„Climb from the depths of your soul
to the heights of your future.“
Terri Guillements

How hiring a professional photographer can improve your social media game.

Wow, that’s a long first headline but it sums up everything this article will be about. But before I jump right in, let me just explain how I ended up writing this blog post and why it is important to me. Let’s dive into the topic of #womenempoweringwomen and #communityovercompetition and what it means to be a Personal Branding photographer in a still very un-feministic world. Let me explain how professional images can help you to rise to the heights of your future.

An unexpected insight.

Before I explain in more detail what a good professional Personal Branding photographer can do for you let me share this story with you about a client I met a week ago. Some time ago I was at a meetup from Kontist, this amazing place where you can share your workspace with other freelancers and also get some good business advice. Just check out their page.

So there I met with a bunch of people and held a presentation on Personal Branding photography. Fast forward to last week when I met with a woman that approached me after the Meetup and asked for Personal Branding images. As I already wrote in several other blog posts I usually meet up with people before I take their pictures. On the one hand it gives me the chance to see if the possible client and I are a good match and on the other hand, it gives me the chance to ask an awful lot of questions.

Especially the second part is super important for me and I will write more about that later on. But at this meeting with a potential client, it began to dawn on me that especially for women a professional Personal Branding Photographer is more than just a mere photographer. A Personal Branding photographer is also a consultant on what your Personal Brand really is. A trailblazer to make you more aware and give you a better understanding of your brand. And that was the conclusion of my client. She said to me „Don’t market yourself as a photographer. You are doing more than just taking pictures.“

#Womenempoweringwomen

You might have noticed in the past few weeks that I have shifted my hashtags on Instagram for my Personal Branding channel towards a stronger orientation to a female audience. The talk with my client last week strengthened my choice to focus more on the women empowering women-audience.

We had a very long talk about how and why it is so difficult for us women to find the perfect personal brand. And came to the conclusion that even nowadays with so many tools at hand to express ourselves they are of no use if females don’t be encouraged to get an understanding of what the are. Besides being kind and gentle and being considerate and putting everyone’s need ahead of our own needs. Because even today, society teaches us this lesson: Take yourself back and don’t let your light shine.

That’s why I chose Terri Guillements quote. Everyone has depths in his or her soul that can lead to heights in the future. And here comes into play what distinguishes a classic Social Media photographer from Personal Branding photographer. Especially one that focuses on the empowerment of women.

A different kind of song.

Being a Personal Branding photographer means listening – like really listening and not just looking for stereotypes – to what you as a client want to present and really trying to figure out who you are. At times that can be difficult because having a clear understanding of what a person is – that is a difficult task. A Personal Branding photographer does not just make amazing pictures for you. He or she has also the power to provide you with a means to have a voice. To present yourself in a way you want to be seen.

When I started my Personal Branding division next to my wedding endeavors I was thinking that it was just a way to help people present themselves on Social Media. After working with different clients – who have all been female so far – and talking with them about their struggles and what they want to present I realized: Personal Branding is more. Personal Branding done right can actually give women a visual voice and help them grow their businesses. Because it can help you to articulate what it is that makes you an amazing businesswoman. It can help you articulate why no one should listen to the simple bullshitting and over-promising of the man next to you. But rather listen to you because you are just as capable and qualified as everyone else around you. But you need to get your message 1.  straight and 2. then out. Mic drop.