3 Simple Steps to a Brand Shoot that Shines
There’s plenty of things that can be done, both in advance, and on the day to make sure your brand shoot runs as smoothly as possible and provides you with the kind of content you deserve to have to give your brand a chance to shine in a way that captures the attention of your ideal audience.
But let’s not overwhelm you with a list of things so long you lose the will to even begin, so let’s look at 3 simple things you can do to help your shoot put your brand in the limelight.
Planning
The date is in your diary for your brand shoot and one of the things you can do to really make things go smoothly on the day is plan! So the first thing to do is to work out exactly what products/services or messages you want to promote with the images from your brand shoot. Be clear in your needs because the more focused you are on this the better the outcome will be.
I love to encourage the use them of vision/mood boards as part of the brand shoot planning process with a client. They are a really great way to identify styles with visual clues rather than trying to describe something that then gets lost in translation.
A great way to keep on track is to plan individual stories or ‘sets’. Write down the scene, who and what will be featuring in it and what props would work well too. All of this is important to discuss with your photographer – preferably in advance of the session.
People
If people are going to feature in your photos, make sure all those involved are well prepped in advance so they know what your aims are for the session.
The key is to be honest with them – don’t say it’s 20 minutes if the session is 90 minutes….
Always good to have them available in advance of the session starting time and if will give you chance to go back over any briefs so all are comfortable. If you have specific clothing you need them to wear, check in advance with size preferences etc.
It’s always a good idea to at least have some water on hand for those featuring, keeping hydrated is good, even with the shorter sessions.
Providing additional refreshments is a great bribe (!) and kids always seem to appreciate having snacks on hand too.
Props
Bring things that reflect you on your working day. That might be general business items like your phone, laptop, tablet, diary etc. Mugs, pens, notebooks are great options too and if any of these are branded or in brand colours then even better. Also, if you use tools of your trade, have them set up and ready. For example.
If you are a dressmaker, have the sewing machine/thread/pins/patterns to hand.
If you are a yoga/pilates instructor, then have matts, blocks, straps to hand.
Think also about the storyboard you created during planning. What props would make those scenes look authentic? Do you need food, plates, picnic blankets. Maybe its a brolly and wellies, or do you need a kitchen full of baking trays, flour and sugars. Imagine what you would be doing if you were in those situations directly and plan your props accordingly.
By investing a bit of extra time by working on these 3 simple steps, you’ll find your brand shoot will go far more smoothly and provide you with the best possible content that really helps to tell the story of your brand.
Investing in brand photography that shows your team as individuals is a really useful way of marketing your brand and the product/service you provide. These images create that sense of human connection that so many really appreciate in order to feel aligned with your brand enough to buy from you.
Do you need any more reason?
Rachel x
