Heidi Hapanowicz, Personal Branding & Visibility
Heidi Hapanowicz is a digital branding and AI visibility strategist who helps entrepreneurs become discoverable online through a powerful blend of website design, messaging, and personal brand development. After more than a decade as one of the original pioneers of personal branding photography, Heidi now uses her deep understanding of online perception to help small business owners build brands that AI can recognize, trust, and recommend.
Her work focuses on helping experts and founders upgrade their online presence so they are easily found by modern search tools, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s new AI experiences. Heidi specializes in guiding non-techie entrepreneurs through the shift from traditional SEO to AIO (AI Optimization) using simple, accessible frameworks that elevate visibility across websites, social platforms, and long-form content.
As an early leader in the personal branding industry, Heidi created the world’s first online course for branding photographers in 2015 and has since taught students across more than a dozen countries. Today, she brings that same trailblazing approach to the rapidly evolving landscape of AI search, empowering small business owners to future proof their brands and stand out in an overcrowded digital world.
Her work has been featured in Forbes, The NY Times, Penguin Random House Authors, TED Speakers, Travel & Lifestyle Magazine and more. Though based in New York City, Heidi continues to travel widely while helping entrepreneurs build online identities that get noticed.
About NYC Brand Photographer Heidi Hapanowicz
Call it brand liberation.
Call it beauty liberation.
Or just call it a double shot of confidence, with a splash of sass and a twist of class.
But one thing’s for sure: It’s no plain picture.
It’s your distinct style—distilled.
It’s your business vision—pixelized.
It’s your personal story—translated.
In a world where people are seeking connection and approachability, and want to do business with real people who they can relate to and trust, it’s more important than ever for entrepreneurs and corporations to package their personalities—and package them beautifully.
As a NYC based personal branding photographer and visual marketing expert, my mission is three-fold:
To tell your brand story the way you want it to be told, to help you sell yourself to the world authentically so you can be more profitable doing what you love, and my favorite part of all, to make you feel deliciously pampered in the process.
Whether you’re…
Rebranding, and looking to reinvent yourself with updated portraits that reflect all the personal transformation and business growth you’ve undergone.
Ready to “go pro” and need a headshot photographer that will help you express your individuality, make a strong brand statement, and give you the kind of stand-out online presence that separates you from the industry pack.
Eager to experience an inner and outer transformation that renews your confidence in yourself and your business, so you’ll feel unstoppable whenever you see your branded photographs splashed on your website.
Trying to show your customers that there’s a real, warm and trustworthy person behind that business “game face”—someone who understands what they’re going through and wants to help.
Searching for inventive ways to capture your brand story, so you can share your vision with the rest of the world in a truly memorable and provocative way.
…your headshots are the first thing people will see when they land on your website. And smart business cookie that you are, you know how much first impressions count.
You need more than a headshot photographer, you need an online image makeover.
A few of my deep dark secrets and wild escapades…
A series of synchronistic events involving a former spy, a best-selling author and a Chinese-Laotian boxing promoter helped launch my photography career.
My first photography project involved stalking a group of Buddhist monks.
I’m an admitted self-help junkie and audible.com addict who can’t soak in enough neuroscience, so my intuition is almost always spot-on.
My celebrity crushes include neuroscientist Dr. Dan Siegel, Seth Godin and Jason Silva. Smart is sexy.
I got my professional start as a boudoir photographer.
I have two teenage daughters that are both my toughest critics and best teachers.
Deep down I have a bohemian spirit which means I can't go too long without jumping on a plane to go globetrotting and explore far-flung cities.