You’ve had this feeling for a while.

This nagging, annoying feeling that it’s time to do it.

You know you gotta, but you haaaaaate it. Ugh. It’s the worst!

But you can’t ignore it anymore.

That’s right: it’s time to take some photos of yourself as a beauty business owner to share with your audience.

Here’s what I bet you’re about to do:

Grab phone
Snap fifty selfies
Feel awkward and hate almost all of them
Pick the least awkward-looking one, put a few filters on it, and then post it.
Never look at or use this photo again.

Am I pretty close?

Hey - it’s okay. That’s like, the go-to move for a lot of people.

As a self-care specialist, you spend your whole career making others feel special and beautiful, but when it comes time to extend the same care to yourself, it feels unnatural, awkward, and you’re frankly kinda freaked out about doing it.

The thing is, your trajectory as a beauty business owner depends on you showing up and being seen. You need to show your beautiful face and personality so that your ideal client knows who you are and why they should support you.

And there’s a muuuuuch better way to do it than sharing selfies that you obligingly sling up on your socials real quick before you second-guess yourself. No “felt cute, might delete later” about it!

You need to get some personal branding photos done. They're a total game-changer.

Today we’re digging into why booking a professional photoshoot for yourself is such a big move for your business. Whether you’re an esthetician, hairstylist, sunless tanning expert, or a nail tech, getting personal branding photos done is the right move for you. I’m gonna tell you why, and how to get it done.

Personal Branding Photos: why do I need them?

You’re marketing yourself and your business every day, whether you’re trying to or not. Every interaction you have with potential clients, every time you walk into your treatment room or rented booth, and every post you make on your socials is making a statement about you as a beauty business owner.

You know this, and that’s why you bring your A+ game to every facial, haircut and color, or eyelash extension you do. It's why you try to connect on a personal, caring level with your clients and strangers alike.

But what are your photos saying about you?

Don’t get me wrong - sharing selfies on your socials can be great once and a while. Shooting candid moments of you without your makeup on, working hard and making moves, is a nice way to connect on an intimate level with your audience, of course.

But having a professional photographer capture your beauty confidently states, “I’m a serious beauty business owner."

These photos can be used for all sorts of marketing: on your website, your Instagram and Facebook pages, and in brochures or for speaking engagements. A personal branding shoot solidifies your brand for the world and makes people pay attention and seek to know more about you.

Step #1: Plan out your shoot ahead of time (and use Pinterest!)

Okay you got me...I’m a planner. I love to plan. And planning a photoshoot is just straight up fun as all heck! Pinterest is perfect for doing this.

Search Pinterest for “personal brand photos” or more specifically, “esthetician branding photos”, “salon owner photoshoot” etc. Browse and be inspired! This will give you a bunch of great ideas for your own shoot.

While you’re browsing, take note of specific poses you like the look of. For a lot of folks, when you’re in front of the camera you suddenly forget how your limbs work, and feel like the most awkward pile of goo once the shooting starts. Doing this planning and studying ahead will make you feel more confident (but don’t worry if you forget some - your photographer will have the know-how to turn your jelly limbs back into natural poses.)

Save as many ideas as you like on your Pinterest board, especially poses that you want to use during your shoot.This is for you, and for your photographer (who will love that you’ve come prepared and armed with inspiration!)

Step #2: Find a photographer that shares your visions and makes you feel great (hint: check with your network!)

There are a ton of photographers out there. It can feel like a lot to try to sift through all of the options available. So my biggest tip for finding a good one is to start with your own network.

First of all, a photographer in your network is more likely to have the experience you want (aka knowing what a good salon owner photoshoot looks like), so there’s less of a struggle to get your vision aligned with theirs. Second, a referred photographer comes with the five-star promise of someone you trust, so you can feel comfortable in your decision.

If your network doesn’t have any good photographers to refer to, search out someone who shoots for the beauty industry, or does personal branding shoots regularly. These photographers have the type of experience that will help bring your vision to life.

Use Instagram to conduct your search, as that’s where the photographers hang out and market themselves. Use a local hashtag like #dallasphotographer or #sanpueblophotog to find the best ones in your city. Scroll through the results and save a list of your faves.

Finally, if you’re still not finding what you’re looking for, search Google until you find some promising photographers. Use your local search terms, check websites, and compile a list of good options. Don’t settle for just one right away, because this photoshoot should be a really good one that results in pictures you can use for years. Choosing the right photographer is crucial!

Step #3: Contact your list of photographers and get more information

Start going through the list of photographers you’ve collected and have conversations about what you need! You should have a good idea at this point about what you’ve got in mind. Plan for the shoot to be between 1-2 hours. Let them know what you want to use the photos for, as this will be added to your agreement and affect the price of the shoot. Be sure to tell them the approximate date you have in mind for the shoot.

As the photographers you speak to may give you an estimated quote on the phone, I’ll give you a heads up: you’re probably looking at spending between $400-800 for the shoot, depending on editing time and the experience of the photographer. It's not cheap, but it’s worth the investment.

Sometimes you’ll get lucky and be able to do a trade with your chosen photographer for a gift card to your salon or booth, or to do their hair, makeup, nails or brows plus a cash deposit. There’s no harm in asking if they're interested in this type of deal!

Once you’ve found the right photographer for you, and signed an agreement and sent a deposit (if that’s in their contract), it’s on to the planning!

Step #4: Firming up all the details for the day of the shoot

It’s time to decide the location for your shoot. Of course, the best option for your shoot will be at your beauty business - your salon, rented booth, or home beauty studio. But if that’s not an option for you, or you’d like a location that allows the focus to be about you and your glam headshots, you can rent a coworking space or an AirBNB that you like the look of. I've done this before and it makes for some really cool, unique shots.

Do a thorough spot check of your chosen location before the shoot! You don’t want the photographer to have to waste precious time asking you to dust or pick up garbage. If you’re doing a business shoot at your salon including clients, be sure to plan it ahead of time and get them ready for it.

Remember the Pinterest board you created earlier? This is a great time to send that over to your photographer. Let them know specifically which shots, poses, and vibes you like the most from the pinned photos so that your photographer can plan out the shoot on their side.

Step #5: Choose your outfits and makeup for the big shoot

Here’s a little photoshoot pro-tip for you: choose multiple outfits, and change into each throughout the shoot. This gives the appearance of “new day, new outfit” photos that can be used for different occasions - all taken on the same day.

If you’re doing a styled beauty business shoot, one of the outfits you wear should be what you would wear at your salon: scrubs, apron, your uniform, gloves and mask etc. And for a second and third outfit, choose something bright and cheery! Colors speak loads about your personality and make photos pop.

Ensure that all your chosen outfits are clean and wrinkle-free. Dirt and wrinkles are extra work for your photographer to edit out...so make their job easier and show up looking clean, professional, and ready for your close-up.

It’s okay to wear more makeup than you’re used to for photoshoots - it will make your features stand out beautifully in the photos. Layer it on, but take your time! Try a few different looks until you find something that makes you feel beautiful and glowy.

Step #6: It’s Photoshoot Day! Bring the energy, bring the fun, bring your smile - and definitely bring your laptop

Photoshoots can be a ton of fun, but if you’re feeling nervous, it’s a great idea to bring something to play music on to keep your energy up. Dance, laugh, have fun!

Smile as much and as often as you can in the photos. Let your natural fun bubbly self come out and play. Don’t be afraid of looking too happy or excited - it’s better to give your all than to look unenthused and low energy.

You should bring your laptop or tablet with you so that you can reference your Pinterest photoshoot board during the shoot. You can guide your photographer to the types of shots you want to be sure to get, and they’ll have some great ideas to add to yours.

Here are some of the types of shots I recommend:

Headshots and styled poses of just you
You performing a service for a client - a facial, a haircut + color, etc
You doing prepwork in your salon - mixing up color, setting up for a skin treatment or a brow lamination, etc
You + your retail products - these may come in handy for promos in the future
Relaxing and sitting down or working at a desk
Laughing or dancing or just having fun
You + your beauty business - a shot of you standing in your salon, welcoming clients in etc

If you're in need of some more inspiration for your shoot, click here to download my Personal Branding Photo Kit freebie. It's chock full of tips, tricks, poses and design ideas to get you pumped up and prepared for your shoot.

Step #7: Choose your favorite photos for your photographer to edit

Within a week of your shoot, you’ll typically receive a link to all of the photos from your shoot. Your photographer will ask you to pick your favorites. The amount you can pick will have been decided in your signed agreement.

It’s good to pick a wide variety of poses, looks, and vibes so that you can use these photos for different purposes over a long period of time.

You’ll send your chosen photos back to your photographer, and they’ll begin editing them based on your personal preferences. You can guide their editing efforts by letting them know what kind of mood you're going for: light and airy, fun and funky, mysterious and wistful etc.

And that’s it! Within a short period of time, you'll have gotten back your beautiful, professional-looking personal branding photos to use for marketing.

Here’s how you should use your beautiful new personal branding photos

Your first instinct will be to want to post all of your photos at once. I get it. They’re beautiful, you’re proud, you wanna show the world what you’ve got.

Hold off on that.

Instead, try to space out your use of your photos. Over time, you can share your photos on your socials and on your website as you tell stories, share news about your business, or just feel like it’s been a while since you put yourself out there.

As well, use your photos to update your About Me picture on your website, your Google My Business profile, and anywhere else you have a profile picture or bio.

Keep them in a secure folder on your computer for future collaborations, speaking engagements, conferences or other opportunities. I’m telling ya - investing in a personal branding photoshoot pays out huge when it comes to marketing yourself!

So, remember - selfies are okay sparingly, but nothing compares to the professionalism of personal branding photos. Get out there and find a photographer and share your beauty with the world!

Xo,

Stephanie