What's the Difference Between Headshots and Personal Brand Photography?
So you need some business photography, and after consulting Google, you’ve come across a few different terms - headshots, personal branding photography, brand photography, and you’re not sure which one is right for you? Don’t worry, as a Berkshire Headshot and Personal Branding Photographer, I’m here to explain what it all means and help you decide which is best suited to you.
Headshots
What is Headshot Photography?
A headshot is typically a professional photo of you showing the top half of your body. You might be looking at the camera and smiling or you might be looking away. Traditionally, this was taken against a white or plain coloured background, although more and more business owners are opting for a less formal headshot session these days which includes a bit more personality. This is the type of headshot photography I offer. If you are looking for more formal traditonal headshot in the Berkshire area check out Ascot Headshots
Why Are Headshots Important?
You’d be amazed at how many people don’t have a single photo of themselves on their website or social media. And I totally get it! You’d rather your products do the talking and, lets face it, who likes having their photo taken. And you may have a negative image in your head of headshots being stuffy and awkward. But people buy from people but from people they know, like and trust and it’s much easier to trust someone when you at least know what they look like! Although the more they know about you the better - more about this later…..
Who Is A Headshot Session For?
A headshot session would be perfect for you if you just need a photo for your about page on your website, your social media profiles and your LinkedIn profile. In fact, according to LinkedIn, a professional headshot on your LinkedIn profile makes the audience 14 more times more likely to click through to view your profile. (Also perfect for dating sites too!)
How Long Does a Headshot Session Last?
A headshot photoshoot will be fairly quick, usually lasting 20-30 minutes and will usually result in around 5 photos for you to use.
How Much Does A Headshot Session Cost?
As it’s a short session, a headshot shoot tends to be the cheapest option and is a great place to start with professional photos. Have a look at my headshot page to find my full pricing and packages
Personal Branding
What Is Personal Branding Photography?
While a headshot shows what you look like, a Personal Branding photography session will capture your whole story! Personal brand photography shows who you are and what you do, telling the story of you and your brand. It will contain headshots but so much more as well.
Why is Personal Brand Photography Important?
As a small business owner, you are your brand! The more your clients are able to get to know you and relate to you, the more you will grow to trust you.
How Do I Prepare for a Personal Branding Shoot?
Your photographer should take the time to get to know you and your business and will plan your shoot with you to provide you with a bank of images that will provide you with content for around 3 months, freeing up your time to focus on what’s important to you.
My personal branding sessions involve a full planning service, including speaking to you twice before your shoot - an initial consultation and an in-depth planning meeting over zoom, as well as giving you homework in your branding workbook! So when it comes to your shoot, you can be confident that it is all planned out and will be giving you the content that YOU want for your business.
What does a branding shoot look like?
As well as providing you with a bank of on-brand, consistent images to use, one of the aims of a branding session is to portray the real ‘you’ behind the brand. In our planning session, we will decide on around 3 different ‘stories’ to show your potential clients various aspects of your business. These might include you working in your office, creating your product, shots of your product itself, working with clients, spending time with your family, your homelife, any hobbies you might have - anything you’d like your clients to know to get to know the real you.
Where can the photos be used?
Photos from your branding shoot are ideal for:
for your social media posts. You will have a bank on on-brand images - enough photos for around 3 months of social media posts
profile pictures (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn) and your About Me website page
on websites and landing pages
printed marketing materials - leaflets, brochures etc
and anywhere else you need photos!
How Much Does a Personal Brand Photo Shoot Cost?
A personal branding shoot involved a lot more planning and gives you so much more content than a headshot shoot, so naturally you expect to pay more. You can see my full pricing and packages for my personal branding sessions here
So are you ready to give your business the visibility it deserves? Find out more about a branding shoot with me here or get in touch to book a non-salesy call with me to find out which type of shoot would be best for your business
With thanks to the very lovely Dawn Barnes for allowing me to use her images for this blog post. Dawn is a wellbeing coach, she can be found at dawn-barnes.com