We welcome the incredible Xavier Buendia, fabulous photographer and member of the C100 as our guest blog writer this week!
Hello Business Club comrades,
Xavi here writing to you from the comfort of my kitchen table where I get to do a bit of morning sketching and writing to help me get into my creative process for the day, always in the company of good coffee, a freshly baked croissant, and good music. If I’m not at my table then you can find me writing from one of my favourite cafes in town (Curio, Hello my Moon, Black Mocha) or hanging out doing aperitivo in one of my favourite wine bars in town (Fourth & Church, Curio, 10 Green Bottles.)
But hey, I’m not here to talk about my continental lifestyle or my morning routines, I’m here to tell you a little bit about my business and what it is that I do as a commercial photographer and an artist.
My official title is Food, Portrait & Documentary Photographer, freelance, of course! That summarises what I do for my clients, but there’s much more to my craft beneath that SEO-friendly tagline. My work focuses on three main objectives or principles:
The human side of business
I like to portray the humanity of the industries that I get to photograph. In business, as you know, people buy from people they can relate to, so let's say if an advisor, for example, offers a digital service, I'd dive deep into this advisor’s personality to portray the person who is offering the service, find his/her/or their motivations and curiosities. This as a result makes my clients a lot more approachable therefore, easier to reach new audiences.
Storytelling
In the form of documentary photo essays that serve my clients’ strategy for PR and marketing. It’s a cheesy tagline well overused in the media but everyone has a story to tell and this is so true for business as well!
For example, a fitness brand asked me to document a day at the Faculty of Sports Science at Southampton University to show that their products are not just another high-street brand but scientifically researched for comfort and performance in women’s sports.
Or a PR trip I did to Napoli with the Fatto a Mano Pizza crew where I photographed everything but pizza, just them being an incredible team of passionate individuals learning about Neapolitan culture.
Visual identity and personal branding
This is just a natural progression from the two points I mentioned before. By telling people stories and documenting what they do, we are able to build a strong bank of images with a unique style and compelling aesthetics of the highest quality that elevate their brand identity. A good example is the portrait work I’ve been doing for our wonderful host Lyndsey Clay since she started Connected Brighton:
As an independent creative, I know that investing in passionate experts like myself who love elevating their clients' profiles is the best we can do for our business. Good photography is not just beneficial for your reels and Linkedin profiles, it’s helping you build your community, reaching a new audience, and elevating your brand to inspire trust in what you do.
I also do the standard commercial menu, product and portrait shots just in case you’re wondering.
So here comes my sales pitch: I’m offering a 10% discount to everyone in this Business Club (new clients only) for 2024 on all my standard rates. Editing, retouching, and commercial licenses are included in all my quotes. There are no hidden fees.
I’m always happy to meet and share ideas so please drop me a line if you’d like to discuss a project or just grab me at one of the Connected 100 events that I attend.
I look forward to connecting with you!
Xav
Website: xavierbuendia.com (it will be updated during the summer)
Instagram: @xavogram
Substack: Xavografica where I write mostly about my personal work
Linkedin: Xavier Buendia where I’ll be more active starting this summer
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