Cast Iron Photography: The Rebranding Story
Obviously, the website and blog have a new look these days--I wanted to fill everyone in on the rebranding journey we've been on!
The journey of my photography business has taken us through several different business names--back in college, I operated under the stereotypical (but great!) first-and-middle-name title--Rebecca Lynn Photography. When I actually registered my business and became an honest woman (read: started paying taxes) I went with BE Photography--as a nod to my initials and the concept of just "being." Then, I got a super adorable cease and desist letter telling me to lay off that name, and so I stretched it out to Becca Egger Photography for a while.
This spring, we decided that it was time to recognize the growth the business has had and celebrate with a complete rebranding adventure. The designer I've used in the past has been more busy in recent years with her corporate job (you go girl!), so I needed to reach out to someone else. Through some networking opportunities, I was aware of Kyrsten Sherwood of Copper Kettle Co., and was also quite aware that I LOVED her work. So, I got up the nerve to write the first of approximately 786 emails that we sent back and forth over the next several months.
Let me tell you guys--this girl is fantastic. She's incredibly friendly and supportive, talented, professional, timely, and has a knack for taking the ramblings of clueless folk (me) and figuring out what I ACTUALLY mean. Her creative process is so logical and seemingly simple--but I know that kind of streamlined efficiency comes through a LOT of time and effort. The girl is GOOD, y'all. One of the biggest tasks I accidentally sprung upon Kyrsten was renaming my business. HA! That is not in her job description, that I'm aware of--but she was so kind and bounced a few ideas back and forth with me, until we landed on the perfect solution--Cast Iron Photography.
I wanted a name that reflected both my personality and history as well as the heart of my business. We brainstormed plenty of words relevant to Texas culture, my childhood, etc.--and when the idea of a cast iron skillet came up, we both knew we'd found something special. My mom always cooked (and still does!) probably sixty percent of our family meals in the cast iron skillet my dad bought for his bachelor apartment when he was a teenager. Spaghetti, stroganoff, stir fry, sausage gravy, bacon--it all tastes better if it comes out of cast iron. It was a right of passage to learn to properly clean and season the skillet as children. I even wrote a paper about our spaghetti dinners for my senior English class in high school. I'm telling you, that skillet is a big deal.
Kyrsten and I loved not only the nostalgia cast iron holds for me, but also the symbolism it holds for southern culture. It's a tough, hearty instrument often used as a comedic weapon in westerns--but left to soak in something as simple as water, it is quickly compromised and even ruined. I see so much of that in the people around me. I grew up with the children of farmers and cowboys, businesspeople and engineers, blue collar and hourly wage laborers. In Texas, we take a lot of pride in how tough we are. We work hard to earn what we have (be it position or relationship or opportunity) and fight fiercely to maintain our earnings. However, listen to our music and read our books, and you'll see that cowboys and engineers and blue collar workers nurture rich and sensitive hearts beneath our iron-clad exteriors. Sometimes it's a weather-induced tragedy, other times it's disease or accident or abuse; no matter the case, we are incredibly sensitive to our environments, and our futures--the manner in which we continue to fight and work and battle--are constantly changed and shaped by our pasts.
These are the people I photograph, the people I represent. It is SO important to me that my work reflects who people genuinely are. Sure, shower and brush your hair and plan your outfits strategically--I'm all for that!--but show up as yourself. You're a fighter, a survivor, a nurturer--and you may have some battle wounds. How beautiful is that? These are the people I celebrate with every inch of my business, from my logo to my website to my manner of communication. So, Cast Iron Photography it is, and I am so proud of that.