Preparing For Your Brand Session

Consistent visuals build trust

There are many things that go into building a beautiful brand. From colour themes to typography to layout, it all matters. The most powerful aspect of building your brand, however, is consistency! Looking consistently polished across all your platforms tells your ideal audience that you’ve got your act together. One of the most powerful ways to make a fabulous first impression (followed by consistently awesome subsequent impressions) is with cohesive brand photography.

High quality brand photography helps you get noticed and build trust. It signals to your potential clients that you are competent, intentional and professional. It also shows them what they can expect when they buy from you or hire you or buy from you. It sets the tone of professionalism and makes you look like the legit business you are from the get-go. By investing in brand photography, you will undoubtedly level up, visually. Yay!

As we work together, I will work to understand your goals and help you elevate the look and feel of your visual storytelling. In turn, this thoughtful, highly personalized imagery will inspire a new level of trust in your ideal audience.

Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your brand photography experience.

WHAT TO WEAR

Choosing what to wear for your brand photos is one of the most challenging aspects of the experience. It can feel so overwhelming. Here are some guidelines to make it easier.

Be yourself

This is my number one rule. Choose clothing you love to wear. If you’re a minimalist, go with something low key and classic. If you’re a maximalist, don’t be afraid to be a bit extra!

Colours

Tip #1 Wear your brand colours! Incorporating your company’s colour palette into your clothing and accessories is always a great idea. It will instantly make your images tie into your overall brand aesthetic, as well as your website and social feeds.

General tips: don’t feel pressured to wear black or white. Wear colours that suit you and make your eyes sparkle! You can always ask family or friends which colours look best on you, or browse through favourite photos of yourself to see if there is a common colour that makes you look extra lovely. I do find neutrals look great in headshots, but so do jewel tones. In general I only advise folks to steer clear of neon pink and orange as they don’t play well with digital photography, but magenta, coral, peach, etc are all good. In general, all colours are welcome as long as you feel great when wearing them!

Fabrics, prints, patterns, and fit

Avoid wearing anything with logos, text, small stripes, or detailed patterns. This includes small stripes, pinstripes, fine checks, houndstooth/herringbone pattern and plaid prints. These can actually warp on camera and be very distracting. You want to keep the focus on you! Solid colours are always best.

This might sound like common sense, but consider your comfort and confidence levels when choosing clothing items. It's best to wear items that make you feel fantastic when you wear them, and to avoid garments that are uncomfortable, just don't seem to fit right or don't seem flattering to you. In general, it’s better for something to be fitted than way too loose, especially in terms of men’s shirts and suits.

Wear a neckline that you are comfortable in and wear often. For example, if you never wear turtlenecks or low cut shirts, don’t do so for your headshots.

Quality matters. Choose your garments that are made with quality fabrics. Cotton, linen, silk, wool, leather, tweed, all photograph beautifully. I find that cotton spandex blends that have a bounce or clinginess to them are not as photogenic.

Accessories

In general, less is more. If you love jewellery, make a statement with either your earrings or necklace, but you don’t need both. Or you could do petite earrings and a more statement necklace, or vise versa. I do find metallic jewellery looks much better than other materials (hemp, shells, large beads, etc) but it is a matter of personal preference. In my opinion, the ideal accessories are a small pair of stud or hoop earrings or a sentimental necklace such as a dainty chain with or without a pendant, pearls, or nothing at all!

Align with your brand - tips for dressing as a group for team headshots

This is most relevant if you are part of a business that has a strong visual identity and defined colour palette. But even if you work for a firm or corporation, it doesn’t hurt to take your employer’s colours into account. If your company’s vibe is more conservative and neutral, by wearing classic colours, this usually creates a more uniform look when multiple peoples’ headshots are placed together in the “About Us” or “Our Team” section of a website. A cohesive look is the goal! Conversely, if you work for a company with a modern and playful vibe, wearing bright colours and accessories can help reinforce your brand. Choose thoughtfully, and if you’re feeling stuck, talk to your colleagues and perhaps even come up with a group colour or style strategy!

Dress code

If more than one team member is being photographed, I recommend getting everyone on the same page in terms of dress code for best results. Pick a level of formality and stick to it, whether it’s casual, business casual, business professional, creative, or glamourous! If you’re feeling stuck, think about the dress code of your ideal client and dress as you would to make a great impression on them or to help them feel welcomed into your space.

Prepare your garments

If the fabric you’ve chosen might wrinkle en route to your shoot, I recommend changing when you arrive and bringing your clothing along in a garment bag. Ensure everything is steamed/ironed before placing in the bag. And bringing a lint brush is always a good idea!

If you need help…

If you are struggling to decide on outfits, feel free to email me pictures of options you’re considering, or bring along more than you think you need and I will help you decide when you arrive. If you are feeling totally overwhelmed and stuck, I would recommend hiring a stylist who can help you put together the perfect look. You can find my recommended stylists in the Recommended Experts guide you received in your confirmation email.

BEAUTY & GROOMING

Skin preparation

Hiring a professional makeup artist is highly recommended, particularly if you’re investing in individual portraits. This will help you feel polished and perhaps even a little bit glamourous. If you choose to do your own makeup, remember to exfoliate to remove any dry skin and moisturize generously before getting started. This gives you a great foundation.

Makeup

I always recommend hiring a professional makeup artist. They are the foremost experts in helping you look and feel camera ready.

If you end up deciding to do your own makeup for your session, a rule of thumb I recommend is to apply about 25% more than you would for a normal day. This helps your features stand out. In general, I recommend sticking to neutral tones for the most professional look. Clean up any unwanted facial hair (brows, upper lip, etc). You might also consider bringing along blotting paper or powder and a brush for touch-ups to avoid shine during your shoot.

Hair

The condition of your hair is also an important consideration for beautiful photos. I recommend styling it however you like it best, though perhaps take an extra five minutes to get camera ready. You could consider bringing along a tube of clear mascara to tame any flyaways or baby hairs or a small can of hairspray or tub of paste/pomade and comb does the trick. If you have your hair coloured, don’t forget to visit your stylist in advance of your portraits to avoid visible roots if this is something that you’ll be conscious of. You could also consider having your hair professionally blown out or styled in preparation for your shoot.

Nails

If your hands will be featured at all in your images, I recommend giving yourself a simple manicure or even treating yourself to a professional one. At the very least, ensure your nails are neat and your hands moisturized.

Men’s grooming

In general, makeup is not recommended for men (unless you wear it on a regular basis, which is definitely the case for some folks) in order to look most like yourself. To get photo ready, prepare yourself as you would for any important presentation (or hot date), just taking a little extra care to moisturize to avoid dry looking skin. Chapstick is also recommended, particularly in winter. If you prefer a clean shaven look, don’t forget to shave the morning of your shoot. This is not a must, however. If you generally have a bit of scruff or work in a field where a cleanshaven look is not required, no need to shave! I do recommend bringing your favourite styling product and a comb to freshen up your hair right before your pictures.

PROPS

Bringing along a variety of props can help tell your brand’s story. I recommend gathering a collection of props that help tell the story of your work. This might include things such as:

  • Your products!

  • Marketing collateral such as business cards, labels, note cards, etc

  • Paperwork (as long as it doesn’t contain confidential info)

  • Relevant objects and knick knacks in your brand colours

  • Tools of your trade

  • Equipment you use at work

  • Inspirational books or magazines

  • Printed out quotes that you find inspiring

  • Fabrics or papers in your brand colours

  • Sentimental items or things with a meaningful story connected to your “why”

  • Components of your product, broken into individual parts

  • Things you just think are pretty!

  • Note: I have an ever-growing collection of props, so if you’re looking for something, just ask! I  might have it in my many bins ;)

BUILDING YOUR SHOT LIST

We often begin the process of creating your rough shot list on our Creative Consultation call.

Here are some types of shots to consider adding to our shot list as we continue to plan our shoot. We often can cover multiple categories in one shoot. The better we plan, the more efficient we can be!

Headshots

If you are a service-based business, like a consultant, coach, designer, or developer, we recommend including images of yourself and any members on your team on your website. We suggest a mix of traditional headshots alongside more candid snaps to capture your personality. But even if you don’t have a personal brand don’t shy away from making an appearance with your image. People buy from people and seeing a human face behind the business is always reassuring!

Working and behind-the-scenes shots

What do you do all day? Are you working on your laptop or in your warehouse? Zooming with clients from all over the world? Are you an interior designer that is pulling together moodboards or doing furniture and art installations? Let’s capture images of your process, whatever that may be.

Lifestyle vignettes

If you have an office space capture little vignettes of day-to-day details. This might also include snaps of your signage or logo as it appears in real life.

Deliverables and product

If you are a maker or have a physical product show us what you have to sell! This is your portfolio of work - show it off! Share what your work looks like in your space and in your clients’ space. If your work lends itself to befores & afters share those too!

Talking points

Are there issues that you feel passionate about. Are there consistent themes that always come up for you when working with clients. Is there a particular aspect of your client experience that is really important to you? I call these things talking points. They are points that you want to talk about on social media. Let’s find a way to create simple visual examples for your feed that catch peoples’ eyes and make them stop their scroll and read what you have to say.

Prompts to help you come up with talking points:

  1. Top five questions people ask you about your business

  2. Top five questions you wish people would ask you

  3. Things that might surprise people about what you do

  4. What can people do to get the most out of there experience with you or your product?

  5. What aspects of your job or your company’s products are you most proud of?

Confidence and communication

It can be intimidating to think about being photographed, and many people feel vulnerable in front of a camera. I’m here to cheer you on and help you feel awesome and look your best at all times.

I will coach you every step of the way to help you get into the groove and I promise you’ll feel amazing by the end of our time together. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Itinerary + respect for time

By now you should have received confirmation on our shoot time, either from me directly or from your colleague that has been coordinating your shoot. I urge you to arrive promptly in order to be respectful of everyone’s time. I often have more than one shoot scheduled on a given day, so your time slot cannot be extended due to late arrival. Make sure you make the most of the time we’ve set aside for your time to shine!

Top 5 tips for a great brand session

  1. Be yourself. Don't worry about posing - it's my job to take care of that. Just be natural, follow my gentle posing and movement directions and you'll be the most natural looking pictures that are a true reflection of you.

  2. Make sure everyone in attendance has had something to eat and drink before your session. It’s important to be hydrated and fed to keep your energy levels up! Being "hangry" during portraits is no fun.

  3. Prepare like you’re getting ready for a special occasion. If possible, take just a few extra minutes to get yourself ready so that you feel really good. Professional hair and/or makeup is always a bonus if possible.

  4. Have fun. Enjoy the moment! Don't put any pressure on yourself to do anything out of the ordinary. Let's just have a blast together and take some photos as a souvenir of the experience.

  5. Give yourself permission to feel beautiful. Let your guard down, get into it, and give me your all for our session. The confidence and joy you feel will make your photos glow.

What’s next?

Within a few days of your shoot, you’ll receive an email with a link to your online proofing gallery. These are unedited images but they will give you a sense of everything we shot, minus the outtakes. From there you can select the images you would like to have retouched, and notify me once you’ve made your choices. Whenever possible, please make your selections within 72 hours in order to receive your images on schedule.

Within two weeks of making your selections, your finalized images will be ready! You can view and download your images in high resolution (for printing) and web quality as well. These images are yours to use, share, love, etc.

Schedule your next session

I recommend scheduling brand photography on a quarterly basis. Please get in touch when you’re ready to make some magic together again.