Efficiently Annie's Brand Photos in Newport Beach

Newport Beach Brand Photographer

I had such a fun time at Annie McCarthy’s brand session at Lido Marina Village in Newport Beach. She is a boss babe and runs her own business offering workflow automation for entrepreneurs. Which is basically a fancy way of saying that she takes care of all of the stuff that goes right over my head. Haha but seriously this girl is brilliant! ⁠

Annie is from Pennsylvania and contacted me letting me know she would be traveling through Orange County and would love to get some personal brand photos for her business Efficiently Annie! I loved that she was taking advantage of the change of scenery. She wanted to capture the California coastal vibe that she wasn’t able to get back home! She also told me that she’s a beer connoisseur, fun and doesn’t take herself too seriously. Lido Marina Village was the perfect place to capture her brand photos! It’s crisp white aesthetic is the perfect coastal backdrop! And we popped into Lido Bottle Works to capture her in her natural element… with a beer in hand. I’m telling you, this girl was so much fun and so down to earth. My only complaint is that she doesn’t live closer so that we can hang out over beers more often!

Tell us a little about your business and what you do…

Annie is the owner + founder of Efficiently Annie LLC. After earning her MBA and with a decade in corporate marketing and operations experience under her belt, she ditched the power suit in pursuit of something more fulfilling. Led by her knack for project management and process organization, she developed a reputation as a dynamic and dependable virtual assistant. But it wasn’t long before she began to realize the need for creative businesses owners to build a stronger foundation of simple, streamlined, repeatable workflows that would sustain them as they evolved, and inevitably grew. 

Just three years later, she’s worked with more than 50 businesses, helping them optimize their backend systems. Now, she’s on a mission to help more creative founders discover elevated efficiency through an unshakeable foundation of business systems, allowing them to grow, scale, and - finally - step fully and confidently into their role as CEO.

Annie is a certified project management professional by day, and a die-hard bluegrass festie on nights and weekends. Around here, we believe that there is nothing sweeter than a business that brings in revenue while you’re bopping with a beer in hand. 

What makes your brand stand out from the competition?

Hmm, this is tough. I’ve never gone through a true branding/ brand strategy process (gasp!). I’m the girl who bought a $15 logo on Creative Market and called it a day. That said, people tell me all the time that the copy on my website speaks to them. Like literally, every time I talk to someone on a discovery call, they say that they felt like I understood them and were speaking directly to them. So maybe relatable/ approachable? And obviously organization and structure as a whole – that tends to be what I bring to businesses above all else. 

Why did you decide to do a branding session?

Orange County, California was a completely new location for me, so it provided scenery and a fresh backdrop for photos that I wouldn’t have gotten in Pennsylvania, which is pretty cool. My husband and I are traveling to Denver in September and I think I’m going to plan another session while we’re there. Freedom is one of my core values and I think having these sessions be in locations outside of my home state really helps me embody that.  

What kinds of images were you hoping to achieve through this brand session? How do you plan to use them?

Instagram as well as on my website, also for other projects as needed, like on workbooks, etc. that I create for various things.

What was your favorite part of your brand session? 

YOU! But for real, I’m always so nervous and awkward but I felt like I found an immediate friend in you and honestly, it was just fun (or maybe that was the beer, haha). And obviously the end result/ gallery of brand photos. 

Would you recommend a branding session to other small businesses?

YES! Not only is it great to have photos ready for Instagram, but there’s something very legitimizing about having professional photos when you need them. And by “professional” I don’t mean traditional headshots. I mean high-quality, lifestyle photos that represent you and who you are as a person, even outside of your business.