Small businesses hold the advantage of crafting a potent brand from the ground up. Initiating this journey with a visually compelling identity is key.

The visual appeal of photographs, encompassing factors such as lighting and color schemes, holds substantial sway over consumers. This underscores the critical importance for small business owners to meticulously consider color and lighting when crafting their branding strategies and visual identities. Maintaining a consistent visual aesthetic not only fortifies a brand but also elevates its overall appearance, fosters coherence and trust, and more.

READ: How to Utilize Color Psychology to Boost Your Digital Marketing Efforts

The weight of lighting and color

Both lighting and color wield considerable influence on individuals. Colors, with their inherent meanings, play a pivotal role in shaping the perception of a business. Here are the symbolic representations of some common colors:

• Orange: Warmth, confidence
• White: Calmness, cleanliness
• Green: Health, positivity
• Blue: Corporations, trustworthiness
• Pink: Femininity
• Brown: Earthy, natural, stable, neutral
• Yellow: Energetic, optimistic
• Purple: Wisdom, royalty
• Black: Sophistication

While these interpretations are broadly applicable in the U.S., small businesses with global aspirations or those catering to specific demographics must consider cultural nuances in color symbolism. For instance, red signifies luck in China, whereas in the U.S. it may convey power, boldness, or even danger.

Once a brand selects its colors, the subsequent consideration involves the role of lighting in photographs. Lighting dictates the mood, and balanced lighting can yield clear, corporate-style images, while dimly lit settings may evoke a moodier or darker atmosphere. Businesses must deliberate on the mood they wish to convey, deciding whether the imagery should exude brightness and cheerfulness or carry a sense of mystery.

READ: 3 Ways to Incorporate Branding in Your Packaging

Crafting a unified visual identity

Following the establishment of brand colors and lighting preferences, small business owners must focus on forging a cohesive visual identity.

The process is straightforward. Once a brand commits to specific colors, those exact hues should permeate all marketing materials, maintaining consistency through the use of precise hex color codes. However, a brand’s identity extends beyond color alone; it necessitates a distinctive logo, brand-specific fonts and a unique vibe

Determining whether the brand will project a professional, fun, lighthearted, or serious image is crucial, and this sentiment should resonate across all marketing materials.

Elevating brand perception through light and color

Color enables a brand to carve out its distinctive identity, while lighting contributes to the overall “feel” of the brand.

Ambient lighting, providing even illumination, is ideal for product photography, accentuating merchandise clearly. On the other hand, neon lights or darker mood lighting create a distinctly different ambiance. The choice depends on the desired mood — clear, bright images for trustworthiness and straightforward sales or exceptions that may require discussion with a commercial lifestyle photographer.

Tips for small businesses

Empowering small businesses to build a compelling brand that propels growth entails adhering to five key tips:

1. Establish brand guidelines early on to maintain consistency in decision-making. Guidelines may encompass logos, colors, mission statements, typography, photography preferences, and brand voice.
2. Define the brand identity by selecting colors and visuals that align with the business’s goals, origin story, and products.
3. Develop visuals and marketing materials with a focus on consistency, a professional website featuring high-quality photographs, effective color utilization and a strong logo.
4. Understand the target audience to create a visual identity that resonates with them, facilitating the creation of personalized content.
5. Set the business apart by embracing uniqueness. Standing out in a competitive landscape can involve choosing unconventional colors or approaches that differentiate the business from its peers.

READ: Don’t be an “Average” Company — The Power of Prioritizing Team Happiness

Harness light and color to forge robust brands

Small businesses hold the advantage of crafting a potent brand from the ground up. Initiating this journey with a visually compelling identity is key. The selection of appropriate colors and lighting options represents just one facet of the process, yet it is instrumental in reaching and engaging the target audience while establishing a trustworthy and professional brand.

Jonathan Young of Jonathan Young Photography is a Los Angeles-based commercial photographer who creates clean and inviting images of people, food, and products that help to position them at the top of their genres.

“I was really looking for ways to be helpful to my community,” she said. “Often, I would just go to the Ed Portal to chat with people — especially on Friday nights during community activities, or on Mondays during career-building programs. I would help translate for visitors from China or Taiwan.”

Even with these activities, she still found herself with a lot of extra time. A friend suggested photography. She started going for walks, taking pictures on her cellphone, and when one of her photos was selected to be featured on a social media site that curated a daily “best photo,” she was encouraged to continue her fledgling hobby. The Ed Portal once again played a key role in her new venture by providing her with a HarvardX scholarship to enroll in a photography class at the Harvard Extension School.

“I was still using my cellphone when I started the class, and after three classes the instructor told me that I needed to get a real camera if I wanted to continue,” said Thwaits.

With her brand-new DSLR, Thwaits started to learn the technical aspects of photography. “They taught me about shutter speed, aperture, all those basics.” After formally retiring from her finance career and completing the photography class in spring 2018, Thwaits traveled to Kenya with her husband and put her newfound skills to work, photographing animals and landscapes. A second Ed Portal scholarship funded an advanced photography class in 2019 that further honed her skills.

Thwaits has continued to pursue photography ever since, entering and winning international photo competitions along the way.

Photography, at least as presented on many platforms, often portrays an elusive world of “pro secrets,” creating a divide between amateur photographers and seasoned professionals. This perceived barrier is crucial to understand, as it influences how emerging photographers view their journey and growth in the field. The video tackles this issue head-on, discussing the importance of breaking down these barriers and fostering a more inclusive photography community.

Coming to you from The Photographic Eye, this important video debunks the myth of “pro secrets” in photography. It emphasizes the importance of asking the right questions and learning the language of photography, which goes beyond technical skills. This approach builds a foundation for growth and understanding of the craft. The video highlights a common struggle among photographers: the challenge of articulating their creative needs and goals. This is the value of community and dialogue in photography. This perspective is particularly relevant for photographers who feel stuck in their technical skills and are looking to elevate their work to a more expressive and meaningful level.

Additionally, the video suggests practical ways for photographers to engage in this learning process. Joining online communities, participating in forums, and engaging with experienced photographers are recommended as effective strategies for growth. This insight is essential for photographers at any level. We do a great job of conversing about things like gear, but the deeper conversations and community often fall by the wayside. 

Be sure to give the video a watch for a lot of important insights. 

When you look at photographs by Eleonora Prignano, it’s easy to sit there and contemplate the execution, use of warm colors, and what she had planned in her mind. Things about her work remind us of Henriette Sabroe Ebbesen — and then it hits us. Eleonora is working with reflections and distortions in ways that we’re not really used to seeing. “Something I’ ve always been fascinated about since I started shooting human subjects, is their peculiarities, not only in their looks, but also their psyche and more specifically, the complex nature of our identity,” she tells the Phoblographer. “The way we tend to perceive ourselves and the huge gap in between that perception and reality.” From there, her photographs become a dive into a maze of mirrors and light — consistently warping our reality.

All images by Eleonorma Prignano. Used with permission. For more, please check out her website, PhotoVogue, and Instagram.

The Artist that is Eleonora Prignano

Eleonora started out in photography when she was very young. She took a liking to his images — none of them were professional, really. Instead, Eleonora found passion in them and thought them to be sensational and particular. “I still remember the thought that initially struck me, the idea of literally sharing what his eyes had seen, and with that, the interpretation that he gave of that common reality which somehow seemed to be so different from mine, and yet that I found so deeply touching and stunning,” she tells us. “I guess from there, in my mind, all I wanted to do was make people feel what I felt during the creation of a shot, possibly amazed them as my uncle did with me…so when I was a teenager I would steal my dad’s compact camera and spend my time in the garden or in the grove near my parents’ house and shoot lots of photos, observing for endless hours the countless details that Nature had to offer.” To this day, nature still seems to be a common element in Eleonora’s photographs. She eventually got her own camera at age 14 and experimented with different techniques and all.

Eventually, a friend of her at the IED University of Italy invited her to do a photography course — where she discovered just how fun it can to be photograph humans with your own creative mindset.

“And yeah, I think that was quite of a big turning point for me, photographically talking…cause I never stopped.”

Her photographs aren’t made with anything special, per se. Eleonora uses a Canon 6D — a camera we reviewed over a decade ago. “…I really can’t wait to be financially able to make an upgrade on my choice, as it has some limitations I’m pretty tired of, especially related to the autofocus, but overall it’s a very nice camera, not too heavy to carry around,” she shares. “In addition to that I often use a 24-105mm lens from Canon, which is a very versatile lens, especially if you often shoot outdoors like me. I also use a 100mm Canon lens, which is great for close ups and gives an incredibly intense touch to the shot.” Next, she wants a fisheye lens — which would be fascinating to use with the mirrors that are key to some of her portraits.

While her gear is simple, Eleonora uses it to craft her creative vision in a very beautiful way.

The Creative Vision

Of course, her passion is photographing humans. But she doesn’t just do that. She combined elements of nature, which she used to photograph a lot gorwing up. And then Eleonora blends in the ingenous use of mirrors. The results are photographs worth staring at in a way synonamous to how a dog stares lovingly at its human.

“One of my favorite projects about this specific matter is the ‘introspection’ series, where I shot some subjects using a deformed mirror trying not only to compose a strong or a beautiful image but also to communicate the struggle between two factions of ourselves,” Eleonora shares with us. “I like to use the reflections of mirrors to tell this message because in my vision they are a perfect metaphor to describe the almost ‘imperceptible from the outside’ difference in between what we think we are (or what we want/scared to be) and what others sees of us, which although might not necessarily correspond to reality…sometimes we live illusions.” In her mind, we lie to ourselves, and not often consciously. The mirror helps become a metaphor for that.

She’s actively developing this project, and at the moment it’s not even clearly labelled on her website. The subject is incredibly imporant to her on a deeply personal level as she struggled with her own identity growing up.

Part of her creative process is giving life to her fantasties through her photographs. Specifically, she tells us that she’s in love with “ginger heads” and nature.

Having red hair is a quite of an uncommon connoted in people nowadays, and since I was very young I thought of it as a very extraordinary trait of beauty; so when I had the chance to shoot my first ginger model I was thrilled, and what was even more unexpected and hilarious is that after the first ginger head I received a whole bunch of requests of people with natural red hair that wanted to shoot with me. But yeah, my point is: I believe it’s essential to pursue our personal meaning of beauty, no matter what the standards are, no matter what society says, because Beauty is what inspires Art, and Art is one of the most important things that makes us Human, and what’ s better than being free to be and express ourselves through Art?

Eleonora Prignano

Thoughts on AI Imagery

Considering her affinity for humans and nature alike, she has quite a many thoughts on AI imagery. And she staunchly believes it not to be photography. “…what makes me angry, is the idea of people, also quite notorious artists and photographer, big respectable photography magazines (like Photovogue), referring to AI images as AI photography,” she expresses to us. “It is NOT the same thing at all. And as a photographer I find insulting even thinking of trying to compare the two things, putting them under the same label.”

In her mind, it’s a struggle to understand how the two things are even remotely related when they’re completely different. To her, it’s like comparing a painting to photography. Eleonora cites that the definition of photography is painting with light. To that end, she reminds us all that we don’t do that with our laptop. While programs like photoshop are used in digital photography, there’s a different level of honesty around it because it’s based on the work that one creates.

She can go on and on about it. And from an Editorial perspective, we’ve never seen an AI recreate any sort of images that look like hers.

Authenticity Statement

The Phoblographer works with human photographers to verify that they’ve actually created their work through shoots. These are done by providing us assets such as BTS captures, screenshots of post-production, extra photos from the shoot, etc. We do this to help our readers realize that this is authentically human work. Here’s what this photographer provided for us.

As photographers flip their calendars over to 2024, waving goodbye to a year of great gear and hopefully even better photos, it is time for shutterbugs to usher in the New Year with top-notch — and totally realistic — New Year’s resolutions.

This Year is Finally the Year for an Updated Website

“I will update my photography website this year,” says one photographer, who has said the same thing for the past six years but recently had to ask Zenfolio to unarchive a couple of image galleries that went offline due to inactivity.

“For some reason, two of my galleries were archived. That makes no sense. I definitely added new photos to those pages recently,” the photographer says before realizing that the pages haven’t been touched since 2014.

“Hmm. Well, anyways, this year is the year,” they say sheepishly.

3-2-1 Backup in 2024

The 3-2-1 backup strategy is the best way to ensure that files are safe, even if something horrible happens. Three copies of data on two different storage devices and at least one copy of photos in another location. Easy.

“Oh yeah, I’m going to get my backup strategy in order this year,” a frantic photographer explains while looking wide-eyed at a desk covered in scattered hard drives, including some that, somehow, feature FireWire ports.

When asked where all their photos are stored, the photographer says, “You’re looking at them, pal,” gesturing to the rat’s nest of chaos. “The images are one spilled coffee away from total loss, probably. But I’ll deal with it this year.”

“And I definitely won’t get overwhelmed this time.” Hopefully, they will check out PetaPixel‘s Photo Backup Guide to help reduce the stress of file organization.

The Year of Organization

Similarly, another photographer says their New Year’s Resolution is finally organizing all their old photo and video files.

“They’re sort of all over the place,” says the optimistic photographer who wishes to remain anonymous. “In 2010, I labeled my files based on location. In 2013, after doing nothing the prior two years, I went with a new date structure. And off and on, I’ve sort of organized files by subject. However, most of the time, I do nothing and don’t touch my files.”

With tens of thousands of files floating precariously in a disorganized mess of nested folders, the photographer may have some duplicate files needlessly occupying storage space. When 2025 rolls around, the frazzled photog certainly won’t have added a few thousand more unlabeled files to their library.

“Nope, definitely not. I’m going to get it under control,” they say.

“My sanity depends on it.”

‘I’ll Use Lens Caps in 2024,” Promises a Lazy Photographer

“Everybody loses lens caps from time to time,” one photographer explains while opening a new package of unbranded lens caps purchased from Amazon to replace the ones they lost in 2023. “Right?”

Wrong.

“But, this year, I’m going to put lens caps back on my lenses before tossing them in my bag,” the photographer promises.

When asked how many they’ve lost over the years, the photographer replies, “Uh, well, I don’t know… a few, I guess.”

A check through a decade’s worth of Amazon purchases reveals the truth. It’s dozens. They have somehow lost dozens of lens caps, front and rear alike.

Trying New Photo Styles

A popular New Year’s Resolution for photographers is to embark on a quest to tackle a new project, perhaps a “take a photo every day” or “try a new lens” challenge.

“I’ve always thought portraits are so cool, but I’ve never really taken any,” a landscape photographer says. “So last year, I said I’d take at least one new portrait every week.”

“I made it to February,” they say, with false confidence that this year will be different.

Another photographer did a 52-week photo challenge, where each week they needed to shoot in a different location, use various techniques, and photograph new subjects. “I did it for a few weeks before going back to shooting only the stuff I like.”

“But, you know, I got many new photos of birds, so 2023 was a total win. I never used the wide-angle lenses I spent thousands of dollars on, but whatever.”

Never Leave Your Camera Behind in 2024

“I can’t even imagine how many photos I missed last year because I left my camera at home instead of bringing it with me when I went out,” explains a disappointed photographer. “But this year, I will take my camera everywhere!”

When asked if they took their camera with them during their New Year’s Day errands, the photographer got red in the face and refused to answer the question. They walked away when asked if they had missed any good photo opportunities because of leaving their camera at home.

‘I’m Going to Share Only My Best Photos This Year,’ Promises Instagram Addict

For some, they aim to share more of their work in 2024 and finally publish all the photos they capture online. One photographer hopes to improve in the opposite way and share fewer images.

“Last year, I think I put about 800 photos on my Instagram,” the prolific photographer explains.

“In hindsight, I guess maybe only a dozen of them were really good. A lot of them were just sort of the same thing from eight barely different angles.”

“But this year, I will definitely share only my best stuff. Quality over quantity, you know?” the photographer says, nodding.

They shared 25 photos of the same three fireworks early on January 1. New habits take time, after all.

Not Buying New Gear

When asked how much they spent on new equipment last year, a gear-obsessed photographer who aims to overcome Gear Acquisition Syndrome, better known as G.A.S., checks their lengthy bank statements.

“Hmm, looks like about $10,000. No, wait, $12,000.”

And did they use the new equipment to take better photos?

Sucking air in through their teeth, the photographer finally replies, “Well, not exactly. I didn’t really need an f/1.4 lens since I mostly shot at f/2 anyway. And I don’t really use the fastest shooting speeds on my new professional camera or, frankly, do anything differently with it than I did on my old DSLR.”

“But I think all the new gear does make me a better photographer. People think I’m a pro when I’m out with all my new stuff. I feel powerful and cool. Still, though, this year, I think I’d like to spend less money on new gear and focus on getting better with the equipment I’ve already got,” they explain.

The photographer was last seen browsing Adorama, reading the latest camera rumors, and checking their bank account, muttering, “I’ve got enough for that.”

Editor’s Note: For those who may not have caught on, this story is satire.

For the past few months, Images of the Past has shared a fascinating assortment of photos of Bloomfield from 1876. All were sold, if not made, by 19th century Bloomfield photographer T.A. Dunlap. Many of the photos were taken from atop the 1875 Bloomfield public school (above), which itself was the subject of this Dunlap stereo view made in 1876. This school was replaced by the old elementary school on the same site in 1903.

One of the striking stereo photos made from the schoolhouse bell tower was this image (below) of the courtyard before the one-block-square was cleared of many trees in November 1876 for construction to begin on the Davis County Courthouse the following year. This is the only pre-courthouse view of the public square I am aware of, but my guess is that there are others. This photo was from the late Doran Goode’s collection.  

                               — Rudy Evans | revans1953@gmail.com