just for a moment,

imagine…

Imagine having a library of custom-created branding photography at your fingertips. Each image is planned strategically planned just for you. They ooze everything about your brand – the people, the products, the colors, and more. The consistency you’ve created within your images throughout your website and socials further enhances just how amazing you are.

We can make this dream a reality.

Female stylist with purple hair kicks her foot back in her salon that is a bit grunge and a bit punk rock
Woman with beautiful long gray hair and wearing a red blouse with lipsticks under a rhinestone embellished black blazer laughs in front of a decorative white doorway during a branding portrait
Alex Goodfellow, director of Share Our Spare poses in the warehouse as volunteers work in the background
woman does yoga in a black dress on the beach at Lake Michigan
Woman entrepreneur works at her laptop in a cafe

Our Brains are visual.

DID YOU KNOW…

It only takes 13 milliseconds

for the human brain to understand an image.

90% of the information collected

by the our brains is visual. 

Most people only read 28%

of the text on a web page.

Your visuals add energy and
professionalism to your brand.

New images stop the scroll.

BRANDING PHOTOGRAPHY is
much more than a headshot.

It includes:

  • Headshots/Environmental Portraits – Establish the trust with your potential clients and colleagues. If this is all you need, a quick branding essentials package which includes 3 retouched portraits, is the perfect fit.
  • Workspace – Show your office, your workroom, etc.
  • Products – These can be virtual or physical products.
  • Personalities – Portraits, but with a little extra oomph. You might not even be looking at the camera for these.
  • Values – What is something you believe to your core and how does it manifest within your brand?
  • Behind-the-scenes/Process – This is the part that clients might never see otherwise. It shows the grit behind what you do.
  • Details – These are the little close up parts of each of the above items offering an entirely new perspective to your clients.

Whatever you need for your marketing tools – website, socials, newsletters, etc, we can make it happen for you. That’s exactly how I approach the visual needs for my own business.

And I will treat your personal or business brand with the same level of care, as if it were my own.

Each personal and business branding project I do requires individualized planning and collaboration. And because each brand is different, my first step is always a 15 minute inquiry phone call.

Get in touch
collage of selected images from branding session with Jen Muczenski Chicago Nutritionist and Wellness Coach
David Burnett - Finding Fitness - Collage of branding photography for personal trainer in Chicago

BRANDING SESSIONS ARE OPEN TO THE IMAGINATION!

Your branding session might even include gifs, animations, time lapse, and movie clips. Adding movement is a great way to liven up social media feeds, newsletters, and websites.

Every branding session is custom planned based on your branding needs.

Yeah, I felt awkward at first because I hate getting my picture taken.

It got easier with every shot. Maija has a fun and energetic personality! She is efficient and is great at making you feel comfortable. 
~Jen M.

Maija is very professional and detail-oriented. 

Her passion for understanding her clients needs and expectations is evident before, during and after the photo sessions. I highly recommend working with her.
~Mark L.

Get in touch
Woman with teal hair wearing sweatshirt that reads "main character energy" as she relaxes on a yellow couch
Woman leans against column outside a row of black glass
Man buttons jacket as he leans against column.
Woman in navy blue suit and nude high heels leans into camera while sitting on white concrete stairs
Man poses with one hand in his pocket during a headshot photography session

How do we make this happen?

Whether you need just a couple of updated portraits or an entire visual library, I’m here to hold your hand every step of the way.

Click the “GET IN TOUCH” button to schedule a call with me. Our phone call will be an opportunity for us to begin to get to know one another, sort out the details, and address any initial questions you may have. Collaboration right from the start will form the foundation for making amazing photos together.

Once you’ve signed the session agreement and paid the first payment on your invoice, we’ll begin to plan! I’ll be sending you a questionnaire to help me research, brainstorm, and create a session plan. I’ll be looking at your social media, website, and so much more!

While I’m busy researching and planning, you’ll gain full access to my welcome guide, which I’ve been working on for you since opening business in 2015.

A few days before your session, we’ll connect over the phone and/or email. I’ll share the plan I’ve created for your session that addresses your hopes and goals for your photos, along with any gaps and ideas I discover. This will be your time to provide feedback so that we have a strategic plan set before it’s go time.

We’ll have a solid plan in place which will allow us to maximize your session time. That solid plan will also allow us the space for a little creative freedom, as ideas always arise in the moment as our creative energy combines.

You can expect me to guide you throughout the session in a hybrid of posed directions that allow the space for your authenticity. I refer to this as (un)posing as so much of it correlates to actions and movements you’d do without a camera present. 

My goal throughout your session will be maximum variety of imagery so that they can serve you over the long term. This variety is created through wardrobe, accessory, and/or hairstyle changes and altering the background. I also alter my perspective throughout the session through the use of a variety of lenses and how I compose the frames from creating views of the entire space, zooming in to more traditional portrait view, to those close up details.

I’m STILL here for you.

I’ll send you a proofing gallery where you’ll be able to select the images that will serve you the best. Each of these images are lovingly retouched to make them magazine-ready. 

Usually, this process after your session takes right around 2 weeks.

Let’s talk pricing

I treat your personal or business brand as if it were my own. I don’t take that lightly.

Branding sessions require researching, strategizing, and brainstorming so that we can maximize our session time. It also allows me to deliver the greatest variety to you. Each image file delivered is polished to look magazine ready.

I spend my time so that you have more time for what is most important to you. We all know just how valuable time is in this amazing life.

  • Branding Essentials Portraits (AKA Modern Headshots) begin at $350 at a mini-branding event or $500 for a customized on-location experience.
  • Brand Building to create a more extensive visual library begins at $1000
  • Corporate Branding and Headshots for larger groups begins at $2200
  • Personalized Brand Review – $50 (can be credited towards any branding session big or small)
Because everyone’s branding needs are different, I will share my complete price list during our (zero-pressure) inquiry phone call.
Woman working in education stands in library at DePaul University in Chicago
Two women aestheticians sit on a white couch in the waiting room of IVME and laugh together
GET IN TOUCH BRANDING PORTFOLIO Mini-BRANDING events

Getting headshots can be so daunting, but Maija alleviated all fears and made the process so so easy.

She was prompt, kind and helpful. She was very informative and communicative every step of the way. AND, she took great photos of me. Thanks Maija!
~Hope D.

brand review

Constructive feedback delivered from the heart.

A great place to start if you’re feeling uncertain of your next steps. Schedule it for a Monday, have your personal review in your hands by Friday.

Brand reviews are credited back to you when you schedule any branding session.