how it all happened
Hello there and welcome to the new face of Denise Leacock Photography. This has been in the planning for a while, and I am absolutely delighted with the outcome.
In March 2020 as we all know, our lives changed overnight. What was to be one of my busiest years with gorgeous weddings, became one of stillness. What was my full-time income, started to drop off day by day. All my couples were forced to change the dates for their weddings, and my busy year came to a halt. I started to panic and wondered where I would get my wage from when we were all going to be in lockdown. But I soon realised I had a roof over my head, my husband was still working and we would be ok. I felt so sorry for the couples whose plans were turned upside down. Those who lost their jobs, houses, and family members were so much worse off than I was. I counted my blessings and got my head and perspective back on track, realising I needed to use this time to train and better my knowledge and skills, free time I would not normally have in a busy year.
I knew weddings and families would be on hold for a while, so I decided to concentrate on a part of my business that I never really advertised or made a big deal about before, which was businesses. I loved working with businesses, but was always too busy with weddings to show off my skills in this area. When doing an intensive course online, I was asked to decide on a niche, an audience that I loved to work with. That moment the penny dropped, I loved working with creative individuals and always have done. They ignite the creativity in me as I have a background in art and design. I instantly connect with people in this area so specialising in creatives and makers, was the way to go.
Due to the pandemic, Everyone was forced to go online no matter what type of business they were in. Many had no idea how to do this, or how to sell online. I wanted to help creatives get their products online visually and help them get noticed, to survive through the pandemic. As many were in the same boat, self-employed mums working from home, and they needed my support now more than ever.
When lock down eased, I got out to capture some behind the scenes of these amazing people. This proved to me, even more, I had to make this an equal part of my business as the weddings. But my problem was that they were completely different clients from my couples and families who had already connected with me online. My website and social media were all about capturing moments in time, all about love and emotional connections. I needed to show love in a different sense. I needed to show the love these creators have for their work and tell their story that way. I created a brand Instagram page and Facebook to separate the two but my website was left behind, and my main source of contact was not up to scratch.
The right place at the right time
Divine timing brought my good friend Mari to me, just at a time when she needed me also. Mari and I lived together, went to college together back in the day and both studied Graphic Design. She continued in that field, while after a few years in design, I veered off towards photography. She recently started her own business (Marbarstarbar) after nearly two decades in the design world, in Dublin and beyond. So no better a woman to help me with my fresh new start than her! We became each other's clients, and loved every minute of it!
I did not realise, but I was about to embark on a journey of self-development, getting to know the business better I ever did, why I do what I do, and my love for working with creative people across the board. Also my love for nature, heritage, and the simple things in life.
Mari and I work intensively at the beginning to initially work out what I needed to achieve in my business and my goals for the future. When narrowed down I realised I enjoyed working with "inspired, innovative, and passionate creatives". So to amalgamate the weddings and the brands as two equals in the business, this would be the link to both my wedding and my brand clients. I will sill work with families, as it is all part of the wedding process, but it will be limited as my time will now be split between the weddings and brands.
After a few tweaks here and there, the final fonts, colours, and content all express me, my brand and how I want to continue in to the future.
“I create stylish and desirable photographs for inspiring, innovative, and passionate creatives. My down to earth and relatable approach to my work not only puts you at ease but also generates powerful images and memories, giving pride, passion, and confidence to those I photograph”.
I hope you all like the new look, go for a nosy and let me know what you think!
Love Denise x
