TL;DR
Personal branding photography is a planned set of photos of you, the person behind your business, made for your website, LinkedIn and social media. At Milk Photography Studio in Kohimarama, a personal branding session is $1500+gst and runs for 45 to 60 minutes, with 2 to 3 outfit changes and 5 edited images. If you only need a profile photo, a headshot session from $350+gst may be all you need.
Key Takeaways
- A headshot shows your face. A personal branding shoot shows who you are, how you work and what it feels like to do business with you.
- Branding photos earn their keep on your website, LinkedIn, social media, proposals and press features.
- Planning matters more than posing. Know where each photo will be used before the shoot day.
- Choose a photographer whose portfolio you would be happy to put on your own website, and who makes you feel at ease.
- Milk Photography offers personal branding sessions in Auckland at the Kohimarama studio or on location.
You know your business would look more trustworthy online with better photos of you, but the only ones you have are a cropped wedding photo and a selfie in the car. So your website stays half finished, your LinkedIn profile looks dated, and you put off posting on social media because you have nothing to share. That is exactly the gap personal branding photography fills.
At Milk Photography Studio, we photograph Auckland business owners, professionals and teams, and these are the questions we hear most. What is the difference between a headshot and a branding shoot? How much should it cost? What should I wear? How do I choose the right photographer? In this post, you’ll learn what personal branding photography is, who it suits, what a session with us includes and costs, how to choose a branding photographer in Auckland, and how to get real value from your images once you have them.
What is personal branding photography?
Personal branding photography is a collection of images that tells your story as a business owner or professional. It goes further than a single headshot. A headshot is one clean, well-lit image of your face, usually against a plain background. A branding shoot captures you in a few different settings, outfits and moods: talking with a client, working at your desk, laughing with your team, holding the products you make, or simply standing confidently in a space that feels like your business.
The aim is simple. When someone lands on your website or your LinkedIn profile, they should get a feel for who you are before they ever pick up the phone. People buy from people they trust, and they trust faster when they can see a real person behind the business. Good brand photography does that work for you quietly, every day, on every platform you use.
It also saves you time. Instead of hunting for a usable photo every time you write a blog post, update your website or send a proposal, you have a bank of images that look consistent and feel like you. That consistency is what makes a small business look established, even when it is a team of one.
Who is personal branding photography for?
If you are the face of your business, it is for you. That covers a wide range of people, including:
- Small business owners whose name and face are part of the brand, such as cafe and restaurant owners, designers, stylists and tradespeople who run their own business.
- Real estate agents, who need images that look confident and approachable on signboards, listings and social media.
- Consultants, coaches, advisers and other service providers who sell their expertise rather than a product.
- Professionals in corporate roles who want a strong LinkedIn presence, speaker profiles or images for media features.
- Business owners launching a new website or rebranding, who need a full set of fresh images in one go.
A good example is the work we did with Jenna Carter, owner of Bossi Restaurant and Deli, along with executive chef Shaun Dowling. Jenna had been putting off her headshots for a long time, and as a business owner she wanted at least one photo she was happy with. We ended up creating a set of branding images, and we also photographed the restaurant’s fit-out. You can see how that came together in our post on restaurant fit-out photography for Bossi Restaurant.
If you only need one tidy profile photo for LinkedIn or your CV, you probably do not need a full branding shoot. A professional headshot session in Auckland will do the job faster and for less. If you need images for a whole team, team headshots are a better fit, and we can photograph your people at our studio or on site at your office.
What a personal branding shoot with Milk Photography includes
We offer three ways to get professional business photos, so you can pick the one that matches what you actually need. All prices are listed on our headshots and personal branding photography page.
Express Headshot, $350+gst. A 5-minute session in our sunny, bright Kohimarama studio against a white background. You get an online proof gallery and one edited image of your choice. It is ideal for LinkedIn, your CV or updating a single photo on your website.
Headshot Shoot, $550+gst in the studio or $650+gst on location. A 20-minute shoot with 2 outfit changes and 2 images of your choice. This is where environmental headshots come in, which means photographing you in a natural setting at work rather than against a plain backdrop.
Personal Branding, $1500+gst. Our full branding session runs for 45 to 60 minutes, with 2 to 3 outfit changes and a collection of 5 images of your brand. Additional images can be purchased if you love more than five. We like to make the most of natural light, so your photos have a relaxed, candid look rather than a stiff, posed one.
For teams, we offer group and team headshots, priced on enquiry. We take individual headshots first and then a series of group photos, so you end up with a consistent set for your website, annual report and marketing material. We can photograph any size of team, from a small start-up to a large corporate team. You can see examples in our corporate and branding portfolio.
How to choose a branding photographer in Auckland
There are plenty of photographers in Auckland, and most of them can take a sharp photo. The difference shows up in how the images feel and how the session feels. Here is what to look for when you are choosing a branding photographer.
A portfolio you would happily use. Look through their headshots and branding work, not just their wedding or family photos. Ask yourself whether you would be proud to put those images on your own website. If the style is too formal, too moody or too trendy for your brand, keep looking.
Someone who puts you at ease. Most people do not love having their photo taken. The best branding photos come from sessions where you relax enough to look like yourself. Read the reviews and look for comments about how the photographer made people feel, not just how the photos turned out. One of our clients, Kelli Strong, put it this way: “Sarah was great at directing me and putting me at ease.”
Help with planning. A good branding photographer will ask questions before the shoot. Where will the photos be used? Who are your customers? What feeling should your brand give off? Sarah, who runs Milk Photography Studio, takes time to understand each brand first. Nicholas Quinlan, another client, said that “Sarah took time to understand my brand and worked with me to find a great location to shoot.”
Clear pricing and turnaround. You should know up front what is included, how many images you get, and what extra images cost. Ask how quickly you will receive your gallery, especially if you have a website launch date coming up.
Experience with your kind of business. If you need photos of a restaurant, an office or a retail space as well as yourself, choose someone who has photographed interiors and teams before, not just people.
How to get ready for your branding shoot
The best branding shoots are planned around how the images will be used, not just how they will look. Start by listing the places your photos will live. Your website home page and about page, your LinkedIn profile and banner, Instagram, Facebook, proposals, email newsletters, speaker bios and media features all have different shapes and needs. A website banner, for example, usually needs a wide photo with space on one side for text, while Instagram favours square and portrait shots.
Next, think about the story you want to tell. If clients come to you for calm, practical advice, your photos should feel calm and practical. If your brand is bold and energetic, your images should be too. Jot down a few words that describe how you want people to feel when they see you, and share them with your photographer before the day.
Then plan your outfits. With 2 to 3 outfit changes in a personal branding session, you can show a couple of sides of your work, for example one smarter look for LinkedIn and one more relaxed look for social media. Choose clothes you feel confident in, that fit well and that match your brand colours where possible. Solid colours usually photograph better than busy patterns or large logos. Bring any props that tell your story, such as your laptop, your tools, your products or a favourite mug from the office.
Finally, get a good night’s sleep, drink plenty of water, and leave time in your diary so you are not rushing in from a meeting. A relaxed person always photographs better than a stressed one.
Studio or on location?
Our Kohimarama studio in East Auckland is bright and sunny, which makes it a great choice for clean, light-filled images, especially for headshots. It is easy to reach from Mission Bay, St Heliers, Remuera and the city, and it gives you a calm space away from the distractions of your workplace.
On-location shoots work well when your setting is part of your story. A restaurant owner in their kitchen, a designer in their studio, or an agent outside a property all say more than a plain backdrop ever could. We also come to your office for team headshots, which saves your staff a trip and keeps everyone’s photos consistent.
Not sure which suits you? Many branding sessions use a mix of both, with a few headshots in the studio and the rest at your place of work. We can talk it through when you get in touch.
Making the most of your branding photos
Once your gallery arrives, put your new images to work straight away. Update your LinkedIn profile photo and banner first, because that is often the first place people look you up. Then refresh your website’s home page and about page, where a warm, confident photo of you can make a big difference to whether a visitor gets in touch.
After that, use the rest of your images over the coming months. Pair them with blog posts, social media updates, email newsletters and proposals. Keep your Google Business Profile fresh with a few of them as well. Because every image comes from the same session, your brand will look consistent everywhere it shows up, which helps people recognise you and remember you.
It is also worth planning a refresh whenever your look, your team or your business changes. Fresh images give you new content and keep your online presence up to date.
Book your personal branding shoot in Auckland
If you are ready to stop hiding behind an old photo, we would love to help. Milk Photography Studio has been creating award-winning portraits in Auckland for over 10 years, and our relaxed, well-directed sessions help even camera-shy clients come away with images they are proud to use.
Take a look at our personal branding and headshot packages, then call us on 0210 837 2306 or get in touch online to book your session at our Kohimarama studio or on location.
