Meet The Client
- Client Daniel MB Therapy
- Location: Daniel's practice office in Rutland, followed by an outdoor session in Stamford, walking the meadows beside the River Welland
- Project Type: Personal Branding Photography for a trainee psychotherapist
- Date: 6th and 7th May 2026
Daniel is a trainee psychotherapist setting up his new private practice, Daniel MB Therapy, in Rutland. His approach to therapy is reflected in everything about his brand: reliable, grounded, honest, transparent and direct, with no jargon and no pretence.
Rather than the polished corporate imagery so common in the wellness space, Daniel wanted photography rooted in nature. Images that reveal layers, history and the meeting points between elements.
Small moments where nature is emerging. Photography that speaks to integration, resilience and honesty about the complexity in our lives.
Key Deliverables
- A full personal branding photoshoot across two locations, Daniel’s practice office in Rutland and an outdoor walk and talk session through Stamford beside the River Welland.
- Nearly 200 final edited images, from which Daniel selected his favourite 20 to lead his website launch and marketing materials.
- A clean, professional headshot grounded in the natural, earthy aesthetic of his brand rather than a standard studio look.
- Environmental portraits captured documentary style across the Stamford meadows, the weir and the surrounding fields, showing genuine presence and movement.
- A bespoke editing style developed specifically for this brief, with higher contrast, richer texture and deeper earthy tones than my usual clean, natural approach.
- Close framed detail images highlighting texture, layers and emerging nature, reflecting the therapeutic ideas at the heart of Daniel’s practice.
- Ongoing support beyond delivery, including a review of how the images are being used on his new website with practical suggestions for improvement.
How the Project Came About
This project began the way many of my favourites do, with someone searching for a photographer and finding work that resonated with them.
Daniel found Nate Lansdell Photography through a Google search while planning the launch of his private practice. He told me my photographs resonated with him, and his first email proved he had done his homework. There was no vague request for “some professional photos”. Instead, he sent a fully formed creative vision.
He described his brand voice as reliable, stable, grounded, honest, transparent, ethical, accurate and direct, but jargon free. He wanted images rooted in earthy, natural tones with contemplative textures. Photographs that reveal layers, history and the meeting points between elements. Close framing on small moments where nature is emerging. Imagery built around presence, depth and gentle movement rather than polished perfection.
He even shared his logo and an inspiration image he had taken near his home. A brief that considered is rare. A brief that considered and personal is gold. My job was clear from the start: honour his vision rather than impose my own style on top of it.
What The Photoshoot Achieved
A Grounded Visual Identity
A Headshot That Builds Client Trust
Nature Led Storytelling
A Versatile Launch Ready Image Library
The Client Brief
Daniel needed a complete set of personal branding images to launch his private psychotherapy practice. Specifically, he asked for:
- Photography for his new website and supporting marketing materials.
- Images rooted in earthy, natural tones with quiet, contemplative textures.
- Photographs that reveal layers, history and the meeting points between elements.
- Close framing that highlights small moments where nature is emerging, reflecting therapeutic ideas of integration, resilience and honesty about the complexity in our lives.
- A focus on presence, depth and gentle movement rather than polished perfection.
- Portraits of Daniel himself, plus a clean headshot, all grounded in the same natural concept.
The brief was a photographer’s dream and a genuine creative challenge in equal measure. It asked me to set aside my usual editing style and build something new around one person’s vision. That was exactly the reason this project excited me.
I had a fantastic experience with Nate. I felt like I was his only client and that he always had time to talk through ideas I brought to the table and to share his experience and expertise. In the shoots, Nate didn’t rush us and worked with how I was feeling at the time to help bring the vision to life. He provided pics from the shoot in great time and has even taken the time to look over how I’m using them and offer some valuable insights on how to improve it. I’ve had amazing feedback on the photos from my friends and family and cannot wait to launch my website to show them off. Fantastic work bringing my vision to life and bringing his own artistic touch. A pleasure to work with from start to end.
The Creative Approach
Two locations, one considered brief, and an edit that broke my own rules. This is how I approached it.
The Office Session In Rutland
We began at Daniel’s practice office in Rutland. He had only just taken over the room, and while we captured a small selection of images there, the space had not yet developed the character his brand deserved. Rather than force it, I made a creative decision on the spot: we would put all of our energy into the outdoor session. Part of my job is knowing when a location is working and when it is not, and being honest with the client about it. Daniel’s brand is built on honesty, so it felt fitting that the shoot was too.
A Walk And Talk Through Stamford
The second session was where the project came alive. We met in Stamford and shot the entire session as a walk and talk, moving through the meadows beside the River Welland, down by the weir and out across the open fields.
This style of shooting suited Daniel perfectly. There was no rigid shot list and no standing stiffly against a wall. We talked as we walked, and I photographed the genuine moments that emerged along the way. The location gave us everything the brief asked for: water meeting stone at the weir, light moving through the trees, layers of texture in the landscape and small details of nature emerging at every turn.
Getting Daniel relaxed in front of the camera was the other half of the job. At one point I had him hug a tree. Not metaphorically. Literally. Arms around a tree, eyes closed, full commitment. It sounds ridiculous, and it worked. Once someone has hugged a tree in front of you, every other pose feels easy. The laughter you can see in some of these frames is real, and that is what happens when someone stops performing and simply exists in front of the camera.
An Edit That Broke My Own Rules
My usual editing style is clean and natural. Honest colour, soft light, nothing overdone. This brief asked for something different, so I pushed the edit somewhere new: higher contrast, grittier and more rooted. The kind of edit that feels like the earth it was shot on.
Daniel wanted the harsh shadows. The unforgiving midday light cutting across his face. The imperfection baked in. His brand is not about polish, it is about honesty, complexity and presence, and chasing perfect light would have betrayed everything his brief asked for. So I leaned into the conditions and let the harshness do its job. This is not a shoot designed to win awards, and that is entirely the point. It was designed to be true.
The Results
Daniel received nearly 200 final edited images and selected his favourite 20 to lead his launch. The full library now sits behind his new Daniel MB Therapy website, which is currently in maintenance mode and launching soon, ready to introduce his private practice to clients across Rutland and beyond.
The feedback has already started before the site has even gone live. Daniel has shared the images with friends and family and tells me the response has been amazing. My involvement did not end at delivery either. I have reviewed an early preview of how the images are being used on the website and offered practical suggestions to help the photography work as hard as possible for his new practice.
For a therapist launching from scratch, first impressions carry enormous weight. Daniel now has a visual identity that tells prospective clients exactly who he is before a single word is read: grounded, honest and fully present.
Fortava Healthcare's live website featuring brand photography by Nate Lansdell Photography
A Personal Note from Nate
Because great photography is about more than images, it is about honouring the people behind them.
Honouring The Brief
Every now and then a brief comes along that makes you rethink how you work. Daniel's was one of the most considered I have ever received, and my job was to honour it, not to impose my own style on top of it.
Presence Over Polish
The strongest images from this shoot are not the technically perfect ones. They are the honest ones. The real laughter, the harsh light, the quiet moments by the water. That is what Daniel's clients will connect with.
Where It Is Heading
Daniel is at the very start of his journey as a psychotherapist, and his thoughtful, grounded approach is going to serve his clients well. It was a privilege to help build the imagery that will introduce his practice to the world.
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