Personal branding · Denver studio and on location
When someone asks for a photo, you should already have the right one.
A directed set of portraits for anyone whose face is part of what they sell — authors, agents, founders, advisors. One session covers the website, the bio, the listings, and the request you didn’t see coming.
You don’t need to know how to pose. That’s my job — I direct every frame.
- Rated 5.0 on Google
- Finals in 48 hours
- Photographed by me, every session
Sessions from $525 · 3 to 15 finished images
Three sessions. Pick by how many jobs your photos have to do.
Just need one good photo? That’s a Professional Headshot, $325. Everything each session includes is further down the page.
What you leave with
A headshot does one job. A set does all of them.
Every session starts close on the face and opens up from there. So the profile photo, the About page and the speaker bio all come from the same afternoon — and still look like the same person.
Who it’s for
Who books this — and the request they keep getting.
Authors & speakers
Every book and every talk starts with the same email: can you send a photo? The jacket, the conference program and the podcast tile all go out months before you do.
Agents & advisors
Realtors, financial advisors, attorneys. Your face is on every listing, mailer and profile — and it shouldn’t be the same file for the fifth year running.
Founders
For a new company, the people are most of the credibility. The website, the pitch deck and the first press request all need you in them.
Consultants & coaches
What you sell can’t be photographed. You can. Your photos do the convincing a product would do for anyone else.
Client stories
Different starting points. Same direction behind the camera.
Most people don’t arrive with nothing. They arrive with one photograph that’s been doing too much work for too long — or a new role and nothing to show for it yet.
Sales training · Brand Story
A new role, and a blank website to fill
He’d just joined a national sales training company, and his new site was waiting on photos. So we photographed the work itself — presenting, with clients, one on one — plus headshots and portraits inside and out.
Michael P.
Art world · Brand Story
A refresh that looks like the world she works in
Her photos had fallen behind her work. Two looks in the studio for her bio and press, then on location — a table, an open art book, warm light — so the new set reads like her world, not a backdrop.
Violet M.
Real estate · Brand Library
Photos that had fallen behind the business
She didn’t need a headshot. She needed a supply — one afternoon that feeds her website, her listings, her social channels and her print mailers, without reaching for the same file again.
Amanda Jane
Author & artist
One book, two websites, one person
He came in for an author photo. But he also runs two sites — one for his writing, one for his art — and both needed him in them. One session gave the book jacket and both websites a set that still looks like the same man.
David M.
Who you’ll be working with
Four versions of yourself in one session. That’s a directing problem.
Warm for the About page. Composed for the speaker bio. Relaxed for social. Most people can hold one expression for one photo. Holding four, on purpose, without any of them tipping into performance — that’s hard.
Before Denver, I spent fifteen years in Los Angeles coaching auditions and directing scenes: getting real people to shift on cue and stay believable doing it. It’s the same problem, and it’s what I’m doing while the camera is up.
You don’t have to know how to do any of this. That’s my job.
- 15 yearsDirecting actors and coaching auditions in Los Angeles
- Planned aheadLooks, wardrobe, and where each photo will live
- Photographed by meEvery session — never handed to an associate
Matt Draper · Photographer · Director · Former audition coach
Reviews
A brand session is a long time to feel self-conscious.
A headshot is over before you’ve settled. A brand session isn’t — more than one look, more than one kind of frame, and a lot of being looked at. So the comfort comes up first. What comes up afterward is having the right photo already there.
Rated 5.0 on Google Read them on Google
“Matt made the entire experience very comfy for someone who is normally awkward in front of the camera. We also made time for multiple outfits, different backgrounds, etc. so that my final portfolio was something I felt confident in picking and like I had so much choice.”
“I needed an update to my personal branding photos for my real estate business. He really cared about what I was looking for, so he was able to bring my vision to life and went beyond my expectations. I really love the ability to always have the photos available in my gallery as I need them.”
“He was professional, warm, and has a great location for a variety of settings. He was a dream to work with and we got our photos back the next day. Not sure if that’s typical, but that was our experience.”
Sessions & pricing
Your website. Your bio. Your marketing. One session.
Every session is for one person, planned around where the photos will be used, and directed and photographed by me. You see proofs the same day, and finished images arrive within 48 hours of your picks.
A starter set
Brand Essentials
$525
More than one photo, without the full library. For a bio, a profile and a simple website.
- Up to 60 minutes
- Two wardrobe looks
- In the studio, downstairs or just outside
- 3 finished images — a headshot, a portrait and one wider frame
Most booked · A working set
Brand Library
$750
Enough range for a website, LinkedIn and a few months of posts without reaching for the same file twice.
- Planning call before the day, if you’d like one
- Up to 90 minutes
- Multiple looks
- At my studio, or at your home or office
- 6 finished images across headshot, mid-length and wider frames
The full library
Brand Story
$1,150
For a launch, a book, a new role or a speaking calendar — with photos left over for what you can’t predict yet.
- Planning call before the day, if you’d like one
- Up to two hours
- Multiple looks and setups
- Studio setups plus location settings at my place — or the whole session at your home or office
- 15 finished images, plus 30–40 color-corrected extras
- 3–5 short vertical video clips for social
Adding to your session
- Extra finished images · $50 each
- On any session. Order them from your gallery whenever you need one — next week or next year.
- Brand Refresh · $350, for past clients
- 45 minutes and 3 new finished images, within 18 months of your last brand session. For when the business has moved and the photos haven’t.
- More than one person
- Sessions for two or more people are quoted by the number of individual portraits and group photos you need.
Where we shoot
- My studio, or your place
- Sessions happen at my downtown studio, or at your home or office. Anywhere within 10 driving miles of the studio is included.
- Studio and location in one session
- My place has location settings beyond the backdrop, so a mix of studio and location photos can happen without going anywhere. Splitting a session between my studio and a second location of yours adds a travel and setup fee, quoted in advance.
- Further than 10 miles
- Happy to travel. I’ll quote the travel fee before you book.
- Lighting comes with me
- A two-light setup with modifiers comes to any location. A portable studio backdrop on location is $150.
Reserving your date: a 50% retainer holds the session, and the balance is due on the day.
Not sure which one fits? Tell me what the photos are for and I’ll tell you the smallest session that does the job — even if that turns out to be a Professional Headshot.
For ongoing video + photo content
Need new videos and photos every month, not once a year?
The Monthly Content Session is one directed hour in my Denver studio that gives you a month of social media content: short vertical videos scripted from your own words, plus a fresh set of photos, ready to post. I handle the scripts, direction and editing, so you get consistent content without making it yourself. Built first for real estate agents, and open to anyone whose clients find them online first.
More than one person
Two founders, and a company nobody had heard of yet.
Myra was new. A website and marketing materials were the stated need — but for a young company, the founders’ faces are most of the credibility available. One planned session covered:
- Individual portraits for bios and LinkedIn
- A polished group portrait for the About page
- Founder portraits for press and speaking
- The two of them outdoors, for the homepage
- A relaxed team frame for recruiting
Sessions for two or more people are quoted by how many individual portraits and group photos you need. For a whole company, see Team Headshots.
Before you book
Questions people actually ask.
How is this different from a headshot session?
A headshot is one look against one backdrop — one photo doing one job. A branding session adds looks, settings and frame sizes, so you leave with a set: a headshot, a portrait, and wider photos with room around you for a website or a press feature.
If one good photo is all you need, a Professional Headshot is the right session, and I’ll tell you so.
I’m not photogenic. I genuinely hate having my picture taken.
Most people who book with me say exactly that. You don’t need to know how to pose — I direct every frame: where your weight goes, where you look, what you’re thinking about a half-second before the shutter.
You’ll see the photos as we go, so you’re never guessing whether it’s working.
How many photos do I actually need?
Fewer than most people think. A bio and a simple website can live on three. A full website plus LinkedIn and a few months of posts is closer to six. A launch, a book or a speaking calendar is where fifteen starts to earn its keep.
You can always add images from your gallery later, so you’re never locked in.
What do I wear? This is the part I’m dreading.
Clothes that fit well through the shoulders and feel like you. Solid colors and simple textures photograph best; skip busy patterns, big logos and anything you’ll keep adjusting. Bring complete outfits, shoes included, since some frames run full length.
Bring more than you think you need. We’ll choose together before we start, and you’ll get a short prep guide after you book.
Studio, or somewhere else?
Either. Sessions happen at my downtown studio, which has location settings beyond the backdrop, or at your home or office. Anywhere within 10 driving miles of the studio is included.
Further out, or splitting a session between my studio and a second location of yours, adds a travel fee that I’ll quote before you book.
Do I need hair and makeup?
Most people don’t. Come as you’d show up to an important meeting. If you’d like a professional, I have people I trust and can connect you.
How does booking work, and when do I get the photos?
A 50% retainer holds your date, and the balance is due on the day. You’ll get a private proof gallery the same day as your session. Once you choose your favorites, finished images arrive within 48 hours.
Can I use the photos anywhere I want?
Yes — your website, social, press, a book jacket, speaking submissions, paid ads, anything for your own business and marketing. No licensing fees, no time limit, no per-use charge.
Two small asks: don’t heavily filter them in ways that change how you look, and if a publication asks for a photo credit, it’s Draper Studios.
Before you go
Most people book this a little later than they should have.
The website is already half-built. The book has a release date. The talk just got confirmed. That’s usually when the search starts — and by then the photos are the thing holding everything else up.
If any of that is on your calendar for the next few months, the call is worth having now. Fifteen minutes, no pitch. I’ll tell you the smallest session that gets it done — and if a single headshot would cover it, I’ll tell you that too.
Draper Studios · Denver · Rated 5.0 on Google · Photographed by me, every session