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
Mermaid Adventures Photo Shoot
Mermaid Adventures Photo Shoot
I'd never met a Mermaid before, so when Mermaid Sandy got in touch to ask if I'd be interested in a commercial shoot for her business Mermaid Adventures I was very excited! We love all things Mer in our house and I could quite happily spend every second of the day on the beach or in the water so it was a perfect fit. Mermaid Adventures is a local business that offers Mermaid experiences to all. You can book in for a Mermaid swimming lesson or have a Mermaid birthday party!
We had a group of fabulous kids who volunteered to help out on the shoot. They soon learnt, being a model isn't as glamourous as you'd think! They spent a long time at the shoot, with plenty of waiting around, but they all got to have a mermaid swimming lesson and photoshoot, so it wasn't too bad.
Above water, there was plenty of splashing and wearing some awesome hair accessories. Below the surface there was diving for shells, swimming through hoops and of course lots of posing.
As this was a commercial photo shoot for Mermaid Adventures, it was really important for me to focus on getting images that they could use on their new website and social media platforms over the next year or so. I focused on getting some action shots and showing how much fun the kids were having. They do so much in one lesson, I don't know how they fit it all in! Wall to wall fun with a touch of magic.
If you have a local business and are interested in my commercial shoot packages, then find out more on my pricing page or get in touch for a quote.
There were over 200 images from this shoot, so I can't feature them all, but here's a few of my favourites. Starting with the lovely Mermaid Sandy...
South Wales Stage School Photo Shoot
"The images all look fantastic! You have captured the children's energy, focus, fun, effort and joy so well. And some real crackers in there - that I'm sure Head Office will ask me if they can use! " Helene Reynolds, Principal
Get your jazz hands ready! It's the kids from the South Wales Stage School - Stagecoach Performing Arts Bridgend & Cowbridge!
I was contacted by Stagecoach to take some group class photos and rehearsal images to celebrate their upcoming 30th Anniversary and couldn't wait to get in there! I visited the school over 5 days and got to see all their classes in action. It was SO much fun. I was really impressed by the whole ethos of the school. The teachers were brilliant and the kids were so focused and really enjoying themselves. It was hard not to join in with the dancing but you can't take photos when you're jigging about to show tunes so I had to control myself.
There's so much joy, focus, passion and power in these images. The children have an hour each of singing, drama and dance. I really wanted to portray what I saw in the classes and to show how much the kids enjoy it and how hard they are working. Each class was full of energy and it was a real pleasure to see all the dancing, singing and acting from each stage. So from stag jumps to singing - here they are!
Note for Stagecoach parents: A full set of all the images from the rehearsals are available for you to view in a password protected online gallery. Printed class and rehearsal photos will be available to purchase, so please see the programme from the show to get more information or get in touch with me for the details.
Gem x
Note for Stagecoach parents: A full set of all the images from the rehearsals are available for you to view in a password protected online gallery. Printed class and rehearsal photos will be available to purchase, so please see the programme from the show to get more information or get in touch with me for the details.
Business headshots & product photography with Money Kissed
I really enjoyed doing the product photography for new local business Money Kissed. I'm so pleased with the final images, they look amazing and really showcase the work. We had lots of fun using different props and creating each scene, using the beautifully hand crafted shapes made from real money!
Anita also had some professional headshots taken for her to use on her website and social media platforms. Of course, as a creative, she managed to pick the perfect outfits to match the Autumn backdrop and the pictures look fabulous.
If you need to update your business headshots, then I have a great package available. Have a look at my Headshots gallery and Headshots pricing page for more information.
Gem x
