There’s a particular kind of disconnect that high-performing service professionals know well. You’ve spent years building expertise, cultivating trust, and delivering an experience your clients rave about. But then someone lands on your website and the photos don’t quite match the person they’re about to hire.
That was exactly where Meredith found herself.
Meredith, the owner of Sunkissed Bliss Travel, is a luxury travel advisor based in Barrington, Illinois. She plans the kind of trips that her clients (busy professionals, empty nesters, families who want every moment to count) simply don’t have the time or connections to pull off themselves. She’s the person you call when you want to stop price-shopping and start actually experiencing the places you go. She knows the right restaurant in Florence, the right guide in Kyoto, the right small hotel in the Dordogne that her clients will talk about for years.
She’s poised, warm, honest, and genuinely fun. Someone you’d trust with your anniversary trip and your credit card number. You can find her at Sunkissed Bliss Travel.
What she didn’t have? A visual brand that said all of that on first glance.
What She Came In Knowing
Meredith was building a new website. She had plenty of beautiful images from her own travels. She’s smart about that, often booking a quick session on the road so she has content to work with. But she wanted something different for this site. She wanted images of herself that were distinctly hers. Images that carried her brand colors (purple and gold), her aesthetic (elevated but never stuffy), and her personality (the confidante who tells it like it is, in the nicest possible way).
How We Built the Shoot
We approached Meredith’s session as a full brand story, not just a portfolio of pretty images. Every element (the outfits, the props, the locations, the styling) was chosen to reinforce exactly who she is and who she serves.
She came in with four intentional looks:
The Casual Professional: a lavender blazer over a white flowy blouse, girlfriend jeans, bare feet. The kind of outfit that says ‘I could be having this conversation over coffee in my living room’ and still looks completely put-together.
The Breezy: a tone-on-tone cream eyelet midi dress with purple block heel sandals and statement earrings. Feminine, elevated, effortless.
The Formal: a black jumpsuit, patent pumps, gold statement earrings. Authority without trying to be intimidating.
The Classic: a cream fuzzy sweater, climber earrings, bangle bracelets, jeans. Approachable, warm, the version of Meredith her long-time clients know best.
We worked with European-focused art prints and architecture prints (not travel posters, which can feel generic) alongside beautiful maps, an open travel bag, and champagne and wine elements that connected to her love of foodie travel. My videographer Geraldine also joined us to capture b-roll footage Meredith can use on her website and social media.
And then we went on location to a local restaurant with a stunning wine room. Meredith’s clients are the people who know the difference between a good wine list and a great one, and her images should speak to that.
What Happened When the Shoot Was Over
Meredith left with a complete visual library built through her Signature Branding Session: portraits and headshots across four distinct looks, lifestyle working shots, styled flatlays, and wine room images that feel both sophisticated and warm. She had video content she could drop straight onto her homepage.
She also left with images that finally match the business she’s built.
That’s the thing about building a service business over years. Your expertise grows. Your clientele shifts upmarket. Your confidence in what you offer deepens. But your photos? They often stay behind.
Meredith’s don’t anymore.
Is Your Brand Doing Your Business Justice?
If you’re a service professional in the Chicago suburbs (a consultant, a coach, an advisor, a planner) and your visuals haven’t caught up to your expertise, this is your sign.
A Signature Branding Session at Ann & Kam Photography is built around who you actually are and who you’re actually trying to attract. We’ll build out the whole story together: the looks, the locations, the props, the mood. So when someone lands on your website, they already know they’ve found their person.
We’d love to do that for you.
Ready to talk through your brand vision? Book a free consultation here. We’d love to hear what you’re building.
Comments +