Ami Robertson explains how she creates authentic brand photography for her female entrepreneur clients
(Image credit: Ami Robertson)
Brand photography can be an essential part of a business – especially in the social media-focused world we live in today. Many small businesses are run off the back of Facebook and Instagram, where business owners can connect with potential customers and take them behind the scenes of their work.
Ami Robertson is a headshot and brand photographer who created The Woman & The Wolf in order to specifically work with female entrepreneurs. Working across London and the South East, Ami wants to help women in business become confident about being visible to their customers with her portrait photography.
Ami Robertson is part of 22 women who are partnered with the Women Who Photo & Film campaign, which was originally launched by The Photography Show & The Video Show in 2018. This year, Ami and the other Women Who Photo & Film ambassadors will be hosting an informal networking session on Sunday 20 September from 17:00 BST onwards.
We sat down with Ami to ask her about The Woman & The Wolf and how a brand photography shoot typically goes.
01. Can you tell us more about The Woman & The Wolf?
The Woman & The Wolf was created in 2017 when I decided that I wanted to diversify into brand photography. I decided to specifically work with female entrepreneurs (although I do work with some male entrepreneurs as well), as I wanted this to also be about empowering women to be visible and overcome any confidence issues.
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I'm also a massive fan of wolves and I believe that they actually have a lot of common ground with female traits, such as loyalty, a deep desire for freedom and the ability to work both in a community or independently. People love the name and so do I, as it really represents who I am and the people that I help.
02. What sort of things happen on a brand shoot?
For me, the most important thing is that the photos authentically represent my client. I work really hard to build a connection and create a space for them to be themselves.
We do a planning session beforehand so I can get a feel for who they are, who their client base is and what their brand is. Then we come up with a plan for the shoot so that we can really represent them and their business.
I work with so many different people, from wedding planners to other photographers to animal rescue shelters. The work is so varied, so each shoot as its own unique feel.
(Image credit: Ami Robertson)
03. How does this style of photography differ from your wedding work?
I would describe myself as a wedding photographer whose style is mostly documentary. The thing I love about weddings is the story unfolding without any direction from me. However, brand photography has a huge amount of creative influence from me. They both scratch different itches for me, as they challenge me in different ways.
04. Can you tell us about your favorite shoot so far?
I have so many shoots that I'm fond of – and they're so varied. The animal shelter was super fun, but I also thoroughly enjoyed working with a private chef, as we ate lots of food! While I don't think I can pinpoint a favorite shoot, I do know what my favorite part is. Building a connection with people who are so inspiring and seeing them grow in confidence is something I'll never get tired of.
05. Can you tell us more about how you're involved with The Photography Show & The Video Show Virtual Festival?
I'm an ambassador for Women Who Photo & Film, which is a really important campaign to showcase female photographers and videographers. However, it's also there to help inspired other women in our industry as well, as it's still very male-lead.
I'll be doing an Instagram Live session on The Photography Show Instagram on Friday 04 September talking about what I wish I'd known when I got started. I'm also going to be doing a panel talk as well.
It's really exciting to be a part of this campaign, as there are some amazingly talented fellow female photographers who are also ambassadors, so I'm really proud to be alongside them.
With over a decade of photographic experience, Louise arms Digital Camera World with a wealth of knowledge on photographic technique and know-how – something at which she is so adept that she's delivered workshops for the likes of ITV and Sue Ryder. Louise also brings years of experience as both a web and print journalist, having served as features editor for Practical Photography magazine and contributing photography tutorials and camera analysis to titles including Digital Camera Magazine and Digital Photographer. Louise currently shoots with the Fujifilm X-T200 and the Nikon D800, capturing self-portraits and still life images, and is DCW's ecommerce editor, meaning that she knows good camera, lens and laptop deals when she sees them.
