Snap! Breaking Personal Brand Barriers in Wedding Photography
The Prospect
A few weeks before my wedding, I found myself chatting with our photographer about her business. Bethany isn’t just a camera pro—she’s an active artist who both constructs and captures moments. She walks into a shoot with soft romantic music playing from her JBL speaker, keeping the energy relaxed and loving. Her photos end up reflecting that intimacy, and so it’s no wonder she’s booked out months in advance.
The Challenge
But Bethany’s success comes with a catch. She’s not the only photographer on her payroll. Once her schedule is booked, overflow clients often walk away—even when offered one of her equally talented associate photographers, like Julia– a specialist in natural shot-styling and aerial drone capture. Why? Because the brand is all about Bethany. Her team isn’t even mentioned on her website!
The Problem
Bethany’s brand doesn’t scale—not because her team lacks skill, but because they’re not part of the story. The brand is Bethany. The portfolio is hers. The client journey and messaging is built around her. By the time a couple gets in touch, they’re sold on the quality of a person, not a team.
The Answer
A scalable brand doesn’t revolve around one person because, as we know, their time doesn’t scale! Instead, it revolves around an ideal or expectation, like quality, timeliness, and customer care. Brands like that even tend to have greater authority because they portray an additional level of strength in management and organization.
A Simple Solution
Change the story: Visitors land on a site that opens with a customer-centric tagline that sums up the brand’s values: Instead of just Bethany’s face, they meet the full team up front. Each associate has a profile that vouches for their expertise, and each is listed as a contributor to the portfolio. The social media accounts showcase all of the photographers’ work.
Light tech lift: some site changes, some SEO cleanup, and new messaging at the tops of the funnel. That’s it.
On Personal Brands
Personal Brands are a fantastic tool, and there's a reason why they're beloved by celebrities. But, they only take a business' reach as far as the personal brand has recognition. If you build a brand around yourself, but your personage isn't a recognizable icon and isn't in the process of becoming one, then the brand can do very little work for you other than humanization, and every one of your personal flaws that people find, will detract from your business.
Matthew A. Wren
Chief Consultant