Carlie Reidlinger N.D. offers the perspective of being a mother to young children in her approach to helping parents improve their health.
Want to have a goosey inside a personal branding photoshoot?
Naturopathic Doctor Carlie Reidlinger is a mum of two and all-round lovely warm person who really knows how to help you lift your nutrition game and feel better in your bod! She offers the perspective of being a mother to young children in her approach to helping parents improve their health and wellbeing through personalised nutrition support, education, testing and evidence-backed strategies. She’s based in the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. When I was last there we spent a day in the beautiful Rook and Rose Studio in Victoria, BC, capturing a strategic range of imagery for her new personal brand’s website and socials.
Tips for planning a health business brand photography session
- Brand values are at the heart of intentional brand photography.
Meet in person and dig deep on the brand values. Carlie and I had two in person meetings to dig deep into her brand values, her WHY as an ND and how her approach is different. She has a big emphasis on understanding and empathising with the struggles parents can face with getting their young children to eat healthily. We planned out outfits and props to make sure that we were communicating her brand colours, but more than that, we wanted to use a variety of props to visually illustrate the different services she offers (acupuncture, nutrition support and education being high up there). We photographed her with a friend posing as a client to help her real life potential clients imagine what it is like to work with her. We also ensured that her own family made a visit to the studio, so we could create content of Carlie helping her little boy learn to wash his hands, make smoothies and help with food preparation. She’s a believer in getting kids to help out in the kitchen, and this was a fun way to capture how lovely this can be, but also how messy and chaotic it can get!
2. Plan brand photography around a client’s content pillars
Plan for a variety of content, and align these with the health and wellness business brand’s content pillars. You’ll see here how the subject and composition changes frequently to provide a gallery that has huge variety, but that the editing is very consistent in feel and colour. This means the small business client can use and repurpose content with different captions and messaging and still have their aesthetic remain professional and consistent. I think making the switch from iPhone photos to a big gallery of intentional, professional brand photos that thinks through your messaging and voice at every step of the client’s journey is one thing that can make future clients stop scrolling and really pay attention to what you are putting out there. And the best bit – we can achieve all this in one morning!
3. Prop ideas for a health practitioner’s brand photos
Props props props! Strategic props and good preparation beforehand is essential for ensuring your wellness brand photography content has enough variety to keep using months or a year down the line. When we meet, you will leave with a big brainstorm of the props you can bring along, and we work through shot setups at a pretty cracking pace to maximise our time together. Think books that inform your practice, any products that you sell, any ingredients you might commonly recommend in recipes, tools or instruments that you regularly use – and then of course some of your favourite tchotchkes to give it your own unique personality!
4. How to choose a location for your wellness brand photo session
Think about the location well ahead of time. We booked the Rook & Rose Loft in downtown Victoria, B.C. for this session, because it had many different rooms set up that we could stage aspects of Carlie’s business in – a loft bed for family moments, Cesca chairs for client consults, a bathroom for hand washing and a kitchen for food prep. Other clients rent an AirBnB or VRBO a place that has a design aesthetic that matches their vibe and would reflect their dream clients’ style. Although this session was in Canada, I typically photograph my health and wellness brand photoshoots outdoors on the Surf Coast. The Great Ocean Road has so many quiet nooks with epic vistas, and since many people make the move from Melbourne to Torquay and the Surf Coast for a more outdoorsy and healthy lifestyle, shooting your wellness business brand session at least partially outdoors can produce imagery that really resonates with where your clients are at right now.
Is your Surf Coast health business ready for some brand photos?
Do you have a small business in the health and wellness field that could benefit from an image refresh? Is your website full of photos you snapped on your phone, and you’d like to show up more professionally? Click on the link below to learn more about my brand photography process, packages and pricing. And if you’re in the creative field, there are many examples of how we can spruce up your art website!
Health & Wellness Brand Photography Information
Thanks for reading! Kristen xo
P.S. If you are in the Cowichan Valley and your gut needs some love, go book a session with Carlie! She’s an absolute gem and is incredibly knowledgeable about all things human bodies!
