Personal Brand Photography in Rochester NY
Recently we had the opportunity to join forces with the team at Serendipity Labs to host a Happy Hour with a side of Personal Brand Portraits, and we have to say—they were AWESOME!
Each attendee got to mingle, have a snack and a drink, AND get a micro brand photography session, where they walked away with an updated branding image to use however they needed it!
Why is that such a big deal? I mean, what can you do with new brand photographs anyway?!
Since our last personal brand photography session with Dr. Heather Hirsch, she’s been a very busy woman! It’s exciting not only see how she’s using her brand photographs, but also how much her exposure has grown.
Because of these many media outlets and how busy she’s gotten, Heather was in need of new branding pictures for use on social media after just six months.
(Side Note: If you’re business requires you to be posting new content on social media feeds regularly, you’ll want regular brand photo updates too!)
Check out all of the media attention she’s gotten! We’re already planning for the next round of updated photographs for her personal brand.
We’re so excited for you, Heather!
When I first met Caroline, I learned that she was a Voice Therapist in the beginning stages of beginning her own private practice.
We photographed her branding photography in Fairport, NY at a local co-working studio, in order to give her both an “on-location” approach, and a also brand photography that feels like a professional office.
She wasn’t 100% ready to launch her website yet, but she had every single bit of research and much of her brand planned out. She knew what she wanted to offer her clients, who her ideal client was and exactly what types of branding images she’d need to bring her vision to reality.
I’ll be honest, it was refreshing. There are times when we have to dig deep with a branding client to learn what there branding photography needs are. But not Caroline.
She had it all planned out, so that when it came to her personal branding photography, she was ready to go. And the results speak for themselves. We can’t wait to see how these headshots and branding portraits get used in the near future!
A lot of times, when people think of branding portraits, they think of cute coffee shops and sipping coffee at a computer.
But branding photography for a window treatment company doesn’t fit that mold. Peggy came to us with an amazingly detailed list of photographs for branding her business.
They included everything from sewing machines to ladders. Each member of her team was photographed doing what they do best, and then we made some fun group portraits as well.
We had so much fun with them, and can’t wait to see their pictures all over their Instagram account in the near future.
Check out a few below, and meet Peggy and her team on the Instagram account: @peggymorgans
Last time we saw her, Maryellen wanted branding photography for her therapy business. At the time, the goal was to update her business website, but also show a real side of Maryellen that made you feel at ease.
We knew even then, that Maryellen had bigger goals than running a successful therapists’s office.
Introducing, the “Okay-ish” Podcast. It’s a space where Maryellen gets real about mental health, and gives listeners the unfiltered truths that help people understand that “it’s ok, to be just ok.” There’s a new website to brand, and new stories to tell.
People who want a different take on therapy, feel overwhelmed, or are realizing that perfection isn’t the goal - OK is. She talks about toxic positivity, imposter syndrome, and also gives behind the scenes information about life as a therapist. She wants to be seen as relatable in her branding photography.
We showed her real life, by taking branding pictures of Maryellen next to the laundry she’s been too busy and overwhelmed to fold.
We photographed emotion. Yes, new headshots are important, but we also knew we needed to show a variety of emotions in order to connect to her audience. So we captured overwhelm and even anger, along side her new headshots.
Brand photography is about more than pretty headshots and sitting at a perfect, clean desk. What makes your brand stand out? What emotions do you want to help your audience with? Let’s go there, and capture THAT in your personal brand photographs.
Recently we had the opportunity to join forces with the team at Serendipity Labs to host a Happy Hour with a side of Personal Brand Portraits, and we have to say—they were AWESOME!
Each attendee got to mingle, have a snack and a drink, AND get a micro brand photography session, where they walked away with an updated branding image to use however they needed it!
Why is that such a big deal? I mean, what can you do with new brand photographs anyway?!
Kc Rossi loves to help women breakthrough and bring all of themselves to their lives, and the world. Her words. I can tell you that just from the few hours we spent together - she’s good at it.
She wanted her brand photography to portray a confident, powerful feeling - but also photography that shows peace and warmth. So we captured her professional nature at work, and her natural environment as well.
Doing this included both her polished style, and attention to detail but also the cozy feeling of her working from home, and even the deer in her amazing forest backyard.
This set of brand photographs will give her options for ideas to communicate on social media, her podcast headers and her website.
If you’re looking for a mindset coach to help you grow, we suggest you meet Kc!
Recently we had the opportunity to join forces with the team at Serendipity Labs to host a Happy Hour with a side of Personal Brand Portraits, and we have to say—they were AWESOME!
Each attendee got to mingle, have a snack and a drink, AND get a micro brand photography session, where they walked away with an updated branding image to use however they needed it!
Why is that such a big deal? I mean, what can you do with new brand photographs anyway?!
You know your brand visuals are super important to your small business. So you’ve got your brand photo shoot booked, but you’re a little nervous about what to do next.
Here’s four tips for your head shot or branding session:
Use Pinterest, or collect images that you’re drawn to. It could be as simple as your brand colors, or a fun pattern, or even specific poses that portray what you want your audience to feel. Then show your photographer what you’re drawn to.
Ask yourself, does this location fit my brand? Or am I using it because it’s what everyone is doing? Find the right place for you.
If it helps you, get your hair and makeup done. Pick the right outfits, and get a second opinion if you need it. Meditate or do yoga, or have a dance party if it relaxes you. Because when you feel good, your confidence will show in your branding pictures.
Why do you do what you do? What purpose does your business serve? What are the top 3-5 words you want the world to see in your brand? For example: A few of ours are “fun” and “real.” We try to show these kinds of images for our people to understand who we are and what we’re about.
You’re going to use these branding images to communicate your message and build trust with your audience. Hopefully these personal brand session tips help point you in the right direction.
If you’re truly lost, ask your photographer for help - that’s what we’re here for. We want you to have the right brand pictures for you.
Above all else, have fun!
From our first phone call I knew that working with Jen from Compounding Joy on her brand photography would be fun. What I didn’t know, was how much!
She has goals of showing up more on social media, and updating her website with images that tell her audience that she’s not just a budget sheet and quickbooks kind of professional.
In her own words she wanted her “pictures to show that I AM different than other money coaches out there. I’m not buttoned up tight. I’m not living in a big fancy house. I’m not “dressed for success.”
So we incorporated sweaters which she knits herself, her love for camping and her dog Peanut. We gave her brand photographs a true to her, down to earth feeling, so that she can help other women feel the same way.
It’s not every day that a campfire and marshmallows are incorporated into a personal branding session - but when they are, you bet we’ll be there to help clean up those marshmallows.
Recently we had the opportunity to join forces with the team at Serendipity Labs to host a Happy Hour with a side of Personal Brand Portraits, and we have to say—they were AWESOME!
Each attendee got to mingle, have a snack and a drink, AND get a micro brand photography session, where they walked away with an updated branding image to use however they needed it!
Why is that such a big deal? I mean, what can you do with new brand photographs anyway?!
If you have a follower on your social media account, they didn’t find and consciously decide to hit “follow” by accident. Something about you, or your business caught their attention.
This is one reason why your personal brand needs to stand out from the crowd. How is your business unique?
Personal brand photography can help you with that, like we did for Kim here. She wanted people to see that there’s more to her skill set than meets the eye, and that there’s research and training involved with her services. She wants people to see that she goes above and beyond for her clients.
The branding photographs we took, combined with the right captions on social media can elevate her as an authority figure in her field.
I can’t wait to see what she does with them.
You already know that personal brand photography is about more than updating your headshot. (And if you don’t, you can find out the difference in this previous blog post).
So once you’ve completed a branding portrait session, why would you need to do it again? Well, we’ve got answers.
Here’s 5 reasons why we think annual, semi-annual or even quarterly personal branding sessions are not only important, but necessary.
You know what changes in Rochester NY? The weather. Using a sunshine filled summer branding portrait in the dead of winter may not resonate to local clients. It’s hard to talk about pumpkins and apple pie on your Instagram feed if your attire shows you in beach wear and flip flops.
Branding photography isn’t just about new headshots for your LinkedIn page. Are you an artist or a maker? Do you own a physical storefront? Did you create a 5 step productivity program? What new offering have you come up with in the last 3 months that you need to put out in the world?
You’re going to need to show more than the same 10 pictures. Eventually people will start to notice if you’re always showing up in their Instagram feed in the same outfit.
Current events are always changing. What was important to talk about yesterday, might be totally different today. Besides that, your field of expertise might change too. Stay on top of the changes in your own brand with timely branding photographs.
Is your business the same as it was when it began? Are you the same person you were when it began? Hopefully not. Hopefully, you’ve grown and evolved over time. The brand you created when you started your business should evolve as well. Your branding photos should reflect your growth.
When we started our businesses 12 years ago, we both started out running side hustle photography businesses. We wanted to know everything and learn as much as we could. We learned about lighting, posing, and sales - but no one ever really stressed to us the importance of having a strong personal brand.
Now that we are more established as photographers in Rochester, I often wonder how much faster would we have grown, if we had known way back then?
To all of you out there making your dreams happen, hustling your way to where you want your small business to be - We’re here to tell you that you need brand photography. And here’s five reasons why:
Plain and simple: If you look fresh, polished and professional, you’ll grow faster. Show up for yourself, and your brand. What is the first impression you want to give your audience?
I’m not trying to insult you, I mean as a business. Brand Photography is about more than what you look like in a headshot. A session with us is a process. We dive into learning about your ideal client. We brainstorm and plan. Along the way, you might learn something about your business. You might grow in ways you never considered before.
People have short attention spans. In the time it took you to read this sentence, someone has scrolled through Instagram twice. How are you going to catch their eye? Engaging images can do that for you in a way that your selfies can’t.
Quality images create a mindset that you are the expert in your field. Ultimately, this mindset raises the perceived value of your work - and that’s the goal right? Do what you love AND make more money?
Once you have their attention, how are you going to keep it? Constantly selling your product is one way to turn a customer off real quick. People want to know the person behind the product. Even in a pandemic world (maybe more so), people want to connect to real people. They want to invest in you before they trust what you’re trying to offer them.
Now, we know you don’t have a professional photographer following your every move. That’d be weird. So occasionally selfies and phone photographs are fine.
But if you want to level up your side hustle, step up your visual brand. Connect with your people, but do it in a way that conveys the story of your business that you want to tell. You are the face of your brand, and it’s you that your audience wants to see.
So now that you know why, what are you going to do with the information?
Before her branding session, Laura told us that people fascinate her. She told us that she loves their stories, and seeing something in it that they didn't see.
Same! Our style of personal brand photography is very much the same. We loved looking at her brand, and hearing her stories to see something she hadn’t thought of about her brand.
And then, we took those stories and created images to support them. For example: As a therapist, she believes that life is messy, and we’re all a little bit broken - like a chipped coffee cup. But, even though the cup has a chip in it, it still works and still functions as a coffee cup.
So we incorporated some of that idea into the imagery. We included some mess, some learning and growing, and her favorite chipped coffee cups.
We combined it all together to create both updated headshots, and stories she can use on her own platforms to show people who she is and what she believes.
The images don’t have to be neat, tidy picture perfect scenes if that’s not the right story. Because real life includes chipped coffee cups and messiness.
Personal brand photography is all about connecting to your audience. So show them your real you, and you’ll attract your ideal clients.
