'Personal Branding' Photography. It's been a bit of a buzz phrase out there in the small networking groups in recent years and I wonder how many people actually know what it means. Even if you are not Victoria Beckham and don't own your own Brand, do you need to have a Branding shoot? Well, if you own a small business that sells a product or a service, then the answer might still be yes.
If websites, social media platforms and zoom meetings are the replacement of shop fronts, meetings and in real-life events, as humans we want to see the people behind the brand. It's about trust.
When people first come across a new brand, the first question they normally ask is: can I trust this company? And, this is where it is important to show the people behind the brand to build trust.
So should you use a formal head shot?. Well yes, except do you think Gwyneth Paltrow would have her successful Goop brand if she just put a smart shirt on and sat in front of a boring plain back ground? No, she has picture upon picture that tell her story. The kind of pictures that show a bit of warmth, personality and are engaging.
That's the key, personal branding is about having pictures that tell stories, photos that you can put words to if you're writing an Instagram post, or that make your potential clients want to stay on your web page rather than a competitors because the pictures are doing the talking.
In this strange world we have found ourselves in where you might be in your pyjamas when you are writing your next post or updating your website, you need to have a broad selection of pictures that you can draw from that will catch the eye of your followers. That's easy if you sell pretty clothes, or home accessories or even if your role is an interior designer or a florist, but if your service is not a tangible product, then it's harder and that's where Personal Branding Photography shoots come in.
Before a Photoshoot, I talk with clients to build a picture of what they hope their website is going to look like. We talk about branding colours, page content and tone and then I aim to take a set of pictures that show the person's personality. I usually allow half a day to do one of these shoots and within that time we manage to get engaging images of the client in action in several different outfits so there's a choice of images to pull from. Usually if there's time while a client changes, I try to take some static shots that also make for interesting filler images that can be used on web pages and for Instagram.
In this time of change, many people are turning to on-line businesses as we stay at home or maybe starting new ones. January and February are never the time to do photoshoots as nobody looks their best unless they have been holidaying in sunnier climes, so even if we could, I wouldn't advise it, but if you are thinking about starting a new business or want to refresh an established one, then feel free to contact me to plan a shoot for when we finally get out of lockdown!
Picture credits: Philly from Philly Lindsay Clark
Katie from K Underwood
Andrea from Yoga at the Barn
Kate Boyd-Williams from Coach me Wellbeing
Susie from Homebody
Harriet from Harriet Rand Designs (website coming soon)
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