How To Capture Who You Are And Look Good While You Do It
Blip Photography Is A Lifestyle Portrait Photographer For Families And Small Business Branding. We Have Been So Lucky To Partner And Collaborate With Barbara, And Wanted To Take The Opportunity To Share A Few Of Her Tips For Preparing For Your Branding Photo Session.
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Booking a branding photography session is part of your marketing strategy. If you are using any kind of social media to market your business, you are probably in a need for fresh content constantly, this is where a branding session comes in. But it’s not just any kind of content, its very strategic content.
So let me walk you through a few points you should keep in mind, as you are getting ready for your branding photo session.
Know your brand goals.
Before diving into session planning, your brand needs to be well defined. The better you have it defined, the better will these images represent your brand.
Ask yourself these questions:
What is it you want to achieve with these images. What will you use them for?
These questions should tie into your general business goals for the year, or quarter.
Hire a photographer whose work you like and whom you trust.
Chances are the idea of being in-front of the camera makes you somewhat uncomfortable. That being said, you want to find a photographer you don’t just trust, but also feel comfortable with. What this means is, when you are inquiring about branding photographers, make sure the hiring process includes a phone conversation, before you make the booking. This way you can easier determine how well you fit, and if you can see the two of you collaborating.
Collect inspiration – but never copy.
My favorite platform to gather inspiration is Pinterest. There you can make a board for your session. It can be of shots you want to capture, outfits, the mood your brand aligns with. Really anything. And the best part is, later you can share this board with your branding photographer. I always encourage my clients to create a session mood board.
What to wear?
This is one of the most asked questions, by my branding photography clients. And here’s the main takeaway I want to share with you. Make sure what you wear makes you feel comfortable and beautiful. Maybe now is not the time to wear those pants you used to fit, but now can’t really breathe in, even if they are your favorite pair. Use this opportunity to splurge and go buy an outfit or two, if you aren’t happy with anything you have in your closet. However, with anything you are considering to wear, ask yourself, how does this fit within my brand.
Another quick tip is to wear layers, this way you can easily change your look, by taking your jacket off, for example.
Location scouting.
A good location will tie things together, and help you communicate that message you want to align your brand with. Possibilities are really endless, you can keep things neat and simple, and use a studio, or find an iconic place in your city (especially if you are a location based business). Different locations will help you tell that story. And who says professional headshots need to happen in front of a grey studio screen, they can happen literally anywhere.
This is something your photographer can help you with.
Prep a shot-list.
Think of it as your session day cheat-sheet. A great way to go about creating it is to think of all the different places you will be using images from your branding session. Is it mostly for social media, what are some post topics you will be addressing in the next quarter. Does your website need a refresh?
Plan your props!
What are some supporting characters that can help tell the story of your brand, during your branding photo session? Do you have any branded items, anything with your logo on it, that can be used? You can also keep your brand colors in mind, and bring different pieces in those colors to the shoot.
Now it’s time to get planning, and if you need some inspiration for your future branding session, head over to my branding page for a variety of shots.
A post by: Barbara Lipoahr from Blip Photography, Houston Branding Photographer
