Your Branding Photoshoot Blueprint
Everything you need to make the most of your next business or branding photoshoot
Plus, a free planning guide (+ Music playlist) to make this experience next level.
Congrats! You decided to have a photoshoot for your service business and now the real fun begins! As a branding strategist, I may be biased, but telling your business story through beautiful visuals is just smart marketing. Prove me wrong, I’ll wait.
There’s no shortage of beautiful photos flooding our online space - ever wonder how these shoots come together?
Here’s a breakdown of everything you need to know to make the most of your next business photoshoot. And be sure to download this free sample photoshoot guide. It will help you make the most of this opportunity and includes details to help plan, execute, style, and inspire the most magical experience. Your beautiful photos will thank you.
Note: This advice applies to service-based businesses. So if you’re a female founder, business owner, freelancer, consultant, or influencer, you’ll want to dive in. Product or commercial photography is a little different because many of the shoots are done in a studio with special lighting, props, and styling.
WHY + WHAT are we shooting for?
Consider how you plan to use the images. Maybe you need professional headshots or gorgeous photos for your website. Or you’d like a library of images to use for social media, your newsletter, blogs, business cards, or print collateral; All excellent reasons to hire a professional photographer to help you tell your story, visually.
Be sure to list all the uses for the photos because it will help figure out how you’ll shoot some of the shots - vertical, horizontal, banner, etc. You’ll want to think through the size and cropping of your designs ahead of time.
Can you tell that I’m forcing a smile in the Corporate shot? That was a doozy.
WHO / Find your Photographer!
I live in Hawaii and it seems like there are thousands of photographers on this island eager to take photos of your babies, family, or product!
But this isn’t a job for your brother’s sister’s cousin (unless they’re a talented photographer). You’ll want to work with someone who is experienced in business, headshots, and more specifically, branding and lifestyle photos. Your friend may take beautiful newborn photos, but lifestyle is best captured by the experienced talent that knows how to stylistically showcase a person and their brand through visual storytelling.
We want to get close to a photojournalist type of experience - I mean, how cool is the idea that this person will be taking fun, ‘candid’, photos of you in the wild and in your element?!
How to find these magical unicorns? The number one suggestion is to ask your friends and professional network for referrals. Ideally, someone you know has had a great experience working with them.
You can also search on Yelp, Google, or through a keyword search on Instagram. And if you're a brand and business in Hawaii - I recommend Megan Moura's photography (tell her Aga sent you!)
She took the photos you’ll see in this blog. And a handful of my clients have worked with her and enjoyed the experience!
Before you hire anyone, I suggest you set up a quick call for a ‘vibe check’ with this person. You’ll want these photos to last and to showcase you in the best way possible, so you’ll want to feel comfortable with the person behind the camera.
WHERE are you shooting?
What’s the location(s) for the photoshoot? Let’s think through your business first. For example, a fitness coach may wish to use their gym for the core photos. A real estate agent could take photos in a select neighborhood. And a food blogger will likely spend most of their time shooting in the kitchen.
I recommend a mix of indoor and outdoor settings. Your photographer should have some suggestions as well so ask ahead. Many of them also have studio space available.
Here’s a few ideas:
Your typical workspace or office
Favorite lounge area for reading, journaling, or casual headshot
Your favorite coffee shop
Walking through the city
Any outdoor setting - the beach, the forest, or a garden
Any part of your house that correlates to your business and (hopefully) has good natural lighting!
Coworking space
Airbnb (takes the pressure off cleaning your own home!)
HOW are we doing it - The Styling of the Shoot
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a ‘cheat sheet’ for this? Like THIS planning photoshoot guide. Download the free guide to help with all of the little and big details to maximize your experience! The guide serves as the creative direction you and your photographer set for the shoot. It helps everyone do their best work and ensures your creativity that day is free-flowing since all of the details are easy to reference anytime.
You’ll be hyped up on the day of, and maybe feeling the high of adrenaline, so the likelihood of missing a few of your PERFECTLY planned photos is high. Don’t stress, download this Must-Have Business Photoshoot Planning Guide.
You can also visit your photographer’s page for insights on how most of this happens. From reaching out to them with interest to connecting, booking, and finally shooting. They can walk you through the process.
Playing Dress-Up
My photographer sent me a color palette for inspiration. Generally, you’ll want to consider your location and how your clothes will complement or contrast with the backdrop.
The examples below show four different fashion choices against four different backgrounds.
The casual, at-home photos worked well with a simple white tank and jeans against the colorful background of the house.
This rooftop image begged for a fun style since we’re on the freaking roof! And this tulle skirt needed a ‘moment’.
A mural shot required a simple look again since we were letting the beautiful work behind me do most of the storytelling in this urban feel.
And the ‘look, this is me working’ photos had a pop of color against the neutral background.
The three main Wardrobe styling tips for your branding photoshoot are:
Something expected, like your casual, everyday look.
Something unexpected, like your best fancy + fun look
Your professional or business look
If you’re like me, you don’t often get a lot of opportunities to dress ‘up’ so give yourself permission to live it up here!
Note - This is NOT the time to spend a bunch of money on a new wardrobe! I highly recommend exhausting your closet first. Or ask a friend to borrow something special. I spent a whopping $75 on my complete look at Goodwill. It was a mix of fun skirts, a couple of tops, and a pair of black jeans.
Enjoy and have fun playing dress-up! And don’t forget the accessories, like fun jewelry.
I recommend that you lay out all of your outfits ahead of time with the jewelry and shoes. And have a little fashion show to see if you like the fit and if everything pairs well together. Don’t forget the shapewear, if you’re into that ;)
Money, Honey i.e. your photoshoot budget/investment
Considering that most quality photos can last anywhere between 1 - 3 years you’ll want to think of this as an investment! If you’re marketing your service on social media, blogging, email, and other platforms that require a nice design, you’ll want to create a gallery of options.
You’re talking to someone that helps build memorable brands so naturally, I believe this is one of the more crucial investments with major lasting power if done well (so kudos for reading this blog to help you).
In addition to the photographer’s service and your photos, you’ll also want to consider if you’re spending money on any new outfits, hiring a makeup person, and styling your hair. Personally, I spent $75 on the clothes, and in the past have spent money on getting my hair and makeup done just to feel a little ‘extra’ that day. Do you have to? NOPE. But it sure felt nice to feel pampered ahead of my closeup.
FINAL PHOTO FUN TIPS:
(All of the ‘P’ words for this)
Planning Guide - if you haven’t downloaded this free Business Photoshoot Planning Guide yet - what are you waiting for?
Personal hype girl (or boy) who’s attending to your needs at the shoot, like playing awesome music, handing you some water or another beverage, and helping you change outfits. Bring your bestie!
Playlist - tune into this “Ultimate Bad Bish Photo Shoot Playlist’ curated by yours truly.
Step into your full 'feelin' myself mode' with these tunes that are sure to bring out the best in you. And let those poses and photos shine, baby! This playlist is a little slow and a little fast + little rock and little pop
Practice Posing - Pinterest is a great place to find ideas on how to stand and where to put your hands.
Props + Plants - Do you need your laptop, notebook, journal, mug, or phone? How about some plants to help bring your space to life?
What’s Next?
If you need help figuring out what do to with these epic new photos, or you’re ready to take your business to the next level by saying ‘YES’ to marketing support, let’s connect.
We can schedule a call to see if our content marketing services are a good fit to help grow or scale your business. This isn’t a sales call. I’ll ask a few questions and we’ll both determine if this collaboration makes sense for your current or future stage of business.
Contact Aga at hello@agalandbrand.com to schedule the call.
And don’t forget to tag me in your photo posts if you found this guide helpful! I’d LOVE to see your beautiful, new branding photos!