First, let’s talk branding sessions. What are they exactly? A branding session is a session that showcases the strengths and unique characteristics of a small business owner. It is meant to help your clients and audience understand what it is exactly that you do and who you are as a person. If you are looking to develop and maintain a personal brand, one in which your audience knows who you are not only in the capacity of your business, but also who you are as an individual then a branding session could be what you need!

Samantha moved to Arlington about a year ago with her husband and two pups. Her husband finished his time in the Marine Corps and they wanted to be in an area closer to family, so they moved to northern Virginia. She began a full-time job at Crate & Barrel, where she exercised her design talents. While she loved doing that, she really missed being in the wedding industry doing her true calling of hairstyling, which she had done before they moved from North Carolina. One night it just hit her—she had to start her own business so that she could serve her clients in her own unique way. So she stayed up late and researched how to start her own business, thus giving way to Styled for Elegance. She’s since decided to dive in to her new business full-time and give it her all.

When planning Samantha’s branding session, we incorporated who she was as a person in order to capture that on camera. For example, we harnessed her passion for design and included it in her branding session by capturing her in different places of her home that she had designed and curated. She also lovessss wine, cheese, and her dogs, so they were all incorporated as well. I will say I didn’t hate that, as we drank wine together on a beautiful fall day.

One of the main things Samantha wanted to capture was her at work, like some behind the scenes images. Due to a scheduling conflict, the model she had scheduled for our session wasn’t able to make it. We had to think a little outside the box and utilized some self-timer camera skills and I was able to play model and photographer. The updo she styled was elegant (imagine that since her business name is Styled for Elegance) and she was so quick. She literally did this updo in five minutes and it looked fantastic. I can only image the time and care she takes for a bride on her wedding day!

After wrapping up in her home studio, we went and explored some areas around her home. First, we went on a walk that she takes her dogs on each morning. It was peaceful and it reflected yet another part of her everyday life. Then we ventured to Shirlington, which is a small little shopping center that has a downtown feel to it. We concluded our session right outside one of Samantha’s favorite design and décor shops.

Social media has become such an integral part of marketing for small businesses. It is so necessary to have high-quality content for your clients. Most of social media is visually based, so if something is pretty, your audience is more likely to spend more time looking at it and interacting with it. It truly helps to have professional images that can represent your virtual storefront, so to speak! If you are interested in learning more about branding sessions, feel free to shoot me an email. I would love to work with you and showcase your strengths as well as those of your small business!