Hitchin Personal Branding Photoshoot

When Hitchin and Hertfordshire image consultant and colour expert, Jennie Billings asked if I’d be up for her personal branding shoot I jumped at the chance.

Instinct told me it would be fun and I wasn’t wrong. From the pre-shoot planning to the on-the-day direction and the final edit I loved every minute.

Jennie is a lady who totally gets her colours and style – scroll down for the backstory – and managing a shoot to capture all of this was really quite fabulous.

Here’s some of the gallery highlights.

Bringing the brand shoot to life

As a franchise owner, Jennie doesn’t control the brand colours for House of Colour, but as an ambassador where her understanding of colour and style are central to her business success, the shoot was focussed around incorporating her own seasonal palette and conveying the power of colour.

Jennie wanted a mix of creative headshots and portraits, incorporating local Hitchin landmarks whilst conveying her expertise as a style and colour consultant.

Our challenge was finding spots with backdrops that would work for her colour, settings that would complement her style, and light that would help the images sing.

After a chat and plan over coffee and a bagel at Hermitage Road we headed off for our tour of Hitchin’s hotspots. Her style is so distinctive that planning the locations and the style of shoot all just fell into place.

The light on the stairwell at Hermitage Road is unreal and blessed with a sunny day we made the most of the hard light available. A mooch around Hitchin Market and the side streets gave us more than enough variety to put together a really solid gallery of images that she can use for marketing and branding online and in print.

I loved Jennie’s shoot and can’t wait to add more brand shoots to my diary. If you know anyone in need of imagery with personality to really help bring their brand to life give me a shout – I’d love to chat and see how I could help.

 Who is Jennie, The Colour Lady?*

I’ve always known Jennie as The Colour Lady.  That’s not her actual name of course, but even before I knew her, I knew.

Admitting this next bit is a bit of a risk, as I know it may make me sound a bit of a stalker (I’m not, obvs!), but for years Jennie always stood out to me as someone who really ‘got’ her colours and style.

I’d pop to the Co-Op, and there would be Jennie, strolling past in her trademark autumnal wow colours, looking so effortlessly put together. I’d venture to Hitchin and there she’d be, totally naturally ‘sorted’. She always stood out, because in a sea of safe blacks and greys, her vibrant mustard tops, funky tan loafers and bright lips always popped. In a good way. I’d clock her and think ‘ah, one day, when I grow up, I’ll have such style and confidence’.

Then a good friend introduced me to the wonders of House of Colour – and to Jennie, the brains and creative eye behind it all and it all clicked – no wonder she always looked so good. Her wardrobe was no accident – she knew exactly what she was doing.

If you’ve yet to be schooled in the fine art of ‘getting your colours done’, Jennie’s your girl. The theory is that everyone has a seasonal palette that works for them and their skin tone. Shopping trips and wardrobe planning are revolutionised and everything just falls into place.   

Thank goodness I’m a winter. This stroke of good fortune meant I didn’t need to throw out my trusty black wardrobe – just now you may see me with more of a dash of lippie and a boost of colour here and there.

*It should be said of course that Jennie is more than just ‘The Colour Lady’ – that’s just how I fondly remember ‘knowing’ her, before I actually knew her and before I discovered that her skills as an image consultant go far beyond the magic of colours and tones. Jennie’s expertise as a personal stylist and as a professional shopping consultant means that with the help of an in-depth consultation and personality quiz, she can help you identify your style ‘personality’, helping you work out what shapes and patterns suit – and those that don’t – and then she can take you shopping to put it all into practice. Not only that, but she runs makeup tutorials too. 

Find out how to >> book Jennie to have your own colour and style analysis here << or contact me to chat about a branding shoot of your own.