Portrait photography for editorial media, firm marketing and the unlimited uses of social media now take on softer and more welcoming and engaging viewpoints. This is the new age of personal brand photos.

As a photographer of personal branding portraits, my photos tell a story of person, place and persona. I frame the touch points of my subject, giving the viewer a layered impression of the person and the surrounds that are important to them.

The way I approach portraiture photography is similar to how I approach interior photography: I thoughtfully place my subject in an impactful location and capture both the person and the setting for a layered story of person and place. I create personal branding photos that become portraits used on websites and social media.

Whether I’m working for magazines, small businesses, or corporations, I like to make the location essential to my portraiture photography. By taking my portraits onsite, I can impart personality, design aesthetic, and emotion to the photograph. My goal is not only to capture my client with positive, open expressions, that are welcoming to the viewer alike, but to allow their creative identity and personality show through in each image.

I do this by working with each client individually to determine the look, feel, and location of each shoot. If photographing a designer in their completed project, I strive to maintain a similar lighting style as the rest of the photos from the shoot. Art direction elements involve selecting the location of the portrait and helping with wardrobe selection, ultimately making it all look effortless.

My portrait photography transcends capturing an individual’s likeness. Instead, I build a personal brand through my imagery, ensuring the final product is a valuable marketing tool for my clients.

These pictures are of my photography clients in San Francisco and Los Angeles. For each shot, my clients and I collaborate to find a setting fit for their “story”. I shoot these portraits on location in homes, offices and work environments.

My goal is not only to capture my client’s picture with positive open expressions, ones that are welcoming to the viewer, but also to reflect their creative personality.

An interesting article about personal branding portrait photography can be read in the New York Times, here.

David Duncan Livingston is a professional photographer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Livingston is a regular contributor to national and regional magazines of home design and architecture. He has been the photographer of seven books on home design.