How do you photograph a team that might change in the coming months? How do you create images that can outlast the faces graced within them? That was the challenge we stepped up to when creating these images for Kelly Roberts and Balsam and Blush Photography, a Cleveland, Ohio based wedding photography team.

Kelly is a seasoned, incredibly talented wedding photographer based in Cleveland, OH. And her brand is the by-product of years in the industry, honing her craft and expanding to a team to continue serving clients really well.

This shoot came around the same time as a crossroads in her brand. A decade into owning her business, it had changed a lot. This brand shoot not only served as a way to harness the artistry and showcase the refined team and brand she’d built but also the dawning of a new era—the birth of a brand built in her own name.

And the most fun part of it all was helping Kelly to hone in on the parts of her personality, experience, and work that she could showcase in a personal brand that feels refined, yet warm.

So, you’ll find alongside the concept of her associate team – we tried to depict the artist herself.

The things that inspire her, the personality within her, and the way all that equips her to serve her couples on and beyond their wedding day. Images that would tell her story alongside her work that beautifully chronicles the stories of her clients.

Our full-day shoot encompassed four storylines, three locations, 6 team members, videography, and a full wardrobe sourced by a stylist – in other words, our agenda was very full.

And it fell in what seems to be my season for photographing teams. [I photographed FOUR altogether within a span of 4 months.]

If there’s one main thing I’ve learned in the midst of it, it’s that creating brand photos for a team in the creative field usually means photographing the concept of the team versus the reality.

What I mean is with the inevitable turnover in team members, and how quickly things change in our creative small businesses – overly focusing on the team members themselves may leave a full brand gallery obsolete within months of receiving it.

So, instead. Choosing to only photograph a handful of person-centric team photos and the remainder being concept-driven without a prominent focus on a face will help brand photos to still be usable as team members ebb and flow with needs and seasons.

That was my challenge for Kelly’s brand as well as allowing her to take center stage as the anchor point of the brand.

To help in all of this, Kelly stacked our vendor team and collaborated with Katherine Bignon for wardrobe and Ashley Mccomb for brand video sealing the deal in making this entire experience one that will launch Kelly into all the stellar things in store for her brand.

Studio: Suite 226