The photos above were taken from the last wedding that Quirky Creatives had before the first 2020 hard lockdown started. Back then, there were already stories of a virus spreading across the world. And just like everyone else, the team didn't think it was going to get as serious as it did. They thought the lockdown was only going to last for 2 weeks--max. But it got extended. One wedding got postponed, then another. And another. Until pretty much all the weddings during the summer season weren't going to push through indefinitely.
By May 2020, Noel was in panic mode because he had a young new family to support. And to top it all off, in 2019 they invested in expensive equipment for their business. That's when the couple started brainstorming for project ideas that they can do whilst being quarantined at home. The initial idea for Slice of Life was to share on Instagram, quiet moments of their everyday life. Then the idea naturally progressed into creating beautiful photos for new and emerging local businesses. The couple saw an urgent need that can be fulfilled during quarantine life--people started selling their own homemade food creations (and other products), and these new businesses needed quality photos in order to sell their products.
It wasn't that much of a stretch for them to transition into a diversified photography business because according to Noel,
even before the pandemic, they already expanded their business model
by offering photography services for non-wedding related
companies. They were also offering project management and styling services for corporate events. Not to mention, Rae also had a professional make-up service. This was a couple that knew how to hustle and to channel their creativity into several projects to begin with.
But there were other photographers who started offering the same photography services so how did Noel and Rae separate themselves from the rest? Well...three things.
First, the couple took advantage of all that extra time being stuck at home to learn. They decided to absorb as many marketing and branding knowledge that they could find on the web like a sponge. So when they offer photography services, they are also able to create photos aligned with the brand's identity and its objectives. This means that they weren't just creating photos--they were adding more value into it.
And secondly, their new business has its own clear social media voice. When you check out Slice of Life on Instagram (and Facebook), it is a beautifully curated page created by foodies, for foodies. All of their food clients are assured to be featured in this new social media profile which comes with its own write-ups like a food blog. In other words, Noel and Rae get to try the new dishes created by their clients and they are able to express their experiences in very descriptive captions. And it works. As of this writing, their socials already have a combined 6,000++ followers. And if you know just how hard it is to grow an Instagram account these days, that's an incredible achievement all on its own.
And thirdly, remember I mentioned they were already doing styling for corporate events pre-pandemic days? They used that skill to not just take photos of the food (and other non-food products) but to actually style it--which, if you are familiar with advertising and how commercials are traditionally produced, styling is a completely different service and fee altogether. But they managed to offer it as a packaged service at a reasonable rate. Which again---created even more value to their services.
The results of their new business has been phenomenal. They now have repeat clients as new clients continue to discover them through their social media presence. And guess what--weddings are also finally back!
Late last year, Noel and Rae captured their very first wedding as quarantine guidelines started to ease. When asked what it was like to work on weddings again, Noel shares that they are enjoying the fact that most weddings are now more intimate and more personal--just the way they like it.
But as everyone knows, 2021 is not at all very different from 2020. And we were back to lockdown life, early this year. Now that they have Slice of Life, it's not as scary when weddings get pushed back.
As cliche as it sounds, Noel says that the pandemic is proof that you simply cannot put your eggs in one basket. Learn to diversify, learn to be flexible, and learn to continue your education to gain new skills.
Follow Quirky Creatives and Slice of Life via the following channels:
https://www.instagram.com/sliceoflifemnl/
https://www.facebook.com/sliceoflifemnl
https://www.instagram.com/quirkycreatives/?hl=en
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