Tulsa Graphic Designer Brand Photography 

121st Creative |  A brand that values friendship & professionalism 

I came across Hayley’s work after she worked on branding for a coach of mine at the time. I found her design style to be beautiful, professional, and thoughtful which drew me in. Around the beginning of Covid, Hayley was offering local businesses complimentary website evaluations. I signed up and was blown away by what she delivered. During my sites evaluation, she gave me great insight and really shocked my at her wealth of knowledge.  After working with her on this evaluation, I was about to enter my busiest season as a wedding photographer and I knew I could use support from her during this chaotic time. So I had her finish my website and now have her one retainer because her work is the best of anyone I have ever hired. As we continued to work together, she eventually told me that she was looking to re-brand her business. I was so excited at the prospect of collaborating on her brand photography in Tulsa, Oklahoma and creating something she could value from me as much as I appreciated her work.

Hayley not only wanted to refresh her brand, but she also wanted to rename it. Her new chosen name is 121st Creative, after the street she grew up on. That street holds a special place in her heart as it brings back memories of the cherished friendships and family from her upbringing. This ties in her values of friendship and community so well to her business.

A Dream Brand Photography Client

After chatting with Hayley over the months as she developed her brand identity and direction, I was blown away at how gorgeous her vision was! Her brand  offered a delicate balance between the masculine and feminine, it was friendly but also elevated and professional. 

I soon found out that Hayley was a Type A person (like me), which made total sense. Not only did I admire and respect her advice for my website from the start, but I appreciated her organization and process. Since first meeting her, Hayley has become not only one of my favorite branding clients but also someone I am glad to call a friend. We are constantly chatting about all the things we have in common. From our busy entrepreneurial lifestyles, to navigating motherhood as a business owner. I was so honored to capture her gorgeous brand photography!

Covid Chaos

As the world changed before our eyes during the Pandemic, so did our plan for her personal brand shoot. From both of us having Covid scares and rescheduling, to weather and travel complications, we planned, unplanned and re-planned! Finally, when the stars aligned, we were able to capture the brand of her dreams! To be honest, the timing  couldn’t have been more perfect!

Brand Box Photography

One thing I had been working on during Covid was a brand box photography service. Since many businesses were shut down and people were keeping distance, the opportunities to shoot in-person brand photography were slim to none. I needed to get creative! So I came  up with a way to help entrepreneurs create new, fresh content for their social media in a safe way.

A Brand Box! I finally mentioned to Hayley that I was thinking about offering brand box photography for some time. She was game for it! We found that this was a great way to give her fresh, branded images while our shoot for her personal branding was postponed.  

Organization is Key for a Personal Brand Photography Shoot

 Hayley and I got to brainstorming. She gathered materials for me that accentuated her brand, and soon, I had the most beautifully curated brand box on my studio floor! Hayley’s ability to put beautiful pieces together along with her thorough organization is why she is my favorite branding client! Being organized is one of the most important things when you are looking to execute a brand photography shoot with ease and clarity. 

As a photographer, it allows me to do my job smoothly when I have everything I need from a client/collaborator. Many clients tend to wait until the last minute to order props, gather materials, or they just simply don’t invest time into thorough planning. In these cases, unpreparedness is a detriment! Because of this, we then don’t have what we need to illustrate and capture their brand properly. Or they end up scrambling on the day of their shoot rather than enjoying themselves. 

Disorganization and unpreparedness also creates more work for me, the photographer. I will have to take more time on the day of, to style out everything, which in turn, means I can take fewer photos for my clients! Hayley literally thought of everything we may have needed, and our day ran perfectly! Yes, as Type A personalities, we were ecstatic and floating with joy on the inside!

The Details of a Brand Photography Session in Tulsa

For Hayleys brand shoot, we wanted to photograph in her office to capture her working lifestyle as well as brand. She had scones and coffee placed about to make it a little more casual and inviting in her office space. She also laid out all of her design materials. Typically, graphic designers and illustrators are every brand photographers dream when it comes to photographing their work. From endless colors and textures, to so many unique content pieces and styles, we have an endless array of photographic opportunities. 

Process

Part of Hayley’s process in her work, of course, is interacting with her clients and showing them their deliverables. This was the best part of our decision to push Hayley’s personal branding shoot out until it was truly safe. When we finally got to shoot, we brought in an actual client of Hayley’s, Kristi from Kristi Holland Designs, for some photographs! In doing this, we got to capture the beautiful, intimate side of her business where she works one-on-one with clients. 

Coffee

Anyone that knows Hayley knows she is always at a coffee shop! She is seriously my go-to guru for coffee spots and I always see her posted up at some new coffee house I haven’t been to. This was important to me to capture and we settled on Lagom for part of her shoot. Lagom is one of her favorite work and meeting spaces in Tulsa, so it was a no-brainer to include in her personal brand photos! 

Co-Working Bravely

Hayley and I both enjoy going to our favorite co-working space to tackle our busy workloads. We, of course, needed to capture this location too, because Hayley often does work here!

5 O’clock Somewhere

I  feel like it is always important to show an entrepreneur’s more casual, fun, and laid back 5-O’clock-vibe at a brand photography session, as well as the more professional stuff! For Hayley, we shot a few fun beverages and Hayley herself in a more laid back outfit outside in the sunshine!

See the full album HERE

Photographer: Foxtails Photography