Creating Authentic Branding Photos for a Boise Counselor

One of my favorite things about branding photography is getting to know the people I photograph and figuring out how to create images that genuinely represent who they are.

I recently had the opportunity to work with Blaine, a counselor in Boise who is building his own practice. We wanted to create a collection of images that felt calm, grounded, professional, trustworthy, and authentic to who he is.

What I loved about this photoshoot was how much variety we were able to create. We photographed Blaine in several locations around Boise, incorporated some of his favorite activities, and even included his dog Wally.

It was a great reminder that professional branding photos don't have to be limited to traditional headshots. They can tell a much bigger story about the person behind the business.

Here’s Blaine’s bio so you can know a bit more about him and the work that he does:

Blaine Reilly, PhD, LCPC is a licensed clinical professional counselor and the founder of Compacity Counseling in Boise, ID. Drawing from a background in counselor education and specialized training in Somatic Experiencing®, Blaine offers relational, body-centered therapy for adults navigating Complex PTSD, trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, addiction, and major life transitions. His practice focuses on helping clients build nervous system capacity and healing at a safe, collaborative pace. You can learn more about his in-person Boise practice at compacitycounseling.com. When he is not working, you can find him relaxing at a coffee shop or running around the city and foothills with his companion, Wally. 

Here’s a few photos from his photoshoot, and I’ll run through the photoshoot and process behind it more fully below.

Planning a Branding Photoshoot for a Boise Counselor

Every branding photoshoot I do starts with a planning and pre-production process. Before we ever pick up a camera, I want to understand who my client is, what they're building, and how they want people to feel when they interact with their brand.

For Blaine, we wanted the photographs to communicate a sense of calm, professionalism, and trust while still feeling approachable and authentic.

As a counselor building his own practice, having photographs that help potential clients get to know and trust him is especially valuable. When someone is considering working with a counselor, they're not just evaluating services. They're also trying to get a sense of the person they'll be spending time with.

That made it important to create images that represented Blaine as both a professional and a real authentic person.

Rather than planning one location and a handful of portraits, we built a much more comprehensive photoshoot that would give him a wide variety of photographs to use throughout his brand.

We also brought in a model (one of Blaine’s friends) to fill the role of a client and show what an actual session with Blaine looks like.

Choosing the Best Boise Locations for Branding Photography

One of the things I love about photographing in Boise is how much variety we have available within a relatively small area.

For Blaine's photoshoot, we photographed at Central Rim, Table Rock, Boise Urban Studio, Freak Alley and several locations around downtown Boise.

Each location gave us something different to work with, which helped create a collection of images with a lot of variety while still maintaining a consistent feel.

Something I especially appreciated about this photoshoot was that Blaine brought some fantastic location ideas of his own.

As a photographer, I sometimes feel like I need to know every great location and have all the answers. But this was a wonderful reminder that the best results often come from collaborating with my clients.

Blaine introduced me to a couple of locations I hadn't photographed at before, and I ended up loving them so much that I've already used them on other photoshoots.

I always want my clients to feel like they're part of the creative process, and this was such a great example of why that matters.

Creating Authentic Lifestyle Branding Photos

One of my goals with branding photography is to create photographs that show more than just what someone looks like professionally.

I want the images to give people a sense of who that person actually is.

For Blaine, that meant incorporating some of the things he enjoys outside of his counseling practice.

We photographed him mountain biking, running, and spending time with his dog.

I love including these kinds of activities in branding photoshoots because they add another dimension to someone's personal brand.

For a counselor, especially, I think there's real value in allowing potential clients to see a little more of the person behind the practice.

Of course, professional portraits are important. But photographs that show someone's interests and personality can help them feel more relatable and approachable.

And the best part is that these weren't activities we invented for the photoshoot. They were genuine parts of Blaine's life which is what I’m always looking for when creating authentic branding photography.

Building a Versatile Library of Personal Branding Photography

One of the biggest benefits of planning a comprehensive branding photoshoot is the amount of variety we can create.

Instead of ending up with a collection of photographs that all look relatively similar, my goal is to give clients a library of images they can pull from for their website, social media, marketing materials, and other content.

With Blaine, we were able to combine professional portraits, natural light outdoor photographs, lifestyle images, and photographs of him enjoying activities that are meaningful to him.

By incorporating multiple locations and different types of scenes, we created a collection that could serve a variety of purposes while still feeling connected to his overall brand.

I think this is especially valuable for business owners who are building their online presence. Having a strong library of photographs makes it so much easier to share different aspects of your work and personality without constantly needing new photos.

And personally, I love the creative challenge of making all of those different images feel like they belong together.

Branding Photography That Feels Like You

I really enjoyed working with Blaine on this photoshoot, and I especially appreciated how collaborative the entire experience was.

From the locations he suggested to the activities we incorporated, the photoshoot was built around who he actually is.

That's ultimately what I want for every branding client I work with.

I don't want to create a collection of images that simply looks professional. I want to create photographs that help people communicate who they are, what matters to them, and what it might feel like to work with them.

Blaine's photoshoot was a great example of how much we can accomplish when we take the time to plan thoughtfully and create images that feel authentic.

If you're building a business or personal brand in Boise and are looking for branding photography that genuinely represents you, I'd love to help.

Reach out and let's start a conversation about what we could create together.