Many months ago, somewhere in the middle of that COVID year, we applied for a grant through our lovely local council to help us tackle a couple of big dreams.
While there had been plenty of help to keep operational costs manageable during the pandemic, this initiative was a little different and aimed to encourage projects that would help businesses adapt to this new, very strange climate. It got us thinking - if we had all the money and all the time, what would we do to grow this business?
With a fledgling online store and a massive shift to e-commerce, we focused on expanding our digital presence - building a stronger website, increasing our marketing knowledge and, maybe most importantly, investing in professional imagery of the store & staff.
You see, we're very happy to point and shoot our clothes and accessories, but not so likely to be found in front of the camera, and that had led to a lengthy absence of our faces in your feed. I like to think that one of the best parts of Salt & Sand is the relationships we build through the store, and it's pretty hard to translate that online when the faces behind the brand are invisible.
So, stepping well beyond our comfort zone, we called up our super talented friend Claire Davie from Gumnut Photo+Film, and planned a photoshoot. Store imagery, some staff pictures, and then a fun picnic at the beach for some lifestyle shots.
To say we were nervous would be a total understatement. We primped and polished the shop to within an inch of its life, and then had no idea what to do with ourselves once Claire pulled out her camera. Sal, Mads & I spent the better part of an hour trying to dodge the lens in store, and I'm positive our awkwardness did not make Claire's job easy. Same goes for the mood images from the beach - the wind was blowing straight off the ocean, sending dresses, skirts and hair flying. It was freezing!
And yet, she's worked absolute magic with her camera. The photos landed in my hot little hands a week or so ago, and I couldn't be more pleased!
I have a lot of ideas and dreams for this little store, and seeing these photos has me so excited and happy because it feels like they're starting to come true. I'm so excited to see what's next, and I hope you are too!
Another shoot in Spring? For sure, but I think we need a little breather first. And a just a little bit of time to let these pictures and their magic soak in...