Your brand is so much more than a logo, a color palette, an email signature or a website. A brand is the voice of a business. It’s the complete picture of your business, which conveys a feeling and an overall experience to your audience.
Brand photography goes beyond a simple headshot or product photograph and presents a lifestyle. For example, the photography Starbucks uses to represent their brand is starkly different from Nike. They both showcase their products, but the images also illustrate their company values and style to set them apart from their competitors.
One of the best ways to showcase your brand’s personality is through a styled brand photoshoot. What’s a brand photoshoot? It’s a photo session that goes beyond simple headshots. It’s a way for you to communicate an intentional message to your ideal clients, enticing them to pay attention to what you have to say. It’s an invitation to stick around and find out more about you and your business.
When you create a brand identity that attracts your dream audience, you’re a lot more likely to have them ask to work with you. Here are a few ideas to help you plan for a successful branding photoshoot.
1. Make sure you have a clear vision of your style. If not, it could be confusing to your audience. Decide on a color palette and photography style and incorporate this in all of your planning, including wardrobe and props. Working with a brand consultant can really help with this! Pinterest is a great tool to use for this as well.
2. Your branding should be seamless! Which means your website, social media, ads, press kits, print materials and any other marketing, should all match. To keep the style consistent and clean, use the same photographer and color palette that compliments your brand. You wouldn’t use three different logos for your business, and you shouldn’t use multiple styles of photography. Brand photography communicates professionalism and a well-established brand because it is authentic, recognizable, high quality, but most of all the photos present a cohesive image and message.
3. Use your photos on your website, your pricing guide, brand pieces/marketing, and throughout your social media! Not only will you display a level of professionalism above your competition, but you'll also convey a consistent brand look and feel. Ideally when your target customer comes across an advertisement or social media post of yours, you want them to instantly associate the photo to your brand. Brand photography allows you to stand out in your industry by incorporating what makes you unique in your imagery, which in return will promote brand recognition.
4. Make yourself stand out. Find something that makes it unique to you. If you love tea and books, include that into a few images, if you love vintage stamps or are a constant note taker, make that a part of your shoot. If you're a graphic designer, bring your laptop. You want to make sure it not only captures your brand style and business, but you as an individual as well!
5. Consider a studio branding shoot. Not all branding photos need to take place in environmental/lifestyle settings. I bet you can pick out Target's branding photo style, which is made up of almost exclusively studio photos. You can tell a story about your business in the studio with more relaxed posing and props. Bonus: studio branding sessions almost never get postponed because of weather!
