Create your own on-brand visual content that conveys your brand message & client experience!

First of all… let’s discuss what a brand photoshoot is, and why you need one…like, yesterday!! You know that actors have headshots to sell and market themselves as a brand… brand photography sessions are the same thing, but way more creative, engaging, emotive, and it incorporates storytelling – your story and your brand story.

VISIBILITY, CONNECTION + YOU

Share your brand in another way than just the features & benefits of your products / services, and when you have sales. Share the team behind it all. Share who & what inspired you to start your business. Share your vision. Share your story. Share your WHY!

That’s how you make real connections with your audience online – by being real and putting yourself out there! It could be a story you share that could be the deciding factor between you and a competitor because your future client made an emotional connection with you.

Your content should EMOTE, ENGAGE, ENTERTAIN, and EDUCATE your audience, so you need the visual content to go with it…. and not images you get from the Google Machine! BTW – those images are actually copyrighted and you may be infringing upon it when using images without permission…. eeeek!!!)

CREATE AN EXPERIENCE

As a business owner, you are the face of your brand and people want to connect with people, not companies. You’re not just selling a product or a service, you’re selling yourself and the experience people have when working with you. Your brand photos should be a representation of that experience. If you want to attract your ideal clients, you can do better than iPhone selfies. (And I promise, you’re worth more than that!)

To be clear, I’m not a selfie or cell phone photography hater – it’s just not always the best option for a business when you need to show up as a professional to build trust with your audience that you are an expert & can help them.

Use your brand photos on your website, social media, business cards & other collateral, or if you ever give speeches or teach seminars. Once you have them, you’ll be thankful you don’t have to scramble for that semi-decent picture your spouse (or kid) took at the pumpkin patch last fall. Brand photos elevate your business, your brand awareness, and help you share pieces of your brand story in creative & engaging ways.

BASIC STARTING POINT

Make sure you have a clear vision of what your brand is, and be able to use specific adjectives to describe it. The more descriptive, the easier it’ll be for me to capture it! For example, you could use a vague adjective like “cute”, but maybe you actually mean “whimsical” or “feminine”.

Color palettes are also key! Are your brand colors warm, cool, bright, muted, neutral? Do your images reflect your brand color palette? If not the environment, consider wearing clothes with pops of your brand color(s) to keep your visual content consistent, but not homogenized.

When in doubt, pull some examples from Pinterest!! But make sure you add your flavors to any inspiration photos – we want to capture your vibe, not replicate someone else’s. When pinning on Pinterest, look for vibes & feelings along with colors and textures.

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR PROPS + WARDROBE

The first rule of thumb is to avoid logos (unless it’s your own, of course) and tons of patterns. Incorporate your brand colors, but don’t feel the need to use ALL of them. Less is more, but also consider the shapes that your clothes make on your body.

Also, be sure to try sitting down in outfit options, and doing any action that you might do daily in your work environment. Hot tip: heels are always a good idea. They elongate the legs and make you naturally stand up straight.

It really comes down to making sure you’re choosing outfits & accessories that make you feel confident and are on-brand. Confidence is key, so if you want to invest in a blowout or a professional makeup artist, go for it! I have plenty of recommendations if you need them

For props, find things that you do actually use in your daily work environment. If you’re a florist, It would probably be a good idea to bring some fresh flowers, scissors, ribbon, vases, etc. Don’t feel pressured to have them be in your brand colors – neutral is usually better for props unless they are significant in your business.

BUT here’s the biggest tip I can leave you with: