What is Personal Branding Photography?

The term ‘personal branding photography’ is thrown around a lot these days, but what does it mean in practice? As a professional personal branding photographer, I can give you all the information you need. In this blog, I’ll explain what personal branding photography is, what it involves, why it will lead to more sales for your business, and how you can use it to drive interest in your product or service.

What does the term personal branding photography mean?

It’s a way of selling, describing, and promoting your business in a relatable way to attract your ideal client. Effectively, you’re putting yourself in a shop window, selling what you do, and hoping to attract like-minded people. Your brand isn’t supposed to attract everyone. You’re showing the world who you are and what you do and scoping out the people who resonate with this. With personal branding photography, you’re showing every facet of your life and your business. Nowadays, there’s got to be a lifestyle element to what you’re selling. We often hear the saying, ‘People buy from people’, and today’s consumers definitely want to see more of a business’s human side. If you’re a one-man or one-woman band, people want to see how you live your life—for example, how you get from the gym to work, what you eat during the day, where you hold your phone, and what clothes you wear. It’s about showing your full self rather than just a few photos of you at your desk.

How does personal branding photography differ from headshots or corporate photography?

With corporate headshots, you’re sticking to somebody else’s brief and conforming to a pre-established brand colour palette. If it’s formal, you have to be formal. If it’s in a studio, you have to be in a studio. Corporate photography puts everyone on an equal playing field. If you work for a big organisation, whether it’s a doctor’s surgery, a dentist, or a school, everybody’s got a uniform photo, and each photo looks exactly the same. Personal branding photography, on the other hand, is more about showing a person’s unique, multifaceted life and personality. It also tends to show their full-length body, not just their head and shoulders.

What inspired me to do more personal branding photography?

My interest in personal branding photography stemmed from feeling like I wasn’t exercising enough creative expression in my headshot sessions. I’ve done a lot of education around making people feel confident and great about

themselves, and I thought this education would go to waste if I kept just creating one single headshot. Personal branding photography is about creating a mini-portfolio of someone and encouraging people to show their full expression, their personality, their figure, their body, their strengths, and their weaknesses. I also think I’m too big of a character to be happy with just a headshot. Although I can do just the headshot, it makes me want more. My experience in family and event photography has lent itself perfectly to making the transition to personal branding photography. These types of photography are more colourful, more fun—more everything. There’s so much more to say than just a headshot.

What does a personal branding photoshoot involve?

It involves a day in the life of any given business. I’ll always look to capture the finer details, whether it’s how someone opens up their shop or how they package their product. With every job, there’s a glossary of things that make it interesting. When I take personal branding photos, I might ask the client to give me a list of 10 things they do every day, but often they’ll come up with 20 or 30. There’s a lot more to running a business than meets the eye. In terms of the logistics of a personal branding photoshoot, I’ll begin the process by having conversations with my clients about:

● What they want to wear.

● How many pictures they want.

● Whether they want to do a half-day or full-day shoot or work together across multiple days.

● Where we’ll meet.

Choosing a location that’s true to the client’s personality is critical. If you work with me, one of the first conversations we’ll have is deciding whether to book somewhere or shoot in your premises or house. If you work from home but regularly hot desk, it may be best to find a working space in which you feel comfortable and get permission to take photos there. Depending on the aesthetic you’re trying to get across, we could rent out a house, an Airbnb, or a hotel. Coworking spaces, coffee shops, parks, beaches, hotel lobbies, and gyms are other great locations for a personal branding photoshoot. It ultimately comes down to what you’re selling, the vibe you’re trying to communicate, and where you feel in your element.

How much does a typical personal branding photoshoot cost, and which factors influence the cost?

I offer clients half-day, full-day, and two-day sessions. A half-day session is three hours, and they get ten photos. This costs £400. A full-day session is six hours, and they get 20 photos. This costs £700. A two-day session is two six-hour days, and they get 40 photos. This costs £1,250. Various factors influence the cost of a personal branding photoshoot, including the amount of time someone is committing to and potential travel costs. If I’m working further afield (in other words, outside of Liverpool) and driving to a location, I charge 45 pence per mile.

How to measure the success of a personal branding photoshoot

If other people come to me and say, ‘I saw your pictures, I love them, and I want to do something like that for my business’, then I’ve done my job. I was recently at a big dinner event, and my photos were on the banners. Moments like this remind me why I do what I do, and the feeling is indescribable. Good reviews can go a long way within the Liverpool region and beyond. LinkedIn is a powerful referral tool, too.

My favourite personal branding photoshoot

I recently worked with a young, female independent financial planner, Shalini. She works in a somewhat stuffy and boring industry, so she wanted to inject colour and personality into her photos. We incorporated elements of her personal life into the photoshoot, as well as the different elements of her job. I’m proud of the photos, as they make women feel like they’re part of the conversation around stocks and shares and planning and pensions. They’re relatable to other women who aspire to pursue a similar career path. They prove that you don’t have to be a certain type of person to work in a certain type of industry. She was lovely to be around. We spent time talking on the phone and going to different locations, and the commitment from both of us made for such a pleasurable time. We spent the first part of the shoot in a local park taking lifestyle pictures, and in the second half of the day, we took office-style pictures. We’d already carved out a strong relationship by then and got to know each other much better. She invited me to her website launch, which is a testament to the friendship we formed. The shoot wasn’t a stuffy, transactional experience—it represented something deeper for both of us. She’s happy to rotate the pictures every quarter, so I’ve created an annual subscription package for her. This package allows her to freshen up her photos in line with the new seasons and keep them timely and relevant.

Advice for anyone considering investing in personal branding photography

I think they should definitely feel proud of investing in personal branding photography. Despite what you might think, you can be stylish and authentic within the means of your budget. Personal branding photography demonstrates a high level of professionalism, commitment to their brand, imagination, bravery, no fear, and a willingness to show off their true self. It encourages you to be original and not fall into a formula. You can’t profess to be one thing and be the other in reality. Be honest about the product you’re selling, but be proud of it too! If you’re packaging your products in your lounge, show yourself packaging products in your lounge. Don’t be afraid to show people that you’re at the beginning, middle, or end of your career. If you’re working hard and you care about what you do, that’s all that matters. The fashion right now is to reveal your whole self, and if you decide to do this with your iPhone, you’re withholding something potentially valuable that your ideal clients will love. Believe in yourself, and if you’re still unsure about whether personal branding photography is right for you—feel the fear and do it anyway!

Reach out to me for your personal branding photographs

Whether you’re looking for photographs to use on your website, social media platforms, or email signature, I can give you what you’re looking for. As long as you’re open to having a wonderful time, being vulnerable, and sharing your wealth of knowledge with me, I’m ready to work with you. Fill out this short form, and I’ll be in touch.