How Branding Photography Can Elevate Your Brand and Business
Many brands and businesses rely on DIY or stock photography to add images to their websites, social media, brochures, and more. While these images are easy to get, they may not represent you, your brand, or your business all that well. So, what is the best resolution for this? Well, let’s talk about branding photography.
Have you ever been to a business website, or social media account, or read a brochure or flyer, and noticed the mismatched amount of stock photos? Or, maybe even amateur phone-captured photos?
It can oftentimes be distracting and mean you are missing out on understanding the brand and its services or products. This can keep you from wanting to engage with that owner or business.
In today’s world, the images you post or use are just as important for your brand as your products, services, and words. This is why branding photography is so important.
Branding photography has increased in popularity over the past decade as branding has become an essential part of any business.
When you add a dedicated and experienced photographer into the mix, your branding is then further elevated!
One of the biggest elements of branding photography is telling the story of the brand. With branding photos, you can heighten your brand by communicating in pictures what your brand is about, who the brand benefits, and the how and why of what you do.
As a branding photographer, I find these sessions to be fun, energizing for the client, and an enjoyable way to help a brand and business grow. There are several benefits to doing branding photos, so keep reading to know why.
The Breakdown
I offer four styles of branding photo shoots: stylized content, documentary, headshots, and product.
Stylized content is a curated storyline photo session in which we tell you and your brand's story. These can range from 90 minutes to a full 6-hour day and include the use of props, planned outfits, micro-locations, and more.
Documentary style is a more candid session of you and your business in action, or moments captured at a professional event. These are extra authentic images of you in action and in the moment and can be 1 hour to a full 6-hour day.
Headshots are a great way to showcase your personality. These sessions can include you and your entire team and range from quick 30-minute sessions to 2-hour sessions. The headshots I do are never in front of a plain backdrop either; I like to get outside and capture my clients in real life and nature.
Product shots are there for when you need me to capture your products and merchandise only. These sessions are fun since I can work one-on-one with my client to curate the exact style and look they want to make their products shine.
Having these categories separated into bundles helps to break down what exactly my client needs. But, to remain as flexible as possible, I also offer add-ons, like extra videos, photos, and people.
Content Management
As someone who truly understands what it means to own and run a business, I know that getting the photographs and videos is only step one of the entire process.
This is why I now include branding content packages. Not only will I create the photos and videos described above, but I can also help you further with social media, your website, and any print items you need!
For social media creation and management, my team and I will take the photos, and create videos, write the copy, schedule posts, share across multiple social media platforms, and provide a quarterly engagement report so you know how effective it is.
With the website creation and management package, my team and I will take all the photos, create videos, write the copy, create an online store (if needed), write and publish blog posts, and ensure we include the best SEO to make your online presence stand out.
Print creation and management means my team and I can design a logo for your business, and create business cards, flyers, brochures, handouts, apparel, and more. Plus, we can design and create digital and fillable forms you may need!
Branding Shoot Prep
When doing a branding session, I do a great deal of organizing and planning before the session day.
My role is beyond taking photos, editing, and sending them to my clients. I do immense research on my client's brand, formulating their stories and ensuring to express the main points of their brand.
Before the session day, I like to video chat with my client to ask them questions about their brand.
We discuss everything from who their audience is, to vision and mission statements, brand colors, and more. If we’re doing stylized branding shots then we discuss props, who should be in the photos, where to do the photos, and dates.
While the client is busy gathering props and planning their outfits, I work on my lookbook and schedule.
This is my guidebook for the session day. It allows me to keep the client on time, and ensure we get plenty of photos during the time together, and it is my checklist to make sure all planned photos are accounted for.
This guidebook also allows me to ensure the scenes I shoot include important brand details, from the color of your props to your coordinated outfits. My goal is to make sure my clients are at ease and having fun, not worrying about all the details.
The Details
I love to incorporate brand details within every photo.
This can be in the form of props, like books, pens, framed pictures, books, and any tangible objects that can help tell the story of the brand. It’s also incorporating the colors of the brand in any way possible.
For example, if your brand’s colors are muted earth tones and you cater to earth-friendly products and services, I’ll make sure to include visuals that have hints of the colors and tangible objects to display around you. We can even incorporate more outdoor photos to drive the brand's colors without it being forceful.
If your brand is family-forward, I will even include photos of you with your partner and/or children. In the photos of you at your desk, we can include framed family portraits and parenting books on the shelf behind you, adding to the brand's family theme.
The sky's the limit when it comes to doing branding photos, and I will do my best to include everything you want in your brand’s story.
Some may wonder, how long does a branding photography session last?
It depends on the number of storylines being told, if multiple micro-locations are being used, and if there are many employees that need to be included. We can do a shorter 90-minute session or up to a full 6-hour session in one day.
Though, no matter the size or timeline, I construct several scenes that are curated specifically for the client's brand.
While many of the photos include the client “in-action”, working away on their laptop or creating their product, I also like to incorporate still photographs.
This could be a simple photo of a mug with words on it, pens and a calendar, or plants and a product. These stills are essential for the client in the end as they can incorporate them into their website, social media, or other printed products, and still put the brand image at the forefront.
Having several photos allows you to have photographs for many different types of content, like:
Instagram stories
Instagram feed
Facebook
Blog
Website (with or without text overlay)
YouTube
Newsletters
Digital products
Pinterest
Speaking engagements
Gaining all of these curated photos, done by a professional, can only help you elevate your brand. And, it can be hard to take your own photos, especially when you have to consistently post on social media.
Branding sessions allow for getting months' worth of social media photos in one day!
Taking your own brand photos may be something that is hard to make time for, too. The planning and the time to set up a scene so you get curated photographs of you working that tell a story can be time-consuming, so I am here to help!
If you are looking for a branding photographer, and want to chat about your brand and what your goals are, contact me today.