For many years I mainly specialized in wedding photography but I have done a number of branding sessions in between that. Being a creative wedding photographer actually lends itself very well to branding photography as I am used to working with ordinary people as opposed to models which means I can direct people to look their best. My Fine Art background is also a handy asset as I am able to tell stories with images which is perfect for a client who wants a branding session that tells their unique story as opposed to those typical branding shots you see with businesswomen and coffee cups!
I haven’t shared many of these images but life in lockdown has given me some time to catch up on blogging.
Here’s a few shoots along with a short write up about each person so that you can understand my approach.
Click here if you would like to read about some tips for getting the most out of your branding session
Chanelle Segerius Bruce is an online coach who specializes in teaching people to teach online and build their brands online in general. Her brand is centered around enabling women to free up their time and earn money from their experience and skill and her overall branding has the element of barefoot luxury to it. Hence the tropical vibes. Chanelle has used these images on her website and also across social media platforms. If you are a personal brand it is vital that you have a number of images of you to share.
Amy Down from Mommy Mojo is an online health and wellness coach from Australia. We shot these images in Bali and wanted to create the idea of well being and mindfulness which Bali is known for. It became the perfect location to communicate these ideas.
Ard Matthews is an internationally acclaimed and well known South African Musician who became famous with the band Just Jinger. I have photographed Ard many times over the years and he has used these images for PR and marketing.
Lauren Pinnoy is a Yoga teacher who runs the Yoga Studio in Ballito South Africa. We wanted to create striking imagery that would really have her standing out on her social media. These have also appeared in magazines.
Deborah Goode is a businesswomen who developed Free-Sweet, a sweetener that can be used as a sugar replacement amongst many other entrepreneurial endeavours. Deborah has created a personal brand around her product and these images have been used on her website and in various magazines and other marketing materials
Frances Patterson is Obstetrician Gynaecologist. In these images we wanted to ensure that she looks extremely professional but also friendly, open and trustworthy. This collection of images have been used in her marketing material but also on presentations and papers.
Sharni Quinn is a yoga teacher, life coach, author and speaker. We photographed a collection of images around Bali, Indonesia that all speak of her brand which is about being the best version of yourself! She wanted a bright and airy feel about the photos to convey her message. She has used these images on her website, various training programs, online marketing and also in print media.
Dylan McGarry is an academic, an artist, a teacher, an eco warrior and illustrator. He wanted something unique for his portrait so we used contrasty lighting and props. The images we made have been used on this website and various campaigns and academic papers.
Bretton Jones is an NLP life coach. The brief was to make some images that were modern and fresh and showed him as a working professional who is friendly, reliable and trustworthy. These have been used on his website and across all marketing platforms.
Ben Vos and John Van Der Ruit are both actors, play writers and comedians. John is famous for his series of books called Spud. This branding shoot was done before their show Mamba Republic and we wanted to create an element of drama, fun and humour hence the use of the red velvet to allude to a stage curtain and more dramatic lighting. These images were used on everything from lamp-post posters, in the newspapers and on social media.
Cathy Layzell is an internally acclaimed Cape Town based abstract artist and painter. Artists often need images of themselves for PR, exhibition artist statements etc.
Guy Buttery is an internally acclaimed South African musician and I have photographed him many times over the years. These images have been used across social media and print PR – some of them even appeared in the Rolling Stone magazine.
Shane Smith and Shaun Bebbington own West Coast Distillers which is a craft gin distillery who also make bitters and other beverages in the Cape. They are anything but corporate hence a more relaxed and alternative approach when it came to choice of outfits etc. These images have been used for marketing purposes.
Prasheen Maharaj is an entrepreneur who’s official title is Chief Executive Officer at SanDock Austral. These images needed to appeal to a corporate audience but also show Prasheen’s role as CEO of a shipbuilding yard. They have been used extensively for PR and marketing purposes and have even appeared on the front page of a business magazine.
