Personal branding shoots have been around for a very long time, yet have in recent years been promoted as if they’re something new.
With the increase in solopreneurs starting businesses, tied to the importance of using social media to give your new business vital publicity, a range of shots of you – the founder, the person doing the work, the face of the company (especially if you’re the only face who works at the company), has taken on a new lease of life. ‘People buy from people’ the experts say, so it makes sense to have a photoshoot of you doing business-y things doesn’t it?
Personally, I’d say it depends.
At the risk of sounding jaundiced, there are too many personal branding shoots I see that have run the client through a range of standard poses in cliched locations. You know the thing. ‘Drinking coffee while staring wistfully out of a window’ tops the list, but there are plenty more.
I get it, I really do. Starting a business is hard enough. There’s so much to do, to plan, to simply think about. And I’m not dismissing the importance of getting some personal brand photography done. But I am sceptical of shoots that look exactly like so many other shoots. What exactly is that saying about your new business?
So I only do branding shoots when we’ve explored exactly what the message is that we’re conveying. Questions are asked and conversations happen about brand positioning and target audiences. Not about whether you want props like a laptop and notebook, or if you’re more of a smartphone kind of person.
Locations might need to be sourced, sure. But they need to actually reflect you and your business. Everything in the frame should be contributing to the image you want to convey. You shouldn’t be forced into somebody else’s template.
I was approached last year by Nina of Nina D to take some new brand shots for her, in readiness for the next phase of her business development. She’s an absolute queen of detail, has thought precisely about what she wants to say visually, and is committed to getting it right.
Here’s what we produced
Yes, it requires some thought and effort, and may take longer to achieve, but I truly believe that the photos are better at the end of the process. They are a truer reflection of you and your business. They’re unique to you and your vision, reflect what you are and what you’re trying to say, and clearly position you where you want to be.
