Brand photoshoot scheduled… Now what?

So you’re finally ready to ditch the selfie you’ve been using as your brand photo on your website. Good job girl! You’re taking an important step in building a cohesive visual brand. There is nothing more profesh than putting your big girl panties on, and setting up your first brand photoshoot. The only problem is, this is your first time doing something like this, and you don’t know where the hell to start. Good thing your design bestie has your back. I’ve got 9 tips on how you can set up, style and rock your brand photoshoot!

Girl, who the hell are you?

The first thing you need to do if you haven’t already is define who you are as a brand, your brand’s personality and the client you are trying to attract or girl, you’ll be all over the place. The first thing to do is nail this down, because you’ll be infusing these aspects into your brand photoshoot. If you’re having trouble figuring this out, I have two resources for you here and here, that will teach you all you need to know about defining your ideal client + brand.

Let’s use my ideal client as an example for this entire series

 

This is Hailey and she is a life + transformational coach for female creative entrepreneurs. She loves wine, coffee, essential oils, fitness, bougie candles, traveling, loves to laugh and is obsessed with Pinterest. She shops at Free People, Antropologie + Nordstrom and she’s a true free spirit. Her brand personality is bohemian, sophisticated, and feminine. Her brand colors are muted jewel tones with pops of color.

Let’s get some inspiration!

 

The first thing you should do is make a secret Pinterest board that reflects the look and feel of your brand. Since Hailey’s brand personality is bohemian, sophisticated, and feminine, type these words into Pinterest and the word “photoshoot” after. Select the images you love and pin those to your board. This is going to create a mood board for your photoshoot

 

Clothing + Style

 

When selecting the clothing for your photoshoot, keep in mind the style of clothes and most importantly the colors for your photoshoot. You will want to make sure your clothing is complimentary to your brand colors + style, since your photos will be used on your website and throughout your social media accounts. If your brand is ultra high end and sophisticated, don’t wear something super casual and vice versa. You can also create a separate Pinterest board for your outfit as well. Since Hailey loves Free People, she will wear something that is boho, chic, flowy, firty and feminine. 

Makeup + Hair

 

 

 

A post shared by CARA JOURDAN (@carajourdan) on Aug 8, 2016 at 8:38am PDT

Please. Please. Please. invest in a professional makeup artist + hair stylist. If you can beat your face to the gawds then please do, but just be mindful that doing your makeup for a photoshoot is different than doing your makeup for work. I love doing my own makeup, but I hired a professional makeup artist, so I wasn’t out there looking like boo-boo-the-fool in my photos. Hailey’s hair for her shoot will be wavy, tousled and free flowing. Her makeup will be light and feminine. It also might be beneficial for you to create a pinterest board, strictly dedicated to your hairstyle for this photoshoot. 

Selecting Your Photographer

 

I know your cousin’s friend is amazing with the camera and they are trying to build a portfolio, but these are the photos for your brand. Research a photographer that specializes in branded or stylized photoshoots. Take a look at the type of lighting they are using. Are they using natural light or studio lighting? Take a look at their photography style and make sure that it’s the style that best represents your brand. Interview your photographer to see if you’re a good fit. You’ll be with them for a couple of hours, so you want to be sure you both mesh well. Share your pinterest board with your photographer, so he/she can get idea of the look you’re going for. If you’re in the Los Angeles, CA area, I have a few photographers that I LOVE, and can recommend to you!

Location

 

Location is everything. I would recommend taking your photos where you are able to show off your personality and show you in your element. For example, since I am a web designer, I made sure that I took photos in front of my computer or me on my laptop. I also had my photographer take images of my desk. We went to another location and we took images of me where I do client work, and doing one of my favorite things. Drinking coffee. Think about ways you in incorporate a setting or location into your photoshoot. For Hailey’s photoshoot, the atmosphere will be romantic, organic and natural, which are all elements that fit into her bohemian chic landscape.

Types of Images

 

A lot of people forget about this part. Think about how you will be using these images. You will be using these on your website, instagram, bio photos, speaking engagements, flyers etc. Get both landscape and portrait shots. Get close up shots, get action shots. Landscape shots are perfect for website headers and portrait shots are perfect for headshots. Also get a few shots on a solid background, so if you hire a designer, it will be super easy for them to crop you out of a photo. Tell your brand story with your photos! Hailey opted for an ornate headpiece to infuse her personality into her brand. 

Have Fun!

 

This is your brand, so get excited about it. Being comfortable is super important, because if you aren’t, it will show on camera. Add some fun props in your shoot like balloons, confetti or glitter if you want to infuse more personality into your photoshoot.

Here is Hailey’s final photo. She’s got a perfect shot for her bio! Does she match her brand style?

 

 

Have you done a photoshoot for your brand? What did you do to get ready for it? Let me know in the comments below!