Badass Q&A sesh with Pia Silva
A few words from brand personality expert, Pia Silva.
Occasionally, I like to shut up and let others do the talking.
Not often — but sometimes, :)
Recently, I sat down with personal branding magician, author, Forbes.com contributor, and one of my favorite clients ever, Pia Silva, and asked her some questions in order to give you a sense of how a respected thought leader approaches a lifestyle portrait session and leverages their image content.
Q: Why is it so important for you to have high-end portraits to leverage for your image content on social?
A: I’m looking to uplevel my brand, reach a larger audience and present myself as a respected authority and leader in my industry. There is no question that first impressions matter, and I know that when I see someone’s brand and their photography is clearly from a iphone, I just don’t take them as seriously. So I know how important it is to put your best foot forward, and there is no question that beautiful photos that make me look like I’m on the cover of a magazine are immediately communicating that I am someone to be listened to!
Q: How do leverage your lifestyle portraits to punctuate the stories that you attach to them on social?
A: Sometimes I use different facial expressions to convey the mood of a post. Other times I just use a photo where I’m staring straight at the viewer with a phrase written next to me because I know eyes staring back from you from the screen will get 10x more attention than just words.
Q: How does having a rapport with your photographer benefit the outcome of the portrait session?
A: Having a rapport with your photographer is everything. I’ve been in front of the camera before. When I’m uncomfortable, the photos look uncomfortable. It’s a subtle difference in a facial expression that can be the difference between a captivating, winning photo and one that just doesn’t really do the trick.
Q: What is the benefit of shooting a lot of your portraits on white backgrounds?
A: The white background means my designer has a lot of options. He can add backgrounds, textures, or text. This makes the content from the photo shoot last longer, since wearing the same outfit in a bunch of different shots means you can’t use all those shots at once, having the same background can similarly make the photos all feel like they are part of the same series. Since I want the content from the shoots to stretch as long as possible, especially since I’m posting every day, the white background allows for more variety in editing.
Q: What advice would you give a thought leader who has is looking to upgrade their image content? What do they figure out first? Where do they look for the right photographer?
A: Find someone that makes you feel comfortable. Think about all the things you might want to use these images for. I’m sure more will pop up after you see the photos! But by having some inspiration it will help guide the shoot. Ideally, find a photographer that knows this and will help you figure out where you’ll use the photos!
Do you still have some questions that you want answered?
Please share them in the comment section below or set up a call with me and I’ll be more than happy to answer them for you.
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