About Me Pages

Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom who picked up her camera for the first time because her kids did something cute or you’re Beyoncé’s personal photographer, you have a powerful story to tell. You just have to find the words.

“Oh, I don’t know,” you mutter. “My story isn’t really that exciting.”

Unfortunately, many photographers get caught in this trap of self-doubt without realizing the truth: your story isn’t boring; you’ve just heard it before!

No one has lived the journey you have, with the people you have and the heart you have. your struggles, triumphs and motivations are entirely your own. And they are what create that swirly vortex of magic that captures the hearts, minds and imaginations of potential clients, hesitant to hit “Inquire Now.”

The fact is you can have the About Me page you’ve always imagined, and it’s not as difficult to achieve as you might believe. By digging into five key areas, you’ll come out the other end with a clear roadmap to victory!

Knowing Your Audience

Before you write the first word, it’s essential to decided who you’re writing to.

While it sounds like a blast to have an email inbox full of inquiries, if only one of 50 are from clients you want to work with, it becomes a pile of unrewarding busy work. So, to cut down on that wasted time, home in on exactly who you want to work with and communicate that within your About Me page.

Are you a wedding photographer operating at a high price point looking to attract elegant, upscale brides? Drop hints in your bio about your love for expensive brands, glittering crystal chandeliers and soft, sophisticated brides.

On the other hand, if you are most thrilled by opportunities to throw on your hiking shoes and photograph sunrise mountaintop elopements, emphasize your adoration for adventure, hiking and getting a little muddy.

Share interests that will help your ideal clients connect with you before they’ve even had the chance to meet you.

Finding Your Voice

Now that you know who you’re speaking to, it’s time to modulate your voice.

When you’re hanging out in a group of friends, you might use words like “lit,” “rad” and even drop a curse word here and there. But when you call grandma to wish her a happy birthday, there is nary a foul word in sight.

That doesn’t mean you are insincere or fake. It just means you’ve learned to adjust your language to build the best possible relation- ships with the person you are speaking to at any given time. And it’s absolutely vital to apply those same techniques to write your About Me page.

This is where you will signal whether or not you have the personality to give a client-to-be the experience they are hoping to invest in.

If a fun, laidback, party atmosphere is one you strive to achieve in your photo sessions, adopt a similar tone on your About Me page. Crack jokes. Toast to their milestones. Maybe even say a well-placed bad word. However, if you’re looking to book expensive weddings filled to bursting with older relatives (who may be paying for you to be there), adopting a professional, romantic tone would probably serve you well. Yes, your About Me page is, well, about you. But to be effective, it should be about your clients, too.

Killing The Clichés

We know you’re “a storyteller passionate about photography.” We’ve heard about “light and airy” vs “dark and moody” until our ears fell off. We get it. you’re “swooning.”

We’ve heard these things so many times before that they’ve entirely lost all meaning…if they don’t just make us roll our eyes. The last thing you want to do on your About Me page — the celebration of your uniqueness — is wallow in clichés.

If you’ve heard a phrase from other photographers before, lose it. Instead, look critically at your work and your process and describe what you truly see there.

Share interests that will help your ideal clients connect with you before they’ve even had the chance to meet you.

For example, if you’re tempted to describe your work as “light and airy,” look more closely at the colors you find repeating throughout your work. Describe the way the light trickles in and floats through the fabric of the gowns. Look at your editing “before and afters” and write down what changes and how. These descriptions are far more valuable than something we’ve seen a million times before.

Delighting in the Opposites

A final, incredible way to make your About Me page stand apart is to find things about yourself that seem like opposites and highlight them.

Do you have a Type A personality when it comes to organization but still enjoy spontaneity? Are you a boxer who also only wears dresses? Do you love the snow but hate being cold? Are you a tough tomboy who loves curling up for a rom-com? Do you love the smell of coffee but hate its taste? Whatever your opposites are, tell us all about them!

These are the qualities that make you more than a cliché.

These are the traits that make you fascinating, give your personality texture and keep clients excited by who you are as well as what you do. They make you feel real.

As you apply these four steps to writing a stellar About Me page, the most important thing to remember is that a potential client is on your website because they are excited by you! They are fascinated by your art, enchanted by your personality or just intrigued by the one or two lines google shared with them about who you are and what you do.

They want to get to know you. And they sure don’t think you’re boring. So, tell them a story!

Erica Comitalo – Author

Erica Comitalo is a freelance writer and a copywriter who exclusively serves the world’s most talented photographers. After working as a communications director and magazine editor-in-chief, she dove headfirst into the wild world of writing from home, and she hasn’t looked back since! She loves telling the personality-packed stories of adventurous entrepreneurs — whether on the About Me pages of photographers or in the pages of Foundr Magazine. When she isn’t cooking up fresh web content or grinding away on a story, you can catch her curled up with a mug of coffee and a good book, plotting the next big adventure with her husband or heading to a boxing, spin or barre class. She lives with her husband and two cats in Atlanta, GA.

thewritelens.com
@thewritelens

Betsy Tomasello – Photographer

Betsy Tomasello is an award-winning film photographer with extensive experience in styling and design for branding, portraiture, commercial & lifestyle clients. She began her work in 2002 by sim- ply pursuing a deeper connection with people, and has developed her craft into a multi-dimensional platform.

Betsy works with numerous entrepreneurs, designers and lifestyle labels on brand imagery, advertising and editorial campaigns…as well as continuing her deeply-rooted love for photographing natural beauty in her feminine portraiture. She also enjoys creating fresh marketing content and customized websites for passionate creatives.

Inspired by the intention and purpose behind each subject, Betsy approaches her work with a refined aesthetic. She currently resides in Southern Oregon, but routinely travels across the globe for her clients.

betsyblue.com
@betsyblue