Why 99.9% of people poorly use their photos, and how you can QUICKLY fix yours

Photos and Video for your online biz brand are the whipped cream in your frappuccino, cheese in your macaroni, and a banana in your smoothie. Whatever you’re serving up to your customers is ohhh-so-much-better with quirky and unique on-brand personality-infused visuals that show people just WHO YOU ARE, what you’re like, and why they might wanna eat you up (or leave you untouched to get cold on the plate). The difference is that drastic. (And nobody ever gets fat!)

In your brand visuals people want to see your perfectly imperfect face, smile at the dimples in your cheeks, and adore the way your toes touch when you sit on your sofa and nerd out about your business ideas and principles.

They connect with your facial and body expressions.

They are curious about the paper-folded bird on your desk and the unusual ring on your finger - the story. And they’re interested in the weird painting behind your left shoulder (something catchy)…

They get a consistent brand impression (your shirts are pressed, your nails are trimmed, hair - clean, you’re positive and exude good energy) and values all across the platform (promoting drinking fair-trade monkey-poo coffee, supporting your local chipmunk preservation society, and donating used clothes to people who are rich with experiences but not with money)… all this good stuff shows up in our visuals and registers in their mind WITHOUT anyone having to make an effort to read a single line. It’s stupid fast! And it is impactful! Or rather - it CAN BE.

Here’s why I said “can be”, and not “is”.

Even though brand photography is at the highest point of popularity it ever was, unfortunately 99.9% of the online coaches either ignore, or don’t know about this high horse-power widget they’re missing out on. “Unfortunately” because if they didn’t ignore it - they’d be finding that growing their business, the hustle, the time it takes to become recognized - it’s all so much easier when your images TRULY support your efforts online.

Which is why I’m here, in my rented kitchen in Florence (Italy), where I currently work from and live in - on my nomadic adventure across the World, (and Europe specifically as of Fall 2021). And I’m fidgeting impatiently, editing this magnificent evidence to the value of my work - on the tip of this rustic kitchen chair, with the crick in my neck from too many hours in a non-ergonomic workspace - ALL FOR YOU, my friend. In hopes to help you blaze brighter and live louder.

Let’s take a quick run through all the good things images CAN do for you if you plan them right (and some things that happen despite your not planning, and that can work against you, if you’re not mindful). I’ll also give you examples to illustrate my thought-process when I work on a list of potential brand images for someone like you.

Visuals are the 1st thing we see

… and grasp with our conscious and unconscious mind.

It’s a given! After all - words are also images, but usually much smaller, and there’s a lot more of them. But, of course, people who are trying to prove the efficiency of visuals even go as far as making up stats like “images are processed 60,000 times faster than copy. Makes me roll my eyes so hard that I see green spots.

Which copy exactly? Which image did they use? How did they measure that?

It’s impossible to get a number like that. My friends who have their PhDs in neuroscience agree and chuckle along with me.

So let’s just accept that images are the 1st thing we see - always - and continue below to find out what exactly it means to us.

seT the mood

Visuals are the best mood setters (and obviously the most efficient) so be sure to create and manage that MOOD.

Are you grounding your viewer?

Do they feel elevated?

Are you pulling them into their dream destinations or feelings, leaving behind the ho-hum of everyday working grind?

Is your page comforting, like a big brotherly hug?

Or do you make them feel cold?

You can learn all about this and stimulate all human senses with my “5 Senses Framework” mini training (it is being re-recorded at the moment, pls signup to Newsletter to hear when it’s back up!).

Make people notice

notice YOU, and notice your content online.

Not every image will get you noticed. Most coaching brands use these dull perfected photos with their hands and legs “just so”. Photos that fail to create a connection with us. The only thing I (personally) notice about those photos is how much they make me shudder.

What most of us are drawn to is the CONTRAST. Contrast in light, in colors, in stories. Contrast in ideas, and in the way of life.

Stories. Not perfection.

Choice of an image will make or break the performance of your content piece when it’s placed in a feed to compete against other content for your attention. Scrollers do what they do best - they scroll and scan for something that will grab them by their eyeballs (or heartstrings). Will yours be lost in that sea?

MAKE US TAKE ACTION

Visuals trigger further consumption of your content. From headline, to the call to action - they often are the biggest reason people take the plunge down your slippery slide of a content piece. And there, in the end - they encourage us to take action. Or not! Are YOUR photos actionable? (which means they have to be EMOTIVE!).

Are you making your people want to read the title, read the caption, take the action? Or are you just using the image because it’s mandatory in order to create a post on Instagram?

Photos entertain

At least they are MEANT to!

One of my recent surveys shows that people look for very specific things in the photos they see. Once the image has caught their attention:

• they love checking out all the details in your photos

• want to see something new they haven’t experienced yet (e.g. in your travels)

• look for a “deeper” element or meaning - something that makes them “feel stuff”.

And you can make your photos MORE interesting by exaggerating your pose or expression, using props, and applying other elements of visual storytelling.

You also want to break patterns.

For example, if you have a highly expressive face, and all your photos and videos look like you’re clowning around, then a good contrast that catches their attention will be a photo of you looking completely normal, and not grimacing to make things super entertaining. Keep the variety up!

CONTRAST IS YOUR FRIEND.

trigger the emotion

photos have the biggest potential to trigger the emotion in our viewer. Visuals are processed by both hemispheres, and the emotional side gets to things much faster than the logical. Why use “flat” images when you can stir up powerful emotion in your people?

Go over your main messaging THEME-points and figure out what images would set the mood and get the emotion going. For example: 

If your message is “catch the wave/train/flight or any other opportunity for transformation” - then illustrate an act of grabbing that opportunity. Ideally with an entertaining twist (see the point above). 

make meaningful connection

And they do it fast (do YOUR photos do that?).

For example, when you look into the camera, you are connecting to the viewer with your eyes.

Eye-contact is so incredibly basic - people overlook it ALL THE TIME. But it’s very powerful. They are connecting with you and don’t even know it. So make sure there are enough closeups of you providing that eye-contact across your platforms.

How you come across and what’s your body language - these things are equally (if not more) important (depending on the image), so we’re being mindful of that when we think up the images for our shot list.

Subscribe to my newsletter to learn all the ways we can create a connection through a still image.

unforgettable 1st impression

There are different kinds of impressions. You can come out of your house today looking like a slob and most people won’t even notice you exist. But some WILL notice and you will become imprinted in their mind as a slob, even if they see you dressed to the 9’s everyday for the next 7 days. You can correct that impression with time and consistency, but that 1st one is a strong bond with their memory and the emotion they experienced when they 1st saw you.

I don’t always follow this rule myself, being a photographer and having an excuse to wear clothes that don’t attract too much attention, but you want to leave the house looking like you’re about to meet your future forever mate. Keeping that standard high shows people that you’re serious about being a stand up person. It’s like when men used to carry a handkerchief with them at all times - for the one time in their life when they are in the presence of a crying woman, so they can offer it to her. (I don’t know why I’m incredibly amused and touched by this. Where is my knight in shining armor with a tissue box in his backpack??)

They get people curious

So take the time to bring up subjects and stories that create that curiosity. You want to use this opportunity to stop the scroll and make people wonder who the heck you are, when you’re doing something unusual or even slightly outrageous. And eventually, with your “warm” audience you want to use consistent stories that raise curiosity, like - what’s up with all the ice cream eating and never getting fat.

The bar on image curiosity is still pretty low considering how poorly most brand images are planned.

We have a whole industry of quality photographers creating images that you ask them to do, and you need to learn to ask them for stronger images. They simply CAN’T be your artistic director, it’s a separate job on it’s own. So either become one, or hire one separately to work on your brand image IDEAS. (hint-hint: art direction is my favorite thing to do for other people, and this is what you get when you work with me)

Still images are globe-trotting mediators

Photography is more universal than any other communication means. It travels across cultures and languages.

Photo is a piece of real life - but focused on and frozen in a moment in time.

Why do you think Nat Geo is so big in the world of photography? The images they publish are powerful enough to capture attention and move the entire World.

(the company is also brilliant at marketing, but that’s another story)

But let’s simplify things to prove my point above.

As someone who’s been learning and speaking non-native languages all of my adult life, and became a pro at relocating and adapting, I must extend a helping hand to those who never challenged themselves with surviving in a foreign environment. I know that the majority of people - even in the developed World - have never left their own country, and if you’re not one of them please bear with me for just a sec as I describe the basic ninja-principle of surviving in the foreign land.

Have you ever been on vacation in a place where you don’t know the language?

Imagine you’re in Peru. You can’t read or understand what anyone’s saying. How do you find the nearest ice cream parlor?

You look at all the images and signs (also images) all around you. Something that typically gives away an ice cream shop -

This was a singular most primitive example, but the same goes for more global stories. Images like below clearly trigger an agenda and an emotion in everyone across the globe. 

What do you say?

Want some of this for YOUR brand?

Here are possible next steps:

• If you’re brand new to photoshoots - grab my shoot planning bundle to understand how the successful brand shoots are planned and what images you need to get you started.

• If you want to enhance your existing image creation efforts (you create ongoing videos - LIVE or recorded, you have done a photoshoot of two and feel like you can do better) - check out the “5 Senses” mini-training (it’s being re-recorded but signup to get news when it’s up!) that teaches you exactly how to use all senses stimulation to create more emotional images even before you get to your own act inside the frame.

• Want some serious and undivided 1:1 attention? There’s a 90 min 1:1 sesh we can start with, and after that you see if a VIP package or an ongoing project with me is something that’s a good fit for your marketing goals.

For me - the ultimate goal in branding with photos is for you to be blown away and inspired by your own brand. I don’t want to ever hear you say “I can’t seem to get it right, and after every shoot I still feel like something’s missing”.

Cover photo by Alex Radelich on Unsplash

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Never wonder what to wear to a photoshoot again

“What should I wear?” is the most common question to come up when I’m prepping someone for their shoot. Second only to “I hate my photos taken”, uttered with so much pride. 

(Why are people confident that this line is the best thing to say to a photographer? Do they think this somehow breaks the ice? Makes our job easier?)

Branding with photos for online personalities and coaches is a combination of a lot of things coming together in perfect harmony - and WARDROBE is a huuuuuge part of it. I hope that’s self-explanatory. 

But what isn’t obvious, is that -

if you create your EVERYDAY wardrobe to be a perfect reflection of you - you will never have a problem choosing clothes for your branding shoots - because you’ll always be on-point. 

Right? Right. So let’s go with that today.

I recently took a training with a pro stylist who coaches other pro stylists and thought her approach was SO GREAT, that I must apply it to branding a personality.

Because I want you to be in that magical place in life where you

• never have to ask your photog “umm… what do I wear?” and

• realize that it’s now too late to start shopping for anything new, or

• that your photographer is not really a stylist and

• can’t help you other than offer their personal taste and opinion. Often questionable...

(pssst… if you heard of a rule book for what not to wear for photos or videos - it’s true it exists, but with branding - let’s toss it out the window, cause it’s nothing but noise. We are not here to create “perfect” photos, we are here to create IMPACTFUL photos. Ok? Cool. Read on...)

And now… ta-da!!!

In my 1:1 “branding with photos” work I now include an option of taking a closer look at your wardrobe from a brand perspective. It’s an exercise where you uncover even more about who you want to be - through clothes. 

I want to cover all aspects, and clothes are a biggie! You are, after all, a leader, and if you also want to attract attention, then your wardrobe must reflect that.

---

Here’s a structure of that exercise and if you’re motivated you can do this all by yourself

and start creating your own perfect wardrobe!

Please be mindful that building a wardrobe is a long term work. But it’s also very easy to start RIGHT NOW. Once you understand this approach - it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to find the clothes, because you will never approach shopping the same disorganized way.

Also please note, that in the developed countries we often buy clothes based on our fears, and this approach helps to eliminate that kind of behavior, and provides an instant “AHA!”. When shopping, ask yourself - why do you ACTUALLY want to have a particular outfit or an item. Is the want coming from YOU, or is it someone else’s idea of what you should wear? I invite you to play along and focus on creating a foundational and highly functional capsule and see what you discover about yourself and how your shopping behaviors change. I enjoy it so much for myself! Let me know in the comments if you do too.

Rules of the game:

1. There are basic items and accent items. For the sake of simplicity and learning we’re going to focus on your BASIC items and then I’ll tell you how to choose ACCENT items (it’s super easy once you have built the foundation). You can begin this work before you go hire a stylist, and DEFINITELY before you go and spend money on stuff you might wear once, or not at all.

2. Basic items are neutral colored. Black, gray, beige, white, light and dark blue. That’s it! No other colors. Keep it SIMPLE. This is a foundation. If you like and want colors in your wardrobe (and only want to wear colors so people recognize you from a mile away and have a chance to run away from you (just kidding!)) - you take the same structure and create a colorful / accent capsule but please consult a stylist or become one yourself (so you don’t hurt other people’s eyes).

Step 1:

Here we focus on your SELF-EXPRESSION and PREFERENCES.

Create the fashion moodboard (use Google docs, Pinterest, Evernote, etc). I like Pinterest to create lists and moodboards, and also - it has a TON of fashion pics. And after you pinned a few - it suggests you more of the same style, which is brilliant and priceless. And it’s free (at least for now). And initially I’ve pinned over a 100 outfits on there. Yeah, it was a lot.

Here’s the “tip of the iceberg” screenshot of my own moodboard:

the idea is to save a lot on this 1st round. Set the timer for an hour and really go to town. Pin everything that excites you or catches your eye! I come back and do it from time to time when I can’t fall asleep. Or in other situations when you wanna pass the time, but watching a movie is not an option.

Step 2:

See if you can spot the patterns in the clothes you’ve chosen. For me I saw:

• oversized scarves

• relaxed bottoms (nothing “skinny”!)

• oversized sweaters

• drop-crotch pants

• more scarves

… and otherwise styles that say “I don’t care” but at the same time “well put together”.

What do you see in your board that keeps coming up?

Step 3:

Now it’s time to get real.

Hopefully you took some time to step away from the moodboard and are coming back to this step later. Next day at least.

Take a good look at your everyday life - how much time do you spend doing what activities?

Then categorize what clothes you need the most to satisfy more of those activities. For me it was:

• exercise

• work (at home or in cafes)

• photo/video production

• travel

• hanging with friends

• meeting people.

I never go out at night because I neither drink nor eat past 6pm. The only reason to be out when I’m not traveling / sightseeing has thus been eliminated, and I don’t need or want ANY evening-wear.

For my workouts I created a separate capsule. Makes sense, right?

In my example - my life is simple and I only need one capsule. I don’t need “office” clothes (yay!) And I definitely do not need (nor want) any heels in my capsule (heels are heavy and even deadly in travels) because I’m on the road all the time.

Step 4:

Now take a look at your moodboard and delete all the outfits that don’t go with your lifestyle (we're talking about simplifying your life, not complicating it. So do it! Delete.) Also delete all outfits that look like they might be painful or otherwise uncomfortable to be in for prolonged periods of time. For me - besides all evening-wear I deleted all the skirt / dress / heeled shoe based outfits - cause I’m almost never in a situation where any that would even be acceptable or comfortable, so who am I doing this for?

Reminder - we are creating the FOUNDATION of your wardrobe here.

When I’m back to having a home base - I might go back to owning dresses and heels, but for a traveller - NAH. Too impractical and too heavy. 

On this step you want to think “what will NOT work for me”, instead of “what do I want”. This is not a manifestation board. Come to think of it - this is almost the opposite of it!

Delete, delete, delete.

And now delete all outfits that don’t make your heart sing. Those could be outfits that you chose because your parents/friends/society make you “want” (fear-based). For example, things you could never afford when you were poor/young/whatever and now you find comfort in owning something that costs more than a month’s rent or mortgage payment in the rest of the world. Answer to yourself - why REALLY did you save it?

(I hold no judgement agains high cost brands. If you can afford them and they actually do feel good to wear, as opposed to just being a status thing - I’m all for it. I have a few bags and shoes, for example, that are as stunning as they are considered expensive, and they are worth every penny to me. I’m a big fan of Dior and Chloe brands. But most other premium brands - I don’t understand their stuff. It’s all status and no aesthetics). Again - this is my personal opinion and preference. Not necessarily any good on the market! Ha.

Step 4.1 (optional): now you can take an extra step here and add MORE of the outfits that survived this thorough filtering. But if you think you’ve got enough - let’s get to the hard part!

Step 5: we’re creating the capsule!

This is the part that takes time, unless you have a whole floor in the house dedicated to your wardrobe, in which case - please enjoy a good day or 2 of wardrobe-shopping without leaving your own home! (And don’t forget to remind your butler to order more extra-virgin monkey puzzle seed oil for your chinchillas beauty treatments.)

Two things here:

Thing #1: This is the step where you can also potentially begin working with a stylist.

This is the person who

• knows about colors that go well with YOUR complexion

• knows what styles of items that will highlight the best of your figure without compromising your priorities (which you’ve already outlined for yourself above)

• will also force you to try things you wouldn’t otherwise choose, which is why it’s so genius. I’ve discovered some of the best things in my chats with professional wardrobe stylists that I consulted with

• know what brands carry what and they make shopping easy for you. Some even will shop for you and bring it all home! How great. Don’t forget about the chinchilla. Juuust kidding. 

I cannot advise you on what you should wear for your complexion and figure. I’m not a stylist. I can only offer my professional and personal opinion as a photographer and a woman with EYES. I’m usually good with telling what colors and styles people should NOT wear, and happily offer my advice when we work on your branding with photos.

Here’s a quick video about my experience working with a stylist Veronika Nemeth of stylishfemalesociety.com

Thing #2: have you taken my “5 Senses Framework” mini-training? (at the moment being re-recorded, signup for Newsletter to hear when it’s available).

Remember there’s a bit there where I explain how to pick the right fabrics for the clothes to work FOR you in the pictures and not AGAINST you? It’s time to go and re-watch that bit.

Now grab all the stuff you’ve come up with at this point and use below algorithm to build your capsule!

Adjust the numbers to your liking but I would start small to make it easier.

1. Find 3+ bottoms that are NEUTRAL-colored (existing wardrobe or go shopping). Pants or skirts - I don’t care. I only have 3 pairs of pants traveling with me, and I’m not counting gym clothes (remember, that’s a separate capsule?). Jeans are neutral, yes.

2. Find 6+ NEUTRAL tops that go well with ANY of those bottoms, so you have all these wonderful combinations that seem to never end, and you feel creative, yet don’t have to work hard making those choices. Remember that there is a limited number of choices that we can make in a day without heading into burnout. In fact - I’m ready to claim that choosing clothes every day leads to burnout in the entrepreneurial community. We are too busy for this stuff! 

3. Any outerwear and shoes in your capsule - must be NEUTRAL and go with any of the bottoms and tops you already chose. I’m just here to remind you that it’s a CAPSULE! (And to be bossy for a few more mins.) Bear with me - you’ll get to shop more fun items in a sec. 

There you have your capsule wardrobe and you’ll never have to stress about what to wear - just toss on whatever is ready to be worn (is clean/ironed) and go! It is also minimal and is perfect for travelers! And if you don’t travel for a living - you can create a separate section in your wardrobe for this capsule and mix and match all you want without a risk of putting on something wrong when you’re sleepy and then feeling stupid all day. Unless it’s by choice.

Want accent pieces?

• use patterned/bright/non-neutral color accessories, or add tops/bottoms/shoes/socks/hats/glasses/etc. as accent pieces as needed. Your basic capsule will support your accents and make your life easy no matter what. 

• Accent could mean “quirky”, but that doesn’t mean that some of your foundational items can’t be quirky too. Where do you draw the line? Ask your stylist!

• Do not risk mixing accent pieces into the same outfits without knowing exactly what you’re doing and why that works.

• Each accent piece must go well with EVERYTHING in your capsule wardrobe.

You can start saving a collection of possible accent pieces that will become a signature for your brand. From orange frames to red socks and shoe laces - I think I’ve seen it all. But if you want to REALLY be noticed - it needs to be something bigger than that.

Ann Handley (Instagram @annhandley) is famous among marketing folks for her stand out wardrobe. Every time she’s on stage - she wears a suit I never laid my eyes on anywhere else. Makes it very difficult to forget her!

Wanna start following what’s trending?

Follow stylists on social, they are quite prolific and fun to watch these days. Everyone has different styles, so find the ones YOU like!

I’ll tell you that right now - in 2021 - I keep seeing oversized everything here in Europe. Oversized coats, oversized shoes (that fit, of course), oversized hats and most importantly - scarves! I love scarves, so I got myself a very large scarf to don around. It’s quite chilly so it’s perfect for the season. Could be in neutral color, but still an accent piece! Win.

And now you know how to - and can - create capsule wardrobes for other parts of your life in a similar way if needed. I don’t need more than one capsule, but people who enjoy night life and dressing up in hot evening clothes can create a capsule wardrobe just for that, and then also enjoy the ease of making choices when the phone rings and the taxi is downstairs in 5.

One last branding tip is to make sure that your wardrobe is sense-ational to the eye. Think about the “5 senses” in your images. Clothes are the #1 thing to stimulate the sense of TOUCH - they are the closest thing to our skin and to our ears. In my “5 Senses Framework” mini-training for branding with photos I talk about that in detail (it is being re-recorded at the moment. Signup to Newsletter below to hear 1st when it’s back up!)