what makes you happy. Totally. And like you totally incorporated like everything about you that makes you unique. Like you love Mr. Wives. You love music. You go to concerts. Your microphone is pink right now. The way you dress.
00:24:35
Speaker
is very like on brand, you are your brand, but you pulled in these different elements of your life, your dogs, your mom, your marriage, your lover for love.
00:24:48
Speaker
Yeah, music, like I said, like all into your brand. And I think because of it, you probably get clients like you, right? Yeah, I mean, I especially lately, I feel like, you know, it always it takes time. And of course, you know, when you first start, you have to take things that maybe don't necessarily align with
00:25:06
Speaker
with your brand or what you want to shoot, it takes time to evolve. But I'm at the point now where I'm just like, listen, I'm going to showcase color all the time. And it goes far beyond just the imagery. So I would say for tip number one is, yeah, you have to dive into your branding non-visuals. So your brand is more than just a logo. It's more than just a website.
Defining Brand Values and Purpose
00:25:34
Speaker
you know, figuring out what your brand values are will really, I think, help you. You know, like for me, figuring out different words that align with your brand and how you want to make people feel, the experience you want to give. So a couple for me, for example, would be, you know, quality.
00:25:52
Speaker
I want to give not just a quality experience, but I want to give quality images and moments. I don't want to just deliver like 10 of the same image just because I can, you know what I mean? And I am really
00:26:08
Speaker
passionate about giving that quality over quantity experience. Another one is fun. I want my couples to have fun. I want to have fun. A lot of my couples, not only do they accept me, but so do their families. We have a freaking blast on wedding days.
00:26:27
Speaker
We sing together on the dance floor. We dance. We have so much fun. And so oftentimes it is very rare that by the end of the night, I don't hear, oh my God, you're the most fun photographer ever. And that's not to shoot my own horn. That's just because that's what I want my brand to be. And those are the types of couples that I want to serve.
00:26:48
Speaker
I think, yeah, just taking that time to figure out, you know, and like, why do you do what you do? Because there's like, I don't remember who this quote, who said this quote, but people don't buy what you do. They buy why you do it. So Simon Sonek Sonek.
00:27:04
Speaker
Ah, okay. So see you now. But yeah, and so it's just like, why? Why do you do what you do? Figure that out. Do a deep dive into, you know, what do you value? What kind of experience do you want to give and why? Like you really have to figure out your why. Because if you're just doing it to be like, I need to make money, like, that's going to translate and not well. Yeah, what is your why?
00:27:32
Speaker
I got in the last like two or three days, 18 inquiries. What the heck? Hey guys, you all know me. I'm Carissa Wu and I'm a coach for wedding photographers. I've also been a wedding photographer for over a decade, so I've been through it all. I was a shy, awkward girl and I've come so far. I'm now beyond passionate about helping wedding photographers not struggle how I did for so many years.
00:27:59
Speaker
It was six years into my business and I was so tired of being ghosted, nickel undimed, and hearing the dreaded words, we went a different direction. I also knew I needed to find a way to not rely on referrals or paying $350 a month for the knot to get my leads.
00:28:15
Speaker
I didn't want to have anxiety about when my next payday was going to come and I wanted to scale my business. Fast forward to now, I created my very own stack system to help wedding photographers get constant leads and master the dreaded sales call and get a heck yes in 24 hours or less.
00:28:32
Speaker
and charge more than 4, 5, 6K. No more waiting around, guys. This is our livelihood, our artistry, and our passion, and we deserve to be respected, valued, and paid for what we are worth. I've helped so many wedding photographers. Watch my 20-minute masterclass all about lead generation and closing the sale. The link is in the bio. You don't want to miss out on the wedding boom, and you don't want to miss out on booking your calendar for 2022.
00:28:59
Speaker
It's engagement season guys, so you don't want to miss this. See you guys soon. My wise, I want to give fun, colorful experiences to couples that allow them to just let their guard down and be their fun, carefree, silly selves and enrich their lives.
00:29:16
Speaker
Oh, I love that. I'm so proud of you. Because I remember, you know, we were talking every week for three months and you had like a down moment. And I think it was your husband and you're like, Oh, maybe like I shouldn't do so colorful stuff and maybe more like muted and we're like, No,
00:29:33
Speaker
I know it's so funny. We have had that conversation because he's like, why don't you offer both? You could totally do that. It comes from a full place of support. It is funny because one of my biggest struggles has been confidence in the comparison game. It's so easy to just look and see what other people are doing.
00:29:57
Speaker
you know, I'm like, okay, this dark and moody vibe is so popular, and people seem to love it. So maybe I should do that. And I work with the same thing girl. Yeah, a little cousin, she was like Gen Z. And she's like, you have to do this dark and moody style. So
00:30:14
Speaker
I bought all the archaeo palago, you know, presets and like dirty boots. And I started doing like the studio look with boho. I mean, with that type of moody look and I was like, Oh my God, it's so not me. Yeah, I just delete it all the
00:30:30
Speaker
Yes, exactly. That's where I was. I was like, okay, it was a fleeting moment where I doubted myself, but now I've come back and I'm like, no, you know what? Like there are people out there that are just as like wacky and fun as me and silly that love color and all I have to do is find them and have them find me and so I show my students like all my students and
00:30:52
Speaker
your website and they're just like, oh, hours on your website, your Instagram is so good. And I'm like, yeah, you got to get there like that. Thank you. I'm telling you, Alex is a queen. Like she dealt with all my requests and I like she'd come back with a mock up and I'd be like,
00:31:10
Speaker
Maybe more like this or more like this or you know color here and literally Alex just all the colors of Like Danielle is Crazy, but honestly what she put out is more than I could have ever even envisioned. It's the coolest thing I've ever seen so I
00:31:29
Speaker
was so brilliant. I told you I tried to do the same thing and my designer came back and looked like Gymboree like many times and I was like oh god I just scratched the idea because I couldn't push through so I really admire you for sticking it through. Thanks. It's hard yeah it's not easy to be achieved because making those colors of color blocks actually match and look good together.
00:31:51
Speaker
very difficult thing to do. Oh, yeah, it was it was a challenge. I mean, she nailed it. And I think for me is I was just like, you know, I'm not willing to compromise my vision. Like, I know what I want. And
00:32:03
Speaker
though I feel bad for making her make so many changes, I just I know I'll know it when I see it. And so when she sent me that final I was blown away. I was like, Oh my god, this is amazing. And because you have that like North Star of like your whole brand, your website, whenever I told you to make something, you can make it really fast, like
00:32:26
Speaker
Oh, here, make the brochure, make the brochure for the vendors. You're just like, Oh, here you go. And I'm like, what? Yeah, honestly, like that was the easiest thing for me is like, you know, I have like this entire brand suite that's so easy for me to use and incorporate into everything. And so it's like, I've got these little starbursts and I've got
00:32:47
Speaker
You know, like everywhere. I mean, like, hey, those go on everything I put out. Oh, so good. Yeah, the photo booth, the videography, everything. Okay, take us away with tip number two. Yeah. So after you do a deep dive into your values and your why, you really need to figure out what your style is. You know, like what types of moments light you up? You know, do you love like the soft and classic and the little bit more muted?
00:33:17
Speaker
Or do you like fun, candid, vibrant, outgoing, or that more light and airy vibe? And so it's not just the colors of your images that you need to figure out what you like as far as style. It's the actual shooting part.
00:33:35
Speaker
You know, so for somebody, I was actually, I was listening to your episode with Jeremy Chow and he was saying like, I'm not going to have couples do like crazy cheesy things and like, you know, have them, you know, being cheesy, like, because he's editorial and it's so beautiful. But not every photographer is going to shoot that way. Just as not every photographer is going to be, you know, really action based like me.
00:33:58
Speaker
Yeah, it's interesting. Yeah, that's so funny. Because my last shoot the groom, he came in, you know, big guy tatted and he was like, I don't want anything cheesy. And I was just like making fun of him. I'm like, well, I'm gonna make you like lay in her lap and like, I just kind of make make like jokes upon it. Like after you kind of warm them up with your personality and get to know them. And I'm like,
00:34:21
Speaker
I do one cheesy pulse, please, please, please, please. It's like stuff like that to make them laugh. Yeah. Yeah. No, I love it. And the thing too is for the most part, I've been really lucky with all of my grooms and they will go for it and they'll just do it. They'll do all the action-based things and they have fun with it and I'll never forget. So there was an engagement session I had. Me and the bride
00:34:45
Speaker
totally connected. She's still one of my besties, even though now we live out of state, which is really sad. But so her fiance at the time, she prepped me. She was like, he hates photos. He doesn't like this. He's not excited about it. He's going to want to get it over with. And then we ended up having so much freaking fun.
00:35:04
Speaker
because he was expecting to show up and I was going to tell him every which turn of how to position his neck and his head and his chin and his shoulders. And there are times where I'll say, hey, shoulder back, we don't want to cut our necks off. But for the most part, everything's pretty action-based. And so at the end of it, he was like, wow, that was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be.
00:35:28
Speaker
I just started like firing like, Hey, jump in the air, you know, do a somersault, you know, you gotta warm up. Yeah, exactly. I was just talking about like, I ended up, you know, connecting with him and I bought some of his art by the end of it. And yeah, it was just like, I don't know, he just
00:35:47
Speaker
you get to know them on like a deeper level. And I think me and you are good at that. Yeah, exactly. Like, oh, and I love that. Like I just had, you can tell when you totally drive with people. Like I had a consultation last night with this couple and they were both talkative, like both of them and they were fun. And we were laughing and joking and joked. I asked her, I was like, um, by any chance, are you a people pleaser? She was like, how could you tell? And I'm like, I'm picking up on it because me too.
00:36:15
Speaker
And so we just laughed and had such a good time. And it's just like, that's how you know, at least for me, that that is your couple. Like they love color. We laughed. It was so easy to just talk and laugh over Zoom. And so, yeah, that's good. Oh my God, it's just tracking all the right
Consistency in Style and Branding
00:36:34
Speaker
people. Okay, so recap number one, deep dive on like who you really are, your non-visuals and your values and like your why.
00:36:44
Speaker
really hone into that and be different from everyone else, be you. And number two, really understand your style and then understand your couple, who you really want to work with. And then I guess take it away with your last tip and tip number three. Yeah, so tip number three is once you have all of these things figured out, you need to make sure that it's consistent across all platforms. And I don't mean consistent like posting to Instagram the same time every week, because I don't personally believe in that.
00:37:11
Speaker
right now. But consistency as far as thinking like, okay, does your style and your website, your colors and your copy all match? It has to be cohesive. Like I said when I first started, my website was really soft and classic and everything was pastel and yet my copy was really fun and exciting and silly and it didn't make sense. You want to make sure also
00:37:41
Speaker
that your images align with everything that you're putting out. So my website is super bright, fun, and colorful, right? Well, if I have images that are darker and a little more muted, that's not going to translate well. It's going to be confusing. Like, wait a minute. Her website's super fun. Her copy's fun.
00:38:03
Speaker
Her images are dark, like why? So I'm trying to like imagine that and that would be really weird to look at. Yeah, and it has to it just really has to be cohesive. And so just making sure that literally it's like a puzzle and it all fits together. And so once you have all those puzzle pieces and you figure out how they fit, then there you go. Like you've got your brand. Yeah, that's interesting. I'm working with this girl and you know, she like met her
00:38:32
Speaker
Beyonce like a haunted house. But then when she was talking to me, she was like, Oh, I want really like bright airy. And then when she was telling me her galleries, they're like more on like the moody tone. So I'm like, Yeah, I think you're more moody. Interesting. Yeah, so it's really like honing into
00:38:51
Speaker
I guess it's hard to understand like when you just start, but I think you have to like almost make like a vision for it of like, your best like images or like stuff that you find in pincers sports and like your favorite brands like Mr. Wise or like your favorite, you know, cover band or I mean, favorite cover of a album and just like
00:39:11
Speaker
really see how it all fits together. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Because yeah, you'll see like, I've checked out some websites before and it's kind of the same thing like this person that I know had done kind of like a rebrand and infused a lot of like fun colors, but the images themselves didn't really line up. So I was like thinking to myself, I wonder why
00:39:36
Speaker
she did that you know what i mean not that not to say or to like talk down on anybody i'm just genuinely curious like i wonder what her thought process was of doing you know this really colorful website but then her images aren't really colorful so i'm gonna have to ask her
00:39:54
Speaker
It's so interesting talking to different people. Like I talked to someone and she's like, I would never do table rounds. And I'm like, I love table rounds. And then so, you know, Jerry Michelle was like, you know, like, I would never I don't have my clients like belly laugh. And I'm like, all I want is belly. Yeah, the giggles are so like, could be so different. And you could really like be
00:40:15
Speaker
you like every time I make a real it's like you know a dinosaur like something like weird you know and it just it's funny to me so it doesn't attract every bride but it tracks that that bride that's a little bit like silly and like doesn't take themselves too seriously exactly yes no that's so true because I mean you know we're all different and some of us out there like I have a branding session coming up and um
00:40:39
Speaker
you know, when we were going over her shoe plan and everything and doing, um, you know, content planning for creating reels, I was like, okay, her, she's very calm. She's a lot more mellow. She's like, got this really calming vibe about her, which is awesome. Cause I'm like, that ain't me. So my reels would be something completely different. And that's the cool thing is that like, she can take reels and she can turn them into,
00:41:07
Speaker
something that speaks to her clients that's really calming and centering and healing, which are all her vibes. Then I'm like, my goal is to entertain. I want people to laugh. I want them to see, I am ridiculous and that means that you can be your ridiculous self too.
00:41:24
Speaker
Yeah, I laugh so hard when I
Family Involvement in Business
00:41:27
Speaker
watch it real. I gotta say, I kind of helped you get on the real train, right? You did, no, like showing my face more. Because I was like, man, I just, I don't got time for that. And then you encouraged me to show my face more. And I was like, all right, this is pretty fun.
00:41:41
Speaker
You got a good one. I got a mint too. Oh, thank you. Oh, thank you. OK, so let's do rapid fire questions. Tell me about your mom and how she works with you now. Yeah, so oh my gosh, we have been trying like right before COVID hit, we were trying to bring her into the business. And so that was super challenging because we couldn't be together. She was in Colorado. I was in Texas.
00:42:10
Speaker
And, you know, my mindset at the time was like, well, there's husband and wife photography teams all over the place. Like, why can't we do a mom-daughter photography team?
00:42:19
Speaker
And then that kind of sort of didn't, after a while didn't feel right. Like we were like, okay, well, that's not it. So what are we going to do next? And then we kind of thought about doing, um, having her do like coordination and planning. Woo. And you know, the, kind of my husband actually came up with that idea and he was like, well, hun, like, you know, you've had some issues where,
00:42:42
Speaker
you've had some planners you've worked with that haven't really been on top of it and you're basically the planner and so maybe like have your mom do it and you can be a team. So it was genius and I was like uh yeah because then we can communicate literally on everything from the very beginning and it's so much easier to make sure we're putting our couples first because like we talk to each other every day. So then we did a few events and very quickly I was like oh lord this is this is a lot.
00:43:11
Speaker
This is so much like, oh my god. So, so then after that, you totally inspired me to do, to add video onto our team as well as do the photo booth because I like yeah, like 90% of the weddings that I go to have photo booths at them.
00:43:28
Speaker
So I was like, okay, mama, you're going to do photo booth, like that's going to be your baby. And then my cousin actually recently graduated from film school. So I was like, you're going to be the teen videographer. And this is going to be one family owned business. So yeah, so the goal.
00:43:46
Speaker
is eventually, hopefully sooner rather than later to retire her from what she's currently doing so that she can focus on the photo booth and also taking some duties away from me as far as like, you know, shot lists and emails and stuff like that. And then I'm hoping that that will allow me to really connect more and spend more time with my couples and not so much in office stuff.
00:44:06
Speaker
Oh, okay. I love that. And your relationship so cute. Like you drink margaritas. She's super sassy and fun like you. And I was on her Instagram today and you guys are hilarious. Oh my god. Yeah, she's she's funny. Like she's a little firecracker. We love our margarita days. So I joke. I wish I wish my mom drank but she is so like, like
00:44:29
Speaker
a stew like picks up a beer, she like gives them the stink eye. Oh, that's so funny. Oh, no, no, we like, um, so Colton and I, we were supposed to get married in 2020. And then because of COVID, we had to postpone. So I was able to actually go out to Colorado and see my parents the week that Colton and I were supposed to get married. And so I was like, you know what, we're having a margarita day. So my mom and I drank
00:44:53
Speaker
a lot of margaritas and we did, we had like a song along all day and just like got drunk and danced and sang in the kitchen. My dad got home and he was like, y'all are insane. Oh my God. That's so cool. That's going to be me, Piper and Kelly. Yes, girl do it. It's just fun. I love my mom. I love my dad. They're both just, they're awesome and fun and goofy and supportive. So I suppose that's where I get it. I love it. What's your favorite movie?
00:45:23
Speaker
Oh, man, that's tough. I would say favorite of all time that I always go back to is the holiday. It's like the love stories are so sweet. And I just I love love. And Jack Black's character is so freaking precious. And I just love them all. They're adorable. So I love that. I'm a sucker for love stories. Such a good film. Okay, I wanted to ask you like two more questions. What is your biggest accomplishment in business?
00:45:51
Speaker
Oh, I would say the fact that I am in business because going back to the very beginning, like I was this shy kid who could not order her own food at a restaurant. And you didn't tell me you didn't finish your question. You how you got into photography, you could do it real fast. Oh, so that's kind of a crazy story, too. I mean, when I was a kid, I always had a camera like I was begging for all the Kodak cameras.
00:46:19
Speaker
And then I was actually nannying for two women who turned like really good friends. So they had their first babies, they had to go back to work and I was always taking pictures of them and sending them to their moms to make them feel comfortable.
00:46:34
Speaker
So they actually surprised me and they were like, listen, you're too good just with a cell phone to not give this a try. So they bought me my first camera. And so from then on, I mean, I started off practicing on ruckus and ransom because they're constantly moving and being silly. And so really, I just learned by photographing my dogs. Wow, that's so nice. Yeah. OK, cool. And I was going to say like,
00:47:04
Speaker
Kind of tell the listeners like your experience with working with me and like where your business is from like before and now. Yeah. So, oh my gosh. No, you were like my therapist. I needed you. I feel like my big struggle I think for me was really mindset. And you know, I feel like I was getting in my own way a lot and I was like, well, why is this not happening? Why is this not happening? Like I don't understand.
00:47:29
Speaker
you know, why am I not getting inquiries? Why is it crickets right now? And so, you know, working with you really just opened my eyes to all these other things that I could be doing and then areas where I was kind of wasting my time. So ever since then, and just really getting clarity and shifting my mindset, I mean, like, it's been crazy, like since January, I don't even know what to say. Wow, so are you fully booked?
00:47:56
Speaker
Yeah, actually, I'm to the point where I'm booked where I want to be for this year. So I am having to raise my prices for the rest of the year. And then into next year. So congratulations. Thank you. Thank you so much. Yeah, it's been like for the listeners. I know like mindset, of course. But if you could say like maybe two tips for photographers now, like what would you
00:48:25
Speaker
give them what to do today. Besides branding? Oh, two tips. Man, show more of what you want to shoot.
00:48:38
Speaker
Oh, okay. That's a good one. Definitely do that because if you don't want to shoot, like, for example, let's say you don't want to shoot Catholic weddings, but you're getting Catholic weddings, like don't show those because you're going to keep getting what you're showing. And so that's something that I had to do as well. I was like, oh, wait, I need to step back. Like I want to shoot bright, fun, colorful weddings with like bright florals. So I need to stop showcasing weddings that don't have those things.
00:49:05
Speaker
You know what I mean? So that's the first thing I would do. And the second thing, oh man, hotspot. I'm not helping you on purpose. I know. I'm like, book Carissa's coaching program.
00:49:28
Speaker
Seriously though, because, you know, like I never thought about having a lead magnet and, you know, putting that out there and doing, you know, like an email list. I knew that I needed one, but I didn't exactly know how to start one or like what I would even say. And so then after, you know, it was like after our conversations, all these light bulbs started going off. And so, you know, that was more powerful than like to me.
00:49:55
Speaker
then sitting and scouring Pinterest and Instagram for ideas. Yeah, so I really needed I am someone that oftentimes like I need one on one coaching, like one on one time, and direction, especially because I'm my own worst enemy and I'll just get in my way. Yeah, cool. Okay, well, I this is such a powerful conversation. And I hope to help like our listeners and viewers, like really hone into the brand and like be themselves. And I think it's going to
00:50:25
Speaker
I feel like save people a lot of time at the end of the day to just know your brand and like really be unique and different. So yeah, tell everyone like where to find you and you're really fun to follow. So yeah, tell us your Instagram and everything. Yeah. So on Instagram, I'm indypop.photo and it's indy with a Y. My website is indypopphoto.com and yeah, those are pretty much the main places that I hang out.
00:50:55
Speaker
Yay! Well, I love you, girl, and I miss you so much. Oh, I love you! This was so much fun. Thank you so much. Thanks for joining me this week on Get a Heck Yes with Carissa Wu. Make sure to follow, subscribe, leave a review, or tell a friend about the show. Take a screenshot and post to IG. Tag me. Also, don't forget to download my free guide on how to become a lead generating machine. See you next time, wedding pros.