Images that Don’t Just Look Good
BRANDING IMAGES THAT SELL
Howard Kimmel is Cleveland's only MBA-trained headshot and personal branding photographer. Every session begins with a planning meeting — because great images don't happen by accident. No coffee cups. No guessing. No generic poses. Just strategic visual content built to communicate, convert, and grow your brand.
NO WEDDINGS
NO FAMILY PORTRAITS
PLANNING MEETING BEFORE EVERY SHOOT
MBA-TRAINED STRATEGY
CLEVELAND & NE OHIO
Do You Need a Headshot, Brand Session, or Both?
The most common question Howard gets and the most important one to answer correctly. Here is the honest difference, and how to know which one is right for where you are right now.
A single, powerful portrait.
The professional handshake.
A headshot is a focused, clean portrait, typically head and shoulders, whose job is to introduce you professionally and establish immediate credibility. It says: here is who I am, and you can trust me.
A great headshot is not just pointing a camera at your face. Howard directs your expression, coaches your body language, and frames you with intentional lighting to communicate exactly the right combination of confidence and approachability for your profession and audience.
LinkedIn profile: the most-viewed professional image you own
Company website team page and executive bio
Speaker profiles and conference bios
Press features, media kits, and publication bylines
Business cards, emails, and virtual meeting backgrounds
Anywhere you need one strong, current, professional image
Right for you if: You need one clean, current image that represents you professionally — and you need it to work across multiple platforms without looking like a smartphone photo or a decade-old corporate ID badge.
A complete virtual system. The conversation after the handshake.
Personal branding photography goes far beyond the headshot. It tells the full story of what you do, why you do it, and who you serve through lifestyle images, action shots, and behind-the-scenes frames that build genuine connection with your audience.
If a headshot is your resume, personal branding photography is the interview. It is the difference between someone recognizing your face and someone feeling like they already know you, trust you, and want to hire you before you ever speak.
Website hero images and full-page visual identity
Social media content library: 50 to 100+ strategic frames
Email marketing, blog headers, and newsletter visuals
Advertising, launch campaigns, and promotional materials
Press kits, speaker decks, and media packages
Everything a headshot cannot do because it is one image
Right for you if: You are building or growing a personal brand, launching something new, refreshing your entire online presence, or need a consistent library of on-brand images to show up professionally across every platform for months.
Most branding sessions that produce forgettable images (the repeated laptop pose, the generic coffee shop setup, the stock-photo-looking lifestyle shots that could belong to anyone) don't fail because of camera skills. They fail because there was no real plan behind them.
When a photographer has no strategy going into a session, they default to safe ideas. They repeat the same shots. They hope something lands. The result is images that fill space but communicate nothing because filler photos don't build brands, and they definitely don't sell.
Your audience is making decisions about you in seconds. Every image either earns their attention or loses it. That is why Howard meets with every client before every shoot. Not as a courtesy call, but as the foundation of the entire session.
It’s Time to Put the Coffee Cup Down
The Honest Truth About Brand Photography
Coffee cup pictures are cute. But they're not compelling — and they don't sell. As a brand photographer, the job is to create photos that shape the way the rest of the world sees you and your business. Does holding a coffee cup tell the world why they should spend their money with you? The answer is no. Your brand deserves better than that.
Strategy before shutter. Period.
Every Capture Style session begins with a planning meeting. Howard learns your audience, your positioning, and what each image needs to accomplish before a single light is set up. No guessing. No defaulting to safe shots.
Every frame communicates something specific.
Good photos look good. Strategic brand images make your audience feel something, understand something, and want to take action. There is a difference, and it starts in the planning, not in the editing.
Your brand deserves better than filler.
Generic images communicate a generic brand. If your photography looks like everyone else's, your brand will too. Howard's MBA background in brand positioning means your images are built to differentiate.
Every Session Starts With a Planning Meeting
Before Howard picks up a camera, he sits down with you — in person or on video. This is a structured brand strategy conversation where Howard learns everything that matters before the shoot begins. It is what transforms a photography session into a brand investment.
No other photographer in Cleveland does this as a standard part of every engagement. It is the reason Capture Style clients leave with images that convert, not just images they like.
Who is your audience?
Who needs to trust you the moment they see your photo? A C-suite exec, a home buyer, a fitness client scrolling Instagram? The answer shapes every creative decision in the session.
What do you want to be known for?
Your brand positioning drives every location, wardrobe choice, expression, and composition. It is decided before the session, not figured out during it.
Where will these images live?
LinkedIn, a homepage hero, Instagram, a press kit, a listing flyer, a speaker bio - each has different visual requirements. Howard plans for all of them before the session, not after.
One Strategy-Driven Approach.
Every Type of Professional Brand.
Howard specializes exclusively in headshots and branding photography; no weddings, no families. Every skill, every session refinement, every insight developed over hundreds of shoots applies directly to you and your professional brand.
EXECUTIVES &
CORPORATE LEADERS
C-suite professionals, directors, and consultants who need images projecting credibility and leadership on LinkedIn, speaker bios, company websites, and press placements. You've built the career. Your headshot should reflect it.
CEOS & C-Suite
Directors
Consultants
Speakers
HEALTH, BEAUTY, & WELLNESS BRNADS
Your clients buy based on how your brand looks before they ever book. Howard creates health and beauty branding photography that communicates professionalism and warmth, driving bookings from the first scroll.
Estheticians
Med Spas
Hair & Beauty
Nutritionists
REALTORS & REAL
ESTATE PROFESSIONALS
In real estate, you are the brand. Buyers and sellers choose the agent before the brokerage, and they make that choice based on your photo, long before the first call. Howard creates realtor headshots and brand libraries that build trust before the first conversation.
Brokerages
Agents
Real Estate Teams
FINANCIAL PLANNERS &
INSURANCE AGENTS
You operate in an industry built entirely on trust. Your headshot is often the first signal a prospect uses to decide whether you are someone they want to hand their financial future to. Howard creates imagery that communicates approachability, stability, and expertise.
Financial Planners
Directors
Insurance Agents
Mortgage Brokers
FITNESS & WELLNESS
PROFESSIONALS
Personal trainers, coaches, and wellness entrepreneurs who need images that inspire trust and motivate action simultaneously. Howard is the only photographer in NE Ohio who explicitly specializes in fitness and wellness branding photography.
Personal Trainers
Coaches
Yoga / Pilates
Wellness Brands
CREATIVES, ARTISTS, &
SMALL BUSINESSES
Designers, illustrators, musicians, photographers, architects: your personal brand is your portfolio's front door. Howard understands creative industries. For small businesses and new brands, his MBA means brand strategy is built into the session from day one.
Visual Artists
Designers
Musicians
New Brands
Ready to start your branding journey?
BOOK YOUR BRANDING HEADSHOTS IN CLEVELAND
Serving Cleveland, Shaker Heights, Beachwood, Lakewood, Westlake, Akron, and all of NE Ohio.
To view branding headshot pricing & receive a FREE Headshot Guide, fill out our Branding Headshot Interest Form via the button below:
Most Photographers Ask What You Want to Look Like. Howard Asks What You Need Your Brand to Do.
MBA Brand Strategy · Formal training in positioning, audience psychology, and visual differentiation. Applied to every session, every client, every industry — from C-suite executives to fitness coaches to creative artists.
Planning Meeting: Every Session, Every Time · Not optional. Not a quick phone check-in. A structured brand strategy conversation that is the single most important part of the Capture Style process.
Headshots & Branding Only · No weddings, no families, no boudoir. 100% of Howard's experience, equipment investment, and session refinement applies directly to professional and brand photography.
Studio at The Screw Factory, Lakewood · In-studio and on-location sessions throughout Cuyahoga, Lorain, Lake, Summit, and Portage.
There are excellent headshot photographers in Cleveland. You can get a clean, polished photo from several of them. But Howard Kimmel is the only photographer in Northeast Ohio who brings an MBA, formal brand strategy training, and a mandatory pre-shoot planning meeting to every single engagement, whether it is a 30-minute headshot session or a full-day brand shoot.
The planning meeting is not a formality. It is the foundation. Before any light is set up, Howard already knows your target audience, your brand positioning, how your images will be used, and what a successful outcome looks like. That is what turns a photography session into a brand asset that pays off for years.
Not Every Cleveland Headshot Photographer is the Same
Strategy Before Shutter Every Single Time
1
PLANNING
Before the session, you meet with Howard for a structured brand strategy conversation. Your audience, positioning, image use, and desired outcome are all established here. No other Cleveland photographer starts here. This is what makes the difference between filler images and brand assets.
2
THE SESSION
In-studio at The Screw Factory or on-location across Northeast Ohio. Howard directs every frame — coaching expression, body language, and energy so your personality comes through on camera. This typically takes 1–3 hours. Most clients are surprised by how relaxed it feels.
3
IMAGE REVIEW
You review selects together. Howard walks you through the strongest images, explains how each serves different use cases, and helps you choose with a strategic lens, not just aesthetic preference. You leave knowing exactly what you have and where to use it.
4
CURATED GALLERY VIEWING
Professionally retouched images in a private online gallery. Web-optimized and print-ready. Named and organized for immediate use across LinkedIn, your website, social media, and press. Branding sessions include a usage guide on which image goes where, and why.
Branding FAQ’s
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Female professionals should wear solid, mid-tone, or dark colored clothing with minimal patterns. Light blues, greens, pinks, and reds are bad choices. Women should stick with navy, charcoal, or other jewel tones. Stay away from big logos and loud clothing. Simple necklines work best for portraits.
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Men should wear a well-fitted suit jacket or blazer with a button-up collared shirt. Stick with solids and neutral colors. Colors that match most skin tones are best: navy, charcoal, and deep gray. Stay away from logos, loud colors, and shiny fabrics. Ties are not necessary, but should be subtle if you choose to wear one.
Before you book, see our most asked headshot questions here!
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You will receive step-by-step posing instructions from us throughout your session. They will tell you exactly what to do with your body, face, and even hands to flatter you. We have learned through experience how to direct clients so they do not feel uncomfortable or awkward.
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Hair and makeup are not required, but they typically help with the final look. Simple, camera-ready makeup can help with skin tone and shine, and simple styling can help ensure your hair looks neat but not too done-up. If you like, I can recommend artists or share tips for DIY so that you still look like YOU.
Still Unsure? Explore Our Resources
Want to hear what our clients say? Check out our Google Reviews!
Ben
Professional
“Howard did such an amazing job. I never thought that such thought, attention to detail, and artistic license could go into headshots. He takes what he does very seriously and is great to talk to.”
Al
Comedian
“Howard has a great knack for making you feel comfortable in front of the camera and getting the absolute best poses out of you. He gives just the right direction while still letting your personality shine through.”
“Very patient and accommodating to all our needs. Very professional and knowledgeable! Highly recommend for an amazing local photographer! Thank You Howard for your great eye!”
Wellhouse MedSpa