short story in 10secs…/ Be honest and open in all your communications - people will love and respect you for it. And the best way to start is with your visuals, your images. Authentic, diverse, emotive images in your branding, advertising and marketing. Remember, Johnny don’t read anymore. Neither does Jane. They look at pictures. All. Day. Long.
long story in 4mins 19secs.../ Spoiler Alert: The word Authentic appears 14 times. Sorry.
*IMAGE is No.3.
Family & Friends is No.1 and No.2. Or No.2 and No.1 if you lean towards the “You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your family” kinda vibe.
The point is “Authentic” ( if I was totally honest, the word Authentic has been thrown around everywhere lately, like confetti blowing in the four winds, every TEDx speaker, every entrepreneur, every influencer, EVERYFREAKINONE! So much so, it’s losing its authentic aura - just sayin’ ) has been trending for years now when it comes to image searches, and in 2019 that trend steps up a gear or three. Throw in diversity, inclusivity and cultural respect, and you’re getting close to what people most want you to be - real, honest, open and transparent.
So, let's say you’re me. For me to be considered authentic, I need to be perceived as real, respectful, honest. No bullshit. No hiding. Straight up. Show it like it is. Tell it like it is. Apologise if I fuck up.
The same goes for a brand. You need to stand by your ethics, morals, values no matter what, even if it means getting a little uncomfortable when things don’t go as planned. You can carefully stage manage a PR train wreck, but the bullshit will always float to the top. Always.
Be honest and open in all your communications - people will love and respect you for it.
And the best way to start is with your visuals, your images. Authentic, diverse, emotive images in your branding, advertising and marketing.
I know I’m inspired by authentic brands and will emotionally invest in their stories and their journey. Hell, I’ll probably even up buying their products and services. That’s how I roll. I like you, I believe in you, I’ll buy from you. You like me. You believe in me. You’ll buy from me. See, works both ways.
Companies perceived to be authentic build brand loyalty and tend to be more profitable.
Dove is one such company that changed with a reset in 2004, launching their “Campaign for Real Beauty” into the hearts and mindsets of everyday, real woman. Their new mission statement clearly set the vision: “Beauty should be a source of confidence and not anxiety.” Not looks, shape, colour, religion, sexual orientation. Just confidence. Beautiful.
Their followup campaign of Dove Real Beauty Sketches - “You’re More Beautiful Than You Think” with 68,522,651 views and counting…smashed it outta the park.
The Always campaign #likeagirl is another company leading the charge with honesty, reality and authenticity in their visual communications. Brilliant.
ASOS have bucked the superficial norms of over-styled, overproduced, over processed, retouched to fuck fashion photos, by publishing an image of a model - with stomach rolls. Mic. Drop. How refreshing. Like we all haven’t got them. Reality.
ASOS Keeping it Real. Praised for showing stomach rolls / Images © ASOS
It’s the same for people...authentic, real, relatable, down-to-earth people attract loyal friends, fans and followers.
And right now, Billie Eilish is killin’ it. She‘s a rebel with a cause. Confident, unapologetic, unstaged and unscripted. There hasn’t been anyone like her before.
“Her lyrics really relate to our generation more than like any artist I’ve heard before for a very long time.”
Billie Eilish London Fan 2019
Billie is not your typical lolly pop stage managed, overstyled, precious, pretentious artist. She’s raw, rough (like as in rough diamond), unfiltered, natural, honest and genuine. Her inside matches her outside. Authentic. And that’s why she attracts a growing global, predominately female fan base. A young, independent woman starting their own life journey, finding their place, purpose, identity, you feel like Billie has their back. And they have hers.
Perfectly Imperfect.
Story Behind The Image/ That’s Alex. We were all returning from Hervey Bay to Brisbane. It seemed like we were driving forever. It was late in the afternoon, the sun was setting and there was this peaceful calm in the car. It was so quiet. No music, no pop tunes blasting out. No conversation. Silence. It seemed everyone was having their own moment of solitude, reflection - call it what you like, we were there in body, but our minds were elsewhere. I felt that. Darren was driving, eyes fixed on the road. I was in the front and turned around...Maria was resting. Half awake, half asleep. When I glanced over to Alex, the light, the glow, it seemed like she was in another world. She’d escaped into the pages of her book. t was like she wasn’t even there. Something inside me said, “Joe take a shot. TAKE. A SHOT.” I reached for my camera, quietly turned around and...clicked. One shot. This one.
Sensing something had pierced her bubble, Alex “returned” back to her seat, back to reality. She looked at me and gently smiled. I smiled. I turned back around...the silence continued.
When I looked at the shot it was a little soft, not perfectly focused, the framing could have been better, but to me, it was perfect. It was a moment in time captured forever. One of my favs. Five years on, whenever I look at this photo, I’m teleported back to the front seat, to that afternoon, our journey, the calmness, that peace. I can feel still feel the warm rays of the sun on my face, that silence, that moment.
That’s what an authentic image should be. Emotions. Feelings. Forever.
How to shoot Authentic Images/ It’s a combination of three things...
Starting with People...I cast real imperfect people. 99% of my shoots have been with new, fresh, a little bit nervous, inexperienced, curious people. I street cast people. Raw people bring their perceived fears, faults, their imperfections to the shoot, and I gently unravel all their layers, strip their inhibitions, just enough so that their confidence and curiosity think, “Hey this isn’t that bad, lets have some fun.”
Next, it’s Me...I’m a one-off, authentic human being. My DNA will back that up. What you see is what you get. I’m a chilled, laid back, easy going. Nothing much phases me kinda guy. I don’t take this all too seriously, sometimes people think I should, but I don’t. I know where we’re all ending up. Life is short. I’m humble, open, kind and respectful. I’m confident and fearless. And not afraid to fail. I’ve got an irreverent sense of humour, and I‘m naturally fun to be around - or at least that’s what I think. I don’t know. Ask Alex.
And finally, it’s the Shoot...You can set the scene, the vibe, the wardrobe, styling, you can do all of that, but if it’s not fun, then what’s the fucking point? Bring your fun game. Always.