Are you ready for your next brand session? In today’s episode, I have the honor of introducing you to personal brand photographer and business coach Maddie Peschong. We’re diving into the eleven must-have images that every brand session needs, plus Maddie’s tips for preparing for a shoot and making a transition in your business. 

On Quianna Marie Weekly, we’re chatting about business growing pains, finding genuine connections, and celebrating wins of all sizes through the lens of a photographer at heart. Sprinkled throughout stories and interviews with past clients, photographers and other business owners this podcast is designed to help you step into your purpose and to truly create a life you’re proud of, a life worth photographing and sharing.

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Today’s episode is brought to you by The Green House, my resource garden for photographers! Let me help you AMPLIFY your heart online and in real life to turn bridesmaids into future brides through templates, workshops, and freebies!

Review The Show Notes:

What Makes A Brand Shoot Feel Like An Energy Shift (3:05)

Where The Strategy Comes From (3:56)

When To Schedule Your Next Branding Session (6:28)

Preparing Yourself Mentally For Your Shoot (8:21)

What To Focus On When You’re Ready For More (12:34)

Must-Haves Images That Every Brand Session Needs (17:17)

How Posing Can Express Emotions And Professionalism (24:51)

Bringing A Friend To The Shoot (30:53)

From Weddings To Branding (35:19)

Making A Transition In Your Business (39:52)

Coaching Success Stories (46:56)

Key Tip From Maddie (51:33)

Connect with Maddie:

Instagram: instagram.com/maddiepeschong

Website: maddiepeschong.com

Are You Ready To Be A Brand Photographer? Quiz: maddiepeschong.com/quiz

Review the Transcript:

Quianna: Have you ever come across someone online and thought, oh my gosh, I think we would be best friends. When I first stumbled across Maddie Pichon, I instantly wanted to know her and to be in her presence. I’ve been following along with her journey for a while, and I’m inspired by her pivot from photographing weddings to personal branding photography.

If you’ve ever experienced a pivot into a new niche, it can feel really scary. And I mean, really scary. Like you’re the only one making that transition. As I’ve been developing this branding series, I knew I needed to contact Maddie and to invite her on the show. It was a total long shot, requested DM, and I’m thrilled to share that Maddie not only checks those requested DMs!!

Which P.S. by the way, this is your sign to get into that folder and check it today, but she also responded and jumped on my calendar to collaborate for this episode. As a personal branding photographer and coach, Maddie specializes in making your brand un com peat with able. I love that so much. She helps you stand out in a saturated market, attract soul sister clients, and scale your income without trading more time for money.

I’ve literally never felt more aligned and connected with a stranger on the internet that I’ve never met before. Today, Maddie will be generously sharing 11 brand strategies every brand session needs for a successful photo shoot. She’ll be breaking down a blend of mindset shifts, branding strategy, and creative ideas to maximize your next photo shoot.

Maddie believes with her whole heart that exactly who you are today is all you need to make an impact. This episode is packed with education, encouragement, and just the right amount of sass to leave you feeling motivated and overqualified to make your dreams your reality. And because you know I love to make our time count.

We basically crammed two episodes into one. If you’re a photographer, stick around to the end when Maddie shares more about her pivot from weddings to branding and how you can make this pivot too. If you’re ready for that next season, it’s truly an honor to welcome Maddie to the show. Let’s get this party started from South Dakota to Arizona, please welcome Maddie Peschong.

Welcome to Quianna Marie Weekly, a podcast for creatives who love to celebrate wins, big or small, by dancing in the kitchen, photographers who are excited to serve their clients, and friends who are ready to chase It’s really, really big dreams.

You can find all of the resources mentioned in this episode at QuiannaMarie.com/podcast. Join me as I share weekly motivation, chat about growing pains, finding genuine connections and celebrating your wins through the lens of a photographer at heart. Come join me for a dance party. Ready? Let’s go.

Hey, hey, hey, welcome to the party, Maddie. I’m so, so excited. I’m so grateful you can join us today. Oh my gosh. I’m so excited to be here. Thank you for having me. Yes, of course. Well, let’s get right into this. You are the branding pro and I just love following along with you and let’s cut to the chase here.

What Takes A Brand Session From A Head Shot To A Rebrand + Energy Shift?

So what makes a brand session go from just a headshot update to a rebrand and energy shift for your business?

Maddie: It is 150 percent the strategy behind it. Um, there are a lot of photographers out there who are taking really killer photos and they might call them brand photos, but I would argue that unless you have a pretty robust strategy and plan behind the shoot, where are these photos going to be used?

How are they going to be used? Who’s the client’s ideal client? Like what does their brand look like? How do they speak to their people? Unless you are. Just really aware of that the photos are going to fall flat. The prettiest photos in the world are not going to be used if they are not strategic for your client’s brand.

Where The Brand Strategy Comes From

Quianna: I love this so much. So let’s break this down. So where is the strategy coming from? Is a strategy coming from the client and the business that is trying to articulate what the heck is going on, like who they are and where they’re going? Or is the strategy actually in the magic of the photographer? Where does that kind of play out?

Oh, good question.

Maddie: It’s, it’s a combo for sure. Um, I always, Let’s say that when it comes to brand photography, as long as my brand photography client knows who her ideal client is, we can probably create a brand session from that because I’ve got all the right questions to ask to pull that information out of them.

My client definitely has to know about her brand and her business and her ideal client and like the goals that they have that definitely needs to be there. Having a conversation with the brand photographer when you’re still fleshing out the details of your business is probably not going to be a great use of your time.

But you also don’t need to be a brand expert. You don’t need to be somebody who has like a business degree or a brand or marketing degree, a good brand photographer will be able to ask you the right questions to get the answers they need to create that strategic

Quianna: session. Yes, I love that. And I’m actually happy you mentioned that too, because when we are investing in brand photography, this can be an investment, right?

No matter where you’re looking at it. And I love that. And I love that you brought to our attention that we actually need to have a game plan first. We have to have a little bit of velocity behind our business before we start. And, and it’s interesting because I do, I feel like there, there is some power in getting yourself in front of the camera, feeling confident, feeling beautiful, feeling empowered.

But like I always say, we’re not in business to take pretty pictures. Like that’s the least interesting thing about us. Let’s actually pack some strategy. Let’s pack some power behind these images. I love that you’re talking about strategy.

Maddie: Yes, absolutely. It changes everything. And, and I, it took me a while to realize that this was what was happening because I would have As many of us do.

I have a lot of friends who are photographers. Now I coach photographers and they would take these really gorgeous photos. And also like I would hire a photographer to take photos of me and the photos would be beautiful, but if they didn’t make sense for where my brand was headed, if they, if there was not like a direct line to, Oh, this photo supports this service that I’m offering, or this, thing that I talk about all the time.

If that’s not there, those photos are collecting dust on a hard drive and that’s just the end of it.

Quianna: Yes. Oh my gosh. I love this so much. So in your opinion, when is the best time to schedule your next branding session?

Maddie: Uh, today. I’m obvious. I mean, how biased am I? Right. I’m a brand photographer. I, I love branding.

I think that like you said, it can be such a catalyst for change and confidence and growth. But truly, I used to have this mindset block as a photographer that my clients were not new to business because I am priced higher for my market. And so I just thought, you know, I’m, I’m more the photographer who’s going to be working with people who’ve been in business like at least two or three years.

If not five to 10, and then I started getting these clients who like were literally starting their businesses. So they knew, you know, who their ideal client was in their target market and what their business goals were, but they were just getting that small business loan and opening up shop and they were wonderful clients.

And so that made me really sit down and say, okay, is it true that I’m the photographer for someone who’s been in business for a while, or can I actually work with someone who’s brand new to business? If their head is in the right spot and if they have, you know, these key things worked out for their brand.

And the answer was the latter. So I don’t think that you’re ever too fresh to schedule a brand shoot. Um, but there are some things you want to know. And again, for me, it’s, do you know who your ideal client is? And if you know who your ideal client is, and I’m going to bet that, you know, you know what your service or your product is, we can create a brand shoot from that.

Quianna: I love that so much. And I love your energy. I love that we are sharing this passion for branding and just being incredible small business cheerleaders. I just, ah, this is gonna be such a good one. I love it so much. I love this. So once we have identified our ideal client, we’ve really clarified and honed in on our products and our offers and we’re ready to go.

How can we prepare ourselves mentally? So let’s say we’re not the photographer in this, in this, in this, uh, scenario, but we’re actually getting our photos taken. How can we best prepare mentally for a successful photo shoot?

Maddie: Okay. So this is kind of cheating because this, this isn’t mentally, but it helps with the mental side.

If it’s not included with like your package with the photographer, I highly recommend you schedule hair and makeup anyway. It’s going to help so much. I used to do this kind of willy nilly for my own brand shoots. Like when I was the subject of the photos, sometimes I would schedule hair and makeup.

Sometimes I wouldn’t, and you can tell a difference in my energy in those photos. It makes such a difference to not have to get yourself ready to get to sit in somebody else’s chair, to, to just kind of have that experience and then to look in the mirror and be like, Oh my gosh, I look, I look really good.

So I think that that’s a huge piece of it. And a lot of photographers offer that. So hopefully it’s, it’s already included. Um, the other thing to know is that that hair and makeup, it’s going to help with your confidence, but it’s not a magic bullet. I had brand photos done. Uh, the last time I did them, it was a couple of months ago.

You know, as you can imagine, I get a lot of brand photos done. I’m a little addicted and I had my hair and makeup done. And I got in my car and I was driving to my studio. So like, I wasn’t going to some crazy location. I was, I was going home and I was just sitting in my car. Like I am, I still don’t feel confident.

Like I’m really nervous for this session. And I think that it’s important to realize that that’s okay. You’re likely going to be nervous and tell your photographer, start shooting, maybe even a little bit into the session. And that doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you. I always tell my clients confidence comes.

After the shoot, if you’re lucky, it comes during the shoot. And a lot of my clients do have that experience, but it definitely comes after. Um, it is a muscle that you are building. And so if you’re looking at your session, if your session is tomorrow and you’re like looking at the calendar and you’re nervous about it, know that you are in good company and it doesn’t mean that it’s going to go terribly wrong.

It means you’re a normal human

Quianna: being. Oh, I love that so much. It truly feels like a breath of fresh air, Maddie. And it just gives so much grace to know that, Hey, you’re going to feel these feelings, it’s going to feel awkward. You may not feel on top of your game or feel super confident, but recognizing that that’s very normal and picking the correct photographer, I’ll say, I will picking the best photographer.

truly makes a difference in that, right? Like they’re going to speak to you. They’re going to love on you. They’re going to help you get into a good headspace, right? I mean, you’re going to want to invest in someone that is pouring into you and truly building up that confidence. And another thing I would love to add to is you are preparing mentally is to truly get out and start walking.

And I say this so So lovingly, like as a big sister reminder and as a true genuine friend, like this is not about losing weight. Okay. Let’s make this perfectly clear. This is not about trying to look smaller. This is about getting the blood flowing through your body, through your mind. And it’s crazy how, even for me, adding those extra steps a day.

That’s where all my best ideas come through, right? So you may, you may have the best plans, you know, you may have all the great intentions for this next shoot, but you’ll be surprised what’s going to drop through that morning on your morning walk, right? So I definitely encourage those walks. Yes, I completely

Maddie: agree.

I think that that there’s so much. That said around business that comes back to action. Like it is so easy to get really, really in your head. Like just this morning, I couldn’t, I couldn’t sit down, uh, at my desk until later in the day, which is not uncommon for me, but for whatever reason today I was having a lot of feelings about it and I was just starting, like I could feel it in my chest, I was feeling panicky.

And so I got on my little treadmill and I just started pounding out my steps and within a couple of minutes I was like, okay, it’s fine. And like, I always. We’ll say like, sometimes you just need to go touch grass. Sometimes you need to go for a walk. You’re spot on. It’s, it’s generally the right call.

Quianna: Yes.

Oh my gosh. I love this so much. So I would love to kind of shift the conversation a little bit. We’re still in the, let’s just say kind of planning phase of your shoot and your next brand shoot. But I would love to kind of pick your brain about. What is it that we need to focus on when someone knows they’re ready for more?

They want to be perceived a certain way online, but maybe their personal life doesn’t quite match their vibe. Do you catch what I’m trying to say here?

Maddie: Oh, yeah, yeah. I think this is such a good question. This is something that I feel like there’s been more chatter about this recently with some people, people wondering if there is Almost like an ethics issue with communicating something with you, with your brand photography or your brand or your visuals or whatever, that is not actually true.

And I think it’s a really fine line because the, I look at brand photography, um, and really any visual in your marketing as an outfit. So it’s, Your brand photography that you have paid, you know, four figures for that. You put aside a day to do that brand photography. That is your ball gown, right? Or like a really killer pantsuit.

Like that is like a show stopping outfit and you would wear a ball gown to a party. You would wear that like really show stopping pantsuit to a meeting with a client. You might not wear that outfit. You probably wouldn’t wear that outfit to the gym. Right. And so maybe to the gym, you’re still you, but you’re wearing a cute little athleisure set.

Right. And that’s how I look at the visual aspects of a brand. So you’ve got your really fancy pantsuit. You’ve got your fancy ball gown with your brand photos, but you also have like Instagram reels where you’re not wearing makeup and you’ve got on a Taylor Swift t shirt. And that’s perfectly fine too.

So if your life is such where, like you said, it maybe, like, doesn’t feel like it matches your brand, my response is that nobody’s life matches their brand a hundred percent of the time. Now, there’s a difference between accepting that and, you know, Marketing that you can never work again and sip my ties on the beach all day long.

And like you’re posting beach photos while you’re at your apartment in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Like, no, we need, we need to be ethical. We need to understand, um, you know, what is right and what is wrong, but it’s okay. If your brand photos look like the best version of you, they should, but they’re also only a part of your marketing strategy.

They’re not the whole thing.

Quianna: I love that so much. And I love that we’re totally vibing because I am such a visual person as well. And I’ve never even considered picking locations, picking the vibe of your shoot, similar to picking outfits. And you’re right. It doesn’t, it doesn’t define you. It is just a piece of you.

It’s a piece of your toolkit. It’s a piece of your wardrobe. And I feel like once again, you’re giving grace to us to, to look at our business and to look at our personal brand and our real life. As cohesive, but still dropping in all these different little sparkly moments in everyday life. I just, I love that visual you just created for us.

Maddie: Yeah, absolutely. I think that it’s an important one because it’s not about presenting yourself in a way that you are not. It’s just about fitting into the right setting, right? And even, even, um, I will often have photography clients who want to shoot in a home, but they’re like, well, my, my house is not picture perfect.

My house is not magazine worthy. It’s not set up for a photo shoot. And my response is always, yeah, nobody’s is like the most beautiful homes look like homes when they have people living in them. So it’s okay to rent an Airbnb for your house, or it’s okay to go to a really swanky hotel lobby if that fits your brand, it doesn’t mean that, that you live there or that it’s like this part of your life, it can fit your brand without you, um, you know, towing that line of, of not being ethical.

Quianna: Oh my gosh, this totally brings to mind thinking of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman where she has her bags and she’s like, big mistake, big mistake, right? And I feel like that is a perfect representation of showing up as you are in that moment, right? And then perceived value of who you are going to become and, and sometimes, you know, not just in like an outlookers.

viewpoint outside of the box looking at our business, but us ourselves, we need to put ourselves in those positions where we do feel like we’re in that fancy resort and we’re elevated and, and there’s nothing wrong with investing in that because it really truly is just a piece of the bigger picture and, and it does, it boosts our confidence.

It makes us feel good. We show up differently in our business when we have that polished vibe and I love that. Absolutely. Yes. So what are some elements or some must have images that every brand session needs?

Maddie: Yes, absolutely. Okay, so I have a list of 10, but actually 11, um, shots that I think every single brand session needs.

And when I’m working with my coaching clients, this is always like the, the puzzle pieces that I recommend that they do, because this makes sense no matter if you are a personal brand, if you’re more of a corporate brand, it just makes sense. Generally, no matter what kind of a brand you have. Okay, so the first shot is going to be a modern headshot.

That one’s pretty self explanatory. Um, it doesn’t need to have like you in a blazer or you up against a white wall. It can be a modern version of that. So a lot of the time my clients, I’m taking their photo like on a cute couch or on a chair or leaning against a wall, but it’s a modern, modern headshot.

You want to be looking at the camera. You want to be smiling. This is really like the face of your brand, right? Cause you are the face of your brand. I also love lifestyle photos. So what are your hobbies? What do you do on the weekends? I will be honest, I don’t think that these are as necessary in a shoot, um, depending on the client.

Um, a lot of the times we will focus more on lifestyle photos if it’s a client who is like a returning client. So they already have a really great library of images. But, depending on your brand, lifestyle photos might be a really big part of that. I have a client who, um, motherhood and family are a really big part of her brand, so you can bet we need those lifestyle photos.

Three is behind the scenes, so you want to get photos of you working, what it is that you do. Maybe something that clients aren’t necessarily seeing you do, but still the things that take, take up your day. And, you know, this really comes back to humans. Humans are super visual. And so we want to be able to show like, Hey, this is what I’m doing.

Even when you’re maybe not watching me. Fourth are tools of the trade. These are some of my favorite shots because they allow you to get really creative with like flat lays, vignettes, that sort of thing, which I’m going to mention those two, really making sure that you’re getting photos of not just yourself, but also the pieces that make up your business and what allow you to do what you do.

This is also a really great way to make your gallery go further. And if you’re just getting started with using personal brand photography and you’re like, I cannot imagine posting a photo of myself day after day after day, these types of photos are really going to help break that up and build your confidence without having to constantly post photos of yourself.

That’s a, that’s a normal feeling. And then I mentioned flat lays and vignettes. Those are the next two flat lays. I feel like most people know what those are, but if you’re coming from the wedding photography world, a flat lay is like the invitation suite, or maybe the shoes next to like a bouquet or something like that, we can do those in business too, oftentimes I will use.

desk supplies and do a flat lay that way. And a vignette is going to be really similar to that, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be flat. It can be little like storytelling scenes. And I love with these types of photos, tools of the trade, flat lays, vignettes, I love to add a human element. So it’s not just like a still life of your notebook on a desk, but maybe there’s a hand reaching in to grab it.

Again, it’s going to make that gallery go even further. So next we’ve got client interaction. I love to have my clients bring their clients to a shoot, especially if they’re in the service industry. So like, for example, when I’ve worked with aesthetics places before they’ll bring a friend or they’ll bring a client in and we’ll show them like getting Botox or something like that.

So that can be a great way to show what it looks like for people to work with you, to come into your office. I love a celebration shot. This is one that I didn’t include until recently when I was like, well, of course we need a celebration shot. Like, of course you need that. So whether it is like a fun pose or popping champagne or throwing confetti, I think that a celebration shot, um, can be a great way to make sure that you’ve got something in your arsenal of photos when it’s time to celebrate something.

Number nine, we’re almost done. Tech mockups. So again, if you’re in an industry where tech plays a big part, it can be helpful to have a photo of like an iPad or a phone or a laptop that you can then superimpose some sort of a graphic on. So for clients. That I’ve worked with who are website designers.

This can be really, really helpful for them. Um, number 10 is personality and emotion. So obviously we want to get more than just, you know, them interacting with clients and doing their job. We also want to show who they are as people. So. So personality and emotion shots can look like a million different things.

Oftentimes I will do photos where my clients will be, they’ll have like the tools that they use and they’ll put something like over their eye and make a silly face, or maybe we play with a disco ball or really funky lighting. Like there’s a million different ways that that could go. And then the final one, number 11, which is kind of cheating because it’s not really photo, is video.

I love including video clips at sessions. Um, if you’re not super proficient with video or if your photographer doesn’t offer video, movement photos can also be really good. So anything that’s going to show a little bit of movement. If you’re listening and you’re a photographer, incorporating some shutter drag is a really fun way to do that.

Quianna: Oh my gosh, Maddie. I love this list and every single one that you’re clicking or that you’re mentioning, I’m thinking, yes, yes. Oh, that too. Yes, yes. All of it. And I love that because it truly just encompasses a huge strategic branding experience. And this actually goes full circle back to our first question where it’s like, sometimes people think, Oh, I just need a headshot.

You know, I, You know, realtors, I hate to say it, but you know, we got to get that updated from 1994. Let’s go. I’m not speaking for everybody. I’m not. But right. We do. They think that we just need one quick headshot. I just want to pay for one photo. But when you list off that list of the types of photos that you need and the experiences that are going to add to your branding session, hello, you can tell this is an investment in business.

Not just an investment in your photographer, but an investment in you and in your business, because I can just see the growth and the expansion, like literally the energy shift that happens when our clients step in front of our cameras and they experience these things. Like, wow, the sky is the limit.

Maddie: Absolutely. You’re perceived as so much more like high end. It’s just more. Having shots like this is so much more dynamic than having a gallery of headshots, and you need more than one headshot. Like that’s great. Let’s update your headshot, but that’s not all that a brand session is. So I think it’s important if you’re looking for a brand photographer, making sure that they are experienced and not just getting really pretty portraits, but truly getting all of the elements that you can use for a brand session.

And if you are wanting to be a brand photographer to make sure that you’re capturing all of these different things, because honestly, It’s going to make your life so much easier. Your clients are going to be so much more thrilled with their galleries. They’re going to use their photos more and they’re going to talk about you more.

And that’s exactly what we want.

Quianna: Yes. Oh my gosh. Okay. So now that we have a really in depth plan, right? I feel like we have a really good game plan for strategizing and preparing for a shoot. I would love to chat more about posing and I would love to love to share how can express different emotions. And professionalism without even saying a word.

Like these are, these are fast second millisecond first impressions. And I’d love to chat more about posing with you.

Maddie: Yes. Okay. So you’re going to get some like hot takes from me today. So one of the things that I have noticed in the portrait and wedding world, when it comes to photographing women is that we generally try to make women appear smaller.

And That’s not the vibe for brand photography. We are not making anybody appear smaller. And look, I will pose you in a very flattering way. I will make sure that you look your best, but I’m not going to make you look like this little tiny thing. We want to look powerful. We want you to take up space. And so a lot of the time, um, the, the, the posing should be very different than how you’re posing portrait or wedding clients.

One of the poses that I used to do all the time for portrait and weddings would be like the, you know, kind of arms crossed in front of your body or playing with your hair is a big one. I do have a couple of brand photography clients where a little bit of like a hair play fits their brand very well.

But for the most part, that’s not how I’m posing my female brand clients because I want to make them look Powerful and we can make them look playful as well. Um, but, but primarily we want to make them look really powerful and in charge. And generally when you’re playing with your hair, it’s that smaller, almost like you’re hiding behind something.

And that is not what we want. So that’s one of my biggest pet peeves when I see brand photography of women where they’re like playing with their hair or doing something super, super feminine. It’s not that it’s not a gorgeous photo, it’s that it’s not positioning them as the leader that they want to be positioned as.

Quianna: Wow. Oh my gosh, that’s a mic drop moment. And I think that is such a beautiful reminder, especially for so many listeners and my friends that have a background in photography, whether that is photographing women of all ages, right? It’s, it’s parents, it’s grandparents on the wedding day. Um, you know how many times we get asked by a mother in law, you’re going to chop off 50 pounds, right?

It’s like, no, sorry. I’m a photographer, not a magician. Right. And so I think that’s such a beautiful reminder about how. We can appear bigger and powerful while still feeling our best while still be in a very flattering pose. But you’re right. We have to take up space. And I love that you mentioned that I really haven’t even thought about the fiddling with your hair that looks coy, right?

It looks, um, maybe even, and you know, feminine is very powerful. So I don’t want to. You know, when I said that, I was like, well, I mean, feminine is good. Yes, we totally understand. We’re all, all of us are on the same page about that. But I do believe like those are like subliminal things that we aren’t even recognizing as the photographer or even as a subject getting your photos taken.

And that’s a quick way that we’re getting perceived. And it’s just, it’s just natural, right? Like we don’t even really think about that. So. I love that you’re talking about. So when you say get bigger, what does that mean? Are we making triangles with our elbows? Are we actually, um, you know, sprawling out on the desk and like making space with our arms?

Like, what does that look like for you to play bigger?

Maddie: Yeah. Well, one, I think it depends on the client and that is, that’s the other thing that I wanted to mention. I am, you Depending on the shoot, I’m doing less posing and doing more, one, watching my client and two, prompting, like giving them some sort of an action.

So I’m more likely to do that than I am to, like, have them strike a particular pose. It does depend on the client because sometimes we’re leaning really heavily into those, like, personality and emotion type photos that I mentioned, in which case, There’s going to need to be some more posing direction. Um, and we’re doing more true posing, but in general, I love to watch, like, how does my client naturally sit?

How do they stand? Do they talk with their hands? Like, I love watching that and then prompting it into the session. But to answer your question, yes, I am all about creating angles. Um, I I’m actually in the process right now of. Finishing up a project where you’ll be able to like shadow me through these different brand sessions.

And I noticed that I’m constantly putting people at 45 degree angles constantly, like nobody’s facing the camera straight on. Um, and that comes back to, you know, that, that, um, pose that’s flattering because you don’t necessarily want to in a photo look like a rectangle because you’re not a rectangle.

Like you have angles and you have, um, a really beautiful shape. And if you’re just like. Pointed straight at the camera. The camera is not getting all of that beauty. So, um, I love a 45 degree angle to the camera. Um, you mentioned making triangles. Yes, that’s definitely part of it too. Um, I love using props.

So, Having a client like lean onto a couch or a chair or a wall and not in a way where they’re like curled up on it but where they’re really again taking up space. I’m constantly telling clients to pull your shoulders back or actually what I say more often is stick your boobs out, stick your boobs out.

Quianna: I love that. I love that so much. And what advice would you have for someone that is maybe interested in bringing a friend or bringing either like a business bestie, maybe for this experience? And, and I ask this with almost like a preface, like a quick story where I’ve had experiences where I always say like, and I call them their Kris Jenner’s, right?

It’s like, bring your Kris Jenner, bring your mom, right? Like bring your favorite cheerleader because they do like, they know your insecurities and they, they’re going to tell you to stop. this and this does actually come from the boudoir world, right? We’re having a friend in the room can naturally just make you feel so much more safer and more comfortable, of course.

But I’ve also had experiences where I’ve had other people in the room and it just, it can kind of throw the energy off and maybe actually not make the client or the business that I’m intending to photograph feel their best because someone is squawking at them over here and it just doesn’t quite. Go with my experience that I’m trying to provide for the client.

So I would love to hear how do you kind of create like a gate for that? Or how do you invite friends or people to come? Or do you request just them? Like, how does that work? This is such a

Maddie: really, okay. I’ve never thought about this before, but it totally, it does make sense. And I can, I can see a hundred percent how it could go really well and also not.

So I have never offered that to a client. One of the, I have had it happen. Where they either bring a friend or sometimes I’ll have like a corporate client, like the, the marketing person, she will come with the new hire while I’m taking their headshots. Um, most of the time it’s just the new hire, but I do have a couple of clients where the marketing person comes and it’s fine, but a lot of the time it does make it a little more complicated and they get super, super nitpicky.

And so then the client actually feels. Uh, like their, their confidence is affected in a not good way. So I have definitely seen that happen. Um, so the reason that I have not offered this to clients, although I think it could be really cool is because I like to be that person for my clients. And so I kind of, and I feel like you do too.

So it’s not that you’re not doing that. But I really like to make sure that I’m doing that, making them feel like the center of attention, making them feel like a rock star. And I also, just through years of experience, I know that the slightest change in how you say something can affect someone’s confidence.

And I feel like a just normal person might not realize that. So, for example. I’m taking a shot. I put them in a pose. I do not like the pose. Like it’s just not translating well, but nine times out of ten, I’m not going to be like, Oh, I don’t like this pose. I’m just going to say, okay, great. Got it. Let’s move on to the next thing because it’s not worth potentially affecting their confidence.

Whereas if you had another person in the room and if they are that Kris Jenner type, they’re talking right. Like they are, they’re getting everything. They’re narrating everything and they might not understand that the little tiny things that they say, or even the way that they say it could affect their confidence in a negative way.

There’s also times that I’ve had like a friend or even a mom who will adjust, like be really, really obsessed with something like adjusting hair or whatever, that. One is not that noticeable, or two is really easy to get in post, and so maybe they have like a lot of flyaways, but only a couple of times am I really taking care of that, and then I’m like, you know what, I’m gonna get that in Photoshop or whatever.

If they’re constantly nitpicking at that thing over and over again, again, that’s affecting the confidence too, so it’s tricky. That would be really tricky.

Quianna: Yes. Yes, I feel like you as the business owner, not necessarily a photographer, but the business owner truly needs to kind of check themselves. Right.

And be truly aware of the, like the people that you’re bringing around you and how that works. And, and I love that. I mean, the perfect example too, I bring this back to my history with brides. Right. I’m never telling my bride. Fix your arm to move your back fat like that’s not ever something that comes out of my mouth, right?

Of course not. I am adjusting, right? I’m adjusting their partner to adjust it into, you know, lift their arm up to just cover that one little spot. Perfect, right? Like those are the words that we’re using where someone in the room can say, Oh no, hold on your stomach looks fat here or whatever, right? These are, these are things that come out of our best friend’s mouth and we’re okay with that for the most part, right?

But while we were, while we are experiencing this, really high. Because you’re so vulnerable. Yes, yes, yes. And it’s, and that’s the thing. I, so yes, I say this and I’m so happy that we’re having this very vulnerable and candid conversation that these are the things that go through our head that we’re being really proactive about for our clients and for these businesses that trust us in front of the lens.

And I just think this is a really good reminder as, as you are preparing for your brand session, to be Truly, truly check yourself. Like who needs to be in the room with you or no one. It’s okay to show up and have the hair and makeup artists there. Have a glam squad there for a bit. They take off, pack up, you tip them well and say, thank you.

Adios. And then you truly can step into your best. Best self. I love that so much Maddie. Yes. Yes. I love that. Yay. Oh my gosh. Okay. So I would love to shift the conversation a little bit. Actually, this is a perfect word for this. We’ll do a hard pivot. And I would love to share your experience with pivoting to branding and how it has absolutely changed your life.

Yeah. Well, I mean, you nailed it. It has

Maddie: completely changed my life. I I really loved weddings and portraits. I really did. I have a very, like, soft spot in my heart for that time of my life. But I knew from the get go, because the first weddings that I second shot, I was very pregnant with my oldest, who’s going to be nine.

So, like, I knew, I, I had a visual reminder of like, I’m not always going to be able to shoot nights and weekends. Like, this is not what I’m going to be able to do all the time. So I knew going into it that I was going to need some sort of an exit strategy. And I also knew that like, while I loved wedding days while I was there, I sometimes, I don’t want it.

It wasn’t always like I dreaded them, but I have anxiety about it. I was like, especially once I started having kids, it was like, well, what if they wake up and they have strep throat tomorrow? And like, what do I do? Or what if they, what if they miss me? Like my husband is fully capable, but you know, mom guilt is a real thing.

And yeah, I just, anxiety is the best way to put it. I always enjoyed it while I was there. I loved the connections that I make the wedding industry. And this in my town is just awesome. It’s the best people, but I knew it wasn’t going to be long term. And I have a background in marketing and social media.

And similarly to how I loved weddings, I loved my day job. So it was a difficult thing for me to leave, but definitely the right call. And about, I would say about six months after I left my job, I kind of like. Fell into brand photography a little bit. I got my first client. I did some personal brand sessions for other photographers, um, because I had been building my personal brand.

I didn’t have a name for it, like what it was at that point, but I had friends who were photographers who noticed. So I did some sessions for them and then I got my first real client, which was a children’s pajama company out of LA. And. I was just like, wait, this is, we can do photography and it’s like in the marketing world, like this is my two favorite things.

I get, I could do this and, and I got to work during the day, during the week, have normal hours, you know, charge a pretty healthy price tag because I’m helping a business’s bottom line. And there’s a lot of strategy involved and I’m not just showing up to shoot and creating these really deep relationships like I did in the wedding world.

Okay. This is the best thing ever. So I, I was going to say I went full speed ahead into brand photography, and I suppose that’s true, but I did a, I did kind of a soft pivot. It was a slow burn. Um, because you know, the, the money from wedding photography is appealing. And also you’re booking out like two years in advance.

So I did a bit of Slow burn until I got to the point where I was like, you know what? There’s not enough money in the world that would make me go back and do a wedding when I’ve got brand photography. And I love that so much. So that’s been the case since about 2018. And then again, slow burn until I completely stopped doing weddings.

And I just absolutely love

Quianna: it. Yes. Oh my gosh. It’s so much fun. And I love how your experience with weddings and portraits and all just, I mean, just life experience in general has really catapulted you into this new business and into this new niche. And I would love to kind of share a little bit more of your mindset for making this pivot or making this, I love your slow burn analogy, because that’s so true, especially in this next season.

Right. Like we still are kind of booking them, kind of not. But I would love to hear about your mindset shift for making this almost parallel move, right? Because I do believe that, and I’ll just share from my own experience, switching over to branding, I personally felt like a baby. I felt like I was starting over from scratch.

But that’s not true at all. I have years and years of experience. I can take a solid photo. I felt so confident with the branding strategy. Like I knew it. And I also played a lot of intuition into this too, because I would have consultations with businesses and I would ask them a couple of questions. And then all of a sudden they’re creating a whole new offer or they’re creating a whole new business.

They’re like, this is what I’ve always wanted to do, but I couldn’t articulate it. Right. So that magic was coming through. It was just. But there was a piece of me where that confidence was missing, thinking, well, I don’t have years of experience with this. I can’t charge that much with this. I have to start back in, right?

Like in Kiana version 2012, when I was kicking off my wedding. It’s like, that’s not the case at all. So can you walk us through a little bit of your. Footprint or your path to this transition?

Maddie: Absolutely. So I was definitely lucky because I went to school for communication and marketing and I, I worked at some really great companies doing social media marketing and PR.

So I do think that that helped with my confidence. However, now that I am coaching photographers like me and I see a lot of that like lack of confidence or like, you know, I, I feel like I’m starting over. I feel like a baby photographer again. There’s definitely pieces of that that can feel very true.

Like if you’re coming from portraits and weddings and now you want to book brand photography, you do have to give yourself the patience that like, this is going to take a minute, but you are not starting from scratch at all. And you do see rhetoric in the education industry. That’s like, you know, brand photography is so different than wedding photography and dah, dah, dah, dah, dah.

And you know, Yeah. I mean, yeah, it’s, it’s a very different client and it’s a different business model, but nobody is more, nobody is better primed to be especially a personal brand photographer than a wedding or portrait photographer. Like you have so many skills that just translate beautifully into brands, again, especially personal brands, which is, I think just an absolutely exploding industry.

You, like, you know how to go with the flow on a wedding day. You know how to take charge on a wedding day. You know how to, um, even like I had a brand shoot this week that involved kids. And when I, when I used to work with product based brands and our models were children, I was very happy that I had experience with family photography.

Like you have so many skills that can translate so perfectly.

Quianna: Yes, I love that. Thank you for sharing the green light on that and the little confidence boost to remind us like, wait a second, sister, you actually know way more than you think. And you’re not giving yourself enough credit to share that actually, you know what you’re doing.

And it’s just a different business model. It’s just a different way of doing business. And I love that. So you clearly are an expert, Maddie, you know what you’re doing. You have the experience, you have the passion, you have the heart. I would love to talk about the birth of your new business, right? Like there’s this new offer that you have, and it’s been just incredible.

Redible rebrand and I just would love to hear a little bit more about that and maybe some success stories that you’ve seen with photographers you’ve worked with.

Maddie: Absolutely. Yeah. It’s been the funnest thing that I’ve done in business, which is saying a lot like my job is pretty cool, but I started coaching in 2020, which was a wild time to jump into the coaching industry as you can imagine for the first time.

Um, and I started working with creatives. And I started coaching after years of, you know, again, I, I couldn’t have said I was doing this at the time, but I was posting like thought leader type content on Instagram and I was blogging and like, I, I really liked branding and I liked marketing. And so I was sharing about it for years and I had people asking me like, you know, would you ever consider teaching me about this or helping me with this or educating on X, Y, Z topic.

And so. That’s how I finally came in to start doing it in 2020. And I was kind of talking to everyone to be honest with you, but yeah, specifically working with creatives. And I did that for a couple of years. The program that the group program that I had was successful on paper. I was making a lot of money from it, especially for someone who was new to coaching and education.

I was working with really lovely people, but I was feeling spread really thin and kind of burned out because it felt like I was, like, I had whiplash, like I had some clients who are photographers and some who were like, Graphic designers or interior designers. And I couldn’t like go deep enough with everybody.

I, I had, you know, pivoted my business from weddings to port weddings and portraits to branding. And so then kind of started thinking about like, well, does that also need to happen in my coaching business? And probably spent years. talking back to myself and being like, that is the dumbest idea you have ever had.

Why would we like slash in half, if not significantly more than that, the people who you, you can help? Why the heck would you say, I am only going to help brand photographers or photographers who are like, Who want to go into branding like that’s like three people, you know, this is my, my head is saying, and, um, it took a lot of reflection and work with my coach who told me.

There are other people like you, who you could help and you could go so much deeper and do so much more because you know, this experience like so intimately. This is what your processes are set up for and all of those things.

So that was what led me to the launch of rebrand. Um, and our first cohort was, I think about two years ago. We’re on cohort number five right now. So a year and a half ago, and it’s, it has also been a slow burn. Like I definitely took a pay cut going from a program for everybody and it was six months long, so it cost more.

And again, like my confidence was not there for rebrand right away. And so the price was lower and it is still the same price. It was when I launched and now I’m like, heck yeah, that’s a great deal. This is awesome. But yeah, it took me time to, to build my confidence with it. Not that I didn’t know that the coaching and the education wasn’t great, but just.

That like, well, who, who would want this, you know, who could possibly be interested in this? And the answer is a lot of people. There’s a lot of us who are interested in brand photography, but are feeling a little lost and could use some handholding. So it’s just been the coolest experience to work with people very similar to where I was a couple of years ago, who want to get their nights and weekends back.

And maybe also like. Sometimes even have a background in marketing, which has been really fun. And so they had a very similar thought to me of like, wait, can I do photography in this world of marketing? Um, so yeah, rebrand is a 16 week program for photographers who want to charge four figures for brand photography.

That’s the other piece that I see is people coming from the wedding world where they’re making, you know, high four figures and they’re like, there’s no way that I can replace this with brands. Yes, there is. You absolutely can. And I encourage

Quianna: it actually. Yes. Oh my gosh. I love that so much. And I love that you shared your path.

I feel like this is so encouraging and a beautiful reminder that no matter what season you’re in, if you’re ready to make that pivot, it’s so important. It’s possible. And whether you think it’s only three people in the entire world that need your help, like that’s a lie. We can stop lying to ourselves.

That’s a lie. Yes. And even for the beautiful reminder that we’ve experienced this, right? Like not just you and I uniquely in this world of life and business and photography, but I mean, there’s so many people that once you start sharing your truth, sharing your story, you’re going to attract the people that need you and need your help.

So I love that you shared that. Yes. Oh my gosh. So I would love to hear if you have time for a quick, like one of your success stories, something that you are so proud of, one of your students, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be a financial piece Gain. I know that’s, we measure success so quickly that way.

So anything that you’d like to share about one of your students?

Maddie: Yeah. So this is, um, if, if you have followed me on social media, you’ve probably heard me talk about my client, Amanda. And she’s no longer a current client of mine, but she was like my OG. She was the client who was actually in my original mastermind, who.

Became an ideal client really quickly, and it was her that made me go, wait, what if I could have like a bunch of Amanda’s, like, what if I could work with a bunch of people just like Amanda? And I’m so proud of the work that we did together and the, the couple of years that we worked together, she was, um, getting out of a pretty.

Terrible business partnership where her wedding, like she had to completely step away from her wedding business. And she ended up selling her portion to her co founder. And it was just a, it was a bad deal. Um, and they were, you know, a six figure wedding business and she had also recently become a single mom.

And so she couldn’t give up her nights and weekends. That was no longer an option. She needed to work within a really specific schedule because she had two little kids at home. And in working together, we were able to get her pivoted fully into brand photography. She does it while homeschooling her kids.

Um, she makes a really incredible income. And, uh, my, one of my favorite stories with her is when we were working on content creation and she, she just has a really cool life. She lives in Texas. She raises chickens. She homeschools, like she’s got a cool life. And she was asking about, uh, working some of that into her content.

Some of my clients are comfortable with that and some are not, but Amanda was, and she was like, it feels weird to post this chicken content, even though I want to post the chicken content, but like, Is that supportive of what I’m doing with my brand? And I was like, yeah, if you want to do it, like this is rapport building content, it gives us more insight into who you are.

People want to work with people. Let’s do it. Within a couple of hours, she had posted this reel about her chickens. And she had an inquiry from a chicken feed company that was looking for a photographer and this. This chicken feed company became, I think it was like a, like four figure a month recurring revenue client in her business, literally because she posted about her chickens.

And I don’t know what her, um, like recurring revenue is that now for Chicken content. But the last time I checked, she had like two or three chicken clients. Like she’s photographing chicken coops. She’s photographing chicken feed. She’s not only getting paid for these sessions, but she’s also sometimes getting free stuff from them.

Like if they want her to shoot a chicken coop, she gets a free chicken coop. I mean, it is the coolest thing. And so rarely can you draw such a quick through line to being yourself on social media and having it really pay off. That is like a mind blowing story to me because it happened

Quianna: within a day. Oh my gosh, that makes my heart so happy.

And even, and I say this like as a future mommy, like my angels are coming through someday, but like, I just think of that as such an, such another blessing where. Typically, I mean, maybe not always depending on that business, she can pack her kids and go to the farm and actually work with her kids there, right?

Like there’s just, there’s so many opportunities for us when we simply share our hearts, we share our hobbies, we share the people of us, right? Like we share like what makes us a human, the humanness. I love that so much. Yes. Well, thank you so much for sharing Maddie. I feel like I can talk to you for hours and hours and hours, and I just appreciate you so much.

So how can we connect with you?

Maddie: Yes. Well, I am at Maddie Pishong everywhere. I spend a lot of time on Instagram, so that’s probably the best way to get ahold of me or my website, maddiepishong. com. I also have a quiz. If you are listening to this and you’re a photographer and you’re interested, you can So if you’re interested in brand photography, I always say people, people will say, you know, I’m interested in brand photography, but dot, dot, dot, right?

The butt always looks a little different. So if that’s you, I’ve got a quiz on my website called, are you ready to be a brand photographer? And that can help put you in the right direction. Your result will give you a ton of free content and blog posts and podcast episodes that you can listen to, to help grow your skills and get ready to do the, do your own pivot into brand photography.

If you would like.

Quianna: Amazing.

Maddie: I can’t wait to take that quiz.

Quianna: So in closing, I love asking every single guest, what is your key tip, Maddie? What is something that you wish you knew sooner or something that you just would love to share with an entrepreneur today?

Maddie: Oh, there is no right answer. There is no right answer.

There is no right path. There is no perfect offer. There is just the offer or path or whatever that you are going to fully commit to and take through the finish line. That’s really what it comes down to. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Nothing is. You just have to take it through the finish line.

Quianna: Incredible. Oh my gosh. Another mic drop moment. I feel like that is something that we all needed to hear today, no matter when you’re tuning in. And I’m just so grateful for this conversation and all of your encouragement and oh my gosh, I can’t wait to work with you one day.

Maddie: I would love that. You do not have to twist my arm to get me to Arizona.

Okay. I live in South Dakota.

Quianna: Bleak here in the winter. Oh my gosh. Well, we’re going to have to schedule that and we’re going to have so much fun. Oh my goodness. Well, I appreciate your words of wisdom. Please make sure you’re following along with Maddie and just stalk her and learn a ton. So I appreciate you.

Thank you so much. Thank you so much for having me. Have a great day. Oh, wow. That was a good one. And I’m so thankful you could join our chat today. If you have any insights, tips to add, or would like to brainstorm more ideas, please reach out, make sure to follow along with Maddie at @maddiepeschong

She’s often posting scroll stopping posts for photographers, and I love deep diving into the comments to learn more about photographer’s opinions and how they approach different situations. I’m not even kidding. Her comment section needs popcorn for sale. It’s so good. If you found this episode helpful, please share.

Please share with them! We appreciate you taking the time to listen. Iff you enjoyed it, I’m sure your friends will love it too. Make sure to say this episode before your next brand shoot too. Thanks so much for listening and cannot wait to catch up with you next week. In case no one told you today, you’re incredible.

I’m proud of you. Don’t forget to drink more water and to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. Okay. Keep on dancing, baby. Okay. Love you. Bye. That’s a wrap on another episode of Kiana Marie Weekly. Thank you so much for your listenership and support. You can find the resources and show notes for this episode and more at QuiannaMarie.com/podcast.

I’d be honored if you’d show your support by leaving a review and rating on your favorite podcast app until next time, keep on dancing. Can’t wait to connect next week!

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