When you are new to the idea of having a brand shoot done, you might come up with a thousand reasons why you don’t want to do it. Today I am trying to address some of those feelings.

First of all – what is a brand shoot?

A personal brand shoot is a creative collaboration between you, the brand owner, and me, the photographer. Together we create a bank of beautiful images about you and your business that explain to your ideal client who you are, what you offer and how you help them. It is an image library that you can use on your website and blog, on any social media accounts, for marketing purposes as well as in advertising.

The reason why I am describing it as a collaboration is because we work all the details out together. I ask you questions about your business and you consequently decide what, where and how we document your brand. It is an exciting and joyful process that can potentially help you get a much greater insight into your business.

But you say you don’t want a brand shoot, because ….

Reason #1: you don’t like being in front of a camera.

The posing, your looks, feeling exposed – it just makes you cringe to think about being in front of the camera. These feelings are valid and I will not judge them! I think if you did a survey, three quarters of people I photograph will initially express these feelings. I felt them all myself when I had my first brand shoot done.

The bigger picture though is that a brand shoot, even if it initially feels uncomfortable, can have an incredibly positive impact on the business and person(s) photographed. I have worked with hundreds of people over the last nine years of having my photography business and a lot of them are initially uncomfortable in front of the camera. I am always gentle in my guidance and never force anyone to any pictures they don’t want. I also keep the person I photograph in the loop by showing them some of the pictures on the back of my camera which helps them understand what kind of pictures I am taking. In most cases the person in front of my camera starts to relax fairly quickly and most people even end up enjoying the process. It is my aim that the brand shoot is a positive experience for you, not a painful one.

Reason #2: you are worried you will be judged for having your picture taken.

You don’t want to seem shallow or vain by having a nice picture taken of yourself, right? Wrong! Having a really nice portrait taken of you might play havoc with your vanity, but it is actually really good for your business to show the person and personality behind the brand. People connect with people and seeing the person behind the brand builds trust. Have you heard of the ‘know, like, trust factor’? First people need to know you that you exist and what you can offer to them. Secondly they need to like you so that thirdly they will trust and consequently buy from you. Can you see how important it is to show up?

Reason #3: you don’t know what to write about in blog or social media posts.

Do you spend a lot of time trying to figure out where you are going, how to reach clients and how to make money? Did you know that quality images on your website engage your clients, keep them on your website longer, make your brand more memorable, help describe to your customers what you do and how you can help them.

It is essential though to realise that a having a brand shoot done is a real experience for your business, particularly if you are an entrepreneur or sole trader. The planning process helps you analyse the different elements of your business which we then document in stages. Personally I think the more planning and preparation gets done pre-shoot, the more you will get out of it. For example have a think about what you want to write about on your website and imagine what pictures you would like to have with those words. Then start writing a shoot list. Think about what problems your customers are facing and how you (and only you) can help them solve these problems. If you combine those words with some strong images you are not only keeping your customers on your website for longer, but you are also doing something for your SEO.

Reason #4: you don’t know what to wear.

Are you like me and you really like jeans and a woolen jumper? No problem. The most important thing is that you feel like yourself during a shoot so wear your favourite jeans and combine them with a cool shirt or maybe a blouse. Layer a cardigan over the top that you can take off half way through the shoot. We don’t want to make you look like someone else, just like the best version of yourself! Search Pinterest for ‘brand shoot – what to wear’ and you will find many good ideas and suggestions. A half day (3 hours) brand shoot allows for 2-3 outfit changes and a full day (6 hour shoot) allows for around 5 outfit changes.

Reason #5: you don’t have enough money for a shoot.

Yes, a brand shoot is an investment. But so are a website, stationary, equipment or an office space. What you do with it is the essential thing! A half day brand shoot gives you approximately 150 pictures – imagine how many blog and social media posts you can fill with those. Also you can use them for your marketing brochures, flyers, adverts, banners on trade fairs etc. Can you see why it is an investment into your company?

So I hope this helps you a little in understanding why a brand shoot can be extremely powerful for you and your business. If you have other worries that you would like to discuss with me then please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we can discuss your fears, your dreams and what we can establish together.

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When you consider booking a brand shoot, you might ask yourself why you need a brand shoot and how it will help your business. I am here to tell you more.

A brand shoot is more than just a photo shoot. It is the creative collaboration between you, the brand and business owner, and me, the photographer. I do not just take the pictures, but also help you plan the shoot and map out how we document your business.

The images we create together can be used in many different ways to help promote your business and be visible to your clients. Here are a few ideas for you on how to use your personal branding images.

On your website.

Your website is your shop front and like in a real shop, it is nice to see the face of the person you are buying from. Use a good headshot on your ‘about me’ page and tell your customers a little more about you or how you started your business. Good business photographs will keep your customers on your website for longer and if you construct your brand story well, you can guide customers from one page to another until they either buy or contact your for a service.

Social Media

It is important to shop up on both Facebook and Instagram. Showing up does not only mean being there and posting content, it also means showing your face at least once a month. Unlike what you might think or feel about photos of yourself, studies have shown that social media posts with a beautiful portrait of you (the business owner) can have significantly more engagement than product or service photos. People are naturally interested in people and everybody loves finding out about the story behind a business. Be consistent with your posts and engage with your customers to build trust.

Marketing & Advertising

We live in a digital era and customers make quick judgments whether they like what they see. This is particularly crucial for your marketing material. If you have an online brochure that you send to your clients, it will need to have an instant wow factor that blows your client away. Having high quality and consistent images helps with this by making you look professional. If you combine that with useful and most importantly helpful information, you are on for a win.

Content.

When I say ‘content’ I am referring to the text that goes with your images. If you just post a beautiful brand photo to Instagram but make no effort to accompany it with any useful information for your customers, your engagement will quickly nosedive.

Planning content is not difficult. Who is your ideal client? What problems do they have and how do you help them getting over these problems? What is your unique selling point? What are your processes? What tips do you have for your clients? The list is endless. Once you start thinking about content and writing yourself a list, you can probably image the images that should go with these posts. Together we can work through these questions and write a shoot list. A three hour personal brand shoot will leave you with 120-150 beautiful images and if planned properly, it will provide your with images for dozens and dozens of useful blog posts on your website (amazing you’re your SEO!) and on your social media (fab for engagement).

PR (public relations)

I have taken many pictures of companies that were printed in local magazines. Having a catalogue of beautiful images to use for your online shop front and all your social media platforms will attract attention and when a PR opportunity comes along, you have your images ready. Professional images make you look professional and being published in a magazine raises your profile. But don’t wait for PR opportunities, be brave and contact magazine with your beautiful images and some well written copy – you never know what doors might open for you!

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