Building Bearded Fellow's Brand

First 9 turns into a bigger discovery.

At first I took on this project as a way to get more traction on Instagram because that is what I thought I was looking for.  Throught the process of studying my own images and posting them, I discovered that it had turned into much more than that. I felt like there was more missing than consistency.  I lacked the vision.  Each image looked ok on their own, but never part of an overall group.

With the many photoshoots I had done to this point and I never really understood why they always felt just a bit off until I did this project.  I am not sure how long this project took all of you, but after thinking it would take just a couple weeks at the beginning, it ended up taking me months.

Round 1:

Here is my first 9 (several months ago). The images were farely warm, and the colors were pretty saturated.

Round 2:

On the next 9, the warm photos were still there but you can see that I started playing with the removal of color all together.

Round 3:

With the next 9 I feel like I was getting closer, but still holding on to the safe zone of the warm images.

Round 4:

It was with this next 9 that I hit a milestone.  I wanted the warmth and earthyness, but the images needed more pop and contrast so they weren't always so soft.  I was finally getting closer to what felt like "home" when it came to colors, feel, and style.

Round 5 (finals 1/2):

With the last two sets I felt like I hit a stride on my aesthetic.  A growing up if you will.  Even my last photoshoot took on the style because the aesthetic had become so clear in my mind. They have a warmth to them that is not from the literal color orange, but from a grounded perspective.  They feel earthy and just a bit gritty.

Round 6 (finals 2/2):

So here you have it.  The final (current) 9 I have posted to Instagram.  I started taking that new clear vision of my work and started applying it to everything I photograph as Gareth mentioned, as a test to that aesthetic.

On closing, this project became much more than trying to be consistent on Instagram to gain more followers, but a full on discovery of my photographic aesthetic.  Hope you enjoyed the story and feel free to let me know your thoughts.  Conversations among us artists is always great.

Instagram: @beardedfellowco

Chris