Preparing for your personal branding session
Personal branding sessions are the best way to take your business to the next level, and they are also a great way to build a stronger and deeper connection with your audience. By having professional, welcoming photos on your website and social media, you’ll quickly build up the know, like and trust factor with your future ideal clients! These personal branding photoshoot tips will help you feel more prepared for your session and will also help you feel more confident in front of the camera!
Before you schedule your first personal branding photoshoot, there are a few things you want to keep in mind so that you can really maximize the time that you have with your photographer, and the types of photos that you’ll get after the session!
In this post, we’re going to deep dive into my top 5 personal branding photoshoot tips and tips to help you prepare and optimize your branding session!
First things first, before you even schedule your first personal branding session, you’ll want to gain clarity on a few things:
- Who is your ideal client? What types of photos would resonate with them the most?
- Have you identified your brand values? What do you want your photos to convey?
- Where are you planning on using your photos? Are there specific kinds of shots that you want to make sure to get during your personal branding session?
Once you have the answers to these questions, it will feel so much easier to plan your personal branding photoshoot! I always take time to dive deep into my clients’ brand before their personal branding session because it allows us to create photos that not only resonate with their audience, but that perfectly represent their brand story!
Where are you hoping to have your personal branding session? Locally or a destination location?
Both can be so fun for your personal branding session! I love getting to travel with my clients to fun destination locations — especially when that location perfectly represents their brand. Are you someone that lives near the mountains but LOVES beachy, tropical weather and vacations? Why not plan a personal branding session along the California coast! Are you someone that loves the mountains but lives somewhere more flat, why not travel to Yosemite or Yellowstone for your personal branding shoot! Dying for desert vibes? Take a trip to Palm Springs or Joshua Tree for your photoshoot! I always work with my clients to plan out easy, seamless travel plans and give us extra time to be able to capture all of the destination details that would bring their personal brand to life! Check with your photographer to see if they offer destination sessions as well as local personal branding sessions!
Plan for both indoor and outdoor locations for your personal branding photoshoot
It’s so important to showcase the different angles of your business and personal brand! Remember, your business and brand are so much more than the services you provide and the products you sell. YOU are the face of your brand, and because of that, you want to make sure you showcase who you are in all different types of ways! For my signature personal branding sessions, I always rent a private, indoor studio so that we can capture some of the “behind the scenes” types of photos. These “working” & lifestyle images really help you to connect with your future clients because they feel like they know you on a personal level!
We also make time to do other photos in outdoor locations! Places like outdoor cafes and patios, parks, downtown city streets – these help your clients feel like they’re out for a coffee with you and getting to know the fun lifestyle side of you and your personal brand!
Strategically plan your outfits for your personal branding session
Depending on how many hours you have with your photographer, you’ll want to make sure you work with them to plan out all of your outfits! I work with my clients to choose their perfect outfits for our locations. For example, bring lots of layers and accessories and things that can be easily taken on and off to add some quick variety to your photos. You can also plan to have a few quick and easy hairstyles to help switch things up in your photos! I also recommend having some outfits that will add a “pop” of color to your locations. Planning a part of the photoshoot in an indoor space with lots of white/neutral colors? Bring along a fun colored top to stand out! Taking some photos outside in a park? Bring along some light colored pastel items to help you stand out from the background!
Once you have your personal branding photos, pick your favorites right away and update your websites and social media profiles!
Sometimes we get so excited to receive our personal branding photos that we only update 1 or 2 of our top online places, and we forget to do the rest. Remember, clients can find you almost anywhere! It’s so important that your business photos reflect your current personal brand and so don’t forget to add them anywhere that you’re online! I always recommend that clients update their personal branding photos at least a couple of times a year. Often times we get used to sharing the same photos over and over again — but that can sometimes feel to your audience like your brand hasn’t evolved or grown along the way. Getting updated photos every few months helps things feel fresh and also gives you more content to share on a regular basis!
I hope you loved these personal branding photoshoot tips! Want to schedule your own session to update your business and brand? Click here to learn more about how we can work together to schedule your dream branding session!
Want to learn more about how to build a strong personal brand? This Forbes article has some really great, relevant info on how to build an awesome personal brand!
Book Your Own Brand Photoshoot Experience:
If you’re looking to capture beautiful brand photos that will elevate your business, I’m your girl! I travel all over the bay area for brand photoshoots (and will even travel all throughout California & abroad!) I work with heart-centered business owners and service providers to capture their unique brand — and I focus on capturing photos that showcase your brand story.
