Photography for your Personal Brand | A Shoot-Out Case Study
A personal brand shoot-out case study this time featuring Amanda Webb, Sally How, Mayking Tsang and Lucy McVey.
If you’re planning some personal branding photography for your business, then you can take some inspiration from the photoshoot stories I have in store for you. See four very different brands making use of the same photography technique to articulate their very different personal brand messages. Let’s get you inspired and full to the brim of new ideas for your next personal brand photography session.
About This Photography for your Personal Brand Case Study
Creativity Born Out Of Constraints
Like most professional photographers out there, I had a whole list of people on hold when we went into lockdown. Now, this has a knock-on effect, just like with every small business, and I needed to reschedule a lot of sessions. So what do you do when you’re a professional photographer who has a long list of people who need their photos as soon as possible?
You put together a shoot-out day.
Moving Dates…
And this is exactly what I did. So I put my schedule in line with the ATOMICON conference, which is an event that happens in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, my hometown. And that had been rescheduled a couple of times, but I knew that there were people who were my clients attending this conference. So, I knew that they were going to be coming into town and putting together a photoshoot that worked well for their schedule, was just a great idea.
And UK Weather
It’s important to point out now that some of the sessions that you’re about to see, had originally been planned as on-location springtime photo shoots.
As the conference had to change in line with government requirements, we were going to be going into a shoot-out day happening in November in the Northeast of the UK.
And that means there’s a lot of unpredictable weather. Because of the unpredictability and the compressed shooting schedule, I decided to make an executive decision and change on-location photography to studio photography where I knew everyone was going to be warm, it was going to be bright and it was going to be dry.
Meet my Photography for your Personal Brand Clients
Let me introduce you to the clients that took part in this shoot-out day.
Sally How – How Fine Designs
SALLY: Hi, I’m Sally How. My business is How Fine Designs and I’m a fine eco jeweller based in Harrogate.
Amanda Webb – Spiderworking
AMANDA: Hi, I’m Amanda Webb. My business is called Spiderworking and I’m a digital marketing trainer and consultant based in County Kildare in the Republic of Ireland.
MayKing Tsang – The FOMO Creator
MAYKING: Hi, my name’s MayKing Tsang, first name MayKing and I am the original FOMO Creator based in Sheffield, UK.
Lucy McVey – LMV Social
LUCY: Hi, I’m Lucy McVey. My business is called LMV Social and I’m a social media strategist based in North London.
Greenscreen Versatility Photography For Your Personal Brand
Now each of these sessions has ended up looking quite different.
We’re dealing with four very different businesses that have quite different brands, but I want to show you that everything was shot in quite a similar way before we get to the final results.
Return to Sally’s Shoot Day
LAURA: It’s felt like such a long time since I’ve done a shoot. I’ve just got parked and I’m going to take a stroll to the studio now. So there was me being all smarty pants, I’m the first one here. Turns out no, everyone was inside getting ready. So for my sins, I’m going to go and do a coffee run for everyone.
So here are Sally’s tools and then here’s the product of the tools. All of her amazing jewels that we’re going to get through. Are you feeling ready Sally?
SALLY: Yeah, that’s it.
LAURA: So that’s the first set, Sally? How are you feeling?
Adding The Wind Machine
SALLY: No, that’s a lot better once it’s actually got going.
LAURA: Yeah, we’re going to dress it up now. We’re going to go in that lovely wheat dress next.
SALLY: Yes
LAURA: I’m going to put the wind machine on because Sally’s got a lovely long dress on. So we’ll get the Marilyn vibes going. This is Sally’s final outfit here and we’re going to add these beautiful necklaces to go with the red. It is a wrap, with Sally.
A Quick Chat with Sally after the Shoot
LAURA: Hi Sally.
SALLY: Hi Laura.
LAURA: We went into your session with quite a joined-up vision of how we wanted the final photography to look. Do you want to talk us through that a little bit, Sally?
SALLY: Absolutely, I really wanted to lean in so that narrative of being a quirky creative. So, I wanted to be quite daring with the way I had you pose me, even though to be quite honest, I was really nervous. The other side of this was adding to the creativity, and incorporating illustrative layers into the final work. I love this trend and I really want to make it part of my final branding.
Sally’s Personal Stylist
Sally thoroughly loved the online support of her Personal Stylist for this shoot. Her stylist was Tracy Jayne Hooper. If you’d like to see how Tracy delivers remote Personal Styling, here is a link to her website.
Sally’s Live Reveal on Instagram
And here I am LIVE with Sally on her Instagram feed, to reveal her final images.
LAURA: What I loved about you, Sally, because you are a fellow creative mind, you came to me with a very specific type of vision. So that was something that really jumped out with me because you could see how you wanted to use the images after they had been created. And sometimes people have a really hard time making the difference between planning a photoshoot and imagining what it’s going to look like. Whereas you came from the backend first, which is how I prefer to work, so that’s why I love working with you.
Feeling Nervous… Then Doing it Anyway
SALLY: Well, do you know what? I really, really could see the vision but I was really nervous myself. So that was the bit that I really needed the reassurance from you because yeah, you know how nervous I was on the day of the shoot. You can see here on my website that the new images level everything up significantly.
The key image that I like best is this one here on my homepage (below). Then the way we’ve been able to work on this one here which is all about my wedding ring workshops. And this one here on my website which is dedicated to my passion for sustainability, come and take a look for yourself by visiting www.howfinedesigns.com
Insight into Sally’s Brand Development
Sally joined me later to work on the strategic part of her Branding. There is another case study on this you can explore to get even more insight into her Eco-Jewellery business and how my Brand Development services work.
Return to Amanda’s Shoot Day
LAURA: Amanda’s here and look how long her hair is! I don’t know if anyone can remember the last time we had a session, but Amanda’s hair was like here. And then we had a wave and then, so it like jumped up and she had a cute bob and now it’s like I’m looking at a completely different woman and I’m really looking forward to shooting the longer hair.
Looking glam. All right, let’s just take a moment to look at Amanda’s incredible Dr Martens.
That is a wrap.
AMANDA: Yeah.
A Quick Chat with Amanda after the Shoot
LAURA: Hi Amanda.
AMANDA: Hi Laura.
LAURA: So this isn’t your first time shooting with me, is it?
AMANDA: No, it’s not. This is the second time. And the first time was a revelation. So I was really interested to work with you in a slightly different way this time to create a completely different set of photos. Reaction the first time was great though. So I knew I wanted to work with you again. And I really liked the idea of shooting with you on a green screen because it’s just exciting, right?
Greenscreen Technique
LAURA: What about the green screen appealed to you then?
AMANDA: I’m really into green screens at the moment. I think they’re just a really interesting way of using images and what’s nice is you’re not tied to the location. I love the location stuff, but you can cut these out and you can put them wherever you want. You can put whatever location you like in the background. So I think it’s nice to have a mixture.
Also, you told me they were on-trend at the moment and I’m always trying to stay on trend and be up to date because I run a weekly live Digital Coffee show which is all about being up to date with the latest in digital marketing. So it worked so well with my brand.
Amanda’s Live Reveal on Linkedin
And here I am LIVE with Amanda on her Digital Coffee Show on LinkedIn where she revealed her final images with her connections.
AMANDA: I mean, it’s not like I’m proactively targeting American clients. It’s more that I want to, I train via zoom so it can be an international business. And if this was putting them off, I knew I needed some new shots. Secondly, I’m working with more corporates these days.
So I wanted an image that stood out a little bit more and I thought what I had was “very small business”, cause it was what I was aimed at the time. And when I show you the photos, you might be kind of surprised that that’s what I was looking for, but I needed something that was really strong and on-brand.
Personal Branding for Corporate Customers
LAURA: And it’s clean and simple as well I think. That’s a key thing when you’re dealing with corporates, when you are selling to corporate at that scale, you’re probably dealing with a whole group of decision-makers, whereas when you’re dealing with a small business, you can really dial into that single person.
Cause that’s probably like a one-man band or maybe two or three people, but one person has the final decision. It’s a very different way of presenting yourself. So yeah, I think going cleaner with it was important for us on this second shoot.
Amanda’s Hero Image
AMANDA: The first image (above) I updated on my website was the homepage and this is consistent now across all my digital marketing sites. On my website, it’s on all my social images. It’s the same banner everywhere. And just that makes the website look so fresh and so new.
I’m so happy with that banner, but it’s also been nice to make them work on other pages on my website because the worst thing is I have some really old images, it turns out on my website that need replacing.
AMANDA: So the next one that I changed I had a really nice image here already that actually Laura took last time but I think it needed updating, which was my About page.
I also updated my Contact Us page, and the Get In Touch page. There was the most horrible image there ever. It was one that I’d taken myself before I got Laura to take photos. All right, it was so bad. I couldn’t believe it when I went there. I can’t believe I didn’t look at that page on my website. So now I put a really nice image again, totally on brand gives it consistency across the whole thing and my Digital Coffee page.
Gradual Implementation
So I mentioned my live show is one of the most important Lead Generation things that I do. So I really wanted to upgrade the page on there. So I’ve added some text and I’ve added, there’s a lovely image of me jumping, which is the best picture that you took. And I put that onto the Digital Coffee page and I’ve got more to do but those were the most important pages.
There are a couple of sales pages I’m updating. So I didn’t want to go and change the image and then rewrite the text. So there’s a couple more to come but they were the first ones that needed immediate surgery. So that’s done and it’s just lovely. I’ve shown them to people and they go, “Oh my God, they’re amazing.” So so happy with the way it’s looking now.
If you want to have a look at these and I highly recommend you do you should visit my website, which is www.spiderworking.com I’d love to know what you think about them too.
Amanda’s Professional Headshots
And here is that link if you would like to go back and see what we created on location back in 2018 with that bar we mentioned in the Linkedin Live Show.
Return to MayKing’s Shoot Day
LAURA: Who’s just arrived, it’s MayKing.
This is MayKing’s wardrobe. I’m just going to walk you around it here. She’s got these T-shirts and then all the hats that Sally’s been organising…
A Quick Chat with MayKing after the Personal Branding Shoot
LAURA: Hi MayKing!
MAYKING: Hey Laura
LAURA: Now we did something that was quite bespoke for you, didn’t we MayKing and it ended up going on for a long period of time. Let’s talk about that.
MAYKING: Yeah, that’s right Laura. I love that you worked around the flow of my work as a FOMO Creator and we did originally plan to have you follow me at various conferences and capture me in full flow as a FOMO Creator. The pandemic scrapped all of that. So we had to have a rethink and Laura you came up with the idea of the green screen and I panicked.
LAURA: Yes, I think we can safely say that this was a confidence block, right?
MAYKING: Yeah, you got it in one. I mean, I feel like having you around and capturing me in full flow as a FOMO Creator is something that I’m was probably a lot more used to. And having you follow me whilst I am tweeting, Instagram storying, interviewing attendees and speakers or hosts and whilst you fade away into the background capturing those moments
LAURA: And how did the thought of being in a studio make you feel by comparison then?
Facing Personal Brand Fears
MAYKING: Terrified. I mean, I had thoughts of fear about having more than just having you watching me in a studio. I couldn’t see your vision of what you had in mind when you were capturing those moments. And then the fear of having those images on my website, live out there for scrutiny and then all the usual fears of do I look, does my bum look big in this, do I look old? Have you captured my double chin or the grey hair, all the rest of it, all those pesky thoughts?
LAURA: And how do you feel now on the other side of this experience?
MAYKING: Oh my God Laura, it’s been a game-changer for me when you sent me those images, it just gave me the confidence. I love the images, plan to use them all over my social media will be popping them onto my website. And also can I tell you the best bit of all.
LAURA: What?
With Amazing Results
MAYKING: So I had a really strong inquiry about my FOMO Creator services. And so I was able to use those images that you’ve got of me onto my proposal. It’s the biggest one that I’ve done yet. And those images just helped the proposal really jump out, hopefully at the onlooker. So, it really captures who I am as a FOMO Creator. Captures me as an interviewer with my bubbly personality my laugh and my energy and those images really help to capture all of that. So thanks.
LAURA: That is amazing news. I am so excited for you and for this new customer. That’s brilliant. Woo hoo.
MAYKING: So, yeah as I said, I am looking at the various places where I can place my images on my website. I know that it will just really help to bring the essence of me or the full essence of me, the full personality of me as a FOMO Creator and have it jump out on my website.
MayKing’s Live Reveal on X (Twitter)
I went live with MayKing where she shared her experience of her photoshoot to her HUGE Twitter audience, as well as revealing her final images.
How to create FOMO - a case study with guest @LauraPearman. https://t.co/zQybxFvsvd
— 🟣maykingtea (she/her) (@MayKingTea) January 26, 2022
I went live with MayKing where she shared her experience of her personal branding photoshoot to her HUGE Twitter audience, as well as revealing her final images.
Ess Green’s AXNT Custom Designs
MayKing is a BIG fan of AXNT Custom Tee Designs. You can find out more about them here.
We then continued this chat in MayKing’s Twitter Space which is also where she puts out her weekly FOMO Show.
MayKing’s Favourite
MAYKING: I do actually like this one because what you’ve captured is the ability to tell in one photograph what I do. I’m a professional live tweeter, I do interviews. So there are other photographs of me doing an interview like the previous one, and like you said, really captured my energy.
So, Laura I just want to thank you so much for pushing me out of my comfort zone. And just cracking that whip and saying get into that studio and showing me the vision beyond and it really helped me to… like I said I’ve been using these images. I will be using these personal branding images on my website. I’ve been using them already in proposals which are fantastic.
And of course, this all goes back to the importance of personal branding.
Return to Lucy’s Personal Brand Shoot Day
LAURA: The last session of the day is Lucy. And she’s got lots of yellow accessories. Yellow is in her personal branding. So we’re just going to lay all of her stuff out now and pick out the right outfit. Okay, so this is the right way to do a bright brand colour in my personal opinion. You can tell me if you disagree with this, Lucy has a bright yellow and you can see here, she’s got pops of yellow in what she’s wearing, but everything else complements that. So we’ve got about five outfits there.
I was worried about my energy levels today, but still totally buzzing. It’s feeling amazing being back doing personal branding photoshoots like this. Okay, Lucy…
LUCY: And that’s a wrap.
LAURA: That’s a wrap.
A Quick Chat with Lucy after the Shoot
LAURA: Hey Lucy
LUCY: Hey Laura
LAURA: Our second shoot together.
LUCY: Yes, this was my second session with you. I’m so pleased with how this set of images has come out. Shooting this style with images that come fully cut out is something I’ve noticed my social media clients are getting into. So I wanted to put myself in a position of being able to make recommendations from firsthand experience, as well as of course enjoy the benefits of having these new images with versatility. I’m also testing them out on my social media feeds to measure how posting images like this affects my own social media engagement levels.
LAURA: Oh and have you got any results in yet then?
LUCY: I’ve just posted a fresh profile image on my different platforms. And it’s like, all of the people I haven’t seen in the last few years are all coming out of the woodwork. This is so great to pick up older conversations and most importantly, have a good catch-up.
Lucy’s Live Reveal on Instagram
Lucy had me live on her Instagram account where we shared the final results from her session and to see if her audience felt that they worked to articulate her Personal Brand.
Canvass Website Design
Lucy raved about how good her website design team was. You can find out more about the guys as Canvass here.
Lucy’s Favourite
LUCY: I love this one (above). I put this on my profiles.
LAURA: I have to say, I think this is one of my favourites. I love your face on this. Cause this is what I think of if I’m thinking about you. And I’ll imagine you like being, “hi, are you all right?” You’d be looking up from your phone in the middle of doing something else. And this is the kind of face I would expect. So this is very much you.
Showing How You Show Up
LUCY: Yeah, that probably is how I appear most of the time just got my phone constantly on me.
LAURA: We’re getting loads of hearts on that as well Lucy. So people must be agreeing.
LUCY: Yeah. Looking at the website, I really wanted to have a nice, welcoming, happy image on my homepage. You can see which one I picked to say that here. You can come and see this for yourself by visiting my website, which is www.lmvsocial.co.uk
Remember This?
And here is that link if you would like to go back and see what we created on location back in 2019 on our first shoot together.
Timestamps For This Episode Of #MwahTV
00:00 – Episode Begins
01:00 – The Impetus Behind this Shoot Out Day
02:25 – Meet My Clients
03:14 – Returning to Sally’s Shoot Day
06:00 – Sally’s Results
06:38 – Returning to Amanda’s Shoot Day
09:35 – Amanda’s Results
11:44 – Returning to MayKing’s Shoot Day
15:43 – MayKing’s Results
16:36 – Returning to Lucy’s Shoot Day
18:11 – Lucy’s Results
With Special Thanks to…
A special word of thanks to the shoot suppliers who supported me on all four of these shoots. I could not have done it without you.
Laura Oddity Hair & Makeup
Laura worked with all of my clients in this Personal Brand Shoot-Out. As always she was FANTASTIC and managed to keep to this extra tight shoot schedule.
Mayfield Studios
As always, the service from Mayfield was incredible. Such a great City Centre space.
Reflecting on Photography for your Personal Brand | Shoot-Out Case Study
I was thrilled with the level of diversity achieved on this intensive shoot-out day. Taking the time to capture initial reactions from Sally, Amanda, MayKing and Lucy with their audience reactions occurring at the same time was powerful in testing that what we set out to do hit the mark. Although the photographic technique used was the same, I feel that the planning to understand and then articulate each of the 4 Personal Brands was a success.
