Björn Lexius: Curating Your Wedding Photography Portfolio & Messaging
INTRODUCING BJÖRN LEXIUS (HAFENLIEBE PHOTOGRAPHY)
Coming at you from Hamburg, Germany, Björn is a master of his craft when it comes to wedding photography. In 2017, Björn was named one of Rangefinder’s Rising Stars! His work is all about connection, emotion, authenticity and equality.
Hi, I am Aida, host of My Wedding Season -The Podcast!
If you prefer listening, this blog post is also available in audio format on my podcast: Episode 12.
MY WEDDING SEASON – THE PODCAST
INTERVIEW MAIN TAKEAWAYS
Björn truly has his branding on point and it is reflected clearly in his online presence. As soon as you hop on over to his website, you will see that he has put a lot of effort into curating his wedding photography portfolio and honed in his messaging in order to speak to the right-fit client.
After consulting with friends, Björn decided to rework the copy of his website with the help of fellow photographer, Juliana Socher. He came to realise that the copy on his website maybe repelling people due to the wording having a negative vibe. Therefore, he decided that it is important to write what he likes instead of what he dislikes. For example, instead of writing “I don’t like sexism, I don’t like racism” which are his core values, he now writes “I am all for inclusivity; I am all for feminism”. In addition, he also makes sure that he uses imagery to backup what he is saying. For instance, he shows all types of couples on the main page of his website.
We also talked about how there should be a connection between the photographer as a person and their work, as well as their overall brand. That way they will be able to book clients who authentically align with them. This goes to say that your personality as a photographer matters!
He illustrated his point by saying that:
“Nobody can be the photographer that you are because it is your personality that you put in as well. It’s gotta make sense. Like if I put a slideshow on my website using punk music to my photos, I can do that because it fits to my overall brand. With other people, it doesn’t.”
– Björn Lexius
A mic drop moment during the interview was when Björn said “do you want to show how beautiful the day was, or how beautiful the day felt?”. In order to make this come across on his website, Björn carefully chooses which images he showcases in his portfolio – the images need to provoke an emotion for him. He does this for about 90% of the images in a gallery, and adds other images that support the story (e.g. location shots) and make it work. In essence, he has certain criteria that his images need to fulfill. Björn continues to share that he doesn’t necessarily share the best weddings that he shot, but the weddings where he felt the most comfortable and made the best connections to the people.
I am so grateful to Björn for taking the time share so much valuable information with us.
If you want to learn more from him, he does offer mentoring sessions and website reviews!
It goes without saying that I highly recommend him.
Episode & show notes: Curating Your Wedding Photography Portfolio & Messaging
Website: www.hafenliebe-weddingphotography.com
Instagram: @hafenliebe_weddingphoto
HERE IS A LOOK AT HIS INCREDIBLE WORK
