Personal Branding Photography: Ashley Eichorn, founder of eduFocus PLC
Ashley on the steps of the Castleman Building at University of Connecticut.
Ashley Eichorn began her business, eduFocus PLC (Professional Learning Company), in March of 2023. The company works with schools and districts to create and deliver customized professional learning plans to build educator efficacy.
“After 17 years in public education with roles in the classroom, instructional coaching, and district administration, I have learned a lot. I decided to harness my passion for working with adults into my full-time work. It is my mission through eduFocus to create customized professional learning plans for districts and schools that empower educators for our students.”
Personal Branding Photography
Ashley wanted to do the personal branding photography session in a location that evoked education, and was also majestic and full of interesting backgrounds. We chose the campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs CT, which is near Hartford.
We began the shoot inside the Library building (quiet please!) and enlisted a friend of Ashley’s to come and be her client for a meeting. Personal branding photography often includes photos of people working in cafes on their laptops, and having meetings with clients. Since Ashley’s work involves a lot of B2B connection, this one was essential.
Ashley Eichorn, CEO of eduFocus, in a meeting with a client. Notice the space at the bottom leaves room for client copy. And for client coffee.
A photo shoot that builds confidence
“I question if I could ever be successful in this space. But I remind myself everyday that it is possible, and the pictures help me build my confidence and bring my dreams to life. ”
One of the things I love about my job as a photographer is that most people don’t like being photographed. Now, before you label me as a sadist, hear me out! I am also a yoga teacher, and a little bit obsessed with transformation. Photography and yoga both share a desire to shift perspectives and change perceptions.
The majority of my clients come to me telling me they don’t like being photographed. They also want their photographs to look good and portray them positively. My job is to get them from feeling apprehensive about being photographed to feeling excited about the results.
The truth is, we are all self-critical; we are sensitive to our own imperfections and have a hard time seeing our own beauty and confidence. So the yoga of personal branding photography is to help my clients get out of their heads and to connect with their inner spark. Everyone who hires me for this type of photography has a passion. For Ashley, it’s helping improve outcomes for students at a classroom, school, and district level. The entire shoot is built around this spark, and we explore it while we plan the session and while we shoot.
There is something about this process that builds confidence in my clients. It’s a re-wiring of the brain, being photographed and seen, spending time and money to improve their social image, taking the look of the brand seriously. Besides having great images at the end, the client gets an ego boost and has a little more swagger in their step moving forward with their business.
Ashley enjoying a casual moment on the University of Connecticut campus.
“I don’t love being in front of the camera, but the day felt genuine and authentic and I had a lot of fun! I was energized after the shoot, excited to see how my brand was reflected in the photography. ”
Ashley’s advice for entrepreneurs.
I like to ask my personal branding client’s about their experience running a business. After all, I am a business person, too! I asked Ashley about her mindset starting this new adventure.
“There has been a huge learning curve in spaces that I was unfamiliar with (i.e. social media, marketing etc.) but I embrace every learning experience. Some of the best advice I have read is the 5-minute rule.”
⏱️ The 5 minute rule: Take 5 minutes to celebrate success, then keep moving forward. And take 5 minutes to wallow in missteps, then keep moving forward. I have had a lot of missteps first starting out but I don't let them take over my thoughts, I acknowledge them, learn from them, and try again.
This is great advice! Less wallow through, more follow through!
Ashley Eichorn’s Headshot
Headshots Included!
When Ashley began her search for photography, she was mainly looking for a headshot. Her search brought her to my website, where she found out about personal branding photography. Headshots are crucial for people who are serious about their profession, be they lawyers or freelancers or actors.
If your profession is building your own brand or business, a great headshot is also essential. But you also need lots of lifestyle portraits and candids of you doing your thing. Personal branding connects your personality to your brand.
Once Ashley realized she could have her headshot plus a bunch of brand-building images, she got excited and upgraded to a personal branding photography package. But the headshot was still the most important to her, so we spent a little extra time making sure to get a beautiful image that shows her confidence and approachability (along with a splash of flowers in the background).
It is always a happy day for me when I see my headshot show up on a client’s Linkedin profile. Check out Ashley’s headshot on her Linkedin profile.
I asked Ashley if there are books that she would recommend to people in the education niche, or books that she loves?
Think Again: The Power of knowing what you don't know by Adam Grant is an excellent book that empowered me to say "I don't know", admit I was wrong, and change my mind even when I was sure I was right.
Focus by Mike Schmoker is certainly a cornerstone text for the work I am looking to do with schools.
What inspired you to create your business?
I started off in education because I love working with students, but as I continued in education I developed a passion for working with teachers to grow their instruction. I created this business to leverage this passion and empower educators. Education can get blurry and I want to help schools and districts find their focus and ultimately do better for their students.
Thank you Ashley!
I am super grateful to Ashley for choosing me to capture these images. You can connect with her on the eduFocus PLC website, and her Linkedin Profile.
If you are the face of your brand, Personal Branding Photography is for you. I help your business stand out with gorgeous and engaging images, and I help you feel confident and cool in front of the camera.
