Translating a brand identity into a photograph is an interesting creative challenge. It involves asking a lot of questions in order to drill down to the best expression of a client's vision for their brand.

Janis Pettit is a small business coach and social media marketing professional. She helps clients build a lucrative business based on their own individual brilliance. Her style is sleek and sophisticated so choosing a location that projected that kind of image was important to her. We chose a location in North Hills that had views of modern buildings and the midtown area.

In addition to portraits, Janis needed images to go along with the calls to action that she includes in her newsletters and promotional materials. She wanted them to show her encouraging people to follow her and to stretch their limits. So, we shot images of her beckoning to the camera and walking confidently down the street.

Stonegate Financial is a financial planning firm in Cary that focuses on individualized attention to their clients. They truly care about the relationship that they have with their clients because understanding the unique goals of their clients enables them to create the most effective plan for their future.

During my phone consultation with Stonegate Financial, we came up with the idea of using stone in the background of their portraits. They knew that they wanted to have something other than a studio headshot, but they were not sure of the best background to use. Once Becky, one of the owners of Stonegate, mentioned the idea of using stone in the background, I immediately thought of the Raleigh Little Theater's rose garden. The stone pillars made a perfect background for their shoot. By using a consistent background in the group shot as well as the headshots, we create a unified look for their website photos.

Brooke Burns is a business and life coach. By listening and asking critical questions, she helps clients get clear on their goals and then helps them create an action plan to reach those goals. A self-proclaimed "Wing Woman" she supports and collaborates with clients in a variety of ways to help them build momentum and finally achieve their goals.

It was important to bring out Brooke's dynamic and upbeat personality in her photos. The use of vibrant color and modern setting help to give the photos an approachable and hip look. Young professionals are very drawn to her style of coaching, so we wanted the photos to have a slightly youthful and playful energy.

Red Bicycle Design is a branding and graphic design firm with a presence in both Raleigh, NC and Richmond, Virginia. They create brands that help their clients present their businesses confidently. Red Bicycle uses bold graphics and intentional words to build a captivating brand that attracts the right clients.

For this shoot, I wanted to use environments that had an edgy and urban feeling. Tucker is very fashionable, so his wardrobe also plays into that look. I also wanted to show him in action with a client and highlight his approachable and easy-going personality.

Stacey Brown, a psychic intuitive, hired me to create images that illustrate the experience of working with her. Her web designer, Matt Demers, was very specific with the color palette that we would be using in the website design and that informed our background and wardrobe choices. I wanted her portraits to not only show her in action but to also be evocative of the ethereal nature of her work. I used dramatic lighting and dark, saturated backgrounds to add drama and intrigue to her images.