Woman in teal sleeveless top reclines on white bedding, smiling

Branding Photography & Headshots | San Diego Photographer

January is cold on the beach, and, this year, really stormy! So what is a San Diego beach photographer to do?

Answer: Avoid the beach at all costs and do something INDOORS! I got my business mastermind group together, and we made a day of refreshing our headshots. As self-employed entrepreneurs, it’s important to have fresh profile photos and website images regularly, and these winter months are the perfect time to do them. We hired a hair and makeup artist, my fellow photographer Liz came to help, everyone brought their favorite outfits, and I enjoyed using the natural light in my home to create these professional images. Here’s what our very productive day looked like, thanks to Mary Ann’s behind-the-scenes photos:

Behind-the-scenes with hair and makeup artist and subject in studio space
Woman in pink blazer and light blue pants, headshot pose against dark background
Photographer capturing headshots of subject in well-lit living room setting
Photographer working with subject on bed in bedroom during headshot session

Now, introducing my incredible mastermind group:

JEAN KAISER

Woman in navy blazer with hands clasped, headshot against black background
Woman in dark blazer, hand touching face, headshot against light background
Woman in teal velvet top, professional headshot against dark background

Jean is a realtor with who’s been helping San Diego families reach their real estate goals since 2002. Her promise is to buy and sell your home in 60 days, guaranteed, and she sticks to that! Jean spearheads our group of Christian entrepreneurs, along with Terri, and hosts our retreats at her beautiful East County home. She serves faithfully at her church and dotes on her three precious grandbabies. Jean is a brilliant home decorator/designer but will tell you it’s all no big deal.

TERRI PODLENSKI

Woman in navy blazer in reclined pose, headshot against light background
Woman in blue and pink patterned robe, seated headshot against light background
Woman in peach blazer with crossed arms, headshot against dark background

Terri was my first friend in this group. She and I live in the same neighborhood and go to the same church, and I had seen her around enough to strike up a conversation at Rubio’s one day. During the pandemic we got together for a walk in our community, and that has turned into a twice-weekly hike in the hills of East County. Terri owns two marketing and brand strategy businesses, working with big-name international corporate clients on their event promotions and with Christian organizations with the goal to help them present themselves with excellence.

JEN NELSON

Woman in hot pink blazer and white pants with pendant necklace for headshot
Woman in royal blue top angled toward shoulder, headshot against light background
Woman in teal textured top seated on chair for professional headshot

Dr. Jennifer Nelson, DC, owns Maverick Chiropractic Clinic, where she specializes in providing innovative total-body care for her clientele of primarily first responders and military personnel. Dr. Jen utilizes up-to-date, individualized assessment and treatment protocols and has a holistic view of health and wellness. Her goal is to hack into the patients’ lives and make small adjustments to their daily movements and habits to enable them the power to live a pain-free, healthy, and progressive lifestyle. I’m at Pilates three times a week due to Jen’s encouragement. She keeps us all on track.

MARY ANN MARIANI

Woman in black sequined top, professional headshot against dark background
Woman in denim shirt with chin rest pose, headshot against light background
Woman in blue patterned top with tied front detail for professional headshot

Mary Ann trains people to make strong presentations. She was on the Macintosh launch team for Apple Computer and worked in leadership and development at Vignette Corporation and Electronic Data Systems (EDS), and she has devoted her career to helping people develop their communication and presentation skills through group facilitation and training services. Her passion for serving others and the Lord flows into her business, Kingdom Presenters, which she created to support communication in nonprofits and faith-based communities.

JILL ADDISON

Woman in red sweater with blue denim, seated casual headshot against light background
Woman in bright blue v-neck top seated on stool, headshot against dark background
Woman in red crinkle lace-up sweater, standing headshot against light background

When I met Jill, she was frustrated with the amazing business she had built. She had twin preschoolers, and her thriving company that creates explainer videos for financial planners took so much time, she was ready to let it go. Over the last two years, Jill has sold her business and become a real estate investor. Now she has the flexibility to do all the mom things with her kindergartners, and she’s working on an online training system to help other women invest successfully in real estate. Most recently, Jill gave a presentation to our group about the Sabbath and reminded us all how important it is to take time to rest.

. . . and thank you to the wonderful LIZ ROMEKA for taking a few shots of me at the end. It’s fun to have some new photos for my website and social media.

Woman in cream blazer over pink top and jeans, angled headshot against light background
Woman in red pleated blouse, professional headshot against dark background
Woman in blue fabric with side angle pose, professional headshot against dark background

I’d love to do more branding and headshot photography in these winter months, so contact me if you’re interested in a weekday morning session.

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