If you are a REALTOR, this article will teach you everything you need to know about building a powerful personal brand online. The number one tool we are going to focus here is photography. I am including an in-depth explanation of what headshots are and how they are different from a branding photoshoot. On top of that, I give you a step-by-step guide to your own REALTOR personal branding photoshoot and what to pay attention to. Lastly, I give you some visual ideas of the photos I created for my client who is a real estate agent. I hope that this article serves as inspiration to move you up the success ladder in your business!

headshots vs personal branding photoshoot

Do I need headshots or a personal branding photoshoot as a REALTOR? What’s the difference between the two?

Headshots are elaborate professional portraits usually taken in a studio environment. I have a friend, her name is Annette, and she creates formulaic, perfect portraits in her studio. Annette Meyer is German, so you know the headshots she takes will be exact and perfect.

If you book a headshot session in a studio, you can expect a few headshot portraits and full-body images created in a studio. You can remove the background in these photos and use them as overlays on your Open House announcements, and other social media and email promos.

A personal branding photoshoot is usually done on location: at a listing you’ve secured for that purpose, or a friend’s house, or outdoors. A skilled branding photographer will most likely create headshots for you during your session. These headshots can be as perfect as the ones taken in a studio. You can still remove the background in a these photos using Canva and use them for your marketing.

In addition to that, a personal branding photoshoot is a chance to see you in “staged” action. These can be shots of you:

preparing for an Open House
hosting an Open House
doing a buyer consultation or a listing presentation
working in your home office or on the go.

These types of photos are sometimes called lifestyle photos. They are an idealized representation of reality. The purpose of these photos is to convey what you are about visually. The goal is for people who follow you on social media to get to know you and forever plant a seed in their head that you are a REALTOR.

Now that we’ve cleared away the difference between headshots and a personal branding photography session, let’s map out how to get the most out of it.

How to prepare for your real estate personal branding photoshoot

I always tell my clients, a lot goes into preparation for a personal branding photoshoot, but it pays off. The better you prepare, the more you can get out of your photography investment.

Here are the things to consider before your personal branding session. I will use my client Brooke as an example. This way you can see the process every step of the way and enjoy the final images we created (and see if they would work for your REALTOR brand?)

prepare the outfits that communicate your brand’s aspirational identity

Choose anywhere from 3 to 7 outfits, depending on the length of your session and your photographer’s recommendation. Chances are, you won’t use all of them, but it’s good to have options. It is better to have quality images in different outfits so your photos don’t look like they were all taken on the same day.

Make sure your clothes are wrinkle free and clean before the photoshoot. Trust me, you can’t afford to “remove it in Photoshop later” because you will be charge extra for that. And you don’t want the energy of sloppiness going into your shoot. We are all about excellence and attention to detail, right?

My client Brooke prepared 5 outfits for her branding session, you can see them in these photos we created for her:

Brooke’s desire was to tap more deeply into the luxury market. In order to appeal to her ideal customer, she had to dress the part. Having a exquisite style and lots of options in her wardrobe, she narrowed it down to these five outfits. She had a vision for a red pantsuit and she purchased it for the photoshoot!

When choosing outfits, aim for a good mix of formal/professional and more casual options.

If you don’t have enough options in your closet (that is the story of my life, so I HEAR YOU!), remember, that you can ask a friend to help you choose outfits, go shopping with you, or hire a professional stylist. A stylist is an additional expense but if you are aiming for success, you’ve got to dress for the part. And it is amazing how we FEEL different, and perceive ourselves differently depending on what we are wearing, have you noticed that?

I ALWAYS ask clients to send me photos of their outfits before the photoshoot. It helps me visualize their photos, imagine against which backdrop the outfit will work best, and what personality trait it will help to bring out. Some colors and patterns may work better, that’s why I always want to see what the client chooses so I can help them pick the best outfits that will make them shine.

choose the right location

My client Brooke asked her former clients if they would allow us to use their property. We came in, photographed, and were out of there in one hour. The house was absolutely gorgeous and absolutely PERFECT for Brooke’s brand. And it made my job as a photographer super easy because every corner of the house was picture perfect and I caught such a high photographing there.

In addition to photographing indoors, we took some photos outside, by the pool.

Ideally, I would have loved to photograph my client somewhere in the city in a coffee shop, or doing something that she loves, maybe going for a walk on the beach, or reading a book. These types of photos visually tell your audience what your interests are and help build rapport. In Brooke’s case, we had only one hour to work with, so we only created images portraying her professional side.

Hair and Makeup for the photoshoot

Clients often ask me if they should have their hair and makeup done for the photoshoot. As a matter of fact, I get this question asked so often, that I filmed a video about it.

The bottom line, you don’t have to hire a professional MUA or get your hair done, but you can if you want. to I usually address this topic in detail during a phone consultation with the client.

Brooke had her hair blow dried in a salon, but makeup came free - she asked a friend to do it. If you don’t normally wear wakeup, watch the video to weigh all the pros and cons of professional makeup and decide if it is the right choice for you.

communicate with your photographer

Personal branding photos are more than just pretty pictures (though they totally are, just look at this goddess!) It is important to have a strategy in mind when creating these photos. When you talk with your photographer, address the following:

will you be using these photos to update your website?
what orientation of photos will you need (websites use a lot of horizontal banners, and a good photographer will create a good mix of vertical and horizontal images)
do you need photos for social media?
do you have specific posts in mind for which you can create images during you session?
what kind of photos will best serve your brand?
who is your target audience? a first-time buyer as opposed to an investment property buyer will have a slightly different feel to brand voice and message.
who is your audience and what do they like? can you include any of the items that resonate with them during your photoshoot as props?
will you be offering/promoting anything in the next six months for which you need photos?

real estate branding Photoshoot props

You might want to bring some props to your photoshoot. It is always easier to pose when you are holding something in your hands. Also, props add more interest to your photos and are fun to play with.

I love to have fresh flowers for branding photoshoots. I brought a bouquet of white flowers to Brooke’s session. We hardly needed them because the house was perfect as is, and we ended up gifting the flowers to the house owner.

Here is a list of props you could include in a REALTOR personal branding photoshoot:

for sale sign
sold sign
open house sign
gigantic key prop
laptop, cell phone, book, journal - things you use for work
champagne and glasses (to celebrate a purchase/sale of a new home)
balloons (to celebrate, alternative to alcohol)
house floor plans

You could also invite a couple of close friends to pose as your buyers/sellers. This way you can stage photos of working with clients, so your audience can see what it feels like to work with you.

Things to bring with you to the photoshoot

outfits
shoes and accessories for each outfit
props
hair brush
makeup to retouch if needed

what to expect the day of the photoshoot

On the day of the photoshoot, you will meet with the photographer at the designated location and work your plan. Your skilled photographer will tell you where you will pose in each outfit and will guide you through the posing process. It is normal to feel slightly intimidated at first, but after about 10 minutes or so, you will get used to the camera pointing at you, most people do. The only advice for this part of the process is to to have fun! It will be over before you know, and it will be so worth it.

what NOT to do with the final photos.

Once you receive your photos from your photographer, you will experience one of two things:

You will be super excited about your photos and will want to share ALL OF THEM on social media right away. Don’t do that!

You will go into a shock from how awesome you are. At this time you realize that it is time to to get vulnerable and start posting. As a result, you freeze and do nothing with your photos. Don’t do that either!

Just like you don’t want to dump all the photos in one post, you don’t want to put them away until your hair color/length/etc changes. Use them! But use them wisely. Remember the strategy we talked about when we prepared for the branding photoshoot?

Use your new photos to:

update your website
update your social media avatars
update your email signature
create social media content

My client Brooke updated her website. She used her new gorgeous photos to completely revamp her website and it makes my heart sing when I see the photos we created on the pages of her website.

Professional photography or phone camera? what’s more relatable, what’s better?

Do you notice how sometimes super polished photos of a friend who always posts perfect photos annoy you? (or is it just me?)

There is an argument that quick photos snapped with your cell phone are better. Some say they are more relatable, tell a better story, help people connect with you better. It may be true.

I have a counter-question for you, however. How often are you HAPPY with the photos your cell phone produces for you? Even if I look in the mirror and think I look good, my cell phone camera somehow fails to capture that. Then the question of better cell phone pictures goes out the window, simply because there are no photos to show!

Having professional photos of yourself taken doesn’t mean your Instagram feed needs to become a perfectly curated photography portfolio. Many of my clients use the photos from their branding session for some posts, while reels, stories and some posts they snap with their phone camera. If you are like me and have a hard time getting a perfect selfie with a cell phone, having professional photos will give you at least a handful of photos you LOVE. That, in turn, means you will be more likely to share them, and thus attract attention to yourself and your brand.

why is it worth investing in professional photos for your real estate business?

Here are 3 reasons to invest into professional brand photography for your real estate business:

First, it is IMPERATIVE to have a few professional images of yourself that you feel proud of. It may be a handful of images you will be using everywhere - on your social media avatar, business card, open house promos, and much more. You are projecting an image of yourself with these photos, and we all know how important first impressions are.

The second reason you want to have PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS of yourself taken because expensive cameras and talented photographers work MAGIC. My camera is magical in that the photos it creates show the soul of the person I photograph. If you add to that my skill in seeing what poses work well for each body type and what images convey powerful emotion, you get double magic.

The third reason you want to have branding photos of yourself done is because SEEING is BELIEVING. It is about you stepping into your IDENTITY of a SUCCESSFUL real estate agent. Many of my clients told me that SEEING themselves as professionals in these photos gave them a huge confidence boost. I know this is something so intangible, but it is the energy, the vibe, the subconscious belief you EMBODY that your clients feel and that helps you sell.

Brooke had an article published about her in the local Atlantic Ave magazine. Do you think she would have had the confidence to have her photo printed on glossy pages that everyone around town would see if she was not proud of how she looked? I doubt it. Does she feel like a total badass because her name, photos and business info is printed in a local publication? You betcha.

Here are a few more images from Brooke’s personal branding photoshoot. It is safe to say that I am obsessed with these photos!

capturing success: a realtor's guide to a personal branding photoshoot