Brand Photography for a Therapist Who Shows Up Fully

(And Why Client Interaction Matters More Than “Pretty” Photos)

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When people hear “brand photography,” they often picture clean headshots, styled outfits, and a handful of lifestyle images that look good on a website.

That’s not wrong, but it’s incomplete.

When I worked with Sherri Hubbard, a licensed family and marriage therapist (or LMFT) whose work centers children, neurodivergent clients, and LGBTQ+ families, it was immediately clear that pretty photos alone wouldn’t tell the truth of her work.

Her brand isn’t built on aesthetics — it’s built on presence, safety, and relationship.

And that changes how you photograph someone.

Why this session was different (on purpose)

A lot of brand photographers stop at portraits and “lightly staged lifestyle” images (think laptops, mugs, and cute books).

At Solhaus Media, we do it a little differently.

For service-based businesses, especially therapists, educators, and facilitators, the work happens in relationship.

If your photos don’t show that, they’re missing the most important part of your brand.

For this session, we focused on Sherri’s real interactions with her clients, body language and attunement, how Sherri meets clients where they are, and the environment she’s intentionally created to feel safe, warm, and human

For privacy reasons, we opted not to include Sherri’s actual clients. Instead, Sherri asked her close friends and community if they’d be willing to bring their kids by for some photos, play time included.

That still meant that Sherri was able to talk to them as she would her own clients, have parents on set for photos that showed interaction with a parent, share moments of quiet connection with her kid clients and the in-between moments that tell you how someone feels to be around.

(It should be noted that Sherri honors client confidentiality and the things her child clients share with her during sessions are not shared with parents!)

We also made sure to get detail shots of Sherri’s office, and hands-on tools like art, toys, and sensory objects.

These are the images that help a parent think, “This is someone I could trust with my child.”

A journalism-first approach to brand photography

The same way Sherri aims to create a safe space for her own clients, we at Solhaus Media employ the same value. Before we ever arrived on set with a camera, Sherri and I talked deeply about:

• Sherri’s childhood and what shaped her work

• why she specializes in neurodivergent clients

• her role as a “wounded healer”

• what safety actually looks like in a therapeutic space

• the legacy she wants to leave through her work

This is the difference between taking photos of someone and telling a story with them.

It’s also why our brand photography work tends to feel grounded, intimate, and real — not overly posed or performative. We spend time getting to truly know our clients as people.

Client interaction is not optional — it’s the brand

One thing I see constantly in brand photography (especially for therapists and coaches) is beautiful portraits but zero evidence of actual work.

But clients don’t hire you because you look nice in a blazer.

They hire you because of how you listen, how you respond, how you make people feel, and how you show up in moments that matter.

That’s why I always advocate for sessions that include real or thoughtfully staged client interaction, whether that’s:

• therapy work

• teaching

• collaboration

• facilitation

• or service delivery

Those images build trust faster than any headshot ever could.

Headshots are still part of the package

A brand shoot should ultimately translate to a library of images that has a large variety. So we did take some headshots at Sherri’s office, as well as some laptop photos that will work well on her website.

We also opted to spend the last 30 minutes of our shoot outside during golden hour for some outdoor portraits. Getting some Vitamin D in Southern California is always a nice way to end the shoot and signal to your nervous system that you can finally take a breath again!

A note on families (and something I always suggest)

If time allows, I often encourage clients to bring their families into the last portion of a brand session.

Not because it’s required, but because many haven’t had professional family photos in years (or sometimes even ever).

Getting these shots honors the whole human behind the business and it creates images that are both meaningful and usable.

Sometimes those photos live quietly at home.
Sometimes they become content.
Either way, they matter.

Who this kind of brand photography is for

This approach to brand photography is especially well-suited for:

• therapists and mental health professionals

• educators and child-centered practitioners

• service-based businesses built on trust and relationship

• people who don’t want to feel “branded,” but seen

If you’re looking for Los Angeles brand photography that goes beyond surface-level visuals and actually reflects how you work, this is the lens I bring to every project.

Looking for a Los Angeles brand photographer for your therapy business?

If you’re a therapist or service-based professional looking for LA brand photography that reflects:

• real interaction

• depth

• values

• and the human side of your work

You can explore more about my approach on my Los Angeles Brand Photographer page.

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Meet Your Los Angeles Brand Photographer

Hi! I’m Bernadette Marciniak, founder of Solhaus Media, a woman-owned brand photography and video production company. We work with coaches, healers, podcast hosts, educators and creative business owners to create powerful imagery that converts audiences into clients.

I’m is a cat mom of two, who loves good pizza, craft beer and red wine. I’m usually bingeing on the hottest new true crime documentary, or finding solace in the upteenth repeat of Modern Family.

Solhaus Media is based in Los Angeles and nationwide.