What are branding photos, or personal branding photos?

So what exactly are branding photos, or personal branding photos? 

And what about business branding photos? Or portraits?  What do they all do for your business?

The definitions

I think other people often use the terms interchangeably in most situations. 

Generally, branding photos are professional photographs of you, that really capture you, your personality, your brand, who you are, and maybe also what you do. 

They are used on your website, in your social media posts, as your profile photos, and in any marketing fliers or other marketing material you create.  Anywhere where you need a proper professional photograph of you.

However, for me, I use the phrase 'branding photos' as an overall term. 

I use 'personal branding photos' for the kinds of photos that showcase your personality and your story, more about you, your life, and behind the scenes.  So that your audience can see and learn more about you as a person.  These can also be aligned with your brand, and illustrate those parts of you that you share with your audience as part of your brand, hence branding photos not just portraits. 

And then I use 'business branding photos' for the images that capture you at work, doing what you do, making what you make, designing, creating, teaching, writing, selling, whatever it is that you actually do, and behind the scenes of your business.  So that your audience can see what it is like to work with you or buy from you.  For some people, this won't be very visual, if you just sit at a computer all day etc., but if it is, it is definitely worth photographing - and these are my favourite kinds of branding photos!  Again, the style and editing of these should be aligned with your brand, turning them from portraits into branding photos.

Branding photos are not just a headshot

Branding photos demonstrate your personality, and your brand.  They are not just a straightforward headshot! 

They can range from head and shoulders to full length shots, and they can be posed or capture you in action.  But the point is they show much more of you, you the person, and tell your story – they tell your audience a bit about you, so your customers/clients can get to know you and want to buy from you. 

They also share your brand, and become part of your visual branding - so long as the photographer knows what they are doing and styles and edits them to cohesively match your brand anyway.

Branding photos help you stand out

Sharing your branding photos really helps you to stand out from the crowd, showing what you look like, showing how you are different from your competitors.  Making you more recognisable and memorable, growing your visibility and building your brand presence.  They'll help your audience to more quickly get to know, like and trust you, when they can see what you look like. 

(By the way, it doesn't matter what you look like, to the right people, your ideal client or customer, they just want to know that you look like someone they'd like to work with).

Branding photos represent your business

Your branding photos should show the image you want to project to your audience, and be a cohesive part of your overall brand.  They are a huge part of your visual branding, and need to align with your whole brand and branding, to make sure they represent your business.  So they should be consistent with the colours, style, props, location, mood of the rest of your brand and branding - and that should all give the impression of your business that you want to give.

I use my own system to make sure my clients' photos match the rest of their brand, even if they aren't yet clear on what that should be, by finding and using their Brand Vibe, which gives us a set of keywords to describe the look and feel of the brand.  Then we can make sure that everything, including photos, is cohesive and consistent, building reliability, trust memorability and more, as well as looking good and attracting your ideal clients/customers.  Find out more here.

Branding photos build your brand

When your photos really do capture your brand and are aligned with your brand, you need to use them everywhere - don't keep them hidden away! 

Only by using them all over your website, in your social media, wherever you need a professional photo of you, will they be able to build your brand awareness and help you get visible, be recognised, and be remembered. 

And help you sell too of course, because they'll draw in your ideal clients and customers, help them get to know, like and trust you, and move them towards wanting to buy from you / work with you.

Next Steps:

- Interested in finding out more about my branding photography packages?  Here you go: Capture Your Brand.  

- Ready for more personal mentoring, brand, visibility and marketing strategies that work for you, a community of fellow ambitious introverts, training, and accountability to put it all into action?  Come and join my Brand Plan membership, and get support to show up, stand out, and sell more🤩

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Blog topics / categories: 

#All About Branding Photos, Headshots And Selfies

[This blog was first written in September 2019, then transferred to this website and changed quite a bit, January 2024]