VISUAL STORYTELLING ASSESSMENT:
Behdad "Bee" Jamshidi
A strategic guide for capturing the images
to support your 2026 business goals.
Bee, here's what stood out during our call.
You've built something genuinely rare. Over 1,100 agencies vetted. Thousands of people connected with. Frameworks that quantify what most people don't care to think about—the depth factor, the fish hooks, the amplified relationship score. You're an engineer who turned human connection into a system.
But here's what really landed: You care about finding peace and balance. Gym. Soccer. Cooking. Your marriage. Journaling. Intentional travel.
You're building a life, not just a business.
Your 2026 goals are clear: operationalize CJM, build a consistent lead machine, grow social presence, get on more stages. And here's the opportunity—your visuals can support achieving each of those goals with an intentional, strategic approach.
The good news? Your smartphone photo game is tight. Your storytelling is compelling. But right now, you're showing people some of what you do. When you're scaling—landing more speaking gigs, building that lead machine, getting in front of new audiences—your visuals need to paint a much broader picture.
When your visuals tell the full story—the process, the personality, the intentionality—people trust you faster. They say yes faster. And your images become your best sales tool, working for you while you sleep.
Here's how:
THE VISUAL STORYTELLING FRAMEWORK
You have the slide deck and call recording with detailed context on each category. Here's the strategic breakdown so your team knows exactly what needs to be captured.
Note on the Examples Below:
The photo galleries that follow only show professional photography. You already have the instinct for smartphone captures of professional and personal moments. What's next is dialing it in to strategically showcase both to support your 2026 goals. That's what helps fill in the gaps when a pro lens isn't following you around.
CORE ASSETS: Your Professional Anchors
Professional anchors. Headshots, wider portraits, vertical shots. These show up on your speaker page, LinkedIn, media kit, and website—anywhere someone is vetting you.
Expressions that reflect your essence.
Introspection. Alignment. Integrity. Connection. Evolution. Courage. These aren't just words—they're feelings that need to come through based on your facial expression and body language.
Multiple expressions. Multiple angles. Multiple outfits (that European minimalism you love - blues, grays, clean lines, quiet luxury). The goal is being genuine - expressions and body language that feel like you, not like you're putting on a show for the camera.
Here's some inspiration for your photographer to get a sense of what it looks like:
Why it matters:
Event planners vet speakers before they book. Your key online touch points are doing the selling before you ever get on a call. When you have a suite of options—different expressions, different angles, different outfits—you're signaling subconsciously that you're in demand, premium, and worth booking.
VISUAL EVIDENCE: Proof in Action
Professional and smartphone photos of you in action—the before, during, and after. The process. The collaboration. Telling people what you do isn't enough. You have to show them what's in the shopfront window.
Non-client facing work - Home office with that awesome Octa box lighting. Coffee shop deep work. Mind mapping and voice recording brainstorms. The introspection that drives everything.
Client-facing work - Consulting on video. Taking notes. Collaborating. The workshops you're building. The stages you're on. The networking events you're running.
The before, during, and after - Most people only show the polished moment. You show the thinking. The prep. The energy in the room. People engaging. Lightbulb moments. The calm before the storm.
Here's some inspiration for what your photographer needs to capture:
Why it matters:
When someone is considering bringing you in—keynote, workshop, consulting—they want to know what it's actually like to work with you. These photos answer that question across your social media, website, handouts, and presentation slides. They want to see collaboration, preparation, and care. When you show the process, you shorten the sales cycle, build trust faster, and make it easier for people to connect and learn more. That's how you scale toward your 2026 goals.
How to capture this:
Your photographer recreates the non-client/client-facing shots during a branding session and real moments at live events. You handle the smartphone captures—the prep work, the moments in between moments, the real-time energy. The stuff that happens naturally as you're doing your thing. Together, they tell the full story.
MISSING DETAILS: The Connectors
Professional and smartphone photos that showcase authority signals and personal elements. These are the visual connectors that help people see the full picture of who you are.
Professional signals - Your track record speaks for itself—1,100+ agencies vetted, proprietary frameworks, certifications, training, engineering background, mini MBA from UBC. Show the certificates, the frameworks in action on your screen, the logos, the behind-the-scenes when on podcasts. This is credibility in visuals.
Personal elements - Jewelry from around the world because it has meaning. The balance you're actively building—gym, soccer, cooking, your wife, your business, travel. Journaling. The search for peace. The intentionality in everything.
Here's some inspiration for the approach and style your photographer should aim for:
Why it matters:
These photos appear across your about page, website, social media, and presentation slides. The professional signals say "I know what I'm talking about." The personal elements say "You can actually connect with me." Together, they say "I'm someone you can trust"—and that trust is what turns interest into action.
How to capture this:
Prioritize with your photographer the professional signals and key personal moments to capture during your branding session and actual events. Then commit to capturing the rest on your phone as they happen, consistently moving forward.
HERE'S WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
You have two paths forward.
Path One: Go Solo
Take this assessment and share these photo galleries with your photographer in Vancouver as your visual guide to create the necessary variety from shot-to-shot. You've got the framework, clarity, and plan. Run with it.
Path Two: Strategic Alignment
Set up a consultation with me and your photographer. I'll walk through exactly what we're talking about here—specific shots, environments, expressions, and overall strategy. I'll make sure they understand not just what to shoot, but why it matters to your 2026 goals.
No guesswork. No wasted shots. Let me know which path works best for you.