Warm, Authentic Personal Brand Photos and Headshots for Musician Erin

While I mostly photograph boudoir sessions in my studio, it’s also a lovely place for personal branding photos and headshots, so when Erin reached out to me to capture some photos for her work as a musician and teacher I was excited to help her create her vision.

I don’t love the rushed feel of traditional headshot portrait sessions, so when I plan a personal branding session I draw from the aspects of my boudoir work that I love: we take our time, I get to know you and, because you’re a bit more relaxed and comfortable, the portraits feel authentic and natural.

Before our session, I had a chat with Erin so we could talk about her work, where she needs to use these photos and what aspects of her personality and brand she wants to represent. Together we were inspired to create approachable looks for her work as a teacher, as well as creative, professional images for use in music programs when she’s performing.

Overall we were drawn to interesting compositions and warm, joyful portraits where Erin’s personality shone through.

I love all of these portraits.

Often people think that headshots and professional photos should be very basic: plain black or white clothing, neutral poses. Erin’s photos show that nothing could be further from the truth. These photos are warm and friendly while capturing the professional competence and artistry that’s so core to Erin’s brand.

Fun aside: this amazing green dress is a vintage piece that belonged to Erin’s grandmother! I love how it’s creative and unique but doesn’t distract from Erin.

Here’s what Erin had to say about her brand photo experience:

“It was the most relaxed, affirming experience. I never felt rushed, and Alyssa made it feel like we were creating art together. She gave plenty of guidance in terms of poses, faces, etc. She also gave lots of words of affirmation (which I needed!). When I saw the photos, I was amazed, and a little surprised--some of the portraits were angles of me that I'd never seen before, while others felt very much like "me." I was really happy to have this sort of evidence that I could be beautiful to go back to even on days when I'm feeling less than perfect.”

Dearest Erin! Thank you for trusting me with your brand and your passion as an artist and a teacher. I so enjoyed collaborating with you on these portraits and I’m so excited to follow your creative adventures and see where music takes you next!