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Andrea Hiltbrunner

Andrea Hiltbrunner

by | Apr 3, 2017

ANDREA HILTBRUNNER

Andrea hiltbrunner:

 ALCHEMY FOR BUSINESS LEADERs

 

I was initially contacted by Swiss Business & Money Coach Andrea Hiltbrunner in August 2016. Her business had grown exponentially very quickly and it was overdue a visual presence revamp.

Andrea needed a wide range of photos to suit the needs of her quickly evolving business: new portraits that could show her as the succesful professional that she is, a series of versatile lifestyle images that she could use on social media, photos of the venue where she’d hold an event in May 2017, and photos of all her products. She also needed a professional brand video, that she could use to promote her business both on her website and on social media.

Andrea’s special gift is her wide business know-how, coupled with a high intuition and a spiritual approach to entrepreneurship. This allows her to help her clients hollistically and magnify their results. Her photos needed to portray these two sides, because her brilliance comes out with the combination of both skills.

Andrea also needed to give her vast product line a recognizable and branded style that looked cohesive with her message and supported her positioning as a European leader in business and money coaching.

Untitled design 4

The first step was defining a cohesive style for all her photos. A look and feel that could transpire from every image, and that was recognizable and easily identifiable as hers.

 

We chose her branding colors, their meaning and related and archetypal symbology as the guiding stars for all of Andrea’s branding and product photos. Based on them, we defined a shot list, purchased props for the product photos and planned my trip to Thun, Switzerland, to shoot Andrea’s portraits and footage for her video.

Product Photography

We photographed Andrea’s digital products in my studio in Nicosia, Cyprus. We had all her printables professionally printed and designed a variety of desktop  and flat lay scenes to fit the mood of each product. We selected all props based on their archetypal symbolism and kept styling elements constant and in line with Andrea’s branding and color palette (composed of gold, blues and reds in different shades). The props selected for each product in particular varied according to the chakra that each helps activate, and the audience they’re destined to.

All photographs were designed to make crops possible, to maximize their usability and versatility. We also used a variety of electronic devices where Andrea and her graphic designer could later overlay either printable products or website snapshots.

Andrea Hiltbrunner products

Portraits & Lifestyle Photography

 

We shot Andrea’s portraits and lifestyle photos in Thun, her home town in the Swiss Alps during a weekend in October 2016. We divided the shots in three sets: location shots, which we took walking around town during a full day, with brief stops for Andrea to change her outfit; office shots (to show her work environment); and versatile studio style shots (taken at Andrea’s home), which she could use in graphics, book covers and magazine features.

 

We wanted all of Andrea’s portraits and lifestyle shots to capture her essence and her energy: playful, joyful, relaxed, professional, spiritual and highly smart. We selected poses that helped convey these ideas and made sure all clothes were in Andrea’s brand colors.

PicMonkey Collage 1

Hair and makeup were simple, elegant and understated because we wanted Andrea to look like herself, and be recognizable when on skype calls and events with her clients. In some photos we used a few carefully selected props (lanterns, sparklers, feathers) to help convey the idea of Andrea as a leader, illuminating the way for new generations.

Andrea’s portraits were also complemented by a series of hand shots and close ups, designed to match her product line, website needs and overall 2017 launch plans.

4 of Andrea’s portraits appeared in SinnReich’s Magazine December feature edition.

 

SYMBOLISMjpg

Videography

We created Andrea’s brand promotional video in Thun, using a combination of custom b-roll and lifestyle shots, captured during our walks around town, and interview footage, captured in Andrea’s office.

In order to shoot the footage of Andrea speaking directly to the camera, we created a mini studio in her home-office, taking the time to decorate it and set up camera and lights as if we were in Nicosia. We then went through a series of story-telling questions, which were later stringed together by the wonderful Emmy Wu in post production.

Andrea’s package included three videos: 1 full brand promo video, with custom footage, motion graphics and premium soundtrack, one 60 second version of such video, for Facebook Ads, and a custom video intro (which uses some of Andrea’s portraits, custom footage and motion graphics),   which she can now add to all her blog and course videos, to enhance brand recognition.

Here are Andrea’s final videos:

Services Provided

  • Art Direction
  • Product Styling
  • Product Photography
  • Portraiture & Lifestyle Photography
  • Videography
  • Post Production

Photos & Usage

  • 15 Products Photographed
  • 62 Portraits
  • Over 100 photographs delivered, to be used in the company’s website, on social media & on printed material (including magazine features & book covers)
  • 1 Brand promo video
  • 1 Facebook Ad video
  • 1 Custom Video Intro, with motion graphics

The Results

A renewed, completely upleveled visual image. 

BEFORE

Life Blends, Marcela Macias Photography, Food Styling, Food Photography

AFTER

ANDREA NOW

IN Andrea’s words

PORTRAIT Book Cover

Andrea Hiltbrunner

CEO, andreaHiltbrunner.com

I’m very happy with how the photos have impacted my positioning, and with being able to use them for magazine features and my upcoming book cover.

Marcela’s love and care is transported right into every photo she takes.

READY TO WORK TOGETHER?

Contact me for a complimentary exploratory call and let’s start making your brand hypnotic.

I'm ready

Luisa Bazi

Luisa Bazi

by | Jun 25, 2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luisa Bazi: Helping women align to the Universe with Chinese Astrology

 

Luisa contacted me in the Fall of 2015 to create a set of photos for her new website. She wanted photos that represented her brand, and distinguished her from other astrologers and feng shui experts.

Aesthetically, Luisa’s main intention was to break free from the predominant red, black and fortune cookie message visuals, that give people the wrong idea about her work. She wanted her photos to convey how scientific and serious her work is, and how she’s based in traditional Chinese Astrology and ancient schools of Feng Shui.

Luisa’s brand is like her: elegant, minimalist, serious yet joyful, and extremely professional. The colors she wanted in her photos were the  ones of her website (turquoise and yellow, with a predominance of white), because these are the ones that are beneficial for her, according to her bazi, or Chinese Astrological Chart. The Chinese props we selected, were only the ones that Luisa herself uses and that are representative of Chinese traditions (as opposite to supertitions):  the I-ching, Chinese coins, Chinese Balls, and the Lucky Fortune Cats. We also included more personal items, like Luisa’s favorite pen, the wheel she uses for creating Chinese Charts, her favorite books, and gemstones she loved.

We developed a strategy based on her archetypes, her ideal client avatar (we identified real life muses that she could observe and study) and her business objectives and, based on them, determined the right styling for her photos.

I shot all photos in my studio, in Nicosia. The shots included both product shots (Feng Shui analysis, Bazi charts and Favorable dates analysis), as well as branded lifestyle shots that could be adapted to several purposes with simple overlays and crops (blog posts, advertising and promotions, social media).  The aim was for Luisa to have a versatile set that would allow her to promote her brand and her services across the board, beautifully, consistently and with minimum work.

All photos maintained the brand’s color palette and used the same props to increase brand recognition. All photos were fully edited and delivered electronically to Luisa 10 days after the finalization of the photoshoot.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE FINAL PHOTOS

Luisa Bazi collage

THE FINAL NUMBERS

Services Provided

  • Art Direction & Strategy
  • Prop Styling
  • Product & Branding Photography
  • Post Production

 

Photos & Usage

  • 3 ProductsPhotographed
  • 17 photographs delivered, to be used in the company’s website, on social media & on printed promotional material.

The Results

  • A consistent visual presence
  • Increased Brand Awareness
Life Blends, Marcela Macias Photography, Food Styling, Food Photography
Luisa Bazi Branding Photography Marcela Macias

IN LUISA’S WORDS…

Luisa 1

Luisa Silva

Astrologer, Luisa Bazi

Working with Marcela was a turning point in my business.

Marcela is very professional, easily understood what I wanted to evoke with my images and managed to convey that in each of them. She made me feel secure, taken care of and understood during the whole process and, most importantly, she focused on my needs and those of my business. She made it her mission to get to know me and understand me, and that is priceless.

My business is an extension of myself and, as such, I didn’t want the same photos everyone else doing Chinese Astrology has. Marcela understood this perfectly and helped me bring out what is unique and special about my business, which has been key to differentiate my work. Besides, she provided me with versatile images that I’ve been able to use for multiple purposes.

Marcela has a sixth sense to select props. She quickly and intuitively understood the type of images that would help my business grow, and the results have been simply outstanding. Having a consistent visual presence  that is aligned with who I am across my website, newsletters and all social media channels has allowed people to recognize me instantly because of my images. People are pulled to them like a magnet, they attract positive attention all the time,  and that is simply fantastic.

Marcela’s work has greatly exceeded my expectations and I wholeheartedly recommend her!

 

READY TO WORK TOGETHER?

Contact me for a complimentary exploratory call and let’s start making your brand hypnotic.

I'm ready

The Little Pancake Company

The Little Pancake Company

by | Jun 24, 2016

THE LITTLE PANCAKE COMPANY

 

The Little Pancake Company:

Bringing joy & deliciousness to everyday life

 

I was contacted by The Little Pancake Company, a UK-based online maker of gourmet pancake mixes, in early 2016. They were looking to revamp their website and overall visual presence, and wanted photos that reflected the premium quality of their products, as well as the deliciousness of their pancakes, in order to reach a wider market and better position their business.

The Little Pancake Company was created to allow their customers to enjoy a wonderfully tasty treat, made with premium ingredients, every day, without the hassle. Their creative flavor combinations are born from their love of cooking, and they believe that the time shared around a breakfast table helps us build memories we treasure forever.

The brand is youthful, playful, elegant, and loving, and their pancake mixes are high quality (they turn out absolutely perfect), generous (they shield many pancakes), easy to make (they require only 1 cup of milk and 1 egg)  and decadently delicious. We wanted to make sure each photo reflected all that.

We set out to work in the strategy and styling by analyzing their brand’s archetype, ideal client avatar and objectives. Once styling was defined, the company shipped the pancake mixes and accessories to be photographed to Cyprus, and I purchased all props necessary to complete the desired look and feel of the photographs.

I styled, shot and edited all product and food photos in my studio, in Nicosia. Shots included views of the products alone (the pancake mixes in their original packaging), of each Product with its distinctive ingredients, of each product with the corresponding finalized pancakes and the pancakes alone themselves. I also shot the three main suggested sauces, two accessories also sold by the company, and the gift packaging in which the mixes are delivered.

In addition, we created a series of branded and styled lifestyle shots for the company to advertise special occasion bundles, such as birthday parties, Fall/Winter promotions, Breakfast in Bed, Mother’s Day, and Christmas & Valentine’s pancakes. We also shot photos of the pancakes in the making, as well as action shots, which are great for ads, because they’re great at capturing the attention of the viewer.

All photos maintained the brand’s color palette and used the same props to increase brand recognition. All photos were fully edited and delivered electronically to The Little Pancake Company 10 days after the finalization of the photoshoot.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE FINAL PHOTOS

 

 

Collage TLPC

Services Provided

  • Art Direction & Strategy
  • Food & Product Styling
  • Prop Styling
  • Food & Product  Photography
  • Post Production

 

Photos & Usage

  • 6 Pancake Mixes & 2 accessories Photographed
  • 47 photographs delivered, to be used in the company’s website and on stores where they sell online,  on social media & on printed promotional material.

The Results

 A beautiful & consistent visual presence, and greater brand exposure.

Life Blends, Marcela Macias Photography, Food Styling, Food Photography
pancake wedding favors

IN THE LITTLE PANCAKE COMPANY’S WORDS…

ZD1

ZOE HART

CEO, The Little Pancake Company

When I first came across Marcela, I absolutely fell in love with her photographs. Her food photography always looked so delicious and inviting, and that was exactly the style that I wanted for my own business, so when I decided to invest in professional photography, she was the first person I contacted.

I was concerned initially that working with a photographer based in a different country might be tricky (we’re based in the UK). I needn’t have been worried, though, as Marcela was so organised and everything ran smoothly.

She made perfect use of technology including Skype, Email, Instagram, Twitter and Periscope to make sure she understood what I wanted, and to keep me updated as the project progressed. We probably had more contact than some suppliers I’ve worked with based in the same country as myself! Besides, I absolutely loved being able to see the project unfold. It wasn’t like I briefed the photography and then a few weeks later I got the photos. I really felt involved. One day I might see props for the photoshoot; another day I was looking at colour palettes. I felt like I was part of the process from start to finish.

What makes Marcela’s services special is that they’re holistic. Right from the beginning of the project, she tried to get to know me and my business, to really understand my ideal customers and what direction I was trying to take my business in. Investment in this sort of detail upfront is not something I’ve experienced before.

The new photography has allowed us to relaunch our website and we’re so pleased with the results. The new website is a much better reflection of who we are as a business, and will hopefully attract a new customer base for us. Even though it’s early days, we are already seeing our product being added to new categories on some of the food websites we sell with, and these decisions are often largely based on the quality of the photography.

I would absolutely recommend Marcela, to both food and non-food businesses.

READY TO WORK TOGETHER?

Contact me for a complimentary exploratory call and let’s start making your brand hypnotic.

I'm ready

Art Joyeux

Art Joyeux

by | Aug 4, 2015

ART JOYEUX

ART JOYEUX:

ARTWORK TO HELP WOMEN RECONNECT WITH NATURE

Cypriot Nature Artist Haroulla Vrachas (whose name means “joy” in Greek) contacted me in 2014 because she needed photographs for her new website. She was looking for new portraits, as well as photos of her paintings that she could share in her shop. She was also interested in having photographs of her studio, to help tell the story of her brand to her fans and clients.

Haroulla’s love of nature and art was born during her childhood years in Zimbabwe. After she relocated to Cyprus, she continued to paint, inspired by the island’s flora and fauna.  Her detailed artwork is fueled by her memories and feelings, and inspired by her desire to help people “go back to simpler times, when childhood meant playing in lush gardens, chasing colorful butterflies, and exploring the beauty of nature”.

Art Joyeux, Marcela Macias Photography, Nicosia, Cyprus

We shot Haroulla’s photos on a sunny December morning, after months of preparation.

The main objective was to transmit an idea of connection to nature, freshness, and tranquility. We wanted all photographs to express the joy Haroulla feels when she paints, and to showcase her sweet, gentle personality, that permeates her art.

Her portraits were taken in a Kikkos Gardens, in Nicosia, and the rest of the photographs were shot in her home studio.

We photographed her working space, her materials, and herself at work. And we took advantage of the opportunity to shoot a short backstage video, which I later edited and musicalized, so that she could add to her promotional material.

Finally, I shot her artwork in my own photo studio, with only natural light.

All photos were fully edited, and delivered via web to Haroulla herself and her web designer a couple of weeks after the photoshoot.

Art Joyeux, Marcela Macias, Marcela Macias Photography, Branding Photography, Cyprus
Art Joyeux, Marcela Macias, Marcela Macias Photography, Branding Photography, Cyprus

THE BACKSTAGE VIDEO

THE NUMBERS

Services Provided

  • Guidance and assistance
  • Art Direction
  • Product and Prop Styling
  • Photography
  • Post production
  • Videography

Photos & Usage

  • 60 exclusive portrait, studio and product photographs, used in the artists’s website, her shop, social media as well as on marketing and promotion activities.

The Results

  • A cohesive and personalized visual presence, adapted’s to Haroulla’s message, and style.
Art Joyeux

IN HAROULLA’S WORDS…

Haroulla 91

Haroulla Vrachas-Charalambous

Artist, Art Joyeux

Marcela doesn’t only provide beautiful photographs: she also provides an amazing service.

I was amazed at how smooth everything went during the day of the shot, and at how personalized her services are. She provided me SO much assistance to help me figure out what I wanted to transmit with my photos.  Marcela is trustworthy, extremely helpful, smart, organized, easy to work with, and professional in every way from start to finish.

Everyone who saw the photos was very impressed by how beautiful they were and how well they integrated with my personality and my whole website. I even made my first sale within a few hours of launching my site!

 

Ready to work together?

Contact me for a complimentary exploratory call and let’s start making your brand hypnotic.

I'm ready

Mayi Carles

Mayi Carles

by | Aug 4, 2015

MAYI CARLES

MAYI CARLES: HELPING CREATIVES EMBRACE THE MESS AND MAKE MONEY

 

One month after I started working with Mayi Carles on the photography of her cookbook, Life is Messy Kitchen, she contacted me to photograph her Life is Messy Planners, for the sales page of her flagship course, Life is Messy Bootcamp. She wanted photos that could capture the essence of her brand: feminine, cute, light-hearted and fun, deeply creative and original, warm and slightly messy, but also very focused and professional.

Mayi had been vlogging for several years and her style was very defined. She also had a loyal audience of crafters and creatives that reached to her for help on focusing their talents to turn them into profit, as well as a growing following of instagrammers that reached to her for lifestyle inspiration.

Her photos needed to reflect this. Her style, her visual voice, needed to be present in her photos so that her whole brand could feel cohesive and wouldn’t confuse her fans. We aimed at creating photographs that would make the transition from her shop, to her blog, to her courses (all hosted in different websites), seamless. And what began as 10 photo assignment, evolved into an overhaul of all her photography.

Mayi Carles, Marcela Macias, Marcela Macias Photography, Cyprus, Branding Photography

The project also had two other, equally important objectives:

1) To prepare Mayi’s following for her transition into a lifestyle brand, and for the arrival of the cookbook, and

2) to promote and cross promote her products throughout the year, to increase sales.

With this in mind, we set out to work by designing a strategy, and testing its effectiveness by monitoring engagement in social media, and conversions.

Life is Messy Bootcamp and Life is Messy Planners

The first part of the project was revamping the look and feel of the photographs of Mayi’s Life is Messy Planners, which were sold as part of her flagship course: Life is Messy Bootcamp.

The Bootcamp and Planners, being organizational products, had a peak sale month: January. Our objective was to produce photos that could be used during launch time, and others that could be used along the year, so that sales wouldn’t drop. We did this by creating two series of photos: one, with evergreen photos, for the sales page; and seasonal photos that were used as a cover for Mayi’s facebook page. The latter were also posted on other social media (mostly instagram). In these images, we also cross-promoted Mayi’s other products (an upcoming app, her planners, her printable tags, the cookbook), transforming the images into a subtle, yet effective marketing and promotion tool.

All photos were created taking into account both Mayi’s distinct brand voice, and characteristics of her customers. Engagement was permanently monitored on social media.

Mayi Carles, Marcela Macias, Marcela Macias Photography, Cyprus, Branding Photography

MAYI CARLES SHOP

NOTEPADS, PRINTABLE TAGS AND PRINTABLE CALENDAR

 

The second phase of the project, was destined to adapt the look and feel of the photographs of Mayi’s products (sold on her etsy shop) to the ones we had designed for her Bootcamp and Planners.

Mayi shipped her physical products to Cyprus and we re-shot all her products using the same color palette and elements that had been included in her Planner photos. As new printable products were added to her collection, we photographed them, and also included them in her seasonal facebook timeline covers.

Mayi Carles etsy

HEARTMADE BLOG’S COOKING SECTION

We also contributed photos of Mayi’s recipes for her blog, Heartmade, in order to prepare her audience for the upcoming release of her cookbook.

Up until 2014, Mayi’s audience was divided: her blog audience knew her for her entrepreneurial advice and organizational tips, whereas her instagram audience, knew her for her cooking skills. By including recipes in her blog all along the year before the release of her cookbok, Mayi gave her fans a chance to try her cooking and created expectation for her book. It also positioned her as an expert in healthy eating, which resulted in magazine covers and other media opportunities.

Services Provided

  • Food Styling
  • Product Styling
  • Food Photography
  • Product Photography
  • Prop Styling
  • Post production

Photos & Usage

  • Photography of Life is Messy Planners for 2014 and 2015. The photographs were used in the bootcamp’s sales page, inside the bootcamp itself, in Heartmade blog, in Mayi’s shop and all accross social media
  • 10 Facebook timeline covers designed seasonally to promote Mayi’s products.
  • Photography of 8 products, used in Mayi’s shop and all accross social media.
  • Photography  of 20 recipes for Heartmade Blog (some of which were also added to Life is Messy kitchen.

The Results

  • Increased sales of otherwise seasonal products.
  • New media opportunities.
  • Rapid expert positioning in the healthy eating market in Panama.
heartmade recipes

IN MAYI’S WORDS…

mayi 2

Some people think that because I’m artistic or I have good taste, I can also take great photos. I’d tried the DIY method before and it worked for the first years of my business.

But when I wanted to play in the big leagues, I knew I needed to up my game and photography was the first area I decided to invest on.

I was admittedly  scared about hiring someone. I wondered if I could afford it. I thought my business wasn’t ready yet. I thought that maaaaybe I could keep DIYing it for a bit longer. I wondered if I could watch a couple of YouTube videos and learn the skill myself.

But when I met Marcela she wiped away all my worries in an instant. She understood who I was and got my vision. She nailed it. What started as a commission to photograph Life is Messy Kitchen evolved into so much more and I ended hiring her to take pictures for my blog and my shop as well.

After working with Marcela, I realized that my time is best spent doing the work I’m great at, instead of reading my camera manual and trying to learn about exposure. Since hiring her I am happy to delegate and enjoy the extra time I get to optimize my genius: perfect my illustrations, make more videos, and create new products.

And the best part is that her photos aren’t just pretty: they sell. Every time I post a picture taken by Marcela on social media, new sales come in. Never fails. 

I recommend Marcela with my eyes closed, knowing she will always over deliver.

And here’s Mayi herself, talking about my work

(She starts talking about my services from minute 5:03)

Ready to work together?

Contact me for a complimentary exploratory call and let’s start making your brand hypnotic.

I'm ready

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