I’ve done a lot of photography for my business and walked many clients through their own brand photography. And one thing remains the same: if the photoshoot isn’t coordinated down to the last detail, you’ll most likely walk away dissatisfied or with regrets.

You want your brand photos to feel like you and attract your dream clients’ eyes – all while looking great on social media and your website. But how do you know what photos work best for your website and reflect your brand? 

You’re in luck, my friend. Today, I’m using my expertise as a brand and website designer to share tips on planning for your brand photography so your photos work for your business and on your website for many years to come. 

The truth is, brand photos are fun and awesome, but if they don’t work well for your brand and website, they were a complete waste of time and money. 

Let’s discuss exactly what you need to know to create brand photos that work for your website and business.

Strategy

A good photoshoot starts with strategy and a deep understanding of your brand’s aesthetic and tone. Images can make or break your website and having images that don’t coordinate with your brand will alter the feeling of your brand and website completely.

So how do we make sure these photos work best for our business and website? 

We lay a foundation for your brand so that everything built on top of it – including a brand photoshoot – is strong and solid. 

As you prepare for your brand photos, ask yourself these questions:
(1.) What style(s) is my dream client attracted to?
(2.) How do I want my dream client to feel when they see my brand and these photos?
(3.) What 3 words do I want my website to emulate? 

Continue your strategy by making sure that every shirt, prop, and camera snap answers these questions.

Photographer

This is often the hardest part of brand photography – picking the right photographer with the right price. Search Instagram, find someone in your local RTS chapter, or ask a fellow peer or friend. But just make sure your photographer’s shooting and editing style matches your brand’s aesthetic and compliments your strategy.

The dark/mood style tends to bring feelings of adventure, edgy, warmth, etc. The light/bright style tends to bring feelings of joy, optimism, luxury, etc. 

Make sure you chat with your photographer about your vision in detail. Show them examples of your inspiration. Yes, they are the artist, but if you have some ideas, I’m sure they’d welcome the direction. 

Photos

I’ve noticed that photographers tend to shoot portrait style. That’s great – you’ll need those! But make sure they are aware that you also need lots of landscape photos for your website as well. 

Photo variety is key, and that’s why I ask my photographer for all of my photos. Two photos in front of a wall shot from different directions may seem unnecessary, but I promise they’re different! Use a prop, change up your smile, look another direction. I love the creative freedom I have when I can design or work with a wide selection of photos. 

If you really want to impress your designer, ask what sizing specifics they prefer for website photos (in pixels and/or kb) and relay this information to your photographer. Your photographer can export photos to these specifications in seconds and your website designer will really love you and probably cry happy tears. 😉 

Clothing

You’ve probably heard that your clothing should complement your brand’s aesthetic and attract your ideal client. And although that’s true, you should also feel comfortable to show what makes you you and that includes wearing outfits you’d normally wear.

Plan outfits that are multi-seasonal. I’ve made the mistake of wearing cute summer dresses but regretted it when I wanted to share a photo in the middle of December.

Chat with your photographer to discuss how many outfit changes you’re permitted, and plan a variety of outfits: stripes, solids, neutrals, shorts, dresses, long sleeve, short sleeve, etc. Don’t forget about layers! Adding a scarf, removing a sweater, etc. is just another way to add simple variety to your photos.

If you’re unsure of your brand’s aesthetic, you can’t go wrong with neutral colored clothing: jeans, whites, creams, greys, blacks, etc.

Location

Start with asking your photographer how many location options are allowed. Take the time to scout any possible locations and find spots that set the right tone to your business and reflect your brand’s aesthetic.

Bring more variety to your photos by changing up the photo slightly (i.e. chair in front of wall, chair in front of window) and take advantage of every space in that location – both inside and outside. 

Props

Think outside the box and bring props to add dimension to your photos and share more about your personality. Think beyond the basics of glasses, hat, phone, and laptop. Bring some business books you love, a cup from your favorite restaurant, examples of your work, etc.

You can use these props in stock-like photos, but don’t be afraid to pull them into photos with you!

Timeline

Sometimes a timeline with a generalized shot list can be helpful. There shouldn’t be a lot of pressure to abide exactly to this timeline, but I’ve learned it can be helpful for keeping the day on track – especially if we have a lot of photos and scenes to shoot!

When there is a timeline, go over it a few days before your photoshoot with your photographer to make sure you’re on the same page and understand the desired vision.

Day-Of

Just have fun! Relax knowing that you’ve put in the strategy and talked with your photographer about all of the details that matter most to you.  

When you strategize and plan the details of your brand photography, it can make the experience more fun and stress-free.

Now that you’ve completely crushed your brand photos, you’re ready to start sharing them on social media and your website. The next step is making sure your images are optimized correctly to boost your SEO. 

This post will teach you how to batch compress and rename your photos with Bridge and this post will teach you how to optimize your photos for SEO.