Jain Lemos » Photography and Publishing

About eight months ago, Los Angeles-based photographer Stephanie Diani hired me for one of my super-duper Comprehensive Brand Reinvention Consultations. Stephanie’s portfolio was solid. Her notable list of clients and awards told me she was established.

But now, Stephanie was ready to kick her profile up several notches. We made a plan! To begin, I wanted to know:

1. What makes Stephanie tick? What makes her rattle? I put her through some fun (but not overly woo-woo) exercises.
2. Which words “fit” Stephanie? We came up with a big list of concepts that more accurately introduce Stephanie and her work to clients.
3. Did Stephanie’s existing images fit these concepts? I analyzed her various portfolios. Armed with our new “idea” of Stephanie, it was clear to see what was working and what wasn’t.
4. How would her portfolio benefit if we pulled it apart, reorganized the mix, and applied stronger sequencing to her best images?

Once we had the essentials together, it was time for action. I helped Stephanie complete two new self-funded projects for her portfolio. Here is one of the images from her “Man Made God” study:

"An Ending" from the series, "Man Made God" by Stephanie Diani.

During this process, positive things started happening for Stephanie.

Stephanie’s second new project, “Scenes from a Marriage,” immediately received recognition and won a Jurors’ Selection Award in APA’s  2009 “Tell us a Story” annual photo competition.

We obtained credentialing for Stephanie to continue shooting on her project, “Dames: Legends of Burlesque.” She was hired for new shoots, foreign publications licensed her images for excellent fees, and she’s been approached by top-tier agents for representation. Her phone is ringing.

Ta da! Stephanie’s new website is launched and looking terrific.

As we start on the next marketing phases, expect to be seeing and hearing a lot more about Stephanie and her work!

Once again, wildfires are raging in the Golden State. My readers know I was born and raised in the coastal town of Mendocino, Calif. I call myself a beach baby, especially now that I’m currently based in Tucson, Ariz. I’ve lived near the Pacific Ocean for the vast majority of my life in many coastal areas throughout the state including Tiburon, San Francisco’s Marina District, Santa Cruz, Pismo Beach, Montecito, Malibu, Venice Beach and Laguna.

Over the years, I’ve heard many complaints about the California Coastal Commission’s restrictions on individual property owners who want to make improvements or changes to their land and buildings, even for homes located far away from the coastline. What was once a plan to temporarily protect the Coast’s fragile environment has turned into a bizarrely-run group of bureaucrats bent on making sure you don’t fix a road, build a fence or cut down a tree without their arduous permission and permitting process.

What’s more, the prohibition of property owners and firefighter authority’s ability to clear Commission-protected California Chaparral (essentially dry brush) to prevent fires from spreading and jumping has caused home–and even life–loss throughout the state.

I want our beaches to be as clean and accessible to all as possible. It is also important to protect any truly endangered species in our coastal areas. I like hugging trees, too. Yet even former Coastal Commission members and executives agree that that the checks-and-balances such a Board should be bound by are so completely out of whack that something has to be done.

To that end, I applaud the efforts of Richard Oshen, a documentary filmmaker whose compelling exposé, “Sins of Commission: The Politics of Fire,” opened my eyes and my mind. If you only see one more film this year, make it “Sins of Commission.”