Our BRAND is the promise we make to our clients about how the experience we give them will make them feel.
– Vig Gleeson | Photographer | Author | Personal Brand Consultant
something about me
When we relocated from London to Limerick in 2008 I left behind a career in developing internet technology products — for banks, retailers and airlines — for motherhood in a small Irish village. The ‘bubble’ had burst, our trust in banks, developers and government plummeted, house prices tumbled (just after we bought our house) and gripped us in the tight squeeze of recession. There wasn’t much happening on the job market to excite a 40-something newly arrived, new mum. That’s when an old dream — to own my own business — resurfaced.
LAUNCHING WonderWorks
Recessions [those pesky cyclical event that keeps coming around again] are great times to start a new business, and in 2010 I launched WonderWorks Photography. Specialising in newborn, children and family portraits, small weddings and events. It wasn’t long before I was the go-to local photographer. My approach was to give my clients a truly enjoyable photoshoot and a photo CD of beautifully edited images, for them to make as many prints as they wished. By shifting the pricing structure from the traditional product based (per print|unite) model, to a serviced based (time spent together at the photoshoot and a CD of beautiful memories) my clients, not only had a great time, but also experienced huge saving on prints they gave away in gifts to their family and friends.
Today, my photographs hang pride of place in hundreds of Limerick homes. I light up when I think about the fabulous people, amazing families, and gorgeous babies I meet through WonderWorks Photography — they were incredibly special years, to me. I wrote about some of it in my memoir.
Between 2016 and 2023 we lived in Bangkok, Cairo and Athens, where Shane (my husband) was posted as Consul in the Irish Embassies.
WritIng & traveling
It is true! The life of a diplomat’s wife, and raising a third culture kid is both busy and exciting. Still, I found time to bring another dream to life!
“The greatest burden a child must bear is the unlived life of the parents.”
– Maya Angelou | I Know Why The Caged Birds Sings
I always wanted to write a book and our years abroad became my time to write it.
It was much harder than I’d ever imagined. It took 7 1/2 years! I was incredibly proud the day I signed copies of it to sit next to Frank McCourt’s books, in my favourite bookseller; O’Mahony’s!
If you want to know my secrets — or just a few of them, there’s lots more about Speak #TRUTH Lies over here.
There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
– Carl Jung | analytical theory
Returning Home
After seven months in Bangkok, four years in Cairo and another three years in Athens, we returned home to Castleconnell in August 2023. Since then, I’ve experienced the challenge of returning to paid work in my 50s after a decade as a expat, wife, mother, and unpaid writer. I write about my Journey of Returning in some of my Posts and in my emails.
Right now, I’m super excited to launch my new venture into personal brand consulting and photography. For me, creating my personal brand was about merging all my passions: graphic design, managing a business, product development, technology, content creation, writing, and — my favourite — photographing people who inspire me!
I developed my personal brand as a life-work project, not to create balance between life and work, but rather to merge work and life in a fluid way that brings me great joy and a good sustainable income. Getting my pricing right is a big part of my personal brand brief (business plan). Read this BRAND READY Post to satisfy your curiosity.
Much trial & error, flip-flopping and going deep went into what became my personal brand philosophy and… in lack of another word… blueprint. The journey continues and I’m sharing what I’m learning. Starting with the 7 Steps Checklist and the BRAND READY Workbook. These are little gifts for you to keep & enjoy!
Want to explore how we can work together? I would love to hear from you, click & Let’s TALK!
Tell Your Brand Story with Stunning Photography.
Feeling inspired? Now is the perfect time to take action and elevate your personal brand with your story & photography.
Explore
My aim is to inspire and empower small business owners and career professionals – like you and me – to explore personal branding as a direction for our professional life. I share ideas on how we can get clear on our personal brand story and build it into the foundation of how we communicate –with people we want to work with. Communication, in my view, is the engine and energy centre of our work and brand.
I am a photographer, writer and visual communicator, and I’m nuts about creating joy and ease in my own and my client’s careers and business. I believe – as small business owners and career professionals – we have a unique opportunity to merge our personal life with our work life in a way that feels easy, empowering and joyful. Personal Branding, as a philosophy & strategy, is the foundation for how I choose to live and work for the next 10 years.
Click here to read more about me | Sign up for Brand Ready Inspiration straight to your inbox.
photography clients
Of course, my photography clients are extra special to me. I feel enriched and grateful for the wonderful friendships and great experiences they bring to my life. We do great work together.
Click here for photography services and client work.
Clarity and trust underpins all my relationships. Deep meaningful conversations are part of my approach to make sure I interpret your story to match your vision and expectation for your personal brand experience and impact.
Through my client gallery, the Brand Ready series of free downloads, and when you are ready to Experience more, I look forward to meeting you on YOUR FREE EXPLORER CALL!
FREE Explorer Call
Our Explorer Call is a beautiful first step to get to know each other and for you to tell me your story. We explore where you are and where you want to be in your life work – work life and how personal branding can help you get there. The Explorer Call is free and lasts between 15 – 45 minutes.
Feel free to use me as your sounding board to get clear on some of your questions. I want to listen to your story and get to know you and the work you do. If I can help brainstorm solutions with you – I’m all in!
You can share your thoughts around life | work |career | business – you set the agenda.
If you’re 50+ and returning to paid work – like me – or you’re pivoting your approach to income generation, I love a good conversation about life work visions | dream destinations | income strategies | tech & platforms. Tell me your views & ideas on work life and personal branding.
There is real magic in being heard by someone who gets us and can reflect our thoughts back to us with compassion. From a non-judgement and personal branding point of view, that’s my role, and – I hope – will be your experience of your free Explorer Call.
Click here to Book your Explorer Call now.
Our BRAND is the promise we make to our clients about how the experience we give them will make them feel.
Your Photography
In addition to Personal Brand Photography, my clients enjoy a range of services from headshots and profile photos to private and business event photography. I often work with groups and event organisers who want to offer headshots, profile, group and still photos, to their members as part of an event or launch.
Please click here [product & pricing page] for detailed photography product & pricing
While I work one-to-one with Personal Brand Clients from across the English speaking world – predominately online – most of my photography clients are based in Ireland. When I launched WonderWorks Photography in 2010 I quickly became the ‘go to’ local children & family photographer. Since then I have practised and developed my people photography skills through decades of working with hundreds of models of all ages.
After eight years of writing a memoir while living in Bangkok, Cairo and Athens – for Shane’s diplomatic postings – I’m delighted to be home in Limerick and return to my Passion for Photography.
Click here for photography services and client work.
With 50+ years life experience I’m returning to paid work, knowing my work must both inspire and challenge me as well as sustain and support my financial and emotional investments and objectives. Knowing who I want to work with and how, as well as being clear on my worth & value, comes from hard won life lessons I’m keen to share as I believe it will benefit us all and prevent burnout in business. Sign up to my Brand Ready Circular for news as it happens.
Please click here [product & pricing page] for detailed photography product & pricing
Your Brand Brief
Your Brand Brief set out to answer the fundamental questions about you and your business. To get started on your own, read the Brand Ready Checklist and download the Brand Ready Guide to Stunning Images.
My personal brand brief [strategy] focuses on the emotional and financial support my client wants their work to bring into their life.
Whether you work with me or another photographer, your brand brief is the foundation of your IMAGE brief.
Your IMAGE Brief
Your IMAGE Brief is a detailed storyboard for each set of IMAGES we want to create during your photoshoot. This level of detail and clarity means you are in control during your photoshoot and can relax and enjoy yourself, while trusting the creative process and our work together will produce the desired result.
The result is a unique to you IMAGES Library of beautifully edited photographs — ready for you to put to work and earn a healthy return on your investment.
Your Photoshoot
We finally get to meet in person, which makes shoot days my favourite days ever!
A day of great energy where we work together with ease to meet the objectives of your IMAGE Brief. Because of our detailed planning, Magic happens on shoot days!
I have decades of experience capturing the essence of people while guiding them through a photoshoot, and making sure you’re comfortable and having a good time.
It is so much fun!
Click here to book your photoshoot today.
Your IMAGE Gallery
After your photoshoot I’m as excited as you are to see the IMAGES we captured together. Still, the process of selecting and editing your photographs is a labour of love that takes about 10 working days – depending on how many IMAGES you ask for.
Your First Look Folio, is a beautifully designed PDF [similar to The Brand Ready Guide] filled with YOUR unique IMAGES laid out to tell YOUR brand story in a way that attracts the people you want to work with.
Building on your Brand Brief, the First Look Folio, gives you image size guidelines
This is for you to share and draw inspiration from.
Your private online IMAGE Library is designed to make your everyday communication and marketing easy. Some photographs are cropped to suit the various platforms of your choice. Create a ‘love it’ combination of profile and cover photos. Unify your on and offline presence with instantly recognisable Personal Brand IMAGES only you have access to.
I want your communication to be as easy as ‘add a quote & post!’
Using Your IMAGES | Return on Investment
How you use our images, together with your messaging, will impact your return on investment. I want you to be clear on how soon you will make a full financial and energetic return on what you invested in your photoshoot and brand journey.
Many small business owners cite tech as a barrier to success. I believe, tech & platforms are tools for empowerment – like driving a car – it takes practice and patience to master.
As your photographer and a copilot on your brand journey I am invested in your success.
This is why I help my clients be visible and available while staying sane in a tech & platforms crazy world!
I help bridge a knowledge gap by developing communication strategies and elements – like graphic design, social media posts and email newsletters – with them. Using easy to learn – and free – platforms like Canva, MailChimp, Meta, WordPress, Yoast SEO and ChatGPT, my aim is to enable you to use your IMAGES and spread your message with ease and greatest impact.
Hearing from my clients about the impact personal branding is having in their work life is MAGIC!
Celebrating Your Personal Brand
I am passionate about sharing YOUR story and IMAGES with my clients, subscribers and followers, that’s why I invite all my clients to make use of my channels, including being a guest at my Podcast.
Contact me today to explore more.
When you’re ready to explore your brand journey further and you want beautiful unique photographs to tell YOUR story – I’m here to help you create a Personal Brand IMAGE that brings wow to your business, add ka-ching to your income and expand your joy and love
Get Brand Ready — the Workbook
I would have liked more clarity on where to start on my personal brand journey, but I’m keeping notes of what I’m learning. Some of these notes inspired the Brand Ready Workbook! I thought of you when I created it and hope it will inspire your exploration into personal branding for yourself. This workbook might help you get clarity on how your work can support the life you want to live. It’s free and delivered instantly to your inbox. You’ll agree to let me email you personal brand inspiration, but you can unsubscribe anytime.
Download your copy of the FREE Brand Ready WORKBOOK today. Full of helpful ideas on how to build your personal brand, what to expect and how to prepare for a great personal brand photoshoot. You will LOVE it!
How do you make your clients feel?
Take a moment to view a selection of my client’s Stories & IMAGE libraries. Click on their photo to enter their gallery.
VISUALISE your brand images!
I’m ready to help you create a library of show stopping BRAND IMAGES that makes an irresistible first and lasting impression on your clients, but are you Brand Ready?
speak #truth lies
Is about figuring out how to get free from stuff that weighs us down. When I learned how our past impacts our beliefs in ourself and therefore our aspiration for our future, I wanted to understand how my past ruled my beliefs, thought and behaviours. It helped me get clear on how I can change, feel better about myself and live a better life.
It turned into a journey of self reflection and healing. It’s written like a novel and it’s a good story about a 50-something woman who travels from Cairo, with her 11 year-old-daughter, to a small island off the coast in Norway. Her father, that she’s been estranged from for 14 years, has just died. What will meet her, when she arrives on the island, to burry her father?
