Posts tagged Kernersville Photographer
Pitbulls and Precious Hearts | Brittney's Session | Winston-Salem Headshot Photographer | Jasper & Fern
Brittney’s favorite headshot from her session | Women’s Professional Portraits | What to wear for your headshot session | Womens headshots | Makeup for Brunette Hair | Best colors for winter skin | Winston-Salem Headshot Photographer | Jasper & …

Brittney’s favorite headshot from her session | Women’s Professional Portraits | What to wear for your headshot session | Womens headshots | Makeup for Brunette Hair | Best colors for winter skin | Winston-Salem Headshot Photographer | Jasper & Fern

A pitbull mom just like me, the sweetness in her voice rang true over the phone as she answered me. "I'm a caring, compassionate person that's easy to get to know. It's important people can see that." We were discussing her updated headshot and making sure her goals were going to be met.

Brittney had just taken a new position - working with rescue animals none-the-less - and needed to replace the headshot she'd been using since college.

"It takes people looking past an outward appearance," a twinge of sadness entering her voice as we discussed our love of pitties. As she spoke, I knew that deep love in her eyes was what I wanted to capture.

After many more enjoyable paths of conversation, together we planned her session and discussed how she could best prepare.

Here's what we captured!

P.S. Check out the video below to be a fly on the wall of our studio during Brittney’s session!!

Echos | A Film Roll in My Mind | Winston-Salem Photographer Jasper & Fern
Jasper & Fern_WInston-Salem_Brand  Photographer_-8457LRc.jpg

The oat rich smell of warm Irish tea fills my morning lungs. Swelling like the dry earth after a summer rain, my deep breath departs as a sigh. The grooves of my ceramic mug awaken every cell in my fingertips; the warmth radiating through them and deep into my palms. Wisps of steam roll over my closed eyes, soothing the tired weight that holds them shut. And so I sit, reveling in the small sensations while distant laughter echos in the back of my mind, a smile drawing at my lips.

There are moments I’ve experienced in life that were so perfect I wanted to memorize them. Every line, every texture, every smell, every taste, every feeling so beautiful I wanted to soak in it forever. A foggy, solitary hike that transports me a world away; laughing around campfires with friends late into the night; chasing wasps with flip flops; streaking full speed down a empty beach under the moonlight and kicking at sea foam with friends; being lulled to sleep by gently billowing curtains as the salty sea air sticks to my face and I feel rested and safe under the weight of my husbands arm across my waist; the nuzzling of a soft puppy snoot fitting perfectly under my chin as we snuggle in for a quiet morning reprieve. All of these moments… I cherish them. I memorize them, like a film roll in my mind.


I think this sentimentality is part of what drew me into photography. Having the ability to encapsulate a moment so I could not forget it - there’s a sense of peace in that. Even the intimacy of sharing something I found beautiful or powerful with other people - sharing a story in a single frame, it’s thrilling and invigorating. I love having this experience with a moment.


In one of my favorite movies, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” there’s this photographer Sean O’Connell. He’s the mold for the “photographer’s photographer” ( <- read that like “a man’s man”), constantly adventuring and seeking out the stories of life. He’s the photographer that only takes one moment, one frame, to tell a story - a moment that always evokes. A single contact sheet of his is full of weeks of adventure. (A contact sheet is essentially a print that the photographer has laid each row of their film on and developed - so you can see the entire roll and examine all the images and decide what to make a large print of. I digress). So, Sean, he even stands on the body of a small airplane as it flies straight into an erupting volcano so he can get the perfect shot at one point in the movie. He puts himself at the center of a moment, the heart of the story - and, oh does this make my photographer heart giddy!


Okay, let me get back on track now that you have a little more of a taste for the spirit of this guy. So, in this movie, the main character - Walter Mitty - works at Life magazine as a negative assets manager. The magazine is being taken over by a team that’s helping them transition from print to digital and are finalizing the very last physical publication. The whole premise of the movie is that Sean sent the perfect cover image to Walter to use with a note that said “The Quintessence of Life” but Walter lost the negative. Being bullied by the takeover team and pressured to find the missing negative, Walter has to throw himself into real life adventure - something he had only previously done in his daydreams - to find Sean and therefore find the missing negative. When Walter finally catches up to Sean who’s in the snowy Himalayas chasing a photograph of the rarely seen snow leopard, Sean tells Walter that he placed the negative in the wallet he gave Walter as a thank you gift for always taking care of his work and their years of a relationship. Walter had previously thrown the wallet away out of frustration. Thanks to his mother’s good sense, she took it out of the trash and saved it. (Yes, I skipped this part of the story because I may as well be telling you the entire movie, haha) The answer to the missing negative’s whereabouts finally solved, Walter heads back home to retrieve his wallet and answer the only question left - what is “the quintessence of life?” Or so we think. At this point in the movie, Walter has experienced a certain personal revelation. So, without looking at the negative, he sends it to print. At the end of the movie after the magazine has downsized and life has changed, Walter’s walking down the street and happens to see the last print publication of Life magazine on a magazine cart - an image on the cover that ever so perfectly captures the quintessence of Life. This moment, when Walter and the audience see the image gave me goosebumps and a lump in my throat.


That moment . . . that’s the power that photography can have. The gravity of an experience like that, well, it’s pretty darn close to real world magic for me. It’s what I love about the moments in my memory, that perfect encapsulation. It’s what I love about looking at a person and seeing their spark, then wanting to preserve that exact second to share with them. It’s remembering every detail… memorizing life like a film roll in my mind.

What's the Story? | Winston-Salem Branding Photography | Jasper & Fern
A mom needs love too!
— Emily, Mama Mpenzi Doula
Brand Photograph for Mama Mpenzi Doula | Winston-Salem Branding Photography | Jasper &amp; Fern

Brand Photograph for Mama Mpenzi Doula | Winston-Salem Branding Photography | Jasper & Fern

I wonder if you could guess the story behind this brand photograph we did for Mama Mpenzi Dula. It seems like an odd image to come across your screen, does it not? Does it make you curious to know what it's about? If you are someone who is drawn to nature and natural elements, who likes calming imagery and soft feminine tones, I can almost guarantee that you would stick around to read this story - and that is what a good brand photograph should do.

So what is the story behind the photograph? (I’m going to go ahead and put out there - it’s super sweet!)  

As a mom herself, Emily was inspired to give other first-time moms what she needed during her own first child’s birth and pregnancy. Her biggest needs were Community and Support.

Emily is a strong believer in surrounding yourself with good people who are wise, love you purely and respect you. From this value, she created the Birthtual.

“Mom needs some love too,” Emily said to me while explaining the ritual.

A Birthtual is a designated celebration that’s all about the pregnant mom.  It’s a time where all the women in that mom’s life who’ve had children and are who she depends on (aka - her rocks), come together for a time of community and support. The expecting mom sits in the middle of a room while the experienced mothers come together in a circle around her agreeing to creating a safe, non-judgemental space. The mom gets to share her fears, her joys and ask all the questions she wants answers to and, in turn, the experienced mothers share their own wisdom.

(I’m taking a moment to relish in the peace of what a setting like that would bring... *deep breath*)


Our goal was to bring that supporting atmosphere into a photograph that was rooted in her branding; a soft feminine brand that values the naturalness of birth, support and community. In the end, we created an image that mimics her brand values while simultaneously incorporates elements of her logo, uses her brand colors and provides Emily the platform to talk about a service that makes her unique.

What Your Brand Photographs Can Say About You (Part 2) | P.S. I'm not hungry this time....

In writing last week’s blog, I learned that I shouldn’t necessarily write when I’m hungry!! My goodness, I was chock full of food analogies, haha. (Click Here to read last week’s “Your Brand’s Secret Ingredient | What Your Brand Photographs Can Say About You)

While I stopped myself from going down the rabbit trail last week - let’s face it, I could write a novella about branding your business and brand photography - I do want to take our experience out in chunks to share with you.

Brand Photograph for Mama Mpenzi Doula | This photograph provides the platform for her to talk about the comfort measures she provides for her clients, healthy eating, a client story regarding blood sugar, her own favorite snacks, how to prepare you…

Brand Photograph for Mama Mpenzi Doula | This photograph provides the platform for her to talk about the comfort measures she provides for her clients, healthy eating, a client story regarding blood sugar, her own favorite snacks, how to prepare your go-bag and how she prepares her own doula bag for you, her client. | Supporting Black Businesses | Winston-Salem Business and Brand Photographer Jasper & Fern

You may remember us addressing how you need to catch your target market’s eye with a pretty photograph and capture their attention with the story it’s telling. This week I want to go a little further into that concept and discuss more of what your brand photographs can say about you and how you can stand out aesthetically. In the end, I want to help guide you in the right direction for your own brand photography


But first, I have to get something off my chest….

I have to admit, last year I started to get frustrated with the brand photography industry and the rut I felt it was headed into. Just like any visual industry, there started to be specific “money shots” that are guaranteed best sellers and everyone (myself included) did. These images are still great, however, I felt like our industry was starting to lose the creative images that would truly sell a specific business’s story. Now, don’t get me wrong, these formula shots are still great brand photographs to include in your collection but they do pose a problem : If everybody looks the same, how are people going to stand out?

(Specifically - how will YOU stand out?)

To help guide you in the right direction for your own brand photography, I want to give you a breakdown of how we work with our clients.

First and foremost, we know that the foundation of your brand is your story. That story is essential to how you show up for your customers - and it should be essential to the story your brand photographs tell.

There are many elements that go into properly telling your brand story. From the atmosphere created by texture, lighting and colors to the location, accessories and angles from which the photographs are taken, there’s a sweet spot that should be tailored for your business to accomplish the most successful brand photographs.

Picture, if you will, a crowded coffee shop, bright noon light streaming through the broad windows and bouncing off the white walls and polished concrete floor. Above the register - a large iMac and Square console - hangs a sign detailing each drink, it's crisp white lettering in stark contrast against the chalkboard. In perfectly designed symmetry spreading out from the sign, a golden clock, “coffee is life” quote and white marble potted plants are arranged on seamless floating shelves. Lining the edge of the white and grey marbled counter, cylindrical golden candle votives sit; their formation only broken by the occasional dainty, white coffee mug and saucer keeping a their patrons company. A small white cabinet sits at the very end of the counter, housing three rows of delicious pastries, lined in neat rows. Every element has its intentional home. In the center of the room, stands the owner, a young woman in her 30’s. Her crisp, white assymetric blouse is perfectly offset by a long gold necklace with a simple golden rod at the end. Her designer jeans are immaculate, fitting her form like they were custom made for her. Gracing her feet are a pair of black velvet Birdies, the Starling cut complimenting the hemline of her jeans. With a chic modern hairstyle, she stands relaxed and with poise, a confident closed mouth smile on her face. It’s an uplifting place; a place of productivity, high energy and high performing community.

Now, you find yourself in the same coffee shop. It’s dark, neither dawn nor dusk, the only light falls from the industrial incandescent fixtures above. A warm golden tint casts itself upon the white walls, clinging to the shadows and hollowing the shelves and their contents. Newspapers stack the counter. Chairs are neatly sat at empty tables. A lone coffee mug sits beside its saucer on a table by the window, just out of range of the florescent beams floating down. It’s shadowy presence draws your eye. In the center of the room is the owner, a young woman in her 30’s. She looks at you, leaning halfway against a chair, her arms gently crossed as her charcoal sweater falls untucked from her jeans. A small coffee stain is slightly hidden at her right pocket, the hem of the sweater unveiling the seeping color. While to some it may seem lonely, you instead are reminded of your groggy travel to and from work on the subway at wee hours and of your college trips abroad - travelling at the least appealing hours to get the most out of your money. A sense of comfort and nostalgia greets your distant memories.

Each of these coffee shops, while similar have different stories to tell. Perhaps, one of these spaces even spoke to you while you were reading about them - and that, right there, is the point. You connected with a story. So sure, I can write a pretty description but, what is the story behind each of these places??

For both of these coffee shops, I envisioned the same owner, just with a different story and different passion.

In the first version of the coffee shop, I envisioned a high performing boss babe who - a driven entrepreneur herself - wants to create an inspiring space for other young, energetic entreprenuers and individuals to do their work and host their meetings. She values a lack of distraction and the opportunity for productivity a clear mind can provide. She is concise and speaks with clarity and authority. I built the aesthetics of the coffeeshop around her story through colors, textures, lighting, details (like the perfectly lined candles and pastries) and body language. Her clothing was styled to communicate her minimalist approach to life and directness of business. I knew her target audience would be drawn to her confidence, accomplishments and tidiness.

In the second version, I wanted to take the same coffee shop but alter it to tell the story of a different owner. She grew up a military brat and went to college to be a journalist, inspired to tell the unfiltered truth. After a summer college internship just outside London - which she skrimped and saved to be able to afford - she fell in love with the colorful faces of the late night working crowd; a crowd she often found herself in due to her own late night hours running errands and chasing stories for the journal she interned for. She found home in a late night cup of thick, black coffee. So she set forth to create a space that could harbor the tired, driven, hard working individuals she’d grown accustomed to. Providing a space where she could offer comfort and quiet, she also relished in the stories that would walk through her doors over the years. For her story, I built an image of the same (well, almost the same) coffee shop to illustrate her heart. The setting focused on the quiet while newspapers leant to her history and also her clients’ value of keeping up with the current times. Her shop is clean, soft, comforting and you get the sense you can safely rest here and be appreciated for the work you put in - an idea that can be communicated through something as small as a coffee stain and as simple as a cozy, untucked sweater.

Each of these small business owners had a unique vision for their coffee shop. Their life experiences and the need they saw defined who they wanted to reach and the type of business they wanted to build. If the only photograph they had to showcase their businesses were of them smiling while holding a cup of coffee towards you while standing in front of the coffee menu sign, their story wouldn’t be told. They’d look pretty much just like each other’s businesses and wouldn’t stand out. It’s the details that truly speak volumes.

When we work with our clients, we get to know their origin story, their life experiences, what drives them, what their life philosophies and values are, their goals and interests and so much more. We help them pick a suitable location that will compliment their story. Sometimes that means we curate the look in our studio or at their own home or storefront. We even love going on location for branding photographs. Then, the lighting and textures are built in, coordinating with their brand colors. From there, we storyboard and brainstorm marketing ideas to truly showcase exactly what their brand is about.

When you’re examining where branding photography can take your business, I urge you to think through every aspect of your brand and pick a photographer that’s willing to invest in your story and bring all the details together for you. There are many elements that go into successfully telling your unique brand story. Give your clients something to capture their attention and draw them into your world, not just catch their eye!

Head Photographer, Alyson, coordinating details for Yudy McGuinness Artistry’s branding photographs. | Winston-Salem Business and Brand Photography | Jasper &amp; Fern

Head Photographer, Alyson, coordinating details for Yudy McGuinness Artistry’s branding photographs. | Winston-Salem Business and Brand Photography | Jasper & Fern