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2 Reasons Your Products Need a Professional Photographer

2 Reasons Your Products Need a Professional Photographer

2 Reasons Your Products Need a Professional Photographer

Welcome to the Crystal Clear Podcast where we strive to empower the everyday creative boss to elevate and grow a business that matches your creativity and passion for creating products.

 

Things mentioned in this podcast episode:

 

Not sure when the right time to hire a professional photographer for your products might be? Confused about why it might be time to outsource to a photographer? Today I am diving into this headfirst on the podcast. I am sharing my top two (& most important) reasons your products need a professional photographer. My first reason for hiring a professional photographer for your product photography is when you are ramping up sales and getting ready to market your products. Seems simple but it can often be overlooked by many growing businesses. You have the marketing strategy in place. You have perfected the product, the label and your branding. Maybe you even have a website and some images ready for that. But now you need to ACTUALLY market the product and drive intentional marketing dollars toward getting your ideal client from a cold lead to a buying customer.

 

Continued… 

In order to implement a good marketing strategy you need GOOD images to go along with it and often times you need A LOT of images so that you are able to try different tactics on different platforms. Investing in a professional photographer to asset in your market strategy by providing the images you get a professional touch and eye to help make the strategy be as successful as possible. A professional photographer can help you to bring out the emotion you are wanting your ideal customer to feel when they see or interact with your product online. 

Bonus tip: Your business is going to get busier as those market strategies start to convert therefore you are going to have less time on your hands to perfect the images you need to continue marketing at a high level. Let a photographer take that piece off of your hands allowing you to focus more on nurturing all of the new leads you have brought in. 

Hiring someone to help you with your marketing strategies and aesthetics allows you to have a proactive eye on your business instead of a reactive eye. 

The second reason is product photography for a product launch. Hiring someone to help you with the photography for a new products allows you to get the detailed and special images you need that will allow your new product to stand out and become the center piece of your business. This will help you to have the images you need to get your new product on your website, implemented into your marketing strategies, sent to influencers to help with promotion etc. Hiring someone to come in for a product launch, especially when you’ve had someone help you professionally previously, allows for you to blend your new product into your current products while also allowing the new product to stand out and draw in new customers. 

Speaking from experience, having someone on your team that is your go-to product photographer allows you to create a cohesive and smooth brand image across the board. Your photographer will be able to help you get the images, videos, and re-freshes you need with confidence. This is something that I specialize in – helping you coordinate the visuals you need for to create a successful marketing strategy to use on repeat. Head over to Instagram and shoot me a DM. I’d love to chat with you about all the ways a professional photographer can help you in your business.

 

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About Crystal

Corporate America had me at hello for 10 years. And just when I thought I was where I was supposed to be, God changed the narrative and helped me find more time for my husband and two beautiful girls through my own photography business. Now, I live for all things styled photography and serving the business community exclusively through styled imagery and personal brand photography.

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It’s Okay to Outsource Things You Love Doing & Here’s Why!

It’s Okay to Outsource Things You Love Doing & Here’s Why!

It’s Okay to Outsource Things You Love Doing & Here’s Why!

its-okay-to-outsource-things-you-love-photography-product-ecommerce-content

Welcome to the Crystal Clear Podcast where we strive to empower the everyday creative boss to elevate and grow a business that matches your creativity and passion for creating products.

 

Things mentioned in this podcast episode:

 

Do you have a hard time outsourcing the things you LOVE in business? You aren’t alone. Today I want to help you to give yourself permission to outsource the things you love in business in order to free up more of your own time. It can be hard to give up those things you love because it is like handing off your baby. 

But here are a few reasons why it is okay to outsource those things you love. It is natural to be a perfectionist which will oftentimes lead to spending too much time on a project trying to get it just right. You end up spending so much time investing in something that could be hindering your growth. It is also easier to remove yourself from the outcome when you outsource. Sometimes we tend to take things a little too personal when it doesn’t turn out as we envisioned. 

Now, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind when you are beginning to outsource tasks. It is important to nurture the person you are outsourcing things to and remember where you started. They will not do it exactly like you and there may be some mistakes in the beginning but that’s okay. It is a learning process. You have to allow time for error and corrections. Give examples and share HONEST feedback. 

Photography is an easy thing to outsource when you are first looking to outsource something in your business. Many people outsource their photography to me and here are a few reasons why. My process has been perfected to capture the key things you are looking for. I am thorough when creating images and my clients understand that. I also have good communication with those I work with. A good, honest, and trusting relationship is a MUST and that is accomplished through good, open, and efficient communication. 

If you are looking to outsource your photography feel free to send me a DM on Instagram and shoot me an email at info@crystalcreativestudios.com 

Like this episode?

Comment, share on Pinterest, or even snap a screenshot and tag me on Instagram! I’d love to hear what you think about props for product photography.

Keep Listening

About Crystal

Corporate America had me at hello for 10 years. And just when I thought I was where I was supposed to be, God changed the narrative and helped me find more time for my husband and two beautiful girls through my own photography business. Now, I live for all things styled photography and serving the business community exclusively through styled imagery and personal brand photography.

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Why No One Is Seeing Your Content & How to Fix it!

Why No One Is Seeing Your Content & How to Fix it!

Why No One Is Seeing Your Content & How to Fix it!

Welcome to the Crystal Clear Podcast where we strive to empower the everyday creative boss to elevate and grow a business that matches your creativity and passion for creating products.

Things mentioned in this podcast episode:

First, the reason why no one is seeing your content is that you are truly not sharing it enough! It’s tough to step back and realize just how many times we need to talk about a particular product, offer or service to get the audience to start to see us as that subject matter expert but it’s often the reasons why no one is seeing your content!

So how could you fix that? Try taking a former blog and pulling out just 1 tip to highlight and refer back to that blog post as the call to action. This gives value, a quick piece of content to post and ties back to what you do to solve their problem. In this episode you will hear me run over several examples of repurposes and tying back your content to what you offer.

Need more support around your content? I’ve got your back with a few easy options!

Continued…

Second, your audience isn’t big enough. That may feel like a duh, thing to say but it’s often very true. Its why one of the key things to do in your business is start first by growing your audience.

To start growing and getting more people in, you can utilize traffic sites like Pinterest to push out both Instagram and Blog related content that leads an audience straight to your freebies! Get them on the list and you in their inbox is key to quick grow and good conversions. Show up and be a resource to others genuinely offer help and your freebies as an option when you see other postings about related struggles that your product or service can solve. You can set a timer and pop in to various facebook groups and be engaged in questions that are going on involving your ideal client.

Lastly, your images and graphics aren’t appealing! Ouch, I know! But its very very true. This is why there are stock shops and templates out there to help you grow your business visually. I would do you any justice as a Photographer and Creative Director if I didn’t stop and say hey, you need to take a look at what you’re putting out there.

You should take a moment to gather together a set of 10-15 graphics that are already customized and set up to fit your brand. Then, rinse and repeat!

Let me know how I can support you and grow your business and get your content up to par so that you can get your stuff out there and people can start buying the products and things that you have to offer because we both know they are amazing.

Ready to outsource and take this off your plate? Start the year off strong for any product launches with a custom photoshoot by booking a call with me to see how I can help you develop eye catching content or maybe you’ve used the heck out of all of those photos it might be time for a refresher.

You can catch past episodes, tips and resources here on the website or any podcast platform including Itunes and Spotify. I strive to bring you the best content, marketing and business owner tips to keep you clear and on the path toward success.

Like this episode?

Comment, share on Pinterest, or even snap a screenshot and tag me on Instagram! I’d love to hear what you think about props for product photography.

Keep Listening

About Crystal

Corporate America had me at hello for 10 years. And just when I thought I was where I was supposed to be, God changed the narrative and helped me find more time for my husband and two beautiful girls through my own photography business. Now, I live for all things styled photography and serving the business community exclusively through styled imagery and personal brand photography.

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3 Ways A Group Mastermind Can Accelerate Your Biz 2021

3 Ways A Group Mastermind Can Accelerate Your Biz 2021

3 Ways A Group Mastermind Can Accelerate Your Biz 2021

Welcome to the Crystal Clear Podcast where we strive to empower the everyday creative boss to elevate and grow a business that matches your creativity and passion for creating products.

It is that time of the year, the time to start focusing on where things are going to go from now to December but also for next year! It’s easy to get really narrow focused on serving your clients and doing client work or creating products but as business owners we can easily forget to stop and work on your business. You may not even feel like you know how to do that!

A lot of your fellow creative business owners within The Creative Boss Society have been telling me that they are just exhausted with making decisions and trying to predict what is gonna happen with this year and a lot of them are just ready to move on into 2021. 

If you find yourself in that same place I just want to let you know that you are not alone. In this episode we cover 3 ways group masterminds can accelerate your business. 

The Creative Boss Society is the kind of mastermind that can help you grow your business next year. I know because I built it to serve other creatives just like ME!

Things mentioned in this podcast episode:

 

  • Gain increased focus in your business through weekly accountability check in and support! 
    • Narrowed in on serving and doing client work that we forget to work ON our biz
  • Get more growth – month over month with focused trainings and steps to implement. 
  • Get more motivation and be challenged to show up, put processes in place and move your business forward to success!
  • Reduce complacency in your business, routine and tasks. Gain the desire to improve and grow!
  • Get the community you desire to grow! Check ins and challenges that help you move forward and connect with other like-minded creatives.
  • Collaboration opportunities! Learn how collaboration can help accelerate your growth. Build long lasting business relationships with those willing to step up and help you succeed.
  • Have ONE source for support and sales focused “training”. No more 99 course bundles, searching Pinterest for endless freebies that only skim the surface. Get straight to what you need!
  • Get REAL! Find that this is a place to be vulnerable about biz ownership. To explore the things that don’t feel great and learn how to get past it, together.
  • Asking the questions to get help and guidance you need. Don’t get stuck or left behind. We will challenge you to empower yourself by asking what you need help for so we can make sure you get it!

Like this episode?

Comment, share on Pinterest, or even snap a screenshot and tag me on Instagram! I’d love to hear what you think about props for product photography.

Keep Listening ↓

About Crystal

Corporate America had me at hello for 10 years. And just when I thought I was where I was supposed to be, God changed the narrative and helped me find more time for my husband and two beautiful girls through my own photography business. Now, I live for all things styled photography and serving the business community exclusively through styled imagery and personal brand photography.

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My Top Tools for Editing Photos and Creating Graphics

My Top Tools for Editing Photos and Creating Graphics

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My Top Tools for Editing Photos and Creating Graphics

top tools for editing and creating graphics

I get a lot of questions and wonderful compliments about the graphics and the branding in the way that I do things.

S

o, I thought I would dive more into how I edit my graphics and photos and share my tips with you. 

 

First Things, First 

When it comes to editing, I have a set of presets that I have tweaked and developed based on how I like editing my photos. They’re bright with loads of contrast. I shoot in a RAW format on my camera, which means I’m allowing the file to absorb as much data on the color and lighting as possible. Then, I cull through my photos and narrow them down to the best ones before bringing them into Lightroom. This is where I’ll apply my presets because I know they already have the tweaks needed to make the photo better most of the time. And then I go through, and I have to make subtle adjustments. 

The Types of Adjustments I Make 

One of the most common adjustments I make to my photos is tweaking the brightness. Every day could be different, as well as the time of the day. So sometimes, I’ll go through and make subtle adjustments if everything wasn’t at the prime time that I tried to shoot that day. I adjust my whites and bring them up about 20 points or so. I like to drop the shadows down to keep the dark contrast and keep things that are dark, dark. Then, I will also adjust my lights and make them lighter.

 

From there, I’ll bring my photos into Photoshop for some final touchups. I’m not a big fan of Photoshop, but I do use it for things like overlays. If there’s a screenshot or blank tablet and I want to put a nice overlay – you get better mobility in Photoshop by manipulating the screenshot. If you have some fuzz on a shirt or lint on the floor of a flat lay and need to edit it off quickly – Photoshop is the best option.

 

If I need to add a screenshot or make any quick edits, I use the “healing tool” to take out little imperfections and things here and there. Then, I export my edited photos into Canva, which I use to create all of my graphics to avoid the rabbit hole that comes along with Photoshop, InDesign, and some of the more advanced programs.

Creating Graphics 

I’d say about 80% of the graphics I create are done in Canva. You can use Photoshop, but I find it time-consuming since the program is more complicated and detailed than what I need. In Canva, I can quickly plug in my photos to pre-made templates, and they still have a high-quality resolution. I can make a quick design, export it fast, and get it out there.

Conclusion 

Having these platforms makes my process for editing, creating photos, and graphics more efficient. I can rapidly produce lots of content and social media posts. So if you want to edit more like me or try to edit your flat lay, and you want better whites and brights, I recommend you check out my Presets Mini-Course.

 

I created a mini-course that includes videos of me pulling up a few photos and showing you how I make specific tweaks and adjustments based on common things that you’ll find wrong. For example, why some images look very gray or the whites aren’t white enough, different color tones based on the time of day the photo was taken, things like that.

 

I give you both Lightroom for mobile and desktop, in case you would rather stick to having the mobile format. If you have any questions about my process or some of the things that I do, send me a message. I answer questions like this all the time. You can also find me on Instagram.

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About Crystal

 

Crystal is the Creative Director, Photo Stylist, and Commercial Photographer behind Crystal Clear Creative Studios. From increased sales, visibility, and trends to conversions and full production, Crystal and her team, experts on the subject matter, provide clients with confidence to take your photography and videography needs off your plate. We support you in your growth with the creation and implementation of transformative ideas.

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