Personal Branding Photography in San Francisco: Planning Photos That Work for Your Business
By Elisa Cicinelli
Before you book a branding photoshoot, look at where your photographs need to go. Your website banner, LinkedIn profile and email newsletter each call for a different kind of image. Planning for those uses gives your session a clear purpose and helps you choose photographs you will actually use.
I create personal branding photography for women in business, entrepreneurs and professionals throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area. My approach brings together the creativity of fashion photography and the natural ease of lifestyle imagery, with direction throughout your session in my private San Francisco loft studio.
Here is how to start planning yours.
Start with your next business goal
Think about what you are working toward over the next several months. You might be launching a website, introducing a new service, applying for speaking opportunities or refreshing the way you present an established business.
Bring that information to your consultation. A consultant preparing for a conference may need a clear portrait for a speaker biography, photographs for presentation slides and a few conversational images for LinkedIn. A business owner redesigning her website may need photographs for several pages, each with a different purpose.
Choose your most immediate need first. We can build the session around that priority.
Make a list of where the images will appear
Open your website and the marketing materials you use regularly. Note which photographs are missing, outdated or difficult to crop.
Where you will use the photograph | What to plan for |
Website homepage | A horizontal portrait with room beside you for a headline |
About page | A welcoming portrait and an image that gives a sense of your work |
LinkedIn profile | A clear headshot that remains recognizable in a small circular crop |
Social media | A mix of closer portraits, wider compositions and images connected to your work |
Email marketing | Photographs that suit the specific service, story or announcement in your message |
Speaking engagements and press | A current portrait, with both vertical and horizontal options if requested |
Choose wardrobe that feels like your business
Start with clothes that fit well and feel comfortable when you sit, stand and move. Consider how you want to appear to the people you work with: approachable, creative, assured or a combination of those qualities.
A tailored jacket might suit a speaking engagement or company biography. A softer blouse, knit or favorite dress might work beautifully for a more conversational part of your website. Color can add personality, especially when it works with your website palette and the studio background.
Try everything on beforehand, including shoes and accessories. Bring wardrobe questions to our planning conversation so we can decide which pieces support the photographs you need.
Create variety within the studio
My private San Francisco loft studio gives us room to create a range of photographs in one session. Changes in lighting, backgrounds, wardrobe and composition allow us to create both classic business portraits and images with a more relaxed, editorial feel.
A seated portrait can feel conversational and approachable. A standing portrait against a simple background can leave room for a website headline. Closer compositions bring attention to your expression, while wider photographs can include your book, products or other details connected to your work.
During your consultation, we will plan the studio setups around your business, your style and the photographs you need.
Bring details that belong to your work
A few relevant objects can help create variety in the studio. An author might bring her book. A designer might bring sketches or material samples. A business owner might bring a product she wants to introduce.
Choose items you use and would naturally have with you at work. Bring a small selection so we can decide what fits the photographs we have planned.
You can also bring a small selection of reference images. Tell me what appeals to you about them, such as the lighting, color, mood or expression. That gives us a useful starting point for creating photographs that feel personal to you.
You will have guidance throughout the session
You do not need to arrive knowing how to pose. I guide you through posture, hands, movement and expression, drawing on more than 30 years of photography experience.
If being photographed feels unfamiliar, tell me. Your comfort is part of the planning, and we can talk through what to expect before you arrive at the studio.
Understand the session fee and image purchase
The personal branding experience listed on my website is $450 and includes the photoshoot and professional hair and makeup. Retouched digital photographs are purchased individually or as a collection at your reveal and ordering session.
During your consultation, we can discuss the photographs you need and how the session and image purchases work. You can also explore the details of my San Francisco Bay Area personal branding photography experience.
If your immediate need is a profile portrait, visit my professional headshot page to compare the options.
Let's plan photographs you can put to work
Bring your website, your upcoming projects and a few ideas. We will talk about how you want to be photographed in the studio and where those images will be used.
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