Headshots, branding and personal portraits in San Ramon
Bay Area Executive Headshot Photographer for Leaders Who Refuse to Look Like Everyone Else
You've earned the title. Your portrait should carry the same weight, so the first impression matches the person who walks into the room. I'll guide every angle and expression, and you'll see your images before you leave.
And for the people you go home to, personal portraits made for your walls.
It starts with a quick call. No pressure, no commitment.
Headshots for the work you do. Portraits for the life you love.
One San Ramon studio, two kinds of sessions. Choose the one you came for, and I'll take care of the rest.
Headshots & Personal Branding
For the leader you've become, not the one in the photo from five years ago. Executives, teams, founders and conference booths across the Bay Area.
Explore headshots
Family Portraits
Everyone in one room, finally. Let's keep this version of all of you.
Explore family
Maternity
You'll want to remember carrying them. The gowns are waiting in my studio closet.
Explore maternity
Senior Portraits
One last year at home. Let's mark it before the goodbye at the dorm door.
Explore seniors
Dance & Ballet
Years of practice, held still. Official photographer for The Ballet School in Walnut Creek.
Explore dance
Pet Portraits
The one who's always waiting at the door deserves a portrait too.
Explore pets
Celebrating you
Couture portraits for a milestone birthday, a new chapter, or simply because it's your turn to be seen.
Explore coutureCorporate headshots and personal branding
Bay Area Headshot & Portrait Photographer for Executives & Teams
Everyone in the room has a headshot. Make yours the one they remember.
Start With A Conversation →LinkedIn & Corporate Headshots
Polished, consistent LinkedIn headshots for executives and teams, created in studio or on location, with a guided, professional experience.
Explore Headshots →Business Branding Photography
Strategic visual storytelling for businesses and entrepreneurs who want imagery aligned with their brand, values, and voice.
Explore Branding →Personal Branding Photography
Professional portraits designed for websites, speaking engagements, authors, press releases, magazine covers and personal brand growth.
Explore Personal Branding →Conference & Event Headshot Booths
On-site professional headshots for conferences, trade shows, and corporate events. Seamless, efficient, and high quality.
Explore Event Booths →
Artist Headshots for Actors & Dancers
Audition-ready headshots for actors and dancers, with natural expression and the polish casting directors expect.
Explore Artist Headshots →Headshot Experiences Begin at $350.
Start With A Conversation→Prefer to browse first? See our recent work as a headshot photographer in San Ramon.
The cost of a photo that almost works
Award-Winning Bay Area Headshot & Portrait Photographer, Based in San Ramon
Pooja Photography is a luxury portrait studio in San Ramon, California, serving executives, teams, and families across the Bay Area and Silicon Valley. The work falls into two areas: executive headshots and personal branding, and fine art family portraits made to become heirlooms.
Most executives aren't sure how to show up in a photo, so they either avoid getting one taken or settle for whatever a rushed office session or a phone camera gives them. That photo ends up on LinkedIn, on the company site, on a conference bio, representing you for years. A photo that doesn't match how you actually show up costs you the first impression before you ever say a word.
Studio sessions in San Ramon. On-location headshots across San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Oakland, and the East Bay. And when the day calls for something more personal, fine art portrait artistry for family, maternity, dance, couture, and pets, designed to live on your walls for generations.
How it works
You don't have to know what to do in front of the camera
That's my job.
Most people walk in a little unsure. What should I wear? How do I stand? What if I don't like how I look? You don't have to figure any of that out. I'll guide you through every step, and you'll always know what happens next.
Headshots & Personal Branding
We'll have a quick call so I understand what you need, then I'll help you plan your outfits so you arrive ready.
I guide every angle, expression and posture. You won't have to figure out what to do with your hands.
You'll see your images right after your session. Retouched headshots are delivered the same day, and personal branding collections arrive within one to two weeks.
Family Portraits
I'll help with outfits, colors and planning, the part most families find hardest.
A relaxed, unhurried session in my San Ramon studio, with plenty of time for everyone to settle in.
You'll come back to the studio for a private reveal of your portraits. We'll choose your favorites together and decide how you'd like to enjoy them: digital images, wall art or a handcrafted album.
"I am one of those many people who don't usually enjoy having her photograph taken. But Pooja made it so easy."Lauren Ng, headshot client
Pooja did an outstanding job with our headshots and team photos. Her eye for detail and ability to capture natural, professional images really stood out. The photos exceeded our expectations.
Sunil, Founder of Soul Of The Machine
Trusted by teams across the Bay Area
For HR and office managers
Corporate & Executive Team Headshots
A leadership team whose headshots share the same quality signals an organization that pays attention.
Inconsistent imagery across a website, an annual report, or a press release quietly undermines the credibility of the people in it. I work with corporate teams throughout the Bay Area, in-studio for smaller groups or on location at your office for teams of ten or more. Every session is coordinated in advance so the day runs smoothly and everyone walks away with images they're proud to use.
"We are so fortunate to have Pooja as our preferred (and only) photographer for our company. Her work is fantastic and the way she works with each client is seamless."BASS Medical Group
For women in leadership
A portrait that answers the question before you walk in
Women in leadership are still measured against an unspoken idea of how a leader should look, and too often by age. Your portrait can settle that conversation before it starts. The goal is never to make you look younger or softer. It is to make the presence you have built impossible to overlook.
"She has an incredible ability to bring out confidence and authenticity, not just pose you in front of a camera. Pooja didn't just capture how I look, she captured how I feel at this stage of my life and career."Geetha R., headshot refresh
Family portraits and heirloom wall art
East Bay Family Portraits for the Chapter You're In Right Now
Most families have thousands of photos and almost none with everyone in them.
More than one family has told me about a rushed fifteen minute session where the kids melted down and the photos showed it. Here, nobody's watching the clock. I'll help you plan outfits before you arrive, we take the time your family needs to settle in, and afterward you come back to my studio for a private reveal of your portraits.
The kids leaving for college. The grandparents who flew in. The cousins who are finally all in one place. These are the gatherings that don't come around twice.
You deserve to be in the pictures too.
Family & Legacy Portraits
Kids grow up. Parents age. The family you have right now won't look quite like this again. I'll guide every pose, and you'll leave with portraits made to hang where you'll see them every day.
Explore Family Portraits →Dance & Ballet Photography
Years of discipline can disappear in a fraction of a second on stage. Dance portraits preserve the strength, movement, and precision behind the performance.
Explore Dance Photography →Family Portrait Experiences Begin at $1,290.
"She made my son feel completely at ease during his senior session and has a true talent for bringing out someone's authentic personality. She has set the bar exceptionally high and is truly my first and only choice for photography."Sunitha Anand, family and senior portraits
Recognized in San Ramon and beyond
- CPP Certified, Professional Photographers of America
- WPPI Silver Award
- Official portraits of the 2026 San Ramon Chamber of Commerce Board
- Branding workshop expert, San Ramon Chamber of Commerce
- Exhibiting artist, Lindsay Dirkx Brown Gallery, San Ramon (2022)
- Official portrait photographer, The Ballet School, Walnut Creek
- Physician portraits credited on BASS Medical Group profiles
- Featured interview, VoyageLA
Client headshots published in Forbes, Vanity Fair, and Business Insider features. See press and publications
The photographer
I spent years in tech before I picked up a camera for a living.
So I know what a leader's calendar looks like, and I'll never waste a minute of yours.
I'm Pooja. I fell in love with photography as a kid, standing on a cliff in a remote corner of the Himalayas, looking out at snow peaks and a glacier river I can still picture. Years later, working as a computer engineer, I bought my first film SLR with my own paycheck. I never really put it down.
Today I run a portrait studio in San Ramon. Some days I'm photographing the people who run Bay Area boardrooms. Other days it's a family who finally got everyone home at the same time. It's the same belief in two different rooms: a portrait should make you stand a little straighter when you see it.
I trained under Sue Bryce and Lindsey Adler, and I'll guide your posture, angles and expression the whole way through. You'll never wonder what to do with your hands.
My studio is in the East Bay, and I photograph on location across San Francisco, Oakland, Silicon Valley, and Walnut Creek.
If you've been putting this off, you're in good company. Let's talk.
Frequently asked questions
Everything You're Wondering
How much do professional headshots cost in the Bay Area?
Headshot sessions at Pooja Photography start at $350. Your investment depends on the session you choose, and I'll walk you through every option on a quick call before you book. You'll see all of your images right after your session, and your retouched favorites are delivered the same day. Corporate team headshot days are quoted separately.
How long does a professional headshot session take?
Individual headshot sessions run 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the session you choose. That includes time for outfit changes, posing guidance, and a variety of looks for LinkedIn, your company website, and speaking profiles. Personal branding sessions are longer, from 90 minutes to 3 hours. Corporate headshot days for teams are scheduled in efficient 10 to 15 minute slots per person so your workday stays on track. Headshots are delivered the same day, and personal branding collections arrive within one to two weeks.
I hate being photographed. Will I look awkward?
You're in good company. Many of my clients lead boardrooms with ease and still freeze the moment a camera comes out. You don't have to know what to do. I guide your posture, angles and expression the whole way through, so you're never left wondering what to do with your hands, and most people relax within the first few minutes. As one client put it: "I am one of those many people who don't usually enjoy having her photograph taken. But Pooja made it so easy."
Will my photos look over-retouched or fake?
No. Retouching stays light and natural. I soften small distractions like stray hairs, blemishes and harsh shadows, but your features, your skin texture and the experience in your face stay yours. The goal is never to make you look younger or softer. It's to make the presence you've built impossible to overlook, so when someone meets you after seeing your photo, they recognize you instantly.
What's the difference between a headshot and a personal branding session?
A headshot is a single polished portrait, typically used for LinkedIn, company directories, and press features. A personal branding session goes deeper. It's a curated collection of images that tells your professional story: you in your workspace, you presenting, you in conversation, you at your best across multiple settings and outfits. If you're a coach, consultant, author, or entrepreneur who shows up consistently online, a personal branding session gives you months of content in one session.
Do you offer on-site corporate headshots at our office?
Yes. On-location corporate headshot days are one of our most popular services. A complete studio setup comes directly to your San Ramon, San Francisco, or East Bay office so your team doesn't have to travel. Most employees are photographed in 10 to 15 minutes each, making it easy to fit into a busy workday. The result is a polished, consistent set of professional headshots for your entire team.
Where is your studio, and which Bay Area cities do you serve?
My studio is in San Ramon, in the East Bay, an easy drive from Danville, Dublin, Pleasanton and Walnut Creek. Headshot, personal branding and family portrait sessions take place in the studio, and family and senior sessions can also be photographed at select outdoor East Bay locations. On-location headshots and corporate headshot days are available across San Francisco, Oakland, Palo Alto, San Jose and the wider Bay Area and Silicon Valley.
How does ordering family portraits work?
Family Portrait Experiences Begin at $1,290, and $1,000 of your investment is applied to the portraits you choose: digital images, framed wall art for your home, a handcrafted album, or a mix. If digital images are all you want, your full $1,000 can go toward them. After your session, we'll sit down together, look through your portraits and choose your favorites. You'll see the full investment guide before you book, so you'll know your options long before we sit down.
Ready to be seen as exactly who you are?
One photographer for how the world sees you professionally, and how your family remembers this chapter thirty years from now. It all starts with a quick, no-pressure call.