Why should you have a brand photoshoot for your business? 

I often get this question as a personal brand photographer who has worked with numerous brands and predominantly with women-identifying entrepreneurs so I have the perfect answer to this question! 

Brand photoshoots are a great way to tell the story of your business and who you are and to build trust and credibility with your audience quickly. There are so many reasons why you should do a brand photoshoot such as creating a great first impression, standing out from your competition, enhancing your overall marketing, and also to build your confidence as well! 

I could go on and on, as this is one of my favorite things to talk about, but let’s put that conversation on hold for now and instead talk about what to do if you’ve never had a brand photoshoot before and how you’re going to prepare for it. 

I’m sharing with you how to prep for your brand photoshoot, my tips on how to have a stress-free brand photoshoot, and my process that I use with my own clients so that you have the best experience possible! 

Let’s get into it… 

How to Prep for Your Brand Photoshoot

There’s a lot more to a brand photoshoot than just showing up to the studio or location of your photos, posing for the camera, and then receiving your photos a couple of weeks later. If you want to have the best brand photoshoot experience possible then a little prep work goes a long way. 

That’s why I’m sharing with you a checklist to follow step by step on how to prep for your brand photoshoot. 

Your Brand Photoshoot Preparation Checklist 

Start by defining your objectives 

This just means taking some time to think about and figure out the primary goals of your photoshoot. You can ask and answer the following questions as a starting point – 

1. What are these photos going to be used for? Marketing, social media content, a product launch? 
2. How do you want new leads to feel when they look at these photos? 
3. What story do you want these photos to tell? 

Plan your visual style 

This step is all about thinking about and figuring out your brand aesthetics. I’ve included more on this further in the blog post to help you with this part but to keep it simple all this means is taking some time to think about what you want your unique style to be, what you want it to say about you, and how this can be reflected in your photos. 

Decide on the location of your photos. 

This step is super important. 

Where your photos take place is also going to tell a story about who you are and what you do.

Are you wanting to take photos in a studio? An office? Somewhere outdoors like a downtown street or in front of office buildings? Which location is going to feel most authentic to you and your brand? 

Select your photographer. 

You may be surprised to see that this isn’t first on the checklist because prior to figuring out who you want to capture your brand photos I want you to think about your dream location, style, and your photo objectives so you can find a photographer that is going to give you all three together for the perfect branding photoshoot. 

Save photos you like and make a list of the different shots you’d like to be captured.

The photographer is going to help pose you and make suggestions but it’s always helpful if there are certain poses or a posing style you like that can be incorporated into your branding photoshoot. Also, think about if there’s anything you want to accentuate or avoid in your photos. 

Tips for a Stress-Free Brand Photoshoot 

I promise that if you follow these tips there will be absolutely no reason for anything about your branding photos to feel stress-inducing – this is the complete opposite of how I would want you to feel. Instead, I want your brand photoshoot to feel exciting and energizing so let’s talk about how you’re going to make that happen. 

Tip 1 – Plan your outfits ahead of time 

If you want to remove one of the biggest stressors take the time to plan out what you want to wear. 

So how are you going to do this? 

I know that it might feel overwhelming looking at your closet and wondering what outfits are going to encapsulate and reflect your brand in the way that you want. 

My first suggestion is to peruse other branding photos you admire from other business owners – Pinterest is a fabulous place to look a branding photos or a quick Google search. 

Or perhaps you even currently follow some other business owners on social media whose branding photos you love! Take a look at what they are wearing and also think about what you want your own style to say about you. 

Ask yourself – do you want classic elegance, casual chic, modern minimalist etc.? This will also help you quickly narrow down your outfit search and make it easier once you decide on a style you want your photos to reflect. 

You can also always try making a mood board (again you could use Pinterest for this) that incorporates different images, colors, and styles that resonate with you and your brand. When in doubt, always use your brand colors.

Also, make sure you talk to your photographer about how many outfit changes you’re going to be permitted as well so you can plan accordingly. 

One final piece of advice – think about what you want your photos and outfits to say about you and your brand. Are these photos meant to come across as creative, professional, and approachable and where are you going to use these photos – social media, your website, in your marketing materials? Answering these questions will also make it much easier for you to decide what to wear! 

Make sure to try on your outfits beforehand and try some different poses too to see how the outfits look and if you like them. 

Tip 2 – Decide what props you want to use 

Props help with visual storytelling and also add a new visual dynamic to your photos. 

It’s good to think about what props you would like to use and talk to your photographer about using them beforehand – don’t just rely on your photographer to make prop suggestions because you’re the one who knows your brand and business inside and out – it’s helpful to us to have input from you on what props you want to make sure you have. 

For example, if you know that you’re going to want a desk and chair for your photos and you don’t have an office space to use talk to your photographer about what they have available in their studio and see the colors of the props too to make sure your outfit will match or if it looks how you want. 

Take some time to think about all the props you would want to incorporate such as creative tools, coffee mugs, personal items, office supplies, technology, flowers, etc. Each prop will contribute to your brand story and your overall message. 

To decide what props you would want to use I would again encourage you to peruse Pinterest and also look at some other branding photos you love and see what props they use and how you feel when you see their pictures. 

And to finalize this process just another reminder to please make sure to talk to your photographer about what they have available. Knowing what props you want to use and what’s available to you is going to alleviate so much stress for you on the day of your photoshoot. 

Tip 3 – Fill out a brand questionnaire 

A brand questionnaire is going to be so helpful as it helps clarify and define key aspects of your brand – it’s a tool not only for you but also will help out your photographer as well! 

I always have every one of my clients fill out a brand questionnaire as this helps with clarity and knowing where you are going to be using photos. 

Common questions you’ll see on a brand questionnaire are 

• How would you describe your brand? 
• What does your business do? 
• What are your brand colors? 
• How do you want people to feel when they see your images? 
• Where will the images be used? 

Answering all these questions will help your photographer prep for the photoshoot – making everything less stressful for you and also help your photographer curate the perfect photoshoot for you so don’t skip this step! 

Tip 4 – Practice self-care 

One of the best ways to address any additional stress you may be feeling before you take these photos is to practice self-care. I want you to be well-rested and relaxed before your photoshoot. 

Some of what I recommend to my own clients is to take a relaxing bath the night before, do a 5-minute meditation, or go out and get your body moving and get some fresh air such as a long, leisurely walk or a run if that’s your vibe. 

Anything you love to do to relax I want you to do the day before your photoshoot so you can show up relaxed, refreshed, confident, and as the best version of yourself! 

My Process for Your Brand Photoshoot 

Every photographer has a different process but if you choose to book a brand photoshoot with me know that you are going to go into your photoshoot without a thing to worry about. 

One of the first steps in my process is that I will give you a questionnaire that goes in-depth with you about your brand, your ideal clients, goals, and a checklist of all the places you can use your content. 

Next, after you’ve filled out all the details together we then have a planning session that utilizes the questionnaire and we fill in any holes, such as making a shots list, clothing list, props, location, etc.

All of this is done so that when you show up to your shoot you don’t feel any stress – that’s my goal to make this as fun and relaxed as possible for you! 

Final Thoughts on How to Have a Stress-Free Branding Photoshoot

I hope all of this helped you and showed you that you have nothing to be nervous or stressed about when it comes to a branding photoshoot and that if you follow these tips you’ll be well-prepared.  

My goal in my branding photoshoots is to bring out the best version of you and to make sure that your visual brand story is told authentically – that’s why I don’t want stress to be any part of the process for you. Think of me as your personal cheerleader! 

So, if you are ready to let your personality and business shine, then you can click here to reach out for a chat! Or if you want to read more about my brand photography click here. I can’t wait to meet you!