About
(kind of my story, really more about whether we’ll be friends!)
Hello, lovely!
I’m so excited to meet you and hear your business story. Starting and running a business can be the most exhilarating, and the toughest, thing in the world. I’ve been there. I’m still there, in fact!
I’m Carla – colourful magical weirdo, multipod, proud Ravenclaw, real mermaid, cat parent, Deep Winter, bookworm (& ex-librarian), fountain pen addict, believer in magic & unicorns, and daytime glitter wearer.
With multiple businesses of my own, I adore my portfolio career but I know exactly how hard it can be to fit everything in and wear all the hats being a solopreneur requires, while still keeping your personality and sanity.
It’s a rollercoaster, isn’t it?
Especially when you’ve broken free from a corporate world, or still have one foot in that world – it can be really hard to be properly yourself in your business.
The moments of leaping joy and the sudden soaring confidence, the behind the scenes panic, imposter syndrome feeling and the strong suspicion that everyone is making it up as they go along and you missed a memo somehow – I get it, all of it. You’re safe with me and I promise you’re not alone!
Photography tailored to you
I photograph you and your business to show the world who you really are, to attract your most ideal clients to you, and share my experience and knowledge with you to make your business fly.
And I am already properly excited about your story and your success – humans who run small businesses of their own are my favourite thing!
Brand photography, not to mention stepping up and being visible, might sound scary – but it’s the best way to show off you and your beloved business in all your true wonderful, weird glory.
Beautiful, on-brand and authentic images of you & what you do will boost your confidence in yourself, your work, and your ability to tell the world what you do.
And then your ideal clients will connect with you, trust you and want to buy the lovely thing you do, sell or make.
Along the way, I usually have a solution, system or idea for the wriggly bits of business, which means less freaking out about running a small business in the first place.
As a specialist brand photographer with skills & experience across several genres, as well as:
– a regular blogger since 2004
– a successful business designing websites for new creative business owners behind me
– a portfolio career including photography, stationery subscription boxes and chocolate
– almost a decade working in marketing,
you can trust in my combination of knowledge, skills and experience that will take some of the “argh!” moments away and replace them with “ahhhh”.
(That’s the “ahhh” that comes with a cup of tea and your favourite book, not the one you yell as you tackle a giant slide).
Come and see for yourself!
Seven weird facts about me
1. I’m a bookworm and ex-librarian with more than 1000 books in my little house. And I’m a Wheel of Time addict – I first read it in 2001 and completed my 24th full series re-read in 2022 🙂 I still haven’t watched the series though…
2. I have the TV & film taste of an 8 year old – Ever After High, My Little Pony, Project Mc2, Mako Mermaids – bring it on! Fave film of all time? Legally Blonde.
3. I live by the river with two very sweet and very silly rescue cats, Luna & Clover, who have turned out to be the loves of my life – when I got them I was supposed to be adopting greyhounds.
4. Once upon a time, I was a world line dance champion.
5. Dance is my therapy – mostly burlesque & line but I’ll try anything once!
6. I LOVE tattoos but have exactly none because I’m scared of needles…
7. I’m also a professional mermaid – though I mostly swim just for joy now, and transform other people into mermaids in my studio.
What about you? I’d love to know if any of our weird facts match!
So what now?
Thinking about a brand shoot of your own? You can book a free virtual cuppa with me to talk through all the possibilities for you and your business, or you can request happy post – info and surprises through your letterbox!
You’ll find advice, inspiration, information and business love over on the blog, and don’t forget to get your free membership of the Improper Job Collective.
You can meet others on the same journey as you, ask questions, share frustrations, contribute your own expertise and generally revel in the wonder of having likeminded people in the world. You might be running a business on your own – but you’re never alone!
Join the Collective
TL:DR Hi! I’m Carla, a brand photographer (or visual magic maker, whatever you prefer), creating glorious brand photos, headshots, commercial photography and
business confidence for misfits & colourful, magical weirdos across the UK.
I’m based in Colchester, Essex, work across Essex, Suffolk & Berkshire mostly, but willing to travel anywhere in the UK if you ask nicely 😉
Between brand photography, sharing my business knowledge and multipoddery (that’s the art of thriving on many things), I help you & your business to fly.