When it comes to personal branding, you must have professional photographs of yourself that not only showcase your personality but also can use as part of your branding.
Putting yourself out there can be a daunting task and having a personal branding photoshoot can sometimes be intimidating for many people, especially if you have never done it before or if you are not used to being in front of the camera. The great thing about working with Wes from Creative Focus Studios is how comfortable and smooth sailing it can be.
Understand Your Brand
It’s crucial to know your brand fully before you have photographs taken to ensure that every shot is on point and is consistent.
For a successful photoshoot, not only should your images appeal and be attractive to your industry, but also should communicate your brand’s personality and values. With enough knowledge, the Creative Focus Studios will produce images that compel your clients to work with you.
Creating photos for your online brand is more than just a photoshoot.
It’s setting your personal brand or online business up for success.
Three key elements you have to ask yourself:
- Are you rebranding?
- Are you launching a new ebook, course, or product?
- Or are you about to launch your first business and need photos that attract customers?
How Would You Like To Use Your Images
Things that you have to understand when doing a photoshoot is how your images are going to be used.
Images that are going on your website require a different factor than photos for Instagram (which are typically square). While we can certainly crop the image after the photoshoot to create the different formats, a lot of the planning actually needs to be done before the image is ever taken.
For example, if you need all square images, we need to make sure there’s enough room on the right and left to crop to a square without cutting off feet and head. In reality, it’s almost impossible to create a square full-length portrait if we take a vertical shot.
Likewise, wide banner images for websites have the opposite consideration, where you’ll want all the key elements on the same horizontal line so that they’re visible in that format.
Take Ideas from Other Photoshoots
It’s quite normal to take ideas from other brands and photoshoots to start building your idea. Especially if these brands have done something right with their photoshoots to get your attention, so it makes sense to study their photos and find the right one that works for you. The more similar the brand or photoshoot to yours, the better.
However, when you take inspiration, make sure that there are significant changes so that the idea is uniquely yours. You also wouldn’t want your customers and targeted audience to confuse your brand with another, especially if they are in the same industry.
Make a Mood Board Personal Brand Photoshoot
Mood boards are a powerful, visual way to help you achieve the right look for your brand.
Having a visual inspiration, in the form of a mood board, helps us to understand what you are trying to achieve. We recommend collating 10 to 30 images you derive inspiration from for your mood board. These can be gathered from Instagram, Pinterest, printed on paper, or torn out of a magazine.
Use Professional Make-up & Hair Stylists
At Creative Focus Studios, we can provide professional make-up and hair stylists. Remember professionals know how to bring out a person’s best features, and they will also use specific strategies that work best for a professional photo shoot, such as using heavier eye make-up and highlighting techniques.
Do-it-yourself may be less expensive option, but it also can result in poor quality photos that will turn people away.
Gather Props that Illustrate what You Do
It can be as simply as fruit to illustration what the flavour of your product is, or other props that you have laying around like reading glasses if you are an author or publisher.
It can even be as simple as buying spray paint and coating your office supplies in your brand colours.
Your makeup and hair choices are also props and need to fit in with your brand’s style.
If your brand is super feminine, opt for flowing hair, neutral eyes and a soft pink lipstick.
Or if your brand is edgy, don’t be scared to whip out a leather jacket, a bold red lip or adding some bright, coloured highlights to your hair.
As long as each prop adds personality to your photoshoot and illustrates your brand’s story, you’ll have a successful photoshoot.
That’s it! You are now ready to rock your personal brand photoshoot.
Remember, the key to a successful shoot is to bring your personality to LIFE, as you are the brand in the end. But also don’t forget to have fun and make sure every last detail connects to your brand.
Remember you want someone to look at an image and immediately associate it with you. That’s when you know you’ve created a winning brand style.
So, if you are looking for a branding photographer who is not only skilled at photography but is also passionate about telling a story, consider having a relaxed session with Creative Focus Studios. With them, every shot catches personality, professionalism, and purpose
