We were lucky to catch up with Christine Bertacini recently and have shared our conversation below.

Christine, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

In my industry, I’ve found a distinctive edge by combining my passion for photography with my background in marketing strategy and luxury branding. Before going full-time with photography, I worked on The Agency RE’s marketing team where I guided real estate agents through branding exercises to help them find their unique value proposition.

By leveraging my marketing experience, it has allowed me to excel in the art of visual storytelling. What sets me apart is my thorough approach to client engagement. Prior to any branding or lifestyle session, I dive deep into understanding my clients’ goals and the narrative they wish to convey to their target audience.

One of my strengths is guiding my clients through tailored branding exercises, in addition to listening to my clients’ visions, I also offer strategic insights drawn from my marketing expertise. This helps to solidify their brand identity and refine their messaging, ensuring that every photograph captured during our sessions serves a purpose beyond aesthetics. Whether it’s a founder’s story, a product launch, or a lifestyle campaign, my goal is to create imagery that not only captures attention but also communicates their brand identity with clarity and impact. Each image is crafted to embody their brand values, evoke emotions, and ultimately drive engagement and loyalty among their audience.

By combining strategic marketing insights with an artistic vision, I am able to empower my clients to stand out in their industry and establish a meaningful connection with their customers through the power of visual storytelling!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My first ever high school job was actually a sports photographer for Bay Area high school sports! After graduating high school I moved to Arizona to attend The University of Arizona and was a sports photographer and a creative services intern for Arizona Athletics all of college. I always knew I wanted to be a business owner and in my senior year of college I started started marketing myself on Instagram offering senior photos and photographed over 100 seniors in 2020 through covid! After college, I worked in marketing for four years and learned a lot of valuable insights and experience. Photography remained a constant passion and I did a lot of headshots, events, branding photos, engagements, and family photos on the side. Ultimately, I took a leap of faith after realizing there is no “perfect time” to make the transition to full-time photography. I find joy in capturing all of life’s precious moments—whether it’s a graduation, an anniversary or engagement, small wedding, or the launch of a brand. My journey has not only shaped my skills as a photographer but also equipped me with a unique creative vision and strategic thinking.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Not a particular resource, but for sure finding a creative mentor earlier in my journey! I think having a mentor is the most valuable resource, and having friend sin the industry who value collaboration over competition. I have seen my business grow immensely through my relationships with other industry professionals.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

I love the power of social media for connecting people! Many of my new clients find me on Instagram. I also have a large amount of referrals. Creating strong relationships and a memorable client experience is so important in this industry because the people who have a great experience from start to finish and feel comfortable with you are willing to refer you to their friends and leave great reviews :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.crbcreativephotos.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crbcreativephotos/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556722837424

Image Credits

myself, CRB Creative Photos