The Photography Shift: Conversations About Identity, Authority and Being Seen.
- Liz Devonshire
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
Over the past year - through The Visibility Shift interviews, in networking rooms, and talking to my own clients - I’ve spoken with a number of brilliant female founders about how they built visibility in their businesses.
What Happens After Visibility? Introducing The Photography Shift.
Over the past year - through The Visibility Shift interviews, in networking rooms, and talking to my own clients - I’ve spoken with a number of brilliant female founders about how they built visibility in their businesses.
I found that one theme came up over and over again. And it was made loud and clear when I pulled together insights from the interviews in the recent blog post, How to Become More Visible in Business. Visibility isn’t something that just happens; it’s a conscious decision.
Visibility is a decision to step forward. A decision to share your voice. A decision to stop hiding and let people see who you are and the work you do.
But reflecting on those interviews led me to another realisation. Visibility is only the first step, because once you’ve made the decision to show up, it’s not long before you discover that the next question is: HOW. How do you want to be seen?
So, me being me and ever curious I decided to investigate that next step.
Visibility is a Decision, But it’s Only One Step.
Of course, the decision to show up is crucial, but The Visibility Shift interviews also confirmed that visibility isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s a series of decisions.
● The decision to speak up.
● The decision to share your ideas.
● The decision to position yourself as someone with expertise.
For many of us, particularly those building businesses around our own knowledge and experience, that visibility takes courage.
But, as your confidence grows and your business evolves, your relationship with visibility changes, too. You start thinking more intentionally about your personal brand, your visual identity, and how people experience you and your business at first glance. It’s something I hear from my clients over and over again.
And I have seen it so often, this is where professional photography becomes more than just a marketing asset. It becomes part of how you claim your authority as a business owner.
The Next Stage: The Photography Shift.
And exploring these ideas inspired my next series of conversations.
The Photography Shift explores what happens after that initial leap into visibility. This is when I start hearing people ask deeper questions about how they show up in their business.
So, in the next series, I’ll be asking some of those questions. Questions like:
● How did things change for you and your business after you started showing up visually in a more intentional way?
● Was there a point you realised your visuals weren’t matching the level of your work?
● How did you realise your visual presence needed to evolve?
For these business owners, there came a moment when they recognised that their imagery wasn’t just about filling a website page; it was a fundamental part of how their business was perceived.
Photography, Confidence and Identity.
One of the most powerful things I’ve seen through my work as a brand photographer is how photography influences not only how others see a business owner, but how they see themselves.
Again, that was something I decided I wanted to explore more deeply in these conversations. Making sure that the impact of professional photography is fully discussed, how the investment can influence not just your visibility, but your confidence and the way you see yourself as a business owner.
Because photography is amazing. It can help someone see themselves more clearly. It can show them the business owner they’ve become and clarify their own authority. And sometimes that shift changes how they show up across their business - even in areas you wouldn’t have expected.
Authority, Perception, and the Way Clients See You.
Visual identity plays such an important role in how others interpret expertise.
In business, people often make decisions quickly based on what they see - whether that’s on a website, LinkedIn profile, press feature or at a speaking event. And this perception is another theme running through my next conversations.
I’ve been thinking about how imagery influences credibility, authority and positioning and asking questions like:
● How has your visual identity influenced the way people perceive your authority?
● How did your investment in photography influence the way clients perceive - and pay - you?
● Are you seeing photography being used strategically enough across businesses generally in order that those entrepreneurs gain the authority and credibility that they need?
Because good personal brand photography isn’t just about looking professional, it’s about making sure the way your business is seen reflects the level you’ve reached.
Do Women Still Shrink Visually in Business?
There is also a deeper question running through these interviews, one that I often encounter in my work with female founders.
Many brilliant women regularly deliver exceptional work for their clients, but don’t have the same confidence when stepping up visually in their own businesses. One of the questions I’m particularly interested in exploring is:
● Do you think women are socialised to shrink visually in business? And how have you navigated that?
Because visibility isn’t just about marketing, it’s about identity, confidence, and allowing yourself to fully occupy your space in the world.
We’re Not Just Showing Up. We’re Stepping Up.
If The Visibility Shift was about finding the courage to be seen, The Photography Shift is about deciding how you want to be seen as your business evolves. Photography is part of that evolution.
It’s not simply a way to promote your work, but a way to express who you are, what you stand for, and the authority you’ve built. The women I’m working with are not just showing up, they’re stepping up. Their marketing, their visibility, and their stories are not just being used to ensure they’re seen, but being seen as experts with value.
Join the Conversation.
Starting in April and over the following months, I’ll be sharing these conversations with female entrepreneurs who have experienced their own photography shift. Women exploring how intentional visual identity has influenced their confidence, credibility, and business growth.
If you’d like to be part of that conversation around visibility in business, personal branding, and the role of photography in building authority, you can follow me on LinkedIn or
Instagram, where I’ll let you know when each interview is released.
The first interview is released this Wednesday 1st April and my guest is Claire Bannister please join us by clicking on either of these links and clicking on the Bio in Instagram or Contact info in Linkedin:
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And if you’re currently reflecting on your own visual presence in business, I’d love to hear from you, because sometimes the next stage of growth begins with a simple question: Does the way I show up in the world reflect the level of the work I’m doing today?
I’m also running the Visibility Boost Day- Mini Shoot on the 15th May in North London Please click here for more information: https://www.lizdevonshirephotography.co.uk/coming-soon-03
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