Quick Info

  • Role: Photographer

  • Responsibilities: Portrait photography, promotional imagery, social media content

  • Tools: DSLR Cameras, Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop

  • Timeline: 2014

  • Location: Toronto, Ontario

Overview / Context

This photography project focused on capturing professional and creative portraits of a children’s book author and illustrator, intended for social media, book covers, and ebooks—including works like Mally McKee: The Missing Pie Caper. The client’s goal was to create a cohesive visual identity for his personal brand and studio, Purple Tree Co., enhancing his online presence and supporting his literary and illustration projects.

Photography & Design Objectives

  • Create approachable, engaging portraits suitable for book covers, promotional materials, and social media

  • Showcase the client’s personality, creative style, and storytelling sensibility

  • Maintain visual consistency across digital platforms and published works

  • Deliver images that support marketing of children’s books and other illustrated content

The Challenge

  • Convey creativity, warmth, and professionalism in a series of portraits

  • Balance studio and natural lighting to reflect the author’s playful yet professional persona

  • Produce images that are versatile for multiple formats, including social media, ebooks, and print covers

Photography Approach

  • Pre-Shoot Planning: Discussed brand positioning, book themes, and social media objectives with the client

  • Lighting & Composition: Combined soft natural and controlled studio lighting for flattering, approachable portraits

  • Storytelling Focus: Captured poses and expressions that reflect the client’s personality, creative process, and illustrative style

  • Multiple Formats: Composed images to work for square, vertical, and banner layouts for social media and book covers

Execution / Deliverables

  • Conducted the photoshoot with a mix of candid and posed portraits

  • Delivered a curated set of high-resolution images optimized for social media, ebooks, and book covers

  • Post-processed images for color consistency, clarity, and mood

  • Created a flexible image library for ongoing promotion of the client’s works and studio

Outcome / Impact

  • Provided a professional, cohesive set of promotional images aligning with the client’s personal brand

  • Strengthened marketing for his children’s books, social media presence, and Purple Tree Co.

  • Images have been used across social media channels, ebooks, and book promotions, creating a consistent visual identity for the author/illustrator

Reflection
This project reinforced my ability to capture personality-driven portraits that support branding, publishing, and promotional objectives. Balancing creative storytelling with technical precision was key to delivering images that feel authentic, professional, and versatile across multiple formats.

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