From Practice to Presence: How Creative Experiments Shape My Branding Work
Every creative experiment changes the way I see.
From lighting tests to far-away retreats, each experience deepens the emotional language I bring into my branding work.
The magic happens when strategy meets spontaneity, and the story of your brand unfolds with presence and purpose.
Blog by Jama Finney. Portraits shot in digital medium format - #fujigfx100ii
Every Experiment Leaves a Mark
My personal exploration and client work feed each other. When I allow myself to play, to fail, to create something just for the pure joy of it, I return to my branding sessions sharper, freer, and more attuned.
Lighting and editing have evolved the most for me in recent years. I’ve leaned into mood, depth, and intentional shadow. But for me it isn’t just about the technical growth. Every experiment deepens the emotional language I bring into client sessions. It changes the way I connect, the way I listen, and the stories I help you tell.
When someone steps in front of my lens, they aren’t just looking for a “brand photo.” They’re looking to be seen, fully, honestly, and elevated as they are.
The Art of Letting It Unfold
In my personal brand session earlier this fall with Kristyna Zaharek, a voice-over artist re-imagining her personal brand, we started with a plan: clean headshots, a few lifestyle in the moment moments, and some expressive movement. And we were collaborating with a brilliant brand strategist and website designer, Jonathan Tilley, who knew how to design and knock Kristyna’s new brand unveiling out of the park… so we all knew we needed to tap into her soulful inner artist.
By the end of the day, the plan had totally evolved, in the best way. Krystina was dancing, singing, and emoting freely in front of the camera. We were no longer checking off a shot list; we were creating Kristyna’s visual story. The in-between moments, the ones that weren’t “posed,” became the trueheart of the work.
That’s what I love most about branding sessions: when strategy meets spontaneity. When we move from “What do I NEEDto show?” to “Who am I really becoming?”
Growth Isn’t Always Loud
My creative growth often shows up quietly. It’s in the split second I notice more interesting light. It’s in the courage to ask my client to pause, to feel something instead of pose through it. It’s in editing choices that leave more space for honesty than perfection.
Those subtleties always add up. They build a visual vocabulary that’s uniquely mine and always evolving.
Every retreat, every experiment, every collaboration is a reminder that this work is alive. I’m still learning, still stretching, still surprised by how much beauty lives in the unplanned.
From the Studio
I’m fascinated by how each creative leap of faith changes the next branding session, how something learned in the wild finds its way into the my photoshoots, reshaped by a new purpose.
If you’re building a brand, the same is true for you. Every experiment, every version of yourself you try on and accept, deepens the one you’ll finally own.
When you’re ready to explore who you’re becoming, I’d love to create with you.
Creative Credits
Location: Loft Creative Studio
Hair and Makeup: Pam Butler with The Beauty Patrol
Client: Kristyna Zaharek
Photography: @jamafinneybrandphoto
