How to Craft Connection with Personal Branding Photography

by Britney Gardner

Despite owning my own business for well over a decade, until the last couple years came creeping up I was completely unaware of the online business world. I existed in a little niche in which things like opt-ins, webinars and the smattering of network events didn’t exist. And then I switched my business focus and – WHOA – holy cheeseballs was that a barrage!

Once I acclimated to my new environment (why yes, that does sound super-scientificy) and had a few moments to breathe it all in, I noticed an alarming trend. You see, I’m a get-things-done kind of girl. For me it usually goes like this:

• See a need or opportunity.
• Figure out my plan of attack.
• Execute.

You’ll note, no where in there do I meditate on it. I’ve never manifested my needs. I just find a way to accomplish what I want.

So it’s with great trepidation that I declare:

It all comes down to connection.

I’ve been a photographer for a while. I can take a carefully exposed, properly framed photograph full of lovely content. And it will fail. Fall short. I can take a technically perfect photo, but if the energy isn’t there, the connection isn’t there. And it will invoke absolutely nothing in the realm of feeling.

Ohhhh, feeling. That teeters dangerously close to the manifesting buzzwords I hear all over the online coaching world. And yet, it’s what I’m always after. As it turns out, I’m a bit more earth-centered than I originally thought. Maybe all this manifesting stuff works?

Let’s break it down:

1. A photographer will take a pretty picture of you that hits all those marks – properly exposed and framed.
2. A good personal branding photographer will take a pretty picture of you in the environment of your clients.
3. A great branding photographer will do all of that and also create a sense of connection, a silent tether from the screen to that potential client. A connection that pulls them in. A telephone line that whispers, “I want that. I want into that person’s tribe. They are the answer.”

This is the most important thing you need in your photography AND in your business. This is what sets you apart from the 237 other “experts” in your field.

Have you ever seen someone that appears to be doing everything right? They’ve bought all the right courses, hired the right guides, and done all the steps in order. And yet, they’re still failing? This is why.

It’s intangible. It’s the indescribable “it” that so many are missing in their visual brand. It’s the secret sauce.

If you find a photographer who creates photographs that make you feel something, hire them immediately. I promise you’ll add it to the list of best decisions ever. You may even- eek!-  find yourself manifesting to make it happen.

One of my recent clients sort of fell into my lap after scheduling snafu with her previous photographer. It was meant to be (there I go again, buzzwords!) as she was the perfect client for me. She fell right into my “ideal client” mold. At the end of our time together, she told me that it was great working with me. This was a new avenue of business for her and because of that, she’s finding it hard to spend the money. But she knew the right photographer mattered because in her previous business, she never really made headway until she invested in quality photography.

Was it the photos that launched her? Or was it the act of investing in herself? Of opening herself to being vulnerable and showing the real her to the world wide web? Letting the viewer feel something requires you to also open up enough to give them something to feel. Personal branding needs to be… well, personal!

Is your personal branding at the level you’d like? I encourage you to ask a few honest questions of yourself. I’m happy to talk you through it with a no-obligation brand strategy session.