How To Prepare For A Personal Brand Photoshoot
This blog post was originally published August 21, 2020 and was updated June 3 2022
Planning a photo shoot can be an exciting experience for both photographer and client. But there are many things that must be considered before the big day arrives. This article will give you all the information you need to create stunning photos in no time.
When I first started taking photos for my Instagram feed and my blog. I was really unsure of all of the moving components that made a photo amazing. When I would ask for help on how to successfully execute a brand photoshoot I would receive very vague answers such as plan everything you need, lay out all of your outfits, etc. But those answers still didn’t help me.
For example, how do I know what kind of photos I should be taking? How do I find the right location? How do I pose? Where should I be shopping? What should I wear? how do I come up with photoshoot themes?
In my first blog photoshoot, my husband took my photos. My husband is skilled at taking photos and videography. However the photos were horrible and that wasn’t his fault, it was my lack of planning. And my lack of planning left me very frustrated with my husband.
After some time, I came across a concept called speed blogging. This was where you would work with a handful of photographers in different locations to get your photos taken in less than 1hr. And I soon realized that when photos didn’t turn out right, it wasn’t always the photographer's fault, but the client's fault.
As you can imagine it took me some time to develop a process. My husband encouraged me to make a mood board before each photo shoot. And while I did that the moodboard lacked concept. I curated a moodboard of pretty images, however, they didn’t reflect or tell my brand story.
And now that I have been doing this for over 5 years from working with professional photographers to working with my husband or DIY photos myself. I’ve got you covered.
Before you dive into this post be sure to download my free Brand Photoshoot Prep list here as It walks you through everything that we will be discussing inside of this post plus some additional free goodies.
What Is A Personal Brand Photoshoot
Your brand photoshoot is a photoshoot that clearly captures the essence of your brand. It’s where you bring to life your brand’s story through visual storytelling. It’s much different than a content-based photoshoot because this photoshoot is where you will take branded photos that you can use in your brand assets! Such as your email list, ebooks, media kit, website photos, etc.
These photos should be very clean and polished and should be able to adapt to the various places you decide to use these photos. I personally recommend that you don’t oversaturate your brand photos with fancy presets that you aren’t going to use consistently because you are going to want to diversify where you place these photos.
Your brand photos should represent all things you and your brand! This is why I can’t express enough how much of a difference your appearance will make. If you want to learn more about how to style yourself for a photo shoot, I suggest you check out this post here.
Understand Your Brand Story
Taking photos for your brand is all about storytelling! Surprisingly many forget this. Every photo that you take should speak to your unique brand story and easily be able to communicate what you and your brand is all about. If you are a social media consultant and your goal is to help course creators leverage social media so they can get more students enrolled in their course.
Then your brand photos should in some way communicate that! Also, think about what exactly your audience will respond to. I noticed that my audience responds better when I am dressed up and taking regular styled photos. And because I am a mom, more of my mom But in order to still communicate what it is that I do I always in some sort of way use photos to identify that I am a Personal Stylist!
So before you even start getting into the grit of planning your shoot, go back to the basics of your brand's unique story and think of the various components that you can capture in your photoshoot session.
Come Up With Photoshoot Theme
Your brand photos are much different than your everyday content curated photos.
But even so, those photos should have some sort of theme. Let’s say you have an upcoming product launch and you need new photos.
Coming up with your theme first will help you determine the type of photos you need.
For example, let’s say you just launched a planner for online coaches.
The theme of your photoshoot could be “how to use a planner as an online business coach. Because your theme is focused on how to use the planner.
The theme could be a lifestyle, showing your audience how to use the planner and if the planner is luxury then you want to make sure that this photoshoot is luxury. Overall, your photos should humanize your brand.
Create An Inspiring Concept
Once you've decided where you'd like to take your photos, it's time to start thinking about the concept behind them. What do you want your customers to see when they look at your photos? Is there something unique about your company that makes people want to buy your products?
If so, why does that matter? You should also consider the type of image you want to portray. Are you trying to convey an emotion? Showcase a product? Make a statement? Whatever your goal is, you'll need to decide what message you want to send through your photos. Which Is why I recommend fleshing out your ideas and creating a brand storyboard.
Your brand storyboard should include the type of shots you want. Locations that are similar to your location etc. Pinterest is a great place to start for this.
Your storyboard is what you would normally send to your photographer before taking pictures. When creating your storyboard think about the end results of how you want your photos to look. When creating your storyboard, think about the poses you want to try, and the props you want to include in your photos. You want to be as specific as possible when creating your storyboard. You also want to make sure that the photos truly represent your brand story and are not just photos that you like.
Here is an example of an older storyboard that I used for an older photoshoot.
Choose The Right Location
Choosing the perfect location for your brand photo shoot can make or break your entire project. It's important to consider several different aspects when selecting a location. First, think about what kind of environment you'd like to capture. Do you want to show off a product in a bustling city street? Or would you prefer a more serene setting with beautiful scenery? Think about how much natural light you'd like to use and whether you'd like to incorporate props into your shots.
This is something that you would need to discuss with your photographer. Your location should go hand in hand with your photoshoot theme. If the photoshoot is lifestyle think office, living room, coffee shop maybe walking towards your car.
When selecting your location, you also have to think about your outfit, because the wrong color outfit can clash with your background. In most cases your photographer will have you send over a picture of your outfits, to make sure they will work with the photoshoot.
Outline How You Will Use The Photos
Next you want to outline how you plan on using the photos. This will also help you communicate with your photographer the type of angle you need. If you are taking photos for your website then you want to make sure that there is some negative space so that you can add words to the image.
I recommend that you go through every page on your website that you need photos for, try to imagine what you could see on those pages. And if you are struggling with that, then ask your photographer. DOing this will help you understand if you need a horizontal or vertical photo.
If you are building out your sales page, draw a rough draft of the website layout, so that way you can determine the angles you need your photos to be. This exercise will also help you come up with pose ideas.
Then, outline any upcoming promos you have going on this will help you write captions that make sense for your photos. But also allow for you to curate a marketing strategy that makes sense.
These steps will help you diversify your photos and possibly stretch out your social media content or blog content.
Brand Photoshoot Shot List
Now that you have your content planned you want to get clear on the type of shots you need. For example, if you are promoting a new course then maybe a shot you need is of you sitting at your desk working on the actual course. Then you want to make a note if you need that photo in horizontal format or vertical. Have a good idea of where you are going to use that photo.
Here are some examples of what I include in my shot list
Standing headshot smiling horizontal
Standing midsection smiling horizontal
With a pen and notebook horizontal
Looking down walking away from the camera
Working on a phone horizontal
Shop For Pieces That Reflect Your Personal Style
This is where my expertise in styling kicks in!
It’s so much more than throwing on a cute outfit that you saw someone wearing on Pinterest!
In most cases, the wrong outfit can have your photos coming out less than what you hoped for.
I recommend starting with the items that naturally compliments your body shape. For example, if there are features on your body that you dislike, maybe you don’t like drawing too much attention to your curves.
Then you want to make sure that you wear a darker color on the bottom Or make sure that the photos are only shot from your waist up.
. Maybe you have a short torso and you want to appear much taller in your photos. Not only do you want to wear heels but you also want to go for a monochromatic look.
Secondly, you want to accessorize!!!! We often forget this, you don’t have to go overboard with your accessories but you want to wear just enough accessories to ensure that you actually bring your outfit to life!!
If you are not sure where to shop, I recommend you check out this post here, where I share with you 62 stores you can shop for your next brand photoshoot.
Poses For A Brand Photoshoot
Know your angles
In other words, know your good side. You can find this by referring back to your old photos. What pose do you naturally do? This is a major clue for you. You can also try on the outfits you will be wearing stand in the mirror and practice your pose.
Use your hands
Knowing what to do with your hands can be one of the most commonly awkward things. You can pose with your arms folded. Uses your hands to hold your phone or a cup of coffee.
Get your posture straight
Make sure that you are not slouching when posing. This can make you look awkward depending on the pose.
Utilize props
Props can make your poses seem more natural. Just make sure that you smile or as Tyra Banks would say smize.
Dance Like No-one Is Watching
One of my favorite ways to pose is to simply dance. This allows the photographer to form a creative flow while easily capturing each shot.
Prepare For The Shoot
Before the shoot, plan what you will wear, where you will stand, and what props you will use. Also, think about any special lighting needs you might have. If you're shooting outside, consider bringing along a portable heater or air conditioner to keep you warm or cool.
The night/day before your photo shoot is all about self-care. You want to spend some time prepping your skin for makeup. Organize your props and make sure that you have everything that you need for your photoshoot. Really go all in and pamper yourself this will help you to feel good about yourself as you are posing. You can take a steam shower and exfoliate your skin.
Steam your Clothes
Organize your outfits first and last
Make sure you have a garment bag to keep your clothes free of any wrinkles and stains.
For jewelry either wear the same jewelry with each outfit or bring jewelry storage that will help your necklaces not to tangle.
If you are doing an outside location shoot you can either change in your car. Or purchase a small tent in which you can change outside.
Organize your photoshoot props. I recommend going first to last to help you move efficiently, also some photographers charge extra if you go over the allotted time.
