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Educating and Instilling Confidence as a Photographer – feat. Ariel Perry

Do you want to go full time in your photography business but aren’t sure how to launch? In this episode of Branded by Bernel, Ariel Perry breaks down her journey from newbie photographer to luxury senior photographer.

The Branded by Bernel Podcast is brought to you by Bernel Westbrook, lead designer and founder of Branded by Bernel, a design studio dedicated to building strong brands and Showit websites for creative entrepreneurs.

Make sure you’ve hit that follow or subscribe button on your favorite podcast player to get notified each week as we air new episodes!

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Ariel is a self-educated photographer

Ariel came to photography in a round-about way seven years ago, and she didn’t have any mentors or professional training. Through a ton of trial and error, she educated herself. Ariel attended conferences and took part in free collaborations to pick up the skills she needed. Volunteering for styled shoots gave her content she could use on her website and social media while her business was still new.

Eventually, it was her dad who saw her passion and encouraged her to pursue her own photography business so that she could have the freedom of working for herself.

Ariel grew her photography business by doing things that no one else was doing

Ariel was at a personal low point during the 2020 pandemic when she had an idea. She created her “red carpet experience” package for graduating seniors, which included a two-night luxury hotel stay, a chauffeur, a five star dinner, and of course, a senior portrait session. Ariel pampered her clients in a way that no one else was doing it. 

“I’m always thinking about, ‘how can I be better? How can I do things no one else is doing?’” Ariel Perry

Another idea that propelled Ariel’s photography business forward was releasing a book and a course. The book is an interactive guide to launching a photography business. When Ariel was writing her book, she thought about all the tips and lessons she wished that a mentor had told her at the beginning of her journey.

To continue helping new photographers, Ariel also launched a conference and offers virtual mentorships.

Surround yourself with the right people

Even though she didn’t have a mentor when she was starting out, Ariel knew the importance of surrounding herself with the right people. She still attends personal development conferences, like the High Performance Learning Academy with Brendon Burchard. She also still takes part in styled shoots to help her connect with other entrepreneurs and stay out of a creative rut. 

3 Actionable Steps with Ariel

  1. Read more. Reading more books is the best and easiest way to grow personally and professionally. Dedicate time to read every day.
  2. Practice your craft. Ariel learned by shooting any of her friends and family who were willing to get in front of her camera. Whatever your craft is, you need to go through trial and error to get better, and the only way to do that is to practice every day.
  3. Invest in branding. Your branding is your opportunity to showcase who you are and what your business is about. You need to invest in quality work because you pay for what you get with your branding. Check testimonials and portfolios before hiring someone. 

Connect with Ariel

Website: arielperry.com

Instagram: instagram.com/arielperry

Connect with Bernel

brandedbybernel.com

instagram.com/brandedbybernel

Review the Transcript:

Bernel
Hey hun, Welcome to the Branded by Bernel podcast. I’m your host Bernel. You may know me as the branding and web designer who obsesses over the details so you don’t have to. We all desire to be great at what we do. Although once we get there, no one seems to talk about the messy middle. This motivated me to set the table and invite industry peers over to share stories about living and working in the creative world. So grab the OJ and champagne, pull up a chair, join the creative community and be prepared to build a brand you fall in love with. This is the Branded by Bernel Podcast.

Bernel
Today I am joined by Ariel Perry, I am so so excited to have her here. And for you guys to meet her. She is a world renowned photographer specializing in luxury high school senior portraits. She is also the co founder of the Born to shine photography conference. And she’s also a celebrity photographer. She does all the things. She has worked with people all over the world. And her work has been featured on the front page of Yahoo. It’s been published in InStyle, Essence magazine and countless other sources. So thank you so much for joining us today. Ari.

Ariel Perry
No thank you ever. No, this is super exciting. And I cannot wait to get right into it.

Bernel
Yes. Oh, my goodness, I have so many questions for you. And just your story of how you got in here and how you have navigated through this crazy thing called entrepreneurship. So first for the people listening at home. How long have you been in business?

Ariel Perry
So I’ve been in business now for seven years. Whoa, that

Bernel
is crazy. So no doubt the photography industry looks different today than it did seven years ago.

Ariel Perry
It does. Yes. Yeah, for sure.

Bernel
Yes. And so I know we touched on it a little bit in the intro. But what type of services do you offer in your business? I know we mentioned senior photography.

Ariel Perry
Yeah. So senior photography is definitely my bread and butter. It is what I’m truly passionate about. But I started out actually photographing weddings, and in portraits, but weddings. I mean, I was shooting about 30 weddings a year. And I realized that wasn’t my passion. Like, not many people know this, but I literally sometimes. And disclaimer, not that I had any bad weddings. I actually have been blessed to have so many amazing weddings. But I would literally sometimes go in the bathroom and cry. Because I just didn’t want to be there because it was wasn’t what I was passionate about. I found myself. So I had to sit myself down and be like, what do you really want to photograph? Like what makes you happy? What makes your heart happy? And it was singers.

Bernel
Oh my goodness. I love it. Well, let’s back up a little bit. So why did you start photographing weddings? How did you even get into photography?

Ariel Perry
Um, I photography kind of fell into my lap. Actually, I studied communications at Temple and it was my dream to be a film producer actually. So I always knew I was gonna go to LA when I graduated. That was not in the cards for me, obviously. Okay, so I got a job at portrait innovations.

Bernel
I don’t know. Yeah, I’ve heard of it. Yep. The white in the blue backdrop. Yeah,

Ariel Perry
yep. You had you didn’t have to know anything about photography. So I did that. And then I started working with a company called Teddy Bear portraits, which was for little kids. So I was kind of like, kind of like the LifeTouch photographer but for Montessori preschools, things like that. And that’s how I got introduced to shooting outside. No one in our territory would shoot outside. And I was like, You know what, I don’t know what I’m doing. But I’ll give it a try and see. And so we had to do actually in person sales. And when I saw the look on this parent space of their kid, from a picture I took outside that I knew, like absolute crap. And she was like, in tears. I was like, Oh my gosh, that feeling that to know that I produced that. I mean, it was just, it was incredible. And I was like, I want more of that. I want to be able to like bring tears to people’s eyes from looking at a single image. I think that was so powerful.

Bernel
Oh, my God is so powerful. I love that. Oh my goodness. So you decided that you wanted to be a photographer which kind of snowballed into wedding photography. Yes. When was the moment that you decided to pivot out of wedding photography.

Ariel Perry
The moment was when my you know, I figured out that seniors was really what I was passionate about. So I started going to conferences I started going to workshops at And when I immerse myself in that, which was maybe about four or five, about five years ago, I was like, Yeah, I have to, I have to only do singers. I mean, I have to limit weddings. Yes. Because I still do do weddings, every now and then. But I knew that I had, I had to do singers. So it was about five years ago, where it just clicked after being around, you know, these other amazing singer photography’s in the industry and learning from them. And knowing that I could do I could do that, too.

Bernel
Yes. I love that. And that is the power I feel like of like educational resources and conferences. They give you that like inspiration of I can do this. Yeah. And that you’re not alone. In doing that.

Ariel Perry
I really select. I wish I had found conferences sooner me too. And entrepreneurs don’t get in. Brunel, don’t get me started on education, because I can go in on that.

Bernel
Yes. You are a huge proponent for education. I know. Absolutely. And it’s good. I mean, we never stop learning. And the moment you stop learning, you’re stagnant. Yep. So yep. I love that. So when you got started, did you have a mentor? Or anybody who was giving you some direction?

Ariel Perry
No. You mean like when I got started in photography, or got started in senior portrait

Bernel
when you got started in knowing you want it to do this for yourself? So when you got started in your entrepreneur journey?

Ariel Perry
No, I didn’t know how to mentor and my dad was one actually who was who said, You need to quit worrying that this little teddy bear. And you need to start your business because I see how passionate you are. And there’s nothing like working for yourself. And he’s someone who has worked for himself pretty much his whole entire life. Okay, so yeah, he was he was the one he was encouraged her to be like, You have got to start your own business. But I didn’t have anyone to show me the ropes. I pretty much had to go get it myself.

Bernel
Oh, my goodness, I love that. Well, you figured it out. I’m sitting here with you seven years later, and you run a very successful photography business. So if you’re listening to this at home, I always asked that question about mentors, because it’s just interesting to hear how people got started. So if you don’t have a mentor currently, that’s okay. That does not mean that you can’t grow. And if you do have a mentor, that’s wonderful, but also supplement that with education and conferences.

Ariel Perry
I think you’d agree with that. Definitely. Definitely.

Bernel
I love that. So tell me a little bit about what happened when you started. Being a senior photographer. So you start you find your passion, and you’re photographing seniors and you’re loving it. How did you get from point A to where you are now?

Ariel Perry
So it was a lot of trial and error. Okay, as you can imagine, yeah, I feel anything do when you’re first starting. So I did a lot of free stuff. I did a lot of collaborations, I did a ton of style shoots just to get content. And being able to showcase pictures on my social media to have on my website. I would say style shoots really helped me escalate. And again, going to those I did a lot of paid style shoots like with other senior photography’s, I mean, other senior photographers. And that helped me so much. And I kind of apply what I learned there to my business. So I mean, shooting wise, business wise. So even going back, that’s education. Yeah, like I invested in these style shoots that were hosted by these other amazing photographers, and implement that into my business. And I grew from that. That was how I was able to get from point A to point B. Oh, man, honest.

Bernel
Yeah, I love that. I love that so much. And I think that that’s just so important. Investing in yourself. I think that when people are starting their businesses, the last thing they want to do is spend money. But you have to invest in order to get something out of it. That’s how you get ahead. That is how you get ahead. It is it is so let go of the coins because they will come back to you tenfold. We promise. This is from two people who have you know, pretty, pretty good businesses. I feel like and I did that too. I definitely invested in conferences and workshops and school. I mean, I went to school for this. So you know, a lot of investing went into it before. You know, you see what you see on Instagram now.

Ariel Perry
Exactly. And we want I feel like we live in a culture where we want it right now. It’s not gonna happen like that. No, it is not gonna happen. So you just always have to keep that in mind.

Bernel
Easy. come easy go. Yeah, that’s what you have to think about. So if it comes easy, and then it probably will leave you pretty easy too. But that stuff that you really put the foundation and the groundwork in, it’s here it’s here to stand the test of time. Yes, yes. So fun story. I know you guys are thinking, All right, so Ra is this amazing senior photographer? How does she know burnout? Well, if you follow me on social media, or even if you don’t, honestly, if you’re staring at the cover art of this podcast that was photographed by Ari, and it just like that feeling that she was describing earlier, when you can look at a single photo, and it just brings all the emotion. That is how I felt when I saw that photo. So thank you for that. I was like, Oh, my goodness, I am a real life. podcaster. And she just brought my vision to life and killing the game. Thank you, thank you. And so we have worked together on several projects. She is my exclusive brand photographer, I tell everybody that I have lots of photography, friends, but I love being in front of artists camera, just because it is a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity. Feeling, which is interesting, because I do it several times a year. So I guess it’s not once in a lifetime. But for seniors, it’s a once in a lifetime experience. Um, and then recently, we got to work together on your website. So you just launched a brand new website. That’s incredible. And has lots of educational components on there.

Ariel Perry
Yes, yes, it does. I mean, I talked about my mentoring, you know, we mentioned born to shine on there as well. But that Brunel, I cannot thank you enough for just knocking it out of the park, like you literally made my vision come to life. And not many people could do that. But you did it. Well, you did it. Well.

Bernel
I like that. Thank you. That was so literally my goal. Like my goal was to bring your vision to life, because that’s what you do. Yeah. That’s what you do for everybody else every day. Yeah. So

Ariel Perry
yeah.

Bernel
So one of the things on that website that was so fun to design was your red carpet Experience page. Tell us a little bit about this red carpet experience. Like if you’re listening at home, and you’ve already graduated high school, which I’m sure most of you have, you are going to be super jealous, because this is not the senior portraits that I had done as an 18 year old, but tell us about this unique experience that you offer.

Ariel Perry
So I am so proud of myself, for creating this experience. It’s no one else. I’m always thinking about how can I be better? How can I do things no one else is doing. And this idea came to me actually, right in the midst of the pandemic, and I felt kinda at a low point. In my business, I was like, I don’t know what I’m gonna do, honestly. So um, I just got out of my feelings, and I was like, Okay, put your thinking cap on. What is it that you can do? And so this red carpet experience is literally like no other. I’m just gonna describe Yeah. So it includes a private chauffeur. A two night stay at a luxury hotel here in Charlotte. So let me rewind is designated. I originally designed it for seniors coming from out of the state. Okay, typically, but me it could be for Charlotte seniors as well. It can be a senior staycation type two. I love that occasion. Yeah, but it’s for everybody. So, if you are flying in, I have my private chauffeur come and get you from the airport. Take you back to the hotel where I have these two insane luxury gifts that are waiting for you inside your hotel room. That night, we go to a five star restaurant dinner with me and your your parents. And then the day of the shoot. It includes makeup hair wardrobe styling, the team is with you for the whole entire day. Again, that private chauffeur is still with you. And it also includes a one minute highlight film, and then included automatically lose my top tier package. I mean, it’s just it’s nothing. I’ve never seen anything like it. Yeah, I wish I had you know, I’m so I’m so I’m so proud of that to be very honestly, I cannot wait to serve like my seniors for next year is gonna be pretty epic.

Bernel
Oh my goodness. Yes. No, that sounds like super epic. I’m sitting here trying to figure out like, what can I go graduate from? I can hire you to do that. Like, I have never heard of that. I don’t think anyone else.

Ariel Perry
I don’t think so. I really don’t. So, um, I can’t wait. I can’t wait to kick it off. And it’s gonna be exciting.

Bernel
Oh, my goodness. Well, spoiler alert, you guys. Ari does a lot of things that have never been done before. There is something she’s working on releasing this year. Do you want to tell us a little bit more about that?

Ariel Perry
Yes. So I am finishing up my first book. And it’s all thanks senior photography. It is packed with so many amazing gyms, it’s, I want it to be very visual, very informative, and interactive. So I’m also going to be coming out with a course. But that book is just like just an amazing resource that you can pick up and just use it as a guide. And I’m so excited about it, and so proud of that as well. Because that’s something I wish I had, if I was getting started if I want to, if I was trying to transition out of weddings into singers, that will be such an easy book to read, and like fun. And like I said, interactive. Like there’s gonna be questions in it to like, just help you along your way along your journey. I’m so excited about it. Okay.

Bernel
I see you. Yes. And I, the first time you told me about your book, actually, like went home and Googled, like senior photography books, and I didn’t find anything. Like I did not awesome stuff. But I was like, older, I did not find any clients right now. Right? Nothing that like talked about how you use social media marketing, and how to really position yourself in front of senior like, I couldn’t find like a how to photo visual book type thing. So I think that that is really gonna be a game changer, for sure. So yeah, make sure you go support that presale. If you might be releasing that soon. That is awesome. So we’ve talked a lot about education. I mean, you have a conference, you offer mentorships. So tell me a little bit about because I feel like we have talked about the glamorous side of running a business. All the things have been accomplished. But tell me a little bit about the hurdles that you had to overcome to get here because as an entrepreneur, anybody will tell you that this is not a linear path to success. No, there’s a lot of stuff that happens in the messy middle, as I like to call it. Yeah. Um, so would you like to share any lessons that you learned any obstacles that you had to overcome that you would want to tell somebody, let’s say who’s in year one or year two to look out for?

Ariel Perry
I would say, for me personally, the hurdles I had to get through were the business side. So like the accounting, the bookkeeping, the keeping up with the sales, like that side was super difficult for me. And I’m still like trying to, you know, polish that. But what I wish that I knew back then like starting out, I would say, get a mentor, and talk to someone or even someone in the finance, like in that field, to help you who are who specialized with small businesses, to give you some guidance and give you some structure on what to look for even taking a class at your community college on business, like one on one business. I’m sure they offer something like that. You too. I mean, YouTube, of course, has everything. But I would say the business side, and I hear so many times, that’s what a lot of people struggle with. Yeah, is getting that business side because you want to, there’s nothing like feeling all over the place is something just so calming about knowing that you know, your books are in order, knowing your budgeting is an order. There’s nothing like having that peace of mind. And I know so many people struggle with that in the beginning. That is so true. Especially as creative entrepreneurs. They I think they say we’re left brain people. Yeah, probably is left brain.

Bernel
Anyway, um, but yeah, I think that we all think about getting the job done. Yeah. Like, that’s the part we enjoy. Yeah, we love serving our our clients. We love being creative. We love seeing the finished product. That’s whether you’re a photographer, a designer, a florist, whatever you are. But if your books are not in order, you will not be in business. Oh, no. A good friend of mine told me if you don’t know your numbers, you can forget it. Oh, my goodness, I love it. If you do not know your numbers, and so many people say this, everybody says it. You got to know your numbers you do. And not just the income numbers, but the profit numbers. I felt like the vet set of numbers is so challenging for people because they’re like, guess what? I made X y&z last year, and I’m like, well, that’s great. But did you calculate like your education expenses, your operating costs, your gear, your whatever you need to to be the best in your industry? Did you calculate all of that? And they’re just like, oh, no, I didn’t do that. Yeah. So I’m like, Yeah, you might want to check those numbers as well. Um, so I think that is excellent advice. Excellent advice. Um, one of the things that you mentioned to me a lot when we were working together, building your website and then also on your social media, you say this a lot, bringing confidence and instilling confidence in others. Tell me why that It’s so important to you.

Ariel Perry
It’s so important because it’s something I lacked for so many years. And until I really dug deep into that, and just found that confidence within myself, I was never going to attempt to even reach my fullest potential.

Bernel
Oh, wow. Yeah. So So you’re doing so much by helping people to build that confidence at a young age?

Ariel Perry
Yes. is so important. So that I think that is really why San photography is so special to me, because you’re in such a important stage in your life. And if you can instill confidence in someone from that that age, I mean, you’re gonna be set.

Bernel
I love though. Yeah, I love that. And then even going a step beyond that. That’s something that you talk about, even on your mentorship page. So even if you are an adult, and you run a business, and you would think that running a business, you’re a confident person you would think but that’s not true. I have no impostor syndrome and insecurities is something that we all struggle with as business owners. Yeah. So by having a mentor to just constantly reaffirm, like you’re doing it, right, yeah. Or this is what you could do to do it even better to reach that fullest potential. I think that’s amazing. Yeah. So I love that you’re definitely an inspiration to me. People ask me about mentorships all the time. And I’m just like, I’m terrified. I don’t know enough to tell somebody. Yes, you do. Oh, no. But you you are an inspiration. So I just I want you to know that I’m sure that yes, so we mentioned a little bit at the beginning about you being a celebrity photographer. And we had a little conversation prior to recording about some of the people that you’ve shot for. And I was super excited when you told me about Michael Jordan’s family. So can you tell us a little bit about what you had the opportunity to do there?

Ariel Perry
So I started out, shooting the Hornets Christmas party. Oh, okay. And from there, it just kind of spiraled I did a lot of work with his daughter, who is just a phenomenal person inside and out. I adore her. I started off by shooting her shoe, the airs. Okay, her shoe that she came out with, which was super, so cool. We did more of like a lifestyle type shoe. And that was what was featured on Yahoo. So on the front page of that page, and I that was like maybe three or four years ago. Wow. So it was just an amazing opportunity. And I was obviously so excited. I’m a basketball player. Like I played basketball since I was literally three years old. And so to be able to shoot like the literal goat and his his family that was so cool. But yeah,

Bernel
oh my goodness, yes, that is such a cool story. I love that. And I saw some of the work actually from that shoot with her shoes. And one of the things that you do well, and I don’t think we’ve mentioned it yet is capturing natural light. I jokingly call you a light bender. I like that every time you take a picture of me and you’re like, Okay, see, she’s such a light Bender, like, the sun isn’t even out and I’m seeing her glowing. So yeah, so I love that. And I think that is something that like you’ve really found that’s unique to you is just really that natural light and capturing that, especially when it comes to like product photography, or brand photography, or even I mean seniors and families, like a lot of that stuff is usually done in a studio. But anybody who’s ever shot with you knows that like, we’re everywhere. We’re beside buildings in bushes, near railroad tracks, but that’s part of the experience. And that’s really getting those images that stop the scroll. I feel like you stop the scroll on Instagram.

Ariel Perry
Oh, that’s so sweet. Yeah, light is very important to know, to know, light. I mean, that is photography is light. So that’s something that it was a lot of trial and error. It was a lot of, you know, I’m still again, we talked about earlier, like I never want to stop learning. I never want to stop learning. But light is definitely something that I take pride in knowing well. Especially natural light.

Bernel
Yes, yes. I love that. So if you guys want to know what I’m talking about, as I said, go check out my Instagram or her Instagram, but there’s lots of examples of just really capturing that light. And then I think that’s something that you talk about in your conference a lot. Correct? Oh, yeah.

Ariel Perry
Yeah, perfect. And we definitely go over like we do a lot of hands on and burnish on conference. We have so many amazing speakers

Bernel
love that and what city is that in this year? This year is going to be in Charlotte. All right. Brought it to the clean city. I love it. I love it. I love it. So speaking of conferences, and all the things being around people last year, we know a lot got cancelled in the madness that we call COVID-19. What was the biggest surprise you had last year? And why?

Ariel Perry
Okay, so my biggest surprise was that it was my best year yet, financially, really, in the middle of a pandemic, in the middle of the pandemic, in the middle of the pandemic. Um,

Bernel
what do you think accounts for that? Because it was my best year financially as well. Oh, really. And people are like, what it was, it was a pandemic Brown, like, and I was just like, Yeah, but it was definitely my most profitable year. So what do you think accounted for that in your business, and

Ariel Perry
then I’m going to share what I think accounted for that in my business. So because I knew seniors, unfortunately, a lot of their things, a lot of their, you know, special activities were canceled because of COVID. So, I do think that, you know, of course, parents, I felt sad for their kids, and they wanted to make it special. So I had a ton of senior photography, business. I mean, it was incredible. It was really like mind blowing. So I also did, you know, a lot of mentoring as well. But that should just go to show no matter what comes your way, you should still be able to like you still should be able to make a profit. right no matter what.

Bernel
So what I’m hearing is your your client experience. Yeah, the did you offer people was worth it? Yes to families. That’s awesome. Well, like you my services are not always the cheapest, but they’re some of the best. Um, yes, they are contest for that. That’s a shameless plug for both. Um, and I think that it was that client experience, being able to work with people one on one to really listen and listen, well, here. They’re here, what they’re good at here, what they care about and what they’re offering to their clients, and then to be able to craft that visually, so that they can then go out and see a return on that investment. I think that that client experience is what helped it be the best year in my business financially as well. So I just I like that question. Because so many people are like, is it worth starting a business right now? Or is it women? 1,000%. Exactly. Or is it worth keeping your business open? And the answer is yes. Like there is money to be made out here.

Ariel Perry
I would say also a big thing is knowing I mean, surrounding yourself around the right people that I talk about that a lot. You do that is that was a game changer for me is truly surrounding myself around those who are like minded. Yes. Just inside, like their hearts in their pockets. I mean, yeah. I mean, now Now, I

Bernel
know. I can get that by our goal oriented people.

Ariel Perry
Yes. Yes. Um, so definitely keeping myself uplifted and having those just amazing people around me during, you know, the pandemic, that was everything. Everything. So,

Bernel
yeah. inspiration and motivation. Like those are the two things that like, you have to have that to keep going. And a lot of that comes from external factors. Yeah, definitely. Oh, I love that so much. So how do you continue to learn in your business?

Ariel Perry
I still well, when the world opens up, I still go to conferences. I so a big conference that I went to right before the pandemic happen was high performance learning academy. What Brendan Bouchard, it literally changed my life. Hands down. Really? Yeah. Tell us a little bit about that conference. It was if you can imagine yourself in a room with like, 3000 people or people who just want to better themselves. I made so many connections. I got to I got to a full branding session from someone in Chicago who literally flew me up there that I met at the conference. Wow. She was amazing business coach. And I mean, I got I found I met her through Brendon Burchard conference, but it was just I met so many cool people. It was just I felt leaving so rejuvenated and just excited. And it wasn’t it wasn’t overwhelming. It wasn’t a woman which is huge. Because you know, those types of conferences you leave overwhelming. I wasn’t overwhelmed, which was I think, really special. But so that is one thing that I will always continue to do when it comes to education is thrive. I mean, go to those types of conferences. And I mean, also I love I still love going to style shoots, like I think it’s so fun. You just hosted one your winter shoot out.

Bernel
Oh Amazing. Oh my goodness, how many photographers participated in that?

Ariel Perry
I want to say total Look, maybe like 2025 I think, wow, it was so much fun. So when we had like 13 models, we had hair and makeup styling for everybody. It was work. And we’re gonna do spring, summer and fall. So if you’re interested, definitely, I’m sure you can get the info from Brunel, but

Bernel
it will be on the show notes. We will have RAS website in the show notes, as well as her conference and her mentorship options as well. We’ll be there that is awesome. So style shoots, I have to ask, How do you feel about those? Like, I know that they’re really great when establishing yourself in the photography industry when getting started. But do you think there’s a place for those for established photographers?

Ariel Perry
Oh, 1,000%. I didn’t want last month, like a very elaborate one. I think that it’s a way for you to express your creativity to if you’re in a creative rut gets you out of that rut. It’s a way to interact and collaborate with other creatives. So you know, hair and makeup styling all that model? I think it is. So it’s so powerful in so many ways for established photographers, and for people who are just getting started. Definitely.

Bernel
All right, guys, well, you heard it here, get to plan and no style shoots, like they will change your life. That is awesome. That is awesome. Well, I have one more Well, I actually have two more questions. For you, your Instagram is poppin always any Instagram tip that you can give to the people at home. I mean, honestly, like I have my my pen and paper ready to write some down and Instagram tips.

Ariel Perry
So I am I just I’m all about being yourself. Like literally just be yourself. Be as authentic as you can. I am not one of those people who wants my grid look pretty, I don’t really care about that. I just want it to look, I just want to showcase my quality, because I know I have quality images. And that is my main concern. So some people may tell you different in terms of like, you know how your grid should look, I’m not that person. I’m going to say express yourself how you want to, there’s no right or wrong. So I you know, I grew very organically, and I am just true to who I am. So that would be my advice.

Bernel
All right. I love it. Be yourself and be authentic. I think that is a good way to grow your social media presence. I recently have found that thanking people who follow me has been huge. Um, that’s been this little just I’m experimenting with Instagram right now. Um, well, specifically the people who like like several of my posts, and then go and follow me. I just shoot them a little DM that’s like, Hey, thanks for checking out my work. Like how would you find me? It’s very interesting to hear what how people found you and then just to kind of get in an engaging conversation with you. And then if nothing else, they’ll tell you why they like your stuff. So they’ll be like really good. Oh, I really like this because I learned X y&z Or I really liked this, because, you know, you work with so and so. And I found another great vendor through you. Um, so that’s just my little Instagram tip. But I wanted to ask you, because I mean, your Instagram presence is pretty phenomenal. Yes. All right. Well, if you listen to a lot of my podcasts, you know what time it is grab your pen and paper, because really quick, Ari is going to give us three actionable steps that you can take today to move your business forward.

Ariel Perry
So three actual steps that you can do is number one read Reading is Fundamental oldie but goodie, like, I can’t express, like, during the pandemic, I did a lot of reading. And, you know, because I was I had some time on my hand, and I learned so much I’m like, You know what, I mean, to really start dedicating like time to reading more, and I like I personally like a good old fashioned book that I can flip and turn the page. Audible is cool, but um, I love him jotting notes down. But reading is definitely an actual step that you can learn to grow your business and just grow yourself in general. Second one would be to practice your craft, whatever that is, practice, practice, practice, you’re gonna have trial and error but if you practice is gonna get you closer and closer to really, really honing into your craft and just being the best you can. So practice definitely makes perfect. I can’t tell you how many times I would just pick up my camera and just go shoot whoever friends family whoever was willing to get in front under my camera, I wanted to practice I want it to be the best. And then the last thing would be invest in branding. And I will say for now is the best ever. But if you I mean, you have to invest in someone who has quality work, like please look at the quality. If you are, you pay for what you,

Bernel
you get like you pay for it, yes, you get what you pay

Ariel Perry
for. So just know that and do your research, do your research, like look at testimonials, if you ever want to talk to someone who’s used that person before, talk to them get their experience firsthand. But invest in branding, it is like, branding gives you the opportunity to truly showcase who you are as an individual and who you want your company to be. So it does change the game for me, oh, it literally changed the game. So those are my three tips.

Bernel
I love that just a little bit to add on the branding part. You know, branding is very close to my heart. But part of investing in branding is hiring a brand photographer, I repeat, part of investing in branding is hiring a good photographer, its branding is not a logo, like it is not one piece. It is how every piece of your business operates cohesively to get and the optimal client experience. That’s what your brand is. So your photography, your words, me and I both use and amazing writer, we use a game changer, we use the same copywriter, which is awesome. And so having a writer having a photographer, having someone who really cares about your brand visuals, but your brand strategy as well is super, super important. So yes, invest in branding, but make sure you’re investing in all the components of it and not just the person who’s gonna make you a logo. Exactly. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for coming on today. Ari is sharing with us your story and just all the incredible things that you have going on this year. Like I cannot wait to see you take 2021 by storm.

Ariel Perry
Yes, no, thank you. It was such a pleasure to be on here. I’m so excited. You’re doing this podcast, you’re doing huge things. I know it’s just gonna take off even more than it already has. I’m so excited for you as well. Brunel.

Bernel
Yeah. So stay tuned you guys because this will not be the only time you hear already on the podcast. Thank you. Wow, that went by really fast. As always, thank you so much for showing up in my little corner of the internet. I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. So please, please subscribe, leave a review and share what you learned with friends. Some of the best things in life are freebies. So don’t forget to head over to branded by pronounced.com to check out our free branding goodies. This show notes and more educational resources.

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