How To Shoot The Right Picture To Reflect Your Brand

I was recently teaching a local group of women entrepreneurs how to leverage LinkedIn to grow their small businesses and I was surprised when I noticed just how long I was talking about the power of your picture online. I hadn’t planned to go that deep. But you know I’m not a planner.

Your brand is more than a name, a logo, or the pictures you use, and yet, if you think about it, people are visual. Your audience will form impressions about you based on the first glance they take at how you look online.

The Power of the Picture

In over two decades of working as a web designer and digital marketing strategist, and over a decade of blogging experience, I’ve learned that it takes only a fraction of a second for someone to see your photo and they may judge it before they read your blog post, books, or watch your videos.

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With that being said, I know it sounds harsh, but if you’re reluctant to add your picture as one of the main elements of your branding strategy and have been hiding behind a logo or avatar, it’s time to get over yourself.

As women, and especially as moms, we’re all critical about the way we look and though we praise everyone else’s photos, we’ll always find something wrong with our own picture.

So even if reluctantly at first, you will be grateful that you took the time to design a picture that is a true reflection of what you stand for.

Because I know this can be a disastrous process, I want to help you learn how to shoot the right picture to reflect your brand – accurately.

The Right Way to Shoot Your Picture

Don’t let the selfie fool you. I do believe in partnering with a professional photographer to get the headshots and action shots you need to represent yourself.

Our friends can take pictures we love, but investing in a professional photographer will make a huge difference in how you are perceived online.

Think of the leaders you must follow – does their main brand picture look like a selfie or like their bestie took it? I highly doubt that.

However, before you’re seen through the lens, you must be clear about what you want to be seen.

What’s your personal style? (Would you say you’re “glamorous”, “trendy”, “positive,” “down-to-earth”, or “professional”..?)

What emotions do you want to evoke?

What traits do you want to pop out? (Do you want to seem “warm,” “welcoming,” “approachable,” or “trustworthy”?

Working with a Photographer

You want to make sure your photographer understands that the purpose of each shot you want to be captured is to communicate your expertise and position yourself as a problem solver and solution provider.

Your brand photos shouldn’t just say “I’m me,” which is what your photographer will focus on if they’re awesome. Your brand photos should also say “this is what I want you to know about me,” as it relates to your brand.

Your photo is a selling tool so your photographer must help you reinforce your credibility and understand that your shoot will be different than a family or wedding shoot.

Inform them what you will be using the picture for, so they can have an idea of how to approach the shoot.

In many cases, if the project is something that you are not ready to share with everyone yet, you will need to facilitate a Non Disclosure Agreement with the details so the professional photographer of your choice understands what is needed.

Most Common Pictures Needed For Your Brand

I’m listing just a few of the many shots you will need — so, if you can help it, do pay per session, not per photograph! 

• Branded WordPress blog cover
• Gravatar photo
• Branded social network profile (Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Snapchat, etc.)
• Branded Facebook page timeline cover
• Branded Twitter header
• Branded LinkedIn background
• Speaking page photo
• Promotional photos for webinars, telesummits or virtual summits, home study courses (including mockups of cover and discs), and others.
• About the author page inside the book
• About the author blurb on the back cover
• Amazon.com author page
• About the author on book website
• About Me Page on blog / website
• Media page on blog / website
• Photo for PDF media kit
• Photo for printable PDF speaker one-sheet flyer
• Photo for e-mail newsletter header and e-mail signature
• Poses for bookmarks, postcards, and flyers for book signings and promotions

Some of the shots will definitely overlap because you want to be consistent across your web presence. I believe in repurposing, but there’s a limit!

Strike A Pose – A Confident Pose

There is a wide variety of poses you can try and the photos should be cut to different sizes: headshots (close-up), medium body shots, and full body shots.

Be mindful of body language so you don’t end up communicating the wrong message.

Become familiar with different poses and what they mean.

For instance:

• When you hold your hands in front of your body, covering the groin area, you are saying “I’m unimportant.” We call this the fig leaf pose.
• If you put your hands in your pockets, it will be seen as shyness and powerlessness.
• Touching your hands with one another can be seen as a defensive and/or protective pose.
• And you probably already know that not making eye contact (with the camera) is mostly perceived as a lack of openness, confidence, and trust.

Go for an open pose and make it clear that you want all your limbs in the picture, so it looks complete.

Sometimes my clients have ended up with an image that looks great, but we can’t use it because her shoulder is cut off or her hand is missing.

We want plenty of room around you, below you, and above you!

The Techie Stuff

To get a bit technical, you want to make sure your photographer will deliver both Web versions (72 dpi) and High-Resolution images (300 dpi or more) for you to be able to use them as you please.

And with that in mind, you must own these pictures with no watermark required and that license (copyright) should extend to all platforms where you will use them. Pay extra to own the rights: it will be worth it.

It will be efficient to have your pictures available for download on your media page so you always look your best when you’re quoted as an expert.

This also allows you to provide photos when you’re promoted as a blogger covering an event, or speaker at a conference, without having to grant permission. Removing that extra step makes things easier for media and event planners to feature you or book you.

Some of these pictures will need to be cut out of the background, so let your photographer know that. Make sure all the edits are included!

Request the photos to be provided as a .PNG or transparent file. This will make it easier for you to incorporate them into different promotional materials in the future.

Ah! And I almost forgot: Make sure you ask your photographer to shoot in landscape, not portrait, to give the graphic artist some flexibility.

It can be a challenge for photographers to work on a branding session, because they’re used to delivering a portrait as a finished product, and focusing on beauty versus functionality.

Your Pictures Are Key!!!

It’s important to have the right photos for your brand because your photos can make or break your online presence!

If you feel like that’s a lot to ask or are afraid to sound like the biggest control freak, shift your mindset to knowing that you are not only taking charge of your success, but you’re also setting your photographer up for a big win.

You will be happier with your results because the photo shoot will be strategic, and they will know exactly how to use their art and creativity to make those outcomes possible.

And having been in web design and graphic design for a couple of decades, I can guarantee that you’ll save yourself and your designers a lot of frustration in the cropping, editing, and integrating process.

Tips to Get The Right Picture for Your Brand

After you have found the photographer that understands your expectations and is willing to work with you (and your coach or strategist) to make the shoot happen, keep these tips in mind:

Show your best face- it will be associated with your brand recognition

Wear your brand colors. Solid colors, no busy patterns

Wear a style you would wear on stage, at the book signing, or to cover the red carpet as a blogger

Bring several outfits and do several poses with each one. Versatile, simple, and classic is always the best choice for both attire and accessories.

Wear makeup, but keep it real – and warn your photographer to not overdo the retouching work. Not having an authentic photo will cause people to doubt your overall authenticity.

Plan for multiple locations, backgrounds, and background colors

Bring props that enhance the idea you want to communicate

Above all, have fun at your shoot and be yourself. I recently had a candid photo shoot at the beach and my photographer said it looked like the camera loved me or I loved the camera or both.

My trick is to imagine the camera is someone you love dearly and that adds a twinkle in my eye!

Love makes you naturally photogenic.

The Final Say

Once you get the photos back, and there will be MANY, consult with your business coach, your book publisher, or other successful bloggers, speakers, coaches, and writers.

In other words, this is not a photo for your mom and significant other to admire, but rather a tool to increase your success and the odds of reaching your business goals.

Your photos must stay true to your personality, passion, and purpose, while building a brand that inspires trustworthiness and allows the viewer/reader/visitor to form a connection and sense of relatedness to you as a blogger, author, speaker, coach, and online marketer.

What do your pictures say about your brand? I’d love to hear your photo tips and your overall strategy for poses and props. Share with us!

Founder of the Positive MOM® and creator of the S.T.O.R.Y. System: a blueprint to craft and share powerful stories that will transform your results and help others do the same. Dr. Elayna Fernández is a single mom of 4, an award-winning Storyteller, Story Strategist, and Student of Pain. She’s a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, and 5x TEDx speaker. She has spoken at the United Nations, received the President’s Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award, and was selected as one of the Top Impactful Leaders and a Woman of Influence by SUCCESS Magazine. Connect with Elayna at thepositivemom.com/ef and follow @thepositivemom. To receive a gift from Elayna, click HERE.

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