Why I'm Glad I Was a Marketer First

When I was young, I too was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. Branding and marketing weren’t words I would have come up with back then. All I knew is I loved taking pictures.

Could I make a career out of that? Well, I sure was going to try!

I went to school for photography—earned my Bachelor of Arts in something called Photocommunications, which basically meant we studied all aspects of photography from art to journalism to commercial, etc. I learned on film, spent hours upon hours of my life in a darkroom, worked on studio lighting techniques with all kinds of different equipment, and even went out into the field at one point with a giant camera with bellows and a sheet that went over my head. I interned with a commercial photographer who specialized in food photography for magazines (and quickly learned that took more patience than I had to give).

I learned so many things. I made a ton of mistakes. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

Fast forward years later… I found myself in a pretty darn awesome career in marketing and graphic design. Turns out I was really good at taking big picture ideas, organizing all the moving pieces, distilling them down, and turning them into clear and concise marketing materials. Who knew? I became an award-winning marketer in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry.

Throughout my career, I was lucky because I not only understood photography, I understood how photography was used in marketing. So when I got to be behind the camera, I could capture the images and angles I knew we would need for the collateral we would be creating. I can assure you, there’s a big difference between a photographer and a photographer with marketing expertise!

I often found myself wishing I could have been on both sides of the camera all the time. It would have made things so much easier if I could’ve just created the assets I needed instead of having to hunt for stock photos and such. Oh the time and frustration that could have been saved!

That’s precisely why I went out on my own. Now I can save my clients that time and frustration!

I use marketing and graphic design fundamentals to craft images that help people grow their businesses. I love becoming a partner in the process who understands how the images will be used and can help businesses create more engaging marketing materials. It’s the perfect combination of the two worlds!