We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heike Martin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Heike, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
What if I told you that I’ve made it through the birth canal twice in my life. Yes, not just once but twice.
The first time was at birth and the second time happened in my early fifties.
A friend invited my husband and I to go spelunking (cave diving) and without giving it much thought or asking any questions, I simply said YES.
It was a beautiful crisp fall day when a group of about 15 of us met at the entrance to the cave. It was pretty exciting thinking about what we might encounter. We put on headlights, warm jackets and as a photographer I also had my camera backpack strapped to me.
Walking in single file through the first two rooms of the cave seemed pretty easy. Ducking under low hanging rocks, climbing over rocks of all sizes to move forwards was fun and I loved the adventure. As a group we then had to make a decision.
Which exit did we want to choose to get out of the cave? Our options were a hole in the roof of the cave which meant pulling ourselves up to get out. This one felt physically impossible. The second option seemed like a no-brainer: The Birth Canal. All we had to do was crawl through a tunnel. Sounds easy, right?
Thinking back of how I made it through the birth canal still gives me the shivers. The tunnel was long and pitch dark. I couldn’t see the light at the end of it. I had to go down on my belly and pull myself through the tunnel on my forearms inch by inch. It was so tight that my backpack didn’t fit. It meant feelings of claustrophobia, eating dirt and the constant feeling of “I can’t do this, I’m stuck”.
Being enclosed in this tight space made me wonder if I would ever see the light again. It made me question who I was and if it would be easier to stay hidden in the cave which felt safer at the moment.
Did I have the guts to push through my anxiety of possible failure, of not being sure who I was and how I wanted to be seen? We’ve all been in places like this and had to choose our response.
Thankfully, I wasn’t alone. My husband was right behind me, pushing my backpack and cheering me on. As I inched forward I could finally see slivers of light and hear the cries of joy when another person made it out of the tunnel.
This gave me courage. I could do it. I was able to choose my next steps. I was choosing to brave the uncomfortable so I could show up for myself.
Making it through the birth canal felt like a rebirth. This rebirth gave me permission to OWN MY VISIBILITY.
As a branding photographer and visual storyteller my mission is to help my clients own their visibility as well. I want all of us to leverage our fears, voice and timing so we can empower ourselves and others. As part of my discovery process, I work with my clients on their fears, voice and timing.
OWNING YOUR FEAR: Struggling with our ever changing body weight, aging and imposter syndrome, just to name a few, is the reality for most of us. We can continue to hide in the cave or leverage that fear to work towards the light of possibilities.
OWNING YOUR VOICE: Are you “just” a Mom, daughter, business owner, dog lover or whatever other label seems to be vogue at the moment? My client Dana says, “I’m a runner first before I embrace any of the other labels”. Finding your voice doesn’t mean that you shed those other labels, but it allows you to choose who you really are first.
OWNING YOUR TIME: You choose when to become visible and how. For my client Suzette it meant wrapping herself in the LGBTQ+ flag when she was ready to share her journey with the world around her. This image of her has become her favorite branding image and has gone viral on today.com as part of a story she wrote.
Just as poet Amanda Gorman said, “For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it,” so do I empower my clients to see it, claim it and own their visibility.
Heike, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Combining curiosity, creativity and expert photography skills Heike Martin Photography helps busy, focused and soulful professionals grow their impact and profits with intentional visual storytelling.
Drawing on 17 years of fair trade marketing experience, Heike’s photography centers storytelling, joy, and a celebration of unfiltered truth. Heike loves helping people shift their perspective on what brand photography can do for them. That’s why she regularly speaks about photography and branding—in her trademark German accent—for networking groups, panels, and podcasts.
Heike Martin Photography offers both headshots and branding photography at her studio in Manheim and on location in Eastern Pennsylvania.
In 2022, Heike published her first coffee table book “Owning Our Game: Female athlete stories of strength, beauty, and athleticism.”
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
A few weeks after my youngest son graduated from college, I get a call from him. He is sobbing. I wait, I listen. As a Mom you have a million thoughts going through your head at the same time. What could have happened?
“Mom, I think I’m gay.”
Deep breath. “I love you!”
This was the beginning of a roller coaster journey of amazing highs and heart wrenching lows. For our immediate family it was a joy to see our son coming into his own and finding his voice.
For our extended family and community it was a shock that turned into shaming, hurtful discussions and so much pain.
We were thrown to the borderlands. We had to navigate unknown territory while supporting and protecting our son.
In the midst of this I used my photography to escape from the world. Being out in nature helped me find beauty, peace and joy. With my camera in hand I made discoveries. I learned to zoom in and out and marveled on how this changed the story of the image. Changing position to get different angles forced me to change my focus and with that I realized that I was able to also change my own perspective.
Photography during this time was life giving. Being able to change my perspective has been a big part in finally starting my own photography business. It pushes me to approach each client and situation with an attitude of curiosity and an openness to new possibilities, beauty and worthiness.
Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?
Weddings, newborns, families, branding, kids, headshots, sports. I wanted to photograph it all. Or so I thought.
As a creative and newly established photographer, I thrived on taking pictures of everything that was willing to step in front of my camera. Okay, I also needed the income.
My website and social media marketing looked like a hodge-podge of images that didn’t go together. My messaging was all over the place because I had no target audience. It was a mess and the coveted clients didn’t show up. How could they? I didn’t even know who I was talking to.
That was year ONE of my business. At the beginning of year TWO, I hired a Sweet Spot Business Coach, to help me make sense of it all. I was 53 years old and had no time to waste. It ended up being one of my best investments ever.
After only our second session talking about “what lights you up in your business”, “which clients are your favorites and why”, my coach looked at me and said:
“Go home and delete every photography niche from your website, except for branding. I give you permission to do so.”
What???
I went home and did just that. My husband thought I was crazy, but I trusted my coach and what I deeply felt inside was the right marketing decision. Deleting everything from my website except for the type of photography I truly loved was the most freeing experience. From that day on I was finally able to focus on honing my marketing message and speaking clearly to the clients I actually wanted to work with.
It felt like a huge risk. Since then my business has steadily grown. People now tell me they recognize my work and working with my dream clients is a joy.
Contact Info:
- Website: heikemartinphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heikemartinphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heikemartinphotography/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heikemartinphotography
Image Credits
Heike Martin (all photos) Shikha Sharma (headshot of Heike with camera)