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Home
About Me
Families
Personal Branding
Resources
Blog
Contact

Home
About Me
Families
Personal Branding
Resources
Blog
Contact

Portfolio

Welcome to my photography and video projects and galleries

Long Portrait
Real Life Family Films
Documentary Family Photography
Street Photography
Crossfit
Portrait Photography
Projects for and with charities
Promo videos and brand films
Personal Branding Photography
Music

This year, I listened to a podcast that stuck with

This year, I listened to a podcast that stuck with me.

Let’s rewind.. ⏪

🏠 I grew up expecting my life to be like everyone else’s: grow up, get married, have 2 kids and a job I liked doing.

But that’s the things with expectations – life rarely matches them.

I was single for most of my adult life and didn’t meet a man I wanted kids with. I preferred to be on my own than be part of a couple just to be with someone.

➡️ As a result, I didn’t have kids in my 20s.

In my 30s I moved to the UK, still expecting to meet someone and start a family.

Well… that didn’t happen either. I eventually passed the feeling of wanting kids for a number or reasons.

Then in 2019, I met Lee. He had 2 teenage daughters. While they never spent a lot of time with us, I slowly slipped into the role of a step mum. But I’m still child-less (biologically). By choice. 🥰

When I was in my 30s and I told people I didn’t have children, I had to constantly hear things like “you’ll change your mind when you meet the right person” and “don’t worry, it’ll happen” without even considering whether I wanted this. It’s an assumption that is put on every woman. It’s what made me believe most of my life that I wanted my own kids. 💪

That’s what part of the podcast was about. It was Glennon Doyle’s “We can do hard things”. I felt so seen listening to this episode. Because I’m in my 40s now and I don’t regret never having had a child.

Watch out for my next post where I talk about how not having a child is actually an advantage to being a family photographer.. 📷

#FamilyPhotographer #FamilyPhotography #BrightonPhotography #PhotoAndFilm #UKPhotography #FamilyDocumenting #DocumentaryPhotography #WorthingPhotography

My biggest motivation is to create images that tel

My biggest motivation is to create images that tell a story. 💪

Rather than getting a single show-stopping photo during your session, the magic in documentary photos lies in the stories they tell not just individually but as a series.

Every story has multiple elements. That relates to your family story overall as well as the stories that a single day can tell. 📖

➡️ This photo shows Alan and Al with their 2 kids, getting ready to go to the beach in Brighton. The photo was taken about a month before they moved to Australia where Al is from from. It’s from a time when Otto, the boy, had long-ish hair which eventually got cut after they moved. It shows a scooter in the back that almost caused an accident in the house about 20 minutes after this photo was taken.

Bea’s hair is in a braid which is something Alan had to learn as the dad of a girl. Alan is cleaning Otto’s nose which is something all parents have to do constantly until the kids are old enough to do themselves. I can see the makeshift ramp on the left side of the photo that was used to let toy cars and other items slide from the couch to the floor.

🏠 The photo was taken in their living room which was the main play and common room for the 4 of them. You can see the beautiful hardwood floors which reminds me of the typical English house they lived in.

🎤 It’s not a big wall-art photo but it tells a million little stories to me and probably even more to the family.

#FamilyPhotographer #FamilyPhotography #BrightonPhotography #PhotoAndFilm #UKPhotography #FamilyDocumenting #DocumentaryPhotography #WorthingPhotography

Most people don’t like to be in front of a camer

Most people don’t like to be in front of a camera. I get that. It’s the reason why I’m behind it usually 😀

🎯 But your business relies on you – your face, your voice, your ideas and your passion.

So part of your Personal Branding session will always be headshots and portraits.

I understand that we all change, grow older, maybe gain some weight or lose some hair and wish we’d still look like that 25-year-old version of ourselves.

🚫 But using outdated photos will only make it harder for you to connect with people when they see you in “real life” and realise you look very different from the images you shared online.

It’s false advertising. Doesn’t work well in online dating. Doesn’t work well in business either!

🙌 However, if you work with the right photographer, they’ll be able to put you at ease and make you feel confident during your photo session which then results in images you literally can’t stop sharing.

🌍 And with this positive feeling, it’ll be so much easier to show up online and share with the world what they can get from you.

#BrandPhotography #BrightonPhotography #BrandingPhotography #Branding #BrandingPhotographer #PersonalBranding #ContentIdeas

👋 A photoshoot could lead to you saying “hey” to your dream clients!

How? Here are some suggestions…

♻️ Are you a coach, passionate about sustainability? Show reusable items as part of your daily routines.

🙏🏻 Are you passionate about yoga and use that to exercise and balance your life and energy?

💎 Are you a jewellery designer who loves dogs? Include your dog in your photos and you’ll be surprised how many dog lovers will pay attention to you.

We connect over the smallest things – personality traits, preferences, workout routines, our marital status. If we make those things obvious, we will be able to create a community of like-minded people.

⚡Btw, that doesn’t mean that you have to share your children’s faces or names or talk about very personal details.

Only share what you are comfortable with! But do it in a way that those you want to work with, them feel seen.

Tell me in the comments what you like to connect over.
For me it’s things like Crossfit and Fuji cameras. Very predictable, I know…

#BrandPhotography #BrightonPhotography #BrandingPhotography #Branding #BrandingPhotographer #PersonalBranding #SmallBusinessPhotography

Let's Connect

I’m Brighton’s documentary family and personal branding photographer and filmmaker!
Cultivating confidence though beautifully authentic images of your family and work life.

anja@anjapoehlmann.com

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