Today I’m joined by Camila Maria Cardozo, a brand photographer and videographer for conscious entrepreneurs. We’ve actually worked a few photoshoots together, so this conversation is a really fun mind meld. 

If you’re a service provider who is thinking of having a photoshoot done soon, this episode is for you! Maybe you’ve had your photos taken in the past and it felt like you were just going with the crowd. Or maybe it would be your first big photoshoot ever! We’re walking through all of our hot takes about what it takes to create brand visuals that support you as your visibility grows. 

You’ll also get a bit of a behind the scenes look into what goes into our hiring decisions. Because, while I often talk about attracting cold leads, I think it’s important to observe ourselves as we’re buying from other people.

By asking yourself: What did it take for me to sign on the most recent team member? How did I know I could trust this person? What role did their visuals play in influencing my decision? You can start to understand your buyers thought process. For me and Camila, a strong visual presense conveys an alignment of certain values and shows that priorities might be in line. When things look too DIY? It raises the red flag.

The Importance of Knowing Your Signature Processes Before a Rebrand

Jasmine: We’ve worked together on two shoots in person. It was a full scope with photos, videos, a whole campaign. It was so creative and I loved it! 

What do you feel like the difference is between doing brand photo and video for people who are very clear on their brand and people who don’t have that clarity? 

Camila: Oh, I love that question. I think if you have experience in your business and you already have your own methodologies and signature processes – that makes it easier to create content. Because you can create content that makes sense for your brand and your brand only.  

And that’s how you differentiate from the brand shoots that are just headshots. Or of course, the dreaded laptop and a cute outfit that we’ve seen a hundred times! Knowing your unique processes in the business itself just makes it easy to stand out. 

Full Brand Shoots VS. Headshots and Mini Shoots

Jasmine: Yeah, and the results can be so different because you get to experiment and play more. I think that’s what I loved about working with you. Even when I first saw your portfolio, I was like, “there’s potential for this to be really creative.” 

So I have some opinions on what makes up a brand photo shoot versus a headshot. So let’s get into that – because some people think a brand photo shoot is so much work. And they’re out here doing these one hour mini shoots and just getting like a handful of headshots. Then, they’re wondering why their photos don’t last or they’re repeating the same photos on social. What’s your take on that? 

Camila: A headshot is literally just who’s behind the business. It serves a different purpose. If you get publications or something, and they need a photo of you, that’s what you would give them. It’s literally like a passport photo. 

But when I think of a brand shoot, it’s images that tell the story of your brand. They make everything more experiential. For example, a client of mine who is a nervous system coach does somatic work, which basically comprises shaking off emotions before each session. And that’s something that’s so unique to that person’s work. 

So we incorporated super experiential blurry photos that showed movement and kind of invoked that moment. Those photos make sense for her brand. And they wouldn’t make sense for my brand. That’s how you become an outlier. That’s how you stand out.

That’s why it’s important to know what your business’s unique rituals and processes are when you go into the photoshoot. 

Jasmine: Definitely. And the one hour shoots are just notoriously not enough time. I’ve seen clients of mine do a mini-shoot because they didn’t think they were ready for a full brand shoot. But it goes by so fast and you don’t get nearly enough, especially if you’re new to brand shoots.

You’re taking a second to warm up in front of the camera, get your poses, figure out what angle you’re into, and next thing you know – the shoot is over. 

A brand shoot is more about translating the story of your brand through visuals. For us, the way I approach that creative element is by asking, “how can I translate the story in a way that’s not super literal?” Because we want to avoid obvious interpretations that are super overdone. For example, just because you want to be approachable doesn’t mean you need to smile in every photo and pose with balloons. 

Ask yourself: 

what does approachable look like for you? 

What does luxury look like for you? 

What do those adjectives mean to you, and how can we express them in a different way? 

Showing Up In an Elevated Image Gives Your Clients Permission to Upgrade

When that is done well, you don’t need a lot of design to make it look better. I think images can be such a huge part of a website or social media with little design involved when there’s such a strong imagery present. And sometimes, this requires you to show up in a way that’s different from your day to day. Because we’re not just trying to be relatable. We’re trying to make sure you’re embodying your brand values. 

So if “luxury” is a brand value, you may be in full glam. And that doesn’t mean you’re being inauthentic if you usually wear sweatpants in your day to day work from home routine! It just means you’re connecting to a different part of yourself and letting that really shine. 

Camila: I love that perspective. Like, “this is the energy I want to bring up.” This is your storefront, so you want that to invoke levels of imagination and possibility that might not be present on a random, mundane day. 

Jasmine: There are so many instances where people tell my clients, “I feel like I want to be this person because you paved the way. And you showed up that way yourself. I have permission.” And I think what people don’t realize is that it takes the same amount of effort to do a cookie cutter shoot! You’re just seeing less return. You’re still booking the studio, booking the photographer, spending time on the shoot itself, and more. 

The Downfalls of DIY Design

Camila: When I see people that don’t invest time in polishing how they present, it’s a red flag for me. All I think is, “is your business a well-oiled machine? Am I going to get the result that you’re promising me? Or are you just a hot mess on the back end?

When I hired the person who did my design work back in 2020, they popped up as a paid ad. It looked like a storefront, even though she was a solopreneur. I didn’t perceive it like that. And I had such a great experience with that person!

 I struggle to take someone who is doing it all DIY seriously. It makes me think “you’re not dreaming as big.” Even if that’s not true, that’s how I perceive it. So when I see an online presence that is scrappy, abandoned, or careless, it tells me we don’t have aligned values. 

Camila: I have purchased from people with scrappy branding, but I felt like I was self-abandoning in doing so. It felt like minimal effort and minimal risk. But typically, I prefer to invest in someone that is clearly putting in the effort and that makes the risk of buying from them feel like something I can take.  

Jasmine: Even before I made the money that I do now in my business, I’ve always valued a good presentation. If you don’t care about how you bring me in, it’s not a good sign that you’ll take care of me once I buy in. 

Thought leadership is also huge for me. I will practically wait for business owners to say something that I’ve never heard another professional in their line of work say before. It’s so different when you’re immediately attracting someone who’s impressed by you and their standards are continuing to be raised.

Camila: Yes, I think it’s so important to learn how to serve different audiences. You don’t need to be relatable all the time. It’s going to make it so much harder to pull in cold leads to stay in that space. 

Jasmine: I think people are afraid that less relatability will ruin their sense of community. But I think that’s where expressing your brand values through visuals comes in. Have you had clients that feel beholden to expressing themselves in a certain way that might have been holding them back? 

The Brand Grows When You Grow

Camila: Yeah, I had a client that was serving men mostly. So she felt like her visuals needed to be very Alex Hormozi-esque. And while those types of visuals are super easy to create, they didn’t really feel like they totally aligned with these clients’ desires and the direction she ultimately wanted to go in. So we had to figure out a way to strike a balance. We had to come up with visuals that expanded her potential for women to come into her space without isolating her current clients. 

Your business grows and evolves based on what your people need. So you don’t need to be too worried about abandoning anyone in your audience if you’re moving in alignment with that. 

Jasmine: It all comes back to the intention of your growth. Because say you’re hypothetically losing five people from your audience, but you’re welcoming fifteen more aligned people – I’d say that’s worth it. 

Because if you’re, let’s say losing five people from your audience, but you’re welcoming 15 more that are a lot more aligned and a lot more passionate about what you do and will invest and are your like biggest fans compared to the five who were like, yeah, she’s cool. Is, is that to me, I’m like, that’s so worth it.

Jasmine: And I think this is why it’s like a marketing strategy, you know, when people are saying like, Oh, if you want to grow on social, you know, start with being known for this one thing, but eventually you have to expand. Now, I’m seeing so many people who are getting burnt out with social media and I think that’s a symptom of this problem. 

Camila: The brand grows when you grow. You are the foundation of the growth of the brand, not the other way around. So, as you grow and evolve, you may lose some people. But when you live in your authenticity and stay true to you, you will have the potency and power to attract aligned people. 

Boundaries Around Making Content

Getting burnt out on social media is a boundary problem. We have to get comfortable posting and logging off of social media. I’ve picked up this habit, and it’s radically changed my relationship with social media. What do you think?

Jasmine: I think boundaries is a huge part of it. Because without them, we get too overstimulated to access our creativity. Sometimes, we’re spending too much time looking at what other people are posting, what the trends are, who is in our DMs, and all of that to hear our own thoughts.  

We have to ask, where can I be creative? What have I seen that I want to feel inspired by? What did I see while I was scrolling? We really need that time to integrate all the information we’re taking in.

Camila: Absolutely. And so much breathing room and creative liberty comes from breaking the rules that are being shoved down our throats all the time. Take Risa Tisa for example. Her “Who The F Did I Marry” series went totally viral and gained her so many followers and it went against so many of the best practices you learn when you’re going down the social media growth rabbit hole. 

A Brand Photoshoot Trend Breakdown

Jasmine: Yes! Speaking of trends, what are some trends you’ve seen with these photoshoots? Are people asking for certain things that you wish we could move away from? 

Camila: Okay. Hot takes, let’s do this. Disco balls – they’re so 2022. It’s getting old. Same goes for newspapers – unless it’s really tied into a brand story or theme. With the heels and blazer, we’ve all done it (I’m calling myself out here, too). Anything that’s been on Pinterest forever. Let’s try to dig a little bit deeper. 

Specifically, for the niche of conscious business owners I work with – sound bowl photos have been huge lately. And while they’re super cute, they’re veering into overdone territory. 

Jasmine: That’s a great point that every niche has its own trends. The newspaper and disco balls might be more business coach-y while the sound bowls might be more popular among wellness coaches. 

I think color is making a comeback. People are definitely trying to move away from neutrals. And we’re getting more branded stock imagery for all our clients. It just makes content creation so seamless and on brand. 

Camila: I’m all about it. It creates so much trust because they tell a lifestyle story that can be congruent with your website and socials.  

Jasmine: And you can experiment with the design of it! You can pair it with other marketing material and I think it breaks apart the narrative while adding to the overall story. And I think this is why people are committing to longer shooter times. You really want to make sure you’ve made time for those detail shots that just help create the world you’re asking your audience to live in. 

Why It’s Time to Take Creative Risks

Jasmine: What’s your biggest piece of for someone who feels like they’re ready to take more creative risks and be more visible in their business? 

Camila: You’re really going to like yourself on the other side of the risky thing you’re thinking about doing. You can sit in that wishy-washy energy for as long as you want, but once you’re over the hump and on the other side, it’s such an identity shift. You’d be surprised how much your business can survive and thrive because of it. What advice do you have? 

Jasmine: However difficult, like your business feels right now, content, showing up, marketing – it’s feels sticky because you’re not operating in your truest form. Every time we’ve had a client rebrand, it’s almost like a weight has been lifted. I have freedom. I have flexibility. I have creative options. I have new ideas. Whatever you’re doing right now, believe it or not, is harder than it will be on the other side. 

Connect with Camila

Connect with Camila: 

• Website
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• Stream Speak Your Truth and Look Good Doing It