Realtor starts his career with professionalism

   Ryan came to the AJBC Photography studio exactly 1 week before he started his new career as a Realtor in Michigan. He was in need of headshots and told me he had a hard time finding someone in the area that would be able to photograph him at the professional level he needed, until his girlfriend recommend he check us out.
   From one professional to another, I know what a good or bad headshot can do.

Regardless of your talents or skills, if you have a mediocre headshot, people are just going to look at you and assume your skills and services match the image.

People think that by not investing in your image, you haven’t invested in yourself as a professional- and they want a professional.
   I’m super thankful that Ryan found us and we were able to create 3 strong images for him that show off his kind and approachable character yet say- professional. Through booking him with the Selfie Upgrade Session he was able to get 3 different looks he can now use for marketing and branding.
   We stayed a little more on the traditional side with the headshots because Ryan new that’s what his clients would want to see, but added in one “casual” shot that left space for text on fliers, banners, maybe even a billboard like our other clients have done.
   There’s no doubt that Ryan, with his professionalism, drive, attention to detail, and organization will have a huge future, honestly in real estate or anything else he puts his mind to, but if you want contact him to sell or find your next home here’s his info:

   There’s no doubt that Ryan, with his professionalism, drive, attention to detail, and organization will have a huge future, honestly in real estate or anything else he puts his mind to, but if you want contact him to sell or find your next home here’s his info:

Ryan Foster
Realtor
KW Platinum
Cell: 1-810-689-1016
email: Ryanfoster@kw.com

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For all business headshots check out our Business & Branding Gallery 

For more professional headshots check out Michelle 

To see a Professional Branding Photoshoot check out Ruboo Boutique

What's the difference between a dream and a business?

A Dream can start a Business. A Dream alone can not sustain a business.

My personal journey of dreaming, failing, finally mastering a business and an explanation of why I do what I do with you and your business.

   I remember the very first business card I ever had. I was 19 and it was actually a hand painted card for a company my boyfriend (husband now!) and I started together- Stasis. We were going to make T-Shirts. Hand Made Screen Printed T Shirts for Bands 1 by 1. Yeah... Brilliant. I think we made 10.
   After that I had several different “businesses.” I was a Visual Artist, I was an Event Coordinator, I was an Interior Designer... Anything artistic that I could do, I turned into a business and had a card to go with it. For whatever reason, any talent I had felt wasted if it stayed a hobby.
   And if a dream or an idea didn’t get a business card, it may have gotten a whole notebook with a full business plan laid out in it, or hours of youtube research spent on it, and then those too got left for dead. I realize now it was the DREAM and creative process of building a profitable brand that I was addicted to, not the actual act of running that business.

    When I became AJBC Photography it started exactly the same. I did about 3 shoots and slapped my name on a card. Putting myself out there never intimidated me, it only felt like opportunity. Yet, due to my lack of planning, marketing, consistency, hell, lack of overall reality, many of my “businesses” failed before they ever got a chance to become anything. I’m a wee bit over eager and that can be good and bad.
   I had done about 3 amateur shoots when I thought word would travel and business would grow. I sat back and waited. And waited. And... before I knew it this venture felt like every other venture I had started.
   Except it wasn’t.
   A couple years later AJBC Photography came back to me at a time when I needed something to latch on to, I needed something that felt like my own, I needed a way to prove I had skills and could accomplish something if I set my mind to it. I had dropped out of college, gotten married at 21, built a house, and now at age 23 I was left feeling a little lost with what my purpose was. Shortly after that I brought my camera back out and photography became something I felt connected to, good at, as if it was truly my thing.

   So I kept doing it. And I kept learning. And I stayed hungry for more.
   Those are 3 things my previous dreams never had.

  I remember the day I became A REAL BUSINESS! I got my little LLC paper in the mail and I thought- this is real now. I can not believe this. Never, ever did I EVER see myself as a business owner. People like me just didn't do big, scary things like that! I was a self proclaimed Artist and Photographer, I had no college degree, and was 75% self taught. With no Business education I had somehow, someway, formed a real, government aware, money making business. And now I had to keep it alive.

   I started investing in myself, in my education, in my business. I went to out of state conferences, upgraded my equipment, got a professional website. I was making smart, driven choices to move forward.
   But because I was learning, from myself, as a went I was making huge mistake too like changing my logo 4 different times in the first 4 years of business, I changed my style and target client base 3 times, I changed my pricing drastically 3 times, losing old clients each time. 2 steps forward, 1 step back. But I wanted it. So on the nights where I would cry and not want to do it again, the next morning I picked myself up and kept on.

   After AJBC became settled and stable, my mind quickly became unsettled. The dream state had calmed down, and my brain just couldn't accept that, so my husband and I went on to form a business for him, and then a business we would run together, and then we started helping other companies with their marketing. And then, again, I realized, I’m not obsessed with personally wanting to run these businesses, I’m obsessed with the dreaming stage!!
   Within the last 6 months I’ve contemplated going back and forth on starting a side business, something to give me more creative freedom. Should I become a naturalist blogger, an etsy shop owner, an herbologist? Should I sell makeup, should I write a book? Should I just move up north and live off the land!? No... really, seriously... these have all been in serious question. Another option was a business coach.

   Seriously. Why was this not OBVIOUS!? Aside from AJBC I didn’t actually want to RUN any of these businesses I had ever dreamed up!! All I wanted to do was dream up the big goal, figure out fun ways to market them, find out how much money could be generated, and then.... I got bored when it came to physically doing it. My brain was born to solely dream. This now I know.

       Working with other Professionals and Small Business Owners allows me to do what I do best- DREAM, but in a way that will positively impact the individual willing to carry the dream out, put the work in, and make it come to life, like I did with AJBC Photography. I am the creative thinker that can't stop dreaming for you.

   I can’t bring all these dreams to life, but YOU CAN! And really, it’s not my dreams I’m obsessed with, it’s ANYONE’S dreams and goals in life. I LOVE seeing people think big and then chasing after that. I love hearing about it, watching it grow, it’s a genuine high for me. Give me a cup of coffee and sit down to tell me about your dreams and I PROMISE you I will be writing out your life plan whether you want me to or not. I've done this to multiple friends on multiple occasions.

   Oddly enough, for being an artist, I could talk business and numbers ALL day if there’s fire and passion behind them.

    So... to keep myself in check and make sure I don’t start another business that’s going to die a quick, uneventful death, I’ve started at a realistic level allowing me to offer the best service I can to other people just like me!  That's where AJBC Business comes into play here, offering Business Portrait Shoots and included with the 2 top Collections we offer- a Marketing and Branding Strategy Meeting!!
   My husband and I are both full time, self employed small business owners making an income off of what we feel most passion about, while still being able to afford the lifestyle we want to live, save for our future, and have health benefits. You don’t need to stay a slave to your job and the world to live the life you’ve always dreamed of. And that starts by knowing that in your business you are a true professional, so have that visually represented through Professional Portraits!

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Replacing those selfies with Professional headshots

In business your headshot speaks for you before you even have a chance to Meet someone in person.
What is it saying?

   Ashley is a busy lady, constantly traveling, pushing the business she just joined out into the world and watching it grow, along with watching herself grow, and quickly!
   Tourme.com is a new app based company connecting travelers with local tour guides so you can travel like a local and never feel like an outsider ever again. Ashley joined their company while in the start up phase and kept getting asked for her headshot for various different meetings and shows she was attending and presenting at. After sending in her latest selfie too many times she knew it was time to get professional shots done.

   While most think of headshots indoors, traditional, body tilted slightly to the side with a small smile, I try to encourage people to think a little outside the box, going with a little more of a modern feel.

   Yes, there are still positions and companies that call for your very clean, professional headshot, but for a travel company I knew we could get away with doing something outdoors and a little more relaxed, and that’s exactly what Ashley had envisioned for her headshots before she eve called me- outdoors and natural.
   We picked an area that was a bit more muted so the colors would match almost anything in their marketing. I told her to dress in layers so she could get the most out of her 1 outfit. By changing her top from a chic business top to a cute leather jacket, to just the white blouse she was able to pull off looks from personable, to professional, to independent business woman all in 1 setting.

   I’m excited for her and this new journey, and these headshots are the perfect way to let everyone know she takes not only herself seriously but the business seriously as well. She looks so put together, but still approachable, business like, but in a very relaxed, natural way.

Ashley’s headshots let people know she belongs in the business world and isn’t just playing in it with a cell phone selfie. What do your headshots tell people?

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If you want to see more non-traditional headshots with a fashion flair check out:

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To get info on upgrading your selfie with a Headshot Session get in touch with us!

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146 Press- Marlette, Michigan: A Professional Branding Session

   It’s been said before having a business is like having a child. Anyone who has started their own business from absolutely nothing can probably relate. There’s so much dreaming and discovery to do, along with growing pains and the long nights of- am I doing this right? It’s exactly like raising a child.
   It’s in the moments when everything we have worked so hard for, all day long, all night long, come together and come alive that we know we made the right choice and those moments should be celebrated as a professional!
   Kelsey at 146 Press has literally built a business with her own hands- sawing, sanding, grinding, and nailing a future for herself. Last year she finally got a dedicated space for her craft where she can build, work, and host events out of. And it’s adorable. Yes, it has that feel of walking into a creative space because there’s old brushes, paint cans, and used drop cloths laying out but it also feels like a personable space that you want to shop in because it has a lot of her signs and shirts that she sells.

   Just like you would photograph your child on their milestones she wanted to capture this milestone in her business. As big as it feels for her right now, I’m glad she did this at this time, because with how talented and independent she is, I’m sure it’s going to grow and change before her eyes and this will be a beautiful moment to look back on to say- this is where it all started. This was just as much a business shoot as it was a personal shoot for her, but truly, any of us that have full passion for our business do take it to a personal level, so that’s no surprise.

  We made the drive out to her shop where we started with a “clean” set, showing off her as a business woman in her creative space. She’s like the Michigan Version of Joanna Gaines and we wanted to showcase that!
   The second set was our “dirty” set where we dove into her actual craft, letting the sawdust fly, the paints come out!
   I feel like as a creative the “clean” version can be the side we forget we have and the “dirty” version is the side no one actually sees but we spend most of our time here!

That’s why these Professional Branding shoots are so needed- your clients and people watching your work want to see both of those sides and they are greatly intrigued by what happens behind the scenes!

   I don’t know many women who do wood working so it was super impressive for me to see this young woman running a table saw, grinding metal down on her work with sparks flying, and just watching the process of what she does unfold- this is the side you should be sharing with people, because it’s impressive!

   Showing an inside look into your business also helps create a connection between you and the people you may never get to meet in person, which is ever so important in business!

   Now 146 Press has new, fresh images for their website, social media, marketing material, and more that shows this isn’t a hobby, this isn’t a cute arts and craft thing she does when she’s bored, this is a chic, put together professional business ran by a woman who’s independent, strong, and is aware of the level she’s creating at, and it’s a professional one.

  Don’t confuse your clients using low quality cell phone pics to show off the high quality business you’ve worked so hard to build... have the visual representation be just as professional as the physical one you've built.

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Want to Book A 146 Press Workshop or get a custom piece made?

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Want info about booking your own Professional Branding Session for YOUR business!?

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