Why is personal branding so important?
Why do you need a personal branding photo shoot?
In this day and age branding is super important. You'd have to be living in a cave if you weren't aware of the impact of brands. It's not just big businesses that rely on branding to get their message across. It's equally important for small businesses too - it runs through every aspect of a business. How you want to portray your business to your clients, the look and feel of your products and service, your logo, your website and your web presence.
Personal branding extends to include not only your business but yourself as well. If you provide a service then your clients will want to get to know you. They will want to see what you look like, perhaps see images of you at work as well as just a portrait of you.
Running your own business is a very personal undertaking and so it's important to be able to have images that portray you - do you want to be seen as corporate, arty, relaxed, fun, serious, creative? Do you want to include where you work, the tools that you use on a daily basis etc.
If you don't run your own business, it's still important to have a set of images that illustrate your working life. You many need images to feature in a programme, for a conference, on the back of a book, for your LinkedIn profile, CV - even your dating profile!
I really enjoy working with local businesses and business folk in and around Cardiff to get the images that they need. Over the years I've photographed businesswomen, businessmen, writers, actors, graphic designers, builders and even a mermaid. I've included a little selection of images below.
If you need to update your personal branding images - drop me a line to find out more. Visit my headshots & commercial pricing page and headshots & commercial portfolio page.
Siriol needed some headshots for her radio and acting work.
Scott needed to update his LinkedIn profile.
Rhiannon uses her images on her blog and Instagram account.
Kate uses her images on her Instagram account for her ceramics business - Skratch Ceramics.
The Home Physio Company
Newbridge Software
Mermaid Adventures
NKG Construction
Business Headshot Photography
Business headshot shoot on a weekend away! I recently went away for the night with my very good friend Sheila. She lives in London and I live in South Wales so we don't get to see each other very often.
She needed to update her headshots for her new website so we took the opportunity to nip into the beautiful restaurant at the St Bride's Spa Hotel, Saundersfoot (where we stayed) to take a few shots. It's a fantastic hotel with spectacular views and the service there is exceptional. I highly recommend a visit.
The views from the restaurant are gorgeous - I've included a shot of the view out of the window for you to see.
If you need to update your headshot or need images for your business, have a look at my headshot and business photography packages and my headshot portfolio and then drop me a line to arrange a bespoke session.
Headshot sessions are 1 hour and include a selection of images for you to choose from and use. Commercial photography shoots are longer and include staff headshots as well. You can see lots of examples of my work with businesses in South Wales on my blog.
If you want to find out more, drop me a line for a chat.
Business Headshots with Sian
"I would recommend Gemma because she is a very talented photographer and has an infectious personality. She knows how to put people at ease, creating a relaxed and friendly environment in order to capture your best side!" Sian
Meet Sian, aka Cowbridge Moos. I had lots of fun taking her headshots.
Tell us about your new business venture?
Well, after updating my skills portfolio over the last six months through a fully CPD accredited course I have graduated as a Social Media Manager. My new skills enable me to collaborate with businesses to increase their brand’s presence on social media platforms, through engagement with key influencers and targeting an audience who are interested in that company’s product or service. A mistake companies often make is to assume that the more followers you have the more successful you will be - this is incorrect: it’s about engaging with a targeted audience, that way influencers and brand advocates are more likely to share your content and talk about your product or service.
Why did you decide to start the business?
After a career break of 8 years during which I was full-time mum to my two boys, I decided I needed to get back in to the workplace, yes to earn some money, but also to rediscover the confident, professional business woman I once was but who had, before the course, disappeared under a rock! Being a full-time mum is enormously rewarding and I have been extremely fortunate to have been able to be at home for my children - I’ve loved every minute of being there for them. However, for me, the down-side was I lost all my self-confidence as a professional, hardly recognising that previous life/ go-getter. So, after years at home with the kids, through my learning experience I have finally found the confidence to regain my own identity and to find rewarding freelance work that fits in around family life on my terms.
What were you doing before you started your business?
I had a successful career as a retail clothing buyer. This involved lots of international travel for long periods of time, early starts and late finishes at the office, big targets to beat and loads of stress. Don’t get me wrong, before the boys came along I thrived in this environment - it was a very exciting time for the budget retail market and growth was fast in our sector, so we enjoyed masses of success. But, it wasn’t the right career for me with a young family as I hated leaving them and would only really see them at bedtime.
How do you juggle being a mother and working at the same time?
Having just graduated, I am looking for opportunities as they say! In terms of how I will juggle both, the beauty of social media is it never sleeps, plus my work is freelance and can be done on the move from my mobile device wherever I happen to be.
What do you love most about being a mother?
I love everything about being a mum - before they came along I couldn’t imagine my life with them and now they are here, I cannot imagine my life without them.
Do you have any advice for anyone who would like to start their own business?
Someone once gave me a great piece of advice - she said you have to have ‘fake confidence’, even if every bone in your body is telling you to run, don’t, face a new challenge head-on, tell yourself you can do this! You will have loads of wobbles on the way but just stick at it!
If you would like to increase your brand profile on social media and you’d like to know more, Sian would love to hear from you - get in touch via Facebook or Twitter.
https://twitter.com/cowbridgemoos
https://www.facebook.com/cowbridgemoos/
https://www.instagram.com/cowbridgemoos/
