Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sarah Dowlin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sarah, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Any thoughts around creating more inclusive workplaces?

When working with business owners and marketing leaders, I emphasize the idea of using their photo sessions as a celebration. All too often, corporate photography is viewed as a “must do” for the sake of marketing and not a “get to do” for the benefit of the team as a whole.

When I reframe the session as a celebration, clients begin to inherently understand how to include their diverse teams in the session. Instead of considering “how do we include so-and-so in this shoot to meet DEI requirements” the conversation becomes “let’s invite everyone into this moment of celebration.”

For instance, I’ve worked with several companies that use their company headshots as an opportunity to emphasize inclusion in the workplace. Rather than focusing on portraits for executive leadership alone, individuals from all levels are invited to participate. I’ve witnessed first-hand how this small gesture pays huge dividends in a company’s culture, as it recognizes that every person on the team is seen and significant.

More specifically, I worked with a company that transitioned from male-led to female-led ownership. Professional portraits and lifestyle imagery that captured the personality of the new leaders celebrated the importance of this change in leadership and gave the organization a defining moment to solidify the change. The ensuing use of these images on their website and social media provided a visual marker for the community at large to recognize this change as well. Moreover, because of the organization’s large footprint in the Cincinnati business community, the prolific use of the images communicates the inclusion of women in executive leadership and business ownership.

Sarah, 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?

I’m Sarah, a company culture brand photographer who saw marketing managers at small-to-midsize professional service firms rely all too much on generic, seen-it-before, hit-the-snooze-button stock photography on everything from the company’s website to core print materials.

In 2018, I found myself freshly laid off from a dream job planning six-figure photoshoots for Fortune 100 brands. I was also four months pregnant. Rather than pursue another corporate job, I decided to start Parisi Images with a vision to simplify the cost and creative hurdles small- and mid-size businesses face when sourcing custom photography.

Incubated, in the space between newborn feedings and toddler naps, I’ve established a reputation within the Cincinnati photography market as a resource for low-production, high-value corporate shoots that are fun for the clients and result in a gallery of bright, energetic workplace imagery for the client’s principal marketing tools like their website and social media.

When people interact with me and my work, I emphasize three things:

• More than building your brand, photography can shape your company CULTURE.
• Company brand photo sessions should be a moment of CELEBRATION (not just an expensive marketing exercise). When planning my session, I want each person I photograph to feel SEEN and SIGNIFICANT as a result of our interaction.
• And, finally, company culture brand photography is an opportunity to PICTURE what’s NEXT for a brand. My hope is that clients reference their images as a “pin in the map” toward achieving their desired brand and team culture.

To date, I’ve worked with dozens of local businesses – big and small. My work has helped an interior designer catapult her business from a mom-and-pop shop to a local name brand; unified the brand for a local real estate team that merged with a well-known home construction business; and launched the freelance careers of several entrepreneurs trading the corner office for private practice.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

When I started my entrepreneurial journey, I was much more focused on being connected to fellow photographers rather than my ideal client. While it’s important to have a creative community with whom to share ideas, speaking with other people doing the same work won’t get you any clients that way! I now invest much more of my time connecting with potential clients as well as other entrepreneurs.

It also took me a long time to realize the value of re-investing in your business for strategic growth. I’m pretty conservative financially but after working with a business coach that focuses on money mindset, I’ve been able to put more money back into my business while also paying myself more. One key investment I’ve made is in a networking group that meets weekly. Having a consistent group of fellow entrepreneurs to share ideas with and that is supportive during the highs and lows of business has made a huge difference in my business acumen and confidence.

Finally, a couple of books have greatly shaped my life and business, namely Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans and Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash Monster to a Money-Making Machine. I read the first title after being laid of a dream job; I credit it for helping me transition my photography business from weddings to corporate work. The second title helped me learn how to pay myself consistently while also ensuring funds are still available to reinvest in my business.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’ve been a photographer since 2007. For the first decade of my career, I focused on capturing wedding stories for clients in the greater Chicagoland area. In addition to my work as a photographer, I developed a marketing career, working more “traditional” jobs in a host of industries.

In 2017 I landed a dream job at a worldwide branding agency planning large photoshoots for Fortune 500 brands. I had always wanted to work inside an agency and loved being able to combine my photography experience with my marketing acumen and project management skills.

Sadly – and quite unexpectantly — the agency did a wide set of layoffs just eight months after I joined their team. Suddenly, I found myself unemployed – and, (surprise!) pregnant with my first child.

In the subsequent season of uncertainty, introspection and, let’s be honest, constant morning sickness, my photography work surfaced as the “constant” in both my career and life. I realized that while all of my official roles had included “marketing” in the title, my contributions as “in-house photographer” had always made the biggest impact. I captured everything from headshots to workplace interiors, to candid moments of my colleagues and the clients we served. Always, my images always found their way to the company website and social media channels and in their media pitches and annual reports, bringing real value to my work as a marketing leader and, more significantly, to my employer’s bottom line.

Reflecting back on these experiences and with the birth of my daughter in 2018, I decided to relaunch my photography business, officially pivoting from weddings to corporate work.

When I started photography, I never could have imagined this pivot. Brand and business photography was not yet a concept like it is now. Moreover, I never could have replaced my experience inside the organizations and types of businesses I now serve that enables me to carry a 360° view of how imagery builds a brand and shapes company culture into every shoot.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.parisi-images.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahdowlin/

Image Credits
Personal headshot by Kim Dalton All other photos by Parisi Images