Dainty pose with Dahlias in a Garden
Fashion,  Portraits

Fabulous Personal Branding Photos for Social Media Content

Blake is a speaker, writer, podcaster, and Customer Experience (CX) expert. Recently recognized as one of the world’s top 40 keynote speakers, she often needs high quality photo content for her social media profiles, public appearances, and overall personal brand.

We’ve been working with her and her husband (also an author/speaker) for many years now. I think I have a more diverse range of stunning photos of her than anyone! We have developed a strategy to shoot a lot of different looks very quickly, so she can have many compelling lifestyle images to work with for an entire year.

woman in a blue dress by a yellow door

woman drinking Peets coffee in Berkeley
woman in pink blouse on a corrugated iron building
woman on the phone in a pastel palett

We started the shoot at Fourth Street in Berkeley: a cosmopolitan retail district with lots of pretty areas to get a lot of ‘city shopping’ images. Because of the neighborhood’s manufacturing history, you get a very industrial look while still retaining that urban chic vibe.

Drinking Coffee in a cafe Fourth St Berekeley

Reading a book at the Gardener Berkeley
Looking for books at The Gardener
Colorful window at Sephora in Berkeley
Sephora has amazing window art.
Shopping at Miki's Paper in Berkeley
We also stopped at Miki’s Paper – such a beautiful store.

Next we went to the Bellevue Club in Oakland for a different look. Nestled in the heart of Lake Merritt neighborhood, this historic private club is perhaps best known as a beautiful wedding venue. But it also boasts an amazing fitness center, as well as private lodging for members (or wedding guests).

We started in the Mural Lounge, which is what first sent my jaw to the floor when shooting here before 🤩

Wide angle shot of Mural Lounge at Bellevue Club
The soft pinks of these beautiful walls give photos a warm, comfortable feeling
Seated pose in the Mural Lounge at Bellevue Club
I love how the background and furniture complement the outfit
Dining Room at Bellevue Club
Their Dining Room has a different color palette but still retains that luxe, vintage beauty!
Sophisticated pose at Bellevue Club Dining Room
Dramatic pose with hand on hip in vintage dining room
Dramatic perspective at a building in Lake Merritt
Composition doesn’t always have to be centered!
I love when an outfit just perfectly matches a found background!

Right down the street lie The Gardens at Lake Merrit – one of my favorite shooting locations in all of Oakland! This gorgeously maintained city property has several different sub-gardens, ranging from Palms, to Japanese, Mediterranean, Bonsai, and more! You can see why I like it so much (worth the effort to secure the permit 😉) .

Posing in front of the Torii Gate
The Torii Gate in the background is the centerpiece of the Garden.

Posing with a Waterfall
Palm garden at Lake Merritt

Lady in Orange Dress with Flowers in Background
The flowers at the garden are astounding year-round!
woman with hands on hips in redwoods
Wide angle shot with redwoods

Finally, we returned to my studio in Alameda for a few last “quick-change” looks to add even more variety. The shoot lasted about 5 hours, but we think you’ll agree, we got an amazing assortment of lifestyle images for her personal branding use in that time!

Bridgehead studio background
Pro Tip: I often frame shots off-center so her designer can add text in the negative space!
woman in pink outfit on blue mosaic
Sitting on a couch at Bridgehead Studio

If you’re impressed with Blake’s sense of style, you should hear what she has to say about the CX field! Her insights on her LinkedIn and Instagram are deep and relevant to pretty much everyone 👏

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