Why professional photos will make you stand out

For a while I’ve wanted to get professional photos for my coaching business. Not because I love looking at pictures of myself, trust me. More because I spend a lot of time assessing people’s websites and social media posts, and I can’t help but be attracted by the ones with stunning, high-quality, professional photos. I love words, and the impact they have, but I think most humans are also wired to react to visuals. I know I am.

Note: this post does NOT contain affiliate links. I share links to services I’ve used and wholeheartedly recommend.

However, I knew professional photos would be an investment. “I have a simple website. I already have a professional head shot,” I reasoned, “that’s good enough. I can use stock photography for the rest of my site and my social media posts. I don’t even have a book out yet, I don’t need a full-on photo shoot with hundreds of pictures. What will I do with them all anyway?” My uber-talented photographer-friend, Annemarie Gruden, persuaded me a branding photo shoot was worth the investment and I’m so glad I listened to her. Let me unpack why.

Now, there is some great, inexpensive (or free) stock photography out there. And with uploading a new blog post at least a couple of times a month, sometimes more, I can’t afford to use a professionally-shot image for every single blog post. However, I was noticing other writers and coaches using the same stock images as me. It was time for a more personalized look, at least on my website and key blog posts.

I know the power of genuine marketing and branding, and professional photos are part of that. This wasn’t about snapping some pretty pictures. This was about understanding, clarifying and capturing the experience customers get when they work with me.

Let’s remember, people don’t buy products, they buy experiences – how something makes them feel or what it gives them that they didn’t have before.

I’ve written about that here. When it comes to coaching, so much of that experience is wrapped up in how customers interact with me as a human being. I knew the right kind of photos would help communicate that.

When you invest in a branding photo shoot, you get:

A Personalized Look

My new photos show my customers I’m serious and in this for the long haul. Since they’re not just stock images, they also communicate I’m an approachable human being, not a faceless corporation.

Clear Branding

An unexpected bonus of the photo shoot was even deeper clarity of my own brand. In preparation for the shoot I tidied my working space and cherry picked my favourite journals, pens, mugs, as well as my beautiful old typewriter my husband found in an antique store. Once these items were all together in one place, it dawned on me I had a style and colour palette: neutral, simple, uncluttered, ocean-inspired.

Since Annemarie took several iterations of certain props, in the same location, in the same lighting, there is a consistent feel to my images. There’s a colour scheme and recognizable items. This means when I spread them over my website pages, on social media posts and in blog posts, people will start to recognize what Sarah Sambles dot com looks like. Brand is about so much more than colour, but it is part of it. The benefit to my photo shoot is that I now have a ton of images I can use all over the place: on my website, on social media, for my Google Business page, in blog posts, my newsletter, and in customer documentation.

Images that tell a Story

This is probably one of the most powerful aspects of quality photography, and one of the main reasons I decided to book a photo shoot. Before the shoot I did some planning, scouring websites for images that stood out to me. Come take a look at my Pinterest board if you want some inspiration. I noticed the reason certain images were compelling was because they told a story. There was one particular headshot that inspired me: an editor sat at a table with her head thrown back in laughter. This communicated so much to me: her personality, what it would feel like to sit on the other side of the table from her, the fact that she’d infuse motivation, clarity and encouragement in me as a writer. (I happen to have worked with this editor and I can assure you, all these things are true.) I wanted my images to communicate to authors, writers and entrepreneurs:

• I’m in your world
• I’m inspired by the same kinds of things as you
• I’m approachable
• I like sitting, talking things through with people

Annemarie and I circled through various poses and locations to capture this feel, and here’s what’s interesting. A friend commented to me afterwards, “I know you well, and those pictures capture your personality.” Yay!

Eye-catching Pictures

As writers we may love words, but people are pulled into blog posts, websites or social media posts by more than text. In fact, a wall of text is off putting. Our eyes also need white space and visuals. So, consider balancing out your website and blog posts with images, white space, different font sizes, bold words, subheadings, bullets, block quotes etc.

Believe it or not, I’m self-conscious in front of a camera. I was looking forward to getting artistic shots of my journals, books and typewriter, not getting a headshot. That’s another reason you need a pro to take your pictures. Annemarie knew how to put me at ease and catch shots of me when I’d relaxed. She engaged me in conversation as she snapped away, until my guard was down and I was actually myself. If you only get your spouse to grab a picture of you with your phone, you won’t get the same result. I enjoyed the photo shoot and felt more confident at the end of it: about my brand, and about me as a creative individual. That alone made it worth the investment.

Wherever you’re at in your career as a writer or entrepreneur, you need some professional photos. A headshot at least. There’s a world of difference between a picture snapped on your phone and a professional portrait. That picture can either communicate you’re a little unsure about this whole career, or it can exude your personality. Do yourself a favour. Invest in your career! You’ll be glad you did.

Love this mug from a friend. Photo credit: Annemarie Gruden

 

 

Annemarie Gruden is a visual storyteller who uses photography to capture memories for couples, families and professionals. If you need a professional photographer, look no further.

Would you like help figuring out how to make your website stand out? Drop me a line, I’d love to help.