The angel next door - Marcia Dawood’s personal branding experience

Marcia Dawood (Website | LinkedIn | Podcast) is an angel investor, podcaster and speaker, focused on helping women and POC entrepreneurs raise funding for their ideas. She’s passionate about the power of angel investing to have a huge positive impact on the world,  and is on a mission to persuade others to join in that cause.

In this conversation, we talked about her experience with her photo session and how she plans to use the photos to further her mission. This article is a summary of the conversation, edited for clarity. 

How did you get into angel investing?

I got invited to go to an angel investor meeting about 10 years ago. At that time, I had no idea what angel investing was or what it meant. But over time, I learned and I thought it was really cool to be able to see the different innovations that these entrepreneurs were coming up with. I realized that if you want to be the change you want to see in the world, you really have to be able to to help these companies to grow.

What got you interested in doing a photo shoot at this time?

I was looking to get some updated pictures anyway because all I had was a headshot. I happened to see the photos of my friend Ana that you had done, and I was totally blown away. They were so pretty, and so different!

At that time, I didn’t exactly have a clear idea of what I’d do with the photos, but it has evolved over time through working with you and other branding work I’m doing. 

What was the planning process like for you, including creating the mood board?

I’ve done vision boards before for future plans, but I had never done something like this for myself or my brand. The exercise made me think about things I would never have otherwise. Before this, I thought about photo shoots as: you get a couple of outfits, you click a couple of pictures, you hope a couple of them are good. 

But your process had me thinking: what did I want to use the pictures for? What did I want to put out in the world about myself? It had me picking words that would better describe me both as an individual and as a thought leader. 

I had to get used to Pinterest, but once I figured it out, it was quite easy. I started out by searching for words that described the feeling I was going for: such as confident and went from there. 

What was the actual experience of the shoot like?

Oh, it was really interesting! We used an apartment belonging to a friend of mine. The lighting and the decor was very pretty. I felt very comfortable throughout the day. We did makeup at the beginning, and then spent a couple of hours with different backgrounds and styles; some indoors, some on the rooftop and then out on the street. 

I loved working with your Creative Director at the session. I didn’t realize how much I’d tense up, or whether I’d be able to smile naturally. She was very helpful with breathwork exercises and other little tricks that helped me feel more natural. The pictures show that comfort.

What did it feel like to see your photos?

I thought the pictures came out great! There were way more than I thought there would be; not just headshots, which is what I’m typically used to, but other shots that I can use on my website or social media. 

I’m always a bit critical about how I look, so it took a minute to sit with it, but overall I love them all. There isn’t a single one that I wouldn’t want to show somebody.

I’ve shared the photos with some of my friends and they’re all impressed with how many different types of photos there are, and how they captured different sides of me. My friend whose apartment we did the session in was really surprised. She didn’t realize that the apartment could be such a great setting for a photo shoot! 

One photo that comes to mind was the one where I’m posing playfully out on the street. When we were doing it, I was a little skeptical, but I’m so glad I trusted the process and went with it. It’s one of my favorite photos!

Would you recommend this experience to a friend? What would you tell them?

Oh, I would! I’d highly recommend it.

I would tell people that this is a different type of experience. I’ve had professional pictures taken before. I remember getting pictures taken in school, or when I was graduating from high school or college. But it was always the same kind of stale environment. There would be one or two different background, a couple of positions the photographer might have you stand in.

This was a whole different level of experience! The process got me really thinking: what did I want my brand to be?

I’d highly encourage people who are building their brand, even if that means you’re building your brand as the executive of a company. You don’t have to be an influencer or someone famous. You’re literally building a brand based on who you are as a person.

What really stuck for me was that I was able to showcase what I want to show the world, how I want the world to see me.