Larissa’s brand photography session in this versatile Los Angeles loft left me feeling inspired, empowered, and excited. This is our second time working together and I gotta tell you, working with Larissa reminds me of why I love being a Los Angeles brand photographer so much. She’s incredibly trusting of my judgment and takes direction so well–our first branding session (back during COVID times) took her branding to the next level and her business has grown so much that she’s opening her own office now with full-time staff!

Instead of the usual client coming to photographer process, I actually found Larissa first… to do our taxes. I have to thank Accountants of Color for this. I took once look at Larissa’s photo on the site and knew that I had to chat with her. That decision proved to be a good one because once we got chatting… you couldn’t stop us. We quickly realized that we were both budding entrepreneurs with a passion for serving small businesses and brands. One meeting turned into two and then before we knew it, we were doing a branding session in LA.

After our first session in 2021, Larissa’s business grew. Her magnetic and kind personality coupled with the aligned images we took really told her audience that she was a badass tax professional, but that she was down to earth and always ready for a fun story and a laugh.

We knew that it was time for a second branding session – something more refined and targeted… something that matched her elevated vibe. After all, she’s working with some big clients and her business has changed too. The one thing that I admire about Larissa is that she knows when she needs to invest in herself and doesn’t hesitate to do it. She understands the value that hiring more staff, getting updated and aligned branding photos, and getting an office space. She understands that the investment will pay itself back tenfold.

Larissa is the CEO and founder of In the Black Business Services. She offers full service bookkeeping, payroll, tax preparation and new startup business consulting services with a focus on small business and their growth. The thing that makes Larissa unique is the personal touch she puts on each relationship she has with her clients. You never feel like you’re lost in the sea of clients… instead, you feel like you’re one in a million, every time. Larissa is a woman of color and also a kick ass mom of five. She truly does it all and then some. Wait until you see that outfits she brought – you’ll ask yourself how she does it all. Trust me… I’m still trying to figure that out.

My favorite tool to use when looking for studio spaces is Peerspace. I’m not sponsored by them (but holla at me Peerspace. I’d love to be sponsored), but I love using this site because it is user friendly for both photographers AND clients. Most studio spaces are in Los Angeles, which isn’t surprising considering the large amount of tall buildings with plenty of gorgeous window lighting. What I usually do is send my client the Peerspace link and some brief instructions on searching for their dream space.

Every branding client I work with is different. In Larissa’s case, I sent her some studio spaces I thought would fit her vibe and branding. We then hopped on a call to pick our mutual favorite space! The loft we ended up picking was the perfect fit for her needs. It gave us professional, stylish, lifestyle, and vogue all in one – just take a look at the photos below and look how versatile it is!

My favorite moment during this session was how Larissa put together her team. Victoria, her make-up artist, is her go to make-up person and every time I’ve worked with them, the make-up is flawless and translates amazing on camera. While Vee did her make-up, R and I walked around the studio, matching outfits to different areas. I laid the outfits out near the areas so we wouldn’t forget which was to go where. This is essential if we want to get maximum usage of the space with a variety of shots for a branding session.

Because of all of this, we were able to do EIGHT OUTFITS, yep EIGHT, in the span of 2 hours.

Thank you Larissa, for being such an amazing person and an even better client. We always create magic when we work together and this time was no exception. Another branding session in the books and another example of how my collaboration and guidance can help my clients create an aligned look that accurately represents their brand. If you’re ready to invest in yourself and elevate your brand presence, a branding session is what you need! Let’s work together!