Nice Shots: Capturing Memories at a Local Ice Cream Shop with Four Generations of Women
As a professional photographer, I am always looking to capture nice shots. One of those moments was when I captured a photo of four generations of women in my family at a local ice cream shop in Chilliwack. It was a personal story of family gathering at a local business to create lifelong memories. I knew this moment was an opportunity to highlight an amazing story while highlighting local business and my career. Win-win for everybody!
As a professional photographer, I’ve had my work featured in national ad campaigns and big projects. This time it wasn’t about the accolades; this was a personal passion I have as a husband, father and photographer. As a small business owner myself I knew Banter Ice Cream, a local business added the perfect backdrop for this story. It’s funny how something as simple as an ice cream outing can turn into a cherished moment, one that represents so much more than just a “nice shot.”
Why This Moment Was Special
Picture this: a sunny day at Banter Ice Cream, my 3-year-old daughter happily enjoying her ice cream cone, while her great-grandmother—97 years strong—sits beside her. In between, my wife and her mom, each with their own unique place in this family tree. Four generations, all together, sharing a simple yet meaningful moment over ice cream.
As a dad, husband, and son-in-law, I couldn’t have been prouder. Capturing this moment wasn’t just about framing a nice shot—it was about freezing time for a second and holding onto a piece of our family’s legacy.
When you’re a photographer, you’re constantly chasing stories. Sure, there are the big ones—the commercial shoots, the corporate headshots for large teams—but it’s moments like these that remind me why I fell in love with photography in the first place. Sometimes, it’s the quiet, personal stories that resonate the most.
Storytelling in Photography: More Than Just Nice Shots
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that photography is so much more than snapping nice shots. It’s about telling a story. And when it comes to business, storytelling is what sets you apart from the competition. People connect with stories. They remember them, they share them, and they feel something when they see them.
Take the photo of my family, for example. It wasn’t staged, it wasn’t overly polished—it was real. It was raw. We’ll always remember gathering at Banter Ice Cream. That’s what makes a great photo—it’s the story behind it, the emotion you feel when you look at it.
What does that mean for your business? When you focus on capturing real moments, you create a connection with your audience that goes way beyond just selling a product. People want to see the heart of your business, the people behind it, and the moments that make it special. And that’s where storytelling photography comes in.
How Businesses Can Leverage Storytelling Photography
As a small business, it can be tough to stand out, especially when you’re up against bigger companies with massive marketing budgets. But here’s the good news: you don’t need a huge budget to create something meaningful. What you need is a story worth sharing, and every business has one.
Think about your local coffee shop or the mom-and-pop bakery down the street. What makes them special? It’s not just the coffee or the pastries—it’s the experience. It’s the way they remember your name, the friendly chat you have with the barista or the story behind the family recipe. These are the moments that matter, and they’re the ones worth capturing.
Storytelling photography allows you to take those everyday moments and turn them into something memorable. It could be a behind-the-scenes look at your team in action, a snapshot of a community event, or a candid moment with a loyal customer. These are the “nice shots” that give your business personality and create a connection with your audience.
Local Stories Matter
One of the biggest takeaways I’ve had from my photography journey is the power of local stories. Everybody wants to go “viral” myself included but there’s something incredibly valuable about tapping into your local community. This is something I learned firsthand after reading Hype Yourself by Lucy Werner, a book that teaches you how to hype yourself and your business to local media and national media outlets.
Without that advice, this photo of my family might have just stayed on my phone, buried under a hundred other pictures. But by taking the time to share it with the local paper, it turned into a story that connected with the community. It was a win for us, a win for the paper, and a win for Banter Ice Cream. A simple, real moment turned into something much bigger, all because I took the time to share it.
For small businesses, this is a lesson worth paying attention to. Your local community is your biggest supporter, and they want to hear your story. By focusing on the real, everyday moments that make your business unique, you can create a story that resonates with your audience in a way that no slick, polished ad campaign ever could.
Why Storytelling Works
At the end of the day, people want to do business with people they feel connected to. They want to know the story behind the brand, the faces behind the products, and the passion behind the services. Storytelling photography is a way to show that. It’s a way to humanize your business and give your audience a reason to care.
Whether you’re a photographer like me or a small business owner trying to find your voice, the principle is the same: focus on telling real stories. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it has to be authentic. That’s what people remember.
My “Nice Shot” Was More Than a Photo
That day at Banter Ice Cream wasn’t just about getting nice shots—it was about capturing a moment that we’ll all look back on and remember. It was about family, about community, and about appreciating the small things in life. And for me, it was a reminder of why I do what I do as a photographer.
So, the next time you’re trying to figure out how to share your business’s story, think about the real moments. The ones that show the heart behind what you do. Whether it’s a family outing or a busy day at the shop, those are the moments that matter. And those are the moments worth capturing.
In the end, storytelling is what makes a good shot great. It’s what turns a simple photo into a memory, and what makes your business stand out from the crowd. So, go ahead—share your story. You never know how far it’ll go.
Connect With Me To Tell Your Story
Your story is worth investing in! If you have a story to tell, I would love to connect. I tell local business stories and stories for national companies and their community engagement initiatives.