Headshots vs. Personal Branding Photography: What’s the Difference?

If you've ever been told you need a new headshot and immediately thought, okay… but what exactly am I supposed to do with my hands? You're not alone.

When comparing headshots vs. personal branding photography, the biggest difference is how much of your professional story the images are designed to tell.

The easiest way I explain it: a headshot shows people what you look like. Personal branding photography gives them a sense of who you are.

Depending on where and how you're showing up professionally, you may need one, the other, or a little of both.

What Is a Professional Headshot?

A professional headshot is exactly what it sounds like: a polished, intentional portrait where you are the focus.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Think LinkedIn, your company website, an executive bio, a speaking engagement, a press release, or a professional profile. But professional doesn't have to mean stiff.

Some of my favorite professional headshots are incredibly simple. Great natural light, a clean environment, flattering posing, and an expression that actually looks like the person standing in front of my camera.

I want someone looking at your photograph to feel like they could recognize you when you walk into the room.

Depending on your profession and personality, your headshot might be polished and executive, warm and approachable, creative and relaxed, or somewhere in between. The important part is that it feels like you.

What Is Personal Branding Photography?

This is where we start telling more of your story.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Personal branding photography goes beyond one great photograph of your face. We're creating a collection of images that can represent you across your website, social media, marketing, speaking engagements, articles, press, and anywhere else you're showing up professionally.

That might include traditional headshots, but it can also include environmental portraits, different outfits, details, movement, and photographs of you actually

doing what you do.

For an executive, that could mean portraits in an office environment, walking through the city, working at a table, or speaking with someone.

For an entrepreneur or creative, we might incorporate the spaces, tools, and details that are part of their work.

The goal isn't to manufacture a "brand." It's to photograph enough of you that you have images capable of telling different parts of your story.

Which One Do You Need?

If you primarily need a new photograph for LinkedIn, a company bio, or another professional profile, a headshot session may be exactly what you need.

If you're building or refreshing a website, becoming more visible in your industry, speaking, creating content, launching a business, or simply realizing that the same photograph from four years ago is doing a tremendous amount of heavy lifting, it's probably time to consider personal branding photography.

And sometimes the answer is both.

We can create the polished headshot you need professionally, then loosen things up and build a larger collection of images that shows more personality.

You Don't Have to Know How to Pose

This deserves its own section because I hear it constantly: "I'm terrible in front of the camera."

Good. Seriously. You don't need to arrive knowing what to do. That's my job.

I've spent years photographing people, and one of the biggest parts of what I do has nothing to do with camera settings. It's reading the person in front of me, finding their best angles, paying attention to body language, and helping them relax enough that I can photograph the person everyone else gets to see.

I'll tell you where to stand, where to look, what to do with your hands, and when something isn't working.

You just have to show up.

Your Professional Photos Should Still Look Like You

Trends change. Platforms change. Careers change. But I've always believed a good portrait should feel genuine.

I love beautiful natural light. I love movement. I love expressions that don't feel forced.

Whether I'm photographing a high school senior, an executive, a business owner, or creating imagery for a company, I'm ultimately looking for the same thing: authenticity.

Your professional photographs don't need to make you look like someone else. They should look like the best, most confident version of the person who's already there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to know how to pose for my headshot session? No. Guiding your posing, expression, and body language is part of the session. You just have to show up.

How is personal branding photography different from a headshot? A headshot is a polished portrait focused on you. Personal branding photography is a broader collection of images, including environmental portraits and work-in-action photographs, that tells a fuller story of who you are professionally.

Can I get both a headshot and a personal branding collection in one session? Yes. Many sessions start with a polished headshot and then move into a more relaxed personal branding collection.

Who is a personal branding session for? Personal branding sessions are ideal for executives, entrepreneurs, business owners, creatives, and professionals who need updated imagery for their website, social media, marketing, speaking engagements, or press.

Do you photograph corporate headshots and teams? Yes. Corporate headshots can be created for individuals or teams and tailored to fit the look and feel of your company while still allowing each person to look natural and approachable.

Headshots + Personal Branding Photography

I photograph professional and corporate headshots and personal branding sessions for executives, entrepreneurs, business owners, creatives, and professionals who need imagery that feels polished without feeling overly corporate.

Sessions can be as simple as updating your professional headshot or designed to create a complete library of images for your website, social media, marketing, press, speaking engagements, and professional use.

Because sometimes you just need one really great photograph.

And sometimes you're ready to tell a little more of the story.