If you’re the face of your business, you need to have a strong personal brand. Your personal brand is what draws your ideal customers to you. It’s what helps them get to know and like you, so they feel confident buying from you. It helps them understand if you’re the right fit for them, so you can attract more of your dream clients. 

I’m Lauren Psyk, a personal brand photographer in Brighton. I specialise in creating portraits, headshots and brand images, so you can get ahead of your competition and grow your business. In this post, I’m going to show you how to use photographs to create a top notch personal brand, so that your clients will be reaching for their credit cards and booking your services.

Have a variety of different shots

To have a vivid and compelling personal brand, it’s important to have a variety of creative photographs at your fingertips. This means when you’re producing different pieces of content, you’ll have the right photo to hand to illustrate your points. For example, if your brand is full of humour, you’ll want to have lots of shots of you laughing. If you’re in a service industry, you’ll want to have plenty of photos of you meeting your clients. It’s a good idea to draw up a shot list ahead of your personal brand photo shoot, so that you and your photographer can tick off all the photos you need for your business on the day. You can also look back at your social media posts over the past 6-12 months and search for the images that have performed well. Which photos helped you spark a conversation and build engagement with your audience? Are there any photos you wished you had more of? This can help guide the type of shots you need from your next brand photoshoot. 

Choose the right props

The props you choose to include in your headshot photos can really make the difference between bland, boring headshots and scroll-stopping brand photos that grab your audience’s attention. It’s really worth putting the effort in with your planning on this! Props you can hold, like journals and cups of tea are great, because they also give you something to do with your hands during the photoshoot! However, it’s a great idea to think outside the box and come up with something a bit different that will give you an unusual talking point on social media and help your audience to build a connection with you. Do you have an interesting hobby? Do you play an instrument? Can you always be found cycling to client meetings? Wouldn’t it be great to be able to tell your audience a bit more about you, with a photo that tells your story? Some of the weird and wonderful props I’ve had clients bring include: bicycles, guitars, juggling balls, fruit and veg, dogs, hiking gear, tarot cards…and my personal favourite, a pair of boxing gloves (the client was going to use these to represent some friendly rivalry with their competitors!) Be creative, because the more you stand out, the more you’ll stick in people’s minds. 

Create a colour scheme

Your headshots are one of your most important brand assets. You want them to look consistent with all of your marketing. So if you have brand colours, use them! Some great ways to include your brand colours in your headshots are in your outfits and the props you use (or both!) If you’re having your personal brand photo shoot indoors, think about how you can dress the room to suit your brand. I’ve had clients bring plant pots, cushions, pictures for the walls, and pen pots all in their brand colours. It made the client’s photos look consistent, professional, and really eye-catching. If you’re having an outdoor headshot shoot, ask your photographer if they can recommend any backdrops that will suit your brand, and send them your colour palette in advance. When I’m preparing for a shoot, I’ll go out and look for backdrops that will work with my client’s brand. Equally, you might want to let your photographer know of any colours you want to avoid. For example, if your biggest competitor uses bright red in their marketing, it probably makes sense for you to steer away from this colour. 

Pick the right location 

The location you choose for your headshot photo shoot says a lot about your brand, so make it count! I am a Brighton personal brand photographer, so I’m regularly doing outdoor photo shoots on location around Brighton. Some of my favourite spots for shoots include North Laine, with its vibrant colours and street art, Pavilion Gardens for greenery and beautiful architecture, and of course the seafront for the iconic shots of Brighton pier, the west pier and the beach. But get creative! Perhaps the best location for you might be your home, your office, a co-working space, or a cafe. It might involve picking somewhere you can involve other people, such as clients or colleagues.  Or perhaps it might be a mixture of a few different locations, some indoor and some outdoor. I love working with clients who have a strong vision for what they want their headshots to look like and helping them bring it to life. 

I’m a Brighton personal brand photographer. If you want to work with me to create a captivating personal brand that gets your customers listening to what you have to say, then drop me a line now! I’d love to hear from you.