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.
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 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.
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.
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 environmental portraits, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 — not blend in.
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.
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.
Personal trainers, coaches, and wellness entrepreneurs who need images that inspire trust and motivate action simultaneously. Howard is the only photographer in Northeast Ohio who explicitly specializes in fitness and wellness branding photography.
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.
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 — all at once.
Estheticians, med spa owners, hair stylists, and health practitioners — 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.
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 background means brand strategy is built into the session from day one.
After the pre-shoot planning meeting, Howard builds a custom shot plan covering every use case your images need to serve — LinkedIn, company bio, speaking profile, PR placement, board presentation. Every frame is intentional. Every expression coached.
The planning meeting is especially critical for fitness professionals — because the gap between a gym photo and a brand image that converts is almost entirely strategic. Howard learns your niche, your client avatar, and your content calendar before the session so every image is built for a specific purpose.
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.
| What You Get | Howard Kimmel · Capture Style | Traditional Headshot Specialist | General Portrait Photographer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Shoot Planning Meeting — Every Session | ✓ Always | — | — |
| MBA + Brand Strategy Training | ✓ | — | — |
| Professional Headshots | ✓ | ✓ | Sometimes |
| Full Personal Branding Sessions | ✓ | Rarely | Sometimes |
| Fitness & Wellness Branding Specialty | ✓ | — | — |
| Realtor & Financial Pro Specialty | ✓ | Headshots only | — |
| Creative & Artist Brand Experience | ✓ | — | Sometimes |
| Platform-Specific Shot Planning | ✓ | Basic | — |
| No Weddings / Family / Boudoir | ✓ | ✓ (some) | Rarely |
Five steps. One through-line: no image leaves this process without a purpose behind it.
Before the session, you meet with Howard — in person or on video — for a structured brand strategy conversation. Your audience, positioning, image use cases, 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.
Based on your planning meeting, Howard builds a custom shot plan and a Brand Session Prep Guide — wardrobe recommendations aligned to your audience, location guidance, and expression coaching notes. Built for your brand and your industry. Not a generic checklist.
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. Typically 1–3 hours. Most clients are surprised by how relaxed it feels.
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.
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 — which image goes where, and why.
Howard didn't just take my photo — he helped me understand what my personal brand was actually communicating. The planning meeting before the shoot changed how I think about my entire online presence. Inbound opportunities since updating my LinkedIn — worth every penny.
As a realtor, I needed photos that built trust immediately. Howard's pre-shoot meeting was unlike anything I'd experienced with a photographer — he asked about my clients, my market, my brand. The images completely changed how I present myself and my listings.
I'm a graphic designer and I was skeptical any photographer would understand what my brand needed to feel like. The planning meeting proved me wrong immediately. Howard understood my audience before I walked in. The images feel like me — not a stock photo of a "creative professional."
Direct answers to the questions Cleveland professionals ask Howard most often.
Howard photographs executives, realtors, fitness professionals, creative brands, financial advisors, and small businesses at his studio in Lakewood and on location throughout Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Travel to Pittsburgh and Columbus available — inquire for details.
Book a free 20-minute discovery call. No obligation, no pitch — just an honest conversation about your brand, your goals, and whether Howard is the right fit. Headshot or full brand session, the first step is the same.
CAPTURE STYLE PHOTOGRAPHY · LAKEWOOD (CLEVELAND), OHIO · HOWARD KIMMEL, MBA
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