A Day in the Life with Hanna Li: A Personal Branding Photoshoot in Santa Monica
Los Angeles Branding Photography with Interior Designer Hanna Li
Hannah is an interior designer based in Los Angeles. She already has a strong portfolio that showcases her professional work, so for this session, she wanted something different. She wanted photos that feel personal and true to her everyday life, something she could use for months across Instagram, her newsletter, and her website to show more of who she is behind the scenes.
Before the shoot, we spent some time talking about her vision and what she hoped to capture. I put together a small mood board to guide the tone, but she made it clear that she wanted this to feel more like a documentary of her day rather than a staged branding session. When she invited me into her home in Santa Monica, I could immediately see how much the space reflected her design taste. Every corner had a story, from the textures she chose to the objects she collected over the years, and it all came together in a way that felt warm and intentional.
My Process Before the Shoot
Conversation and planning
We always start with a call or email where I learn more about what they do and the kind of photos they’re hoping for. With Hannah, this helped me understand her personality as a designer and the feeling she wanted her photos to carry.
Creating the mood board
After the call, I put together a small mood board based on our conversation, her website, and the type of content she needs for Instagram, her newsletter, and other platforms. This gives us a shared visual direction before the shoot even begins.
Preparing the direction
Before every session, I spend time thinking about what props or elements might help tell their story. For service-based clients, I sometimes ask them to prepare tools they use or even bring a friend to act as a client so the photos feel more authentic. For Hannah, we kept things simple because the focus was on documenting her daily life at home and the way she interacts with her space.
Throughout the session, I followed her naturally around the home to document how she moves and how she interacts with her space. At times I would give a little direction, like asking her to arrange flowers, play her guitar, or sit by the window with her journal. But most of the time, I simply watched her fall into her own rhythm. Hannah has such a calming energy. She loves meditating, decorating, writing in her journal, and finding moments of quiet in her day, and I wanted the photos to reflect that.
What I loved most about this session is how honest it felt. It really did feel like stepping into her world for a few hours. There was no pressure to perform or pose perfectly. It was more about capturing the way she thinks, feels, and lives as a designer. Her home became the backdrop, but her personality was the story.
In the end, we created a set of images that feels warm, thoughtful, and personal. Photos that show who Hannah is, not just what she designs. I think these images will serve her well for a long time, and I’m grateful she trusted me to document this part of her life.
One thing I love about my branding sessions is that the final gallery is always built together with my clients. After the shoot, they can select their favorite images for me to refine further so every photo feels true to their own story, their website, and the way they want to show up online. I never just hand over a set of photos and call it done. Instead, we shape the collection together, just like I did with Hannah. So if you ever feels unsure or wants guidance, I’m always there to help you choose the images that tell your story best.
Hi, I’m Francis, a photographer based in Pasadena, California
Cinematic, candid, and real — that’s my style. I’m Francis, a Pasadena photographer fueled by matcha and inspired by film. No stiff posing, just authentic photos that tell your story.
Francis Cinema Photography | Pasadena Photographer
Professional portrait photography, couple photography, and candid lifestyle photography in Pasadena, CA. Specializing in capturing timeless, artistic moments at iconic locations like Old Town Pasadena and the Pasadena City Hall.