Branding Portraits: Showcasing Local Businesses and Supporting Idaho’s Economy

This blog is part 3 in a series highlighting a major project that involved capturing branding portraits for Boise and Meridian City Lifestyle Magazines. I was honored to photograph 21 women in business for the Mother’s Day edition, which required an intense two weeks of coordinating tight schedules and sessions.

The Importance of Branding Portraits

Branding headshots play a crucial role in showcasing professionals and their businesses. Whether you’re running a small business or a large organization, your headshot is often the first impression you make. A well-crafted branding portrait is essential in telling your story, reflecting your personality, and presenting a professional image to your audience.

Featuring Jennifer Mauk of Buy Idaho

As part of this project, I had the opportunity to photograph Jennifer Mauk, the Executive Director of Buy Idaho, an organization dedicated to promoting Idaho businesses to Idahoans. Their mission is to keep business dollars circulating within the state, supporting local companies and strengthening our economy.

When I arrived at Buy Idaho’s showroom, located in a charming building on 6th Street in Boise, I immediately saw the potential for a unique branding portrait. The south wall of the showroom, filled with local products displayed on shelves and crates, provided the perfect backdrop. After adjusting the space for a clean, finished look, I positioned Jennifer in front of the display. Her outfit was the perfect choice, drawing attention to her while keeping the focus on her role and the branding headshot.

The lighting was simple yet effective, with a single light source from the right. The combination of the showroom and Jennifer’s professional presence created a branding portrait that truly captured the essence of Buy Idaho’s mission.

Discovering Local Idaho Products

A visit to Buy Idaho’s showroom is an eye-opener to the wide array of local products and services our state offers. Idaho is about much more than just potatoes! From wines and craft beers to local art, books, and apparel, there’s so much to explore. Just browsing their vendor list reveals the incredible diversity and quality of businesses based right here in Idaho.

Supporting Local with Branding Headshots

At our studio, we’re passionate about supporting local businesses because we are one ourselves. We believe that money spent on local businesses has a direct impact on the local economy.  It helps business owners feed their families, pay their mortgages, and provide jobs to the community. When you invest in branding headshots, you not only elevate your professional image but also contribute to Idaho’s local economy.

Branding headshots, family portraits, and high school senior portraits are our way of contributing to the community we love. By working together, we can all support the vision of Buy Idaho and ensure that Idaho continues to prosper.

A Cover-Worthy Moment

I’m proud to share that this portrait of Jennifer Mauk made the cover of Meridian City Lifestyle Magazine May edition. It was an honor to be part of this project, showcasing local businesses and their impact through the power of branding headshots.

If you’re ready to elevate your professional image with a branding headshot, let’s connect!

 

Phil White M.Photog, Cr, CPP

Phil is part owner of CsiPhotoDesign at the 8th Street Studio in downtown Boise, Idaho.  He specializes in business portraits, high school senior portraits, and vintage/modern fusion portraits.  He can be contacted at 208-331-2287 or email info@csiphotodesign.com

 

 

 

Meg Glasgow of Finer Frames of Eagle, Idaho

This is part 2 of our series. As mentioned in part 1, we were commissioned to create a branding portrait of several businesswomen in the Boise/Meridian/Eagle area for the Mother’s Day edition of Boise and Meridian City Lifestyle magazine. Today, I’m featuring Meg Glasgow of Finer Frames in downtown Eagle, Idaho.

Before my arrival, Meg and I discussed potential locations within her shop for the portrait. We looked at areas showcasing her frame and mat selections, framing equipment, and various framed art pieces on the wall. There were many great options, but I chose to focus on the frame display. The colorful, repeating pattern perfectly represents Finer Frames’ core business—creating beautiful presentations of beautiful artwork.

The Setup

With a short timeline, I needed to work quickly. I carefully controlled the lighting on the reflective silver and gold frames specifically to preserve the color and texture of the sample frames.

We moved out any unnecessary items that didn’t contribute to the image. I positioned Meg between the mat display and the main counter. Her pose and relaxed body language reflect her confidence in her craft and pride in her business. For a branding portrait, those elements are key because, in this marketplace, images speak louder than words.

Meg is featured in the May 2024 edition of both Meridian and Boise City Lifestyle Magazines as part of the Mother’s Day edition.

Phil White M.Photog, Cr, CPP

Phil is part owner of CsiPhotoDesign at the 8th Street Studio in downtown Boise, Idaho.  He specializes in business portraits, high school senior portraits, and vintage/modern fusion portraits.  He can be contacted at 208-331-2287 or email info@csiphotodesign.com

This spring, I had the exciting opportunity to work on a unique series of branding portraits for a local magazine.

The Project

I was tasked with photographing a group of inspiring women for the Mother’s Day edition of Boise City Lifestyle magazine. The goal was to capture each woman in a setting that reflected her business, along with a portrait that highlighted her personality. With the editorial deadline just two weeks away, I jumped into action, quickly scheduling sessions.

The Logistics

As appointments filled up, I realized I had just 30 minutes with each person. To maximize my time, I carefully planned my route between locations. By the end of the first day, I found my rhythm. Over the next seven business days, I completed 21 sessions. Each day, I handed the day’s work to Kelly Zimmerman for culling and retouching while also staying on top of any last-minute changes to my already-packed schedule. Fortunately, everything came together smoothly. The magazine reported that the women I worked with were thrilled with the experience and loved the preview shots.

In June, I’ll take on a similar project for the Father’s Day edition.

In the next few blog posts, I’ll share some of the branding portraits and the stories behind them. Each woman I met was proud of her accomplishments and excited to be part of this project.

April Florczyk of 208 Market Real Estate

Today, I’m featuring April Florczyk from 208 Market Real Estate in Boise, Idaho. When I spoke with April, she knew exactly what she wanted. As a specialist in view homes in the Boise Foothills, she had the perfect spot in mind and gave me the address.

On the day of the shoot, I followed Google Maps up a series of winding roads to a stunning home perched on a steep hill. When I arrived, the view took my breath away. Instead of looking up at the mountains, I was almost level with them, with the city of Boise sprawling below and the Owyhee Mountains in the distance. April’s choice of location was spot-on.

The photoshoot

Upon arrival, I met the homeowner, a friend of April’s, and we discussed how to best capture the scene. The home’s large windows framed the incredible view, but the challenge was balancing the indoor and outdoor lighting. To solve this, I used a strobe unit to ensure April was well-lit while preserving the view.

After carefully balancing the lights, I adjusted the exposure to capture the natural light streaming through the windows. Kelly then merged the images in post-production, resulting in a well-balanced portrait that perfectly captures April and her work.

April’s confident yet approachable pose and expression were ideal for a realtor who specializes in high-end view homes.

Her portrait appeared on both the cover and inside the May edition of *Boise City Lifestyle* magazine, as well as in the *Meridian City Lifestyle* magazine of the same month.

Phil White M.Photog., Cr., CPP, I.P.A.-E

Phil is the part owner of The 8th Street Studio, home of CsiPhotoDesign and Cherished Images in Boise, Idaho.  To contact Phil, call 208-331-2287 or email him at info@csiphotodesign.com.

 

For more information on how CsiPhotoDesign can help you with your branding portraits, call the studio at 208-331-2287, or fill out the form below.

 

 

Can a professional business portrait help get you some attention in your career or business? I believe so because many of our clients have reported back what a new business portrait has done for them.  A well-crafted business portrait not only helps convey trust in and what they do, and it also conveys important messages to a prospective client or employer.  I want to give you 3 easy steps to getting the most out of your business headshot.

1.  Hire a Professional Photographer

Of course, we’re going to recommend this, and here’s why:  A professional will ask you questions about your career, and what sets you apart from others in your profession. They’re going to talk about branding, be your business or branding of the company you work for and plan how that is styled into your portrait.  They’ll talk with you about your overall look, be it confident, approachable, or something in between.  Finally, they will help advise you on what to wear to help pull it all together.

A professional is going to work with you in the areas it’s hard to do yourself.  They are experts in posing and lighting for the best possible look.  A professional photographer will work to create an authentic expression that is genuine and real and afterward can retouch the portrait to perfection.  There is a lot to consider and professional photographers make this whole process easy!

2.  Post and Promote your new business portrait

This is the key to getting the most from your new business portrait, post, and promote it!  You don’t have to do anything crazy here, but put it out to LinkedIn, Facebook, etc… and simply say, “Here’s my new business portrait!” and watch what happens!  Over the years we’ve seen several clients post their new headshot and excitement over it seems to follow, and sometimes new business too.  No guarantees on the response, but the likelihood that people will notice goes up tremendously when you release a new headshot.  It’s an easy way to cultivate your 15 minutes (or more) of fame and, more importantly, show the world that you are serious about what you do for a living!  Serious enough to get a professional business portrait.

3.  Update your headshot often

Have you encountered someone who is using an old business headshot?  We see it all the time.  Perhaps they like their portrait from 20 years ago,  perhaps they just haven’t made time for it, maybe they don’t see the need for it…  Whatever the reason, the portrait eventually becomes less relevant to who they are today.  It is important to consider that we are trying to cultivate trust with our prospective clients and associates.  Your portrait needs to be an expression of who you are…now!  That portrait will be what future business prospects will use to find you at the next networking event and it needs to look like YOU!  In short, it is important to be authentic in your business and professional life.

With good posing, lighting, and retouching, a professional can and will bring out your very best…making you look like you on your very best day!  With all this in mind, it’s a great idea to update your business portrait every two years.

A well-crafted business portrait is an important tool in our marketing tool chest. It helps build trust, helps you stand out from the crowd, and helps provide that necessary branding statement you want your clients to know.  A professional photographer makes this whole process easy!  For more information and more samples, go to our Business Headshot page or simply book your session now!  For any questions, give us a call at the studio, at 208-331-2287

Phil White M.Photog, CPP

Phil White is the Managing Partner and part-owner of CsiPhotoDesign at the 8th Street Studio.  He can be reached at info@csiphotodesign.com or 208-331-2287