Do Your Brand Photos Capture Your Essence?

Coaches, are your personal brand photos commanding attention? Or are they vaguely pleasant without really setting you apart? Get crystal clear on your brand-essence.

Psychotherapist Khristian is a hoot. Bold but down to earth. Full of joy and humor. Expressive. Living out loud, with a vivid sense of personal style. Not your stereotypical idea of the reserved therapist. I knew I had to capture what's special about her.

I was photographing a group of seven therapists for Living Well Psychotherapy, and I wanted to capture the unique personalities of each -- and to avoid Living Well's staff page looking like a monotonous high school year book.

So I held a little "group reflection session." We all sat in a circle, and for each individual I asked of the group, "What shows up when she shows up? What qualities does she bring into a room?" I wrote down all the answer on big sheets of paper. This group knew each other well, and zeroed in on the unique way each person shows up.

Then I asked each individual to review the list of qualities on their list and circle the 3 qualities most defining of how they show up with their clients.

Khristian chose authenticity, fun, and curiosity. Great! These qualities would be her "brand essence", naming her unique way of showing up for her clients. And these qualities would guide Khristian's photo shoot.

Khristian wasn't afraid to show up vividly, and we captured some wonderful, genuine moments of authentic fun. This is my personal favorite, and it definitely commands attention. The photo not only captures Khristian. It models the kind of attractive joy her clients seek for themselves. This might not be the photo she leads with on a website or social media, but it should definitely be part of her portfolio.

Before you go to a photographer, clarify your brand-essence. What qualities of being precisely set you apart from others in your field? I like to ask it like this: How do you show up for your clients? What qualities do you bring into the room? This is your singular, unique way of being. That’s what you want to express as clearly as possible in your photographs.