As a personal brand, one of the most important parts of your visual branding is your photography. 

(And I swear, I’m not saying this only because I’m a brand photographer.)

Brand photography strengthens your brand identity by helping those who come across your brand pair your beautiful face with your business name. And once people recognize your face and name, they begin to feel like they know you and can trust you. 

So if you’re looking to learn more about what brand photography is and why it helps, to finding the right brand photographer, this blog post is for you.

What is brand photography?

In the simplest terms, brand photography is photos taken that represent your brand. Whether it’s a picture of you typing away at your laptop or a picture of your product, brand photos show your clients and customers who you are and what you’re selling, and can be used on your website, social media, and wherever you want to post them!

How does brand photography help your business? 

The better question might be… how doesn’t it?! If you’re an online business owner, brand photos have a huge impact on how your audience perceives you. 

For my fellow stat lovers, here are two powerful ones: 60% of customers say they’re more likely to contact a business that has an image show up in search results.

And written content paired with photography improves people’s ability to recall your content by 55%. 

(If you read the full article there are so many more statistics about the power photography has for businesses.)

Here are a few of the reasons behind why brand photography helps:

1. Represents you 

If you’re an online business owner with a personal brand, showing your face is everything. Because you’re not meeting people in person, your photos represent who you are and help people imagine what it would be like to work with you. 

2. Sell your brand 

Your brand photos aren’t just photos of you that look gorgeous, (although they should definitely do that, too), they’re also photos that convey your brand identity to your ideal clients. Your brand photography should represent your brand personality and provide a visual story that speaks to the quality of your services and showcases who you are. 

3. Connect with your ideal client 

Have you ever ended up on a website with only stock images or that had no faces or product pictures? If you have, you know what it’s like to feel disconnected from a business. Great brand photography creates the opposite effect—it helps you build a relationship with your ideal clients and makes them excited to work with you because they can see that you’re real and that makes you trustworthy. 

4. Makes you human

At the end of the day, people connect with people and want to do business with the people they like. Great brand photography not only helps your audience connect a face to your brand name, but it also captures your personality which gives them an inside glimpse of what you’re like so they can see just how likable you are. 

(It’s also why it’s important to lean into your brand story and personality so your photos stand out rather than looked posed and like everyone else’s.)

Make sure to get all kinds of shots during your brand photoshoot

To make the most of your brand photoshoot, you want to get enough variety. So make sure your brand photographer is planning to get these shots…

• Headshots 

A headshot is a portrait of you that focuses on the shoulders up that’s most often used for professional profile pictures. 

(I’m sure you already knew that, but in case you didn’t, I thought I’d share…)

• Action 

Action shots are photos that show you in motion. Whether you’re writing in your journal or cooking something in a kitchen, these photos are meant to capture you in the act of doing your thing. 

• Business

Business shots are exactly what you’d guess—professional photos that give your viewers an inside look at your process and/or where you work. 

• Lifestyle 

Lifestyle shots are all about capturing you in your daily life. Whether that’s you drinking your cup of coffee in the morning or sitting around reading on the couch—these photos help others imagine what you’re like in your natural state of being.

• Personality

Personality shots capture your personality, of course. They might showcase your goofy side, catch you mid-laugh, or center around you doing something that’s totally unique to you—and they’re one of the most important pictures to take if you have a personal brand. 

• Products 

For e-commerce brands, product shots are all about showing viewers what their product looks like so they can get customers excited about buying. For personal brands that aren’t selling a specific product, product photography might revolve around the products you use in your work life. 

The shots of everyday objects may feel unnecessary until you’re relieved to have beautiful brand photography that isn’t just of you and your face. 

• USP shots 

Blurb

Of course, in order to take any of these shots at all, you’ve got to find the right brand photographer. So, before you even ask… 

How to find the right brand photographer 

Brand photoshoots are deeply personal and one of the most important factors of having great brand photography is picking a brand photographer that’s right for you! Here are five questions to ask yourself when searching for the perfect photographer:

• #1 – Do you like their style?

Of course, one of the most important things to consider when choosing a brand photographer is whether or not you like their style. Do you want photos that are darker and involve flash photography? Are you looking for someone who seems to bring out an artistic edge in their clients? Are you looking for lots of bright light and beaming smiles? Take a look at their portfolio and see if their style is the one you’re looking for. 

• #2 – Do you like their personality?

While your brand photographer’s style is important, so is their personality. After all, this person will be taking photos of you that are supposed to represent who you are and help attract your ideal clients your way. It’s important to make sure you mesh. And if you’re someone who is nervous to get in front of the camera, look for a photographer that you feel will tease you out of your shell so your brand photos can radiate your most confident self. 

• #3 – What’s your budget?

Any time you’re hiring an expert, it’s important to consider the cost. While brand photography is a worthwhile investment, so worthwhile, it can also get expensive between paying your photographer, renting a location, and buying outfits and props. So, think about your budget when considering which brand photographer is right for you. 

• #4 – Do they require you to shoot in a specific location?

While some brand photographers have their own studios, others don’t (like me!). Some brand photographers love to travel and others only shoot where they live. Make sure to think about your desired location and look for a brand photographer who will work with what you want. 

• #5 – Do they do strategy or will you need to hire someone else for creative direction planning?

In my opinion, a brand photoshoot without art direction isn’t worth it. When you’re investing in brand photography, you want the photos to represent your brand and tell your brand story. And that requires creative direction planning and brand strategy. While some brand photographers include this as a part of their service, many don’t. 

That doesn’t mean you can’t still work with them, it just means you may want to work with a brand strategist or brand designer to plan the art direction of your brand photoshoot so it represents everything you want it to. 

When it comes to my clients, I focus on storylines 

With a background in photojournalism and a passion for brand strategy, I do things a little differently than other brand photographers and help my clients build out storylines. 

These storylines help my clients market their products and services and represent the different ways my client shows up in the world which is especially important for multi-passionate creatives. 

For example, for a multi-passionate person who is a coach, a blogger, and a speaker, I would create three photoshoot directions that capture each of these identities! That way, the brand photography would encapsulate all of the parts of who that person is and would represent their fullest expression. 

That’s also why it’s so important to include creative and art direction planning as part of your photoshoot process, so you know the different sides of yourself and your brand that you want the camera to capture. 

(And if you think we’d be a good fit for one another, reach out.)

The most important thing is to find the brand photographer that’s the right one for you. 

3 tips for camera confidence

One of the things my clients most often express when they inquire about brand photography is how nervous they are. So, if the idea of stepping in front of a camera makes you anxious, here are 3 tips:

• Build a connection with your photographer before 

On the day of your photoshoot, the most important connection is the one between you and your photographer, so get to know them beforehand. Schedule a video meeting (if that isn’t already a part of their process). Ask them about themselves. The less they feel like a stranger to you, the better.

Don’t be afraid to tell them you’re nervous either—as photographers, we understand and are here to tease out your most confident self. 

• Practice self-care leading up to your photoshoot

A week or two before your photo shoot, start taking extra care of yourself. Get lots of sleep, drink water, and stick to your skincare routine. That way you’ll feel well-rested and energized, and your skin will be glowing.

If you’re nervous about your photoshoot, it’s probably best not to do something experimental with your hair right before because you may end up feeling less confident. But, as always, whatever feels right to you.

• Keep coming back to your inspiration 

This may sound obvious, but keep reminding yourself why you’re getting your photos taken in the first place and keep yourself inspired by looking back at your creative direction and Pinterest board. Picture yourself showing up on your photoshoot day and embodying all of the things you’ve spent the last few months dreaming about. 

Spending time visualizing how powerful and beautiful you’ll feel in front of the camera will move mountains for your confidence. 

Not sure where to even start with planning a brand photoshoot? 

Start a Pinterest board! Pin everything you’re drawn toward whether it’s outfits, props, colors, fonts, anything really. Not only will that give you something to share as inspiration for when you do find your photographer, but when you see it all together like that it might give you insight into your own style. 

(And if you aren’t sure whether or not you’re ready, read this blog post that talks about the 4 signs you’re ready for a brand photoshoot.)

If you’re looking for a brand photographer who will help you dig into your brand strategy, take photos you love the way you look in, and will hype you up your entire photoshoot, check out my photography services. 

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