The brand photo session that feels like a conversation, not a photoshoot
Or, more importantly, the real question lurking behind the question…”Will I look like me, feel like me?”
A brand shoot with me is an ongoing conversation – before shoot day I’ve already gathered information on you, your business, your “why” and your tastes and personality.
There are 4 key things that give clarity and direction to your brand shoot so you can feel confident and assured on the day of.
- An in-depth questionnaire about you and your business.
- A video pre-shoot planning meetup.
- A detailed shot list for each location we’ll be shooting at
- A set of clear mood boards that give clarity and direction to the shoot so nothing is a surprise.
The reason this framework works, is because when you have clarity, your anxiety drops. We are having a conversation, both literally and visually. It’s a collaboration that starts with a solid foundation that allows for creativity to bloom. Because when you start from a scattered place, time is wasted, stress ramps up, and you lose focus.
Believe me, I get why a brand session can feel overwhelming if you’ve never done one. Or if you have done one and it fell flat or didn’t provide you with images that really reflected you, your brand, or your product/services.
There’s no magical secret to getting images that reflect the real you – but it has a lot to do with creating a supportive space, detailed pre-shoot planning, and experienced direction throughout the session. When I’m shooting a client, I am giving constant feedback – but not like a coach on the field barking orders. It’s direction based on years of experience with posing, lighting, and having a deep knowledge of women’s pain points when it comes to being in front of the camera.
There’s a lot of shotgun approaches going on out there, and while you might get a couple of good shots, you don’t come away with a strong, cohesive gallery of images that will really go to work for you on all your platforms. Or maybe they’re just following trends and templates and your shots ended up looking too generic.
Whatever the case, there’s cure for that!
In a nutshell, here’s an example of what you can expect from a brand shoot with me….keeping in mind that because I tailor every session, it will look a little different for each client.
- My sessions usually start with a potential client booking a discovery call through my website. This is a way for you to ask any immediate questions you have, tell me what your business needs right now, and for me to get to know a little bit about you and your business.
- If, after that call you decide you want to book a session, I send you a link to my calendar and you can choose a day that works for you. Once I receive a booking, I send you a confirmation and my questionnaire and client prep guide.
- After receiving your completed questionnaire we choose a time for our planning session (usually a Zoom call) where we dig into the information you’ve given me, and determine what your needs are for the shoot. We talk about location ideas, wardrobe choices, and what kind of narrative we need to provide for your platform’s needs (think about your client’s journey through your website for example).
- From that call we get the information we need to create a detailed shot list, and mood boards for location, wardrobe, posing and storytelling.
- And finally, shoot day! You walk in knowing exactly what we’re doing, and why we’re doing it. You feel more excitement than stress. And it’s this that allows the real you to shine through. You don’t have to overthink anything because we’ve already worked through all that. I’m able to use real, relevant prompts to help you be who you actually already are in your business.
Hopefully this takes some of the mystery out of a well done brand shoot – and if you do have other questions, you can always reach out and ask!
