When my dear friend and past college roomie, Iza Hehre, reached out about personal brand photography 10 days before she flew back to her home in Kenya, I jumped at the opportunity.

ABOUT IZA

Iza is a world-renowned social entrepreneur. Here are some of the things you’ll find at the top of her resume:

• CEO + Founder of OVI Healthcare—an international movement of innovative medical facilities for vulnerable populations
• A dually licensed US Physician Assistant and Kenyan Clinical Officer
• Co-author of International Best Seller “Women Who Impact”
• Youngest ever recipient of the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Global Citizenship (among fellow laureates US President Jimmy Carter, Michael J Fox, and Christina Aguilera). 

Yep, you read all that correctly. Impressive, huh?

I saw this woman’s insane work ethic during my undergrad. It comes as no surprise she has accomplished so much over the past seven years at the ripe age of 28. (Oh, fun fact, she’s also done all of this while navigating dyslexia!)

At this time, she has opened up four locally-staffed advanced medical facilities for vulnerable populations around the globe. And when she says she’s just getting started, she means it.

Not only does she have a goal to personally open 888 medical facilities worldwide (again, you read that correctly), she has recently started another venture called The Global Visionary. With this brand, she intends to help other social entrepreneurs launching conscious brands and humanitarian efforts that will make a lasting difference.

HOW WE PREPARED

As I do with every client, I sent her my very thorough brand questionnaire to help me understand her vision of her new personal brand and business plans.

Because I’ve known her so long and spent many long nights staying up and chatting as roommates do, I know her intimately, but I also wanted to try to understand her new brand and the woman she wants to grow into.

This well-traveled woman loves the color red (and wears it so well).

She listens to Christmas music year-round in between Disney tunes and classic swing bands.

While she has a sweet, nurturing voice, believe you me, no one will speak over her. She makes her voice heard.

She’s a night owl no matter what time zone she’s in and she has a deep appreciation for God and Marilyn Monroe.

When preparing for her shoot, I knew how unique the photos would be because she is truly unique.

Aside from learning more about her new and improved brand, I knew we needed to search for the perfect location that would showcase her incredible style, old soul, and unique taste.

Fortunately, we found the perfect Airbnb in downtown New Albany, IN. It was full of cool knick-knacks decor that was right up her alley.

It had yummy natural light all over the house and showcased rooms that perfectly highlighted her 1940s era alter ego.

Anyone can take photos of someone holding a cup of coffee and typing on their computer. I wanted to be sure I took the time to learn exactly who she is ready to grow into beforehand and create photos that accurately re-introduce her new personal brand to the world. It deserves nothing less.

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

When looking through Iza’s personal brand photography gallery, keep in mind that these images will be used across multiple platforms.

We wanted to be sure she had plenty of portrait crops to utilize on Instagram, her website on mobile, and Pinterest.

There were also an abundance of landscape crops to ensure she could stretch them across her website headers or email newsletters.

Any photos you may see with an abundance of negative space are PERFECT (and necessary) for text overlay.

HER PERSONAL BRAND PHOTO REVIEW

“I’ve had my fair share of photoshoots. Several per year for the last 15 years to be exact. I would hop from photographer to photographer, some of the most well-known in the industry. But the same problem would come time after time. I’d see the photos and they would feel stale, posed, and so far from the way I wanted myself and my brand to be perceived. 

It was disappointing. 

And really, I’d accepted that the problem was simply me. The impossible to capture. My years of modeling had probably just trained me into an empty collection of characters that would leave me feeling like a stranger in every shot. 

But something changed.

(Enter The Humble Lion) Folks, this time was different. Her deep, moody, raw, artistry reeled me in. But it’s her pure emotional genius that changed everything!  

In preparation for the shoot, KaS prepared a brand guide and questionnaire to really capture me and my vision before she ever touched the camera. And these prompts didn’t just explore my personal preferences for the shoot, but the underlying purpose, direction, and image I was seeking for all my life pursuits. 

That guide didn’t just teach her about me. It taught ME about me. It inspired so much of my brand that I was yet to uncover. And for the first time, I walked away with photos that captured not only who I am, but the person I WANT to be. 

Every image makes me feel powerful, bold, and known. My website and social platforms are finally spaces that fully showcase the intricacies of my brand. 

And THAT feeling—the impossible joy of achieving authenticity has made me a forever client.”

LOVING THIS SHOOT?

If you’re loving this personal brand photography gallery and would like to discuss planning your own, I’d love to hear from you.