Headshots versus Branding Portraits

What is the difference between a headshot session and a branding session?

This is a question we get a lot here at the studio. Both represent your brand, but one session offers a lot more than the other.

HEADSHOTS


With a headshot, it's basically an identification image — a glorified driver's license photo ... with a lot more style and you can actually smile.

Headshot images can be used on your business cards, email signature, "About Us" pages on website, social media profile images, Zoom, Teams, Hangout profiles, etc.

These session are aimed at one thing, getting solid head and shoulder images to fit into those specific uses.

When hiring a headshot professional, the two most important things you're looking for is the style they provide (lighting, backdrops, posing, etc.) and the experience you've heard from others who've worked with a specific photographer. If you like the style and want the same type of experience, you know you're on the right track.

Depending on the studio, sessions can range in time from 15 minutes up to two hours.

In our studio, we aim for that "In-N-Out" approach with a session that last up to 30-minutes. We'll chat a bit about your needs and the look and feel when we book your session. Then the day of your session, we'll review what your wanting to showcase in the image, discuss how the session will go down, and then get to work. Everything we shoot in studio is done tethered to a computer, meaning you get to see the images as soon as they're captured to ensure we're getting images you know you'll love.

Our average headshot clients select five final images, but it can range between one or like a recent client who selected 15 from one 30-minute session.

BRANDING SESSIONS

For professionals that require a lot of images to help highlight themselves and their brand, branding sessions are a perfect fit.

These sessions allow up to three hours of photography. That's a lot for one person. But there's a reason for the lengthy session — variety.

Headshots are always part of a branding session. But then we go beyond the headshot.

During the consultation, we'll talk about:

  • Different clothing options
  • Poses
  • Lighting design
  • In office/work place options
  • Activities
  • Detail images of products and/or service
  • Any other image needs for your website, social media marketing, advertising, trade shows, etc.

The consultation is a complete brand survey and identification to ensure we're getting images that have a life beyond the first-time use. You want to have images that you can use for one to two years for all your business marketing needs.

If you have a website that focuses on you, or even your entire team, you'll need images that identify each team member (aka headshots), showcase them in the environments that connect with clients or audiences, and highlight the services they provide.

Once the branding session is completed, we'll pull up all the images on a projector screen and narrow down to just the images you feel is needed for all your marketing and branding purposes.

QUICK RECAP

Headshot Session

  • 30-minute session
  • A simple, head-and-shoulders image
  • Typically need 10 or less images
  • One outfit
  • One lighting style
  • To schedule your headshot session CLICK HERE

Branding Session

  • Includes a brand strategy consultation
  • Up to three-hour photography session
  • Aimed at providing multiple images to use for all your marketing needs
  • Offers a variety of locations
  • Multiple outfits and poses
  • Tailored lighting design to match your brand
  • To schedule your branding consultation session CLICK HERE