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Unlocking the Power of Personal Branding: A WIBN Collaboration of Experts to Shine on LinkedIn

Posted By Elaine Walsh-McGrath, Managing Director, 10 January 2024

In the ever-evolving world of online presence and professional networking, the need for a standout personal brand on platforms like LinkedIn has become paramount. Last year when I met talented photographer at an online WIBN meeting, Albane McGuinness, I knew I wanted to work with her. When I created my course the Real Me Wins Clients on LinkedIn, it was missing a little je ne sais quoi! Because I knew that if you wanted to create a stand out personal brand on LinkedIn you needed not just amazing branding, great copy but also fab photography!

Networking is amazing not just for meeting others, the support that you get, the business growth you can achieve but also for giving opportunities that you may not have considered. Like a fab collab! And so on the 17th January Albane and I alongside a wonderful Branding Expert, Namrata are holding a live paid workshop called  "How to Shine on LinkedIn," coupled with a bonus course titled "The Real Me Wins Clients on LinkedIn."

 

The Workshop:

Scheduled for January 17th at 10 am on Zoom, the live workshop promises participants a transformative experience. Hosted by Elaine Walsh McGrath (that's me!), I'm an award winning Content Strategy and LinkedIn Coach, the event introduces two experts - Namrata Vijayakar, a Brand Design Specialist, and Albane McGuinness, a Brand Photographer.

 

What to Expect:

The 60-minute live workshop aims to empower participants with essential insights into utilizing branding to shine on LinkedIn. Namrata Vijayakar will share her expertise on leveraging branding to make a lasting impression. Meanwhile, Albane McGuinness will delve into the transformative power of personal brand photography, providing invaluable tips on creating personalized brand images.

 

Included Bonus Course:

To ensure a comprehensive learning experience, the workshop comes bundled with a bonus course - "The Real Me Wins Clients on LinkedIn." Elaine emphasizes the importance of authenticity, urging participants to embrace their unique qualities. The course includes:

1. Authentic Me Workbook with Supporting Tutorials 
2. Content Workbook & Tutorial
3. Branding Cheatsheet
4. Storytelling Copy Prompts with Tutorial 
5. 10 x Content Ideas to Reveal YOU! 
6. Trello Board for Organisation 
7. Q&A Support within the Course Portal 
8. Lifetime Access to Course Material

I'm on a mission to help more service based businesses stand out on LinkedIn so that they can land more clients that they love to work with.

So coaches and service providers I'd love you to join us so that you have the tools you need to stand out on LinkedIn. By focusing on personal branding and authentic self-expression, you can expect not only to enhance your online presence but also to build a connection with their audience that goes beyond the superficial. If you've been contemplating building a personal brand on LinkedIn, this workshop and bonus course are tailored just for you. Don't miss the chance to discover the keys to shining on LinkedIn and unlocking your true potential in the world of online professional networking. Are you in?

Here's the link to learn more:
https://www.elainewalshmcgrath.com/offers/F5zSSvLb/checkout

Photo credit:
Albane McGuinness

Tags:  brand photographer  branding  Linkedin 

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WIBN Hitchin Rock n Roll Shoot

Posted By Emily McNeal, Owner, 18 April 2023

As a wedding photographer I typically work alone, as part of the bigger team of suppliers providing specialist services.

I love the independence and creative freedom this allows me but occasionally its fun to fully collaborate as a team on a project.

So this Rock n Roll themes styled shoot represented just that. As a WIBN member I have been delighted to connect with so many fabulous business owners, many of whom work in the same sectors as me. So recently I invited a few local suppliers to join forces on a shoot in Hitchin, Hertfordshire.

We decided on a more quirky theme so it definitely wasn't going to be an average shoot! On the day we started off in a very empty Hitchin market, giving me some excellent urban backdrops to work with. Then we moved through town to Hitchin Priory who were kind enough to let us use their beautiful venue. The Priory also happens to be the location of the WIBN Hitchin meeting so we knew it well. We had a lot of fun both inside the venue and utilising the outside spaces.

On the day not only did we have Kate's gorgeous VW Bus but a vintage motorbike to play with too! In support of our local charity Garden House, our models wore some stunning dresses selected from the charity's incredible Bridal store. Which is right in the centre of Hitchin should you know of a bride-to-be, bridesmaid or Mother-of-the-bride looking for a dress - be sure to mention it.

It really was a joy to work with so many talented individuals, all contributing to help me produce images I am very proud of. I love WIBN and the support of my fellow WIBN members, which I feel is reflected in the quality of the photos we all got out of an incredibly enjoyable day.

Bring on the next shoot!

Of the amazing Team involved the following are WIBN members:

Photography by Emily McNeal of SpinKreative https://www.spinkreative.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/spinkreative/

Vintage VW, Kate Peto of Lucky Penny Weddings https://luckypennyweddings.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/lucky.penny.weddings/

Flowers, Donna Kinsella-Bosley of Flower and Green https://www.flowerandgreen.co.uk/ https://www.instagram.com/flowerandgreendonna/

Fabrics, Michelle Winship-House of House Creations https://www.instagram.com/housecreations2018/

For more details of the other fabulous suppliers who contributed to this shoot or if you would like to be involved in my next one, please feel free to message me directly. Emily Owner, SpinKreative Photography

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Tags:  brand photographer  charity  collaborate  commerical photographer  florist  flowers  hertfordshire  hitchin  make up  photography  rock n roll  support local  vehicle  wedding car  wedding dress  wedding inspiration  wedding photographer 

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The power of photography on our self-esteem

Posted By Tori Deslauriers, Photographer, 02 April 2022

Show Up

I often talk to clients about how important it is to show up in photos. I tell Mums that they need to be in photos for their kids’ memories and female entrepreneurs to present themselves authentically to grow their businesses. As my business is mainly women based, I spend a lot of time allaying fears about appearance and self-consciousness about being photographed. As such, I’m passionate about helping women feel fantastic in photos. I think it is so hard to do when we bash ourselves so often and I have spent the last few years seeing if I could alter my own mindset around how I feel about my appearance.

My Story

A bit of background to how I arrived at this point…  Five and a half years ago, I had my son and was bombarded with messages about how to get my body ‘back’, all of which piled more stress on me at a time when I was already navigating massive life changes. Even before that, I felt endless pressure to have a ‘bikini body’, lose weight, bash on myself in public (because otherwise you don’t really fit into female conversations, right?!). And since becoming a parent, I’ve found a whole load of different pressures as I’ve started to go grey (I came late to that party as I only found my first grey at 36), have no inclination to use my precious ‘alone time’ for makeup or hair-straightening and surviving on less sleep than I thought possible!

Keeping Up With The...

I was increasingly coming to resent the media for giving me a laundry list of should's and should nots long before having a family, however. Always one for being a bit contrary, I find being told how I should think and feel usually makes me do the opposite! However, as hard as you try and make yourself immune to it, being bombarded with images of photoshopped perfection, thigh gaps and wrinkle-free faces, you can’t help but feel like you don’t measure up. And just in case the message hasn’t reached you yet…these women (and men) are all Photoshopped AF.

This assault from the media and subsequent ‘comparisonitis’ to an unrealistic ideal of beauty starts from a ridiculously young age without us having any control over it. By the time we’re self-aware enough to realise it and start questioning it, the damage is done. It’s then near impossible to make ourselves immune from subconsciously feeling like cr@p every time we pass a billboard or shiny magazine ad.

Why Photography?

All this led me to a challenge I started. I read a lot of studies about how the self-esteem of children grows when seeing their photos around the home. And I got to thinking, the same must, therefore, be true of adults? I realise the photos that most of us live with on our walls are the filtered version of our lives. It’s the special-occasion, make up & fancy clothes, ‘best’ version of ourselves that we frame. I’d guess you don’t have a photo of yourself in your PJs on your wall? 

So, that’s exactly what I did. I started putting up the very ordinary photos of my life. The photos of me in my PJs with my son, with no makeup. I won’t lie to you; it was hideous at first. I shuddered every time I walked past them. I ripped myself apart about how awful I looked. And I wrote a whole blog about how ghastly I look in photos but how I was trying to do better to exist in photos for my son.

Self-acceptance

Over time, though, a funny thing started to happen. I became gradually more comfortable with the way I looked. I accepted my everyday self. And then slowly I started looking at those photos and noticed all the other awesome things in them like how happy I look and how much I seem to be enjoying my life. I stopped noticing the superficial nonsense and began tearing myself apart less. When I look back on the whole year, I realise my inner monologue is also a little quieter and a lot kinder too. And for me (who is absolutely brutal to myself!) that is a massive step.

I ended my (very personal until that point!) challenge with stripping naked and posting a photo on social media! Talking to my friend she was shocked that I would to do such a thing. However, the feelings I had when posting the first blog post, fully clothed photo with make-up on, and the naked one with no makeup are poles apart. I’ve lost no weight, I’ve gained grey hair, look older - yet I’m happier in my body than I was a year previously. Isn’t life funny life that? I credit all that to the power of seeing myself in photos and getting used to how I actually look (the real me, not the special occasion me). When I was telling her about it, she started doing this slow nod and said, “that’s a good point. I have two photos in my hallway… one is my wedding day, the other is on holiday in my early 20s. I’m so slim and young in both. Every day I look at them and feel like cr@p that I’ll never look like that again”. 

So, I’d like to challenge you… 

Put up a photo of yourself. Don’t overthink it. Just pick a regular photo. Hang it on the fridge or the bathroom mirror. Say something nice to photo you every day, or at least get used to looking at the real you. Get used to your body just being the vessel you inhabit to enjoy your awesome life, rather than something else you feel you need to expend energy hating or insulting.  Remember that 10-year challenge that did the round on social media? In ten years, you’ll be looking back at 2022 you and thinking how thin/pretty/young/happy you look. Don’t wait for a decade to pass to find those feelings; embrace that gratitude for yourself now. If you struggle with that for yourself specifically, try thinking about gratitude for ageing in general, this is where I started. Many people don’t get the privilege of growing old and gaining grey hair or having enough to eat to gain a few extra pounds. 

Gradually you’ll start to accept yourself and then like yourself. Maybe you’ll even end up loving yourself. And all thanks to a little 6x4. Wouldn’t that be magical?

About Tori

Tori Deslauriers is a photographer obsessed with getting women back in the frame and helping them feel empowered in front of the camera. You can find me at www.torideslauriers.com photographing weddings, Supermums and amazing small businesses.  

 

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Tags:  brand photographer  photography  self-esteem 

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