“There’s a magnetism in an authentic moment, when we get to witness a person’s soul. ”

— Alyson

Who you are is important to me. Your personality. Your uniquenesses. Your sensitivities. There are countless details that make you, YOU. I want to help you bring those traits out to create portraits people connect to because they see who you are.

Have you ever looked at a picture of someone and said, "They look like someone I could be friends with?"

I have. Plenty of times.

There's a magnetism in an authentic moment, when we get to witness a person's soul.

That authenticity happens in a split second. Quite literally, a split second. There have been times where I've taken two photographs back to back - one right at the climax of the moment and the other right before or right after.

It never fails that the photograph where the timing is a split second off, you can see the minute details that don't fullfill the expression of that person's emotion.

I always seek out that spark, that single moment when every bit of you shines through. I love to see you be Seen, in every tiny detail.

Behind the scenes of two sequential headshots - only one second apart - from Lynn’s corporate headshot session. | Winston-Salem Headshot and Brand Photographer | Jasper & Fern

As a small business owner who wants to make the most polished and professional impression you can to establish a report with your potential customers, you know the importance of a consistent aesthetic that is recognizable and easily linked with your brand. You value consistency and brand recognition for your business whether you’re posting on social media, being featured in a publication, featuring a product or service in an advertisement or simply connecting one-on-one in person with your customers.

Keeping a consistent aesthetic to help your people connect with your brand is a detailed process. That’s why, when it comes to creating the most useful collection of brand photographs, we start with our 10 fundamental brand photographs that every small business needs and then build from there.

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1. Headshot

   Headshots are a great way to have an immediate, personal connection with the viewer. They can be used to introduce your team members on your website and social media platforms, letting your clients know who they are and their specialties.
   Headshots can also be a great option to have on hand to quickly send to a publication that may be writing a feature on a specific individual and their skills/contributions. Headshots are some of the most basic and versatile photographs you can use as a business owner.

Headshot created to capture the personal brand of Donna M, a local Publications Manager. | Winston-Salem Headshot and Brand Photographer | Jasper & Fern

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Staff portrait created during a headshot and branding session for local Winston-Salem small business Salem Law - including the very important office pet! | Winston-Salem Small Business Photographer | Jasper & Fern

2. Your Team

Portraits of your team and staff together are a great way to showcase the atmosphere of your company. The relationship between co-workers and between the company owner and their employees gives a customer valuable insight into how they may be treated and the general values of your company.

Some of our favorite ways to use these professional portraits are for your website About or Contact page, thank you cards and greeting cards, and for sharing news involving your whole team.

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Brand photograph for Pfafftown, NC small business, Riverside Farm and Garden, showcasing the friendly and informative atmosphere you can expect at their shop. | Winston-Salem Business and Brand Photogragraphy | Jasper & Fern

3. You and Your Team at Work

Another way to build a brand atmosphere for your potential clients is to showcase you and your team at work. A client can glean valuable insight like how important each project or client is to you or the attention that will be given to their need through witnessing your team work. These photographs give your Customer Care a chance to shine!

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Brand photograph for WO Designs, a Winston-Salem based Interior Design company, showcasing the layouts they create for clients when styling their spaces. | Winston-Salem Small Business and Brand Photographer | Jasper & Fern

4. Products & Services You Provide

Reinforcing your copy with attractive images depicting what you do can make you memorable to your potential clients. When they land on your website, advertisement or a social media post, they are receiving information about what you do visually as well as contextually. The more you can do to make yourself memorable the better - especially in a fast paced world that requires content to grab a person’s attention.

Use photographs like this to help tell the story of your process, give clarity on what you do and provide insight into your brand personality.

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5. Tools of Your Trade

Sometimes it can be difficult to explain to a potential client what it is you do - especially if your niche is so unique and unknown that everything you do is new information to your audience. Showcasing the tools you work with can help you stand out from your competition and be memorable. You can also use these types of brand photographs to provide you the opportunity to speak about a specific part of your process or share valuable educational information with your client.

Brand photograph created for Charlotte based doula, Mama Mpenzi Doula, showcasing her go-bag and essentials for meeting and caring for her expecting mothers at the hospital. | Winston-Salem Small Business and Brand Photographer | Jasper & Fern.

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Brand photograph created for Title Boxing in Clemmons, NC showcasing their boxing lessons. | Winston-Salem Small Business and Brand Photographer | Jasper & Fern

6. Working with Your Customer

When a customer can see what it looks like to work with you, that’s one more important step towards them paying for your services! Many people have apprehension about new experiences or services/products they are not familiar with. You can eliminate those fears by showing your customers not only what it looks like to work with you but also how it feels to work together.

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Brand photograph created for Cooper Counseling, a Mount Airy based counselor, showcasing an office atmosphere that attracts and helps their target client feel comfortable. | Winston-Salem Brand Photographer | Jasper & Fern

7. Your Brand Atmosphere & Location

A potential client can tell a lot about your business by how the atmosphere comes across. Just think about a dentist’s office that has dim lighting, grey carpets and white walls with a greenish hue and no magazines, friendly photographs or comfortable furniture to be seen. Would you feel relaxed walking into this office to have them poke around in your mouth with sharp tools? Likely not - unless your target audience is clinical people with nerves of steel, that is. That’s why you want your building, office or created space to appeal to your specific customer. (Don’t have an office or building but want to create a similar atmosphere? We have a skill for that! Just email us and let us know what you’re looking for.)

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Brand photograph for our own studio, Jasper & Fern, showcasing our work tools and notable personality items that capture the heart of our brand. | Winston-Salem Small Business and Brand Photographer | Jasper & Fern

8. Brand Details of What You Do & Your Brand Personality

Photographs that showcase your brand personality through details help round out a client’s impression of you and general experience with your brand. These photographs provide you an opportunity to share details, stories or experiences in a softer, more subtle way so that your audience doesn’t feel like you are constantly selling to them or promoting yourself.

Keeping a consistent aesthetic with your branded detail photographs gives a polished appeal to your business.

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9. Personality/Lifestyle Portrait

These days people don’t want to only see the traditional headshot when they are seeking out a business. They want to learn a brand’s story and invest in the personality and values behind a company. Having Personality/Lifestyle brand portraits is the perfect way to build this relationship - and there are a plethora of ways to do this!

Brand Portrait for small business Carla Day Consulting, a Winston-Salem based health inspector, showcasing the confident, firm and intense personality she has when she is advocating for a client. | Winston-Salem Branding Photographer | Jasper & Fern

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Brand photograph created for Yudy McGuinness Artistry, a Winston-Salem, NC small business, created as a hero image for advertisements and for a banner on her social media accounts. | Winston-Salem Business and Brand Photogragraphy | Jasper & Fern

10. The Hero Shot

Having a captivating photograph that brings all the elements of your business and brand - what you do, how you make people feel, etc - is pertinent to having well rounded brand aesthetics that appeal to your target market. This image should be recognizable and unique and used often. Ideally, this photograph will give you the platform to speak about any topic related to your brand or business.

Staff Group Portrait for Salem Law, Winston-Salem Estate Law | On Location Brand Photographer | Headshot and Branding Photographer | Jasper & Fern

The hot sun glanced against my cheek, breaking through the dense overhanging pine needles. The citrus-y musk of the pine tree sap wafting through my open car window. It always feels like returning to my mountain home when I visit the Salem Law team. I could easily see why Daniel, the founder of the business and an avid outdoorsman himself, would be drawn to this location for his small business.

Pinecones crunched underneath my tires as I ascended the blacktop drive up to the Salem Law office building. Not much had changed since I was here last time taking their brand photographs. I breathed the sap and earthy smells into my lungs, closing my eyes so I could memorize them and revisit their scent later. Moduled light danced across my closed lids as a warm “Hi!” met me from across the parking lot. Smiling, I opened my eyes, greeted by Lindy and Caroline’s sunny dispositions.

”Is it okay if we do the headshots out here like last time? Daniel really liked having the trees in the background,” Lindy said as she stopped to greet me. “Oh, and is it okay if Daniel’s dog joins us for the group shot?”

My eyes lit up in excitement and I couldn’t hide my glee, “Wait, Daniel brought his dog?! AAAH! YES, PLEASE!! I’d love to meet him and have him be part of the portraits!” I was already excited about taking new headshots for Daniel and his team and getting to spend time with them. Adding his dog to the mix was the icing on top of the cake!

Re-focusing from my excited dog distraction, I surveyed the shadows in the row of pine trees behind where I wanted to take their headshots. I knew I’d be editing the tones in their photographs to compliment their brand colors and getting the right shadows was key.

As always, we had lots of laughter, fights with the wind blowing hair about, and a careful avoidance of the pokey pine cones on the ground. The heat quickly warmed us all as we swiftly moved to capture the best body language and expression for everyone - pupper included.

Sad to leave the covering pines and good company, I packed my gear back up to head to the next location. Waiving goodbye to Lindy, Caroline and Daniel - and sneaking a few last puppy pets - I headed back down the blacktop, the crunching pine cones and citrus-y musk softly drifting further away.

“How can pictures help my business?”

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I frequently get asked “how can pictures help my business?” This question is exactly why we like to dig into your needs, your vision, your business structure and your branding. Every business’s needs are different. Where you can amplify your business with imagery is dependent on the nature of what you do and what you’re looking to achieve. That’s why we’ve started the Branding Your Business series. Our Branding Your Business series will help you understand what brand photography is, what it can do for you, and will provide examples of what it’s done for our previous clients.

We’ll be sharing insider perspectives from our Service based, Product based, large scale, Corporate, solopreneurial and entrepreneurial clients. From determining their vision and purpose to creating an action plan, we’ll provide you with a peek behind the curtains to see how their branding photography was used and even the results they’ve seen from using their new imagery.

If you’re already curious about what you can do to amplify your business with branding photography, click the link below to schedule your free Brand Assessment.

Exerpt from our Brand Photography session with Blackburn Consulting, a session done with a focus on cultivating and portraying her brand identity, brand personality, and brand presence. The photographs photographs are to be used on her Instagram to keep her feed consistent and on her website to refresh her brand appearance. All photography done by the Jasper & Fern team located in Winston-Salem, NC.