Bold Professional Headshots With Moxy: Suzanne Edmond's Story
“I stopped LinkedIn scrolling to make a comment to say, I love these!!”
That's what a complete stranger commented on Suzanne Edmond's LinkedIn headshots after our shoot. When you help leaders connect with their audiences, making someone stop mid-scroll is exactly the kind of impact you're after.
Suzanne turned her trip from London into an intentional brand experience, choosing Exeter's quirky Hotel Indigo and my light-filled studio as the perfect setting for transformation. 'I realised it was time to step out of my comfort zone and do something different,' she shared. 'Moxy Communications deserves that level of attention so, despite being busy I knew I needed to give it the focus it deserved.'
Let me tell you the story of how the founder of Moxy Communications – a woman who champions dyslexic thinking as a superpower in strategic leadership – discovered that sometimes the most powerful way to share your message is to do things differently than you've done them before.
Meet Suzanne: A Strategic Brand Photography Session
After 20 years guiding international corporations and government organisations, including navigating the choppy waters of Brexit and Covid, Suzanne founded Moxy Communications with a clear mission: to encourage people to think differently and communicate better. She also wanted to challenge the notion that senior leaders had to struggle alone. "I wanted to create the consultancy I always craved but could never find," she explained over morning coffee. "One that truly supported communications leaders who all too often find themselves carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders alone."
What makes Moxy Communications stand out? It's not just their expertise in advising senior leaders and cabinet ministers on high-profile issues – it's their whole approach to thinking differently and creating meaningful connections. The name 'Moxy' itself embodies this philosophy: "It's about standing up against the status quo for what you believe, and trusting your instinct to do things your way," Suzanne shared.
Creating a Marketing-Ready Image Library
Her assistant Hannah was the main catalyst for change, recognising they needed professional headshots that could work harder for their marketing. With their first leadership retreat on the horizon and plans for refreshing their materials, they needed photos that could be pulled out and used effectively across different contexts. The previous shots, while great for PR stories with their street scenes of Soho, weren't as versatile when it came to creating PDFs, slide decks and other business collateral. They needed creative business portraits that would truly represent Moxy Communications's vibrant, brave, and bold approach.
The proof was in the results: when they used the new photos in their leadership retreat materials and asked for feedback, the response was unanimous - everyone preferred the materials with the images. Now the team has a full library of photos of Suzanne to work with in Canva, creating everything from PDFs to presentation slides that perfectly align with the Moxy Communications brand.
Behind the Scenes: A Brand Photography Experience
With such clear goals for her new photos, the next step was making the shoot itself a memorable experience.
The journey began at the Indigo Hotel in Exeter – a fitting choice for someone whose brand embraces being "different in everything they do." Suzanne arrived prepared: "I've always prided myself on travelling light, but I've never brought so much stuff!"
The brand photography session started the way every shoot should - with me playing chauffeur, collecting Suzanne from the hotel ("a real nice touch, mostly because I didn't have to walk the streets with no makeup on!") and welcoming her to my light-filled professional photography studio. With brand colours incorporated into the setup and bubbles to start the day right, we set about creating a diverse collection of natural, relaxed headshots that would give Suzanne's marketing a fresh new energy.
The Transformation: Creating Versatile Professional Headshots
Like many clients, Suzanne was initially hesitant about certain poses, particularly the listening poses. But this is something I see time and time again - that moment when clients see their photos in context in their marketing materials and suddenly everything comes alive and makes perfect sense: "When you're doing them, you feel kind of silly, but then you look at them on your page, and you're like, 'Oh, that is so helpful!'" The pointing gestures and counting sequences that seemed unusual at first became some of her favourite professional photos, perfect for various business scenarios.
The Results: A Complete Brand Photography Collection
The impact was immediate. That LinkedIn comment about stopping mid-scroll? It wasn't an isolated incident. Our brand photoshoot has taken Moxy Communications’ visual presence to the next level, from leadership retreat materials to a website refresh. "We just had our first leadership retreat last week," Suzanne shared, "and when we asked for feedback, everyone preferred the materials which featured the new images."
What really stood out? The versatility. Each business portrait tells a unique story, from the thank you gestures perfect for feedback requests to the listening poses that initially seemed challenging but proved invaluable. "Everything felt really professional and looked very slick," Suzanne noted.
A Brand Revelation
Perhaps the most surprising outcome wasn't just having great photos – it was discovering how perfectly they captured Moxy Communications's core philosophy.. As someone who discovered her dyslexic thinking was the source of her strengths (as well as her challenges) in her early thirties, Suzanne has always championed the power of seeing things differently. "What I didn't know until I got the images back was that I actually needed something that really captured the brand more," Suzanne reflected. "We captured that really vibrant, brave, bold and different essence of Moxy Communications that we'd been looking for."
The Power of Visual Storytelling
For Suzanne, whose motto is "Be brave. Be bold. Be different.", these images became more than just corporate headshots – they became a visual manifestation of to #showyourmoxy. Her approach to leadership has always been about creativity, storytelling, and seeing the big picture by connecting dots in a different order. Now, her brand photography does exactly the same thing, helping her stand out in a crowded digital space while staying true to her mission of thinking differently and creating meaningful impact.
What's Next
The professional photos have already inspired a website refresh, with plans to incorporate them into email newsletters and future marketing materials. As Moxy Communications approaches its third birthday, these images will play a crucial role in telling their story of innovative thinking and authentic connection.
Suzanne's already planning ahead: "We’re already planning a third birthday party, and your name's already on the list to capture it!"
Words of Wisdom
For other business owners considering making the journey to Exeter for their own personal branding photography, Suzanne offers this advice: "It's so important to have the right imagery for your company because they tell your story. I thought I told the story quite well until I saw how much better it could be. The day itself feels like a real treat because of the makeover and the attention to detail, but the quality is just incredible. The business deserves it, and you deserve it too."
Client: Suzanne Edmond, Moxy Communications
Brand Design: ICG Agency
Photography: Rosie Parsons
Hair and makeup: Giselle Michel-Gendre
Ready to create professional headshots that make people stop scrolling? Whether you're rebranding your business or simply ready to show up differently, let's work together to create personal branding photography that captures both your expertise and personality. It's time to #ShowYourMoxy. Book your personal branding photoshoot by filling in my enquiry form below:
