How to make the most of your brand shoot
Here at Luminarie Creative, I know that commercial and brand photography is a big investment; you devote time, resources, thought and budget to this process. I want to help you make the most of our time together. Here are some of the top general tips to help you get everything you were dreaming of for your pictures.
Here are my top 10 tips to help you make the most of your brand shoot:
Find a specialist. Yes, we all take pictures, but there is so much that differentiates one photographer from another. Choose someone who actually offers the services you need. You wouldn’t go to a dermatologist for help with a toothache; you’d see your dentist, right? So when it comes to images for your business, choose a photographer who has specific experience with commercial or brand photography. Many photographers even have sub-specialities and do their best work with certain industries. For example, at Luminarie Creative, we love to work with solo entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations within the areas of arts, fashion, health, wellness and education. This doesn’t mean that’s the extent of our abilities, but we tend to shine in these areas.
Deep dive their portfolio. Take a look around a photographer’s full body of work. This will give you a sense of their overall aesthetic (artistic sensibility), approach, and favourite subject matter. Do you connect with their work? Does it feel like a natural fit for your business? Perhaps you have certain images they’ve created or campaigns they’ve worked on that really stood out to you. You can reference these in conversation to help communicate what you’re looking for.
Be engaged during your creative consultation. Luminarie offers a complimentary creative consultation for all new clients, as well as for returning clients (if desired). This is an opportunity for us to get acquainted and chat more about your project. I encourage you to be 100% yourself and be direct and clear about your hopes and dreams for your photos. This will allow me to give an accurate estimate for how much time we should plan for the deliverables you require. This also gives me a sense of your working style, your personality and your sense of humour!
Do your homework. Depending on the length of your session and any add-ons you’ve selected, we may both have homework to do to prepare for your session. I will do my part (e.g. moodboard, shopping list, sending you my favourite resources + recommendations, etc) and you will fill out your questionnaire, send over any inspiration or relevant info and (if applicable) a shot list. Any prep work you do will pay dividends, I assure you.
Prepare gradually but promptly. Don’t leave preparing for your shoot to the last minute. It’s a recipe for stress and getting sweaty! Instead, ensure you send your questionnaire, shot list, or any questions by their due date to allow me to prep and get back to you. Start gradually gathering everything you will need for your session at least a week before our shoot day so you aren’t rushing day-of to do it.
Pack way more than you think you need. It’s way better to be over-prepared than under-prepared, right? If we are efficient, we can often end up getting through way more outfits, setups or items than we originally planned.
Buffer time is everything. Always leave buffer time! If you book hair and makeup before your shoot, allow for this process to take longer than planned (because it almost always does), then allow for travel time + travel delays due to traffic. Buffer time removes SO much unnecessary stress and friction.
Prep your props. This one saves SO much time. If you are bringing along props or using them on site, have them either laid out in order you’d like to shoot them, or even grouped into baskets that we can just pick up and move with us as we shoot.
Change quickly. This may sound silly, but being able to quickly change your outfits is one of the best ways to get the most out of your brand shoot.
Know your deadlines. Ideally you will plan ahead so that our standard turnaround (two weeks after you’ve made your selections from your proofing gallery) works with any deadlines you have. But if you need a quick turnaround, Luminarie does offer rush delivery (when possible) both of your full gallery or of 1-5 images for a rush fee. We want to turn things around as quickly as possible for you!
For inspiration, I’d love to share a few images from my half-day brand session with my client, Sarah. She is a fellow brand photographer who hired me to do her own images. Her shoot offers so many great examples of following my above advice!
First of all, she packed 18 looks! We weren’t sure if we’d fit them all into our four hours together, but it was actually not a problem at all because she changed quickly! Some of them were just a change of a shirt, switching out one blazer for another, but it still created definition between her different images. Scroll to see how all 18 looks were worn during her session.
