Preparing for your branding photos!

Did last week’s blog post about where to use your branding photos leave you feeling inspired? Great, I was hoping that inspiration would get you fired up. Because really, this part is the hard part. Actually preparing for your branding photos is INCREDIBLY important to the success of the shoot.

As your Edmonton branding photographer, I do walk you through everything and help you plan your session. But ultimately, there are some things you need to do on your end that ensures we have a successful shoot! Don’t worry – this is kind of my jam. I won’t leave you hanging!

 

By the way, if you are new around here… I am Katie and I am an Edmonton based wedding photographer. Although I mostly photograph weddings, I do love the chance to work with small businesses to elevate their brand and help them capture their incredible work. I would love to connect with you about your branding photography so contact me here for more details! You can read more about me here but without further ado, let’s jump right into preparing for your branding photos!

Why you should book a branding session

Let’s be honest, most people do not book a branding session because they just love getting their photo taken. Not even me! Ultimately, the reason we book branding photography is that we KNOW that the return on investment is quite significant. These photos of you, your product, or your service are strategically designed to turn your audience into paying clients. These photos help people who find you online feel more deeply connected and loyal to you and your company.

What to do before your branding session

I ask all my clients to get ready to feel a little silly. You want to show up to your session excited and energized. It’s normal to feel a bit nervous, and movement helps get that nervous energy. I like to say that my branding photography style is action based and lifestyle focused. You’re not going to leave with a few good headshots. I take photos of you having fun and in action. These are the photos that help your audience connect with you.

What types of branding photos do you need?

If you haven’t read the last post on where to use your branding photos, do that first. Other than mapping out that you need photos for your website, social media, and promotional content, you also should consider what you have coming up on the calendar. Do you have any milestones or promotions coming up? Should you get some content for the holidays like Christmas or Mother’s Day? Which are important to your business (or to you personally)?

What to wear to your branding photos

This could probably be a whole post, and I go into it deeper with my clients, but here are three tips for planning out your outfits:

1. Wear your branding colours! This should be obvious, but if you don’t intentionally plan, you might forget! Anything not “on brand” should be neutral.
2. Layers make your photos more interesting. Add things to your jeans and T-shirt (of that’s your style). Things like long necklaces, cardigans, scarves and toques. These help create different looks centred around just a couple of outfits.
3. Choose about 4-6 outfits for a one hour session. Be prepared to change fast. I usually recommend one outfit per hanger so you can keep it organized and have smooth transitions.

Branding Photo Props

This one is SO specific to your brand so I can’t really go too much into detail here. But if you want a champagne celebration, bring Champagne. Picture yourself working on your laptop with a cup of coffee? Yup, bring it! Want a photo where you can see the sales page on your phone or in your laptop? Make sure the sales page is done!

 

Planning and Preparing for your Branding Photography Session

I hope this helps you start to plan and prep for your branding photos. If you want more branding photography advice, I share so many resources and information on my blog. If you are ready to finally hand the reins off to a professional (and we can work one on one to plan your branding photos), I would be honoured to be considered. The easiest way to get started is to contact me here.