How can your images speak for YOU?
You’re a life coach and you need photos of yourself for your website but you’re not sure how to convey the look through a photoshoot. You want to show who you are but not necessarily hugging a mug of coffee. You want to express your work through photos but not an aerial shot of you with a laptop, notepad and a small cactus pot. You want a smiley, approachable photo of yourself but without having to throw confetti (honestly, I don’t know why that’s a thing).
So how are you supposed to let your images speak for you? The problem life coaches face when considering professional photography seems to be a niche bank of photos when googling Personal Branding Photography for Life Coaches – the three examples above are what come up on your first search so you already feel boxed in when it comes to personal expression. But it still doesn’t answer your question of: What type of photos CAN I have on my website and socials that will let people know I’m a Life Coach?
It’s not just you that wants the answer to that, as a photographer I’m always looking for ways to tailor each client’s shoot to show who THEY are and what THEY’RE like without doing those ubiquitous cookie cutter shots. Over time, I’ve found the answer to be quite simple: As a Life Coach, YOU are your brand therefore YOU are the hero in your photos. Therefore, no two shoots are the same. Not every Life Coach drinks out of a mug, likes a cactus pot and wants to throw confetti (yes, I’m still confused by that as well).
But Lynn, HOW can we show what we do by just being ourselves? Yes, I can see that it’s still not clear how by showing a photo of yourself people will automatically understand what service you are providing so let’s go deeper.
When a company wants to introduce its products to the world, they photograph the products and have a description of what it does and how it can change your life for the better, right? The only difference is that YOU are the ‘product’ and the more potential clients see who YOU are through flattering imagery, the more they get to know you and trust you to help them change their life for the better.
The key here is to be totally transparent and comfortable being you. That means wearing your favourite outfits, sitting in your favourite chair, if you laugh a lot, then laugh in your photos! If you have a more serious vibe, then that's what you want clients to see. You want your images to attract like minded clients and the best way to do that is to really be yourself.
TIPS: Wear clothing that makes you feel great! Find a location that you love and resonates with you and have your photos done there and leave the confetti in the bottle.
