Green Life Property Services

When I made the shift in my work to focus on product photography and branding, I knew it was going to allow me the opportunity to meet and create impactful images with so many amazing businesses across Jacksonville. And this session opened my mind to all the different types of businesses I could serve.

Green Life Property Services is a locally owned, eco-friendly, lawn care and landscaping company here in Jacksonville. The owner, Shane, and I actually go way back to when we were about 12 years old! Normally, I wouldn’t share a personal note on here when I’m talking about a local business. But it feels fitting in order for me to get across how much care, passion, and drive is behind this company.

Shane started out mowing lawns in high school, going door to door, offering his services, loading up his push mower into this god awful orange trailer (LOL), and just putting in the work! Now he’s grown it into a huge business with a crew, multiple trucks around town servicing clients all over Jacksonville from subdivisions to commercial contracts.

He did the damn thing! 👏

I share all of this and tell one of my oldest friends’ stories with you to hopefully introduce you to one of the biggest reasons I love working with local small businesses.

These are regular, everyday, hard working people.

The amount of hard work and drive and passion that goes into a small business; the amount of love that entrepreneurs have for what they do. Its inspiring.

I said this to a local business owner recently…

“We woke up one day and decided to do the damn thing!”

For Green Life Property Services? They’re out there doing the damn thing EVERY day. Showing up. Putting in the work in the most efficient, eco-friendly, reliable way. While keeping the environment healthy with their electric push mowers and non-toxic materials. If you guys are regulars around here, you already know what I’m going to say! Y’all know I love these small businesses with big missions!

Shane even went to school for horticulture so he could better his craft 🤯

So when Shane asked me if I’d be willing to drive around with them one day and capture photos of his crews hard at work for their online marketing, I jumped. One, I’ll be honest with y’all, I haven’t worked with a lawn service company before. So I’m always up for something new and exciting, your girl loves a challenge! Two, I get to go ride around all day with great people for a session!? Do I get to take the mower for a spin!?

…. (They said no 🤣)

It was such a fun challenge though to capture photos while working around his crews so I didn’t disturb their own work! Because this was not a staged shoot, y’all! That’s not what he wanted. He wanted to show the real, genuine work his team puts out there. My little legs never moved so fast trying to get the shot and then get out of the way of the mower - his team was very diligent about not running me over, but I was trying very hard to not get in their way all the same.

Until I wanted an action shot….

I wanted a shot of the grass flying around all willy nilly when they came by with the blower! So I got down on the ground, and asked his crew to come towards me with the blower, and blow the grass at my camera. I wish I had BTS of this part y’all, because when I tell you I was just on the ground, in a cloud of flying grass, scrunched up face, eyes half squinted, just clicking away, it was hilarious. I stood up and was just coated in grass. The guy with the blower felt so bad, I was like, “No, no, it’s fine, I asked for it!” 🤣

Do it for the gram!

Anyways. This was a much longer blog post than I had intended. I came into it planning on talking about the session, what we did, how it went. But it felt more important for me to share the people that make this business what it is. A group of hardworking, dependable, educated specialists and certified horticulturists that care about providing their customers with one of a kind service, and keeping your yard, and the environment, healthy. And that’s part of my why: I want your customers to see the people behind the business and to be able to connect with you. So that when they’re in the market, you’re the one they remember, the one that they know, and the one that they trust.

Be sure to check them out for your next sod installation, big cleanup, or just your regular maintenance - you won’t regret it.

Follow them on Facebook and find them on Instagram!

Have a business that needs updated photos for your website or social media content? Click below and let’s talk!

product photography for the holidays

I know, I know! Why are we already talking about the holidays!?? The real question is… why are we just now talking about the holidays!?

If you’re a business owner, you know that you need to plan ahead for the holidays. We’re talking end of summer, beginning of fall here. Whether that’s laying out your marketing plan for holiday specials, new seasonal products, advertising events, or just bracing yourself for the influx of business!

Here’s the truth. We’re all going to be stressed out during the holidays regardless. Between business needs, personal lives, kids, families, gift giving, holiday parties, travel, all the things. But! …

don’t let your marketing be another thing that stresses you out this holiday season!

Let’s get ahead by getting all of your social media content and online marketing needs out of the way!

Have new products you’re planning on offering? We need to get that product photography done now so you can plan your content out and start advertising in time for the holidays!

Have a new service you plan on rolling out for the winter season? You guessed it! We need to get that content created now, so that you can get a jumpstart on marketing it!

did you know that you should be marketing three months in advance!?

I recently read an article that said the keyword ”flower bulbs”, which reach their highest seasonality in April, start to see an increase in search volume in early March. That means you need to have the marketing for those done and online in February!

When you plan your marketing out ahead of time, you’ll see an increase in your reach and then in your profits. How do we get there? By getting that necessary, essential marketing content created in advance.

But that’s not all! If you are planning out your marketing 3-6 months out, that allows you to measure your effectiveness in marketing over time so you can see what’s working and what isn’t.

you won’t be left hangin, don’t worry!

In all my years in the marketing and promotional industry, and now through my work servicing local businesses across Jacksonville, one thing I’ve noticed again and again is this:

A client receives all of these fabulous, tailor made images reflecting the essence of their business and what their mission is. YAY!

…. Now what…?

It’s exciting, and overwhelming (in a good way) when you get all of your photos back! But most clients are overwhelmed at all the possibilities with all of this new fresh content, and most of my clients get super excited to just share them all right away. And while I’m always thrilled at the excitement and love for your photos, I might surprise some of you by saying, DON’T DO IT!

Instead, you want to (what’s that word again? OH!) plan out your content with intention.

Don’t just go posting all willy nilly now! But don’t worry, my services don’t stop at the clicky-clicky. My background in design and marketing actually play a huge role in the photos I create for you and your business.

I know what type of images you’re going to need for a website, and which ones will work better as social media posts, or for promotional products. I know what will work great with special announcement graphics and online shops! And during our reveal appointment, where we sit down and look at all of your final photos, I’m going to give you all of the ideas, visions, and marketing tips I have flooding my brain so that you walk away from this experience, not just with great photos, but with a marketing plan.

More than just a photo… as I always say :)

antler & crown hat co.

For those of you that follow me on Instagram, you know you can catch me out on the dance floor line dancing with my gal pals every chance I get. I used to just throw on my jeans and my boots and get out there. Which I still do. But sometimes its just fun for me to style up my outfits. Which brings me to the moment I met this client and got so inspired.

While connecting with brides-to-be at a bridal expo here in Jacksonville, I came across another vendor, Antler & Crown Hat Co. They’re a mobile custom hat bar based in FL that steams, shapes, brands, burns and turns a hat into pieces of art that express you!

They had different shaped hats, different colors, so many unique ribbons and fabrics, feathers, weathered playing cards, various shaped pins and jewels. To make a fully customized hat. My jaw was literally on the floor y’all, I know that there’s other variations of hat bars. But I hadn’t seen anything like this before. So naturally, I was SHOOK.

endless possibilities

I stood there staring at their setup taking it all in, thinking of all the possibilities. Do I want something fancy? Something casual? Something playful or sassy? Light? Dark? Pop of color? The CHOICES!

Thank goodness for the owner, Ashlee. She knows her stuff, y’all. She is such a creative, and has such a good eye for what pieces will go well together, staying within your style preferences.

She creates art with every single hat.

(And helps the indecisive creatives like myself who have so many ideas but just can’t decide!)

Businesses are only as good as the people making it run, dreaming the dream, and creating the magic.

Small Businesses with Big Missions

If I wasn’t already completely blown away by this entire concept, and Ashlee’s great sense of art and style, her and her husband also have another business that has a big mission. Through the Storm Apparel is a vet-owned, US apparel brand fighting to start conversations about mental health.

We stood there talking for about 20 minutes at the bridal show, about the hats, about the apparel line, about their background and their goals. And that’s why I do what I do. Yes I love taking pictures. But around here, you guys know its more than just a photo…

this is my why….

It’s the people. Seeing business owners have such passion for what they do. Hearing their stories and their whys. It’s inspiring. And it makes me want to be a part of it and help them reach those goals, spread their messages, and achieve big things.

If you’re a business that has a product and you’ve been thinking about getting professional photos done, I would love to get to know you and your business and create impactful images that drive profit. Let’s take your branding to the next level!

Be sure to give Antler & Crown Hat Co. and Through the Storm a follow and support our local Jacksonville businesses!