Pam (00:00):

You’re listening to the flourish and grow to CEO podcast. This is episode 29. [inaudible] Are you a lady boss making 50 to a hundred thousand in your business? And you’re ready to break through that six figure barrier. Have you, you’ve

Jane (00:34):

Done a great job of creating a nice life as the ultimate gig master, but no, your inner CEO is calling you to greater Heights. You’re in the right place. If you want to create and implement solid fundamentals in your business without sacrificing fun.

Pam (00:48):

I’m Pam Ivey, I’m certified in small business management and I concentrate in the areas of training and certifying real estate assistance, coaching and mentoring entrepreneurs, and online business marketing growth and profit acceleration. And I take men and women business owners aged 40 plus to bucket list destinations around the world for a month at a time to work, explore, and live in community. And I’m

Jane (01:14):

Jane, Garee known as the sales strategist for the non sales person. And I work with business owners who want to increase their conversion rate, shorten their sales cycle and have more impact and influence with the work they do all while having fun with selling.

Pam (01:28):

We have an exciting guest for you today. Her name is Gabby Deimeke and she is a commercial photographer. I think it’s going to be amazing all these tips that Gabby’s going to share with us so that we can get the best possible photos for our businesses. So let me introduce Gabby because she is such an interesting lady. Let me tell you she is adventurous, energetic, and definitely lives up to the Gabby part in her name. Gabby’s favorite style of photography is portraiture and the exciting challenge of using photography as a medium to capture the likeness and personality of those around her Gabby studied photography at Webster university in St. Louis before moving to London, England to complete a master’s degree in fashion photography. She spent two years in New York city working on a personal project, focused on female founders and entrepreneurs that we’re going to definitely dive into based out of Austin, Texas, Gabby has a wide range of hands-on professional photography experience. Gabby’s work has taken her to 26 countries and 140 cities including her favorite London. So Gabby is definitely a gal after our own hearts with the travel that’s for sure. And we just want you to know that Gabby is available for assignment worldwide. So welcome Gabby. We’re so happy to have you here. Hi,

Gabby (02:54):

Thanks so much. I’m excited to, uh, to chat with you guys and hopefully give some photography tips to your listeners.

Pam (03:01):

Oh man. We know you will. So to start off with, can you give us a little bit about your background? Like why photography?

Gabby (03:09):

Yes. So I grew up in the Midwest, um, in Missouri and I just cut. It was kind of totally random. My mom gave me a camera to take to a concert when I was like 12 or 13 and I absolutely became obsessed with photography. Just something about it, like having to capture, um, the world around you in one frame. Like I just thought that was the coolest thing ever. So I started carrying my camera with me everywhere I went. Um, and then when it was time to decide about college, I was like, all right, I’m going to study photography. So as you mentioned, I did that, um, at Webster in St. Louis and then got to go to London for grad school, uh, where I did fashion photography and got to do some cool fashion photo shoots. Um, and then I moved to New York to actually like start my photography career. So I was there for a couple of years, had some, you know, great experiences doing photography in New York and also worked on my bad-ass woman photo series, which I’m sure we’ll talk more about. Um, and then now I am currently in Austin, Texas, where I’m still working as a commercial photographer. Um, I do weddings. I do, um, I’m recently into concerts and music festivals, so there’s always something new on photographing, but I love it.

Pam (04:17):

Oh, cool. Concerts. I would love that. Um, oh yeah, that’s great. You mentioned your bad-ass women photo series in New York city. Can you tell us a little more about that? Cause that’s totally intriguing.

Gabby (04:30):

Yes. So basically when I moved to New York, it was kind of my first time of actually building my photography business because I had been in school. So I’ve been doing it on the side, but after I was in New York, I was like, okay, I actually need to kind of learn how to run the business, learn all the ins and outs and all those things that come with running your own business. And so I started seeing all these other female business owners in New York that were also running businesses that just had so much experience and knowledge to share. And so I was really inspired by them and I kind of leaned on them for advice and tips as I was building my own business. So, um, after about six months of that, I kind of had this idea to do this photo series where I, um, photograph a portrait of them in their space or office or a place in New York that’s meaningful to them.

Gabby (05:16):

And then I also interviewed them and asked them questions about, you know, starting their business, if what were things you would change or what would you tell your younger self? And so, um, I just ended up with this body of work that was 55 portraits and so much good advice. And I decided to host an art gallery show in New York, um, kind of showing all the portraits, inviting everyone to come. And it was just this really cool kind of, um, networking event, but also just like space where women could be empowered and feel really uplifted by one another. So it was a really cool experience.

Pam (05:48):

Oh, I absolutely love that. And congratulations on your own show in New York city. How cool is that? Yeah. Thank you. So what kind of information you glean from the ladies that you interviewed?

Gabby (06:01):

Yes. So they gave me tons of good advice and tips and I think the main kind of takeaways that I got that so many of them said was you might have this tendency to feel like you want to wait before you start a new project or new business or a new side hustle until you feel a hundred percent ready. But the truth is you’re never really going to feel a hundred percent ready and you’re never going to have 100% of the answers. So what you should do instead and what you have to kind of lean into, even though it feels uncomfortable is just working on an incrementally, you know, a little bit every single day. And then the second piece is having that trust and confidence in yourself to know that even if you don’t know all the answers, you believe in yourself enough to know that you’ll figure out whatever the issue is, when problems come up and you know, that you will be able to handle that. So I thought that was really empowering and just motivated me to be like, oh yeah, I’m just going to start this. And I trust myself to know it. I can figure it out. I love

Pam (06:55):

It. That is completely empowering. And I heard a quote the other day. I don’t remember who said it, but she said, if you wait until you’re completely ready, you’re already too late. It was just brilliant. So I’m going to keep that in mind. Yeah. So when we’re choosing a photographer, let’s get into, you know, doing our business shoots because that’s what most of us are thinking about. We got to get new pictures. What do we look for in a photography? Like how do we interview them and what do we look for?

Gabby (07:29):

Yeah. So there’s definitely a variety of things you can look for when you are trying to figure out like what kind of photographer you want to work with. There’s a million different photographers with different styles. And so the top two things I would say to start off with would be looking at their portfolio and editing style. So are they editing stuff super dark and moody and grungy, or is it really white and bright and Chris, is it super colorful and saturated or is it black and white and more kind of subtle? So thinking about kind of what your brand is, what are your brand colors? What is your tone for your brand and what kind of vibe you’re trying to give off? Like for me, my brand is very pink and colorful and fun and playful. So if I was going to hire a photographer, I probably wouldn’t go to the photographer that only does black and white because that’s not going to be very cohesive with my brand.

Gabby (08:18):

So thinking about the editing style and how that can match your brand is super important. Um, and then their shooting style is the other thing. So do they shoot a lot of like documentary and candid stuff where they’re just going to kind of be a fly on the wall and, and photograph, you know, your everyday or your business or whatever, or are you looking for more of a post photographer maybe for headshots or something of that nature? You want them to be way more involved in, give you direction and tell you how to pose your body, how to stand, where to look, all that kind of stuff. So top two things I would say to start with editing style and shooting style. And once you can figure out what of those you want for the type shoe you’re doing, then you can start looking into their portfolios and seeing, you know, what’s going to be a good fit.

Jane (09:00):

So as business owners, when you, I was just thinking, when you were talking about all of, all of those really important factors that you just brought up and as business owners, there’s always some kind of portfolio. We always have some image or most business owners have photographs that kind of showcase the business. So what, what really can happen though for your business, when you have a good portfolio, why is it important and then what can really happen to your business? Yeah, I think it’s so important people all the time. Obviously you want to have good copy and they’re thinking about, okay, I want to make sure the words match for what I’m trying to sell or whatever my business is. But I think a lot of times the visual element gets really overlooked and people don’t realize how important it is to have, you know, good graphics, good photography, high quality imagery that can really help sell your brand.

Gabby (09:49):

So I think the two things that it really can do is number one, it can make you look way more professional. So, you know, we’ve all seen those fees on Instagram where they’re taking selfies or maybe they’re taking stuff with their iPhone, or, you know, it’s in bad lighting, not really that cohesive altogether. And it just looks a little bit unprofessional. It’s not that it’s super negative, but I just think on the other flip side, you know, if they did invest in a really good photo shoot, get some cool graphics, like that’s just going to help your brand look way more professional. Um, and then the second thing is being cohesive. So again, thinking about the colors of your brand, what, what things you’re trying to portray with your brand, a photo shoot that’s super cohesive or multiple photo shoots that match the tone of your logo and all kind of match in with the color scheme of your website. That’s just going to make your overall brand look more cohesive, which is going to help with brand recognition. As people are seeing your brand on your web versus on social versus, you know, in person,

Pam (10:45):

Hey lady, boss, do you think like a CEO when your business starts taking off, you’re ready to scale up at this point, you’ve got to stop thinking of yourself as a solo preneur and start thinking of yourself as the CEO of your company. If you remain in the mindset of a one person operation, then you won’t be able to grow. You’ll never have the time, energy or expertise to do everything by yourself and your business. Won’t be the success that it has the potential to be. So are you thinking like a CEO take our free assessment to find out you can find it@flourish.biz forward slash think that’s F L O U R I S H dot B I Z Ford slash T H I N K. Once again. That’s flourished.biz for slash think. All right, lady boss. Let’s get back to the show.

Jane (11:45):

Yeah, that makes so much sense. Pam and I did a podcast episode a couple of weeks ago about continuity and congruency in your brand and in your business. And then we were talking more about the languaging of everything that you create, but you’re you’re right. I mean, that visual imagery that also needs to be that also has to have continuity and congruency, and therefore that will bring up the cohesiveness. I think that’s often overlooked a lot of times because unless you’re really a brand expert and branding is such a huge topic, so it can get overwhelming and confusing pretty fast for everybody, but without the w without the knowledge of all the different components that a brand actually encompasses, the thing that can get lost in there is the reason why it’s actually so important to that. You know, I guess we got three heat, three CS here at attentionally, but to create that continuity congruency and cohesiveness.

Gabby (12:37):

So, yeah. Great tip. Well, I know that I’m always trying to figure out how I can look better or younger or thinner in my photograph, you know, without filtering it and over overdoing it to that. So it doesn’t even look like me. And I definitely want to make sure that I’m, I am who I am, you know, I’m natural, I’m showing up. So I don’t want to doctor photos really. So what can we do? What tips can you give us to really look your best in photographs? For sure. So, um, my first set of tips will be for if you’re doing kind of an at-home photo shoot. So maybe you’re not at the stage of your business where you want to actually invest in, you know, a big photo shoot, but you’re still want to get some nice images. So you can either like set up your phone on a tripod or just on a table, or, you know, have a friend or your partner take some photos of you.

Gabby (13:23):

Um, so if that’s the case, um, the two things you want to think about is lighting and angles. So, uh, indoor fluorescent lighting can be kind of yellowy. It can, you know, sometimes have a weird shadows happening. Um, and it’s just not that great for photos. So I recommend folks go by a window, go next to a window, or go stand outside. And some shade. Those can be both great options for some diffused natural lighting, which is just going to make your skin look way more natural and glowy versus kind of that indoor lighting. So natural light is number one. I literally, I can’t recommend it enough. And then the second thing is angle. So if you just have your phone or your tripod kind of at eye level, but then slightly above just looking slightly down at your face, that’s also the most flattering angle.

Gabby (14:11):

So those are my tips for kind of just like doing an at home, uh, on your own photo shoot. Um, and then in terms of if you’re actually like setting up a photo shoot with a photographer, um, I think the number one thing that is super important is to kind of figure out your expectations. So, uh, talking with the photographer and communicating about all the things like where you’re going to do the shoot, how long is it going to be? What to expect that will really help with your nerves, because if you’ve never done a photo shoot before which many people haven’t, you might not really know everything that goes into it, you might not know how it works or what to expect. You might be a little nervous about posing or feeling a little self-conscious in front the camera. So I think talking with your photographer can really help ease a lot of that. Uh, and then one of my friends, who’s a photographer always recommends that if you feel a little bit nervous and you’re not really sure, just have a glass of wine before you go to the photo shoot that we’ll just kind of call him, you sell yourself a little bit and then you’ll be ready to jump in. That is really good advice. Right?

Gabby (15:14):

And I also just think that like a photo shoot should be fun. Like, of course the end goal is to get these images and you want to have stuff for your brand, but at the same time, like you want the actual experience working with your photographer to be fun and have a good time. Like if it’s miserable and you feel awkward and you have a bad experience, like that’s, that’s not what a shoot should be. So you definitely make sure you have a photographer that you’re like meshing with.

Pam (15:38):

Exactly. Cause it’ll come through in the photos, won’t it, if you’re uncomfortable or just not having a good time for

Gabby (15:46):

Sure. And that kind of goes along with wardrobe. Like I see a lot of times people will wear an outfit, you know, that’s maybe super dressy, but maybe they don’t wear dressy clothes all the time. And then I can see them kind of like fiddling around and like tugging at the edges. And you can tell like when someone’s not comfortable in their body. So in terms of the wardrobe piece, I would always say like, wear something you feel comfortable in, even if it’s more simple, even if it’s just like a plain t-shirt and pants versus like stilettos and a full suit or something, because I can always tell if you’re, if you’re not feeling comfortable in your own body. So I would just say my number one ewardrobe tip is just wear something you feel good in that will come through in the images too. You ever done a photo shoot, somebody in their pajamas. Cause that’s, you know, I don’t think I ever have maybe for some like mattress brand one day I will.

Pam (16:42):

Right, right. I know the very first time I did a professional photo shoot, I was so nervous. I’m on location and one is Ari’s and I don’t know, I was just so nervous about what was going to happen, because as you said, I didn’t just didn’t know what to expect, but the photography.

Gabby (17:02):

Yeah. I was just going to ask, did you feel like they gave you a ton of posing tips and told you where to stand and made you feel more warmed up?

Pam (17:09):

Yeah. And we were laughing so much and it’s, so it came through so much in the, the photos

Gabby (17:16):

That makes me happy because you should, I just really like want people to have a good experience doing photo shoots. Like, especially with me, like, you should be fun. You should be laughing. Like, I, I want to have fun too, so that I I’m glad that you, you had a positive experience on that shoot.

Pam (17:31):

Exactly. So that’s why it’s so important that you mesh well with your photographer. I can’t stress that enough because if they’re not good at directing and I’m not good at thinking up what poses I want, I’m toast that’s for sure. Speaking of poses, you have a posing guide, you.

Gabby (17:50):

Yes, for sure. Um, I have a posing guy that’s free on my website. Um, they can go to Gabby diamond kiosk, photo.com/links. Um, and yeah, it just has a bunch of tips about like things to think about angles, to think about different poses to try, um, and just has a ton of poses in there. So that’s free on my website. And I also, uh, if you live in the Austin area, have another free guide on there that, um, is all photo-shoot location ideas. So if you’re in the Austin area and you’re like, I want to do a photo shoot, but I literally have no idea what kind of background I want if I want it to be more urban, if I want it to be more nature-y um, there’s like, uh, I dunno, 20 or 30 different locations in there that can kind of help spark some ideas.

Pam (18:29):

I think Jane and I are going to have to visit Austin

Gabby (18:32):

And we’ll do a photo shoot. That sounds

Pam (18:34):

Awesome. That sounds awesome.

Gabby (18:37):

October. Oh really? Oh, we’ll have to connect in such a great time of year to be in Austin because the weather is like perfect. Right.

Pam (18:46):

So nice. And I know that I’m always surfing the web and or if I see something on somebody’s website, I take a screenshot of it. If it’s a really cool pose pose ideas. So that’s great.

Gabby (19:00):

Oh, and that’s another, that totally reminded me. That’s another great tip for kind of this like expectation piece of the shoe. I always recommend people to make a Pinterest board or even just take some screenshots on Instagram of like say they want to do a photo shoot with me. I’m like, give me as much inspiration as possible because maybe the everyday person might not know exactly what aperture is or what lens to use or whatever, or lighting or tone. But if they can show me some photos, they really like, or photos that are their inspiration or their mood board for the shoot, then that will, I can look at that and get a really good sense of kind of what vibe they’re going for. So I can help tailor my shooting and editing toward what they like. So I always recommend, definitely make a mood board, send that to your photographer. So they have some more insight into what, what you’re looking for within the shoot. We

Pam (19:46):

Are getting some amazing tips, right. Jane,

Jane (19:49):

We really are. This is so great. Gabby.

Pam (19:51):

I am so excited about this. So how do you personally make people feel comfortable when they’re in front of the camera?

Gabby (19:58):

Yeah, so I think I kind of learned this during the shooting, the bad-ass women’s series because I literally was just photographing so many women over and over. And I think because of that now I just personally love photographing women because as a woman myself, I know how hard it is to feel confident sometimes. And so if I can be the person that really helps you relax and like you’re saying earlier, laugh and feel good. And then that comes through in the photos. Like that’s the thing that’s like really motivating and empowering to me to be able to do that for other folks. Um, so I think initially when you’re like on the shoe, I’ll usually like start chatting with them. I like to chat for like 15 minutes before the shoe. Like tell me more about you. Okay. Tell me about the brand. Like what are you looking for with these images?

Gabby (20:40):

And so getting a background on them, um, and then kind of feeling out what the shoots for that can really help, you know, get some rapport, can know each other a little bit more. Um, and then it’s not just two strangers kind of doing the shoot, right. Or we’ll have like a pre-call to kind of go over those details. So definitely getting to know them a little bit better. And then I think just kind of like, I definitely get excited on photo shoots. Like, I’ll be like, oh my gosh, this looks so good. Yes. Turn here. Oh my God, the lights are amazing. And so definitely I kind of have that combo of like hyping people up and then just being excited myself. Cause I just love photography. So I think it shows through, I think that helps relax people. And then like, I think usually halfway through when people are like, oh, okay, I don’t have to do all the posing myself.

Gabby (21:19):

Like Gabby’s going to take care of it. I just have to like stand here and like have a fun time like that. I think slowly, usually around halfway through the shoot that’s when folks are like really kind of like start getting into it. I can see them like trying some angles. I can see them getting a little bit more confident. So it’s just cool to see that process happened over from the beginning of the shoe. Maybe they’re a little bit nervous, a little bit timid or quiet by the end when they’re like, Ooh, let me sit here. Let me stand here. I’m like, yes, let’s go.

Pam (21:47):

Well, I think you just answered my next question. Cause I kept thinking, you know, what’s the most rewarding part of photography for you, but

Gabby (21:53):

Like I mentioned, it’s definitely that piece of empowering women, especially like, I just think obviously we’ve gone, made so much progress in terms of like female equality and empowerment. And, but I still think we have a long way to go. So if I can be a piece of helping women feel confident enough to, you know, even just a small thing is working on their brand or changing their brand imagery, which in turn helps them build their business. Like I I’m all for it.

Pam (22:18):

Great vision. Absolutely. Well, where can people connect with you Gabby?

Gabby (22:24):

Yeah. So I’m Gabby Deimeke photo. That’s my website. Tons of like cool pictures on there. I’m always posting on the blog, like different tips and photo ideas and stuff like that. Um, and then on social media, it’s G dimes, G D E I N Z a. And that’s going to be on Instagram. I recently gotten obsessed with Tik TOK and have been making lots of like behind the scenes, photo shoots ideas and stuff like that. Um, and then also YouTube, I’ve been trying to kind of take that knowledge that we’ve been talking about and put it into some videos so that folks have tips and ideas for when they’re planning their own photo shoot or doing a photo shoot with photographer. They kind of know what to, what to expect. That’s

Pam (23:01):

Awesome. Jane, we picked the perfect photographer to interview,

Jane (23:08):

So great and party at Austin. Yes. For sure. In Austin, if I’m in Canada, we’ll do a bad-ass women photo shoot there we’ll we’ll make it happen.

Pam (23:16):

That sounds perfect. I’m sorry. I’m just letting the listeners know that we are going to have everything, all the links to Gabby’s social and website and all that. Cause I know she said it fast and I bet you won’t be able to spell it from how it pronounced. So

Jane (23:34):

It’s tough.

Pam (23:37):

So it’ll all, it’ll be all in our show notes. And I just want to thank you so much for taking the time to share with and yeah. If you’re in the Austin area, definitely look up Gabby, but she is available if you want to fly her out anywhere as well.

Gabby (23:54):

Yeah. Thank you guys so much. It was good. I hope your listeners, you know, had some things to think about even as they’re thinking about their next photo shoot and hopefully we gave them some good tips. No

Pam (24:02):

Doubt. Great. Thanks so much.

Jane (24:05):

That’s great. Gabby. Thank you so much for sharing this with our listeners. Yeah, thanks again.

Pam (24:10):

All right. Until next time everybody have yourself a great week. Well, that’s a wrap everyone. Thanks for joining us this week on the flourish and grow to CEO podcast. Be sure to visit our website at [inaudible] dot biz. That’s F L O U R I S h.biz, where you can subscribe to the shows in iTunes, Stitcher, or via RSS. So you’ll never miss an episode. You can also find our show notes and resources there too. And while you’re at it, if you found value in this show, we’d love for you to leave a rating on iTunes. Or if you’d simply tell a friend about the show that would sure help us out to now get out there and flourish.