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 quick version so your team knows exactly what needs to be captured:
Core Assets: Professional anchors. Headshots, wider portraits, vertical shots. The images that show up when someone is vetting you.
Visual Evidence: Professional and smartphone photos of you in action. The before, during, and after. The process. The collaboration with your team, and with those who pay you money.
Missing Details: Professional and smartphone photos that showcase the authority signals and personal elements that make you you.
Quick Note on the Examples Below:
The photo galleries that follow show professional photography. But as we discussed, smartphone captures are equally important to your strategy. You already do a great job with your phone - you just need dial in more strategy around it.
CORE ASSETS: Your Professional Anchors
Here's what your photographer needs to capture:
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.
Why it matters:
Event planners vet speakers before they book. Your speaker page and LinkedIn 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 not just showing variety. You're showing that you're in demand, premium, and worth booking.
VISUAL EVIDENCE: Proof in Action
Examples of what your photographer needs to capture:
Non-client facing work.
Home office with that awesome Octa box lighting. Coffee shop deep work. Mind mapping. Journaling. Voice recording yourself. 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.
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. They want to see collaboration. Preparation. Care. When you show the process, you shorten the sales cycle. You build trust faster. You make it easier for people to connect and learn more.
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 coffee shop 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
Here's what your photographer needs to capture:
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. Show the frameworks. This is credibility.
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.
Why it matters:
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."
How to capture this:
Your photographer handles the professional signals during a branding session—your frameworks, certifications, workspace elements. Some personal elements too—the jewelry, certain lifestyle moments.
But for the gym sessions, the travel, the real-time cooking, other moments that matter—those are yours to capture on your phone.
Discuss with your photographer which personal elements make sense to shoot professionally versus capture on your phone.
HERE'S WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
You have two paths forward.
Path One: Go Solo
Take this assessment, find a photographer in Vancouver, and execute. You've got the framework. You've got the clarity. You've got the plan. Run with it.
Path Two: Strategic Alignment
Set up a consultation with me and your photographer (or before you find one). I'll walk through exactly what we're talking about here—the specific shots, the 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.