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“Show Notes”
Discover the true numbers behind the industry’s gender split and see exactly why brand photography is attracting so many women photographers right now—and why it’s not just a coincidence. Uncover the ‘magic ingredient’ of successful brand photography that allows you to charge more, secure repeat business, and turn simple images into powerful brand stories for your clients. Identify a huge commercial advantage that many photographers are currently missing, which represents a clear path to high-value, consistent bookings if you understand how to approach it. This week, we’re diving into a topic not often discussed in the photography world: why brand photography is so heavily dominated by women photographers, both behind the lens and as clients. We go beyond the gear and business strategy to look at the psychology and personal connections that truly drive success in this niche. Marcus and Sam discuss the surprising statistics showing the gender ratio and break down what makes women excel in this area—it’s less about technical skill and more about empathy, storytelling, and emotional intelligence. But here’s the kicker: The show uncovers a huge commercial opportunity. We discuss an untapped segment of the market and what you need to know about their distinct visual approach. If you’re a brand photographer looking to increase your income, stand out from the crowd, and secure more repeat clients, tune in to find out where the real money is and how to get it. We’d love to hear your thoughts! Are these numbers right? Are you a woman photographer who can relate to this discussion, or a photographer ready to seize this opportunity? Let us know in the comments.
“Show Transcription”
00:01.18
Sam Hollis
Hello, Marcus. How are you doing?
00:03.08
Marcus Ahmad
Hello there, Sam. I’m very well, thank you. How are you?
00:05.68
Sam Hollis
Excellent. Yes, yes. Very good. um So this week’s show, Marcus, I gather you’ve got something something for us to provoke a bit of discussion.
00:11.88
Marcus Ahmad
Oh, yes.
00:15.63
Marcus Ahmad
Oh, I hope it’s not too controversial, but I’m going to go there. I’m going to go with it because it’s something that’s not often spoken about. um And so today’s episode, it’s not about lighting setup, lenses or business strategy. It’s about people.
00:31.51
Marcus Ahmad
Specifically, why personal branding photography seems to attract more women than men.
00:39.36
Sam Hollis
And to be clear, Marcus, we’re talking about as photographers rather than as clients here.
00:39.51
Marcus Ahmad
Dun, dun, dun.
00:45.25
Marcus Ahmad
Not necessarily, no.
00:46.16
Sam Hollis
Or both.
00:46.45
Marcus Ahmad
We are talking about both. Yes.
00:48.19
Sam Hollis
Okay.
00:48.52
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah.
00:48.80
Sam Hollis
Interesting.
00:49.63
Marcus Ahmad
And, you know, and it’s it’s it’s in as an is it is interesting, Sam. it’s one you know It’s one of the most interesting dynamics in the modern photography industry. um
01:00.71
Sam Hollis
And have you got some numbers for it on this?
01:00.77
Marcus Ahmad
So, yeah, I’ve been, I’m going to go into the numbers.
01:02.34
Sam Hollis
Ooh.
01:03.94
Marcus Ahmad
Just give me a sec. I’m just going to tell a little bit about my myself. this for I’ve been doing personal branding and branding photography for about six years now. So, you know, I’ve got i’ve been digging into the space and I think I know, you know, I’ve got a good feeling for it.
01:19.01
Marcus Ahmad
There are two two different types, personal brand and branding photography. And I do have another show lined up to talk more in depth about the difference.
01:29.34
Marcus Ahmad
but But suffice to say, personal brand photography is aimed at solopreneurs and brand photography is ah aimed at other businesses, you know, you know, SMEs or whatever they might be.
01:38.88
Sam Hollis
OK. Yeah, yeah. Makes sense.
01:42.57
Marcus Ahmad
Um, So I did my digging. I basically went on to LinkedIn, first of all. i mean, it’s not easy. It’s not easy to do these things. I mean, obviously, with limited time. But I went on to LinkedIn.
01:53.15
Marcus Ahmad
And you can basically yeah put in personal brand photography and scroll down. And you get a list of like 10 people per page.
01:59.97
Sam Hollis
Yeah, yeah.
02:00.10
Marcus Ahmad
So i I went through about 10 pages, about 100 people. And I would say in e on with every 10, one person was a guy. And the rest were women.
02:11.84
Sam Hollis
Wow. Okay. so either So either the women are much, much better on LinkedIn or there’s much more women doing it.
02:13.88
Marcus Ahmad
um
02:20.40
Marcus Ahmad
ah Yeah, we’re going to find out, hopefully. um And then i so yeah, ah there’s certainly, ah let’s just say, 90% ratio I found it i found on ah LinkedIn.
02:35.14
Marcus Ahmad
I went on then to the old chat GBT now, you know, and
02:39.62
Sam Hollis
Yep.
02:40.84
Marcus Ahmad
And i type just I basically asked, okay, what is you know what is the percentage? And I just put in a very short question. And Sam, it took ages to come up with the answer. Like literally, I’ve never seen it take so long.
02:52.97
Marcus Ahmad
And I could just see the ice caps melting in the distance. You know, I thought, oh my God, what have I done here? I’ve broken it.
02:58.70
Sam Hollis
ah
02:59.46
Marcus Ahmad
But it did it did come back with some figures. um And they pay they basically reckon it’s between, and they said it’s not easy to come up with figures.
03:10.39
Sam Hollis
yep
03:10.52
Marcus Ahmad
obviously, but they said round about 70% to 80% of women, of branding photographers are women, personal branding photographers are women.
03:18.20
Sam Hollis
wow that high
03:20.03
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah, and I think when you switch to branding photography, it’s still quite high, but not as high. I would probably say around about 60% 70%.
03:27.44
Sam Hollis
And was that, did you ask it to do it for the UK or was that globally it was doing it?
03:27.66
Marcus Ahmad
No, that is globally.
03:32.18
Sam Hollis
Okay.
03:32.99
Marcus Ahmad
Globally, yeah. um Look, I mean, let me just put it out here. um Well done the women. I mean, this is what I’m saying. You know you know how I’m really into ah branding for jobs and personal branding and how creative it is. We’ve done a show on that.
03:48.30
Marcus Ahmad
um I’m just saying, men, come on, step up for it and get involved.
03:53.30
Sam Hollis
yeah And photography, you know, if we go back into history, photography is traditionally not so much now, but it has traditionally been a male dominated area, hasn’t it, in the past?
04:02.18
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah, well, well it it has. Of course, it has. i can’t. Definitely. Definitely. you know, as most the art subjects are, and as most things were pre-19, you know, pre-2000, really, pre-this century, ah we obviously, things are changing, but things are changing a lot in the personal branding space. So we I’m going to start digging into it and start finding out why I think that might be.
04:27.56
Marcus Ahmad
But, you know, do not forget, I’m not having a go at the women. i’ve the women Well done. You know, I love personal branding photography. Why don’t men, what men do it? So let’s start digging in.
04:36.76
Sam Hollis
Okay, Marcus, can you turn your level down a bit?
04:38.37
Marcus Ahmad
Yes.
04:39.54
Sam Hollis
I think you might be a bit high.
04:41.59
Marcus Ahmad
Yes, by all means, Sam.
04:42.65
Sam Hollis
I can see the kind of you going right to the edges on the screen.
04:42.99
Marcus Ahmad
stand Yeah, yeah, I can hear it slightly clipping in my headphones. Is that better?
04:47.60
Sam Hollis
Yeah, perfect. Yeah, I think, say something loud a second, I’ll check.
04:51.63
Marcus Ahmad
OK, what personal branding really is?
04:53.52
Sam Hollis
Yeah, perfect.
04:54.93
Marcus Ahmad
OK, so let’s start by defining what we’re talking about.
04:56.36
Sam Hollis
Sorry.
04:59.95
Marcus Ahmad
So personal branding isn’t just portraits. It’s not stand here and smile the camera. It’s about telling somebody’s story visually, who they are, what they stand for,
05:10.89
Marcus Ahmad
you know, how they want to show up in the world. And often your clients are solo entrepreneurs, coaches, designers, creatives, people who are their brand.
05:21.55
Marcus Ahmad
My niche is obviously coaches and motivational speakers. So yeah, it’s very people focus. it’s’s So it’s not so technically based, it’s more psychological.
05:33.92
Marcus Ahmad
You’re helping someone express confidence, purpose, and that buzzword, authenticity, all in a few images. So that kind of work, you might think or might say, demands empathy, collaboration, and a certain emotional intelligence.
05:52.79
Sam Hollis
I can see where you’re going with this, Marcus.
05:52.83
Marcus Ahmad
And that, and that I think is our first clue as to why women are drawn to it.
05:58.32
Sam Hollis
Yes.
06:00.82
Sam Hollis
Or better at it, potentially, just to be controversial as well.
06:00.95
Marcus Ahmad
Look, my back
06:05.60
Marcus Ahmad
but My background is in advertising, starting off as assisting and then fashion photography. And I heavily leaned into both of those. So maybe I’m coming, you know, that this is why maybe those two things together make me more suitable for doing personal branding. I don’t know, because I’ve obviously in my job as a fashion photographer, I shot a lot women and work, you know, mind you, look, the fashion world, when I was teaching Sam,
06:31.93
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah, there were a lot of girls in the class. We had 60 class. In the class of 60 students, we had about 50 girls and about 10 guys. So I suppose to there was them as well.
06:40.72
Sam Hollis
Hang on. So when you… Just to clarify, we’re talking about when you’re lecturing.
06:44.88
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Thank you, Sam.
06:45.99
Sam Hollis
Okay.
06:46.16
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah, when I was lecturing when i was lecturing in fashion.
06:46.61
Sam Hollis
So when you were lecturing, you there was a way higher proportion of women to men in the class in the classroom learning about photography.
06:51.48
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah, yeah. so
06:53.26
Sam Hollis
Okay.
06:53.65
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah, and um I could ah could see the change happening there, Sam.
06:53.70
Sam Hollis
Yep.
06:57.49
Marcus Ahmad
don’t think, oh, this is quite interesting, this change, more women coming into it. When I studied studied photography, Sam, back in the 90s, I would probably say I did editorial photography, which you could probably say, you know, i don’t know, maybe a bit blocus.
07:10.64
Marcus Ahmad
But I do remember remember thinking at the time how positive it was that half the class was women and half was men.
07:15.26
Sam Hollis
and okay Okay. So even back then.
07:17.17
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah.
07:17.84
Sam Hollis
Okay, that’s interesting. And then I was just thinking you were talking about the fashion photography maybe being similar to branding. Is it quite different, though, the fact if you’re on a fashion shoot, the models are paid to be there?
07:29.16
Sam Hollis
While if you’re on a brand shoot, the model effectively is your client, which is a very different relationship, isn’t it?
07:30.29
Marcus Ahmad
Well,
07:34.13
Marcus Ahmad
yes. Yeah. very different, Sam, and I’m going sort of touch on that, but I’ll talk about it now. Yeah, you’re right. And it was an exchange when I was doing fashion. People were getting paid for it, and models wanted to be models.
07:47.58
Marcus Ahmad
You know, no surprise there.
07:48.22
Sam Hollis
Yeah.
07:49.45
Marcus Ahmad
And yet, when I came into doing, working in the personal branding space, branding space, I was quite surprised how reticent, really reticent people are having their photograph taken.
07:59.41
Sam Hollis
Yeah.
07:59.58
Marcus Ahmad
And yet, I started had to have to shift my mindset into more of a matter of persuasion
08:06.85
Sam Hollis
Yeah.
08:07.01
Marcus Ahmad
than whatever the opposite it would be. So, yeah. So, you know, the the empathy and the connection factor just come into it. um So, yeah, so many of the women, so and as you know, Sam, many of the women we’ve had on this show who are branded photographers tell a very similar story.
08:26.70
Marcus Ahmad
They started off in women in weddings, family portraits, or lifestyle. They were shooting with empathy, already tuned into emotions, body language, and connections.
08:38.15
Marcus Ahmad
And when they find branded…
08:38.24
Sam Hollis
Yeah. Is that different for male photographers, though? Because that wedding route seems to be almost the routine for so many photographers, doesn’t it, as a kind of starting point?
08:45.60
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, um i written and I think wedding photography needs to be, and I do see a lot of wedding photographers because I play in a wedding band and I’m very busy with that.
08:56.62
Sam Hollis
Yeah.
08:58.27
Marcus Ahmad
So I do see a lot of photographers and it is very mixed. It is really, you know, definitely more 50-50, which is great to see, you know.
09:04.33
Sam Hollis
Okay. Yeah.
09:05.84
Marcus Ahmad
So, yeah, you could, I wouldn’t disagree what you’re saying, but, you know, yeah. But women statistically tend to have a higher emphasis emphasis on relationship communication.
09:18.54
Marcus Ahmad
It’s what they’ve been encouraged to do and they’ve cultivated that since childhood. Branding photography rewards that. It’s not about who can light a set the fastest. It’s about who can make someone relax it ah relax into themselves on camera.
09:33.49
Marcus Ahmad
And that’s not just a nice to have skill. That’s the magic ingredient that turns an image into a brand story.
09:39.56
Sam Hollis
Yeah, yeah.
09:41.86
Marcus Ahmad
So I guess there’s also a practical side, Sam, in that branding photography fits beautifully with a flexible lifestyle. And I can see why, you know, people who got families or or whatever, they’re going to be more encouraged not to work weekends. And branding photography does that. You can work during the week, daytime.
10:01.98
Marcus Ahmad
You can even create your schedule a little bit easier.
10:06.29
Marcus Ahmad
it’s It’s a more an empowering model. You’re working directly with the clients, often other women business owners, and there’s a shared sense of growth, not competition. And I do see that when I see my, you know, my colleagues, women working with other women. they but There’s a lot of support in there.
10:26.59
Marcus Ahmad
yeah and you know building up relationships and you know people coming back to update their imagery. So I guess, in short, it’s creative, relational and sustainable.
10:31.96
Sam Hollis
Yeah.
10:36.87
Marcus Ahmad
And that’s a pretty attractive combination.
10:41.05
Sam Hollis
yeah
10:41.49
Marcus Ahmad
So let’s like let’s talk now, Sam, about… because I do photograph guys for personal branding. um And looking back through my portfolio, I’ve actually shot quite a lot of guys.
10:55.29
Marcus Ahmad
and its ah And if you actually Google men’s personal branding photography, I’ve always come up pretty much at the top of the list in the world because I’m one of the few people who sort of mentioned it in blogs and stuff.
11:10.09
Marcus Ahmad
I can see you looking there, Sam, now.
11:11.57
Sam Hollis
Yeah. Are you sure about that, Marcus?
11:12.17
Marcus Ahmad
a look. yeah
11:13.35
Sam Hollis
Because Google knows, Google, I’m going to, me Google knows what who you are um and where you are.
11:14.26
Marcus Ahmad
have a look
11:18.96
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah, well, I like didn’t know how it all works, Sam, but I did just try it out this morning on AI. and My name did come up. But…
11:26.43
Sam Hollis
Very good.
11:29.28
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah, OK, let me just talk over what you’re listening to.
11:29.85
Sam Hollis
Oh, yeah. No, to be fair, you are right, Marcus. To be fair, I am verifying that, yes, I am currently in the Netherlands randomly doing the search and you are near the top for that. I’ll let you off with that one.
11:41.36
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s surprising. I’m not boasting about it. I’m just amazingly surprised about it um But I do get guys and they probably, the kind of shoots that they go for are more the studio based shoots as opposed to the location ones.
11:56.89
Marcus Ahmad
um And they, which I call ah branded portraits. And um yeah, I love doing those.
12:01.20
Sam Hollis
Sorry?
12:03.26
Marcus Ahmad
I love working with the guys because it’s a different approach. But um the the the majority of the clients seeking personal branding are women.
12:14.49
Marcus Ahmad
So um women, OK, so I got a bit lost in my notes here, so apologies.
12:19.85
Sam Hollis
right
12:20.32
Marcus Ahmad
um
12:22.75
Marcus Ahmad
ah so So what happens? So women photograph women. ah Clients feel safe being expressive, playful, even vulnerable in front of another woman’s camera.
12:33.58
Marcus Ahmad
It becomes a space about permission, permission to be seen. and that creates a kind of feedback loop. Female clients seek female photographers.
12:44.30
Marcus Ahmad
Female photographers market towards those clients. the root The loop reinforces itself. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just how resonance works. People who hire people who make them feel understood.
12:59.06
Marcus Ahmad
But it does create a kind of gender gap. Not because men aren’t capable, but because the branding of the genre has become so emotionally feminine.
13:11.42
Marcus Ahmad
So men, yeah, so men, why should you get into it?
13:11.52
Sam Hollis
Interesting.
13:17.36
Marcus Ahmad
Why should more men be in branding photography? First, the obvious reason, demand. Every business owner, male or female, needs consistent, personally driven images that isn’t a niche that’s shrinking.
13:32.65
Marcus Ahmad
It’s expanding. But beyond that, there are deeper reasons. And this is quite interesting, hopefully. um
13:42.47
Marcus Ahmad
When you’re working with guys… as clients, the men often bring a slightly different visual approach. and know Maybe it might be more graphic, maybe more structured, maybe more editorial.
13:55.81
Marcus Ahmad
The aesthetic can add depth and diversity to branding photography. so You know, when I’m working with my male clients, Sam, um I do like them in a different way. and I go for more contrasty, hard, mood slightly moody lighting, whereas women it tends to be softer lighting, and you know, and more of a pastel look.
14:21.17
Marcus Ahmad
More fashion than editorial, if you can understand that. um There’s also a real gap in the market for male clients. A lot of men scroll through branding photos online and think, yeah, these are great, but they’re not me. And I’ve noticed that when clients come to me, you know, I say, well, who have you been looking there anything that influences this as male clients? And they really struggle to find something because what they see is the soft lighting, the pastels, the coffee shots.
14:49.34
Marcus Ahmad
Nothing wrong with that, but it just doesn’t represent how they want to show up. So male photographers, let me just finish this, Sam, sorry.
14:54.68
Sam Hollis
So, yeah. yeah
14:57.53
Marcus Ahmad
Male photographers can bridge that gap. They can help men express themselves by being more confident and authentic without losing their tone or style.
15:08.09
Marcus Ahmad
It’s an open market. Sorry, Sam, I just had to get that bit out there.
15:10.31
Sam Hollis
Yeah, so I mean, I’m basically agreeing with you.
15:11.15
Marcus Ahmad
Let’s conclude that.
15:12.11
Sam Hollis
So effectively, there’s a big gap in the market here. There’s a lot of men, what you’re saying, that need brand photography, aren’t getting it.
15:16.29
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah. Yeah. Yep.
15:18.88
Sam Hollis
So there’s actually a big opportunity here, both for male and female brand photographers to go, right, there’s actually a lot of people here who aren’t being served, who don’t think it’s for them, when it could be for them, and they need and you need some…
15:21.19
Marcus Ahmad
Yes.
15:29.77
Marcus Ahmad
Yes, exactly.
15:31.88
Sam Hollis
Shots on your website showing people like them.
15:33.56
Marcus Ahmad
Well, they need guidance, Sam. They need guidance.
15:34.92
Sam Hollis
You need some.
15:36.45
Marcus Ahmad
Yeah.
15:36.66
Sam Hollis
Yeah, that’s it. They need guys. And yeah, like said, on the website, on social media, they need to see images of male of, you know, other people having similar to them having brand photography so they can get inspiration, get ideas, see, oh, yeah, you know, it works for them.
15:49.80
Marcus Ahmad
Exactly. Exactly.
15:51.68
Sam Hollis
It can work for me.
15:53.95
Marcus Ahmad
Exactly, exactly, exactly right. you know And I say that but because they come to me for the branded portraits in the studio, that tends to be my main business idea with guys. ah They see it’s not far from a headshot.
16:08.29
Marcus Ahmad
It’s more than a headshot. It’s a lot more than a headshot, but it’s not far.
16:10.38
Sam Hollis
Yeah.
16:11.68
Marcus Ahmad
um ah I was contradicting myself there, but you know what I mean. So yeah, they feel comfortable coming in to ask him for something like that. And ah I have created some very creepy,
16:22.35
Marcus Ahmad
creative type shots with guys and they love it and they’re really up for it.
16:26.83
Sam Hollis
Amazing.
16:27.25
Marcus Ahmad
um Yeah. And so we’re all, I’m just going to wrap up with a couple more points, Sam, about why guys should get into it.
16:31.11
Sam Hollis
okay
16:35.05
Marcus Ahmad
Commercially money, branding photography pays well. You’re creating high value imagery for but businesses that need it and they need updates, meaning repeat clients, not just one-offs.
16:47.84
Marcus Ahmad
oneoff um Yeah, exactly. So it’s it’s it’s it’s I think there’s work out there for it. This diversity will make the field stronger. So with more people coming into it, more perspectives, male, female, non-binary, every background, every viewpoint, the imagery just gets richer.
17:06.88
Marcus Ahmad
You know, you can start using those more contrasted lights like I do, that more interesting, you know, it but look you I’m sure guys will find their own way around it. So just a few closing thoughts to wrap it up.
17:19.68
Marcus Ahmad
um Branding photography attracts more women because it values empathy, storytelling and connection. The qualities they’ve been encouraged to cultivate.
17:30.67
Marcus Ahmad
But it’s not a woman genre. It’s a people genre. That’s what I said in the intro. It’s about identity, confidence, purpose. And those are universal. So if you’re a woman already in this space, own it.
17:43.68
Marcus Ahmad
If you’re part of a creative movement that’s redefining what commercial photography looks like. And if you’re a man listening, maybe it’s time to see what this side photography could do for you.
17:55.05
Marcus Ahmad
Creatively, emotionally and financially. Because ultimately the question isn’t who’s shooting it, it’s who’s being seen. And the more variety we have behind the lens, the more truth we’ll see in front of it.
18:08.87
Marcus Ahmad
Dun, dun, dun. I’ve finished my little, I’ll get off my soapbox.
18:13.78
Sam Hollis
brilliant fine lending Marcus with a turn turn turn
18:17.35
Marcus Ahmad
yeah
18:19.45
Sam Hollis
thank you marcus yeah lots of food for thought there a huge amount of potential for people to make quite a lot of money and things there as well from the sound of it lots and lots of food for thought thank you so much
18:19.97
Marcus Ahmad
I’ve been, i yeah, heartfelt, heartfelt.
18:30.32
Marcus Ahmad
Well, Sam, do you know what i would love? I would love to hear what other people say about it and for people to get in the comments and tell me what they think. Am I wrong? Am I right? Have I got a clue? I haven’t got, I don’t know.
18:42.44
Marcus Ahmad
be lovely to hear what people think about it and just, you know, and see other people have been thinking the same. Women, of course, men, definitely.
18:47.31
Sam Hollis
There we go. Excellent. Thank you, Marcus. And I’ll see you next week.
18:53.93
Marcus Ahmad
I’ll see you next week, Sam.
