What’s the difference between personal branding & headshot photography?

An online presence in today’s society plays an important part in the success of businesses. The photos on your website & social media pages are often your first introduction to prospective clients.

We know that first impressions are important. Think of the photos you use online as a first face-to-face meeting, how would you present yourself at this meeting? Get these right & potential clients are far more likely to want to get to know more about you & your business.

There are many different types of photography, but what’s the difference between them all? Here, I explore the difference between personal branding photography (or brand photography) & headshot photography. This is to help you decide which is right for you & your business.

Headshot Photography

“A headshot is a photograph of an individual with the simple purpose of showing what they look like.” 

Headshot photography is simply one or two images that can be used on your website, LinkedIn profile & brochures. A simple way for prospective clients to identify you.

Examples of three classic headshot photos,

Personal Branding Photography

Personal Branding Photography delves a lot deeper. It communicates who you are & what you do. Injecting life & personality into your imagery enables clients to get to know a little about you & your brand before they reach out to you. If you come across as friendly, affable & caring about your image, they’re more likely to want to engage with you. And then buy your products or book your services.

Personal branding photography is all about creating a personalised portfolio of images telling your brand story. You can use them to market & grow your business. A unique & consistent visual identity across all of your business & marketing collateral helps build familiarity & a recognisable brand. This helps you to stand out amongst your competitors.

Personal Branding Photography a Personal Trainer demonstrating an exercise

Each personal brandingphotography session is tailored to the need of the individual. It may include some of the following;

  • Relaxed lifestyle portraits capturing your – and your teams – personalities, characters & relationships.
  • Documentary ‘story-telling’ images of you at work, showing what you do & how you do it.
  • Behind-the-scenes photos; we’re all inherently nosey & clients love to see what goes on behind closed doors!
  • Clients & customers engaging with your products & services, whether that’s browsing products in your shop, taking part in a yoga class in your fitness studio, drinking a coffee in your cafe or enjoying a relaxing massage in your therapy rooms.
  • Where you work, detailed images of your environment; the office, studio, workshop or kitchen.
  • A selection of creative images representing your product or service.

“The whole point of taking pictures is so you don’t have to explain things with words.” Elliott Erwitt

If you’re curious to find out more about personal branding or headshot photography & how they can help your business, let’s book a time to connect.

If you’re local to Croydon or London we can meet over coffee & have an informal chat about your photography needs. Not so local, we can arrange a video call, perhaps still over coffee!