Amanda was my first professional client.

Responding to a Facebook post I put out looking for people to hone my photography experience with, Amanda responded, and we booked a sunny Sunday morning in April to create a business gallery for her wellness coaching business. As someone posting on socials often, she needed a bank of photos and images in different scenarios, poses, and outfits that represented her business and kept her content fresh.

Statistically, this is crucial.

The human brain processes images over 60,000 times faster than text, we recognise faces, emotions, and social cues near-instantly, and online, visual content is 40x more likely to be shared than a text post.

Essentially, when you post images of yourself online, especially on social media, people are going to pay much more attention to the text posts. Make sure that image is high quality, looks good, and tells your story - that’s going to give you even better results.

So, we booked in and got to work!

What was our mission?

If you can get natural lighting, use it. It’s the best.

The goals were pretty straightforward:

The must-haves:

Professional shots that didn't make Amandalook like a corporate robot
Images that worked everywhere - LinkedIn, Instagram, website, business cards, speaking gigs
Photos that captured her actual personality (spoiler: she's genuinely awesome to be around)

The nice-to-haves:

Boost her confidence when she's networking or jumping on video calls
Create a visual foundation she could use for the next few years
Set her up for bigger opportunities down the road

Nothing revolutionary here, just solid professional imagery that matched the quality of her work and the service she offered.

How we made it happen

I like to keep things nice and simple, so we booked a quiet Sunday morning and got to work. I used a lovely Sigma 17-50mm and the Nikon D7500. I’m a big fan of 35mm and 50mm focal lens because they give that film camera view and allow me to get close and personal while still capturing the scene and mood.

Amanda prepared several outfit changes in advance. We shot at her house.

We had some gorgeous morning light, so we started outside in Amanda’s home office, getting shots at her desk, staging as though she was on a video call, working, taking notes, and essentially taking care of business.

As I’ve discovered with all photo shoots, there’s a bit of a limbo period for the first 30-45 minutes where we’re getting warmed up, getting to know each other properly, and essentially relaxing. I know as much as anyone that it can feel a bit weird having a lens pointed at you, not really knowing what you’re doing, how to pose, and essentially just getting into it.

Easily enough, this time is just for chatting, getting to know what you do, understanding your progress and goals, and just having a laugh. Over time, the comfort starts to set in, and we can start capturing the magic.

I find that the best photos happen in the most candid of moments. So I might say, “Hey, pretend you’re talking to someone on a video call”. This can feel very silly in the moment, but the genuine laughs, smiles, and action shots that come after the initial acting are EXACTLY what we’re after, those genuine feelings of happiness, joy, and energy that shine through your personality and who you are.

Works like a charm every time.

We moved around the house, thinking of creative ways to showcase what Amanda does related to her coaching business. As a wellness coach, a lot of the work revolves around good habits, like healthy eating, sleeping well, taking time to rest, and reducing the risk of burnout - essentially looking after yourself in all the best ways.

So, that’s what we created.

We were shooting from around 9 am to after midday. The midday light was so harsh and caused skin blowout (really white reflective light that can be so distracting, so that’s my lesson learned. I tried to fix it in post, which wasn’t too bad, but probably avoided unless used as an artistic choice in the future.

I left that afternoon, edited the photos over the next two weeks, and delivered the completed gallery of around 70 photos!

The plot twists (Because there are always plot twists)

Challenge #1: The limbo period

No matter how confident you feel, there’s also a little period at the beginning of the shoot where we both get comfortable with the process. Of course, it can feel kind of jarring and intimated to look good and just be yourself, perhaps with anxieties or insecurities. Part of my job is to help you feel comfortable and enjoy the experience.

At the end of the day, we both win together, and we have the same goals, and we both want to have a good time doing it, so take a breath and let me guide you through it. There’s nothing to worry about!

In this case, we talked through it. I explained exactly what I was doing and why, cracked some jokes, and gradually built up her comfort level. By the end, she was laughing naturally and completely forgot the camera was there.

Challenge #2: The war of natural light

Since we shot in spring, the outdoor light changed fast. This meant constantly adjusting position and poses both outdoors and internally to ensure everything was properly lit (we did the shoot with no professional lighting, pure natural), and technically adjusting everything within camera.

The results (Spoiler alert: they were good)

For a first professional shoot, I’m super happy with how everything turned out. This was my first time shooting someone like this, both using the camera technically to get shoot shots, angles, and positions, talking to a subject to get them into good-looking poses (I started as a wildlife photographer where you have to work with what the subject gives you), and editing the photos in post to ensure they look great.

I’ve absolutely come a long was over the last few months, but it’s great to see that even back then in these starting days, the entire process was approached with love, care, and attention, ensuring a great final product.

We ended up with 70+ images, about 50 I was really happy with (although some of these were variations of the same pose, I just like to offer choice), including headshots that didn't make her cringe, lifestyle shots that captured her personality, and awesome scenes for all her marketing needs.

As these images have been used, they’ve brought a new visual spark to her social content.

Old testimonial posts that were plain text have been enhanced with portraits, with increased engagement.

While these professional photos are sprinkled wth Amanda’s regular content of daily selfies, insight, and video content, the results are clear.

Previous text-only posts that averaged 5 or so likes (engagement) are now well into double digits, with comments (both of which the IG algorithm like - you get more engagement, you get pushed to more accounts, thus equalling account growth).

Text only posts can be helpful, but don’t tend to generate the same amount of engagement as visual posts.

Adding a professional image, in this case, increased engagement by 466% in just one week

When people connect with your personal brand, they want to see you, and the engagement reflects this.

Even highly visual posts with tags of multiple accounts don’t compete with images of you and your business. People care about you!

Why this actually matters (Beyond just looking good)

Here's what I learned from Amanda's transformation, and what every business owner needs to understand:

Your headshots are doing more work than you think. They're not just profile pictures - they're your first impression, your credibility check, and your confidence booster all rolled into one.

Consistency beats perfection. Amanda's random mix of photos was hurting her more than any single "imperfect" image ever could. When everything looks intentional, people trust you more.

Confidence is contagious. When Amanda started feeling good about her professional image, it showed up in every client interaction, every networking event, and every business opportunity.

ROI is real. Quality headshots don't just look nice - they open doors. Speaking gigs, partnerships, premium clients. Even one acquired client can pay off the cost of one shoot. Engagement-wise, you’re looking at huge increases of people interacting with your content, just by choosing to use a professionally shot image.

Ready to stop settling for "Good enough"?

I get it. You're busy running your business, serving clients, making things happen. But if you're still using that iPhone selfie from 2022 or avoiding opportunities because you don't feel confident in your professional image, we need to talk.

Here's what you get when you work with me:

A strategy session where we figure out your actual brand (not what you think it should be)
Professional guidance on everything from wardrobe to body language
A 3-hour session that's actually enjoyable (seriously, my clients have fun)
Images that work everywhere - LinkedIn, website, business cards, you name it
Photos you'll actually want to use (and keep using for years)

The bottom line: Your business deserves better than amateur hour. And honestly, so do you.

Ready to see what professional headshots can do for your business? Let's chat.

Case Study: Amanda Wellness Coaching Headshots & Business Gallery