Branding Portraits for VMRC Scientists

Branding Portraits for VMRC Scientists

I have a passion for photographing women, especially those making a difference in the world. A few years ago, I collaborated with Professor Joanne Passmore on a Wishing for Wellness project, where I was tasked with creating portraits of adolescent girls while ensuring their faces were not identifiable. That was a wonderful challenge!

I was thrilled to be called in again to create a set of portraits for the VMRC scientists—this time with fewer restrictions and a strong focus on storytelling rather than just headshots.

The VMRC team consists of dedicated scientists working to advance our understanding of women’s reproductive health. Their research explores the vaginal microbiome and its crucial role in overall well-being. By addressing important medical challenges, they’re achieving real breakthroughs and changing the field for the better.

One of their standout initiatives, GIFT, aims to transform research into innovative diagnostic tests and treatments that help reduce genital inflammation. These efforts showcase their commitment to leveraging African research expertise and prioritizing women’s health across the continent. The VMRC scientists are truly dedicated to empowering women through education and advocacy, helping them make informed health choices and positively impacting their communities.

While scientists often prefer working in labs or behind computers, their careers frequently require them to be spokespeople for their research. This means developing a personal brand, attending conferences, and attracting funding. Strong imagery is essential for presenting themselves effectively.

Before I picked up my camera, I interviewed each scientist to learn about their backgrounds, their work, and how they want to be portrayed. Over two days, we created a library of images that truly reflect their personalities.

Here are a couple of testimonials from these inspirational women:

“Looking at the images from my branding session with Jacki definitely boosted my confidence and energy. This has significantly improved my self-perception, fostering a greater sense of self-assurance. Overall, Jacki’s work as a photographer is exceptional; her talent and skills shine through in every shot. What sets her apart is not just her photography but also the personal connection she establishes with her clients, creating a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere. I wholeheartedly recommend her for any occasion—she’s truly the best choice!”

— Ramla Tanko, PhD
Scientist, Division of Medical Virology, Department of Pathology

“I felt nervous to be in front of the camera, but before Jacki even starts a branding session, she takes the time to know you. On the shoot day, she has a magical way of putting you at ease. She really knows how to bring out the smiles, and this shines through in the photos. We don’t always believe we are beautiful, but somehow Jacki captures authentic beauty in each subject. This is her true gift; she photographs from the inside. I call her a sorcerer!”

— Fizele
Scientist, Senior Research Officer

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Tips on Getting the Most out of your Personal Branding Photography Session

Tips on Getting the Most out of your Personal Branding Photography Session

These days consumers want to see the face or faces behind a brand and not just a logo and a corporate identity. The online world and social media have changed the way that we do business. People want to be able to connect with a brand before following someone online and/or shelling out their money and this means that having good content, telling stories and showing up are now more important than ever. Having an actual person at the forefront of a brand creates a sense of trust and relatedness. Richard Branson of Virgin is a prime example of this.

Despite the fact that I have concentrated on weddings over the past decade, I have in fact  done a number of branding shoots and created a number of content portfolios for all sorts of individuals and companies. These images have been used on their websites, emails, blog content, social media, PR in magazines and other print or online media, marketing materials, and online shops.

There are a few things that are important to consider when commissioning a personal or corporate branding shoot

1. Make sure that you commission a photographer who knows how to pose you and use lighting so that you look your best. Not all photographers are good at directing subjects in a way that will bring out your most flattering side! This is a skill that often takes years to perfect and why experience is worth paying for. You want to look fresh, open faced and friendly to potential clients, but you also want to have fun and feel relaxed, so using a photographer who’s personality gels with yours is a good plan! A photographer that is used to directing models or doing food photography for example is not necessarily going to be able to bring out your best side (unless you have experience in modelling)

Commercial photo library for SA Shipyard, photographed by top South African commercial and branding photographer- Jacki Bruniquel

2.Ensure that your photographer has a good brief and that you send them your brand board, a mood board of images that can be used as an inspiration starting block, plus your business’ story and any additional information that might be important. When I am commissioned to do any shoot I like to get as much information from my clients so that I can tell your story in the best way possible. Your branding photos should be a visual narrative about your business and communicate what your brand is all about. They need to accurately represent you so that you set yourself apart from everyone else on the market. This is something that needs to be carefully planned and strategised and why it is worth using a photographer that will take the time to understand your needs and can follow a brief.

Personal Branding Photography Session -Jacki Bruniquel

Personal Branding Photography Session -Jacki Bruniquel

3.Ask yourself the questions. What does my brand board look like? What are my branding colours? Who is my target market and my ideal client? What is my brand story? What are my company values? These should influence your choice of:

3.1 Outfits and what to wear – best to have a few outfit changes during your branding shoot so that you can circulate your images.

Branding shoot photographed by to South African photographer Jacki Bruniquel in Umdloti

Branding shoot photographed by to South African photographer Jacki Bruniquel in Umdloti

3.2 Location and where to shoot

Commercial photo library for SA Shipyard, photographed by top South African commercial and branding photographer- Jacki Bruniquel

Shani-Branding-2019-Retouched-109 - Jacki Bruniquel

Commercial photo library for SA Shipyard, photographed by top South African commercial and branding photographer- Jacki Bruniquel

3.3 Props used and what will be included in the background of the photos.

Personal Branding Photography Session -Jacki Bruniquel

4.Ensure that your photographer shoots in both vertical and horizontal format so that you can use these images across all media. It is also a good idea to have a lot of negative space around some of your images so that written copy can be put in these areas when needed ie on websites, adverts or in magazines etc

Bretton-Portrait-2019-Retouched-33 - Jacki Bruniquel

Personal Branding Photography Session -Jacki Brunique

5.If you are creating a personal brand you should have a library of images of yourself that you can use in your marketing and this should be updated at least once a year.

6.If you are launching a new product, website or online campaign it is advisable to have a new shoot done and not reuse old images. You want to appear current and on the ball to potential customers.

7.If you are female, I highly advise that you get your hair and make up done for the shoot so that you are proud of the images and feel confident to share them with the world.

Creative-South-African-Wedding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel-FAQ-003

8.When it comes to outfit choices

THINGS TO AVOID:

            • Crazy branding and big logos are a no no
            • Sideways stripes can make one look bigger so if this is something you want to avoid – avoid them!
            • Be careful of too many loud, busy patterns which can distort and become distracting
            • Watch out for pantie or bra lines
            • Dark colours generally make people look slimmer if that is what you are going for
            • If you wear glasses, those photochromic lenses aren’t great for photoshoots as they darken in the sun and will hide your eyes and look like sunglasses
            • Unless you are making a thing out of your sunglasses and they become a fun fashion accessory for one or two pics – leave them at home for your session

          Here’s a link to a few examples of various branding shoots I have done.

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My approach to branding photography

My approach to branding photography

For many years I mainly specialized in wedding photography but I have done a number of branding sessions in between that. Being a creative wedding photographer actually lends itself very well to branding photography as I am used to working with ordinary people as opposed to models which means I can direct people to look their best. My Fine Art background is also a handy asset as I am able to tell stories with images which is perfect for a client who wants a branding session that tells their unique story as opposed to those typical branding shots you see with businesswomen and coffee cups!

I haven’t shared many of these images but life in lockdown has given me some time to catch up on blogging.

Here’s a few shoots along with a short write up about each person so that you can understand my approach.

Click here if you would like to read about some tips for getting the most out of your branding session


Chanelle Segerius Bruce is an online coach who specializes in teaching people to teach online and build their brands online in general. Her brand is centered around enabling women to free up their time and earn money from their experience and skill and her overall branding has the element of barefoot luxury to it. Hence the tropical vibes. Chanelle has used these images on her website and also across social media platforms. If you are a personal brand it is vital that you have a number of images of you to share.

Laid back KZN midlands wedding, shot by top South African creative wedding photographer Jacki Bruniquel at Corrie Lynn Farm

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Amy Down from Mommy Mojo is an online health and wellness coach from Australia. We shot these images in Bali and wanted to create the idea of well being and mindfulness which Bali is known for. It became the perfect location to communicate these ideas.

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Ard Matthews is an internationally acclaimed and well known South African Musician who became famous with the band Just Jinger. I have photographed Ard many times over the years and he has used these images for PR and marketing.

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Lauren Pinnoy is a Yoga teacher who runs the Yoga Studio in Ballito South Africa. We wanted to create striking imagery that would really have her standing out on her social media. These have also appeared in magazines.

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Deborah Goode is a businesswomen who developed Free-Sweet, a sweetener that can be used as a sugar replacement amongst many other entrepreneurial endeavours. Deborah has created a personal brand around her product and these images have been used on her website and in various magazines and other marketing materials

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Frances Patterson is Obstetrician Gynaecologist. In these images we wanted to ensure that she looks extremely professional but also friendly, open and trustworthy. This collection of images have been used in her marketing material but also on presentations and papers.

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Sharni Quinn is a yoga teacher, life coach, author and speaker. We photographed a collection of images around Bali, Indonesia that all speak of her brand which is about being the best version of yourself! She wanted a bright and airy feel about the photos to convey her message. She has used these images on her website, various training programs, online marketing and also in print media.

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

https://jackibruniquel.comfor-photographers/my-approach-to-branding-photography/

https://jackibruniquel.comfor-photographers/my-approach-to-branding-photography/

https://jackibruniquel.comfor-photographers/my-approach-to-branding-photography/

https://jackibruniquel.comfor-photographers/my-approach-to-branding-photography/

Dylan McGarry is an academic, an artist, a teacher, an eco warrior and illustrator. He wanted something unique for his portrait so we used contrasty lighting and props. The images we made have been used on this website and various campaigns and academic papers.

https://jackibruniquel.comfor-photographers/my-approach-to-branding-photography/

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Bretton Jones is an NLP life coach. The brief was to make some images that were modern and fresh and showed him as a working professional who is friendly, reliable and trustworthy. These have been used on his website and across all marketing platforms.

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Ben Vos and John Van Der Ruit are both actors, play writers and comedians. John is famous for his series of books called Spud. This branding shoot was done before their show Mamba Republic and we wanted to create an element of drama, fun and humour hence the use of the red velvet to allude to a stage curtain and more dramatic lighting. These images were used on everything from lamp-post posters, in the newspapers and on social media.

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Cathy Layzell is an internally acclaimed Cape Town based abstract artist and painter. Artists often need images of themselves for PR, exhibition artist statements etc.

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Guy Buttery is an internally acclaimed South African musician and I have photographed him many times over the years. These images have been used across social media and print PR – some of them even appeared in the Rolling Stone magazine.

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Shane Smith and Shaun Bebbington own West Coast Distillers which is a craft gin distillery who also make bitters and other beverages in the Cape. They are anything but corporate hence a more relaxed and alternative approach when it came to choice of outfits etc. These images have been used for marketing purposes.

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

Prasheen Maharaj is an entrepreneur who’s official title is Chief Executive Officer at SanDock Austral. These images needed to appeal to a corporate audience but also show Prasheen’s role as CEO of a shipbuilding yard. They have been used extensively for PR and marketing purposes and have even appeared on the front page of a business magazine.

Top-South-African-Creative-Personal-Branding-Photographer-Jacki-Bruniquel

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