Shipyard Beach Family Photography :: Duxbury, Massachusetts

I met up with Sarah’s family for their annual family photography session at the end of August, and as always, it was amazing and fun seeing how much the girls have grown this year! They always have the PERFECT matching dresses, this time featuring colorful ice cream treats - I wish they made it in my size!

We enjoyed a quiet morning running around barefoot, with Duxbury Bay as our beautiful background. Here are some favorites!

Photos at Home :: Documenting Living History from a Safe Distance

This week, I have been trying to wrap my head around how to keep my business afloat moving forward while we are all staying home and keeping a distance. It’s been a challenging week in many ways, but also inspiring in even more ways!

As a family, we have tried to get out for a walk each afternoon to get fresh air, say hello to neighbors who are also outside and walking. Connection is so important during times like this! It lifts the spirits and helps everyone feel less alone when things feel very uncertain and scary.

Seeing families outside together reminded me of all the wonderful times I have photographed families outside their homes, together. Now it feels like we are in the midst of a major time in history. Many of us with young kids probably can’t help but think they’ll grow up and talk about this the way we talked about 9/11, or our parents talked about JFK and MLK and the moon landing.

How did you spend this time? How was it challenging? How did you feel? What did we learn about each other or ourselves?

I know it’s not conventional in any sort of way, but I am offering a very small service, to families, small business owners and entrepreneurs who are now at home, to have some pictures taken, from a distance. I can work from your front yard, sidewalk, or driveway and capture you or your family, so you have memories captured of this time in our lives. Small business owners and entrepreneurs, you can use the photos to talk to your clients and audience, share with them how you’re spending these days.

So what do you think? :)

Due to the nature of these things, I think I would only be able to do this within a 20 minute drive from my own home, so Newington, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill and West Hartford.

I will not come close to your family. I won’t come in your house. You might pretend I’m like the paparazzi, just hanging out by your house.

Sound interesting? Fill out the form at the bottom of this post, or email me at hello@shannon-sorensen.com and we can figure it out!

Baby Henry, At-Home Newborn Photography Session :: Norwood, Massachusetts

It’s such a beautiful gift to photograph newborns. It’s such a milestone in life. This tiny, new person, welcomed into the world, into their home and their family. It’s beautiful and messy and tiring and peaceful and a million things all at once.

I consider it an honor to photograph these first, early days for my clients.

Even more special is to get to do this for my friends and family.

Jess is one of my best friends from college. We spent so much time singing and acting and laughing and partying and talking and eating cafeteria food. And now we’re moms, and she welcomed her third baby into their family. A sweet baby boy, with two incredibly funny big sisters.

I spent a Sunday morning with them at their home in Norwood, Massachusetts. They still had Christmas decorations on the front step because this is real life and lord knows we all have those things we just don’t need to bother with. We focus on what matters. It’s what’s inside that counts.

Inside the home is happiness, laughter, love, jumping off the couch and singing showtunes. It’s lots of coffee. It’s snuggles and sister hugs and dragging each other across the floor on their bean bag chairs.

It’s the stuff you dream of when you dream of having a family. Those little every day moments that define family life.

Here are some of my favorites from this special day.

What is Personal Branding Photography?

“What is personal branding?”

You’ve probably heard “personal branding” popping up more and more in conversations among small businesses and entrepreneurs. Or maybe this is the first time you’re hearing about it! Either way, I am here to help you learn and understand what it’s all about in relation to photography.

Personal branding photography, or “PBP” as we call it in the photography world, has always been around as a style of branding and marketing, but it is certainly gaining popularity in the world of small business and online marketing! In short, it is photography that tell your story, that you use to market and grow your business.

“But isn’t it just headshots and lifestyle portraits?”

It’s actually so much more!

Personal branding photography is about storytelling and creating connection with your clients and audience. By creating images that showcase not only what you look like, but who you are, infused with personality, action and purpose, you can easily and professionally tell your story. The images give your audience an intimate look at the life, the work, and the person behind the business. Paired with copywriting that is specific to your brand voice, you engage your audience to not only pay attention, but to care about you, and want to support your business as it grows!

And personal branding photography is not just about photos of you. A solid PBP collection will include a variety of marketing images for you to use. To get the most bang for your buck, you should work with a photographer who gets to know your business’ needs AND knows how to shoot this variety of images.

Here’s an example of a set of images for a 2-hour personal brand session. Kyndra’s Kitchen is an at-home prepared food service based in Kingston, Massachusetts. Kyndra often collaborates with her husband on meal preparation. She wanted to photograph several pieces of her business:

  • her kitchen where she cooks

  • what a typical day looks like while she works on order processing and meal planning

  • what deliveries and her branded bags look like

  • cooking together and sharing a meal with her husband to show one of the many benefits of her service

  • her family, including their doodle, Nixon

  • and behind the scenes of cooking, photographing and packaging her meals

Depending on your business needs and time of year, a personal branding session might include:

  • WHO ARE YOU - The face and the heart behind your business, images of you at work, at home, with your family, working on location or at your office, studio or shop, giving both a bigger picture and distinct branded details of what your life looks like as a business owner, and why you are passionate about what you do.

  • WHERE DO YOU WORK - people love to see where you spend your days and how you get work done. Whether it’s a studio, a shop, an office, a coworking space, or a desk tucked in the back corner of your closet (a “cloffice”), you are further painting the picture of how and where you spend your days. People want to see your stuff. Trust me.

  • WHO DO YOU WORK WITH - Do you have a support team or partner? Do you work solo at home? Are your kids running circles around you while you write your blog? Does your partner or best friend help you out? Who are the people you most closely surround yourself with? They are part of your story.

  • WHO DO YOU SERVE - The most important part of branding is not to speak to everyone, but to speak to your audience. Create a clear picture of who you serve by showing them in your images, working with clients, greeting customers, gathering at networking events and meetups, and addressing your audience directly through your writing.

  • HOW DO YOU SERVE - Do you create a product or provide a service? Take your audience through the process with you. Show the steps you take in brainstorming, organizing ideas, sketching, designing, editing, and making. How do you package your product? How do you choose your packaging to make it special and your own? How do you make your customers feel special and well taken care of? The same goes for providing a service. How do you make your clients feel and what are you helping them achieve or accomplish?

  • WHAT DO YOU LOOK LIKE IN ACTION - This ties into other points above. What does a typical workday look like for you? Where do you make or build? What do you wear? Do you mostly work in the same space or do you work on location? Take note of all the various things you do to run your business, and what that looks like to your audience if you were to zoom out a bit. If you had an audience watching you, what would they see?

  • TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT - What do you use daily to run your business? Is your work mostly on your phone or laptop? Do you work with power tools or photo equipment? What do you use to organize your business, like a planner or calendar system? Do you work at a gym or studio? What physical elements do you need to get work done? And which ones are your favorites?

  • STYLED/DISPLAYED PRODUCTS - If you are a product based business, you want to show what you make! This can be done several ways. You may be a home-based maker and style your photos for your Etsy shop or e-commerce site. You may run a brick and mortar shop and have displays and styled areas that showcase the product and environment.

  • ROUTINES AND RITUALS - Consider sharing your morning or evening rituals. How you prepare for the day ahead, or unwind when the workday is over. What are some things that are important to you to stay grounded and happy? Some ideas may be journaling, prayer or meditation, working out, preparing a meal or coffee, skin or body care routine, favorite books or music you’re currently enjoying.

  • A GLIMPSE AT FAMILY OR HOME LIFE - You get to choose what elements of your life you share as part of your personal brand story. You might include occasional family updates, a glimpse at your home, where you rest or have your routines and rituals, a favorite space in your home or recent project. Find ways to tie these little pieces in as it relates to your brand. Maybe your lifestyle is part of your brand: where or what you eat, travel, hobbies or activities.

  • SEASONAL UPDATES - Even if you don’t live somewhere that experiences distinct seasons throughout the year, there are changes and holidays that occur that may affect your story. And not just nature, but seasons of your life may change, with a move, a promotion or recognition, or life event such as marriage, pregnancy, stages of parenthood, friendships, loss, and personal growth.

  • PRODUCT OR SERVICE LAUNCHES - A whole session may be dedicated to capturing a new product, service, course, podcast, book. So many possibilities!

  • BUSINESS GATHERINGS OR EVENTS - Networking events, conventions, retreats, meetups, coffee with a friend, coworking, launch event, book tours, celebrations, seasonal markets, holiday events. Again, lots of possibilities to share important happenings with you and your business throughout the year! You can look at the year ahead and what you already have scheduled, or book a la carte coverage as these events come up.

So, as you can see, there is a lot to personal branding photography. It’s not just a couple pretty pictures of yourself. It’s showing an in depth picture of your business in whatever way that you want to share it.

Another important thing to consider is growing a close relationship with your branding photographer, so they can help you maximize your sessions and create the best assortment of personal branding images for you to choose from. As you work together over time, they will be more and more in tune to what you need for your specific business!

What questions do you have about personal branding photography? Have you had a PBP session yet? Do you know how to find a PBP photographer who is local to you?

Shannon Sorensen is a Connecticut-based small business and branding photographer. Personal branding photography for small business and entrepreneurs focuses on showing the heart behind the business, compelling stories to help your audience get to know you and your business better, and turn fans into paying clients! Learn more about personal and business branding photography.

Book your branding session with Shannon!

Related blog posts: Twelve Months of Personal Branding Photoshoot Ideas to Grow Your Business, The What Why and How of Personal Branding

Garrett :: Massachusetts At-Home Newborn Photography

If you’re a new mama or had your second (or third or fourth) and feeling that exhaustion that comes with the newborn stage, I just want to tell you, you’re doing an amazing job. It is so hard and until you’re in the thick of it, you really don’t have an idea just how hard it is. You’re tired, you’re hormonal, you’re figuring out this new little person, a new routine, trying to stay hydrated and probably struggling with any number of newborn struggles, like feeding, sleeping, gas, fussiness.

You’re doing an amazing job.

I’ll tell you as often as I can, mama. These sweet little babies are miracles, but geez, it’s so hard. Things that we hoped would come naturally to us are maybe actually really difficult (ahem breastfeeding). Maybe you’re dealing with post-partum depression. Maybe you’re living off Poptarts and frozen pizzas.

It’s. All. Good.

Do what you need to do to take care of yourself and the baby. And if you need help or support, just ask. Allow others to wrap their caring arms around you.

You’re doing an amazing job.

Garrett’s Newborn Session

Garrett was born in early April and he was possibly the sleepiest baby I’ve ever worked with! He was awake when I arrived at the home, he ate, and boom - asleep! Through all the little changes and moving him around, he barely moved!

One of the benefits of doing newborn photos in the first two weeks is that they are at their sleepiest during this stage, but not every baby actually sleeps through their whole session! Every baby is different, and we make it work however we need to in order to get beautiful photos in your hands.

Here are some favorites from Garrett’s session!

One of my favorite things to do is get photos of families on their front steps. Often times, this is the first home, and makes a special keepsake to document the new family in front of the new home.

John :: Massachusetts At-Home Newborn Photography

Hey friends! We’ve made it to that “mid-summer” point and we are in the midst of a mega heat wave. I am grateful to have an excuse to stay inside in the air conditioning and get a bunch of work done this week. As of tomorrow, we’ll be away for a little over a week in Massachusetts. Lil will be going to baseball camp with my brother, we’re going to spend time with family, swim in my parents pool and eat a lot of ice cream!

at-home newborn photography

I had the joy of photographing Ros and Matt’s little guy back in March. He arrived two weeks “past due”, which is basically an eternity in a pregnant woman’s life, and mom and dad were so happy to finally have him in their arms.

When I arrived at their home in Massachusetts, I was surprised and delighted to see one of my favorite wedding photos I’ve taken in a large canvas on their mantle. Sometimes it surprises me to see photos I’ve taken in people’s homes, but it really just tells me that these photos mean so much to them and that what we photographers do, matters.

By the way, happy five year anniversary, you two!

John was a sweet, sleepy and snuggly little baby, and I set up in their dining room for the soft light that was coming in that side of their house. We shot a series of cozy baby portraits, and then went up to Ros and Matt’s room to take some relaxed family photos of them holding, kissing and loving on their little guy. We used a mix of the wraps and blankets that I bring with me in my little traveling studio along with a gorgeous handmade blanket by Ros’ best friend Liz, and some of their favorite swaddles to make his photos a bit more personalized.

Here are some favorites from their at-home newborn session.