What are personal branding photography sessions?

You may have heard this phrase popping up. It’s an emerging genre of photography that offers businesses a chance to improve their online presence through professional photos. Unlike traditional commercial photography, these shoots focus on capturing the spirit of the brand and personality of the business owner rather than products and standard headshots.

Anyone with their own business these days feels the pressure to show up on social media, but so often it’s a drag especially if you’re not that savvy with it all. It’s a huge opportunity to attract and connect with those dream customers you’d love to work with all the time, but you have to know how to come across and that doesn’t always come naturally.

Your brand

The mood, quality and nature of the images you share on your website, social media and marketing literature convey the character of your brand. Even if you’re a one-man show and haven’t ever consciously ‘branded’ your business, you do have a brand - it’s you! Everything you say, do and share in the public arena (whether it’s on Facebook, an email to a customer, or how you come across face to face with what you say and wear) - all of this forms an impression and is your brand. So either that’s conscious or unconscious. When you’re conscious of it, you choose carefully and make sure that anything you put out there is consistent with your brand. You start to identify your business with certain values, quirks, colours, characteristics. Your job is to explore and define what your brand’s core values are and what your essence is.

If you’re serious about turning your passion into a sustainable business you have to have a strong online presence. You have to have a voice that is clear and recognisable. Imagery you use is part of that voice. When people see something posted by you, will they know straight away that was you? Or do you blend in with everyone else? It really doesn’t matter what sets you apart - just make sure you’re showing it. All. The. Time.

Serving small Cornish businesses

It’s so exciting and feels so right to be stepping out of my baby and photography world into the much wider world of businesses in Cornwall - to connect with entrepreneurs is something I am so looking forward to! There are so many interesting little businesses around, born from love and creativity and the wonderful Cornish spirit of adventure and non-conformity.

Investing in professional photography is an exciting step in the right direction but it can be a daunting decision. You have to be sure you hire the right photographer for you. It’s a personal service and you definitely want to make sure you’re comfortable and confident in the person you hire.

What’s involved in brand photography?

Personal branding sessions are different to product shoots and traditional headshot sessions. The focus is on the person at work rather than the wares or sitting posed and looking at the camera. If you provide a service or are a maker, your images will capture you in action at the key points. This will show customers what it’s like to work with you, and what goes into your products. They’ll get to know you, get to like you and appreciate the value of what you offer.

The soft sales dream

This type of session may be up your street if you’re a ‘soft-sales’ person like me. I can’t think of anything worse than trying to push something on anyone or trying to convince them to buy from me. I’ve tried those jobs in the past and I sucked. Most people won’t buy when they’re being overtly sold to. Flashing ‘BUY NOW’ signs are off-putting, along with all sales speak and gimmicks. It’s always a hard “no thanks” from me!

I’d much rather my products or images sell themselves. I prefer to discover things for myself and I think many customers feel the same. And as a creative person, I just want to do what I love and show that to people - if they love it too I can tell them more, and they’re welcome to spend money if they want to. I know it’s totally worth every penny I charge, and the right type of customers appreciate my time and talent too.

The trick is being seen by those prospective customers.

Having a great bank of personalised images are totally for the softies like me who want to show, not shout (although hopefully you’ll be so proud of the images you will want to shout a little bit more which is a good thing!)

It’s a lovely chance to celebrate how far you’ve already come, and to take your business to the next level.

So, what about you?

Who are you? What’s brought you here?

Do you use professional, personalised images that convey the right message to your ideal customers, or are you getting by with good enough phone pics and some stock images here and there? Are you attracting the type of people you love to work with through your website and social media? Does your business and brand (its unique character and flavour) look professional? Believe it or not, you do have a brand. It’s you!

My job is to find out who you are and provide you with a beautiful stockpile of photos you can use that show those dream customers who you are, how you work, what your process is, and what sets you apart.

Your success depends on having a strong online presence - wherever you like to be. These are your virtual shop fronts and are a major tool for attracting and connecting with potential customers. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen something that is probably quite nice poorly photographed and I’ve been put off buying, and conversely how many times I’ve felt my heart race and my finger want to click on the ‘buy’ button just because something has been photographed beautifully. The allure of a beautiful image is incredibly powerful!

Many small business owners either don’t feel savvy enough to make the most of online platforms, or they just don’t know what to post. That’s where I come in! Working together can give you the boost of confidence you need to proudly promote your website and social media pages.

You definitely need more than just a good headshot these days. The quality of the images that represent you and your brand are incredibly important to help you stand out from the maddening crowd!

On-brand images that capture your vibe will show potential customers who they are buying from. It’s a seduction game. The right customers will fall in love with what you do and want to support you. Your sales will increase and if you follow that through with great service and a product that satisfies, they’ll stay a loyal customer because they feel like they know you.

Learn more about my personal branding sessions or get in touch if you have any questions - I’d love to hear from you.