When you run a business, you naturally at some point you realise you need to invest in some professional photos. But what do you really need and why?
Wherever you live, I’m sure there is an abundance of photographers you could work with. And everyone has different offers so before you pick your photographer, it will be very handy for you to know what you actually need.
So let me shed some lights on what kind of images you can get from a band photoshoot and how they will help your business.
Investing in a branding photo session can be quite daunting. The thought of being in front of the camera to start with, is usually very intimidating. But there’s also the whole aspect of knowing what you want and need.
Depending on what stage in your business you are, some images are a must, others want or need. However, any photo you’ll use for your business should be reflective of you as a person, your values, your brand and speak to your ideal client or customer.
That’s a lot to ask from a single image. Which is why one photo will usually not be enough. And that’s where brand photo sessions come in.
When you pick your brand photographer, they will most likely ask you about your business and what you need these images for. Based on the information you provide, they will be able to make suggestions on what you need and where those images could be useful.
So let’s have a look at what a brand photoshoot can include. Here are 7 branding photos that’ll help build your brand, represent your business and connect with your customers.
1. Professional headshots
Headshots can sound very dull, sterile and corporate. But that’s not what they need to look like.
A headshot is a portrait of you, including your head and upper body. That’s literally what it is.
Where these photos will be taken and what you wear can be as colourful or monochrome as you’d like. There’s no hard rule for this.
Your headshot is usually the one you’d use for your social media profiles. That means your face needs to be clearly visible, with little to no distraction in the background so you stand out and are easy to recognise.
If you have very distinct brand colours, those can either feature in the background, like a plan colourful wall, or in your clothing. It doesn’t have to though!
Especially as a small business, being recognisable is important. We want to know the face behind a brand, so don’t hide behind your logo. Instead, use a headshot that looks like you and is easy to spot across platforms.
These headshots are part of every one of my 3 branding packages. They are a staple of your branding photoshoot so I make sure I include these images every time.
2. Portraits and lifestyle shots
Now that the formal headshots are done, we can go a bit more freestyle. That’s when we take some portraits and lifestyle photos of you. It’s important to show that you’re more than just a business name and a logo.
Lifestyle photos can be in a variety of settings. You could get images of your hobby, reading a book on the couch, exploring your neighbourhood, going for a coffee, dipping your toes in the sea. There is no limit as to what can be included. Even your partner, your kids or your dog can feature in these photos.
These images are there to build a stronger connection to your audience by showing them more of who you are.
These photos are usually part of my 2 longer sessions – the half-day branding and the full-day branding. Depending on your needs and how much effort it is to create these lifestyle shots of you, they can be part of your min branding session which is an hour-long shoot.
3. Photos of you at work
What is that thing you do? And which invisible tasks behind that define your working day?
Whether you’re a photographer, a personal trainer, a coach or a web developer. Part of your session will include how you do the thing you’re selling. That can be making the chocolate, teaching a thing or it can be admin work, taking notes and doing research, preparing kit or other preparation that your clients might not be aware of.
The reason these images are useful is to show what goes into your offers. It also helps humanise your business when you use those images across your website to showcase how you work and give people a peek behind the scenes. We love finding out what you do in order to create, produce or develop your product or service.
A mixture of close-ups, details and wide shots will provide a nice range of images to showcase you and your work.
These images will always be included in all my branding sessions. They are incredibly important for your business.
4. Your products or services in action
It seems obvious, but you need to show what you’re selling.
Do you work with clients in-person or online? Do you make things? Whatever your offers are, through photos we can show your audience what it looks like to be on the other side of them.
If you make beauty products, apart from showing what they look like, we can create images of them in use by yourself, a client or a friend.
As a consultant or coach, it might be harder to visualise what you’re doing but if you have handouts or maybe a book, this should be part of your session. Whatever it is you offer, all the different stages of that thing, can and should be part of your photo shoot.
These images will not just work well on your social feed, they also make it really obvious on your website what it is that you do and what your clients and customers get from you.
Again, these images are part of all of my different session types, depending on your product or service. While my shortest package is only 1 hour, there’s limited time to cover all aspects of your business.
For businesses that need more than a handful of photos, I usually recommend my half-day session which at 3 hours long, gives lots of time to explore various aspects of your business and offerings.
5. Customer interaction
Not every business has direct customer interactions. If you create jewelry that is being sold via stockists and wholesale, this section might actually not be relevant for you.
Most of my clients work with clients online or in-person though. Whether that is a photo session, coaching or online consultation, these images will provide you with social proof. Interacting with happy clients makes it easier for people to imagine working with you.
This client can be someone you worked with before or a friend – anybody who’s happy to be photographed would work. If you do have existing clients or customers that can help you out, that would be amazing. But don’t worry if that’s not an option.
6. Your workspace
Seeing where you work is another peek behind the scenes. Whether that’s a workshop, in nature, a co-working space or your office. These images give you a place.
If you work with a team, this can be a great way to introduce them to your audience. If they’re part of your operation, they’re part of your business story.
If you don’t have an office and you usually work from your couch – first of all, that can be included too if you’re comfortable with that – I usually recommend a co-working space or a nice spacious coffee shop as long as this aligns with your values and your work.
7. Photos of your tools or kit
Apart from your brilliant mind, what else goes into your offers? Whether all you work with is your laptop and a notebook or whether you have a garage full of tools and kit… Images of those things alone as well as in your hands, are wonderful detail shots to tell the story of what your business does.
This is another aspect of the ‘behind the scenes’ photography that’s part of a professional branding photoshoot. It can be easily overlooked but those photos are great to give a bigger picture on your website or social channels to share more about who you work.
Investing in a professional branding photoshoot can get quite expensive, depending on your budget. Knowing what you want to get out of it, will help you find the best offer for you.
Ideally, you want those images to cover all your social media needs, your go-to profile photo for all online and offline communication, different parts of your website, be a true representation of you and your values and build that crucial connection with your audience.
But you don’t need all those images at every step of your career. So hopefully the overview from this article gives a better idea of what you need and when as well as how to get those images.
Preparation is key in a branding photoshoot that has to deliver more than a few headshots and nice portraits which is why I send my clients a questionnaire ahead of their session to know what we need to create for maximum impact.
Looking to work with a brand photographer in the Worthing or Brighton area?
I work with a lot of local small businesses in the Sussex area, between Worthing, Brighton and even London. Before I photograph any of my clients, I get an idea of who they are, who they are trying to reach and what their brand is all about. This happens through a consultation and online questionnaire. We can then decide together what kind of images you need, to make sure your money will be well spent with me!
My branding shoots are relaxed few hours with lots of chats, different locations and outfits, based on your needs and your vision.
If you’d like to learn more about what it would be like to work with me, feel free to schedule a call where I can talk you through everything you might need to know before making a decision. That call will also give you the opportunity to ask literally any question you might have when it comes to a brand photoshoot.
