Personal Branding Headshots are all about YOU

These are 3 very different styles of personal branding headshots, all photographed by yours truly in the same photography studio. To me, this is the whole point of personal branding photography- it’s about capturing, and celebrating, the client’s individuality. Why? Because what is unique is memorable and what is memorable gets leads, and ultimately, gets clients. Photography © Laura Sosner Photography. All rights reserved.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it is that I do as a headshot photographer recently. People come into my Vancouver photo studio because they need headshots. It’s simple, right? 90% of the time they’re seeking personal branding portraiture to help represent them online (the other 10% of the time they need a corporate headshot for their job, or they’re an author in need of a headshot for book that’s coming out, stuff like that).

So most of the time clients are already requesting personal branding when they contact me. But here’s the thing- I’ve realized that even those clients who don’t request personal branding headshots (i.e., the clients who just need a basic corporate headshot for their work) still end up getting treated to a personal branding headshot when they book with me. Bear with me while I explain.

What are personal branding headshots exactly?

Personal branding headshots started to take off in the photography industry about 8 years ago. The idea is simple- it’s a type of headshot photography that reflects and highlights a client’s unique brand. Simple enough. I remember when I first encountered the idea, I was actually a little confused, as I had already been offering personalized headshots sessions for clients for a few years at that point- I was just calling them plain old headshots.

But as the genre started to take off and become an increasingly popular offering within the industry, I realized that it was time to really start honing in on a system for clients that would deliver an even more personally tailored photo shoot experience than even what I had been offering up until that point. With each client that came through the door of the studio, it became clearer and clearer that when I had a complete understanding of the client’s brand and their vision for their photo shoot, the more fantastic the results of the photo shoot were across the board.

This doesn’t mean that my client has to show up with a clear vision of their brand at their consultation with me- not at all. In fact, a lot of clients reach out to the photo studio while they are still in the nascent phase of building their businesses.

So where do we begin in gaining this clear vision of your brand (that will ultimately lead to an awesome photo shoot)? It begins with some questions from me during the phone consultation, before you even book your session.

I’ll ask you questions, such as the following:

• What is your business?

• What is your unique selling point?

• What values do you want your clients to see in you?

• Do you have any specific branding colours at this point?

• Do you have any favourite features you’d like highlighted?

• Is there anything you tend not to like when you see photos of yourself that you’d like me to be aware of?

These questions are where it all begins. And sometimes the client can’t answer all of them at this point (e.g., for a new business owner just starting out, she or he may not know what their USP is yet), and that’s ok! These questions are just a starting point, and the client can muse about them after the consultation has finished.

The next thing I do is always request the client put a mood board/inspiration photo board together for their photo shoot. I recommend assembling 5-10 photos for general inspiration and I recommend that the client stick to headshots and portraits of people (rather than, for instance, photos of more conceptual elements that don’t directly relate to headshots).

Once the client has done this for me, the puzzle pieces are in place and we’re ready to go for the photo shoot.

The very last thing I like to discuss with clients is the topic of wardrobe. Our clothing choices give information to the viewer, and it’s an important consideration. The client should wear clothing that ultimately supports the meaning of their brand, and this is why I provide complimentary wardrobe styling sessions to all clients to make sure we’re all good to go for the day of the photo shoot.

And there you have it! These are all critical steps in my opinion (initial consultation/ assembling a mood board/ making thoughtful wardrobe choices), and once they’re in place, the result is a great photo shoot.

These elements make it possible for me to capture each individual client’s personal brand and craft a unique set of headshots for them that reflect that brand, and ultimately celebrate all that they are.

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