Featured Website: Hannah Ruth Photography

Today’s website feature is a personal favorite of mine. Hannah is not only an amazing wedding & portrait photographer, but she’s my great friend and studio roomie! We’ve been studio partners since 2015 and it’s honestly been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for my business and for my life. When Hannah came to me a few months ago and asked for a new website design I was absolutely thrilled to take on the job!! I watched her struggle for so long with trying to get her website looking the way she wanted within the limitations of the platform she was using. With Showit I was able to create her a beautiful custom website design without any coding necessary.

Hannah is a multi-specialty photographer, so she needed a website that showcased each aspect of her work as well as all of the information that potential clients would need. Each specialty has it’s own page and we included a variety of tiled galleries to keep viewers clicking and scrolling. Since the majority of her family portrait clients are vacationers, it was important to Hannah that she had a place to show off some of her more popular session locations. She already had beautiful branding in place (more about that below!) but we worked in a soft pink to compliment the light and airy look of her images.

See Hannah’s brand new custom website design at HannahRuthPhotography.com!

*This post contains affiliate links.

Why did you choose to pursue a career as a full time photographer?
Photography just kind of happened in my life. I started taking photos of friends and everything fell into place like it was meant to be. I love it so much and I always feel like I still have so much to learn. 

That’s one of the great things about the photography industry, there is always something new to learn! What do you wish you had known prior to starting your own photography business?
Working for myself is definitely a challenge some days, it’s difficult to take a day off in peak season. (I love summers in Myrtle Beach!) If I’m sick or something there is no one except me to do the job. Setting up workflows is so important! I use Honeybook for organization and it’s really helped my business stay organized, especially when working with clients from all over the country. 

What inspires your work?
Happy people are the core of my business! They make everything worth while. Learning new things motivates me and I love coming up with new, creative ideas for my studio sessions. 

You have a studio, that’s amazing! Tell us a bit about how that came about and how it’s changed your business. 
I’ve always wanted a studio and one day this girl messaged me (wink, wink, Crystal) and asked if I was interested in partnering with her and I said HECK YEAH!! That day all of my dreams came true. Having a studio has changed my business in so many ways. Both my skills and my confidence have increased, as well as my client list!

What is your favorite gear to use in your studio and at weddings?
I am a Canon girl! I use a Canon 5D Mark IV and my favorite lenses are the 24-70 2.8 for in studio and 70-200 2.8 for on location. 

Where is your dream location to photograph a session or wedding?
Somewhere tropical! I honeymooned in Jamaica and it was beautiful, I’d love to shoot a wedding there. I’ve also always wanted to do a session in New York City!

How did you decide on your branding?
I wanted a logo that represented a more professional, mature brand. My first logo had my initials in it and it was so similar to what a lot of other people were already using. I wanted to stand out, so I chose Laura from Charlotte & Lily to create a new brand for me. 

Laura was kind enough to share a few words with us on the thought process with creating Hannah’s new brand:

“When you see a Hannah Ruth photo, you know! The lighting is soft, smiles are genuine…and most of all, there a special mixture of whimsy, southern comfort, and elegance. My goal was simple: to design a fresh brand identity that embodies the same essence that Hannah Ruth captures with every click of her camera.

The Design Process and Meaning:
Hannah’s brand identity was inspired by a circle. Yes, a circle! At face value, this basic shape may sound boring, but in fact, celebrates Hannah Ruth Photography on so many levels. The most obvious- the very instrument she uses to capture the most memorable moments for her clients is her camera lens. And this lens…. It’s circular.

The Eucalyptus inspired leaves create visual softness, just like Hannah’s lighting. This organic element also represents her unique ability to capture people in their most natural and genuine state.

The handwritten word “photography” is a nod to Hannah Ruth’s first logo. The script font adds a whimsical and personalized feel to the overall design. This whimsical font is balanced by a strong and bold “Hannah Ruth”, positioning her as an established and leading artist.

The fresh and modern color pallet leverages the studio’s existing brand identity. Instead of hot pink and royal blue, the pallet includes soft blush, classic navy, crisp white, and luxurious rose gold.”

Tell us what you love about Showit compared to other platforms you’ve used. 
I was with my previous platform for a few years but felt very limited with what I could do with my site, especially on mobile. I haven’t played around in Showit myself yet but watching you create everything from the ground up was awesome! I especially love that I can control everything about my mobile design. 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I want 3 kids and I hope to be still working in my beautiful studio and taking time to travel the world! 

Any final words?
Thank you for all of your hard work! I love, love, love my new website. 

Wanna see more? Find Hannah on social media!
Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest

Did you know? It’s very easy to make a mistake when setting up Google Analytics or Search Console. Many photographers’ sites have tracking or reporting issues that give them the wrong impression of their traffic. Robyn is a photographer, creative content writer and analytics wiz. She contributed to the copywriting on Hannah’s new site and fixed some bugs to make sure everything was running smoothly in the eyes of Google. Learn more about her amazing company, Eleventy7 Marketing, and what she can offer you at eleventy7marketing.com.