The importance of personal branding photography in growing your side hustle

When we started our businesses 12 years ago, we both started out running side hustle photography businesses. We wanted to know everything and learn as much as we could. We learned about lighting, posing, and sales - but no one ever really stressed to us the importance of having a strong personal brand.

Now that we are more established as photographers in Rochester, I often wonder how much faster would we have grown, if we had known way back then?

To all of you out there making your dreams happen, hustling your way to where you want your small business to be - We’re here to tell you that you need brand photography. And here’s five reasons why:

1 First Impressions

Plain and simple: If you look fresh, polished and professional, you’ll grow faster. Show up for yourself, and your brand. What is the first impression you want to give your audience?

2) Grow Up

I’m not trying to insult you, I mean as a business. Brand Photography is about more than what you look like in a headshot. A session with us is a process. We dive into learning about your ideal client. We brainstorm and plan. Along the way, you might learn something about your business. You might grow in ways you never considered before.

3) Stop Their Scroll

People have short attention spans. In the time it took you to read this sentence, someone has scrolled through Instagram twice. How are you going to catch their eye? Engaging images can do that for you in a way that your selfies can’t.

4) Be the Expert

Quality images create a mindset that you are the expert in your field. Ultimately, this mindset raises the perceived value of your work - and that’s the goal right? Do what you love AND make more money?

5) People Buy Who You Are, Not What You Sell

Once you have their attention, how are you going to keep it? Constantly selling your product is one way to turn a customer off real quick. People want to know the person behind the product. Even in a pandemic world (maybe more so), people want to connect to real people. They want to invest in you before they trust what you’re trying to offer them.

Now, we know you don’t have a professional photographer following your every move. That’d be weird. So occasionally selfies and phone photographs are fine.

But if you want to level up your side hustle, step up your visual brand. Connect with your people, but do it in a way that conveys the story of your business that you want to tell. You are the face of your brand, and it’s you that your audience wants to see.

So now that you know why, what are you going to do with the information?

Branding Photography for Therapists in Rochester NY

Before her branding session, Laura told us that people fascinate her. She told us that she loves their stories, and seeing something in it that they didn't see.

Same! Our style of personal brand photography is very much the same. We loved looking at her brand, and hearing her stories to see something she hadn’t thought of about her brand.

And then, we took those stories and created images to support them. For example: As a therapist, she believes that life is messy, and we’re all a little bit broken - like a chipped coffee cup. But, even though the cup has a chip in it, it still works and still functions as a coffee cup.

So we incorporated some of that idea into the imagery. We included some mess, some learning and growing, and her favorite chipped coffee cups.

We combined it all together to create both updated headshots, and stories she can use on her own platforms to show people who she is and what she believes.

The images don’t have to be neat, tidy picture perfect scenes if that’s not the right story. Because real life includes chipped coffee cups and messiness.

Personal brand photography is all about connecting to your audience. So show them your real you, and you’ll attract your ideal clients.

We Are Open Project: Business Photography in Fairport NY

The world shut down. Businesses on pause.

Throughout it all, we kept asking ourselves “How can we help the small businesses in our community?”

The answer was obvious, but we had to wait until our phase allowed us to open. So while we waited, we brainstormed the “We are Open Project.”

The goal was to showcase small businesses in our area on our social media outlets to show the community that these businesses are here, and now that they are able to open again, they would benefit from the community’s support.

We were so pleased with the businesses we were able to meet and photograph. We visited local pottery shops, consignment stores, urgent care and even churches in Fairport.

Just because these businesses are open now, doesn’t mean they don’t have new guidelines to follow that complicate business as they once knew it. The challenges will continue on as they maneuver them all. So they need our support.

This project was one of the ways we knew we could be helpful in a difficult time. We hope that our photographs will shine a little bit of light on our local businesses - and that you’ll check them out too.

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Sweet Charity

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First Congregational United Church of Christ

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Studio East Dance Company

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Lulu Taqueria & Bar

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Nancy Woolver, Financial Advisor

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RV&E Bike & Skate

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Firehouse Wood Works

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Blissfull Balance

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WellNow Urgent Care

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Lift Bridge Yarns

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Created By Us Pottery

The "We Are Open" Project: Branding and Small Business Photography

With the current emphasis on supporting small, local businesses, we want to help you show up in a way that resonates with your clients. You know what they want to see? You. The real person/people behind your business. 

Let us help you build the relationships that build your business. 

Inspired by others in response to Covid-19, we’re launching a special effort to help spotlight our local, family run businesses by supporting and celebrating them with photography. 

We call it the “We Are Open” Project.

There are a few ways to be involved, based on how your small business is doing right now.

I: Your business is thriving!

This is fantastic! Book a branding package with us and we’ll help you take it to the next level with a bonus strategic planning session on how to use your images on social media. AND if you book, we’ll donate a micro session to a business in need.

II: Your business could use a little love.

We feel you! Things have changed for everyone in the last two months. But, it is important to keep showing up! Book a micro session with us to get some fresh images and let folks know You Are Open!

III: Your business is hurting.

Times are rough, and though you know fresh photographs could help market your business, you just don’t have the funds right now. Nominate yourself or another small business to win a free micro session!

What is a micro session?

Lori and Erin Photography will create a portrait of you and your family outside of your place of business. You can hold signs, products, or whatever represents this time for you. 

We will be spotlighting each business who participates with a short interview on our blog, Facebook, and Instagram. These are quick sessions and include digital files that you can use on social media.

There is only a limited time to take advantage of this opportunity!

So if you’d like to take part in this project, please contact us with any questions or to get on the list! We’ll start preparing for your session so that as soon as it is considered safe to do so, we are ready to create your photographs!

Let us help you put your best face forward and get real, timely visibility for your services.

Business Branding Photography in Rochester NY: QL Therapy

Maryellen Dance is not your average therapist. She’s motivated to help people, and to change perceptions about self care, mental health and going to therapy. She’s also full of life, excited and self proclaimed as brash and loud.

She came to us knowing she needed to update the portraits on her website, but along the way we helped Maryellen that she has SO much more to say and show her audience. In her discovery meeting, we discussed the idea that going to therapy should feel like you’re just having a conversation in the kitchen over a cup of coffee, or a glass of wine.

We worked with her on a variety of looks and stories, but this them was the starting point to helping her tell a story in a visual way. If you’re in the market for a down to earth, professional, knowledgable and fun therapist - you should check out Maryellen and her team at QL Therapy and Wellness, and tell them we said hello!

Personal Branding Photography in Rochester NY for Health Coaches

Brooke came to us with a very simple goal for herself and her business: to be viewed as a credible and established professional in the field of mindful eating. She knows who she is and exactly who she wants to help which made planning her brand session in Rochester a piece of cake - or, cookie in this case.

Did she have to have all the answers about her brand before she came to us? No, but it helped push her images forward to exactly what she was hoping to achieve. We used food (cookies, donuts and salad) as props and found a space that gave us both a kitchen setting and clean, modern office in one at Metro CoWork.

I loved planning images that she could use not only on her website, but as social media photography as well. It’s been amazing to see her grow and show her expertise using the images we created together. If you’re looking for a down to earth professional who can help you ditch stress about food - give Brooke a call or check out her website at newmindfuleating.com.

And if you’re interested in chatting more about how you can elevate your own brand through photographs, get in touch!

Rochester Branding Photography for Podcasters: Pursue You with Mandy Friend Gigliotti

Mandy is a ray of sunshine on any cloudy day. Her dreams have always been big, but to me, her heart has always been bigger. She’s a leader in the world of real estate, owns a daycare, partners in her husband’s chiropractic office and also runs her own coaching/training business… you know, on the side.

But her latest calling has brought her into the world of motivation and encouragement with her podcast: Pursue You. Her goal as she puts it is to encourage you to pursue YOU so that you can give the gift of your best self to your family, community and business.

This creed is what brought Mandy to us, to capture some branding images for her podcast cover and her website. We incorporated some of her speaking events, and some headshots that felt approachable and warm.

If you haven’t yet listened to the Pursue You Podcast, you should! Here’s a link to it, so you have no excuse not to, right?

Here’s a peek at our work together, and how she’s using her images regularly!

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Are you ready to tackle 2020 and uplevel your branding photographs?
Ask your questions today!

Personal Branding Photography Rochester NY: Jardin Terrariums

When we first talked about photographing a personal brand session with the amazing, Kathleen from Jardin Terrariums we knew it couldn’t be basic. She wanted to show that what she offers is the opportunity to play and have fun with nature, in a creative way.

This was not a last minute, “let’s just shoot whatever we think works” kind of session. We spent time planning and brainstorming together. She knew she wanted new website images, as well as the ability to use them on social media. And we knew, we couldn’t shoot this in an empty studio space - it had to be natural and meaningful.

So what better place than the garden backyard setting that she dreamt up Jardin Terrariums in. We created a garden party, complete with guests to show every step of creating a terrarium.

Take a look below and see some of the work we created together, as well how they were used on Jardin Terrarium’s website.

If you think you’re ready to level up your image - get in touch!

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Personal Brand Photography for Photographers: Rochester NY

Branding Photography has been an exciting challenge for us. Building this area of our business has taken time and a lot of planning. Thankfully, we haven’t gone it alone. We’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate and work together with Sarah in our own think tank of sorts.

But photographing another photographer, man that can be scary. We recently traveled to Syracuse to capture personal branding images of Sarah and her team. Our session had a few goals - but mainly we wanted to show them as fun, playful and colorful in both their office and at home.

It’s safe to say that working with them was anything BUT boring and colorless. See what I mean?

Our Fairport NY Headshots and Personal Branding Session: Behind the Scenes

Yes, we are photographers, so you might be thinking, why didn’t you take your headshots and branding pictures yourselves? The main reason is that it’s pretty hard to get us both in photographs together. But there are other perks to hiring someone from outside your circle.

We choose to work with Sarah Heppell Photography out of Syracuse. Along the way, we discovered some unexpected benefits of working with Sarah and her team.

1. Outside Perspective on our Business. As much as we love, and are good at, helping others create a plan for their business headshots and branding sessions, we struggled with planning our own. Even though we have a strong social media presence and regularly have new photos to post (granted, more of clients than of ourselves), we had trouble focusing in on what would help people connect to us. Going through this process helped draw that out of us in a way that hasn’t been done before.

2. Efficiency. We think of great shots all the time, but shooting them one at a time would be an inefficient use of time. By brainstorming several locations and themes in advance, we captured them all in one day, and now have several months worth of content to share. It was more work upfront and requires planning, but worth it to have so much ready to go, especially during the busy summer season!

3. Fresh eyes. We stare at the walls of our offices all day long, so it can be hard to see them in a new way. Fresh eyes from someone who hasn’t seen them, we knew Sarah would see things in a different way.

These are all the things we offer our clients, and Sarah was able to offer them to us. So pop on over to Instagram to see how we are using these photos, and if it gets your idea factory running, give us a call or check out how we can do the same for you!

Personal Brand Photography for Consultants in Rochester NY

When it comes to the glamorous world of SEO and being found in a google search, I tend to think of very technical people sitting in a dark office scanning computer screens like crazy.

Meg, from Love at First Search is not one of those people.

She’s amazing at creating an SEO strategy in ways that you’ll understand. She’ll tell you herself, she’s more technical that a web designer, but more people oriented than your typical SEO consultant. She’s relatable, funny, friendly and a fantastic mom to her boys.

She rebranded her whole business not too long ago, and ever since has been growing like the Hulk when he’s angry. (Except, she’s not angry and green).

The only thing that didn’t change in her super hero sized rebrand, were her photographs. And while those old photographs worked, they no longer fit her brand like they should.

So we helped to give her some new looks to choose from when she’s posting on social media, updating her website, or teaching her wealth of wisdom online.

If you haven’t met her yet, you should!

Now Booking Personal Brand Photography in Rochester NY

Hey there friend! Erin and I are super excited to announce the launch of a new area within Lori and Erin Photography: Personal Brand Photography!

You asked for it, and we are finally ready to fully deliver. This may seem like something we’ve always offered. You’re not wrong.

We’ve just made the process better, clearer and tailored to growing businesses and their owners. We didn’t realize until now that we could actually give it the name and category it should rightfully have.

We have always placed on emphasis on showcasing your personality, whether it’s a family, senior or business portrait. When folks come to us for headshots, we ask the question:

“What do you want people to see when they look at this?” And I then tell them, we don’t do boring head shots here.

Ok so what’s NEW about Personal BRAND Photography? It takes commercial headshots and business portraits to a new level.

If you are an entrepreneur, chances are yours is the face of your business in a fast paced online world. With the importance of social media to a consumers buying behavior, and whether they realize it or not, customers want to know who you and your brand are.

That’s where we come in. We’ll work together to really discover the essence of your brand, then create a library of images for you to use on your website and social media pages. Whether it’s 10 images, or 50, you’ll elevate your brand with quality images that speak to YOUR client in a way that selfies and snapshots cannot.

When we decided to step into this new space, we did our homework. Lots of it. As business owners ourselves, we have real, every day experience with social media. And while our business revolves around creating images every day, we know that most businesses do not. So how do you have a presence on Instagram, an image heavy platform, when you don’t have a steady stream of new images?

We’re going to help with that!

If you’d like to learn more, click here to read on. We’ve created a whole magazine full of information to help you determine if Personal Brand Photography is what you need to grow your business.

And if you’re ready to jump in with both feet, contact us now and let’s get you on the path to a thriving, relatable brand in your community!

Cheers!
Lori