Carla Watkins Brand Photography - Visual Magic Maker

Carla Watkins Brand Photography - Visual Magic Maker ✨Spellbinding branding photography for vibrant businesses and their colourful, unconventional owners.✨
Based in Essex, covering the whole of the UK.

Brand & commercial photography for colourful, magical weirdos! Visual magic to help your business stand out. Based in Wivenhoe, covering the whole of the UK.

01/09/2026

Quick fire questions - camera systems!

I love my Sony cameras but couldn't bear to switch all my most beloved lenses when I changed systems, so I use a Sigma converter and kept them all.

Making my bed this evening and realised I have reached the stage of life where I need two duvets in different weights pl...
16/08/2026

Making my bed this evening and realised I have reached the stage of life where I need two duvets in different weights plus a flat sheet in order to sleep, have cat themed everything, a matching actual cat (and her less matching fluffier sister) and a wall full of dolls.

And let's not forget the cabinet of model horses downstairs.

I'd call it a midlife crisis except it feels pretty solidly on brand for me and I'm fairly sure I've been working up to this moment since I was about 17 😂

(But seriously, tell me it's not just me who can't get overnight temperature right at the moment 👀)

02/08/2026

Questions I don't want to answer - indoor or outdoor shoots?

There have been pockets of pure joy tucked into the chaos of this year, and the F:Entrepreneur Female Founders List boat...
23/07/2026

There have been pockets of pure joy tucked into the chaos of this year, and the F:Entrepreneur Female Founders List boat trip was absolutely one of them!

Wore my floofiest dress that wasn't an actual ballgown, spent a few hours on a boat catching up with old friends and making new ones from this year's Female Founders list (formerly the 100) and generally having a lovely time in the sunshine.

Then went for a little solo mooch to Selfridges and the Disney store on Oxford Street for cake, inspiration and dolls... so all in all a perfect day!

Massive thanks to F:Entrepreneur Small Business Britain Starling Bank💙

What 2026 is teaching me so far is to remember to celebrate how far I've come and what I've achieved, as well as continually looking at the next things I want to do, which I think is a good lesson.

In order: group photo on the boat / me on the boat / various group selfies / cake stop in Selfridges / found my favourite princess in the Disney store / extreme dress floof

There is no less busy - life is always busy. Your brand is out there right now, working without the photos it deserves.W...
23/06/2026

There is no less busy - life is always busy. Your brand is out there right now, working without the photos it deserves.

Want to talk about brand photos which show who you truly are? Give me a shout!

I honestly think sometimes we focus way too much on the pretty and not enough on the why. Don’t get me wrong, I love a b...
16/06/2026

I honestly think sometimes we focus way too much on the pretty and not enough on the why.

Don’t get me wrong, I love a beautiful aesthetic, but I feel like aesthetics only get people to look, whereas clarity is what gets them to stay. If your brand looks amazing but feels confusing, you’re basically losing people before they even get to know you.

I’m a big believer that your outfit choice is actually about your nervous system, not just your style. I’ve noticed that...
09/06/2026

I’m a big believer that your outfit choice is actually about your nervous system, not just your style.

I’ve noticed that if a client feels restricted or off in their clothes, the camera picks up that tension immediately. I think your best photos happen when you’re comfortable enough to actually move, breathe and be yourself, rather than just trying to look like the shiny magazine-cover version of you.

I've watched so many business owners tie themselves in knots trying to match a look or a vibe that was never theirs to b...
02/06/2026

I've watched so many business owners tie themselves in knots trying to match a look or a vibe that was never theirs to begin with. Chasing something just because everyone else seemed to be doing it.

There's something quietly powerful about deciding that's not for you. About knowing yourself well enough to say no thanks, that's not mine.

Your brand doesn't have to look like everyone else's. Your work doesn't have to fit a mould someone else made.
You're allowed to opt out of trends that don't feel right for you.

Camera confidence happens before you even pick up a prop!40% is trusting your photographer and actually feeling at ease ...
26/05/2026

Camera confidence happens before you even pick up a prop!

40% is trusting your photographer and actually feeling at ease with them. 30% is in the planning, knowing what you're doing, where you're going, and what to expect. 20% is wearing clothes that feel like you at your most you. And the final 10%? Comfortable underwear (really. It makes a difference.)

The shoot itself is actually the easy bit when everything else is already sorted.

You know it's been a good shoot when Stardust has made a surprise appearance for the final shots!I love this ridiculous ...
22/05/2026

You know it's been a good shoot when Stardust has made a surprise appearance for the final shots!

I love this ridiculous carousel pony more than is probably sensible given he's not a real horse and he is by far my favourite prop in my studio. (Though shhhh don't say that in front of him he gets very upset at being called a prop!)

Fabulous way to end a busy but brilliant week and very much fulfilling "whimsical" which is one of my 2026 words 💙

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Colchester

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