Megan’s Joyful, Approachable Personal Branding Portraits
It’s always a joy to mix up my studio portraits with some personal branding sessions, and collaborating with Megan on these branding portraits with a fun and life-giving project for an incredible soul. Megan is in an in-depth, holistic masters program to be an integrative health coach and in the foundation phase of her professional career. She is in this defining time for her brand, business and self - she is still in school and not an official business yet, but she is preparing and knows that at some point she will be doing this full time and is working to proactively shape what that will look like.
In our early conversations about what she was looking for, Megan knew that it would be really important to help people feel welcome and have a sense of connection with her. She knew brand photography was something she needed to invest in even from the very beginning to give herself a strong foundation. She wanted her portraits to feel approachable and authentic and also professional by conveying that she is competent and capable.
Megan wanted to include some elements of nature and talked about how she is exploring ways to incorporate nature therapy and thinking about how she can do her work in natural settings. Which I totally resonate with - I love nature and being outside, and was really excited to consider how we could bring that natural connection into Megan’s portraits. She really emanates joy, and I think she knows that is part of her personality and her brand, and that really came through in her portraits. In Megan’s collection of portraits there is a beautiful mix and variety of images that feel warm and approachable, competent and grounded, and full of joy and life.
We decided to split her personal branding session into two parts. We did part of it in the studio, where we could use my neutral space with its white walls and a little warmth from the brick. These studio photos feel really grounded, professional and warm. She brought along a bouquet of flowers to her session, and I love this one of her arranging the flowers at the table. It is such a beautiful lifestyle-feeling image with a candid energy. When I am talking with people about branding pictures it is a little different than personal portraits because you are not just documenting yourself, you are trying to tell a story - so having some pictures that feel candid or where you are moving and doing an action bring a sense of reality to your collection of portraits.
After Megan’s studio portraits we travelled to two locations in the neighborhood where she lives. We started in her backyard where she raises chickens and has an adorable chicken coop and a garden. Then made our way to the community garden plot she and her husband really value and spend a lot of time nurturing. These outdoor pictures have a strong sense of connection to the earth and feel really natural, candid, and more casual.
Megan, thank you for trusting me with your portraits as you build your brand and business. You have an incredible vision, and I am excited to see you flourish as an integrative health coach! I loved our intentional planning conversations, your warm and kind and grounded energy, and all the ideas and love and joy you brought into these pictures. Thank you for everything.