Jessica Sterling Profile: What Do You Want to Get More Of?

Jessica Sterling at Dodger Stadium

What do you want more of in your professional life?

Let that guide what you share in social media. It works as its own magnet and its own law of attraction, bringing into your life what you’re focusing on.

That was one of several gems I heard from Los Angeles-based photographer Jessica Sterling. We chatted recently about her social media strategy for her business.

Jessica shoots extraordinary portraits, epic events and awe-inspiring architecture – helping people and businesses share their stories. Here are a few samples of how she draws out the essence of people in her portraits …

She’s photographed many notable people, including Serena Williams, Justin Timberlake and Michelle Branch, to name just a few.

Jessica and I met through work in my DIRECTV days, when she photographed several events for us. (Note: opinions expressed in this blog are my own).

Later, I booked her services personally when it was time for a new headshot. That experience turned into one of my top 10 articles in 12 Ways to a Great LinkedIn Profile Photo.

When I did a study about how people are using social media to build their careers, it surfaced several people who are doing it well. Some of them will be profiled in future posts.

Jessica was a natural to be the first profile. She makes me smile every time her images and videos pop up in my Instagram feed. Here’s what she told me about how social media helps build her business …

Why are you active in social media?

Social media keeps me in touch with my clients – past, present and future. It keeps me connected to people and top of mind. It gives me a fresh presence and a reason why people should care about me and my work.

What platforms are you on?

Instagram is perfect for photographers, so I’m there. Facebook too. And LinkedIn. Once in a while I’ll do a blog post on my website.

What type of content do you share?

Shoots I’ve booked lately, and what I’d like to book more of in the future. Portraits are big. People are passionate about what they do. I love capturing that in images. Events are fantastic. A recent one was at the Mayor’s office – for Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

What content gets the most engagement?

Selfies! People love them. They want to connect with your story. You can tell your continuing story through selfies.

How has social media changed photography?

It’s been huge. People are used to seeing beautiful images. People want and demand them. They don’t always know what it takes to create them. That’s what I’m passionate about doing in my work.

What’s your personal brand?

It’s seamless and fun to shoot with me. I strive to make it as pleasant and as comfortable as possible. People tell me I’m quiet when I shoot. I can be inconspicuous at a big event, but I’m there when you need me. The best validation is when someone hires me and loves the experience.

What do’s and don’ts do you observe?

Two don’ts: No political stuff. No social causes. People want to have fun, and that’s where I meet them in social.

Why isn’t your young son on social media very much?

Social media is so powerful. We don’t fully understand its ultimate impact. I want my son to have control of it when he’s old enough to do so.

What’s the next big thing in social media for career building?

Instagram Stories are interesting. There’s a lot to explore here!

Inspired by Jessica? Here’s how you can connect with her:

IG: @jessicasterlingphoto

FB: facebook.com/jessica.sterling

LI: linkedin.com/in/jessicasterlingphotography

Web: jessicasterling.com

Blog: http://jessicasterlingphoto.tumblr.com

Watch for more profiles coming soon. And if you’d like to be profiled, leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!

How to Be Social in Instagram

CL_InstagramPhotography was never my strong suit.

Yet we live in a visual world. And as a “word” person, I need to keep learning about visual ways to communicate.

Enter Instagram.

Setting goals. My reason for being on Instagram is to develop my photography skills and the eye for the visual. I began with beautiful scenery, and my next area of focus is people.

My audience is a mashup of personal and professional contacts. I’m not strictly focused on a business-related goal. Yet.

That said, great resources for using the platform for business to “share your brand’s point of view” can be found right on the Instagram site.

Getting started. A James Dean quote inspired me one weekend while I was out and about. “Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you will die today,” caught my eye. It was so powerful and timeless that I wanted to share it. And thus began my Instagram posts a year ago this month.

Set your goals and then just start. Learn and adjust as you go. Explore your passions as they evolve. Connect with interesting people and brands. “Like” and comment on others’ posts. Have fun with the experience.

After all, isn’t that what life is all about?

Finding people and organizations to follow. Starting with my employer, I’m proud to follow @DIRECTV, @DTVBlimp and @DIRECTVCareers.

Working in entertainment, I enjoy following major events like the @GoldenGlobes and @TheAcademy. Plus favorite TV shows @DowntonAbbey, @TheGoodWife and @BetterCallSaul. And an amazing documentary about “ordinary women doing extraordinary things,” @EmpowermentDocu.

Then there’s the mashup of work colleagues, community friends and family members. You never know where inspiration is going to strike.

Creating compelling content. Instagram is my online, real-time photography class. I keep an eye out for compelling images in the everyday world. I practice taking different shots from different angles, with different lighting. I experiment with the fun filters available on Instagram. I try cropping images in different ways.

On the topic of photos, I take a counter-intuitive approach to bio photos across social media platforms. Most of the great advice about building social media profiles says you should use the same photo across all platforms to build your personal brand.

However, I use different photos for different reasons. My LinkedIn profile has the professional bio shot provided by my employer. This matches my employer’s corporate bio for me.

My Twitter profile has a bio shot that I had done independently. And since I’m not tweeting in an official capacity for my employer, a professional photo not associated with my employer made better sense to me.

My Instagram profile has the same photo as my Facebook profile. Since my purpose for being on Instagram is more informal, I felt something with a more casual feel would work better.

Fitting it into daily life. Wherever I go, I’m on the lookout for visually appealing images. The blue trees above were from the @DIRECTV holiday celebration event at our Southern California headquarters. As I was heading home, I was struck by the colorful vibrancy our amazing Corporate Events team led by Kerin Lau had created. A quick snap of a picture and a comment mentioning DIRECTV was all it took to capture and share the moment.

And many of my pictures are taken while I’m out exercising. So I’m taking steps for my health and my Fitbit at the same time as I’m creating content. The added benefit is I find I’m more attuned to and aware of my surroundings. This creates more mindfulness in my life in general, plus deep gratitude for the natural beauty of our planet. All good things for a healthy and productive life.

Finding adjunct uses. Everything interconnects, I shared in How to Be Social.

This blog requires a variety of images, so the photos I snap for Instagram also become part of my personal photo library. There’s no copyright to worry about or payment for the images, since I’m the photographer.

And over the holidays visiting family in New England, I followed my nephews and niece in Instagram (and somewhat surprisingly, they followed me back). And I helped my mom set up an account, so she can follow us and feel more connected to our lives across the country.

My teen daughter and son are great coaches. They help me through the “how do I . . .?” moments. And I heed their advice to post no more than two images on any given day. That keeps the quality up and hopefully means followers look forward to seeing more, rather than wishing to see fewer, posts.

What are your best Instagram tips?