The shift to Personal Brand Photography
Senior photos for business professionals with a purpose...Are you a parent who has been along for the experience of your child's senior photos in the past few years? If you worked with a photographer who is relevant and in touch with what's going on with kids today, the senior session was as much about the experience of the session itself as it was with the actual photography product. Gone are the days of the dull, boring studio portraits with one backdrop - today's senior photos are very experiential and designed to be a reflection of the senior's personality and incorporate all they things they love while creating a memorable experience for both parent and senior. Senior photos today should be fun, exciting, and something you remember with fondness every time you look at the album or wall portrait in the future!
You may have even thought during the session, "gosh I wish we could have done something this fun for MY senior photos!". Well, the good news is that you can…in a way, at least! I would be happy to do a photo session just for you and create the experience you want any time, but what I'm really talking about here is how the age old experience of getting professional headshots for business purposes has been largely replaced by the newer, more experiential personal brand photography session.
Just as senior sessions have evolved for the high schoolers, so too have business portrait sessions evolved for professionals and small business owners. Today's business leaders are much more involved online for their businesses, whether that means regular interaction on platforms liked LinkedIn, blogging for your business, creating regular social media content for your boutique or small business, or creating and updating your website. While some people still just need a typical headshot, if you're a leader in your organization or a small business owner, your need for images of you interacting in your business is a necessity to help potential clients get a feel for your brand long before they ever do business with you online or meet you in person. Hiring a branding photographer to help you with this process is a great way to get started.
81% of clients do extensive research online before ever heading out to a business to make a purchase, and 85% of consumers conduct online research before making an online purchase. So whether you are a brick and mortar or online business, meeting your customers effectively where they are (online) is just good business strategy and absolutely necessary for you to show your clients who you are and how you operate from the first moment they interact with you. And while that can be accomplished with words as well as photos, the old saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" still holds true today. The feelings conveyed to your viewers through your images is often the difference between potential clients choosing to click on YOUR contact button versus someone else's. Knowing that, it’s definitely time to invest in working with a branding photographer to set yourself apart in your field. Let’s do this thing!