branding Photography
implementation Guide
Branding photos are the cornerstone of a powerful personal brand and make up a large portion of your image content portfolio. They include promotional images, such as headshots and wider portraits where you look directly into the camera, as well as candid, recreated lifestyle shots that illustrate your work process—whether solo or in service to clients. They convey your personality, expertise, and reveal to your audience how the sausage is made—often before you say a single word. Use this guide to strategically leverage branding-centric images across every touchpoint of your online and offline presence, ensuring credibility, consistency, and relevance to your audience.
Speaker/Media/Pr Kit Photos
Foundation Images
Promotional Images: High-quality headshot and portrait images - 6-10 total - that capture your personality captured in different outfits and locations while looking into the camera.
Recreated Event Shots: Images - 10-15 total - that candidly illustrate what you look like in action - on a stage, in the boardroom, or in front of a room with slides or whiteboard - use these in conjunction with real moments captured during actual client interactions.
Where to Use
Speaker/Media/PR Kit One-Sheets: Include your strongest, most representative promotional and event portraits to provide journalists, podcast hosts and event professionals with versatile photos they can use for various marketing and promotional materials.
Online Directories & Profiles: Keep consistent headshots across LinkedIn, coaching/training portals, and any other professional listings that require personalized image content.
Key Points
Use images that embody the personality and perception you want to set with your audience.
Offer a variety of cropping options (horizontal, vertical, square) for different promotional needs.
Website
Homepage
Hero Image: A powerful, on-brand photo to immediately communicate your vibe and expertise.
Supporting Images: Complementary branding - whether a headshot, portrait or recreated lifestyle photo, sprinkled throughout to break up text and maintain visual interest.
About Page
Personalized Portraits: Feature close-up headshots that capture your warmth and approachability.
Lifestyle Shots: Photos that show you in natural, everyday contexts—reinforcing authenticity.
Services/Programs Pages
Contextual Action: Photos reflecting how you deliver your services (consulting setup, digital workshops, or small group interactions).
Client Interaction: If applicable, images showcasing a one-on-one or group setting that highlights your unique approach.
Contact Page
Approachability Photos: Candid or semi-candid shots (e.g., smiling on a casual office couch) to encourage connection.
Key Points
Consistency in color palette, outfits, and overall style helps unify your brand image.
Use lifestyle portraits to humanize text-heavy sections, avoiding stock photos whenever possible.
Training Materials
Slide Decks
Branded Portraits: Incorporate promotional or recreated lifestyle images that punctuate key teaching points, rather than using generic clip art or stock photography.
Lifestyle & Workspace Shots: Illustrate your methodology or mindset visually through strategic recreated lifestyle photos.
Online Courses & Workbooks
Instructional Imagery: Visually punctuate the copy through a mixture of recreated lifestyle photos that compliment the text it lives near on the page.
Concept Reinforcement: Use other photos captured during the branding session that metaphorically support lessons (e.g., brainstorming poses to represent idea generation).
Key Points
Keep visuals relevant to the lesson at hand—avoid cluttering materials with too many portraits.
Opt for images that convey clarity, professionalism, and relatability.
Online Content & SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Posts & Articles
Story-First Posts: Pair a variety of branding photos that visually punctuates the core message or anecdote you’re sharing - whether repurposed from existing material or a new story idea.
Reverse-Engineered Story: Identify recreated lifestyle photos that appeal to you and generate story content based on the emotional sentiment, activity and/or location inherent in the photo to provide your audience a teachable moment.
Carousels & Reels
Step-by-Step: Use a sequence of branding shots - wide, medium and close-up photos - to walk audiences through a specific approach, framework or perspective related to how you solve their problems.
Thumbnails/B-Roll alternative: Rather than grabbing a still image from video, repurpose branding images for higher-quality alternatives to your thumbnails. Use stills to also creatively add visual variety throughout the video clip to provide an alternative to AI or real B-Roll footage of you in action.
Key Points
Repurpose branding photos for multiple platforms—consistency strengthens brand recognition.
Mix up close-ups, medium shots, and full-body images to maintain visual variety and interest.
Extended Marketing & Offline Materials
Paid Ads & Email Campaigns
Scroll-Stopping Images: Use striking promotional portraits and recreated lifestyle shots that instantly convey professionalism, personality and connection.
Consistency in Design: Match photo style and color scheme with ad or email templates for brand alignment.
Printed Collateral
Brochures, Flyers, & Business Cards: Feature branding photos that give a clear sense of who you are and visually punctuate the sentiment of the words shared in these assets.
Trade Show Booths & Banners: Large-scale, high-resolution branding images capturing your essence—clear, confident, and approachable.
Internal Use
Proposals & Presentations: Incorporate well-placed branding photos to enhance credibility.
Company Reports & Case Studies: Humanize otherwise text-heavy documents by including promotional and recreated lifestyle branding images.
Ongoing Evolution
Continuous Updates
Schedule regular branding photo sessions as your style, appearance, offerings, and audience evolves.
Replace outdated images that no longer reflect your current branding or personal style.
Future Planning
Identify new needs (e.g., fresh social media campaign, enhanced service offerings) that require updated branding photos.
Collaborate with a photographer who thinks like a marketer and understands your evolving story—ensuring your visuals stay relevant and memorable.