Simply You Editorial Portraits

Showing the person behind the position 

When people enquire about business photography, one of the first things they usually ask for is a set of professional headshots. Whilst there will always be a place for a great portrait, I think the conversation has moved on. Businesses are no longer Simply looking for a photograph to accompany a LinkedIn profile or an About Us page. They want imagery that reflects personality, experience, roles and the values that shape the people behind the business.

Increasingly, clients are recognising that people buy from people and that the story behind an individual is often just as important as the service they provide. 

That thinking has inspired a new offering from the Simply You Personal Branding Photography service called “Simply You Editorial Portraits”.  

It feels like a very natural extension of everything I have been creating over the past few years. Rather than producing a collection of traditional headshots, the focus is on creating purposeful imagery that tells the whole story. It is about photographing people in the environments where they make decisions, lead teams, solve problems and build relationships. The result is a collection of photographs that feel genuine because it reflects the reality of who they are and what they do. 

A recent commission with the Sun Enviro Group of businesses perfectly illustrates why this approach works so well. The lady I photographed is officially Head of Human Resources, but that title barely scratches the surface of her role. She supports Sun Enviro, Sun Aggregates, Sun Skips and Sun Demolition, moving comfortably between boardroom meetings, operational planning, daily HR and busy construction sites. On each of the days of the photoshoot she changed seamlessly from business attire in a meeting room to full personal protective equipment on site and both settings were equally important because together they told the complete story of her role within the organisation. 

What struck me most was how naturally the photographs reflected her personality.  

She was not pretending to be someone she was not, nor was she standing in front of a plain background trying to look approachable. Instead, she was Simply doing what she does every day, leading conversations, engaging with colleagues and adapting between very different working environments. Those moments produced photographs with depth, personality and credibility. Personal branding images that say far more than a traditional headshot ever could. 

This style of editorial photography is particularly relevant for senior leaders and professionals working in industries that have traditionally been seen as male dominated. 

Construction, demolition, industrial, engineering, manufacturing, environmental services and waste management are full of talented people whose stories are rarely told visually.  

Editorial portraiture gives them an opportunity to show not only their professionalism but also their personality within their roles, creating imagery that feels honest and memorable. 

These lifestyle photographs become valuable across every aspect of modern marketing. They work equally well on company websites, LinkedIn profiles, award submissions, press features, speaking engagements and recruitment campaigns because they present the individual in context rather than in isolation.  

They build trust before a conversation even begins and help potential clients feel as though they already know the person behind the business. 

At Simply C Photography I have always believed that purposeful photography should tell a story rather than Simply create a collection of attractive images.  

Simply You Editorial Portraits builds on that philosophy by helping people move beyond the idea of needing a headshot and towards creating imagery that genuinely represents who they are and what they do on a daily basis.  

After all, the strongest personal brands are not built on polished portraits alone. They are built on authenticity, experience and the confidence to show the person behind the position. 

If you feel that this style of approach would work well in telling your story and would like to know more about what is involved with working with me and Simply You Editorial Portraits please get in touch for a no obligation initial chat.