Whether you’ve already booked a session, or you’re still on the fence about whether or not your business needs professional brand photography (hint, hint – it does), we’ve got a few tips and tricks that will guarantee you get the most out of your branding photography session.
HAVE A CLEAR VISION ON YOUR BRAND STYLE
When we book a branding client, we send them an extensive brand workbook, which walks them through everything from their ideal client to the core of their brand visuals. Our primary reason for doing this is so we can ensure that their branding photo session is going to successfully serve them by looking clean, clear, and cohesive across their web and social presence.
Before you meet with your brand photographer, it’s good to communicate what your brand style is and the vision you have for the photography session. Try to come up with 3-4 concrete examples that you can use as a basis for your photographer, and then they’ll do all the proverbial heavy-lifting after that! Also, don’t be too hard on yourself if you’re struggling here—while it’s a strong idea to have a vision, it’s also perfectly natural for you to adjust that vision later on if you need to.
DECIDE A FEW KEY MESSAGES YOU WANT TO COMMUNICATE
You want your brand photos to have longevity, which is something many people overlook during brand shoots. The only way to achieve longevity is to be thoughtful in your development of the messages you hope these photographs will share to your dream clients. If you’re feeling a little stuck on this, think about what goals you hope to accomplish by scheduling this photo session. Ask yourself, “What goals will this photo shoot meet? What big projects, launches, or campaigns are on the horizon for the next six months?”
You may have various projects that you’re hoping to use these brand photos for, and that’s why planning and communicating will help you. For example, do you hope to use this photoshoot as a way to tell the story behind why you started your business? Are you looking to give your ideal clients a behind-the-scenes look at your business? Giving just a little bit of thought to strategically execute some clear, attainable goals from your branding photography session will really help to make your session exceptional.
Brainstorm Styled Images
Styled images are photographs of artfully laid out objects that capture a particular look or moment. For example, we love to creatively arrange business cards or different tools a company uses because they give each brand photography session a unique touch. You can also use styled images as a way to incorporate photography that doesn’t solely focus on people or specific products. This way, you have a wide array of options to choose from when you want to freshen up blog posts, general website content, or any other material you offer!
Before a brand photography session, it’s incredibly useful to have something to pull from that will guide the styled images you’re hoping to create for your own brand. One way to get an idea of the look you want for your own brand is to reach out to the photographer you’re working with and have them send you some of their own styled images. Seeing what your brand photographer has done in the past can lead you to discover what will be your own personal touch through styled images.
Seek consistency in your brand images
Consistency should always be at the forefront of any branding work you do. Your dream clients will come to trust you more and more as they see your public-facing content shared in a consistent manner. One way to achieve this kind of visual consistency that’s necessary for any brand photography session is to think of color schemes and lighting patterns that fit your brand.
If you’re going to hire a brand photographer, we strongly encourage either finding one photographer that you can work with regularly, or finding brand photographers with a similar aesthetic vibe. Using too many different styles of photography across your website and social media platforms will disrupt the overall flow of your brand, and your visual content may even start to look messy and unprofessional.
Create an inspiration or vision board
We’ve all heard of mood and inspiration boards before—and honestly, what great places to keep track of all your ideas! Using Pinterest boards or even going old school with it and having printed images to organize your vision is an amazing way to keep track of your vision. Vision boards can show the flow of your thoughts and how you imagine getting the most out of your brand photography session.
If you’re interested in printing out images you’ve organized, we recommend Artifact Uprising. Having a tangible vision board can do wonders when it comes to preparing for your branding photography session. At LB Cultivé Co., we curate a vision board for each of our clients before their scheduled session because we truly believe it’s one way to ensure your images will be cohesive in look and feel for years to come.
Schedule a Hair and Makeup Appointment
There’s nothing worse than feeling uncomfortable in your own skin on a day where you know you need to be “on,” and we certainly don’t want you to feel this way before your photography session. When you’re feeling confident, both internally and externally, you’re bound to have a more relaxing experience at your brand photography shoot.
While we don’t want to overemphasize the external component, we do believe that professional hair and makeup will go a long way when it comes to helping you look and feel your best. There are likely many professionals in your local area whom you can book an appointment with, and our philosophy is why not? In the moments before you actually hop in front of the camera, it’s so important that you’re feeling ready—that you’re feeling cool, calm, and collected. And this confidence will absolutely translate into how you carry yourself while posing for the session.
