ABOUT HALLE
Hello, I’m Halle.
I’d love to share my story with you about how I got to where I am today. Every step I’ve taken in the past 20 years has led me to this moment. So if you don’t mind (I’ll try to be brief, but fair warning…I’ve been told I can be long-winded) let me tell you a little story…
Back in 2001, I took a chance and became an Entrepreneur and never looked back. My first business was opening a restaurant in Savannah, Georgia. We built it from the ground up and grew it into the hottest spot on the island to grab a great cup of joe and an authentic bagel.
We successfully sold it in 2005 after my life took a dramatic turn and I went from having zero kids to having 3 beautiful girls in 18 short months. Talk about whiplash!! 😉 (For those of you doing the math, I have a set of twins. In fact, I’m a twin, I had twins, my mom had twins, my mom’s sisters are twins, and one of them had twins…family reunions are CRAZY!)
I stayed home with my girls for their first 5 years. From there, I started my second business (an online business), Whole Lifestyle Nutrition. I wanted to create a job for myself where I could work from home so that I could be there for my girls when they came home from school.
I grew Whole Lifestyle Nutrition to 500K monthly unique users and my little business quickly became a full-time job with employees and all! I had to learn a lot about running a successful online business and one of the most important skill sets that I learned to stand apart from others was to provide outstanding photographs for my website, social sites and marketing material.
I studied photography extensively, I self-taught myself how to use my equipment, the styling, the software to transform the image, and everything else in between. I began blogging about photography and quickly landed on page one of Google for my helpful photography tutorials. Photography quickly became a passion and if you haven’t noticed a pattern yet, if I’m passionate about something…I GO FOR IT!
That’s when I decided to turn my photography passion into a business and I opened my third business, Halle Cottis Photography.
My love has always been with entrepreneurs and personal branding. It’s something I’m incredibly good at and have plenty of experience with. I knew I wanted to help others, like me, to explore a unique way to tell their brand’s story through my photography.
Through the years, I’ve helped coaches, photographers, business owners, online entrepreneurs, influencers and real estate agents to take their branding to the next level.
I explain it as creating a visual version of my client’s branding message so that their brand photography draws the clients in and gives them a reason to choose them.
Thank you for coming to my favorite little corner of this place we call the worldwide web. I’m so happy you’re here.
FAQ’s
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I’m a personal branding photographer.
Personal branding photography is a relatively new aspect of visual branding, with savvy business owners jumping on board to take their branding to the next level.
We use high-quality images to tell the story of your brand.
Using photos to market and advertise your brand not only positions you as an expert in your field but it gives your clients and audience a more authentic brand experience.
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A personal branding photography session differs from a typical headshot/portrait session in several ways.
With headshots, the focus is simply you, usually shot from the waist up.
Headshots are incorporated into personal branding sessions, but we don’t stop there. We delve deep into not just who you are visually, but telling the story of what you do and why you do it via detail shots, lifestyle shots, photos of you in action, you with your products, etc.
The possibilities are endless and each session is customized to best reflect the type of business you run and the message you wish to convey about your brand through images.
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You should consider a personal branding session:
If you own any kind of business.
If you are the face of your brand and it is important for people to connect with you.
If you wish to take your business to the next level by stepping up your visual branding.
If you want your ads to look fresh, polished and professional.
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There are lots of factors to consider including the location(s), outfits, branding colors your brand messaging, etc.
Therefore, our pre-shoot experience will be more involved and in depth in the pre-planning stages.
We help you decide how to best translate your brand into images that you can use on social media, your website and in advertising.
Each brand is different and each session is personalized.
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Before you start considering locations for your session, take the time to think about what your average day looks like.
Remember that you want to give potential clients and audience a look at a day in your life so your photos need to tell that story.
You may even find that you don’t need to look very hard or far for the perfect location either as your office or backyard might be all you need.
Using props to bring your workspace to life is a simple way to create a great setting for your shoot.
Consider some of the coffee shops, hotels, studios or co-working spaces in your area for ideas.
Always opt for a location with as much natural light as possible as this makes for the best shots.
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Your outfit will make a huge difference to your photos so choose something that suits your personality and your brand.
There is no need to spend a fortune on clothes either. Make sure your clothes suit your body type and fit well. Simpler is better but feel free to add a pop of color to add some personality and flair. Keep your skin tone and hair in mind when choosing an outfit as contrasting colors make for some of the best photos. Want to see what you might look like in photos in a certain outfit? Take a few selfies to decide what works and what doesn’t.
Tips for WOMEN
Avoid baggy clothing
Stay away from clothing with logos and wording
Don’t wear intense colors or busy prints
Choose the right undergarments
Tips for the MEN
Avoid wearing any items with logos or wording unless it’s part of your branding
If you are wearing a suit, it should be tailored
Your shirt should be fitting. Clothing that’s too big adds weight so opt go for something that’s slightly smaller to avoid the sloppy look
A tie isn’t always necessary but bring one along anyway
Ensure that your undershirt is not visible
HAIR & MAKEUP
If you really want to make your photos stand out, we suggest you have a professional assist you with your hair and makeup. Opt for a hairstyle that adds body and volume to your hair. Extensions can be used if necessary or desired.
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1. Props can be used to bring in your brand colors. Cushions or pillows on a couch or different color files, notebooks or pens are just some examples of how you can incorporate pops of color. If you’re incorporating any electronics such as your phone or laptop, you could get a cover that matches your brand as a way to feature your brand colors.
2. Props can be used to help personalize your photos. Incorporate items that help showcase what you do during the day. A funky planning board is a good example.
3. Props can also be used to create a connection with a potential client. Showcasing certain books on your desk or coffee table featuring titles that resonate with your audience is one such prop idea.
4. Add a few personal touches to your workspace to give clients an idea of what you’re all about. Flowers, a camera or a passport (if you love to travel) could work really well for this.
5. Detail shots such as a close up of your hands typing on your laptop or of your coffee mug next to your laptop are also some popular prop ideas.
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BOOKING YOUR PHOTO SESSION
It’s always best to book your photo session in advance, especially if you are working towards a specific deadline. It’s also important to take the time required for photo selection and editing into account when booking your personal branding session.
THE BRAINSTORMING SESSION
Once you’ve set a date for your photo session, we can begin brainstorming ideas. The photos from your personal branding session are very multi-purpose. They can be used for your website, promotional materials, blogs, ads, social media, headers, banners and more. That’s why planning and analyzing is so important. Knowing where and how you want to use your images will help us understand whether you’ll require vertical, horizontal or square images for instagram. If you will want to use text across any of your images, please let us know so that we can plan the image backgrounds accordingly.
YOUR BRAND DESCRIPTION
We ask that you come up with a brief but detailed description of your brand and what it stands for so that we can find ways to bring this across in your images. If there are specific colors that you would like to incorporate, please let us know.
Our goal is to paint the perfect picture of what it is you do, and what sets you apart from your competition. These images will provide an important glimpse into what it would be like to work with you.
PRIOR TO YOUR SESSION
Confirm any hair and makeup appointments and confirm the address one week prior to your session. If you will be coloring your hair, this is the time to do it. The day before your session we ask that you prepare your outfits, ensuring that they’re steamed, pressed and on hangers. If you want to look great in your photos, make sure you are well hydrated on the day prior and be sure to go to bed early so you will look and feel well rested.
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THE DAY OF THE SESSION
Now it’s all about relaxing and enjoying the experience. We will direct you on how to pose and ensure that you get the best possible shots. We’ll take a mix of lifestyle images and headshots to give your audience a better view of what you do on a daily basis. We’ll also take some behind the scenes shots for a more personal view of what it’s like to work with you.
EDITING
After the shoot we will spend time sorting through all of the photos, deleting any photos that didn’t work out. Once we’ve done this we will begin the editing process. We will get rid of any small imperfections and ensure that the color looks amazing. If you have any specific editing requests, please let us know.
DELIVERY OF YOUR IMAGES
Your digital online images will be delivered in a private online gallery perfect for viewing and sharing. Two file sizes will be provided; full resolution (print quality) and reduced image size (social/web platforms).
Digital files are the digital versions of your photos. You can post them on social media, have them printed, put them on website or use them for marketing materials. You’re only limited by your imagination.
We recommend backing up digital files purchased to an external hard drive, flash drive and/or to the cloud.
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We have 3 packages to fit everyone’s needs. You can view our packages here.
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While our packages do come with a specific number of images, there is always the option to purchase additional shots if you would like to use extra photos.
It’s best to choose a good mix of images so that you have a little bit of everything available to you. We are always happy to assist you with this process if need be.
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I’m so glad you asked. You can contact me directly here or you can book a sessions directly in my calendar here.