Your website is your home base for your marketing, especially as a small business. It’s where your dream clients go to find out more about you and your services, see if you’re legit, and decide if you’re the right fit. One of the best ways to build trust right away? Photos that actually look and feel like you. Let’s dive into why on-brand images are a must for your website.
Establish Your Brand Identity
Your brand photos should show the heart of your business—who you are, what you stand for, and why it matters. But before you step in front of the camera, you need to get crystal clear on your brand.
P.S. Not totally clear on your brand yet? No worries—I wrote a whole blog post on the five things you should know about your brand before booking your session. It’s a great place to start if you need a little clarity.
Build Trust With Your Audience
Having consistent, branded photos across your website tells your dream customer that you are a real person and that you’re a professional. Authentic images boost trust. The more people see pictures of you on your website, the more they’ll feel that they know you, like you, and can trust you.
On-brand photos of you also help your dream customers visualize working with you. Your customers can also imagine what it feels like to walk into your office or enter your clinic before they ever book an appointment. Having a variety of branded images to use on your website helps you create a seamless experience across your site.
“I recently updated and simplified my website with photos from our brand photography session. Right away, the response has been incredible! Existing clients have told me that the photography perfectly captures the vibe of our clinic and the images have already helped me turn website traffic into clients.”
— Sean
Brand photos can have an immediate ROI, just like Sean experienced!
Create a Consistent Aesthetic
Your website should have a consistent aesthetic that works with your brand colours and brand photography. Mixing styles, such as bright and dark or warm and cool, confuses the eye and interrupts the flow of your site. Sticking to one style helps your website look professional and more established.
A seasoned brand photographer will plan to take a series of images to tell your brand story and showcase your talent. They’ll help you plan ahead of time to use the same colour bases and tones in all your images. In the end, you’ll have a collection of branded photos that work together. On-brand photos, clear navigation, engaging copy, and an organized layout make for high-performing websites.
Where to Use On-Brand for Your Website Branding
With so many places on your website to use branded photos, it might be hard to list all the types of photos you’ll need during a photoshoot. That’s where a professional brand photographer steps in. I can help plan the photo list for the session to ensure you get enough horizontal images, vertical images, professional poses, candid photos, action imagery, and stock photos so all your website needs are covered. You can start thinking about what you’ll need to prepare for your brand photography session by clicking here and downloading my photoshoot prep checklist.
Hero Image on Your Homepage
The very first thing you want your customers to see is a clear representation of your brand. Often, this means a picture of you! Having a strong hero image at the top of the page—ideally, one with you making eye contact with your customer—helps draw in a connection.
This image can tell a story using your pose, props, and an on-brand background. When you pair it with your tagline, this section can resonate with your dream customer more than words alone can.
Tell Your Brand Story
Tell your personal and brand story in your About section to accompany the words of your bio and company history. Knowing your brand in detail before your photoshoot makes capturing these images easier.
Highlight Your Services
Using brand photography on your service pages helps show your customer how your process works and what to expect when they hire you. When planning your brand photography session, you can request that your photographer captures your services in action.
About Page
Using your branded photos and headshots of you and your team on your About page will help build trust. Generic stock photos can do the opposite and actually erode trust instead. Your dream client wants to see you so they can get to know you. If you skip photos altogether or use photos of other people, your customers won’t feel a connection to you.
Prepare For Your Next Photoshoot
A brand photoshoot puts the focus on you, your knowledge, and your skills, which can be nerve-racking for some people. If you’re feeling nervous about getting in front of the camera, I have a few tips and resources to help you relax and feel more confident about your photo session.
One way to feel more confident as your brand photography session approaches is to prepare. You can click here to download my photoshoot prep checklist and ensure you have everything you’ll need on the day. I also share a list of my favourite positive affirmations with my clients to help them boost their self-confidence on the photoshoot day. You can access those affirmations by clicking here.
Book Your Session with a Brand Photographer in Calgary
As a professional brand photographer, I can help you tell your brand story and capture the images you need to create a credible website that inspires trust with your dream clients. If you want to learn more about brand photography in Calgary or brand portraits in Calgary, book a free consultation call with me.
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