Totally Talking, Lisa Kohel

I started working with Lisa in June of 2020 (and what a summer that was). She, like so many other businesses at the time, was in the midst of solidifying her online presence. Lisa tackled her website and social media all at once so inevitably, there came a time when we needed to get some updated photos. It was her first time working with a branding photographer but a few giggles and shutter snaps in, she rocked it.

We’re back again with another school year—Lisa is a Speech Language Pathologist based in St. Albert and works with clients all over the Greater Edmonton Area so we count the year starting in September—and it was time for some new photos after a wonderfully warm summer break.

One of the things I love about working with Lisa is she’s incredibly self-aware about her own brand and brave enough to venture outside of her comfort zone.

When she was referred to me, Lisa knew how she wanted to represent herself in the digital world—she just needed help putting that vision to work. From the branding to the website to each social media post published since June, Lisa has yet to back down from anything when it comes to growing her business. Not even when I introduced her to Instagram Stories (though there were some laughs about what on Earth she could share—but she’s gotten the hang of those too)!

Lisa partnered with Lyndsay from My Speech Language Literacy to launch a Language & Reading Study Group to host other SLPs, teachers, and local educators. They began in the Winter of 2020 and their Winter 2021 monthly study group meetings are about to kick back into gear this October.

So, when we met at the end of the summer 2021 and caught up with all things Totally Talking, we picked our date for some updated photos and—after a year of a few branding shoots and diving into blogging and Instagram and the world of the internet—there was excitement instead of nerves for our fall/new year branding photo session.

Brand Photography Location

We opted again for finding a local showhome and headed over to Cobalt Beach by Sarasota Homes. Their homes are always styled so carefully and the neutrals in their townhouse showhome in Jensen Lakes were perfect for Lisa’s brand!

Brand Photography Tip

Think outside of the box for branding photoshoots. If a studio might not cut it—whether it be the aesthetic, the availability, or something else—look into local show homes, local businesses, or coworking office that offer spaces for photographic use!

It was no surprise at all that Lisa was comfortable in front of the camera. From props to posing—the entire session went by as if no time had passed at all.

Putting the Branding Photos to Use

I was so excited to get back into Lisa’s marketing that I blew through editing her gallery (this sort of thing happens far more than I should admit to). We use her photos for social media and her website so I always send her the gallery to find out her favourites.

I had a few poses and photos in mind when we went into the photoshoot because I knew what updates were happening to the website and the type of content we’d be focusing on this year. The use of the photos plays such a large role in branding photoshoots. We needed a good mix of ‘candid’ in-action photos as well as updated portraits—plus, I wanted to be able to use these everywhere we needed them which meant leaving enough room for cropping on social media as well as working for website visuals.

I’m already looking forward to the next session with Lisa after seeing how wonderfully this gallery has turned out for her digital marketing. We’ve used them on her Facebook and Instagram, Blog, and Events & Presentations page so far.

If you want to check out her work as a Speech Language Pathologist, find her here:

→ Totally Talking Website

→ Instagram: @TotallyTalkingYEG

→ Facebook: Totally Talking – Speech, Language & Literacy Services

 

Questions about brand photography? Send them my way.

Branding Photography | St Albert Entrepreneurs & Small Businesses