Headshots and branding photos that actually get used

Most professional headshots are taken once, used on LinkedIn for six years, and quietly dreaded by the person in them. A personal branding session is a different thing: a small set of portraits made for the places you actually appear, in a style that still looks like you when you turn up to the meeting.

Start with where the photos will live

A LinkedIn profile needs a tight, square crop with your face filling most of it. A website "About" page wants space around you, often horizontal, so text can sit beside the portrait. A conference bio wants something formal. A podcast cover wants something with energy. Bring the list of places to Stef before the session, and the session is planned so each one gets a frame that fits, rather than one photo being stretched across all of them.

What to wear

Wear what you would wear to meet your most important client, one notch up. Solid mid-tones photograph better than white or black on their own, and a single layer, a jacket, a cardigan, a structured shirt, adds shape. Avoid busy patterns and anything that needs constant adjusting. Bring a second top: a small change is enough to make one session look like two shoots, which matters when you want variety across platforms. The portrait wardrobe guide covers fabrics and colours in more detail.

Backgrounds that say something

A plain studio background is clean and timeless, and the Centurion studio has neutral and dark options. But the strongest branding portraits are often made in an environment that hints at what you do: a workshop, a consulting room, a bookshelf, a city street, a garden. Two or three backgrounds in one session, some studio and some environmental, give you a set that works everywhere.

Expression is directed, not left to chance

Nobody knows what to do with their face in front of a camera, and nobody should have to. Stef directs every frame: where to look, what to think about, when to relax the jaw. Most sessions produce three expressions worth keeping: the open, confident smile; the calm, closed-mouth "I know what I am doing"; and something looser, mid-laugh, that reads as approachable. Ask for all three.

How many images do you need?

Fewer than you think, and more than one. A Mini Session gives fifteen edited images from one look, which is plenty for a single profile. A Standard Session gives two looks and thirty images, which covers a website, social profiles and a bio with room to rotate them through the year. Teams can be booked back to back on the same day with a consistent background, so every profile in the company matches.

Retouching, honestly

Every image is retouched for skin tone, stray hairs, blemishes that will be gone next week, and lint. Nothing is reshaped. A branding portrait that does not look like you defeats its own purpose, and the people who meet you afterwards notice.

After the session

Your gallery arrives within roughly two weeks in full resolution, plus web-sized versions ready to upload. Save the originals somewhere safe: the same set will be asked for by conference organisers, publishers and journalists for years.