Jo is based in Worcestershire, so rather than making the trip to Siemens’ London offices, we kept it local. Kingsway House in Worcester was the obvious choice. It’s a co-working space built to a high standard, freshly decorated with enough character to produce something genuinely interesting. The mix of modern and classic styling gave us variety across a single location, which matters when you’re working with multiple audiences in mind.

Before we got anywhere near a camera, we had an informal conversation about how the images would be used and who would be looking at them. That conversation shapes everything. Jo needed to come across as authoritative, someone people in her industry respect and listen to. At the same time, she’s front-facing PR, so the images also needed warmth. You needed to look at them and feel like you could walk up to her. Getting that balance right meant thinking carefully about location, pose, lighting and atmosphere before the shoot day.

Jo also self-confessed to not liking having her photograph taken, which is more common than you’d think, particularly at senior level. Part of my job is making sure that doesn’t show in the final images. Preparation helps. Before the shoot, Jo received our personal brand and headshot guide, which covers everything from clothing choices to jewellery, so there are no surprises on the day and we’re not losing time to decisions that could have been made in advance. You can download your copy here.

The shoot ran for two hours. Within that, we covered three or four outfit changes and worked multiple spots within Kingsway House, each giving a slightly different feel. We shot a lot, as I always do, because personal brand images often go through several stakeholders before a final selection lands, and everyone brings a different view. Giving the client a strong selection to work from makes that process easier.

After the shoot, I went through everything and removed anything that didn’t make the cut: eyes closed, a pose that didn’t quite land, anything that wasn’t up to standard. After 17 years I don’t throw many away, but it happens 🤞. The remaining images went into our online selection gallery, which lets Jo share the options with colleagues and get other opinions before committing.

Jo’s original package covered three final edited images, and she added more from there. For each selected image we produce multiple versions: standard crop, square crop for social, colour, and black and white. The black and white versions aren’t just an aesthetic choice. Working in monochrome strips out distraction and lets you judge whether the light, the expression and the composition are genuinely working. If it looks right in black and white, it looks right full stop.

The final images are edited and exported to a standard that works for any use, from LinkedIn profile through to print and press.

Jo has since used the images on LinkedIn and left this:

“I really don’t like having my photo taken, but needed some business portraits for work. Terry was brilliant and so are the pictures. From the initial enquiry, he was really helpful and on the day, completely put me at ease. Thoroughly recommend and thank you Terry.”