Before What She Pictures (Part 1 of 2)

I’ve rebranded. I’ve got a new name, a new website, and now a new blog. So it seemed appropriate to start this blog by sharing the story of why it was time I rebranded from Click This Photo to What She Pictures. And really, it’s actually the story of how I became the person I am today. 

Where I Started

I’ve wanted to be a photographer since I was 13 when my teacher made an off-hand compliment about a holiday snap I took. My high school lunches were spent in the darkroom and my hands always stunk of photo chemicals. ⠀

College was one of the best photography programs in Canada, and it was a gruelling, sleep-deprived, amazing experience. There I studied the art of lighting, the rules of composition, Photoshop wizardry, and how to fulfil a client brief. We learned the art while learning how to pay our bills.⠀⠀

After graduating, I assisted and then produced for some of the best commercial shooters in Canada. I learned the ins and outs of high end, high stakes, commercial photography. I worked on jobs with price tags well into the six figures. At the time, I was an eager, young twenty-something with dreams of becoming the next big thing in photography. So I built up my portfolio, built my first website, and picked a brand name.

On Choosing A Name

My name, Click This Photo, came about in a time when digital was just taking over film in my industry. I chose it because it spoke of something modern, the new wave of the digital era.

Choosing a name to represent your personal brand is hard. I spent ages coming up with that name and in all honesty, it never really fit me, even back then. There was always something that felt off about it. But done is better than perfect and I needed to move forward.

I’m sure you’re wondering why I didn’t choose “Connie Chan Photography” or some variation of the sort. Honest truth: I’m not a fan of my name, at least from an aesthetic point of view. All those Cs and Ns felt too round every time I saw it typed on a screen. It never looked right.

I also believed in picking a name that could encompass the idea of more than just myself. I dreamt of starting a studio one day and choosing a company name that could extend beyond one person always seemed like the right move to make. I had big plans for myself, but over time, big plans have a way of changing.

Getting Lost And Found 

I became restless in my comfy routine in Toronto. I was bitten by the travel bug and I knew that I needed to get out there and explore the big wide world beyond the cozy life I had created for myself. So, at 24, I sold my things, packed a bag, and spent the next few years wandering Asia.

I spent months exploring my motherland, China, before running rampant around South East Asia. I was tested and humbled in the months I wandered India and I still long to return to the mountain tops of Nepal. I spent what felt like a lifetime travelling alone and lonesome, and then eventually, travelling with the man who would later become my husband. I got lost, found, and thoroughly transformed. At the end of that adventure I decided to build a new life in Sydney, Australia.

(Part 2 continued in the next post)