How to Prepare for Your Personal Branding Photography Session?

How to Prepare for Your Personal Branding Photography Session?

Want to give your brand a visual boost? If yes, then a personal branding photography session will let you display your unique style and share your story with your customers. With intense competition, it is important to stand out in the crowd to grab new opportunities and clients’ attention. And this is where a personal branding photography session will help you – it will create a strong brand presence that is an instrument for the growth of your business.

As your photographer, I will be working with you closely to prepare for the shoot. To help you, I have prepared a list of essential tips, which I believe are important before you are ready for the shoot. Let’s have a look at these tips in detail:

Do your brand research.

Before you are ready to go for a personal branding shoot, it is crucial to have a clear idea of your brand. I would want you to have a clear understanding by introspecting yourself with specific questions such as-

• What makes you and your brand stand apart from the competition?
• What is the USP of your brand?
• What do you want the images to convey about your brand and personality?
• How do you want your viewers to feel when they connect with your brand?

You must have a clear vision and understanding of what you want to communicate with your customers.

Create a visual mood board on Pinterest and share it with your photographer

A mood board for a branding session comes in handy to present your ideas creatively. In a way, it gathers all of your ideas for the personal branding photography session. You can create a visual mood board and share the same with your photographer. It can include the texture, colours, and images that you wish to communicate of yourself and your brand. It will help create the feelings you want to translate to your customers. I recommend you start with one or two main images that will represent the main idea. From here on, you can look for patterns, themes, and more inspiration on how you would like to expand your imagination and concept. 

Prepare a shot list

The best way to prepare for your personal branding photography session is to think and plan about all the possibilities of using the images afterwards. Will you publish them on the official website or any marketing campaigns, or will they be used on social media platforms as display images or heard images? Preparing a shot list for a personal brand and sharing the vision will also help your photographer plan and manage the shoot’s flow. 

Plan the locations

Another important aspect that you must consider for your session is the location. Do you want it to be outside, in your workspace, or in a cafe? I would suggest not going overboard with too many locations and ensuring the places are close.

Plan your hair, makeup

Style yourself comfortably so that you look fabulous. Try to avoid the makeup you usually won’t wear and don’t try any new hairstyle. Make yourself comfortable to be your real self and showcase your personality the way you are.

Think about your outfits

What you wear reflects a lot about your style and brand and leaves a major impact on your potential clients. The outfit you choose makes a huge difference. It lets you be more visible in your business, so you need to be very careful when selecting one. Here are a few essential tips that may help you:

• Choose a colour that fits your brand.
• Make sure your clothes are ironed perfectly.
• Prepare two to three outfits. It can be both – casual and professional.

Gather the right props for the shoot

Props can add a lot of value to your pictures. For example, if you are using a laptop, you can include many things to make the images look nice, such as coffee mugs, flowers, a framed picture on the desk, etc.

As your personal branding photography session arrives, make sure to take care of these aspects. These are the few tips that I feel will help you plan a seamless shoot day. Most importantly, take a good night’s sleep and also ensure to have all your props and outfits ready. Just relax and enjoy the session – it would be a fun-filled experience! As your photographer, I will be there to guide and help you stay comfortable throughout the whole experience.

This post is part of a series of blogs posts on personal branding sessions. To find out what a personal brand shoot is, you can read about it here