For the past few years, there’s a huge uptick for brand photography. There’s a lot of reasons why your business can benefit from branding photography; so today, I will be sharing what brand photography really is and why every business needs it.
What Is Brand Photography?
A brand photography is a pre-planned photoshoot that captures the essence of your brand. The photos captured during the photoshoot strategically tell your and your brand story, not to mention, they elevate your online presence. The gallery of photos are then used as marketing materials to promote your business. When used purposefully, the brand photos help your business connect with your ideal client.
Who Needs Brand Photos?
Every business owner who wants stand out in their industry needs brand photos. Whether you offer services or sell products, you will greatly benefit from brand photography. Entrepreneurs like realtors, business coaches, educators, fitness instructors, photographers, influencers, authors, event planners, small business owners, among others have seen success using brand photos as one of their marketing tools.
What Happens During A Brand Photoshoot?
During your brand photoshoot, you will have a variety of photos taken depending on your need. If it is your first time doing a brand photoshoot, then most likely, the photoshoot will revolve around capturing you and your brand, your team (if you have any), your processes, where you work, the different tools that you normally use, and how you work.
There are businesses who schedule regular brand photoshoot quarterly or annually. Most often, these businesses have constant changes happening in their business. When they do their regularly scheduled brand photoshoots, they get updated photos of themselves and their team (if they have any), any changes in their processes, any new offering or product launch, or if they move to a new location.
What Props Do I Need?
Props are one of the best ways to show off your personality & brand story! They can be as simple as the tools of your trade (laptop, camera, phone), things you use on a daily basis or fun personal items that you love having in your life! Adding these elements into your brand photos can give your audience an idea of what it’s like to work with you. Here are some examples of props that would be helpful during your photoshoot:
- Laptop
- Phone
- Pen/Pencil
- Paper/Notebook/Notepad
- Mug/Tumbler
- Flowers/Plants
- Planner/Calendar
What Are The Different Types Of Brand Photography?
Brand photography comes in different types. Depending on your business type, you will need one of these or a combination of these.
Headshots
Headshots are the core of your brand. It helps show your audience who the person behind the brand is. It gives your brand a friendly face while also building trust with your ideal client.
Corporate headshots are often done in front of a plain background and normally needed in the corporate world. Most often, you’ll see corporate headshots taken from shoulder up.
Lifestyle headshots shows who you are in a more relaxed environment.
Brand Story
These photos show what makes you and your brand unique from your competitors. If you are a coffee shop owner who sources their coffee beans from their own farm, this would be shown in the photos. If you are a photographer who captures out of this world photos using a different technique, this will be captured in your brand images. If you started your business in your garage and now own several boutiques, this will be part of your brand story photos.
Behind The Scenes
These images show the processes behind your products or services you offer. If you are an events planner, these would be photos of you planning a design for a specific event, sourcing materials, and even putting together the different style elements needed for your event to look cohesive. If you are a business who sells candles, these would be photos of you creating the candles, packing the orders, and also sourcing different materials for your product.
Working With Clients
These photos show your audience what it’s like to work with you. Whether you do it in person or through video call, these would be captured during your brand photoshoot. If you are a realtor, these would be photos of you meeting with your clients, showing houses, and how you interact with them. If you are a therapist who sees your clients virtually, these would show photos of you facing your computer doing different activities that you normally do with your clients.
Product Photography
These images show your products either in a font of a plain background or in a lifestyle setting. These could also be done with models so that you can show how to use your product. Product photos with models or in a lifestyle setting are often more engaging because your ideal clients can visualize themselves using your products.
Lifestyle Photography
These images are more focused on your interests and what makes you YOU. These photos make you & your brand more relatable and help you connect with your ideal clients. If your family is a huge part of your brand, then photos with your family doing activities that you all love will be part of this. If your fitness is a big part of who you are, photos of you working out and preparing healthy food & drinks will be part of your lifestyle photography. If you are always on the go, then photos of you being out and about will be captured during this time.
Detail Shots & Flatlay
As the name imply, these photos put the focus on details of your work, how you work, what you use to do business. If you design dresses, detailed photos of your designs will be captured. If you own a stationary business, detailed photos as well as flatlays of your different designs will be taken. If you are an events planner, a detailed photo of your hands doing some styling and flatlay of what inspiration photos for an event your planning will be photographed.
Why You Need Brand Pictures
Other than telling your brand story, values, and mission, and elevating your online presence, below are the reasons why you need brand pictures.
- They show your personality
- They set you apart from others in your industry
- They build trust
- They position yourself as the expert in your field
- They make you more relatable
- They help your ideal clients connect with you on a deeper level
- They show your WHY
Where To Use Your Brand Images
Once you’ve gotten your brand photos, it’s time to put them to use. Here are some of the ways you can use them:
- Profile photo
- Website
- About page
- Business card
- Email marketing
- Blog post
- Brochures
- Signage
- Printed marketing materials
- Other digital marketing efforts
When To Get Brand Photos
During the life of your business, you will need to get brand photos during these times:
- Launching a business
- Building or updating website
- Launching a new service or product
- Promote seasonal service or product
- Hiring a new team member
- Launching holiday service or product
- Rebranding
- Your brand photos are at least 1-year-old
- Your brand photos do not reflect your current messaging
- You want to create more content about a specific area/aspect of your brand
- You need more marketing materials to consistently share on social media
What Makes A Brand Photoshoot Successful
A successful brand photoshoot gives you a full gallery of strategic images that tell who you are as a person and a business owner, more importantly, who your brand is. It highlights what makes you and your business unique while incorporating your brand personality into the photos. It gives your ideal clients a peek into what it’s like to work with you and communicates why they should work with you instead of your competitor. If you offer products, it should also show the various ways your products can be used. And of course, it meets your current business needs.
Is Brand Photography Worth The Investment?
1000% YES!!! I have yet to meet an entrepreneur who hasn’t had any success with brand photography. Brand photography is for every small business owner who aims to boost their marketing efforts.
Conclusion
I hope after reading through everything, you have a better understanding of what brand photography is and why you need it in your business. If you’re still wondering if brand photography is right for you, IT DEFINITELY IS. If you want to dip your toes in brand photography and you’re in Northern Virginia, I’d love to chat with you to see how I can help you stand out in your industry.
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‘Til next time,
Belle
