Beginning with the end in mind. Amidst the steady stream of photographers launching new businesses, it’s refreshing to find something original – especially when it’s something so simple.

Photographers take hundreds of pictures at an average photo shoot, and then spend hours editing the photos to make them look just right. But what is just right? Black and white? Sepia? Color with blown out saturations? Cropped traditionally or using alternative, edgy styles? Effects or no effects? Do consumers know exactly what they’re looking for when they select a photographer? Or do they leave these decisions to the discretion of the photographer?

Enter “This Photo Story” based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Before Mindy Peterson, owner, takes a single picture at a photo shoot, she meets with the client with one goal in mind – to figure out how they’re hoping to use their pictures. She begins with the end in mind. If the customer is looking to decorate their child’s bedroom, wall colors help determine outfit selection, pass times determine the content, and personality influences the style. If they’re looking for something in their living room, then home décor and empty space helps determine the size and mood of the pictures.

Mindy Peterson also gives her clients the option of an extended session to include a home planning session. She comes to this additional 2 ½ hour session with sample collages to hang on the wall, mattes and photo samples to determine the size and style of frames that look best in their space, and a whole lot of creativity. Scheduling a photo shoot is often the easy part. But when it comes to arranging pictures on shelves or hanging them on walls, it too often means a lot of trips back to the store to return items that weren’t quite right. With this mobile, hands-on work station, Mindy helps her customers find the solution they were really hoping for delivering much more than just the pictures.

This Photo Story. A new business concept based upon something so simple – learning what the customers are really looking for before trying to provide it for them. Sometimes they just want a picture. Often, they’re looking for more. They might want their room to look like the one in the latest Pottery Barn catalog. Or they may want their house to feel more like their home.

Think Martha Stewart meets photography. And you’ve discovered This Photo Story.

By: Ben Peterson