Photo by Di Mackey
Last fall I hooked up with Di, a fellow blogger and expat, and became involved in helping her launch a photography business here in Belgium. It all started with a simple request: could she photograph my family to add to her portfolio? Would we mind?
Mind? Only if we were crazy! I’d seen Di’s work online and was thrilled she was willing to turn her camera our way.
Di is from New Zealand and had been working in Turkey when she developed a relationship with a Belgian guy and ended up leaving Istanbul for Antwerp. I knew she’d endured many low moments during the immigration process, quipping that falling in love with a Belgian was an offense punishable by death through paperwork. Her determination to build a new life in cloudy Belgium and to venture into business in a new country impressed me.
What started with a photo shoot grew into something more when I offered to use my professional experience in marketing and PR to help her get her venture off the ground. Midway through the process, I contacted Char, a Web designer in the U.S., to see if she could help Di get a photography site up and running. Before I moved to Belgium, Char and I had worked for the same agency and partnered together on many Web sites and print projects.
Di picked out a general template, I wrote copy, and Char took the framework, sharpened the design, and pulled it all together. Di and her husband put in many hours selecting and formatting photos for the galleries.
The end result is a personal and professional product I’m really pleased to have been part of, not just because it’s a great site but because of the relationships and process that brought three creative women together sharing their talents.
Check it out here. And while you’re at it, check out Char’s professional site (I wrote the copy).
Cheers to the Sisterhood of Creative Blog Grrrls!
January 12, 2007