Unexpected takeaway from my own Brand Photoshoot!
I spend my days educating business owners on the importance of having their own brand photos. I remind clients to update their brand photos when it’s been a while…no catfishing here, ladies! I create content for social media pointing out how high-quality brand imagery can elevate your business. They will set you apart from the crowd, tell your story to your ideal audience and give you confidence in yourself to let the world know who you are and what you’re about!
And I’m going to be real with you here. I always am but this is slightly embarrassing to admit…it’s been 4 years since I updated my own brand photos. 4 YEARS! About 4 years ago I pivoted hard from a wedding photographer to a personal branding photographer and took my own brand photos to rebrand myself. I bought Monster Jam tickets in Philadelphia for my husband and son so they could have a boys day, giving me the house to myself. I had about 5 hours to get the job done, not exactly knowing what I was doing. I curled my hair, piled on the makeup, picked out 3 outfits that I loved. All with a badass vibe yet professional, like I really had my shit together. I turned on Beyonce to boost my confidence since I had no one behind the camera to tell me how fierce I looked or that I was rocking this shoot. I took self portraits inside with a few different set ups and two outfits then changed and went outside to give my neighbors a show!
After this shoot I downloaded everything, culled all the images and edited everything before my family got home. I updated my website. Made a post for Instagram and then proceeded to use these photos for the next 4 years…I’m literally laughing at myself as I typed that.
Now, I am a photographer who has photographer friends so I feel like it’s obvious that I have taken many professional photos over the years that I have posted or used in some way or another. But my current Pricing Guide, my website, my Welcome Guide, they’re all filled with these original brand photos, and it was time for a refresh!
A lot has changed since then. I had a second son! That’s a big one. I am going through a rebrand with a designer and will soon have a new website! Highly recommend. I’ve completed masterclasses and business coaching! I have new offers I provide. I have my branding pretty down pat. My brand photos needed to represent the Jenna I am today. Not the Jenna of 4 years ago.
So I called up my best friend. I booked a studio. I created my own mood board. I answered my own Personal Brand Questionnaire. I narrowed down a shot list and the stories I wanted to capture. I bought 3 new outfits. I told my husband to take the children to do something fun so I could actually get ready with two hands. I did my hair and makeup again because this was too last minute to get it done professionally but I think I did ok. Then I grabbed an Olipop to spotlight in a few of my shots and off we went!
Now, again, this shoot was planned very last minute. I’m talking I booked the studio on a Tuesday and we shot that Saturday. They only had a one hour timeslot available so that’s what we did. We showed up about 5 minutes late…because we obviously needed to stop for coffee…so I was already nervous we wouldn’t get everything in time. Like somehow those 5 minutes would be the difference of me succeeding in life or not LOL
But when you work with a professional photographer, they know you’re on a schedule and how important a shoot is to you, they get right to work. Tara started setting up my lighting and background as I reapplied my eyelashes and gave my hair some extra volume. Then we got right to work! It was a whirlwind. If you’ve ever had a brand shoot with me, you probably know that my Signature Brand Experience is 2.5 hours. There are many reasons for this that I’m not going to go into in this blog post. But let me just tell you that a one hour session when you’re trying to get in 3 outfits and tell multiple brand stories is NOT FOR THE WEAK! It was a whirlwind and a bit of a blur but we did it! And let me tell you how much I LOVE MY PHOTOS!!!
However the main thing I need to share with you is how AMAZING I felt the rest of that day. I was on a high. I could’ve walked into Olipop headquarters that day and told them I’m shooting their next campaign and not have taken no for an answer. My confidence was through the roof. I was a better mother that day. I was a more loving wife. Calories did not effect my body that day. My dog actually loved me. (He’s a grumpy old man who lets me exist in his world on a normal day). I FELT AMAZING.
I felt like a WOMAN. There is no other way to describe it. Tara told me constantly during our shoot how amazing I looked. How I was BRINGING it! And I believed her, she’s my best friend, why would she lie :) I felt confident and strong and unstoppable. Similar to how I felt after I gave birth. I CAN DO ANYTHING! I just created life and birthed a human being. TRY to tell me there’s something I can’t do and I’ll prove you wrong before you even finish the sentence.
THIS is what I hope you feel after a Brand Session with me. I want you to be so confident in yourself you may come off a tad delusional. I want you to feel your power. Know that you can do anything. Understand that what you have to say is important. Not care about the competition because when you have a strong personal brand THERE IS NO COMPETITION!
And I want you to tap into those feelings long after your photoshoot. When you look at your photos you automatically feel those feels again. I AM A WOMAN. I CAN DO ANYTHING.
