Images by IBA

Next Tuesday my studio turns into a happy hour!! 🥰

The Irish American Business Chamber & Network is holding their Member Spotlight at Images by IBA, and I'm featured alongside Eileen Kevany, independent men's stylist with J.Hilburn.

The topic is The Business of Looking the Part. What we wear, the photo people see before they ever meet us, and how SO much of that shapes the way we show up.

Tuesday, Sept 29 · 5:30–7:30pm
994 Old Eagle School Rd, Suite 1021, Wayne PA

Come say hi and see the studio! Register at iabcn.org

Let me know if you're coming 😊
-Isolde

Just wow you never give up From surgery to fix bilateral hip stress fractures to Breaking the Tape at Musselman Ironman 70.3 with a little detour in the emergency room at your first race, it’s been an amazing few years. Cant wait to see the next one. Love you a Lottle 🩵🩵🩵

When One Creative Isn't Enough: Building a Better Project with the Right Team

I photograph headshots. That's my lane, and I stay in it. But some projects are bigger than headshots — and when they are, the smartest thing I can do is bring in the right people.

A company flies their entire team in for a three-day offsite. They want individual headshots, yes. But they also want video content for their website, candid coverage of the sessions and breakouts, and group photos they can actually use. That's not a one-person job. That's a team.

Over the past few years I've worked alongside two creatives who I trust completely and who are excellent at what they do. I want you to know about them.

Marikate Venuto — Event Photography

Marikate is a photographer based in Havertown who has been producing event and corporate photography in the Delaware Valley for over 12 years. Her venue list reads like a directory of every serious event space in the region: the Union League, Fitler Club, the Franklin Institute, the Philadelphia Convention Center, ARAMARK headquarters, Borgata, the Pyramid Club, Longwood Gardens — and that's a partial list.

She's not just showing up and taking photos. She's embedded in the Philadelphia business community. She's a member of BNI Main Line I Chapter. She photographs for the Entrepreneurs Organization of Philadelphia. Her event work has appeared in Philadelphia Magazine. She closes out every year photographing the All Service Academies' Ball at the Union League — servicemen and women from every branch.

Her clients say it better than I can. Edward Piscopo, who headed the Special Events Committee for CoreNet Philadelphia for 15 years, hired Marikate for their high-profile events repeatedly and called her "the best at what she does." Katie Stone, a marketing manager at Irwin & Leighton, said Marikate was "so full service" and that "everyone looked AMAZING." Marcia Zaruba O'Connor, CEO of The O'Connor Group, said Marikate "truly captured the spirit and joy" of their annual holiday party. And AnnMarie Gulian, an executive recruiter at Raytheon Technologies, put it this way: she wanted photos that represented the real her, not a fake version — and Marikate nailed it.

Event photography is a completely different skill set from headshots. I'm controlling the light, the background, the expression. Marikate is reading a room — anticipating the handshake, the laugh, the keynote moment — and capturing it without disrupting it. It requires a different eye and a different temperament, and she's exceptional at it.

When a client needs both headshots and event coverage at the same gathering, having Marikate handle the candid work means I can stay focused on delivering the headshots without splitting my attention.

Find Marikate's work:
• Website: https://www.marikatephotography.com
• Instagram:
• LinkedIn: Marikate Venuto

Johnny James — Video

Johnny James runs Johnny J Media out of Philadelphia, and right now he is crushing the video scene in this area.

I met Johnny at the AI for Everyone event at UPenn's Pennovation Center. I was running a headshot booth, he was handling video and event coverage. You know within five minutes of watching someone work whether they're the real thing — the way they move through a room, how they interact with people between takes, whether the energy they bring makes the event better or just louder. Johnny's the real thing. People naturally click with him. He's professional, he's easy to be around, and he makes the people he's working with feel comfortable immediately. That matters more than most clients realize when they're hiring for video.

His background spans more than a decade in visual storytelling. He started in southern Florida capturing automotive content and has since worked with Netflix, Skittles, and the NFL. The video on my own website is his work — and his Instagram feed () is where you can see the current projects that are turning heads right now.

Here's what matters from a logistics standpoint: Johnny and I can work the same event without stepping on each other. While I'm running headshots in one room, he's capturing interviews or b-roll in another. The client gets two deliverables from one day — and neither one suffers because the other is happening.

Video is one of those things companies know they need but keep putting off because it feels complicated. Johnny makes it uncomplicated.

Find Johnny's work:
• Website: https://www.johnnyjmedia.com
• Instagram:
• LinkedIn: Johnny James
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: (215) 460-5861

Why This Matters for Your Next Event

If you're planning a corporate event, offsite, or conference and you're thinking about visual content, here's the honest advice: figure out what you need before you book anyone.

Do you just need headshots? I've got you. That's a solo job.

Do you need headshots plus full event coverage? Marikate joins the team.

Do you need headshots plus video? Let's bring in Johnny.

Do you need all three? Now we're building a creative team around your event — and the result is dramatically better than trying to have one person do everything.

The best projects I've been part of are the ones where everyone stays in their lane and does what they do best. Nobody's stretching thin. Nobody's rushing. The client gets three sets of deliverables, each one done at a high level, from people who actually enjoy working together.

Want to talk about what your next event needs?
[email protected] | 484.320.7535

Isolde Baylor is a headshot photographer with 173+ five-star Google reviews, serving Philadelphia, the Main Line, and King of Prussia. For projects that need more than headshots, she works with a trusted network of creatives who are just as good at their thing as she is at hers.

📍 Studio: Eagle Yards, Wayne PA (Main Line)
📞 484.320.7535
🔗 imagesbyiba.com

Originally published at https://imagesbyiba.com/specialist-report/wearing-glasses-professional-headshot/

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Should I Wear My Glasses in My Headshot?

My answer is "its up to you" and lets take 2 photos: one with and one without!

I've been wearing glasses for over 5 years now, an honor I earned as I hit my 50th lap around the sun. Turns out 20/20 vision is not forever.

Now that I've been a glasses wearer for a while, I prefere how I look with them on in photos. But not everyone feels that way. Some folks prefer their photos without glasses.

# # The Glare Problem... Solved!

Glare in the glasses is the biggest problem for photographs and something as a photographer & a glasses wearer, I am Super aware of. The LED panels in my on location kit use to definitely show up in all the wrong places if we weren't careful of the posing.

Some folks have less glarey glasses because of fancy coatings they had applied when they got them. But those are expensive and I've found wear off after time.

BUT no more... with all the advances in editing software, glasses glare has become a think of the PAST! And it's great.

I do a lot of on location gigs, often at trade shows or events: the goal is to get an awesome photo for an attendee quickly! Fiddling with glasses used to eat into out time together but now knowing I can use my magic wand in Photoshop, that time is better spend capturing a fantastic expression with a flattering pose and glasses glare be gone!

# # Multiple Pairs = Multiple Looks

I actually love photographing glasses now and am thrilled when folks bring multiple pairs, because different glasses can convey different looks!

Ultimately, the decision is yours, But I vote for Both glasses on and glasses off!

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Ready for your headshot session? Bring your glasses (and any extra pairs!) and we'll capture you looking confident and professional - with and without. Book your session today.

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📍 Studio: Eagle Yards, Wayne PA (Main Line)
📞 484.320.7535
🔗 imagesbyiba.com

Maddie texted me: “I’ll be ready at 6, don’t forget the electric tape and scissors...”

No, my daughter and I aren’t planning a heist at the Louvre (someone already pulled that off) or to rewire a lamp. We’re heading to North Carolina this weekend as she’s competing in another triathlon.  Go Maddie!

What I loved about the text tho is she has a system. Earlier this summer her first Ironman 70.3 didn’t end the way she wanted, not because she didn’t train hard enough - believe me it was plenty of training. But she was missing a crucial piece for endurance athletes: nutrition and hydration. A stumble on the run, 1/4 of mile from the finish of a 70 mile race is painful!

So now she has a system for making sure her Goos or gels (whatever they’re called) are taped to her bike, but easy to get off - thus the electrical tape. and the scissors, those are to make sure the stickers for her gear are easy to place.

I really love a good system - most of our systems that help us through daily life are so routine, they are subconscious: we have systems for brushing our teeth, starting our cars, tying our shoes. Many of them passed on from who ever raised us, or taught us to drive. As a photographer and a veterinarian: I have a system to take a great headshot for corporate clients and a system to ensure sterile technique in the OR.

One thing that fascinates me is most people don’t have a system to recover from negative events.  The hard knocks come and it takes hours, sometimes days to clear them. I’ve trained extensively with William Rogatz on his Power of Pacing system which helps folks have just that. It gives you a plan to navigate your day. An simple mental system to help you perform at your best.

Any other system enthusiasts out there? What system do you have to solve a problem?

Here’s the thing nobody tells you about automation: sometimes the “tedious work” was actually your ritual.

As a veterinarian, I’m obsessed with systems. I even built an app for my workflow because chaos isn’t an option when lives are on the line.

So naturally, when I started my photography business, I automated the client intake process. Every booking now auto-creates the folder structure I used to build by hand.

It saves me 20-30 minutes per client.
But I lost something: that manual work was my on-ramp into caring about the project.

Writing their name, organizing folders, reviewing details - it wasn’t just data entry. It was how I’d mentally shift from “doing tasks” to “owning this client’s work.”
The ritual got me present.

Now the folders appear like magic. I’m more efficient. But I had to learn to be present in a different way:
I review folders manually before shoots
I use the saved time to actually visualize the session
I consciously build new entry points into the zone
The real question isn’t “how much automation is too much?”
It’s: “What will you do with the space automation creates?”
Fill it with more tasks? You’ve missed the point.
Use it to show up more fully for work that matters? Now automation is worth it.

DO you have any rituals you have automated away - and what did you replace them with?

I was on my weekly mentoring call with when I got clarity on the problem I am trying to solve with the app I developed Scooter: Veterinary Workflow

Its The 1A2B3C problem in veterinary medicine:
Quick test:
• Count 1-26: 6 seconds ✅
• Recite A-Z: 8 seconds ✅
• Mix them (1A, 2B, 3C...): 60+ seconds or you give up ❌
Your brain breaks when forced to context-switch.
But here’s the thing about vet med:
You’re not choosing to multitask.
You’re treating Patient A → Patient B comes in and is more critical → Drop everything
That sick patient NEEDS you more. You’re doing exactly what you should.
But when you return to Patient A? Your brain has lost its place.
→ Where were you in the protocol? → What meds have been given? → What’s the next step?
You’re not distracted. You’re not unfocused.
You’re being a good veterinarian.
But your workflow is shattered.
Dan Martell talks about FOCUS: Follow One Course Until Successful.
Great advice for entrepreneurs. It’s actually how I used AI to help me develop an App as a non-coder.
Impossible advice for vets.
That’s why I built Scooter.
Not to help you “focus better.”
But to KEEP your Focus BETTER, so you can remember your place when emergencies pull you away.
To restore your workflow when you come back.
To keep track when your brain can’t.
In vet medicine, the 1A2B3C problem isn’t a choice.
It’s every shift.
Scooter keeps your workflow intact - even when priorities shift.
Download Scooter: Veterinary Workflow on the Apple App store. Find out more at www.usescooter.com DM me “Scooter” and let me know how it’s helped your day be better.

Just over a week away !