It's not the lens. It's the link.

The secret sauce to a great session has zero to do with the camera itself.

It has everything to do with the person behind it… and your connection with them.

I was reminded of that recently during a coffee with a long-term client.

We got to talking about some of our earlier sessions together, and he admitted something I hadn’t heard him say before:

“I didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin back then. But when I saw those photos? I recognized myself—confident, grounded, ready.”

That’s what happens when there’s trust between client and photographer. They stop performing. They start showing up.

Because here’s the truth:

If you don’t feel connected to the photographer behind the camera, your face will show it in front of it.

Is lighting, composition, and activity captured in front of the camera important? Of course.

But all of that artistry means zilch if you feel disconnected during the process. Your body tenses up. Your face gets tight. The discomfort gets baked into every frame.

You’ll look at the photos and say, “That’s not me.”

And what happens then?

You don’t use them. You delay updating your site. You stay invisible. You lose out on the ability to serve those who need you most.

You end up wasting your time, energy, and money—only to hire someone else and do it all over again.

So, what’s the real takeaway here?

Before you commit to working with a branding photographer, don’t just swap emails or take a colleague’s word for it.

Talk to them. Feel them out. Ask yourself, “Can I stomach being in a room with this person for two or three hours?”

Because if their personality, pace, or process puts you on edge—it doesn’t matter how technically skilled they are.

They could be god’s gift to photography, and they still won’t be the right fit for you.

And if that happens? You’re not just walking away with a bad shoot…You’re walking into a whole mess of visual and emotional clean-up.

So—have you ever worked with a branding photographer who didn’t get you? What happened?

Share your story in the comments.