Photography

Personal Branding Experience with Dawn Todd

April 19, 2016 by Christina Leave a Comment

Confession: Photographing Dawn always makes me nervous. And it’s because she was one of my first clients, my first cheerleader, supporter… I’ve been photographing her for the last 8 years, and in the back of my mind, I think “what if she doesn’t like her photos this time?” And that even happened once. And the sky didn’t fall. She didn’t hate me after that. Life (and business) went on. And she even came back to try it again.

Great relationships are like that. Great business people are like that. Honest, straight-forward and persistent.

And I am so grateful for Dawn. Her encouragement. Her energy. Dawn has an amazing courage – to try things in her business, and to get up and try something new if it doesn’t work. Not to mention that she’s smart enough to keep doing the things that do work! Nothing gets in the way of this woman’s success. She is a raving beauty inside and out. Wouldn’t you agree?

How Personal Branding Boosts Your Business

March 23, 2016 by Alyssa Jenkins Leave a Comment

Whether you are starting your own business, looking to grow and maintain your own business, be a part of a business, or wanting to stand out in the business you’re currently in, personal branding in a positive and encouraging manner is always important. Successful personal branding ties your business together, so people can see how respectable you are. It helps people believe in you and what you do, so they feel good about handing you their credit cards.

What’s one of the first steps in promoting yourself in the best light possible? Photography of you—beautifully and professionally done photography that communicates what you want the world to know about you and your business.

One entrepreneur who brought on the Christina Gressianu Photographer team be a part of her successful business adventure is a lovely woman named Crystal.

Crystal lives in Southern California with her dog Bruiser and boyfriend Dustin. Her hobbies include wine tasting (yum), and get this, her job! Crystal owns a social media education company where she and her team train independent retailers how to market online. Her business and her customers mean so much to her, and she wanted her potential customers to trust her from the very first glance at her website.

Many of Crystal’s clients get to know her and her business through online platforms. She knew having professional branding photos done would increase her personal connection with her clientele. Crystal uses the professional pictures on her websites, social media sites, speaker posters, speaker programs, banners for conferences, and printed flyers. When her visitors and followers noticed the new and improved photos, Crystal said she was, and still is, constantly getting compliments on her pictures. She believes people love her photos because she felt like herself during her portrait session with Christina Gressianu, and that authenticity shows through the photos. This gives me so much joy because that means people are seeing Crystal for the beautiful, successful, hard-working woman that she is.

Crystal believes her professional photographs were key to the success of branding herself within her business. I am SO glad I was able to be a part of her journey and I can’t wait to see how she grows in herself and in her business. Check Crystal out at www.SocialEdge.co

Want your own Personal Branding Session?? Click here: Personal Branding Session Info

View more photos from Crystal’s shoot below!

Thanksgiving Photo Tips

November 23, 2015 by Christina Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving Day is a holiday of getting together over gorgeous tables for a beautiful meal. While you’re feeling grateful for those around your table, for the centerpiece you created, and the food your loved ones made and brought you can whip out your camera, or more likely, your phone and take some photos. Here are some tips and ideas.

1 – Photograph everyone and everything BEFORE sitting down to eat.

Gravy will be spilled, wine will make faces red, and food will make everyone sleepy. Not to mention that the food and tablescape will look gorgeous before forks dig in.

2 – Go wide and get close.

When you think you want to take a picture of something – a flower, a dish, a table – step back or lean in. You’ll get much more interesting photos than if you stand at the normal viewing distance, where we all see it. Not to mention that food looks best close in, where you can almost taste it in the photo. (That’s why cereal is always “enlarged to show texture” on the box. )

3. Break groups up

Instead of trying to cram everyone around one side of the table or into the living room, why not break them up into smaller groupings. Siblings, sub-families, couples, best-friends. Then no one needs to be left out of all the photos, and it makes for easier composition. AND, someone can be making sure the sweet potatoes don’t burn at all times.

4 – Put flowers in a window.

Overhead light isn’t helpful when trying to show the depth and textures of a gorgeous arrangement. You need light coming from the side, and you want to make sure all the light is the same color. Don’t let window light (which is blueish)mix with light bulbs (which are yellowish) because mixed light color will make your flowers look muddy in the photo.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! And while you probably shouldn’t flood your Instagram feed with all of your photos, I would love to see them! Share them on my Facebook Page HERE!

Florals by Bella Calla
Table Styling by Mark Christopher Weddings
Food by JW Marriot Denver Cherry Creek

Bucking Horse & Jessup Artisan Village for Builder Magazine

September 1, 2015 by Christina Leave a Comment

Last month the publishers of Builder magazine asked if I could go photograph the new and upcoming Bucking Horse community. Deadline, check. Budget, check. A little puzzled as to someone would pick me to photograph architecture, I said, “You have looked at my website, right? You saw my work?” Yes, they said, and send over an invoice. Still totally puzzled, I did the shoot and sent over proofs. When they chose this among the shots to run in the article, I started thinking maybe I understand.

Normal architecture-focused photographers would probably not photograph the dog in the front yard. Maybe they chose me because I’m so focused on and in love with living, breathing stuff that they figured I’d find it even among the buildings.

I don’t really know. Maybe I’m totally wrong and it’s just that no one else was available. See the article on how incredibly cool Bucking Horse is, and the rest of my photos here: Builder Online

Sunny Photography on a Rainy Day – Editorial Photography for Outfront Magazine

June 22, 2015 by Christina Leave a Comment

Last month I got to photograph the cover for Out Front’s Pride & Summer Guide. I love working with Out Front magazine, and this shoot was no different there. The only challenge was that the creative direction I got was “Retro Summery Poolside” and it rained for the entire month of May. There was no rescheduling the shoot, because with magazines there are deadlines that can’t be changed… and so, I had to figure out how to make a cloudy day look sunny.

The models were great sports… braving the chill and dodging rain drops here and there. At least the pool was heated! And my lighting was under an umbrella. Hair and makeup took some time, so I had about 45 minutes to light and shoot. Fun time in photography all around! See the rest of the photos below.

Photography

1 – Photograph everyone and everything BEFORE sitting down to eat.

2 – Go wide and get close.

3. Break groups up

4 – Put flowers in a window.

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