Over the past two years, I have worked with Pounamu Skelton to build a professional image library through a series of business branding photography sessions in Taranaki.
When someone asks her for profile photographs, she can respond quickly and confidently with a selection of high-quality images ready to use.
Pounamu’s collection also gives her variety. Instead of repeatedly using the same photograph, she has images showing who she is, what she does, where she works and the story behind her products and services.
Images Ready When Opportunities Arise
Pounamu’s collection includes professional portraits, her Indigenous coaching work, the plants and rongoā growing on her whānau property, the preparation of ingredients, her latest Maara o Rongo skincare range, and herbal tī.
Her profile photographs have been used for speaking events across the country, with one appearing in Kia Ora, Air New Zealand’s inflight magazine, showcasing her special event, ‘A Taste of the Season: Kai, Kōrero and Puanga’, at the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery.
“When people ask me for a bio and a photo, I feel confident in the photograph I have to share.”
Rather than needing to organise new photography every time an opportunity arises, Pounamu already has a varied collection of professional images ready to use.
HOW BUSINESS BRANDING PHOTOGRAPHY TELLS THE FULL STORY
Business branding photography is not only about creating a good portrait. It can also show the unique environments, processes and values behind a business.
For Pounamu, this meant photographing her in the fruit forest, inside the large seed hothouse, gathering vegetables from the maara, working with a client during a coaching session, and in the drying room where plants are prepared.
Together, these images show the depth of her mahi and her connection to the whenua.
From the Maara to the Finished Product
Part of Pounamu’s photography brief was to tell the story behind Maara o Rongo, from the herbs and rongoā growing on the whānau property, to the ingredients in the drying room, and finally to the finished skincare products.
Calendula is used in some of the skincare range. We photographed a large maara filled with vibrant orange calendula flowers, humming with bee activity.
We also captured an array of herbs and rongoā, including lemon balm, lemon verbena and peppermint. These three herbs are used to create Pounamu’s revitalising Āio Organic Tisane.
Āio means peace, calm and harmony. The herbs are organically grown under Hua Parakore principles, with no sprays or chemicals, then hand-picked, prepared and blended on the whenua.
Pounamu is also a trained apothecary, a term I hadn’t come across until I began working with her. Traditionally, an apothecary is someone skilled in preparing remedies and healing products from plants and other natural ingredients.
It is a fitting description for the mahi Pounamu does, bringing together her knowledge of rongoā, maara kai and the healing properties of plants.
The images are authentic to her story. The growing, picking, drying and production are all part of the real process behind her business.
Showing the ingredients as they grow adds meaning to the finished products. Customers can see where they come from and understand the care, knowledge and intention behind them.
Making Marketing Easier
Pounamu’s images are now being used across her website and online store, in brochures, postcards and more recently at a wellbeing conference stand featuring multiple large posters. They are also used by outlets stocking Maara o Rongo.
Having professional, high-resolution files has made the production of printed marketing material much easier.
“Having high-quality photographs gives me continuity and speeds up the marketing material I’m trying to create. The printers aren’t pushing the files back, and the images don’t come out fuzzy.”
When creating her brochures and postcards, Pounamu could return to her image library and select from photographs of the plants, ingredients and finished products.
Some images were used immediately, while others found their purpose later.
“I can go back into my files and discover an image I’d almost forgotten about. Everything has its timing.”
A well-planned branding shoot creates visual material that can continue supporting a business as it evolves. Some images may become website banners or social media content. Others may later be used for publicity, speaking engagements, brochures, new services or product launches.
As Pounamu described it, the photographs are held “in the reservoir, in the bank,” ready when she needs them.
A Special Day on the Whenua
My dad, Hone, was my assistant for the product shoot. After a big day out in the sun, it was joyous to see Dad and Pounamu’s dad, Tony Skelton, sharing kōrero and lots of laughter.
Tony is the master builder of the property. Pounamu visions what she wants and then Tony creates it. If you ever get to visit, check out the drying room and discover what else he has built – he always has multiple projects on the go supporting the evolution of Maara o Rongo.
We were fortunate to take home some extraordinarily divine skincare products with the most amazing aromas, along with Pounamu’s Āio Organic Tisane.
Drinking it felt even more special after seeing the lemon balm, lemon verbena and peppermint growing so lushly in their maara and knowing where that goodness had come from.
Dad and I left feeling wonderful.
Pounamu’s collection shows how business branding photography can capture much more than a person’s appearance. It can reveal the mahi, values, environment and processes behind a business, creating authentic images that remain useful as the business grows.
Visit Pounamu Skelton’s store Maara o Ronga Stay connected with Pounamu on Facebook or Instagram @pounamu_skelton.
