Want to know something that gets googled a lot when it comes to brand photos? How to get amazing brand photos! Investing in brand photography is a big deal, so nobody wants it to be a waste of time or money. From my work with my awesome clients in the Lethbridge area and around Southern Alberta, I’ve found the keys to making sure your shoot is amazing, and so I’m sharing them with you today.

be clear on your brand

First of all, how well do you know your brand?

• What feel do you want to convey?
• What message do you want to send to your potential clients?
• What are your brand values?
• What style feels like your brand?
• What colors?

If you don’t already have a mood board for your brand, then go ahead and start one! Create a Pinterest board and pin things that give you the feeling you want your customers to have when they interact with your business. Is your brand playful and funky and colorful? Or, is it more sophisticated and muted and soft? Maybe it’s something in between, or really bold and bright. Keeping these things in mind will help keep your photos on-brand and therefore send the right message to your clients.

assess what you need

What is your goal for these photos? Keeping the end in mind helps you focus on creating the right photos instead of wasting time creating photos you won’t use. Do you need a few fresh images just for social media? Are there places on your website that need to be updated? Are there blog posts coming up that you need content for? What holidays or sales are coming up? What new offers are you launching and what do you want your customers to know about them? Take time to figure out what your goals are with these photos. This way, you’ll walk away with photos you USE, not just a gallery of pretty pics to look at.

hire the right photographer

Your photographer is a big piece of the puzzle to amazing brand photos. Do you like their personality? Do you like their work that you’ve seen? How do they work? What process do they follow? Does their process fit well with you and your personality? Every inquiry I get has the option for a complimentary discovery call from me – I want every client to feel super comfortable with me and get to know my personality and talk to me in person before ever deciding to book. Getting photos taken of yourself, and making an investment in your business is a big deal! Make sure you hire a brand photographer you feel comfortable with and trust.

make a plan

Go into your brand shoot with a plan to make sure that you get the amazing brand photos you need. Based on your goals, and your brand aesthetic, what location(s) makes sense for your brand photos? Do you need models at your brand session to show your services or products in action? Also, what props will help tell the story and convey the image you want for your brand photos? Next, have you decided what will you wear? How will you do your hair, and will you get your makeup done or hire a makeup artist? Then, how much time will you allocate to each outfit or section of your shotlist? Factor in any travel time and then pad it a bit in case of traffic or unforeseen events.

Create a shot list based on your goals so that you walk away from the shoot with images that you will use. I walk my clients through this process and we sit down together for a virtual planning call to get it right.

show up feeling and looking your best

How you feel affects how you look. This is another reason choosing the right photographer is important! Do they help you feel comfortable? Aside from that, there are things you can and should do. First, get enough sleep, and lay out your clothes and props the night before so you’re ready to go and not running around stressed! Then, listen to a favorite playlist while getting ready, remind yourself of your goals and why you’re taking these pictures- you’re amazing! Talk nice to yourself – it makes a difference.

Use my Contact form to ask me any questions you have about brand shoots!

You can also check out these blog posts:

5 Steps to a Successful Brand Shoot (go here first if you’re thinking about brand photos!)

Where to Use Brand Photos – Primrose Lane Farm (Examples of brand photos in action!)

Lethbridge Personal Brand Photographer | Tamara Rzan (She’s a realtor!)