We're all familiar with what a headshot is but the term 'personal brand photography' is a relatively new in the scheme of things.
Lots of my clients stumble upon my work on Google or Instagram whilst looking for a photographer who can provide a lifestyle take on their business imagery, and many of them aren't aware at that stage that personal branding is even a thing...so what exactly does it mean and do you need to invest?
Personal branding photography is the creation of a collection of images that communicates your brand personality to your target audience. It seeks to establish you as an expert within your field.
It's about capturing the story of your brand - the details, the essence of what makes you tick and and all of the little things that makes your brand...well...your brand.
Adding your personality into the mix and creating this differentiation will help you stand out from the crowd.
Show them who you are and what you do
When your brand exudes a clear, consistent, professional image, you will find it much easier to connect with your dream clients and customers. Relaying all of this via visual storytelling is what personal branding photography is about.
This is quite different to the traditional 'headshot', which will usually be a portrait head and shoulders image of you smiling to camera and will seek to portray you as professional/approachable/creative/knowledgeable/warm/serious (delete as applicable depending on your business!)
So how do you know if you need something more than a headshot...?
Read on to find out...
You are the figurehead of your brand or you own a lifestyle brand
You're a freelancer, sole trader or running your own business and you (and your team) are at the helm. It's no longer an option to hide away behind the scenes of your business - people want to see and connect with the person that they're dealing with.
Connections build trust, and trust builds consumer loyalty.
Your business is growing OR you want to start off on the right foot
Whether you're established and looking to add polish or a newbie nurturing a seed of an idea, investing in decent photography is an enabler for so many things - it will help you to grow your social media, market yourself and create compelling print collateral.
If you’re in the newbie camp, then personal brand photography will help you to look the part. The old saying is true, you have to ’fake it till you make it'!
Sometimes taking small steps towards your goals is the biggest thing you can do to grow.
You have a creative process
You put so much passion and energy into your work that it's only right that you should share it with the world. Is there any better way of demonstrating the value that you add than by visually spelling it out for people?
Sometimes you need to sit back and let your photographs do the talking
You are client facing
People want to see who they're going to be working with and what they can expect when they arrive to meet you.
Now, what this looks like photographically will completely depend upon your business - it's the reason why I tailor every session individually for the client involved.
You are active on social media (or want to be)
It's no longer enough to keep repurposing that one headshot image from 2 years back because it's all you've got.
Not only will professional images help set you apart in your field, but showing people that you're serious about your business and are willing to invest in it speaks volumes.
It builds trust.
It's hard to build a social feed with only headshots because it can feel a bit formal - people want to see you and what goes on in your business. It's all about the little details and the storytelling.
You are building a multipage website
Ever tried to build a website with just headshots?
Let me tell you right now...it's pretty darn hard and I can promise you that you'll more than likely end up searching for on-brand stock photography (which, by the way, is a nightmare).
This is where my storytelling approach to personal brand photography really comes into it's own.
I hope this has given you a little food for thought - if one of more of the above apply to you then I have no doubt that you'd benefit from personal brand photography!
If you're interested in your own shoot then I'd love to hear from you and you can complete my form to contact me and I'll be in touch to hear all about your business. I have packages to suit all budgets and I'm now taking bookings for June & July onwards.
If you're new around here, please feel free to have a look around and learn more about my photography, brand identity design or website services
