Wedding Photography – A New Chapter

Colorado Wedding Photographer: The NEXT chapter…

For the past decade, the above photo and logo have represented Frances Photography and my public face in the photography and wedding industry. The photo – me with a mountain chic type look; and the logo – an “f” and a “p” interwoven into a heart shaped symbol.

This brand has served Frances Photography well as my company has grown into one of the most well-known and respected businesses in the Colorado wedding industry. I’m extremely proud of what I have accomplished thus far with the help of some incredibly talented people.  At the peak of it’s growth, I had a team of 7 people working with me.

Several months ago, I embarked on an introspective review of my work and my business.  Two main things were bothering me.  First, my portfolio was still featuring images that I “thought” brides wanted to see–the staged, unblemished, must have shots, that were leaving me feeling uninspired.  And second, and possibly more importantly, growing my business ultimately turned me into a business manager and led me another step further from the creative artistry that inspired me to become a photographer in the first place.  Of course it’s important to be able to manage and run a business.  But, I had been doing that for years.  As things expanded I ended up having to hire people to do things for me that I used to really love doing.  One example, blogging!  As I looked back over many of the posts that I had approved, I literally cringed- the words weren’t mine, and even the images used were not selected by me.  All of a sudden I was looking at my business and hardly recognizing myself in it.

On the other hand, I also began to notice a clear trend emerging within my own images … a growing number of my photographs were starting to capture and tell the REAL story of the day.  Not the retouched, perfect,  pretty version either.  The real story is rarely unblemished or perfect. Father’s cry at weddings. Ring bearers run the other way. Friends let loose and embarrass themselves on the dance floor. These moments are the ones memories are made of.  These are the moments I was capturing, and hardly anyone was seeing them.  At least not on a larger scale of my brand image or social presence.

I’m uncertain exactly when the change started, but I couldn’t deny that my photography and art had evolved beyond what my current message and identity spoke to. So, over this last year, I have embarked on a personal journey to re-imagine what the essence of the Frances Photography brand would look like.

A brand is much more than a logo or catchy tagline. A brand is the promise of what will be delivered and experienced. It was essential to me that my new brand flow effortlessly between who I am as a person and my photography. I spent several months reflecting on and writing down the essence of my story. I stayed quiet and listened to the hum of my soul. I reached deep down and pulled out the authentic, unique me.

It starts with why.

The foundational layer of my new brand is composed of my “why” in photography in the simplest way I could possibly express it – “Chasing Beauty with a Wild & Open Heart.” Chasing Beauty is what I do with my camera. With a Wild & Open Heart represents who I am as a photographer and a human being. The symbol that represents my brand moved from a clever logo that played extremely well in the industry to one that truly represents my spirit and soul. My new website is minimalist and void of fancy graphics – focusing purely on my work.

Travel and Documentary photographer Dragan Tapshanov once said “Photography is about capturing souls not smiles.” I’ve never been this honest and vulnerable in my business until now, but I couldn’t be more excited with the results of my soul-capturing journey. It is with extreme pride and a full heart that I introduce you to the next chapter at Frances Photography. Please check out my new about video here.

Moving forward, the words found on this blog will be mine, and the image selections will be made by yours truly.  I am getting back to basics and back to what brought me here in the first place–ART and my love affair with photography as such.  Thank you to all of my loyal supporters, clients, friends, and all the people that have believed in me and helped me to believe in myself.  I would not be here without you… you know who you are!