When it comes to brand photography, there is a ton of planning involved. It’s essential to make sure your brand or business’s message is clearly communicated with your photographer before getting into your session. That’s why I always send over a thorough questionnaire to all of my brand and commercial clients. We’ll also go over a detailed shot list and make sure they include my 3 key points for every brand session. If you overlook this necessary preparation, you could be wasting hundreds of dollars!

Brand photography is an investment for a reason. These images are going to be the forefront of your business’s marketing and visuals. They should convey your message and attract potential clients right away! They are essential to a thriving business.

If your branding session doesn’t consider these 3 KEY points, you’re missing out on your investment!!!!

Your potential client or customer should have each of these questions answered just by skimming your website or scrolling through your feed. Your brand visuals should showcase WHO you are, WHAT you do, and WHY it’s important or useful. Now, how exactly can we convey these through photos?

WHO are you?

Your brand’s images should clearly show the person behind the business. People want to know who they’re working with and put a name to the face! These are usually the first photos to be added to your ‘shot list’. You simply cannot forget them. Photos that showcase your business’s WHO look like headshots and employee/team portraits. These images should be displayed on your website’s about page and be scattered across your marketing and social media intentionally.

It’s important that your outfit and backgrounds fit your brand’s aethetic. This creates identity and makes your brand memorable. This can be as simple as incorporating your main brand color or photographing in a background unique to your business.

WHAT do you do?

When planning for poses and props, these should represent what you do. Whatever it is that you do, let’s showcase it! I love including ‘in-action’ shots that feel behind the scenes. What exactly you might be doing in your photos will vary from industry to industy. Some examples of this could look like:

• A hairstylist washing someone’s hair at the shampoo bowl.
• A realtor staging a home before an open house.
• A masseuse massaging a client on a massage table.
• A barista serving coffee to a customer.
• A florist building a floral bouquet in their garden.

These photo should set the scene for the type of work that you do. You want your clients to see themselves in these images whether it’s the service they’re booking, items they’re buying, or place they’re going. These are the kinds of photos that will be the face of your business. For example you may see these photos front and center on your website and they should be all over your social media and marketing.

WHY is it important?

This key point is a little bit more open ended and looks different session to session. Think about what makes you unique as a business and highlight that. The goal is to convey your value visually. These are the kinds of photos that are going to make you stand out against competition.

Let’s use an example. If you own a coffee shop in the area, you’re probably not the only cafe around. In order to get customers to choose your place for their cup of coffee, you need to share your value and what makes you different. You might have a cozier atmosphere compared to other local spots. Include photos of people enjoying your seating area to your shot list. You might offer great wifi that’s perfect for getting work done. Note that you’d like photos of people co-working on their laptops in your cafe. Maybe you do a drink special weekly. Capture photos of people trying some of your specialty menu items.

It’s all about enticing potential customers and making sure your marketing goals are seen throughout your branding session. Think about WHY should people shop or book with you and we will find a way to photograph it.

Do you have some answers in mind to these questions? I’d love to work with you in showcasing each of these key points to your potential clients and customers. Let’s start the conversation!