The Ultimate Guide to Planning Your Next Brand Photoshoot
Contributed by Melissa Barker, Founder & CEO, Women Entrepreneurs Inc.
Planning your first (or latest) professional photoshoot? There is tremendous value in having up-to-date images for your business. Studies have confirmed that quality brand photos can help you make a positive first impression, build trust, and communicate your values as a business owner.
Whether you’re filled with excitement, anxiety, or a mix of emotions, advanced prep is crucial for a successful photo shoot. Even if you’re working with a world-renowned photographer, there are pro tips that you can utilize to further elevate your session.
Harness the strategies in our expert guide to help plan your next brand photoshoot.
1. Start With the End in Mind
Several weeks before your photo shoot, take some time to write down three to five attributes that you want your photos to embody.
Unsure about what that entails? Here are a few examples of common attributes that you might want to display in your images:
Bold, expert, risk-taker
Sincere, easy to work with, smart
Fun, classy, sophisticated
Once you’ve drafted your list, share these attributes with your photographer via their preferred method of communication. On the day of your photoshoot, bring a printed copy of this list to remind yourself and your photographer.
As you create your list, don’t be afraid to take risks! The worst thing that you can do is play it safe and end up with a bunch of “vanilla” photos. If you take a photo that ends up being a total fail, it's yours to trash. Nothing lost! But in the best-case scenario, you’ll end up with amazing images.
Side note: For your website, you'll want more landscape photos than portrait-style images. Ask your photographer to shoot ALL landscapes. You can always crop a landscape (horizontal) image into vertical.
2. Curate 30 Days of Social Media Posts
Are you planning on waiting until you receive your photos to see which ones will work for your social media pages? Inverting this process (i.e., creating social posts pre-photoshoot) is a much better strategy.
Start by curating 30 days of social media posts. Or, work with your web designer on a shot list of image you must-have for your new site. Draft a few headlines and think about the poses, expressions, and locations that would make the biggest impact when paired with each headline.
The next step? Practice each of these poses and expressions in the mirror (no matter how weird they feel!). Find what looks best when sitting, standing, kneeling, leaning, and so on. Oftentimes, the most awkward poses look best on camera. Since you likely won't have a mirror in front of you when you shoot, remember how it "feels" to get into a position.
3. Bring Printouts
Want to ensure that you remember those poses and expressions you practiced?
Since almost everyone has anxiety on the day of their photoshoot, throw all of your looks onto a Pinterest board. Once it's ready to go, print it out so you can reference it easily.
Another key printout to create is a shot list. Going into your shoot, know the exact shots you need. Ending up with a huge library of images that don't work for your marketing materials/social media is useless.
4. Bring Room Temp Water and a Straw
Stay hydrated throughout your photoshoot without having to reapply your lipstick dozens of times.
How? Drink room temp water with a straw. Why room temp? Cold water can make your jaw tighten and interfere with your natural smile. This beauty trick has been utilized by celebs for decades, so feel free to make it your signature trick as well!
5. Try on Your Outfits Ahead of Time
Sometimes what you FEEL good in might not photograph as anticipated. For example, your favorite clothing pieces may not communicate the overall vibe you want for your brand. Avoid major wardrobe-related issues by trying on all of your planned outfits (at least) several days before your photo shoot. That way, if one or two don't look as expected, you have time to find replacements.
Also, remember that a flash brings out what the naked eye can't see. If you're wearing a black shirt, wear a black bra. A white shirt? Wear a nude bra. If your outfits incorporate pants, wear a thong to ensure no panty lines show.
6. Bring a Friend (Or Two!)
There are many advantages to bringing one (or more) friends to your photoshoot.
One example: Your friend can support you by catching all of the small — yet essential — details. Your photographer will be looking at the big picture. You don't want her spending time catching hair flyaways!
Additionally, the best photos help potential clients visualize what it would be like to work with you. "Hire" a few friends to play the role of your clients in select images so that you can show yourself in action. A great way to repay your friends is to have them bring a fresh outfit and grab a free headshot while they're on site.
7. Don’t Have the Attitude That Things Can Be “Fixed In Editing”
If there's a stray cord in the background or your shirt collar is flipped, have your friend who came along fix it. Don't make your photographer spend their precious time editing things that could've been fixed in real-time.
Your full investment should go toward the time they spend on details that can only be enhanced post-production.
8. Go the Extra Mile
Do you ever hear anyone saying they regretted wearing a makeup primer, getting their nails done, or doing a teeth whitening treatment for their photos? Definitely not!
Photos are a less forgiving version of reality. Going the extra mile on seemingly minor details will pay off in dividends when it comes to your final images.
9. Consider Using Props
On-point props are often underrated. Not only can the right prop change the vibe of an image (or series of images), but it can also give you something to do with your hands.
Depending on what’s most appropriate for your business, consider incorporating items such as a phone, computer, mug, journal, stool, or ladder.
Clothing and fashion accessories can also be used as props. A jacket, for example, is a stylish item that you can both hold and wear. When you hold a jacket, you add structure to your body, which helps you exude confidence. Jackets also give you a lot of options to play with: on, off, over your shoulders, over one shoulder, or draped over your lap.
10. And Finally, Go For VARIETY!
As the phrase goes, variety truly is the spice of life! The same goes for your brand photoshoot. Since you’ve already created a list of shots, poses, and attributes that you want to see in your images, adding variety will be super simple. While working to achieve your overarching goals, be sure to mix up your looks and settings.
An easy way to achieve this is to vary your makeup and hair between images. For example, get one set of images with lipstick on, and another with it off. You can also try images with your hair down, halfway down, and in a ponytail or bun.
What else can you mix up? Chat with your photographer (well in advance!) about switching up settings and backgrounds. When changing these elements, context is critical. The locations and settings that you select should always make sense for your brand and profession. For example, if you work outside, take your pics there. Alternatively, if you work in an office, images of you posed on a railroad track won’t make sense.
While it is completely fine to select fun locations that evoke emotion, make sure that you also have shots that help potential clients see what it would be like to work with you (as mentioned earlier). The same goes for the various expressions you decide to use. Your nonverbals should communicate your genuine personality and how you want others to perceive the work you do.
Most of all, have fun! Photoshoots are meant to be fun and energetic, and the best photos come from the silliest moments.
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