In August 2020, I asked West Coast Canadian artist Fiona Dalrymple if I could photograph her with her girls and her art. I wanted to explore the story that exists at the intersection of motherhood, art and business. I’d been photographing landscapes and families for a couple of years and her art gave me all kinds of wanderlust. She was a fellow teacher on Vancouver Island, and I had all kinds of admiration for how she grew her talents and her business alongside her family. This piece was my favourite of hers at the time.

Little did I know, but this would become my first-ever artist brand session. (And I have learned a LOT since then!)

Across Canada, Fiona is widely respected for capturing wild spaces, magical light and the many colours of water with her own unique voice and style. She’s spent years growing her local and online following and I’ve always thought the reason she’s so appreciated is that she’s always her down-to-earth self. She wears her cute, simple linen painting clothes. She shows real life as a small business owner – the days spent home with kids with colds, the late nights fulfilling orders, the ‘community over competition’ spirit that rings true in the Cowichan Valley. She shares the beauty of the landscape on her Island adventures.

Join me as we look back over three years of personal branding photography together!

For each session, Fiona and I spoke about her season of life, her goals for her business, challenges she was facing, wins she wanted to celebrate, her values, upcoming launches that required specific brand photographs and how her own artist’s voice was growing and evolving.

When working with repeat brand photography clients, I believe it’s so important to come up with a unique story, concept and aesthetic for each session. While businesses want their imagery to remain consistent, this doesn’t mean all their sessions need to look the same.

-Bobby Dazzler Photography

In fact, to keep people engaged with new content on social media and websites, I would argue that the photography needs to grow and change and reflect the artist at that point in time. For this reason, we had three distinct concepts and aesthetics in mind for each year that we worked together.

2021 artist brand photography concept: art and love of nature

In our 2021 session, we wanted to include her love of nature in her brand photos for her website refresh, so we spent a peaceful evening painting en plein air and watching the sunset. Fiona found her flow state and I photographed her process in a relaxed way.

2022 artist brand photography concept: art at home

It turns out Fiona’s artistic talents go beyond the canvas, because she and her family undertook some wildly beautiful home renovations and the result felt so reflective of who she is that we decided to make her 2022 brand session a home-based one.

Fiona wanted to show her collectors what her art would look like at home. Not styled perfectly for a magazine, but with dishes still in the sink (yes they are there in that shot above!), half a loaf of bread and some tea brewing. Slow living, surrounded by beautiful pieces and natural light. Her dog, Piggy, featured highly as we hung her art on the walls and as she painted in her studio (at the time, this was her bedroom!).

Case Study: an interview with Fiona Dalrymple reflecting on her artist brand’s evolution

What made you realise that it was time to have a brand photoshoot?

Selling online requires beautiful, curated images that highlight your work and intrigue to your ideal client. Having branded photo shoots is essential to elevating my brand and getting my art seen around the world.

What made you choose Kristen from Bobby Dazzler Photography to be your photographer?

Kristen is warm, patient, funny and a mum just like me. We instantly connected over babies and messes and life and finding glinting rays of beauty in the shards of your life when you are a new parent. She is a gem.

What worries or concerns did you have before booking or before going into the photo session?

I worried that my inner awkwardness and resounding imposter syndrome would radiate through each and every photograph and it would be a disaster.

What was the pre-planning stage of the process like for you?

The pre-planning stage of the process was lovely – Kristen took the lead in determining location and direction of the shoot which allowed me to focus on what I wanted to bring and to visualize myself in the space.

What was the photo session itself like for you?

Each photo session has passed like a blur and feels more like a comfy get together with an old friend rather than an intimidating shoot. Kristen is so personable that I forget to pose and the photos end up looking natural and effortless.

Were you happy with your photographs?

All of my photos with Kristen have been fabulous. I credit her with my brand development – clean, natural light that emphasizes my brand in a relaxed, authentic way.

Have you found certain images to be really useful to you on socials or your website? Which types of images?

My in situ photos have been the most useful to me on socials. Photos that capture my art styled and set-up really help my clients visualize my work living in their own homes.

Do you feel that we accurately captured your aesthetic/brand palette/values/content pillars?

Absolutely!

Have you felt or observed any transformation in your online presence and/or business goals since you started using your photographs?

Being able to provide my online followers with professional photos of my work has increased trust and brand recognition – two essential pillars for selling work online.

You can drool over Fiona’s beautiful art (and then go buy some for your home) by clicking here.

Kristen is the photographer behind Bobby Dazzler Photography, a Torquay and Geelong based business offering fun, honest brand photography for artists and women in business along the Surf Coast. If you want to share the story behind your creative business, capture the behind-the-scenes process of you at work and have a ripper good time creating content together, click here to learn more!

Are you an artist trying to wear all the hats in your business? Let me help you. I’ve made a fantastic free download with ALL the shots that every artist website needs to stand out. Click here to download!

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