As a business today, you need to be visible – particularly online. How you do that, is very much up to you, your business and your level of comfort.
But what if you don’t even know how to start?
Today I want to share with you how to choose the photos – and therefore the photo session that is right for you – to help you present yourself online as the successful business you are.
There are a number of different types of sessions you can book with me as well as any other brand photographer. Let me explain what is what, what you get with each and what you need this for by using some of my previous examples.
Mini Session
About twice a year I offer my most-affordable and most efficient photo sessions. These happen at a specific place, last 15 minutes only and get you a handful of beautiful headshots and portraits.
This is what Business Coach Mel chose to book.
She told me she was very anxious about being in front of the camera but since we’ve met in person before, she felt like this short session would be just enough for her to get some updated photos for her business while also getting a feel for working with me and being in front of the camera.
I get a lot of comments on how nerve-wracking the thought of a photo session is and I totally understand it. But that’s why these really short sessions are perfect to dip your toe in the water with not a lot of investment of time and money.
The things that you don’t have to worry about is time, date, and location – because all those are chosen for you and you would only book a session if you’re actually available. The reason why I choose these things is so I can schedule a number of Mini Sessions in a single day and offer these at a really great price for you.
It also takes the guesswork out of planning for you. I have a handful of beautiful places, indoor and outdoor I like to use for these sessions.
This session is perfect for you if you only need a few updated photos, don’t want to commit to a longer session or just have a small budget to work with for whatever reason.
If you’d like to be the first to know when I plan the next of these Mini Sessions, you can jump on my waitlist here and I’ll email you when I’ve set a time and location for the next round.
1-hour Branding Session
Since my Mini Sessions are very restrictive in terms of location and date, they’re not always the best fit for everyone. If you’d like to be able to choose your own location and pick a date that’s perfect for you but still only need a few photos, my 30min Branding Shoot that I call “Your Headshot” might be just the right choice for you.
Pippa, a Marketing Consultant from Worthing, chose this option for her. She only started her business last year which means she’s still working on her brand, her online presence and visibility. She knew she needed some photos to show her audience who she is and what she does but didn’t need a huge number of images.
This session is perfect for you if you’re in a similar position to Pippa.
During the one hour, we can take headshots, lifestyle portraits, some photos at your desk or workshop to capture more of your personality and craft or offer. You get to choose a location that represents you and your brand (that could be a public place or your office) and you’ll be able to change outfits a couple of times. We can even change locations if time allows.
The package includes 5 high-res photos as a default. If you wanted more images, you can buy them individually or in a bundle from a beautiful gallery – but you only need to decide that after you’ve seen your photos.
If you’d like to know more about this type of session, have a look here.
Your Brand Signature – Branding Session
A few portraits and at-work photos won’t do? I hear you!
I have a 3-hour package which is called a Your Brand Signature. This is for you if you’re established in your business but don’t have the images to show for it. You do a lot of different things and want to make sure they’re all equally represented in your images. Or you’d like to show a lot of different aspects of you and your brand.
This session if very popular for people who do hands-on work. We can get some of your clients in to be “models” in your images which will make it much easier for people to get a good impression of how it would be to work with you.
We’ll have time to capture you doing admin or behind-the-scenes work that people don’t see but are vital to you and your business. These photos are particularly valuable if you like to talk about what goes on in your business so you can position yourself as an expert easily.
The bank of images we can create will serve you for a couple of years to use on all your social media profiles, online and offline communication and gives you the opportunity to show up on your website outside of your “about me” page. It’s important to share your face, details of your work and everything that makes you YOU in every way because it gives your audience the opportunity to get to know you better.
We’ll be able to capture more of you than just the person running a business. You can show your personality, parts of your personal life if you’re comfortable with that – like hobbies, your family, your partner, your home town etc.
Last year, I visited Hannah in her home studio for a session like this. She’s a massage therapist focussing on scar tissue massages and works a lot with women who had c-sections.
By including 2 of her clients in her session, we could show how and where she works, what this looks like for her clients, how she operates and what kind of tools she uses.
We also spent some time getting some admin shots in her kitchen – because that’s where she works a lot when she doesn’t see her clients – and some beautiful portraits in the park behind her house. She’s now using these images to educate people about scar tissue massages while also sharing videos and other parts of her business and her knowledge on her social channels.
People are nosy and we love a peek behind the curtain. With a half-day or full-day branding session, you can provide this (well-curated by what you’re willing to share of course).
This session also comes with all digital files included in the price. So while the initial investment is higher, you don’t have to choose your favourite photos because you’ll just get them all.
Your Business Story – Branding Session
I have to admit, the full-day branding session is my least-booked package. It’s an extended version of the half-day session and useful for people who either have a small team, have lots of products to showcase or want to book a film as an add-on which can be quite hard to do in 3-hour session.
Lindsey booked a full day with me though because as a wedding photographer, she wanted photos and videos to share with her couples what it’s like to work with her. We organised a small styled shoot at a beautiful venue in Essex and had 2 couples that Lindsey could photograph while I took photos and videos of everything, followed by a short interview and a portrait session at a different location.
All of this can really only be done if we have 5-6 hours available. But the time goes fast and the result is not just everything you get in the half-day session but also have the option to fit in a brand film.
This session also comes with the full gallery of images which will last you a few years on socials and your website to showcase all different aspects of your business.
Brand Film
Since I’ve already touched on my Brand Films in the Business Story session, I wanted to mention them separately as well. While you can book this as an add-on, if you don’t need photos and would prefer to spend a day on crafting a beautiful Brand Film that will make it easier for your audience to connect with you, then I’ve got you.
Rebecca, a family and personal branding photographer in Scotland wanted a Brand Film. Actually, she wanted two – one for each of her genres. We spent a whole day on each of the videos, filming an extensive interview as well as 2 client sessions each. But there’s a lot more work that goes into a brand film. Before I even unpack my camera, I’ll guide you through the process of nailing your message for a video that really captures your audience’s attention.
These Brand Films are incredibly valuable for your business. Video is everywhere – google wants your website to use video, social media channels heavily push the medium as well. With good planning and prep, you’ll be able to confidently talk about what it is that YOU offer for your clients so they can’t imagine ever wanting to work with anybody else.
Video takes a long time to prep and there’s a lot of work that goes into editing it all together, But the time and money spent on it is invaluable. And this is an investment you don’t make often so if you’re in a growth phase of your business and you want to make sure the world hears what you’ve got to say: show your face and use your voice!
I hope this gave you a good idea of which session might be right for your personal and professional situation. If you’d like to have a chat about either of those options, just reach out and let’s start the conversation.
