I recently saw a site that said “Vintage Lifestyle Wedding Photography.” Not a fan. No offense. The pictures were nice enough – it’s not the style I object to, but that’s just not a brand. It’s too generic. I know how the process works. You start out with some crazy idea trying to be the most you, you can be. So you come up with something, and you’re afraid it sounds really stupid. Maybe it does. Or maybe it’s kind of cool. Or maybe it’s a little of both. But at least it has character. Still you’re just not sure about it, so, you refine it, again and again. You get worried people won’t like this or they won’t like that. Until you settle on something no one will disagree with. And it reads something like “Vintage Lifestyle Wedding Photography.”
Sure, maybe using the catchphrase of the month can work to some effect, but the question isn’t whether it helps. It’s whether it distinguishes you. If it doesn’t, it’s not doing enough. Vintage, lifestyle, photojournalistic, and editorial have been beaten to death. And what do these terms even mean? Putting yourself out as one among many in the middle of a crowd isn’t where you want to be. You could just as soon say “Just like every other somewhat cool photographer.” Angelica Glass’ first words on her site say “Cheeky brides click here.” That grabs your attention and tells you both who she wants as a client and who she is. She even named her blog “Heart Explosions.”
A brand is about taking a stand and making an imprint. Carve out some space in people’s minds. Stir their emotions. Scream from the rooftops. If you’re going to take the time to create a tagline, make it really work. Trust that people will get you, seek you out, and love you for it.
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