Case study: Marcia Dawood
Marcia Dawood is an angel investor, podcaster and speaker, focused on helping women and POC entrepreneurs raise funding for their ideas. She’s passionate about the power of angel investing to have a huge positive impact on the world, and is on a mission to persuade others to join in that cause. She’s the Chair of the Angel Capital Association (ACA) and runs a podcast called The Angel Next Door, which educates current and potential angel investors.
Marcia’s Mood Board
Marcia’s goal in the session was to show her friendly, approachable side, which helps her connect better both with other investors and with startup founders, who she loves to help no matter where they are in their journey. Her mood board radiated a sense of warm, friendly yet classy, sophisticated and professional. I noticed that several of her shots included coffee, so we knew right away that was going to be a prop. She also had a thing for cute accessories, including hats, scarves and so on.
Some photos from Marcia’s session
We decided to use a ‘day in the life’ story to show different aspects of Marcia’s life. She’s often perceived (not surprisingly) as a very successful investor and somewhat inaccessible, so we thought that showing more of her life would humanize her a bit and bring out her genuine inner warmth and playfulness.
The shoot was at a gorgeous apartment in Greenwich Village in NYC. We started with a bit of a ‘morning routine’, with coffee and a journal, then moved to Marcia recording her podcast episode, followed by a work session. Then we moved on to some ‘speaking’ shots, followed by some lifestyle shots on the streets of the Village and the rooftop.
What Marcia says …
“Working with Raj is a different type of experience. I’ve had professional pictures taken before. I remember getting pictures taken in school, or when I was graduating from high school or college. But it was always the same kind of stale environment. There would be one or two different backgrounds, a couple of positions the photographer might have you stand in. This was a whole different level of experience!
I’d highly encourage people who are building their brand, even if that means you’re building your brand as the executive of a company to work with Raj. You don’t have to be an influencer or someone famous. You’re literally building a brand based on who you are as a person.
Raj’s process had me thinking: What did I want to use the pictures for? What did I want to put out in the world about myself? It had me picking words that would better describe me both as an individual and as a thought leader. I was able to showcase what I want to show the world and how I want the world to see me.”