Most people reach out asking for a headshot, but they often need something more.
That's not a critique of headshots. A strong headshot is non-negotiable. It's the photo that anchors your LinkedIn profile, your Google Business page, your email signature. It does one job well: it says, here is a professional you can trust.
But it does only that one job.
Most entrepreneurs I work with need their photos to do a lot more than one job.
What a Headshot Is (and What It's For)
A headshot answers a single question: what do you look like?
It's a portrait. Usually from the shoulders up. Clean background or simple setting. The focus is entirely on your face.
If someone Googles your name, a headshot is the first impression they get. If you're speaking at an event, running a press release, or sitting on a panel, it's the photo that runs. Simple, professional, and unmistakably you. See my headshot portfolio here.
For some people, that's enough. If your business runs primarily on referrals, if you're not the face of your brand, if you just need one strong image for one specific purpose... a headshot is the right investment.
But if you're an entrepreneur, a consultant, a coach, a creative of any kind, your face probably is the brand. And that changes everything.
The Mistake I See Most Often
When entrepreneurs try to do their headshots or personal branding sessions on their own, the two things that tend to go wrong are lighting and alignment.
Poorly lit photos read as low effort, even when the person in them is anything but. And random photos, even good ones, send a mixed message when they don't align with the brand. A sleek LinkedIn photo next to a casual Instagram next to a blurry website header tells your audience three different stories about who you are.
The visual identity of your business should tell one story, consistently, everywhere someone finds you.
That's what a personal branding session is designed to do.
What Personal Branding Photography Does Differently
A branding session answers a different question entirely: what is it like to work with you?
Not just your face. Your environment. Your energy. What you do, the space you work in, the way you carry yourself when you're in your element.
That kind of imagery shows up everywhere a headshot can't: your website homepage, your Instagram feed, your sales pages and newsletter header, the deck you send to a prospective client before they've ever heard your voice, etc.
Take a look at my personal branding photography work to see what that looks like.
A branding session produces a set of images from the same day that feel cohesive. Not identical, but of a piece. So whether someone finds you through Google, reads your bio, or follows you on Instagram... they're meeting the same person every time.
That consistency is what turns a collection of photos into a brand.
What the Process Actually Looks Like
Before we pick up a camera, we talk.
About your business. The vision behind it. The person behind it. What you do, what you want people to feel when they find you, and what message you're trying to put into the world. Every branding session is built around those answers, because the images need to reflect you, not a generic version of "professional."
Most sessions span one or two locations that feel true to what you do. Sometimes that's your office. Sometimes it's outdoors, in a neighborhood that fits your aesthetic.
We figure it out together.
What you walk away with isn't just photos. It's a set of images you can actually use for the next year... images that feel like you.
When a Headshot Became a Brand
One of my favorite sessions started with a simple request: a headshot for a brand-new business, just a few weeks into its life.
By the time we were done, it wasn't a headshot. It was a brand, a visual identity that matched everything the business was trying to say about itself. It was something to build from.
Blair Bloomston, Founder and CEO of Leaders Uplifted, put it simply after her session:
"You really made us into a BRAND! As a business owner, I have a lot of priorities. but what I needed most for this shoot was a trusted creative partner, not just a photographer. Odette and her team delivered an experience that was effortless and memorable."
And from Elise Rodriguez, also of Leaders Uplifted:
"She connected with us on a human level to understand who we were better and translate that essence through the lens. The result was beautiful photos and a joyous and magical day to remember."
That's what the process is supposed to feel like. Not a transaction, but a collaboration.
Even If You're Camera-Shy
The most common thing I hear from new clients is some version of: "I'm not great in front of a camera."
It comes up so often because it's real. Most people haven't been photographed professionally, or when they have, it felt uncomfortable and the photos showed it.
Part of what I do in every session is create the conditions where that changes, where you feel like yourself, not like someone performing for a camera.
Jen Fisher, Chief Wellbeing Officer, Book Author, and TEDx Speaker, described it this way:
"Given my camera-shyness, capturing that can be difficult. This session made me feel comfortable in front of the camera and empowered me to show my authentic self. Odette captured my true reflection, showing my personality and what I stand for."
When the photos feel like you, people notice. That's when they become something you actually want to use.
How to Know What You Need Right Now
If you're asking yourself the question in the title of this post, here's a simple way to think about it:
Do you need one strong photo for one specific purpose? A headshot session is probably right for you.
Do you need a set of images that represent your business across your website, your social media, and your marketing? That's a branding session.
Not sure? That's what the consultation call is for. Get in touch and we'll figure it out together.
Some clients come in knowing exactly what they want. Others just know they need something better than what they have.
Either way, we figure it out from there.
Odette is a Miami portrait photographer specializing in personal branding, professional headshots, and dating portraits. Based in Coral Gables.
