Props can bring personality, depth, and meaning to your photos. Not only do they help ground you and give your hands something to do, but they also add context, style, and interest to the shot. A well-chosen prop can tell a story, create a mood, or connect you more closely with your audience by showing a side of yourself that goes beyond the basic headshot.
Here’s how to make props work for you in a photoshoot—and some exercises to help you discover the best items that reflect your personal brand.
Exercises to Help You Find Meaningful Story-Telling Props for Your Brand
If you’re feeling stuck, here are some exercises to help identify props that are both meaningful and visually compelling:
Walk Through Your Home: Take a stroll through your space and jot down any items that bring you joy or have a personal story behind them. These items often make the best props because they connect with who you are on a deeper level.
List Your Daily Routines: Write down everything you do in a day. Are there parts of your routine that your audience would enjoy seeing? Items like your journal, a bike ride, morning coffee, or favorite tea might be perfect.
Review Your Brand Story: What items do you use every day in your business that fit into your brand story? Think about tools, products, or customer interactions that would help communicate what you do.
Prop Examples For When You’re Feeling Stuck
The possibilities are endless, but here are some tried-and-true options that work well in professional headshots and personal branding photos:
Industry Specific & Workplace Related Props
Industry-specific props are directly tied to your profession or business. These items help illustrate what you do and bring context to your work, making them ideal for professional portraits that are meant to reflect your role and expertise. When potential clients see you in action, surrounded by the tools of your trade, they can immediately envision what working with you would be like. This builds trust and helps you connect with your audience by giving them peace of mind knowing you’re an expert at what you do.
When you’re a yoga teacher, you might want to use your yoga mat and bolster, a florist might like to have lots of flowers, vases and tools they use to make their arrangements, a nutritionist might like to include foods, cooking utensils, a podcaster might like their microphone and their recording set-up, and a sculpter their drawing book, materials and finished art works.
Other props that are quite popular are your laptop, marketing materials, phone, diary or notebooks . You can also ask a client or friend to come along to be a ‘prop’ to show your client interactions, this is for example useful for massage therapists or coaches.
Personal Props
Personal props add a layer of authenticity and individuality to your photos. These are items that are deeply connected to your personal life or hold sentimental value. They help tell a more intimate story about who you are outside of work.
Think of sentimental Items, like a necklace passed down from a loved one, a vintage camera that belonged to your grandfather, or an old journal you’ve written in for years. These items bring warmth and meaning to your images, showing a deeper connection to your roots.
You can also include your pet. Including your dog, bunny, parrot, lizzard or cat in the shot adds personality and often brings a lighthearted, approachable element to the photo. It’s a great way to show a more personable/nurturing side of yourself and connect with other animal lovers.
You can include props that relate to your hobbies. If you love knitting, painting, playing a musical instrument, or practicing yoga, integrating elements from these hobbies can give people insight into your passions and another way to connect with you on a deeper level. Helping you set yourself apart from others who do similar work to you.
Lifestyle Props
Lifestyle props represent your routines, daily habits, and how you live your life. They’re often more casual and reflective of who you are day-to-day. These props add relatability and can help set the scene for your personal branding. Lifestyle props are excellent for setting a mood, helping viewers connect with how you live your life outside of work. They show a balanced, well-rounded individual who values both their professional and personal life.
Lifestyle props are things like plants/flowers, candles, your favourite mug, books and magazines, blankets and things that hive a more homely/cosy feeling.
Creative Props
Creative props allow for playful expression, showcasing your artistic or unconventional side. These are items that may not directly relate to your profession but serve as a way to inject more personality and creativity into your shots. They work well for photos that need to stand out or communicate your unique aesthetic.
Think of confetti, balloons, glitter, mirrors, champagne, fabrics, bubbles and anything else you might think of that suit your brand and support its story.
Remember, props are not just objects—they are storytelling tools. When thoughtfully selected, they can elevate your photos and make them truly reflective of who you are, both personally and professionally.
So the key to choosing the right props for your professional portraits is thinking about what will best tell your story. Props will not only help you feel more relaxed, but it will also create images that resonate more deeply with your audience. And when working with me, we can always brainstorm together on possible prop ideas. I am here to help you with this! Get in touch with me to find out more about how I can help you create professional portraits that will tell your story!
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