Aesthetic Photoshoot Ideas for Female Entrepreneurs

I’m not sure when ‘aesthetic’ became a buzzword, but I am confident in the fact that it’s still going strong. Having an aesthetic presence is important to so many businesses, especially businesses that operate mostly online. Choosing a strong aesthetic – and sticking with it – allows your brand to become recognizable and memorable in a sea of competition.

Developing your own aesthetic as an entrepreneur can be fun, and a bit overwhelming. As a personal brand photographer, I see a lot of my clients struggle to pick a direction. In this blog, we’re going to tackle this concept head on and I’m going to propose aesthetic photoshoot ideas for your personal brand that is vibey, easy to execute, and has an editorial edge (because that’s my style as a photographer.)

WHAT DOES AESTHETIC ACTUALLY MEAN?

We hear ‘aesthetic’ and we think that means something looks good, but it’s so much more than that. 

Aesthetic means something has a distinct style or feeling that creates a recognizable mood or identity.

When it comes to your personal brand, having an aesthetic means your photos, videos, graphic design, etc. feel cohesive and consistent. It can be felt and recognized by your ideal client.

You can see how this is so important when we’re running our business online. There are a million others who offer something similar to us, but having a distinct aesthetic allows us to cut through the clutter.

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRENDS AND AESTHETIC?

Short answer: YES. 

This is a hill I will die on time and time again: do not build your entire brand around what’s trendy right now. Trends change while aesthetic – and your brand – are meant to have longevity. It will evolve, but what’s at the core will remain. 

Let me give you an example: creating a trendy brand might look like heading over to Pinterest and copying whatever shows up there. You’ll see a lot of white and bright studios, laptops, coffee mugs, etc.

And I want to throw in a disclaimer that creating a brand like this is 100% ok if that’s what your brand is actually about and if this relays your values and resonates with your clients. The thing is, it doesn’t for many people; they do it just because that’s what everyone else is doing.

How you discover your real aesthetic and branding is by going deeper. Asking yourself questions like: “what do I bring to the table in my business (that no one else can)?” and “what do I want my audience to feel when landing on my content?” I have a whole questionnaire in my personal brand photography packages that will help you uncover this.

When you answer these questions, very specific words and phrases will pop up. Words like excitement, joy, peace, passion, edginess, boldness, etc. It’s these words that become your aesthetic, and everything you create becomes a way to showcase these words and feelings.

My photography brand is edgy, creative, passionate, and hell bent on taking big action. This is the foundation on which I create my visuals. And this can encompass many different locations, props, outfits, etc. as long as they invoke these feelings. 

AESTHETIC PHOTOSHOOT IDEAS

Now we get into the fun part. Since aesthetics are highly individualized to the brand, these aren’t one-size-fits-all ideas. These aesthetic photoshoot ideas are meant to serve as examples based on words/feelings you might uncover in your brand discovery process.

IF YOU WANT YOUR BRAND TO FEEL ROOTED IN LEADERSHIP, TRANSFORMATION, IMPACT

This one is a fantastic fit for a lot of online coaches because they want to be positioned as the expert guide for their clients. 

The aesthetic is simple and impactful. It’s doing a shoot on a backdrop in your brand colours and having clean editorial lighting to make you, as the subject, POP. 

Pair these photos with bold fonts, transformation stories from your clients, and you have an aesthetic that screams impact and transformation with you leading it all.

IF YOU WANT YOUR BRAND TO FEEL HIGH-END, EDITORIAL, EXPRESSIVE

This aesthetic photoshoot idea is a great option for any brand or personal brand that wants to be known as high-end and have an elevated – and a kind of ‘pushing the envelope’ of what’s possible feel.

It’s all about crafting an editorial photoshoot, so something that feels stylized and extremely put together.

For my client Steph, this looked like committing to a sort of 90s Vogue aesthetic. I made sure the location, lighting, outfits, props, etc. felt like we were producing a magazine spread instead of a personal brand photoshoot.

IF YOU WANT YOUR BRAND TO FEEL FRIENDLY, PLAYFUL, AND ROOTED IN COMMUNITY

This is a really fun one for realtors and local service-based businesses. This aesthetic takes us out of the studio and is playful with different locations and lighting set-ups.

An important thing to point out is that having an aesthetic doesn’t mean you commit to one location or one type of lighting or editing style. It means that whatever location, lighting or editing you choose matches your brand themes.

For Matalyn’s shoot, I used natural lighting and direct flash because both felt playful and represented her brand. 

What was the most important element of Matalyn’s aesthetic were the locations. She wanted her clients to feel that she was like their local bestie, someone who knows all the best local spots. So for her shoot, we used a few local businesses as our back-drops.

Each personal brand will have an element that becomes the most important to emphasize. For realtors, it’s probably location. For online business coaches, it might be colour or lighting. Not all elements of your personal brand photoshoot need to be groundbreaking – it’s about finding what will be the most impactful for your business and resonate the most with your clients.

These are a few examples to get you thinking but I highly recommend thinking about how you want your brand to feel. This is the best place to start, and then you craft an aesthetic around that.

If you want help diving into your specific brand themes, this is exactly what I do! My Next Level Brand Photography Package includes a questionnaire that will uncover what your brand needs to feel like to have that undeniable aesthetic and move your people.

I serve female entrepreneurs in Toronto and all surrounding areas. So if you’re ready to make that next move – whether it’s launching a podcast, course, or revamping your website – and want to craft an aesthetic that’s truly your own, let’s chat!