I headed out to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania a couple times this spring to visit Messiah University for some marketing work. It had been a few years since their last campus shoot, so we had a wide variety of subjects on the shot list. Of course plenty of photos of campus and active classroom shots, as well as time to find all the quiet little nooks Messiah has to offer. The healthy mix of formal and candid shots gave the final gallery a really nice range that the University will be able to use in a mix of marketing spaces for years to come.

Back in the winter, I got the opportunity to run around Manayunk and capture small businesses for an article they wrote, “Power Couples of Manayunk,” how fun is that?!

Hiring a photographer isn’t just about booking a date and getting a few headshots. The right photographer should help you create images that actually support your brand, strengthen your messaging, and give you content you can use across your website, social, and marketing campaigns.

There’s nothing wrong with stock photos (she says, side-eyeing the multicultural handshake). They’re bright. They’re polished. They’re easy. And they’re usually ridiculous. They’re also completely forgettable. If you’ve ever scrolled a website and felt a serious sense of déjà vu, congrats — you’ve discovered the “copy + paste but make it branding” era of the internet.

If there’s one word that sums up my time with Ballinger, it’s collaboration. The Ballinger team operates with an impressive sync—designers, architects, and strategists working seamlessly across the many (many) layers of each project. Each turn down a new hallway revealed a different group deep in conversation: brainstorming, sketching, problem-solving, and building ideas together in real time.

Sometimes, photoshoots get treated like a box to check: schedule a shoot, get the images back, update the website, post a few times on social media, and move on. 

Brand photography isn’t meant to be one-and-done, well planned and executed photography is meant to last.

Photos have the ability to shape how people perceive your brand, build a level of trust between your brand and consumers, and in the end, play a part in whether or not someone engages with your content over time.

Corporate photography has changed a lot over the last decade – even in the last few years things seem to have picked up the pace. It’s not just about headshots or event documentation, today’s corporate visuals play a more strategic role in branding, communications and overall marketing. And they compete in a very busy visual marketplace. Check out how companies and photographers are adapting to new expectations and storytelling trends in 2026.

The campus of Holy Family University came alive as the institution officially launched its new campaign, “Bold Vision: Empowering Futures. Transforming Lives.

As you plan your 2026 marketing budget and plans, you’ve probably already added the usual line items: social media ads, website updates, email campaigns, print advertisements, the list goes on. One item that often gets overlooked is professional photography.

Whether you’re a small business owner, nonprofit, or educational institution, investing in high-quality photography is all about creating connection and credibility that drives actual results.