How To Complete a Brand Photoshoot You + Your Audience LOVE

HOW TO COMPLETE A BRAND PHOTOSHOOT YOU + YOUR AUDIENCE LOVE

This is an exciting episode because we are talking about brand photography. How do you create a brand photoshoot that both you and your ideal client love?  I’m sharing what you put into your look, your location, and your shot list, so that you will want to post these photos and so they will attract your ideal client.

I have done this a million times with myself and with clients, and I’m very fortunate to be married to a photographer as well.  As a result, I have picked up a lot of tricks, tips, and tricks along the way.  We’re going to have a lot of fun this episode!

If you are curious about learning more about color psychology and how it relates to your visual presence and improves your conversions, then I highly recommend the Converting with Color Masterclass. It’s completely free, and it’s a bit over 60 minutes of intensive education that will really open your eyes to the world of color.

We will discuss:

• Why you need a brand photoshoot
• Guiding your brand photoshoot
• The location of your brand photoshoot
• Your look for your brand photoshoot
• A shot list for your brand photoshoot
• After your brand photoshoot

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WHY YOU NEED A BRAND PHOTOSHOOT

When it comes to a brand photoshoot, one of the biggest problems I see is that people put this off until years into their business.  Don’t feel guilty if this is you!  We’re going to talk about it.  Often, people don’t want to deal with it.  They don’t want to get on camera, they have self-esteem issues, or they have technical issues.  All kinds of things can get in the way.

The problem is, your potential clients and customers want to connect your face and your voice with your brand.  They might see a really beautiful brand and then an old photo that you took with your phone or your laptop, and that can create a natural disconnect.  So we want to keep that from happening by having some photos that not only help your ideal clients find and connect with you, but also that make you feel really good about your brand and your business.  This can be a huge self-esteem boost, especially when you are posting on social media, putting together your press page, and pitching for different publicity opportunities.  When you book one, they often ask for some high-quality, high resolution photos and you don’t want to have to say that you don’t have any. To prevent all of these problems, we need a brand photoshoot. 

GUIDING YOUR BRAND PHOTOSHOOT

A lot people feel like the only way they can do that  is to spend thousands of dollars on hiring a brand photographer.  The truth is, you just need to have the basics.  You can do this from an iPhone - yes, the quality is high enough now.  You can also get them done professionally, but you still need to know this information so you can guide the photographer.  You need to know to alternate facial expressions, how to position your body, and all the little tweaks that can help you feel confident in your photoshoot.

Inside of my Visibility Lounge ® program, I have a shot list guide.  In addition, inside the Color Course within the Lounge I go into a little bit more detail about the actual photoshoot and I have a behind-the-scenes of me being photographed. You’ll see me explain why I’m positioning my body in certain ways, and it has nothing to do with weight.  Even the skinniest model on a photoshoot has to pose a certain way to keep something from looking out of proportion, just because of the camera lens.  You can simply move your head forward a bit, and it will make the rest of your body look slimmer.

THE LOCATION OF YOUR BRAND PHOTOSHOOT

Location is a really important part of your session because it needs to reflect the feeling you want to represent with your brand.  If you are a tech guru, for example, and you help people build the backend of their membership sites, you’re probably not going to want to be in a meadow (unless your ideal clients are health experts, yoga retreat leaders, or other people to whom the outdoors really appeals).  Most likely, you are going to want to be in an office environment or on your couch, depending on your ideal client.  If you’re a workout coach, on the other hand, you might want to shoot outside if you’re really passionate about people not having to buy exercise equipment.

I know some of this seems obvious, but people can get stuck here.  It’s important to figure out what you want your environment to be for your photoshoot.  I’ve done a lot of different locations, but I tend to stick with interior now because that’s where I can get my more cobalt blue color to work for me.

YOUR LOOK FOR YOUR BRAND PHOTOSHOOT

The next thing you want to determine is how you want to come across on camera.  If you want to be a little more natural, I get it.  The one thing you may want to think about, though, is shine.  You might need a little translucent powder just to matte things down.  Every actor does it.  If you’re looking to have some makeup on your face, you can start with translucent powder before adding whatever else you want to put on.

You will also want to consider what other things you can do with your appearance to come across the way you intend.  You want to be wearing your brand color somehow.  If you’re thinking, “Michelle, my brand color is orange and I don’t want to look like a traffic cone,” then maybe you can wear a white or gray shirt with a big piece of orange jewelry.  Those kinds of things can make a big difference.  One of my secondary colors is red, so I put that on my lip and I have red roses in the background.  So, there are a lot of different things you can do.

I would also recommend having a couple of different outfits that integrate your colors, just because it can be a bit too much if all of your pictures are in the same outfit.  Two to three changes should be totally fine, but you wouldn’t want to see an Instagram grid of the person in the same clothes for every picture.

Lastly, you want to think about your hair.  It doesn’t need to be like prom, and there is no need to have it professionally done.  It can be, but it’s not necessary.  Make sure that you’re wearing your hair so that if people see your brand photo and then see you in a selfie or in an interview, it doesn’t look like two different people.  They need to be able to tell it’s you.  For example, you can look at the last couple episodes and see that they were recorded with my hair down.  Now it looks a little different being half up, but it still looks like me.

If you want to do some test photography, set your camera timer and snap a few shots.  Put on different outfits and see how they look.  Try to disregard the lighting, because the professionals will figure that out.  You need to focus on how the clothes look on your body.

I’m not often in something that is strapless, spaghetti strap, or tank top style on camera because I tend to have a broader frame up top.  You also won’t see a lot of shorts or skirts in my photography.  I feel like pants, a dress, or a long skirt make me look a bit slimmer.  This is just me figuring out what works over the years.  You might look fantastic on camera in a tank top or a skirt.  I’ve just observed that I feel my most confident with some of those tweaks.  So if you want to save yourself some money and get all your brand photos done in one photo shoot, doing some test photos can help you decide on your preferred outfits.

A SHOT LIST FOR YOUR BRAND PHOTOSHOOT

Last but not least, you need a shot list for your brand photoshoot. A shot list, for example, is what a director will put together for a scene to let the camera department know what angles they need to get.  Let’s say we’re going to be shooting what I’m doing right now.  We know we’re going to have a master shot from further back that will include me in this camera.  Then we might have one angle where the camera comes around and is on my face.  Another angle might come around to the screen, making three shots for that scene.

Related to photography, we need to be clear on the kinds of shots we want.  If we don’t come with shots in mind, photographers might tend to focus on headshots where you might turn slightly or they might move the camera further back for a few pictures.  Then you’re going to go to upload your photo to your banner for social media, it won’t fit, and you’ll be frustrated.

Instead, you need to be clear about what you want.  When you hand your shot list over to your photographer they will know exactly what you want.  They can see that you want a wide image in a certain outfit, one centered, and most of them with you on the side with a lot of empty space.  You might want a more traditional headshot, and a photo that is horizontal for media submissions.

AFTER YOUR BRAND PHOTOSHOOT

So we have talked about your location, your look, and your shot list.  You can make these decisions relatively quickly and efficiently, and you will then feel empowered every step of the way.  After the photoshoot is done, you get to pick your favorite images and include them in your visual presence.  They go on social media, on your press page, throughout your programs, and on your website.  

Being armed with your photos is going to serve you, not just for your own branding and attracting ideal clients, but also in the future as you move into more press and PR for your brand.  I hope this episode was helpful in giving you some ideas for the perfect brand photoshoot that you and your ideal client will love!

We go much more in-depth on photoshoots inside of our signature membership, The Visibility Lounge!