Personal Branding Portraits: Kelly
Some shoots you remember not because of the images but because of the person.
Kelly and I first crossed paths at a creative workshop a few years back. She had this immediate warmth about her, the kind of energy that fills a room without trying. We were both New England photographers working in different genres, so our circles overlapped occasionally but never fully connected. Social media kept us loosely in touch until Clubhouse brought us back into the same conversations.
When Kelly reached out and said she wanted to update her personal branding portraits and wanted me to shoot them, I was genuinely excited. I was also, if I’m being honest, a little nervous.
Photographing another photographer carries its own particular pressure. They know exactly what good light looks like. They know when a pose isn’t working. They understand the technical side of everything happening in the room. There is nowhere to hide. But Kelly made it easy. She trusted the process, she leaned into the direction, and within the first few minutes it was clear we were going to have a good session.
What I didn’t anticipate was how much we would laugh. I can’t remember the last time a shoot felt that loose and open. Kelly has a gift for making people feel at ease and I found myself on the receiving end of it, which was a strange and wonderful thing.
We shot a range of looks across the session, from clean and professional to fun and airy to something closer to boudoir. The variety gave her a full library of content to work with across different platforms and contexts. Along the way my equipment decided to have opinions of its own, the kind of small technical annoyances that show up at the worst moments. Kelly being a photographer meant we could laugh about it, adapt, and keep moving. That shared professional understanding makes a real difference.
Three hours in we were still going. Kelly had a long drive back to Boston waiting for her, so we had to wrap, but neither of us really wanted to stop.
It was an honor to work with her. These images reflect exactly who she is.
Hair and Makeup by Kelly Glover
