Great Question!
The idea of a brand photography session can feel a little overwhelming for a lot of people… but it doesn’t have to be! Let’s talk about one of the first concerns business owners have when they’re trying to figure out just what exactly they need.
Most business owners don’t need hundreds of branding photos, instead they need a small, intentional set that can be used across their website, emails, social media, and press.
For most businesses, 30–60 well-planned images is the sweet spot.
But the real question isn’t how many photos you need — it’s what those photos need to do.
I get this question all the time from business owners considering branding photography, and it’s a great question because it opens up the conversation to talking about how images work for you.
For example, you don’t want to over-invest in images you won’t end up using, or feel unnecessary pressure to “perform” for the camera just to get more images. This just ends up in a gallery of photos that look nice but don’t actually support your business.
Branding photography isn’t about volume.
It’s about clarity, consistency, and trust.
For most service-based businesses, entrepreneurs, and small teams:
- 30–60 images is ideal
- Enough variety to feel flexible and cover different formats
- Not so many that they become overwhelming or redundant
That range allows you to populate key website pages, rotate images over time, and maintain visual consistency without too much repetition.
What Actually Determines How Many Branding Photos You Need
1. How You Use Your Website
Your website alone typically (at minimum) needs:
- 1–2 strong hero images (Think homepage and about/services pages)
- About page portraits
- Detail images
- A few supporting visuals for services or philosophy and values
👉 If you’re refreshing or rebuilding your site, branding photos do more heavy lifting.
2. How You Communicate With Clients
If you regularly use any of the following, you’ll benefit from having images that feel personal but professional, not stocky or generic. (I do love to bang my drum about how original images rank so much higher in SEO/Ai/search!)
- email newsletters
- proposals
- welcome guides
- client-facing PDFs
3. How Often You Show Up
You don’t need to be on social platforms constantly (I’m not), but when you do show up, remember that consistent imagery builds recognition, and that familiarity builds trust.
A well thought out branding gallery allows you to reuse images across all your platforms. And importantly (sanity saving!), the ability to show up without scrambling, and avoiding the content treadmill.
A Simple Breakdown
A solid minimum gallery of branding images would usually include something like this:
- 5–10 core portraits in both landscape and portrait orientation, with a mix of headshots and 3/4 to full length shots
- 10–20 lifestyle or environmental images which might be a mix of you at work, behind the scenes, along with more contextual portraits that speak to what you do and who you are, and personality portraits that are more relaxed.
- 10–20 detail or contextual images which zero in on tools of your trade, processes, or interactions.
These aren’t rigid folks – every business is different, but this gives you an idea of what a well rounded shoot might include.
Why More Photos Isn’t Always Better
Having too many images can make it harder to choose and may actually encourage over-posting instead of using them more intentionally. Overwhelm is never a good place to start from.
Search engines (and more importantly humans!) respond better to consistent imagery, recognizable visual cues…and clarity over novelty.
So…A Better Question to Ask
Instead of:
“How many branding photos do I need?”
Think:
“Where do I want people to see me, and how do I want to be perceived there?”
That’s the question that leads to images that age well, feel grounded and support your your authority rather than perform for attention.
How I Think About Branding Photography
I approach branding photography as support, not performance.
The goal isn’t to make you louder —
it’s to make you clearer.
I believe images should:
- reinforce trust
- reflect how you actually work
- feel aligned with your voice and values
- and show your unique personality
If you’re feeling unsure about what you need, that’s usually a sign you don’t need more images, you need better alignment between your visuals and your business.
