We had the good fortune of connecting with Dawn Kozlevchar and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dawn, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
My role as a personal branding photographer generates expression and communication through creative and intentional imagery. I support entrepreneurs in reaching their goals by capturing the essence of their brand, presenting products/services as well as highlighting their personality and introducing their interests so they can be more easily relatable and connect deeper with their audience, whether it’s clients, industry peers or the local community and beyond. Visual storytelling is a purposeful means to provide clarity and strength in what the business offers and the brand image, allow people to have a better understanding for given details and encourage interactions with the use of impactful images. The utilization of personal branding photos is a wide-range and dynamic application across social media platforms and marketing communications tools. Entrepreneurs are idea generators and contribute in a variety of ways to our society with their own specialty and can affect people’s lifestyle choices; I am energized by helping to demonstrate available options and witness successful activity. It is a pleasure for me to showcase the talent of my clients and know that they are more confident and joyful in their position with quality images that speak to their mission and in serving others.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?

Personal Branding Photography is a dedicated niche that goes beyond the typical headshot and brings viewers much closer to the business owner’s world by presenting the intricacies of their offering and their persona. At this time, I concentrate on local entrepreneurs (Northeast Ohio) to feature their products/services so that they are more visible and active in the community, able to increase profits and experience greater fulfillment. I pride myself on being able to easily see and emphasize details – my images are powerful in nature with the way I capture elements of a person’s uniqueness as well as the distinctiveness of their craft. I am excited about expanding my photography business in serving additional entrepreneurs, creating images that are not only useful but also impressionable and increasing my knowledge of various markets.

I have been part of a corporate environment for decades and now through my own business, Dawned Images, I am able to work directly with my clients to clearly understand the intended results of their efforts as we thoroughly discuss and appropriately plan for the photoshoot. It was the combination of my business background and formal education along with my strong desire for creativity and sincere love of pictures that led me to personal branding photography services. I realized there are plenty of talented business owners and I am able to share information through my photography techniques by producing purposeful imagery. It was a somewhat lengthy process to complete the coursework through the New York Institute of Photography, improve my skillset, initiate the business, participate in the mentorship, continue shooting and reading relevant material, build a portfolio and make connections. An investment, for certain, but one that is quite beneficial – for myself and my clients. It was definitely a challenge to maintain a primary role while working towards implementing my own enterprise as there are only so many hours in the day. I have the attitude that every step counts and it is not a race; rather, it’s a journey and I believe in my abilities. I am thrilled to be in the position of manifesting my dream of being a personal branding photographer and interacting with other entrepreneurs to create greater impact, increased activity and favorable returns for their business. Witnessing a client with considerable pride and significant influence in the marketplace is quite moving. Knowing that I contributed to their success is something to celebrate and I cherish friendships that develop along the way with clients, business connections and fellow photographers.

My mission is to elevate entrepreneurs by unleashing their potential and amplifying their purpose with compelling imagery that delivers universal satisfaction. When I’m not shooting, I can be found enjoying the outdoors, with my puppy Maggie, taking part in a local event, dining at an area restaurant or spending quality time with family and friends. My future goal includes conducting personal branding photography sessions on-location as I travel to different areas.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Since I am located in the Cleveland, OH zone, let’s assume this is a Summer/Fall visit as that is the best timeframe weather-wise for most of what is available in the area and to my liking.

ACTIVITIES

Hiking: There’s a fabulous Metropark system to explore and hiking is one of my favorite activities (anywhere). North Chagrin, Lake Erie Bluffs, Girdled Road Reservation, Chapin Forest and Cuyahoga Valley National Park host some great trails and scenery.

Beach/Lake: Another outdoor location to enjoy is at one of the beaches on Lake Erie for an afternoon of boating, jet-skiing or paddle boarding and then some relaxing beach time. The sunsets here are amazing (another one of my favorites is nature and landscape photography). Headlands Beach, Fairport Harbor, Edgewater Park (downtown) draw the crowds and if time allows, a trip to Sandusky to take the ferry over to Kelly’s Island or Put-in-Bay would make for a great day or two.

DINING

Downtown Cleveland is a whole experience on its own; it’s a foodie town and there are PLENTY of places to enjoy craft cocktails and fabulous meals. Here are a few popular locations: Bar 32, Society Lounge, Azure Rooftop Lounge and the Velvet Tango Room. Some of my preferred restaurants include: Dante, Luca, Mia Bella, Townhall, L’Albatros, Taza, Fat Cats and Momocho. Slyman’s Deli hosts their famous corned beef sandwiches and Great Lakes Brewery & Market Garden Brewery also offer a special taste of our hometown establishments. The local (to me, east of Cleveland) cities also offer an array of restaurants, so there isn’t a problem finding a place to dine, depending on your style and preference. I prefer healthy eats, so we would be experiencing some interesting and eclectic places.

PLACES TO VISIT

Key locations in Cleveland include: the West Side Market, Cleveland Museum of Art, Playhouse Square, Severance Hall (Cleveland Orchestra), The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Jack Casino and Hilarities 4th Street Theatre (comedy club). You can’t visit Cleveland without attending a baseball (Progressive Field) or basketball game (Rocket Mortgage) and it’s a great experience to partake in a local festival/art walk that usually occurs near Tremont, Ohio City or Lakewood. There may be a band in town for a concert at one of the venues such as Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica or a local amphitheatre. Outside of the city, in more rural locations (e.g., Madison, Geneva), there are several wineries in the area to discover – Laurentia, Cask 307, Harpersfield, Debonne Vineyards, Hundley Cellars, Stonegait and Laurello’s; sip and stay for the live music as it’s a pleasurable way to be in the moment and visit with friends. I favor unique places and events, so there would be some great experiences to take part in, whether downtown Cleveland or locally.

As you can see, we would be busy each day with plenty of activities, dining, sightseeing and BEING together. Sharing time and creating memories with others are meaningful to me.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I am grateful for my husband, John, who continually tells me to “Go, Do!” and allow my creativity to flow through the use of photography and be more fulfilled in working with others to support their endeavor. In the process, I was fortunate to find Meg Marie Photography, in which I participated in a 6-month mentorship program that catapulted me into action. It was through Meg’s expert guidance and the interactions with brand photography group members that I was able to understand more about conducting a favorable client experience, learn about additional photography methods and tools of the trade and gather solid reference material for effectively operating a small business. I am also blessed with a tribe of friends and family who encourage me and are truly my cheerleaders.

Website: www.dawnedimages.com

Instagram: @dawned_images

Linkedin: Dawned Images

Facebook: dawned images

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