5 Types of Photos & Portraits You Need NOW to Advertise Effectively

Photographs play a huge role in your visual identity.

You might feel stuck about what imagery to create. Luckily, your world is full of interesting visuals that you can share. The right visuals help your audience get to KNOW, LIKE, and TRUST you. Following are 5 categories of photos and portraits you need to advertise effectively.

1. Portraits

Because your audience wants to get to know you, smiling-to-camera portraits are a critical part of your marketing strategy. Doing business, especially in a tight community (let alone a digital world) revolves so deeply around trust. Seeing you, getting to know you, and finding common points of interest and similar values is key to building a brand that people want to follow.

Below are a few examples of creative commercial portraiture, followed by staff headshots.

Staff Headshots for a team of criminal law attorneys.
Staff Headshots for a furniture and interior design team.

2. Candid Moments

Candid moments help to shed light on your story. Showcase aspects of both your business and personal life. AND, these don’t always have to be TRUE “candid” shots. You can stage these moments to make sure you put your best foot forward. I call this Personal Branding Photography.

Carroll Community College Marketing Photo Portfolio | Westminster, Maryland
Students participating in theatre class at a local college.
Personal Branding Photography by photographer Kelly Heck - Product Campaign with Moddern Marketing for CHARGEL
Product campaign for energy drink of athletic customer.

A well planned staging (with photos as the goal) allows you to build up a portfolio of imagery. These photographs can be used throughout your marketing over weeks, months, even years of advertising!

An easy candid moment for most professionals to stage is a normal day in the office… at your desk, computer, or laptop. Anyone with a business or following spends copious amounts of time working on the backend of their organization. Supporting materials (computer/laptop, desk, work-space, mug/drink, notepad, pen, etc.) are readily available items in most offices and home-offices.

3. Detail Shots

Your audience loves details just as much as the big picture. When you are taking photographs of products or the end-product of a service, to take some up-close shots as well.

My friend Carolyn Edlund of ArtsyShark explains DETAIL SHOTS best, from the perspective of fine artists. At the end of they day, details offer your audience a deeper experience from afar.

4. Product / Styled Photos

You likely have the same end goal every other biz owner has – to sell. And you are selling either a physical product or a non-physical product. Feature what you have to offer.

Physical products are easy – create photos that show the product in use, being enjoyed, and that highlight the product features. (See samples of my product photography here.)

Moddern Marketing Test Market Campaign for CHARGEL ENERGY Drinkable Gel | Product Shots by Kelly Heck Photography
Product testing for international energy drink manufacturer.

If your product is non-physical, get creative! Are you a speaker? Stage a presentation! Are you a health and fitness coach? Stage a workout or the makings of a healthy meal.  Are you a chef? Cook or bake, and serve!

Carroll Community College Marketing Photo Portfolio | Westminster, Maryland
Students studying at Carroll Community College.
Evenlyn Faith Haines - Francis Scott Key High School Internship Program | Kelly Heck Photography Internship Opportunities
An entrepreneur taking notes in her planner.

5. Behind-The-Scenes

Behind-the-Scenes shots are typically true candid shots. These are moments showing you in your element. For me, these photos would show myself (or in the below examples, Adam), holding a camera, working with a subject. Besides taking photographs or video footage, both Adam and I are constantly helping a client pose, repositioning a prop (or physical product), adjusting lighting, and contorting to getting the perfect shot.

Getting people to KNOW, LIKE, and TRUST you… I seriously can’t put it any better than Julie Andrews singing “Getting To Know You”…

Portraits, Candid Moments, Detail Shots, Product Shots, and Behind-The-Scenes are 5 types of photographs that can be used over and over again all throughout your marketing to tell your story more effectively. Use your photographs all over your website, email marketing, print advertising, and social media to visualize your story and the experience your audience should expect.

BONUS:

As we build your custom photo library together, you will have plenty of options ready to submit when opportunity comes knocking:

A photo library prepares professionals like YOU for interview and speaking invitations at the drop of a hat. With portraits ready to submit to a newspaper, magazine, podcast, and other opportunities, you can instantly answer YES to all opportunities. No muss, no fuss!


Ready to start discussing a photo session?
Contact me for a free video or phone call consultation:

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5 Types of Photos & Portraits You Need NOW to Advertise Effectively with Kelly Heck Photography