Guest Post: The Importance of Professional Photography & Branding for Your Business

by Kelly Heck

The importance of quality photography has skyrocketed in the last 10 years as business is moving online. You have an audience that wants to connect with you – that’s right, YOU!

Visual media is a resource that makes impact time and time again. Marketing your business with real, true photographs of you, your business, your team, your products, your services, your interests, your values… sharing these subjects will build a strong brand that nourishes meaningful connections. And connection builds trust. And an audience that trusts you, supports you.

Behind-The-Scenes on a photo shoot with Kelly Heck Photography

See what I did there? Strong brand, build trust, drive sales… that’s the ROI on resources like professional photography. If you prefer hard facts, like I do, it’s easy to find stats on the effectiveness of marketing with custom photography! But you can see brands that are doing this right, even small local businesses. Their marketing is full of personable lingo paired with photographs and other engaging visual media. So what is personal branding photography?

Brand photography is a suite of professional images that represent your business visually, and fit with your visual identity through their use of colors, tone, props, sets and more. These can include photos of you, your team, your products, your process, your space and other things that make your business unique.

Brand photos illustrate you story.



A personal branding photography session needs a little planning for best results. Following are 4 areas to consider when bringing your vision to photo-shoot reality:

Select meaningful locations.

  • Office / Studio / Place of Business
  • Home / Home Office / Kitchen / Patio
  • Co-Working Space / Client’s Office
  • Cafe / Coffee Shop
  • Rented Condo / Loft / Hotel Room
  • Outdoors / Park / Main Street
  • Vacation / Destination

Deciding what to wear.

  • Clothing pieces that make you feel amazing.
  • Properly sized, form-fitted pieces.
  • Solid colors and simple patterns.
  • Medium & dark tones, neutral & jewel colors.
  • Feel welcome to expand beyond these SAFE ZONES!

    Incorporate props and people.

    • Coffee / Tea / Juice
    • Laptop / Computer / Phone
    • Journal / Book / Pen / Papers
    • Flowers / Balloons / Confetti
    • Car / Bike / Transport
    • Bag / Hat / Sunglasses
    • Brand Cohesive Food / Prop
    • Hubby / Wifey
    • Family / Friends
    • Co-Workers Collaborators
    • Clients
    • Pets
    • Models For Hire

    Stage the stories that will build trust and interest.

    • Behind-The-Scenes (a fly on the wall viewpoint)
    • Client & Co-Worker Interactions
    • Act out a Product and/or Service
    • What you do during “down” time
    • Using your support system (apps, tools)
    • Enjoying the Outdoors / Traveling to/from Work
    • Act out WHAT YOU DO from start to finish
    Personal Branding Photos by Kelly Heck Photography

    Now is the time to begin sharing a little bit of yourself. You may decide to take your own photography, or you may decide to hire a professional. If you are new to this, it may feel weird – and that’s OK, it’s normal! On my website, www.KellyHeckPhotography.com, I share lots of tips on how to look your best in photos, and you can find lots of helpful advice online. These tips have given my audience the confidence they need to try this new thing, and I hope it will do the same for you! You will soon see what a powerful tool personal branding photography can be!
    Kelly Heck is the owner of Kelly Heck Photography, based in Taneytown, MD. Get in touch with her by phone at 443-340-6317, via email here, on Instagram here, on LinkedIn here, or on Facebook here.

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