Are you a photographer who feels uncomfortable on the other side of the camera? It’s a bit of a cliche, but it’s true: Many photographers struggle showing up in their own businesses, especially in photos. But your personality is what sets you apart, and showing it off through your personal branding is key to attracting the kinds of clients you’ve been dreaming of.

In this episode, I chat with brand photographer and marketing strategist Angie McPherson about attracting your ideal clients through personal branding in your photography business.

Angie shares how she fell in love with brand photography and how she uses it in her own business. She explains how to find balance between your style and your clients’ brands. Plus, we break down the brand photo process and client experience–from finding beautiful locations to styling your clients.

What’s in this episode:

• How to be yourself on social media and attract your dream clients [2:35]
• How Angie steps into her clients’ shoes as a brand photographer [5:09]
• Why you should prioritize your own style when looking for clients [8:01]
• How to figure out pricing for brand photography packages [10:24]
• How to style your clients or connect with local stylists [13:06]
• Watermarks, tags, and photo credit for brand photography [14:16]
• How to handle clients who want to edit their own brand photos [15:49]
• How to attract your ideal clients by showing up online [17:05]
• Angie’s tips for finding unique locations for brand photoshoots [19:57]
• What Angie’s branding package and shoot process looks like [22:24]
• Why shot lists are life savers during branding sessions [28:30]
• Angie’s advice for fellow photographers and business owners [32:15]

If you want to show up as your most authentic self and attract your dream clients through your own personal branding, tune in to this episode.

SUBSCRIBE: iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher

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Resources Mentioned

PeerSpace.com

HomeStudioList.com

Angie’s Personal Branding Photography Checklist

Meet Angie McPherson

 Angie is a branding photographer, marketing strategist and hype-woman helping entrepreneurs to elevate their personal brand and grow their business. She is SUPER passionate about entrepreneurs creating a powerful personal brand and taking inspired action to move their business forward. She’s watched her business grow from connecting with her audience on a personal level and positioning herself as an industry leader and she can’t wait to help you do the same.

When she’s not running her business, she’s usually throwing living room dance parties with her hunky husband Shaun and their sons Koa and Luca, or binge-watching Netflix with a bag of Starburst Jellybeans!

Connect with Angie

Visit her website

Follow her on Instagram

Follow her on Facebook

Follow her on Youtube

Did you love hearing about how Angie helps business owners show up online and attract their dream clients with personal branding? Check out another episode with Jamie Swanson

Transcript:

[00:00:00] Angie McPherson: So many people will say, Oh, I just started my business, but I’m working on it behind the scenes, or I’m not going to share until I’m ready. And I’m just like, Put it out there. Share the journey and take you along the ride. Because that is really what creates raving fans is when people see you out there hustling and putting yourself out there. You’ll get better feedback along the way and create those raving fans in comparison to just being like, Hey, now I offer this. So even if you’re pivoting from one piece to another and set up to be like, Hey, now I offer random photography, here’s my pricing, take them on the journey, take them on your your photo shoot that you’re building your, you know, your portfolio and and start doing this, taking people on a long ride.

[00:00:43] Lisa DiGeso: Welcome to the Art and Soul Show, where we dove into heart opening chats on photography, business, life and that messy in between. I’m your host, Lisa DiGeso, a mom, a photographer and entrepreneur. And I’ll be sharing honest conversations and advice for photographers with insight on mindset, entrepreneurship and creativity. The goal of this podcast is for you to be able to gain insights and strategies that will get you real results. Because, let’s face it, having a photography business can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. This is the place you can go when you need a boost of encouragement, a kick in the pants and inspiration to pick up your camera. This is the Art and Soul Show. Hello, my beautiful friends. Welcome back to the show. And today I’m hanging with Angie. She’s a personal brand photographer and a marketing strategist. And I first fell in love with her incredible smile and warm and inviting personality on Instagram of all places. And I knew I just had to bring her on the show and chat with us. So without further ado, here is Angie.  

[00:01:50] Angie McPherson: Hi. Thanks so much for having me.  

[00:01:53] Lisa DiGeso: So tell us who you are and what you’re passionate about. 

[00:01:57] Angie McPherson: Yes, I’m Anthony Pierson. I’m a branding photographer, a marketing strategist and self-proclaimed hype woman for creative entrepreneurs. I’m very super, very passionate about entrepreneurs getting in front of the camera and using that as a means to build a personal brand, finally showing their face, putting their business name, their face to a business name, and really connecting with their their dream clients through this way and kind of showing who the person is that’s running the business, their experience, shooting behind the scenes, sharing knowledge and value, and is super passionate about entrepreneurs building that part of their business. And to stop hiding behind the camera.  

[00:02:35] Lisa DiGeso: I love that so much. So what advice do you have for being yourself on social media and not feeling bogged down creating content? Because honestly, often I really feel overwhelmed and heavy and maybe just really stuck on ideas. 

[00:02:49] Angie McPherson: Yeah. So for me, I try to create content for just that one ideal client. So my biggest piece of advice for not being bogged down is to just focus on that one person helping that one person, that ideal client, what do they do? What pain points do they have? What do they need from you at creating content for that person? If you look at it like, Oh my gosh, I have tens or hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers or my email is this How do I help everybody? That’s going to really bog down. But if you know that you are, you know, an expert in this field and this vision. You can help this type of person. Creating that content for them is really going to help you to streamline what you’re going to be saying, what platforms are going to be using, what format you’re going to be sharing the content, how are you going to show up?  

[00:03:33] Lisa DiGeso: I love that. And I think a lot of the times we do, we get overwhelmed. We think about creating content because you kind of get in your head, you’re like, Well, what if someone doesn’t like this or I want to serve everybody? So what mindset shift would you suggest? Like figuring out who that one person is? So you are able to talk to them?

[00:03:50] Angie McPherson: Yeah, you can do this a couple of different ways if you’ve already worked with this type of person. If you have a dream client you’ve already worked with. Really think about that person and you want to attract more of those types of clients into your business. If you’ve never worked with the dream client yet, or you’re still trying to get that dream client, just really just put together the pros, the pros and cons you want to work with, who you don’t want to work with and really muster up that type of ideal client. So you’re able to speak to them because this is what I did. I started in weddings for years, shooting weddings for years, and I had to think of a totally different ideal client for branding because instead of, you know, working business to consumer as a photographer to portray a client or wedding client, I’m working business to business. So I needed to think about who I’m going to be targeting, what type of entrepreneur really be targeting, how big is their business? Do they have help? Do they have office space? Do they work from home? I have to really manifest that type of client. And the more that I do that, the more do they speak to that type of entrepreneur, the more that that entrepreneur inquires with me and reaches out. 

[00:04:53] Lisa DiGeso: I love that so much. And I actually know it’s so funny that we ‘re in a group of personal brand photographers, and someone had recently posted a few photos that you had done. Oh, my. Yeah, so I know that. So they were actually photos of you having a personal brand photography experience. Yeah. So I wanted to dove into that. On the importance of stepping into your client’s shoes. Yeah. And so can you share a little bit about that experience and maybe how that helps you as a personal brand?

[00:05:22] Angie McPherson: Oh, my gosh. Yes, that is like I think that’s the biggest mistake I see up and coming, great photographers do is they don’t have their own branding photos. They don’t put themselves through the process because it’s like you’ve got to practice what you preach. And that is how I built this niche, my business. I started by having branding photos taken of me. So me and another photographer friend, we got our hair and makeup done. We had a bunch of this and we went all around the city and took photos of each other. And so we could see what it felt like being in front of the camera and how we were going to use the photos. How are we going to be intentional about using photos? So then when I started talking about brand photography, I was talking from experience. I wasn’t talking to your friend with the camera. I was talking from someone who is a pro of photography and also a pro at being a business owner and knowing how to use the photos. So once you stick all those things around and position yourself as that authority, it’s going to help you to look more legit, to look more like an expert in the field.

[00:06:23] Lisa DiGeso: Yeah, I love that. Yeah, I, you know, it’s something that I probably haven’t done for years. And I’m such a brat because honestly, like, I’ll just set up my camera and I’ll do my own photos. Hey.

[00:06:35] Angie McPherson: I’m so bad at that that I wouldn’t even let my husband take my own photos. No, I need a professional. I need someone to pose me. I actually invested, you know, I’ve been swapping with other photographers for years for my own branding photos, just friends. And this was like the first time a couple of weeks ago, I invested in a brand photographer. I was traveling to San Diego with my husband, and I was like, Hey, while we’re there, maybe I’ll just find a brand photographer and take some photos because I just really love the aesthetic of San Diego. And I wanted some really nice backdrops with houses in my area in Virginia, we don’t have a lot of rental homes to rent, you know that is our own brand for me. So I knew San Diego, I had it and I invested big money into a branding photographer there and it was such a return on investment. The photos are being, you know, using my social media. I have a new website that’s launching any day now. And just to have those photos has just been a godsend. And I just wish everybody knew how helpful getting these photos of you can be. I know it. You know, to some clients it might seem like an investment, but it is a true return on investment. The money you would spend on, you know, equipment for your business or a new website design like those are all things you’re like, okay, well, I need to spend this money because I need a new website, I need new equipment. They should see branding photos as a return on investment. These are tools to help you speak to your audience, elevate your brand, and really connect to your ideal clients. 

[00:08:01] Lisa DiGeso: I love that. So I think a lot of the times I struggle a little bit getting in my head about aligning my photography style with my client’s vision and how they want to represent their brand, but still maintaining my own style, too. So do you have any tips on addressing that? 

[00:08:16] Angie McPherson: Yeah. So I think about this question, though, many times from students saying, hey, I shoot right in an area, but I had someone who’s interested in dark, dark and moody or vice versa. And I’m just like, stick with your style. Do not try to mimic anyone else. Do not try to switch it up because both of you will be unhappy in this experience. So I think the more consistent you are in your editing style, your posing style, your esthetic, the more you’re going to attract the right people who are interested in that type of photography. And really the questionnaire that you send out that’s going to say, Hey, what are your brain words? And when your colors and what are your visions? That’s going to also help you to align your style with what they’re looking for. So just be sure anytime you’re shooting somebody, you know, anytime you’re shooting a Brady photo shoot to give them a questionnaire where you’re looking inside their vision, in their head and their brand and really matching that to your current style. I don’t recommend anyone trying to do something completely custom as far as a style, like a custom editing style that their client wants.

[00:09:24] Lisa DiGeso: I love that. It’s funny because I’ve been asked and I’ve done some branding and I was like, This just feels like I’m wearing someone else’s pants and I do not like this. They don’t fit right. I like it, because I’m a shooter. I don’t really like my outdoor photography, I’m usually at 135, the closest I’m getting is using an 85, right? And so this client really wanted me to shoot with like a 35 using these like moody edits and like a little bit of orange skin because that was popular on Facebook. Right? Sorry, Instagram. And it just wasn’t me. And it just felt like I don’t like what I’m doing.  

[00:10:00] Angie McPherson: I know it’s like – 

[00:10:01] Lisa DiGeso: Why did I do this? 

[00:10:01] Angie McPherson: Neither the photographer or the client’s got to be happy because you’re not going to feel in alignment and then they’re not going to get exactly what they want because it’s not your expertise. Yeah. 

[00:10:11] Lisa DiGeso: Yeah. It’s like when you are able to tap into what you are really amazing at and have a client that trusts you to do that. Like that is the juice that that, you know, fuels us for our businesses.  

[00:10:23] Angie McPherson: Yeah.

[00:10:24] Lisa DiGeso: So I think there’s a lot of confusion on actually having a price yourself as a personal brand photographer. So do you have any advice or tips on that? 

[00:10:32] Angie McPherson: Yeah, definitely. So I was like, “ gosh, when I started it, I was like, okay, do I need a one hour package, a full day package, a happy package? Really think about your ideal client that we talked about and what they are. I mean, and have that one base package that is like your dream package that everybody should get. So for me, that’s 3 to 4 hours of shooting. That’s my client having up to three different locations. That is a certain number of outlets. I think I do like 5 to 7 outlets because I want them to have a lot of variety. So really think about who you are targeting and what they need and make that package and then think about the time you’re putting into the shoot because this is more than, you know, a wedding. You know, you do an engagement session, you might work on a timeline for them and then you kind of run the day. But for Brandon, you’re more in control. You don’t have to be at somebody’s beck and call. You can kind of control the whole situation. And so you should be sending them like your planning guide, which should have a lot of the content and expertise that you’re sharing with them. Like, Hey, here’s some location ideas, here’s some app inspiration, here’s how to create your Pinterest board. The more you create upfront for your client and give to them, one is going to make you look like the expert because you’ve already thought of everything before they ask you, and two it saves you a lot of time. You’re not going back and forth on email each and every client. And I just really live by like the less you work, the more you make and sell it. Every single client. Your answer to the same question is you’re writing the same emails. That’s too much. So too to save time in each package. What can you be doing to set your experience up? Right. So even if you’re doing a zoom call with your client to have it a planning call, having your calendar open, it could be calendar or acuity or even 70%. Honey Book will let you do this. You know, where you predetermine your schedule. So making sure that you have these times allocated so that you’re not spending so much time and then just seeing what’s the time that you’re spending on each project, from the inquiry to the planning call to creating a shoot date game plan that you guys can run through to shooting the actual raining shoot to delivering. How much time are you spending on that? And of course, this shouldn’t be the same hourly rate that you would allocate to a portrait session or a family session or something like that. These are commercial images. These are images they’re going to use to make money. And so really think about all the time that you’re dedicating to this and the experience that you have, experience that you provide and then price accordingly and add tax.  

[00:13:06] Lisa DiGeso: I love that. Now, it’s interesting because, you know, it’s funny because I always think like the styling part is what kind of trips me up. Yeah. So if styling isn’t your forte, do you suggest hooking up with a stylist? And where would you find someone like that?

[00:13:21] Angie McPherson: Yeah, that’s a great idea. Honestly, I wish I had a local stylist to recommend here. I have hair and makeup artists. I have all these things. I don’t yet have a local stylist, but I, you know, you can create Pinterest boards for your clients that are like outfit inspiration, you know, tops and bottoms and dresses and hairstyles and things like that. Like you can, it doesn’t have to be somebody helping and guiding them along. It could be you providing that visual inspiration because everyone does have their own style. You know, I thought about hiring a stylist for me when I took my San Diego shoot, but then I realized I just need a couple of inspiration pictures and that piece of things together and came out well, very happy with good. Yeah with the look. But that’s a great way. I love collaborating with people. If you could sync up with a local stylist, I mean, you could totally have that in your back quarter and say, hey, you know, I have some branding clients. I would collaborate in some way. Yeah. And I have that. 

[00:14:16] Lisa DiGeso: I love that. So I also think there might need to be a little mindset shift with photographers about watermarks and tagging on social media, especially for commercial clients. Because I’ve personally, you know, I’ve done a couple of shoots and it’s this funny little twinge that happens when you’re super proud of an image, but it isn’t tagged or credited. So how do we get over that? 

[00:14:38] Angie McPherson: That’s a tough one. And you have to charge enough where you’re not bothered by that. Yeah, because I don’t deliver anything with the watermark, everything comes fresh for them and I don’t require tagging. But I do say in my contract, you know, tagging is not a photo credit and tagging is not required, but it is also very greatly appreciated to grow my business so I don’t require it. Many of my clients do, many of them forget or it’s like they’re running an ad and they don’t need to put my photo credit and a Facebook and I wouldn’t even recommend that it doesn’t look weird that’s weird. And so you just have to realize you’re in a commercial niche where not everything needs to be shown on you, you know, tagged for you. It’s all about the client. They’re using the photos to make the money, so make sure you’re charging enough to let those photos go. I love it. 

[00:15:32] Lisa DiGeso: That. I love that. I think, you know, that’s exactly the nail on the head, is that you’re charging enough to make it worth it but worth it, like. 

[00:15:38] Angie McPherson: Right? That’s it. Yeah, it is. If that’s hurting you that your client didn’t. You. You probably need to raise your prices. Yeah. Yeah, I love that.

[00:15:49] Lisa DiGeso: So I think another mindset block is kind of getting over that fact that many personal brand clients will want to edit their own images or reedit them using Instagram or TikTok filters. So what advice do you have on getting over that, too, huh?

[00:16:03] Angie McPherson: Kind of the same thing. I mean, I know photographers who say do not edit my photos and I have photographers that say, these are yours. Do what you do with them. What you want for me, it’s in my contract to not edit them because I want my images to be cohesive. And like I said, you should be building your consistent style so that that’s exactly what people want. If somebody takes your photos and feels the need to put a sepia filter on all of them, then there’s a disconnect there because they obviously do not want your editing style. And so if you’re attracting the right people, you’re not going to have these problems. Of course, they’ll edit them away. Like, you know, they might need to cross something or they might throw some text over it for an ad. That’s great. But as far as manipulating the image, it’s in my contract not to. So just be it. Whatever you decide, just be upfront. If you don’t want them to edit it, put it in your contract, bold it, and let them know so that it if it’s a situation or a client who says, “ I really need to have complete control, that’s fine, you can go with somebody else.

[00:17:05] Lisa DiGeso: Yeah, 100%. I loved that because I think it also postures yourself to not be grasping for every single client walking through the door like you are saving that space for your ideal client. Right? So if someone isn’t attracting their ideal clients and they’re not maybe quite there yet, what advice do you have to market and find them? 

[00:17:24] Angie McPherson: I would say anytime I talk about marketing, I would say to share the journey. So any time you’re doing anything branding, photography related, share it. If you just booked a client, talk about it on Instagram. If you’re on a Zoom call, take a boomerang at the end of the Zoom call and say, I’m so excited to be planning Jessica’s branding shoot. If you’re there taking videos, even setting up a phone to do like a timelapse of you moving around, doing the shoot out would be like a little real and just sharing, sharing, sharing and really creating FOMO fear of missing out around your experience, you know, and I’ll, I’ll, I’ll do all this and I’ll get people in my DMS like, oh my gosh, this looks so fun. I really want to work with you. And that’s the type of marketing that I do. I’m like, Hey, this is a fun day. This is a fun experience. Here’s how my clients use the photos. You know, this was our Instagram before. Here it is now. This is your website. Before she just launched a new website, I had a client who launched the podcast. Here’s how she used the photos for her artwork for her podcast. So really showing the experience that you’re providing, you know, how much fun it is, what the process is, and what the transformation is going to be. Because people aren’t just going to buy photos, they’re going to buy an experience, they’re going to buy a transformation. So, you know, and there’s so many different ways to reach those types of clients. You know, we as this branding photographer are business to business transactions. And so we walk alongside so many of our ideal clients. You know, I think it’s much easier to find entrepreneurs, our clients, than guides or yes, you know, a family or things like that, because we are in the same Facebook groups, we’re in local entrepreneur Facebook groups, we are all using very similar hashtags where we know exactly what hashtags use. It’s very easy to find those people and really connect with them, commenting on their posts and you know, just being like, we got to be cheerleaders for our ideal clients. That’s really what we are. We’re wanting them to grow their business, we’re wanting to hype them up. And so just really building those relationships on social media, even in person events that you might go to on, you know, entrepreneurs. I go to the farmer’s market every Saturday. I mean, every single booth is an entrepreneur of some sort. So there’s so many ways to connect with those types of people. And if you’ve done the due diligence of having your social media ready with, you know, with photos and education and things like that, if you have your website ready, as soon as you reach out to connect with them, you’re going to go back to see yourself. Oh my gosh, this person’s legit. I’m going to hire them. 

[00:19:57] Lisa DiGeso: I love that. Now you touch a little bit on Farmer’s Market because I was like, Oh, you know, I’d love to do a shoot at the farmer’s market. But my question is about finding locations and shooting locations and locations for your personal branding clients. So do you have any tips on finding maybe unique locations for those clients? 

[00:20:16] Angie McPherson: Yeah. So I would start with, you know, of course homes. So photographing, you know, dates or does your client work from home? Do they want photos at home? Does your client have a friend with a really nice house? You know, I photographed a yoga instructor and she is a local yoga instructor and she does one on one client work, so she’ll go to your house and do it with you. So she reached out to a client with a four story home. On the water well, boats and all that. And we shot it there. And it was very realistic because that’s a typical day for her to go to someone’s house. And then she had a friend come over and put on yoga gear and we shot them together. So it looked like she was training someone or, you know, working with someone. And so thinking about these kinds of connections that your client may already have. Another one I just did branding  mini sessions a couple of weeks ago at an apartment complex clubhouse, which is perfect because it has a fireplace and a sitting area and a kitchen and a pool. And once again, think about your clients connections, because I had a client who lived in the apartment complex and so we were able to use the clubhouse. Another option is co-working spaces, and those are super fun because they are filled with your ideal client. If you can create a good connection with the co-working space and they can help you market, you know, your business, those are your clients right there. They usually have nice lighting and lots of variety. Another way to find areas depending on your location is PeerSpace.com. It’s like the Airbnb photography places like homes. And when I went to San Diego, that’s how I found the house. It was this gorgeous house with, like, this really modern kitchen and, like, backyard. And I found it on PeerSpace, and we just paid by the hour. And then I think another one is HomeStudioList.com. Those are two websites where you can find places to rent. If you do do something through Airbnb, just make sure that you are letting the owner know that you’re doing this for a commercial because you know you do not want them to see your photos and be like you can’t use these. And then you just charge your client a lot of money and they get used about us. 

[00:22:20] Lisa DiGeso: I love that. I love that. I love that. So how long do your personal training sessions take and what is your start to finish process with your clients with a pre-consult, etc.? 

[00:22:32] Angie McPherson: Yeah. So my package is a three hour package. We usually go over just a little and I try to give myself time just knowing that I’m going to go over and kind of be like, Oh man, we would over 30 minutes and kind of make it seem like a value add. But I kind of knew it was going to happen and from start to finish, oh my gosh when they acquire, you know, I kind of sense and pre qualify questions just to make sure that we are a good fit. And then I send them my pricing guide as a PDF and once they book I send them the booking way through, you know, honey book. And so they’ll have the booking like the contract, the invoice, you know, for the retainer, things like that. And once we are good to go, once they sign everything and pay the retainer, then they get this welcome email that’s got the welcome guide, which is like a 15-16 page PDF that talks about location ideas and things like that, how to create a, you know, a visual Pinterest board. And I have them submit a questionnaire. So the questionnaire comes with that as well. And I have them submit a questionnaire or complete the questionnaire and get it to me within 30 days of the shoot. So I have time to look at it, maybe hop on a zoom, call it a 20, 30 minute zoom, call with them and create a shoot day plan. And so the plan is going to have some screenshots from their vision board. It’s going to have their intention, their brand keywords. It’s going to have a prop list so we can make sure we’re packing all the props, getting all the props photographed where it’s going to have a shot list as well at each location. So if it’s like three locations, it’s a multi-page I mean, it’s already a multi-page document, but it really is going to keep us on track. I put it in a nice pretty binder, bring it with me, and I’m literally checking off with my pen, making sure we get everything because you want to make like this is a very curated shoot. And when you’re in control, it’s not a wedding day where you’re hoping you get to the flowers, you hope you catch this shot or that shot, you’re in complete control and so you should produce it as such, have that binder with you and create this production of getting everything from start to finish. And then, you know, I’ll send in a couple of sneak peeks of the full gallery. So I try to book at least six weeks out to give us time to do all this. And someone says, Hey, can I book a breakthrough in the next few weeks? No, because we don’t have time. It’s not a senior shoot where I can show up and shoot you. This is something that we definitely need to produce.

[00:24:46] Lisa DiGeso: Yeah, I love that. And I love that because instead of rushing through you, you know, each step is with intention and that shows the value is because you are working and you are taking the time to really think about the experience for them and the results that they want. So I love that so much. Now, how many images would you say you average for a client? 

[00:25:08] Angie McPherson: Oh gosh. So my background is wedding photography, so I probably deliver more than most. Yeah. And this is such a controversial like I need to make because some people will be like, Oh my gosh, I only give 30 photos and I upsell the rest of the gallery for $10,000. Or some people will say, I give all the photos. So for me, you gotta do what’s comfortable for you. So for me, I give them the best images from the day. The only thing I might upsell is branding mini sessions because I’ll give my clients maybe 15 to 20 photos and then I’ll deliver. More they can buy them, you know, but someone’s booking me for a full 3 to 4 hour shoot for branding shoot and once again putting a high up, putting a high price on it. I’m going to give them the best photos. And so typically for a three hour shoot, that could be anywhere between 75 to 150 photos. But there’s not going to be any duplicates. And they’re going to get a ton of horizontals and verticals pretty much of the same shot, because I want to make sure they have verticals for Pinterest and horizontals for, you know, cover photos or YouTube thumbnails. I want to make sure that they have a good variety of everything. I, I want my client to see their gallery and be like, oh, it’s, it’s, it’s beautiful. It’s done. All I have to do is download and go. I don’t want my client to get the gallery be like, okay, now I have to pick a certain amount of photos. I really want this one, but I also want that one. But I don’t want to paint extra. I know for me that is not ideal as a consumer, so I want to make sure I’m giving what I want for myself. And that is just all the best photos from the day I want them to leave and be happy. Decision fatigue is a real thing and I don’t want them to be over there making a ton of decisions when the photos are already done. You know they’re already done. I don’t want to be like, okay, well I’m only going to pick 30. Like, No, have them all, but I’m going to price it correctly for me so that it’s worth giving all the photos.

[00:27:11] Lisa DiGeso: It’s stuff that because I did a personal branding shoot for a yoga instructor friend of mine, and so we did like a whole bunch of different setups. But I realized I was giving her like 10 to 12 of very, very similar images and now she’s posting them online. And I’m like, I’m bored of that. Like, I need to. You need some new stuff, girl, right?

[00:27:30] Lisa DiGeso: Like, maybe, right. Like, maybe that was to her detriment that I gave her too many. 

[00:27:35] Angie McPherson: Mm hmm. And, you know, it. It really depends, because if I’m shooting all in one location for 3 hours, they’re going to get a lot of photos because we’re not spending 10 to 15 minutes in the car going from one shoot to another. They’re changing the back quickly, and they’re going to get more than someone who says, hey, let’s do three different locations, okay? They’re going to get less of. It really is. It really depends on the type of person and the type of shooting that you’re shooting. I can have two, three, two branding sessions that are both 3 hours long with different business hours. And one person can get 75 photos and another person can get 150. You know, she might go to the bathroom and I’m shooting our products. That’s 30 photos right there. You know where I might be shooting someone who has no products and she’s like, hey, I just want to like salsa. Okay, great. That might be a different amount. Just so it’s really customized based on the type of shoot it is. 

[00:28:29] Lisa DiGeso: I love that. I think there’s also a really big fear of feeling like you’re going to freeze during your session. So how important do you find to have a shot list prepared ahead of time and should this be different and customized for each client? 

[00:28:42] Angie McPherson: Absolutely. Absolutely. And you could create a shot list as simple as something in a word document. Or you can create something beautiful in Canva with, you know, their inspiration. But just having something that you can have a checklist for, you know, and pull and pull. Creating the shot list is the easiest part. Creating a game day plan is the easiest part because your client has already done the work, they’ve already put in their questionnaire, their props, the types of backdrops and locations they want. They’ve already put their vision for it. All you’re doing is putting this together in a cohesive document to take with you and just checking things off as you go. 

[00:29:22] Lisa DiGeso: So are you ready for our lightning round? 

[00:29:23] Angie McPherson: Let’s do it. Let’s do it.

[00:29:25] Lisa DiGeso: Coffee or tea?

[00:29:27] Angie McPherson: Coffee. Anything flavored from Starbucks, caramel. You know, double chocolate chips, all those frappuccinos. I’m there. Love it. 

[00:29:36] Lisa DiGeso: Most luxurious vacation you’ve ever been on.  

[00:29:39] Angie McPherson: Definitely Hawaii. It was so. My gosh, it’s truly paradise. Really. 

[00:29:44] Lisa DiGeso: I love that. What was your favorite TV show as a kid?  

[00:29:47] Angie McPherson: Who as a kid is probably going to be like a cartoon, like SpongeBob or something. But my favorite TV show of all time, like growing up probably when I was in high school, is One Tree Hill. That’s like my favorite show. I think that was like hot late high school, maybe in college. I love that. And now my kids watch my SpongeBob now, so I get to watch it again.

[00:30:08] Lisa DiGeso: Seriously, you know, it’s so funny because my son, for the longest time, I was like, no, you can’t watch SpongeBob. He’s too rude. And he wanted to watch it so bad that I quickly learned that anything I said no to was he wanted it even more. Now he’s like, I guess I surrender. 

[00:30:25] Angie McPherson: I can’t believe SpongeBob is still around.

[00:30:29] Lisa DiGeso: So last thing you did for yourself as an indulgence. 

[00:30:32] Angie McPherson: Oh, probably got a facial, I swear. Those are just. It’s like 2 hours of just somebody going and massaging your face and claiming it and like. It sounds like not the best thing, but it’s actually very relaxing.

[00:30:48] Lisa DiGeso: I love to be a facialist, so I guess, yeah, I used to put people to sleep.

[00:30:53] Angie McPherson: Oh, I fall asleep every time. And then I get so mad because I’m like, I’m paying money to enjoy this. And I slept through half of it. It’s like I pay for a nap. 

[00:31:06] Lisa DiGeso: Morning person or night owl.

[00:31:08] Angie McPherson: Oh, my gosh. Probably both. Oh, I don’t know. I need more sleep. I like to stay up late and watch shows, and I like to wake up early and work before the kids get up. So probably both. 

[00:31:20] Lisa DiGeso: I love that. What did you want to be when you grew up? 

[00:31:21] Angie McPherson: Huh? I wanted to be a publicist for, like, a celebrity. I love Drake, the rapper who’s actually from Canada. And I. I wanted to be his publicist. I love it. 

[00:31:35] Lisa DiGeso: I love it. Well, actually, you know, it makes so much sense being in personal branding because you are like a publicist. Hype yourself for. 

[00:31:41] Angie McPherson: Yeah, you’re right. Yeah, you’re right. I need to put that around the marketing. Right.  

[00:31:48] Lisa DiGeso: What is your go to karaoke jam?

[00:31:51] Angie McPherson: Oh, gosh. Anything. Anything? Spice Girls, probably. Yeah, the Spice Girls. And, like, their lyrics are just so easy to remember. So even if it’s like old music, I could probably get up there and. And not even look at the screen and know I love it. 

[00:32:06] Lisa DiGeso: What makes your soul light up?

[00:32:08] Angie McPherson: My kids, for sure. I have two boys, seven and two years old, and they are just my lights. I love them. 

[00:32:15] Lisa DiGeso: What has been the best piece of business advice you’ve ever been given?  

[00:32:19] Angie McPherson: Probably. You know, Jasmine Star said this to me before I went to one of her events and she said, Angie, you need to buy where the land is cheap and build a high rise. And this is when I was pivoting into branding photography and even started talking to her about selling courses. She’s like, he’s talking about that, right? And this was years ago. She’s like, everyone saw weddings and saw this and that sickness by where the land is cheap and built a high rise. And so any time I’m thinking about a new product or service or something, I’m thinking, is the land cheap there? And Can I build up on it? I love that. Yeah, that’s.

[00:33:00] Lisa DiGeso: Great. 

[00:33:00] Angie McPherson: Advice. Yeah.

[00:33:02] Lisa DiGeso: So what advice would you have for someone just starting out?  

[00:33:05] Angie McPherson: To put yourself out there? So many people will say, Oh, I just started my business, but I’m working on it behind the scenes. Or I’m not going to share until I’m ready. And I’m just like, Put it, put it out there. Share the journey and take you along the ride. Because that is really what creates raving fans is when people see you out there hustling and putting yourself out there, you’ll get better feedback along the way and create those raving fans in comparison to just being like, Hey, now I offer this. So even if you’re pivoting from one niche to another, instead of just be like, Hey, now I offer photography, here’s my pricing, take them on the journey, take them on your your photo shoot that you’re building your, you know, your portfolio and and start educating them, just taking people along along the ride. 

[00:33:49] Lisa DiGeso: I love that. Where can I listeners learn more from you? 

[00:33:53] Angie McPherson: Yeah, go to my website, which is AngieMcPherson.com or you can connect with me on Instagram. I love some Instagram and my handle is @AngieJanine, my middle name. My last name was taken so Angie Janine, and the Janine spelled J and I. 

[00:34:08] Lisa DiGeso: And so I love to end my interviews with this last question. And it is what are you currently curious about artistically? Curious about. 

[00:34:16] Angie McPherson: How? K Curious. You know, I am always obsessed with marketing and so I’m always curious about the next trend or the next app or the next strategy reels and tick tock and things like that. I’ve taken off and for a month I was like, I’m not going to do all this, you know, I’m not going to close the reels. And then January, I’ve made it a goal. Like I’m going to post at least two reels a week. I’m going to stay in touch with what’s trending with what’s new and oh my gosh, I have loved it. I’ve had so many inquiries come from Instagram reels on, Why didn’t I do this sooner? So I’m always curious about marketing strategies and what’s next and how to grow my business. 

[00:34:58] Lisa DiGeso: I love that so much because that’s how I got to know you. I was like, It’s my buddy Angie.  

[00:35:02] Angie McPherson: I love it. 

[00:35:08] Lisa DiGeso: Well, thank you so much for joining me today.

[00:35:11] Angie McPherson: Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.

[00:35:15] Lisa DiGeso: So my friends, that was such a fun episode. Now, Angie also has a personal branding checklist that you should not walk to, but run to go download for free on her website, and I’ll make sure that is linked in our show notes. Thank you so much for tuning in today. My friends, I adore getting to spend this time with you together and I appreciate you so much for tuning in. Each and every single week I am sending you so much of my light and my love today and every single day. I will see you next time.