Proud to Present: Bold and rebellious brand photography for leadership coach, Debbie Danon
As with all things, our approach is always evolving. And one of the most fundamental changes to the way we work has been our focus on creating exceptional, relevant and thoughtful photography for our clients.
Photography has the power to elevate a brand identity to something else entirely. Sure, stock photography has its place, but nothing can beat having a collection of beautifully shot images which truly reflect the character and essence of your business. They bring personality, they add a different dimension… I could go on, but instead I’d like to *show* you.
Debbie Danon is a very exceptional human. A dear client of Ditto, we first worked with Debbie when she was on the cusp of launching her own business. Together, we created a brilliantly bold and distinctive brand identity that celebrates Debbie’s unique magic, philosophy and harnessed all of her experience in a way which is deeply meaningful to her clients.
But… something was missing. Her website was a blend of well-chosen stock photography and a handful of shots of herself in action that she’d gathered over the years… but the mood was inevitably disparate and nothing quite landed as it should have.
And so, as Debbie’s business inevitably reached higher and higher, and as the level of polish in her communications became more crucial, she decided to commission us to create some images for her. This was a shoot I was VERY excited for! The essence of Debbie’s approach lies in change-making, authentic and courageous leadership, and I knew the images that would be right for her brand would be unlike anything we’ve captured before. My dear friend Michael at Saltwick was every bit as inspired by the possibilities for this shoot as I was!
We planned an incredible creative, energetic and lively shoot, accompanied by some of Debbie’s rebel leader clients. We met at The Uncommon at Liverpool Street – not a venue I’d worked at before but one I am definitely keen to return to! Choosing the right venue is so key to supporting the mood of a shoot, and The Uncommon gave us exactly the right balance of polish and character. After lunch, we ventured out to Brick Lane and captured some epic images of Debbie.
Our approach to shoot day might look unscripted, but is always carefully planned. Debbie and I spoke about outfits, ensuring there was diversity across her look to suit different purposes and enough different outfits to ensure they don’t feel stagnant. We considered the purpose of the images – a variety of headshots are always useful, but a range of brand images which simply enhance the mood are incredibly useful too. A proposal packed with images of the business owner is an odd thing – you need to break it up! The images are considered from the perspective of the client experience too, planning images that are useful at every stage of the journey from initial proposal to reports, presentations and so on. Props (in this case, books, client reports, notebooks, laptops and confetti!) are carefully gathered, and the day itself is always planned to be structured enough to capture everything on the shot list whilst allowing enough room for spontaneity and creativity – and a quick stop for bubble tea, too.
This collection of images are going to make the most enormous difference to the tone and impact of Debbie’s communications, and I really can’t wait to see them in action.
