What is personal branding photography, why you need it and what’s involved
Many people want to reach for a bucket on hearing the words ‘personal branding’, but as a communications professional and photographer I’m often a lone voice championing it for anyone selling their services online.
You might be a digital marketing guru, a therapist, interior designer or strategy consultant - even, dare I whisper it, an accountant. Whatever your business, if you are a sole operator or have a small business and want to cut through the online noise, you need to have a strong brand. And that includes photography.
So what is personal branding photography?
Your brand is how you want to show up in public. Of course, you may have a logo, a colour palette and a couple of fonts. But beyond that, it’s the emotions you want people to feel when they interact with you and your business. It’s the values you hold. It’s what makes you and your business unique. It’s you, on a good day.
And great photos will convey what your brand is about a thousand times more effectively than reading an article online.
The right pictures start establishing a connection with you and your potential customer before you’ve even made contact. They help show you are trustworthy, likeable and confident. They offer an insight into who you really are.
What sort of photos are we talking about?
In my past experience managing charity social media accounts, photos with faces get way better engagement rates across all channels, so we’re talking about a mix of different types of portraits.
You can obviously do a lot of this yourself. Selfies and ‘behind the scenes’ shots taken by friends and colleagues can work brilliantly, but as one new client said to me recently: “I realised most of the photos on my LinkedIn were just me sitting on my sofa with a big glass of red wine in my hand!”
If you’re looking to build your profile and generate leads, you’ll need a wider range of different types of shots to use throughout the year, not just across your website but peppered throughout your social channels and email campaigns.
And depending on your business, you can get creative here. Sure, you can have a photo of you in a cafe with your laptop, and some more deliberately posed business portraits, but there’s potential for so much more.
For example, you could make the most of interesting locations like the colourful walls of Shoreditch or the Barbican’s beautiful lines, create beautiful close-up detail shots, or capture some candid images of you working with a client. To mix things up even more you could even have some pictures of you enjoying an activity you love, be it swimming, cycling, or macrame - whatever floats your boat.
It’s also helpful to have a bank of photos at the ready that convey a range of emotions. These can add punch to the messages your carefully crafted social posts aim to get across: from calm and thoughtful to playful, powerful or even pissed off.
Get in touch if you’d like to chat
If this sounds like a lot to think about, fear not. If I was lucky enough to work with you, after an initial chat to define what kind of thing you’re looking for, all you then need to do is turn up on the day with an open mind and willingness to experiment.
So just drop me a line at julia@juliahawkins.com if you’d like to discuss how a personal branding photoshoot might work for you.
Oh, just one last thing - did you know a one-person business is sometimes called a solopreneur? I know. Don’t shoot the messenger.
Find out more about my personal branding photography services.
Here are some more examples of recent personal branding shoots in London and the Southeast:
