Preparing for your Personal Branding Session | Life Lived Branding
Getting in front of the camera can be a very daunting experience! Trust me I know!! My job, though, is to make you feel comfortable, relaxed, and maybe even make you laugh just a bit!
In making sure we are fully prepared for your session beforehand, you can come into it confidently, knowing everything is ready to go! Below I am going to explain the process and share some tips.
After booking
Once you have decided to go ahead with your session, you will receive a booking form asking a number of questions - this includes questions about your business, your brand colours, your clients, what you want to achieve with your images, how you want to use them and whether or not you will need models. I will also ask you for links to your website/socials, not only to study your work ahead of time, but also to share and promote when I share a sneak peek of your photos!
Once I have received the answers to your questions, we will begin to pull together a storyboard/moodboard for your session. I usually use Pinterest for this, as it is so handy, and you can just work on it from your phone and share and add things. I will send you a link to begin contributing to the board. This is where we will put together the images that inspire you -they can inspire you because of the pose, the colours, location or even just the mood! On the next page are a few examples of moodboard I have pulled together with past clients, to give you an idea!
Know your brand
I know this seems pretty obvious for any small business, but not everyone knows their brand - especially when starting out. Branding is more than just a logo and colours and fonts, it is also the message you are bringing across to your clients. How will they view your business, and you? How do they see your products? How do you present them? Knowing all of this is very important for your session. If you are unsure about whether or not you have a distinctive branding voice, just let me know and we will look at your work and socials together to find it!
What to wear
The first question I get when clients book a photography session with me is, ‘What do I wear?’
For your branding photography session, you want to wear clothes that highlight you as a business owner and how you typically present yourself to your clients. You want to look professional, obviously, but you also want to look like you!
Choose an outfit that your clients would normally see you in. If you never wear a blazer for client meetings, don’t wear one in your branding session. If you’re still having a hard time, take a look at the colours used in your brand. Head to your website or look over your logo for inspiration. Use those colours to form the base of your outfits and choose complementary colours from there. And if there are still doubts, feel free to take some selfies and send them over before your session, and we can figure it out together.
Props & Models
Props can help bring your branding photography session to life and really showcase what you and your business are all about.
Before your session, brainstorm a list of items and tools you use in your everyday work. Choose no more than three of those items to include in your session. If you use a tool that is unique to you and your business, be sure to include that. For example if you do logos and websites, we can photograph you working on storyboards, your computer or pantone. If you are a reflexologist, bring your essential oils and creams.
Inviting a model to join your branding photography session can be a great way to showcase what you actually do day to day. The best model is a current or past client of yours. That way, you’re able to best show off your business and who you can help.For example, if you’re a massage therapist, a client can join your session so I can take photos of you giving a massage.
This is also a great time to think about your ideal target market if you haven’t already. Who are the people you want to market your business to? Ensure you include these models in your branding session.
There will be a question on your booking form about models, so please add in as many details as you can there! We will also need models to sign a model release form for permission to use their images for marketing purposes. I have a template you can use if you don’t already have one.
Location
The best place to have your session is where you do your work! If you work from home, then this is where we want to be. If you have a workplace, then let’s go there. If you hold classes, a great way is to show what you do on site! If you work outdoors or work with nature, there are many beautiful places we can go to!
I hope this has helped you in feeling more confident and prepared for your session. You can save this post if you like, or, when you book in, you will find the information in your preparation guide which is sent out with every branding session!
