What Do I Want in My Personal Branding Session? How to Determine Your Personal Brand Message with Photos
Your Personal Brand in Photos: Crafting a Visual Identity That Connects
As a business owner, entrepreneur, or equestrian professional, your brand isn’t just your logo or website—it’s the way people feel when they interact with you. Your personal branding photos should tell your story, build trust, and attract your ideal clients.
But how do you decide what you want from a branding session? What kind of images will best represent your message? And what style of photography will fit your industry and personality?
In this guide, I’ll help you determine exactly what you need from a personal branding session—so you can walk away with images that truly work for your business.
1. Defining Your Personal Brand Message: What Story Do You Want to Tell?
Before choosing locations, outfits, or the number of images, start with the big question: What do you want your brand to communicate?
Consider: ✅ Who is your ideal audience? Are you appealing to high-end luxury clients, down-to-earth rural communities, corporate professionals, or creative entrepreneurs? Your images should reflect that vibe.
✅ What emotions should your images evoke? Do you want to appear confident and professional? Warm and approachable? Adventurous and bold?
✅ What do you do? If you’re an equestrian trainer, a few environmental portraits with your horses might be essential. If you’re a western lifestyle brand, showcasing the rugged outdoors could be key. If you’re a coach or speaker, polished headshots with strong eye contact may be important.
Once you define your brand message, you can make intentional choices about your session.
2. Choosing Your Session Style: What Fits Your Brand Best?
Session Styles:
🔹 Traditional Studio Session: A clean, polished look with solid backgrounds. Great for corporate professionals, authors, or those needing classic headshots.
🔹 On-Location Session: Whether it’s in your office, barn, workshop, or home, this adds authenticity by capturing you in your element.
🔹 Environmental Portraits: A mix of lifestyle and branding imagery in a meaningful location, such as an equestrian center, ranch, or workspace.
Session Types:
My approach to personal branding photography is the belief that powerful branding begins with authentic storytelling. My branding photography experiences are designed to meet you where you are in your business journey, offering a range of options to suit your evolving needs. Whether you’re looking for a quick refresh, a deeper storytelling experience, or ongoing content to keep your brand vibrant and relevant, we provide thoughtfully crafted solutions that deliver impact at every level.
🔹 Single Story Branding Session: is perfect for those looking for a quick, cost-effective way to create impactful imagery that speaks to their audience
🔹 Multi-Story Session: allows you to explore different facets of your business through multiple locations, outfits, and settings, giving your audience a dynamic and engaging visual experience
🔹 Subscription-Based Branding Photography: or brands that thrive on fresh, ever-evolving content, a subscription ensures your imagery stays current and compelling, keeping your social media, website, and marketing materials vibrant and relevant.
👉 I offer different levels branding subscription packages that provide regular photo sessions throughout the year—ensuring you always have new, engaging content.
3. Deliverables: What Do You Want to Walk Away With?
Your branding session should provide the exact images you need for your marketing. Here are some key considerations:
Image Types:
📸 Headshots: Perfect for profile pictures, website bios, and professional use.
📸 Lifestyle Images: Show you in action—whether working with clients, riding, creating products, or just being yourself.
📸 Action Shots: Capture real moments of you doing what you love, whether that’s training horses, leading a workshop, or crafting your products.
📸 Behind-the-Scenes Photos: Give your audience an insider look at your process. These are great for storytelling on social media.
📸 Environmental Portraits: Showcase you in your natural surroundings to add depth and personality to your brand.
📸 Flat Lays & Detail Shots: If you sell products, these images highlight small but meaningful details of your work.
How Many Images Do You Need?
Do you need a handful of key images or a gallery of content for ongoing marketing? Think about how often you post and whether you need images for website banners, email campaigns, and print materials.
Digital or Print?
Most branding sessions provide high-resolution digital images, but do you need prints, framed artwork, or branding collateral? I also offer beautifully crafted photo prints for those who want to incorporate storytelling into their office or workspace.
Making the Right Choice for Your Branding Session
Your personal branding session is an investment in your business. Choosing the right style, session type, and deliverables will help you create a powerful, cohesive visual presence that aligns with your goals.
I specialize in personal branding photography for rural, western, and equestrian businesses across Alberta and BC, but I also serve all small businesses and solopreneurs who want impactful imagery that tells their story.
📍 Ready to create branding images that work for you? Let’s chat! Contact me today or check out my latest work on Instagram.
Follow along for inspiration, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and updates on my latest projects. Let's stay connected on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and lets ignite our creative spirit together. See you in the magical world of photography! ✨📸💫 Be sure to check the blog weekly to see your story!
Located just outside of Edmonton, Alberta and serving Camrose, Tofield, Sherwood Park, Red Deer, the Rockies and beyond, Carla Lehman Photography is a nationally accredited professional photographer providing full-service luxury photography for portraits, personal brands and entrepreneurs, equine and pet lovers.
Carla Lehman Photographer is a premiere provider of graduation and senior portraits and a top personal branding visual photographer in Alberta.
I’ve been looking into getting more branding photos and headshots, and I really wish you were closer! Thank you so much for providing such great insight!
Very helpful guide to steer clients in getting the best branding headshots. This will help so many people get the photos they want most for their personal needs.
So very helpful to be given ideas on what to consider for personal brand photos. People don’t know what they don’t know, so helping your potential clients out is amazing!
Carla, you are so right–every brand is unique and every brand needs images that highlights their uniqueness! Great photos!
Thanks so much Susan, each one of us is unique, and our brand should highlight that!
I’ve been looking into getting more branding photos and headshots, and I really wish you were closer! Thank you so much for providing such great insight!
Hey lady, I’ll travel 😉
Love this guide that you have created to help your clients have a clear vision for their branding session.
Thanks so much – I want each of my clients to know exactly what they want out of their session.
Very helpful guide to steer clients in getting the best branding headshots. This will help so many people get the photos they want most for their personal needs.
So very helpful to be given ideas on what to consider for personal brand photos. People don’t know what they don’t know, so helping your potential clients out is amazing!