My Brand Story: Jane Mucklow, Picture Your Brand

#1 in a series of brand story guest interviews with established businesses, to inspire you, and help you create and grow your own brand.  Beginning with myself!
(First written September 2019, transferred here January 2024 - it was so interesting to see what I wrote 4 1/2 years ago!)

Please introduce yourself; what is your business, and is there a story behind its name?

Hello, I am Jane of Jane Mucklow Photography – and now also of Picture Your Brand, as I have recently separated my branding photography from the original business. The main name is obvious, it’s what a lot of artists and photographers do, and I am keeping it for my landscape photography.  

My new business name is thanks to a friend, when I was trying to come up with something to call my new Facebook page and website, and I really loved this option!  It encapsulates that I create branding photographs, and it covers me helping with creating and growing a brand, something I’d love to do more of. 

Plus it suits both me taking photographs, and me teaching photography for businesses.  I picture the whole brand, to put it all into the branding photos so that it all goes together.  I teach you to take your own branding photos and other on-brand images.  I teach you to know what you want your brand to look and feel like, and to create the visuals and content to match.

What’s your business story? Why did you start your business?

I started Jane Mucklow Photography in early 2014.  At that point our children were 1, 3 and 6.  I’d been made redundant three years before, and wanted to do something that allowed me to work around the children, being at home for them in between school and nursery, and for holidays etc. 

I had also just sorted out a health issue, recovered from a big operation, and was feeling much better for the first time in many years!  So I gave myself until the youngest started school to see if I could turn my hobby into a workable business.

I started off selling my landscape photographs as prints, cards and calendars, and I still do all these.  But as I started meeting other local ladies running their own businesses at networking meetings, I realised that they really needed headshots, photos for their websites, product images, and branding photos, and so I started doing all these for them too, and found that I loved helping them and taking these kinds of photos. 

It makes for a great variety of work, and keeps me busy!

What are your super-powers?  How do you stand out?

I am amazing at taking photos, and passionate about helping other women in business to have beautiful photos of themselves and their business to grow their brand and business with. 

I am calm, kind and friendly, and I gently pose my sitter so they feel more confident in front of the camera and get photos they love.  I really get to know each of my clients, and their brand, so that we can create photographs that truly reflect them and their business.

I know my stuff, and can teach it to other businesses so they can take their own photos and build their brand.  I’m the only photographer I know who teaches smartphone photography for business owners, with branding too.  

I’m the only photographer I know who combines brand photography and headshots with colour analysis so that my clients look their very best in their photos. [UPDATE: Sadly the lady I did this with moved away from the area during covid and I haven't yet found anyone else to work so closely with].

What’s your big story? What’s your mission? Why are you an entrepreneur?

I have loved taking photos for as long as I remember – and at least since my best 7th birthday present was my first camera!  I gave up working for the Queen so that I could take photographs for my career.  Now I am thoroughly loving working for myself and building my own business.  I wanted to create something that I am passionate about, that inspires me and others, has a positive impact, helps other female business owners, and gives me time and money for my family.

My mission is to help other women to be more confident in front of the camera, so that they can get some beautiful branding photos of themselves to grow their business with.  

[UPDATE 2024: That is still my mission!  I have also expanded it to include specifically supporting introvert business owners to build a strong brand and get visible, so they don't have to hide or get burnt out trying to grow their business just using strategies designed for extroverts instead of what suits them].

What’s your niche? What do you want to be known for?

I help female business owners to build and grow their visibility and their brand through beautiful story-telling brand photography.  (Even if they are a little camera-shy). I’m the branding photographer who knows about brand.  And who’ll gently support you through the process if you don’t like having your photograph taken!

[Update 2024: As above, yes still that - and also I want to be known as the introvert brand expert who helps introvert entrepreneurs to show up, stand out and sell more].

What are yours and your brand’s values?

Kindness, Positivity, Loyalty, Joy, Growth, Inspiring, Supportive, Courage.  [I've swapped the order a bit, but yes, still the same!]

What’s your customers’ story? Who are your ideal clients?

I work with other female business owners, usually in the early stages of their own business, or they’ve had it as a side hustle for a while, and want to make it more business-like and professional looking. 

- They don’t yet know much about creating a brand, designing the branding, making it personal to them (I can help them with all that). 

- They need a set of cohesive branding photos of them and their business, but don’t like having photographs taken of themselves (I help them be more confident in front of the camera, to take their own photos, and to have professional photos done). 

- They’re not very creative, or at least not great photographers (I teach them how to improve their own photography for their social media posts).

[UPDATE 2024: Still all the above!  Just also more focused on supporting introvert business owners to show up in photos, to build a strong brand so they can stand out, and to be more visible so they can sell more easily and grow their business.]

What’s the story behind your logo?

I love my logo!  It is made up of a J, M and P for Jane Mucklow Photography.  Plus the J makes a flower stalk and the M are mountains, to show the landscapes and flowers that I started off photographing for my business, and still love to do.  And then the P is made from the flower stalk and a circle – the circle represents the camera lens containing the landscape.  So far I’ve been using this for my branding photos too. [Yes I'm still using it, within a text based full logo, see top of the page!]

What’s the story behind your brand colours and your visual style?

My brand colours are taken from my Winter season colours that suit me to wear, because I like them, and because I wanted to position my brand in the Winter season personality and style.  The purple means strong, luxurious and creative, and the pale pink is a contrast to that, adding a touch of feminine and elegance.  I also use a darker winter raspberry pink for a more confident look, it adds a bit of brightness to the cool Winter colours.  Pink also means kindness and reassurance so suits the nurturing and supportiveness of my brand values. 

I also use a bit of silver / pale grey, and dark charcoal grey, for their calming, efficient, and glamorous meanings, and they go well with the pink and purple!

I use my brand colours with plenty of white space, and overall my brand style is clean and bright, distinctive, elegant, luxurious, bold, and contrasting.  

I use two contrasting title fonts, one plainer but interesting, and one more opulent and curly (Josefin Sans, and Sacramento).  Plus Monserrat for body text.  And strong, plain geometric lines and shapes for any graphics in my website and social media posts – see the Pinterest image below.  All these suit my Winter personality/brand style.

What’s your brand’s personality / brand season if you used my quiz for your branding?  Your brand vibe keywords?

Winter again, aligning with my colours and style.  Distinctive, elegant, expert, creative, welcoming, focused.

Is there a story behind your brand photography?

My first set of brand photos were all taken at Knole Park – it’s a big estate and deer park just outside Sevenoaks, with a National Trust house in the middle.  I have walked in the park since I was small, and I used to work in the house for the National Trust.  And being just up the road from where I am now, it was the perfect place to have some photos of me taken.

[Update: I've had more taken over the years since of course, and still aim to use outdoor locations with a bit of history, to reflect me].

Finally, where can we find out more about you and your business?

www.pictureyourbrand.co.uk

www.facebook.com/pictureyourbrand

www.instagram.com/pictureyourbrandwithjane

Here's the original Pinterest graphic!  Pin it:

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I hope this blog post has inspired you to get to know your own brand a little more, and helps you to create your own brand stories.  Knowing your own brand, and using it cohesively everywhere, will really help to build and grow your business.  You’ll be more recognisable, more memorable, and you’ll attract more of your ideal clients/customers. 

[UPDATE: I can't believe I wrote this 4 1/2 years ago, I still use the words building a strong brand to be recognisable and memorable now!!]

See the blog category ‘#Your Brand Stories’ for guest blog interviews as I add them.  And let me know if you’d like to answer the same questions!

Next Steps:

- Need some new headshots or branding photos and live nearby?  I'm just outside Sevenoaks, Kent, south east of the UK.  Find out more about how it works and my different packages on the Capture Your Brand page.

- Ready for more personal mentoring, brand, visibility and marketing strategies that work for you, a community of fellow ambitious introverts, training, and accountability to put it all into action?  You'll soon be clear enough on your brand so you can answer these questions too!  Come and join my Brand Plan membership, and get support to show up, stand out, and sell more🤩

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Blog topics / categories: 

#Your Brand Stories

[This blog was first written in September 2019, then transferred to this website and updates added, January 2024]