In this age of web-driven commerce, Miranda Hayek has developed a full-service photo studio model that provides families and individuals with personal legacy images and business owners with all the media they need to succeed. In this episode of The Portrait System Podcast, Hayek speaks with host Nikki Closser about the path she took to get there.

Around 15 years ago, Hayek was using her education in kinesiology and marketing for a nonprofit helping people with mobility issues. Having discovered that grant proposals with images of the people being served were much more likely to get funding, Hayek began using editorial photography for storytelling. Suddenly, the world was plunged into a recession and Hayek was laid off. With two young children and an impending divorce, she had to act fast to stay afloat.

Fast forward to the present and Hayek is running two full-service photo studios under one roof – one that caters to professionals and another that caters to families. Supported by a staff of five, she offers business coaching, web design, video, commercial and fine art photography, but often her business clients come in just looking for a headshot. 

[Read: Three Reasons to Add Business Branding Photography to Your Bookings]

Hayek says, “I’m very careful in how I approach my marketing and my portfolio because generally people don’t know what they need until they need it. And my marketing background . . . is that you’re looking at solving a problem and providing a service that people know they need and then complementing it with services or products they don’t really know that they need yet or may not even be aware of.” 

Her conversation with them starts with finding out where the image will go and then leads into an offer of the further services her company provides, such web design, logos, and coaching. Hayek also encourages them to consider adding video because of the benefit it provides for ranking on Google searches. It also warms up potential clients, who are often eager to learn about whether the companies they are considering working with share their values and goals. Hayek says that because of her use of video on her own website, by the time a client contacts her, they are already sure they want to work with her because they feel like they know her.

[Read: The Personal Touch that Nets Big Bucks]

For Hayek, marketing is all about storytelling and her lifestyle editorial photos and video are well-suited to this current age where people spend so much time scrolling on their phones, consuming images, slideshows and video. Hayek encourages all photographers to use photography and video to their best advantage. 

To learn more about Hayek and how she uses images, video and storytelling to sell her services, see her commercial work at Blue Blossom Studio and her fine art photography at Blue Blossom Photography. 

The Portrait System Podcast helps portrait photographers navigate the world of photography, business, money, and much more. Hosted by Nikki Closser, the podcast is powered by The Portrait System, a comprehensive, online educational platform that teaches all aspects of running a successful portrait photography studio.